“Protected Speech” features decorated veteran journalists Ravi Kapur and Jonathan Choe, who spotlight stories of local, national, and global significance each week. Part of the conversation centers around original reporting highlighting Asian hate incidents that continue to be underreported in mainstream media. Join us as we engage thought leaders and influencers from various industries, while illustrating raw realities through exclusive video.

Watch “Protected Speech” with Ravi Kapur and Jonathan Choe online, on Diya TV over-the-air Sunday nights at 8pm and wherever you get your podcasts.

This program is sponsored in part by the State of California through a grant provided by the California State Library, though they exercise no control over any aspect of the discourse or presentation.

The views represented on this show are of the hosts only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the network, affiliated companies or sponsors.

EPISODE 1: On the inaugural episode of Protected Speech, Ravi Kapur breaks down his exclusive interviews with former President Donald Trump and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, as both men position their respective parties for the midterms and the 2024 Election. Jonathan Choe highlights his work documenting the growing homeless epidemic in Seattle. And in what will be a reoccurring segment, both journalists analyze the spate of hate crimes against Asian Americans.

EPISODE 2: Ravi Kapur and Jonathan Choe discuss how Diwali has become mainstream thanks largely to an effort to court the Indian American and South Asian diaspora by politicians. Rishi Sunak made history by becoming the first UK Prime Minister of Indian descent, but faces an uphill battle to right the ship as the economy struggles. Jonathan Choe explains how “Housing First” has been failing and the double standard sports figures make to have access to global markets. and political stances. And in what will be a reoccurring segment, both journalists discuss yet another apparent AAPI hate crime, this time involving high school students.

 

https://youtu.be/fVC5SeVgwaE

EPISODE 3: On this edition of Protected Speech, Ravi Kapur and Jonathan Choe discuss the assassination attempt on former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, the “feud” and potential alliance between former President Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis & the implications on the Supreme Court looking into Affirmative Action. Choe also breaks down squatter houses in Seattle and the significance to the city. Meanwhile, a Hindu temple in New Jersey is vandalized after a controversial activist leads a protest against the Hindu American community.

EPISODE 4: On this edition of Protected Speech, Ravi Kapur and Jonathan Choe highlight the collapse of crypto giant FTX. Donald Trump announces 2024 presidential run officially. Elon Musk has grand plans for Twitter. Jonathan Choe heads to Portland to cover controversial journalist Andy Ngo’s court trial. And a customer assaults Bay Area restaurateur at a Thai restaurant in another appalling AAPI hate crime.

 

EPISODE 5: Crypto giant FTX collapses without warning. Ravi and Choe discuss the massive implications. President Trump announces 2024 presidential run. Ravi Kapur discusses his recent interview with the former President. Elon Musk plans to take Twitter in a different direction. And controversial journalist Andy Ngo was in court. Jonathan Choe analyzes the case and why Ngo has grown such following. Plus, a restaurateur is assaulted by a customer at a Thai restaurant, in another AAPI Hate incident.

 

EPISODE 6: On this edition of Protected Speech, a Black woman screams racial slurs at an Asian woman while at a Seattle gas station. Jonathan Choe followed up with the alleged aggressor to get her side of the story and that’s when things get bonkers. Ravi Kapur breaks down Nishad Singh’s role as a member of FTX’s inner circle in what be one of the greatest corporate collapses ever witnessed. Choe highlights one of the last remaining small businesses surviving the chaos on Seattle’s 3rd & Pike, Turco’s Last Stand. And Ravi discusses his sitdown with author and academic Rajiv Malhotra, who has built a global following for his battles against the academic left and ‘Breaking India’ forces.

EPISODE 7:

On this edition of Protected Speech, Ravi Kapur and Jonathan Choe breakdown the fallout from the midterms. Will political leaders cut a deal to help the Dreamers? And with Senator Warnock retaining his seat in Georgia, will the GOP change up their strategy? After Elon Musk purchased Twitter, his policy change to allow more speech and less moderation is causing a firestorm. The change led Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen to tell his office to leave Twitter and he’s asking other California DA’s to do the same.


And Choe showcases his exclusive report on cable giant Comcast and the criticism they face after the company allegedly blasted loud classical music to drive away the homeless living next to one of it’s facilities in Seattle.

EPISODE 8: On this edition of Protected Speech, Ravi Kapur and Jonathan Choe highlight how Brown University became the first Ivy League institution to add caste to their non-discrimination policy, while admitting there have been no cases on campus to date. Now under new ownership, Twitter will release information pertaining to accounts that were ‘shadowbanned’ by the previous leadership. In an exclusive report, Jonathan breaks down how Seattle police arrested two of the most prolific graffiti vandals in the city and discusses how Seattle’s downtown is a tale of two cities — one that sparkles and shines for tourists, with the other infested with drugs and ongoing crime.

EPISODE 9: On this edition of Protected Speech, India and China clash at their disputed borders again. FTX’s Sam Bankman Fried has been arrested and extradited. In another Jonathan Choe exclusive, Seattle Police, Homeland Security, and other law enforcement agencies bust a Vietnamese couple for allegedly trading fentanyl pills for EBT foodstamp cards. Choe also discusses an Antifa activist assaulting and robbing Rebel News journalist Katie Daviscourt as she tried to cover a Drag Queen Story Hour at a bar outside of Seattle. And Asian hate incidents continue. The Chancellor of Purdue University Northwest mocks Asians during a commencement speech and surveillance video shows an Asian American senior being assaulted on a bus in San Francisco.

EPISODE 10: On this edition of Protected Speech, Ravi Kapur and Jonathan Choe speak to Author Satish Sharma, whose book “Caste: Conversion, a Colonial Conspiracy, recounts the history of how this scourge came to be historically and how it’s being weaponized politically. Choe discusses his meeting with a new coalition of policymakers, activists, and outreach workers from the U.S. and Canada looking to take on the homelessness/addiction crisis. A San Francisco antiques dealer is seen in a viral social media video spraying a homeless woman with a water hose. And an Asian American man and woman are threatened while merely sitting at their table at In N Out in another AAPI hate incident.

EPISODE 11: On this edition of Protected Speech, Ravi Kapur and Jonathan Choe discuss the rise of influential Indian American women in politics on both sides of the aisle, multiple mass shootings shock California’s Asian American communities. An axe wielding homeless man in Seattle charges at Jonathan as the city allows unruly encampments to flourish, and some in Washington State’s elite poltical class are icing out certain journalists because of their affiliations, when in reality, they don’t want to face tough questions. And we have the public records that prove it.