Will Trump TACO on Terror Thursday? | DeProgram with Ted Rall and Jamarl Thomas

Trump privately debates scrapping plans to livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan after learning the paralyzed gunman relies on a wheelchair. Why didn’t he know? Advisers warn that the grim public images could martyr the terrorist or embolden enemies, even as Trump remains firmly committed to carrying out the death sentence itself.

Conflict reporter/writer/cartoonist Ted Rall and political analyst Jamarl Thomas deprogram you from mainstream media every weekday at 9 AM ET.

Today we also discuss:

• Cornell University suspends fraternity parties for the rest of the academic year amid explosive backlash over a 2024 gang rape allegation. President Michael Kotlikoff vows zero tolerance as the Ivy League school scrambles to overhaul its response after local prosecutors initially declined charges.⁠ How will Ivy Leaguers socialize?

• Time to move? Scientists say that super-Earths orbiting cooler K-dwarf stars may prove more habitable than Earth itself, with thicker atmospheres, stabler climates, and stronger magnetic shields that could let complex life thrive longer and richer. Garden cress already sprouts faster under simulated K-dwarf light, hinting these distant worlds might host paradise-like biospheres.⁠

• Houthis strike an Aramco building in Dhahran hours after Saudi-led forces hit a Sanaa oil facility, igniting a dangerous spiral of threats against Riyadh airport and oil sites. Missiles and drones continue raining on the kingdom as the “Dawn of Yemen” counteroffensive escalates and airlines flee Saudi airspace.⁠

• Germany closes Nuremberg Airport and scrambles Eurofighter jets after a Corendon Airlines flight from Corfu transmits a false hijack code “7500” due to a radio malfunction. The plane lands safely under escort, operations resume, and authorities confirm no danger ever existed.⁠ Will AI cause more false alarms?

• One year after the Gaza ceasefire, residents remain trapped in tents amid rubble, daily Israeli airstrikes, and almost no reconstruction, saying the war never truly ended. Anger flares at Hamas, Israel, and the world as 65% still live in makeshift shelters.⁠

• Germany opens a high-stakes Nord Stream pipeline sabotage trial, charging a Ukrainian ex-officer as an accomplice to a war crime and alleging the plot ran “on behalf of state authorities in Ukraine.” Kyiv fiercely denies involvement while the case threatens to strain Berlin’s support for its ally.⁠

00:00 Show Intro and Episode Preview

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