On the “DeProgram” show with political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, a high-level U.S. military delegation lands in turmoil-ridden Kyiv, pushing a 28-point peace plan coordinated with Moscow. Zelensky grapples with a $100 million energy sector corruption probe implicating allies. Meanwhile, a FBI whistleblower exposes the Internal Counterespionage Cell's "executive exemption," shielding Senior Executive Service brass from probes into fraud, retaliation, and espionage.
- Ukraine's Corruption Scandal and Political Turmoil: Anti-corruption watchdogs unravel a $100 million embezzlement scheme in the energy sector, fingering Zelensky ally Timur Mindich as the mastermind amid nationwide blackouts. Protests erupt in the Rada, toppling two ministers—Justice's German Galushchenko and Energy's Svitlana Hrynchuk—while opposition demands Yermak's ouster and a national unity coalition. Zelensky distances himself, imposing sanctions on Mindich yet dismissing graft as commonplace, fueling fears of deeper regime instability as investigations probe defense and banking ties.
- U.S. Military Delegation's Push for Peace: Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll and Gen. Randy George spearhead the highest-ranking Trump-era visit, briefing on a 28-point U.S.-Moscow peace blueprint that mandates halving Ukraine's military and territorial concessions. Zelensky receives the plan, pledging talks with Trump while insisting on unbreakable security, as the delegation secures an "aggressive timeline" for framework signing amid Russian strikes killing 26 in Ternopil. Observers question the scandal's timing, suspecting deliberate pressure on a vulnerable Kyiv to accept capitulation-like terms.
- FBI Whistleblower's Counterespionage Exposé: An insider accuses the Internal Counterespionage Cell of shielding SES executives via an unwritten "executive exemption," blocking probes into fraud, retaliation, and espionage despite credible tips from other agencies. Retaliatory transfers punish reporters, with no SES clearances revoked since protocols began, allowing classified hoarding and evidence destruction—including a retired assistant director's untouched leaks. The disclosure highlights decades-long practices spanning directors, contrasting aggressive actions like the 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid while lamenting zero espionage busts post-2001 Hanssen case.