DeProgram with Ted Rall and Jamarl Thomas Shutdown Scramble | DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou
Feb 6, 2026
They unpack a looming Homeland Security funding battle, ICE funding quirks, and a Trump plan to rename major transit hubs tied to infrastructure cash. They touch on medical fraud involving manipulated records and donor eligibility. NYC political backroom deals and accusations of sellouts get heated. Postal service failures, CIA history and conspiracies, and local activism against data centers round out the talk.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Strange DHS Funding Split
- ICE is separately funded and remains fully operational while other DHS components face funding fights.
- Ted Rall and John Kiriakou emphasize the oddity and political contradiction of funding ICE but threatening TSA and other DHS services.
Buying A Postal Jeep
- John Kiriakou bought a surplus USPS Jeep for $500 early in his CIA career and drove it for about 10 months.
- He recalls it had no radio or heater and later prepared him for driving on the other side overseas.
Landlords' Hidden Crunch In NYC
- Ted Rall explains NYC landlords face financial strain from 2019 rule changes removing rent-raise incentives after renovations.
- He warns rent freezes plus rising operating costs could trigger building abandonments or fires like the 1970s Bronx crisis.
