This week, our collection of Truthdig-flavored videos includes Jon Stewart grilling John Ashcroft on torture; an unbelievable before-and-after as a billboard model is transformed; and a satirical campaign ad so preposterous that the GOP won’t even run it.

No. 1: Let the Eagle Soar

Former Attorney General and amateur singer/songwriter John Ashcroft appeared Wednesday on “The Daily Show” to defend the president’s various abuses of power, including torture, which he characterized as stern questioning.


No. 2:

‘Real Beauty’ Ad Reveals Model Makeover

The Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty” outfit has posted a video showing the unbelievable makeup, styling and Photoshop efforts that go into making a model into a billboard beauty. It’s an effective indictment of how we view “beauty.”

Dove ad

Watch it


No. 3:

Bush Dodges O’Reilly on Torture

The president refuses to answer Bill O’Reilly straight when the talk comes to torture.

The biggest guffaw: Bush speaks about engaging in a grand “intellectual debate” on terrorism.

Bush O'Reilly

Watch it


No. 4:

The Campaign Ad the GOP Won’t Run

“Airplane” director David Zucker has produced a satirical ad criticizing the Clinton administration’s dealings with North Korea that is so inflammatory that GOP strategists have refused to use it in campaigns.

Watch it:


No. 5:

Robert Scheer on Iraq After America

Truthdig Editor Robert Scheer looks at Elbaradei’s nuclear prophecy, Iraq after U.S. withdrawal and Stan Goff’s Truthdig piece “Reflecting on Rumsfeld.”

Watch it:

Your support is crucial...

As we navigate an uncertain 2025, with a new administration questioning press freedoms, the risks are clear: our ability to report freely is under threat.

Your tax-deductible donation enables us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes the reality behind the headlines — without compromise.

Now is the time to take action. Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and uncover the stories that need to be told.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG