DeProgram: “Why Jeffrey Epstein Refuses to Die”

<p>It’s time for “DeProgram,” where political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou tackle today’s most urgent stories. </p><p>Ted and John bring you up-to-date on the Jeffrey Epstein case Trump wishes would just go away, where the WSJ reveals a bromance between the president and the disgraced financier in a bound birthday book, and the White House orders the release of some court documents but not all. </p><p>Next, we dissect the Senate’s vote to cut $9 billion from NPR and PBS, threatening public media and perhaps even the lives in media deserts in places like Alaska and the Great Plains. </p><p>The focus then shifts to Iran’s nuclear program, bombed by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, with conflicting reports on damage—Trump claims “obliteration,” while intelligence suggests a mere months-long setback, raising the stakes for diplomacy, European sanctions or renewed war with Israel. </p><p>Finally, they address the NYPD’s use of FDNY’s Clearview AI access to bypass a facial recognition ban to illegally identify a pro-Palestinian Columbia protester, Zuhdi Ahmed, in a case dismissed due to this privacy violation, sparking outrage over free speech.</p>