Episode 97 | April 12, 2023: New Presidential Candidates for 2024, Electric Cars, the Terrifying Rise of Digi-Dog

DMZ America with Ted Rall & Scott Stantis

Political analysts and cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left, Wall Street Journal) and Scott Stantis (from the Right, Chicago Tribune) dive into the latest developments in politics and culture.

The 2024 presidential campaign has some new candidates. On the Democratic side, Marianne Williamson returns for another attempt to challenge presumed reelection campaigner Joe Biden and Robert F Kennedy, Jr. throws his hat into the ring as well. On the Republican side, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott joins declared candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. Trump’s indictment has Republicans rallying around him, vastly increasing his lead over Florida governor Ron DeSantis. On the GOP side, it looks like Donald Trump may have this sewn up.

The Biden Administration has announced that it wants to have as many as two out of three automobiles sold in the United States to be fully electric by the year 2032. How will Americans be able to afford these more expensive vehicles? Will there be enough charging infrastructure? How will our lives change as a result? Geopolitical relations will change as well; electric vehicle batteries require lithium, which is mined in places like Afghanistan and central Africa, where China has an outsized advantage on mining rights.

The NYPD rolls out three high-tech devices designed to take beat cops off the street and replace them with autonomous gadgets out of a dystopian movie. The K5 “SnitchBot” is a 400 pound, 6 foot tall, automated spy. Then there’s “Digi-Dog,” a $375,000 robotic dog supposedly designed to handle hostage situations. Will these devices be powered by artificial intelligence? Will they select their own targets? Will the public put up with them? Unsurprisingly, flamethrower drones may be the answer.

The DMZ America Podcast is recorded weekly by political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis.
Twitter/X: @scottstantis and @tedrall
Web: Rall.com