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Midas
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Political Commentator/Reporter
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Midas
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Midas
Another pina colada.
Democratic Analyst/Commentator
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Midas
done it again, shutting down the house floor at 2:03am on Friday morning and saying we ain't going to be working on the House floor as members of Congress until Monday at 12pm in the afternoon. If you take a look at the minutes as I've been analyzing from the House clerk, you'll see what went down at 2am in the morning. 2:10am in three seconds to be exact. The House adjoins pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 12pm on April 20, 2026. And if you delve a little bit deeper into what happened, there was a unanimous consent motion that the House would be adjourned and Friday morning at basically at 2am so people would stop working until Monday. Now there was hearing still in the House of Representatives and the Senate. We've been covering those. But in terms of votes on the House floor, Bag of Mike shut that down and I don't know, that vote may be significant on the House floor. I don't know, maybe assert your Article 1 authority to stop Donald Trump from engaging in this unlawful and catastrophic war as Donald Trump pretends that Iran opened up these Strait of Hormuz and there's free access. And guess what? According to Donald Trump, American military excavators working side by side with their friends, the Iranian excavators, and they're going to find that nuclear dust. Together they're putting in a little nuclear dust. They're bringing it back to the United States. One problem, everything falls. Ships ain't leaving the Strait of Hormuz. There's no free access through it. Iran controls it with an iron fist. Iran ain't giving up their uranium. Donald Trump just lied about everything. But guess what? He called up a lot of porters, reporters. He called up CBS and he called up NBC and Reuters and News Nation, and this one and that one and Axios. And they all just said, donald Trump said. Donald Trump said, said. Do you see the coordinated plan right here? Let me spell it out for you. MAGA Mike shuts down the House floor to stop additional votes regarding the War Powers authorization to potentially stop Donald Trump from this unlawful conduct, or at least bring it to the people's attention. MAGA Mike shuts down the House floor. Donald Trump lies, manipulates the market, calls up all the members of the press, makes up yet another fake deal that doesn't happen. But did you pay attention to what went down late last night? Did you see what went down? It was announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, or I should say there was a little footnote that went out the wire when people discovered that the United States was extending the revocation of sanctions against Russia. You know how Specson said, we're gonna keep those sanctions on against Russia after we have a deal? Well, now you're claiming there's a deal, which you obviously don't. And you've continued to remove the sanctions against Russia. Russia, the big beneficiary, The Russian sanctions, the sanctions on Russian oil removed. Now, Russia could sell their oil and make billions and billions of dollars. So Magamike shuts it down. And then Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, he's the one starting to, you know, he's messaging this and he's asked, so aren't people feeling good about the economy? Watch what Besson says as the House floor shut down. Play this clip.
Carvana Announcer
Why aren't we seeing this sentiment? Why are people feeling better?
Democratic Analyst/Commentator
Well, I, you know, I, when I was in the investment business, there are consumer surveys, but I used to look at what are the people really doing. So at treasury, we have loads of CEOs come through, whether they're in retail, credit card, the banks. And the consumer, while they may be sounding grim, is actually quite buoyant. So we are seeing spending has been very solid across most categories.
Carvana Announcer
They might not feel good, but, well,
Democratic Analyst/Commentator
look, in the heart of hearts, they feel good. I'm not sure what they're telling the survey people.
Midas
And then you had Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. And Howard Lutnick starts to say that he hates people who suck. He's like, the worst thing is that there are sucking sounds and people keep sucking off and sucking. What is he talking about here? Play this clip.
Howard Lutnick
The worst thing I learned when I went into government is the sucking sound of how many people try to suck off of the US Government. I mean, it was, it's so demoralizing to watch that stuff. Look.
Midas
And then he says, don't you worry everybody. 6% GDP growth. It's right around the corner here. Play this clip.
Howard Lutnick
Mentals of the US Economic underpinning remain right. The war changed that model, created fear and uncertainty. But the growth rate in the United states will hit 6% of Donald Trump's leadership. It will hit 6% annual GDP growth under Donald Trump's leadership.
Jim Jordan
But not this year.
Howard Lutnick
Well, let's see, let's see. I mean, you know, you have today, if the straits of our moves open,
Jim Jordan
there's always a band with like the Lutnik thing at the top. And then like you got treasury down here and the Democrats down here, but you're holding it at 6%.
Howard Lutnick
I am, because I know the commitments of build in America. I mean the fact.
Midas
And then he says Canada sucks. He goes, there's sucking sounds. Then he says Canada sucks. This is a weird, so weird, weird regime here. Play this clip right here.
Jim Jordan
The time is on our side because the pressures on the US Are only going to increase over time. Basically you guys are in political trouble. The longer they wait, the better deal. You're going to have to do good for them.
Howard Lutnick
That is like the worst strategy I've ever heard. They suck. They look, we are a $30 trillion economy, right? We are the consumer of the world. Carney has a problem with us. He gets on a plane and he goes to China. Does he think China's, the Chinese economy is going to buy his stuff? China is entirely an export driven economy, right? So what did he do? He came back and said, oh, we'll take their electric cars. I mean, is this nuts?
Midas
So as MAGA Mike shut down the House floor, you then have MAGA Republican Stutzman or Stutzman. He goes on CNN and here's what he has to say. Play this clip.
MAGA Republican Stutzman
President Trump is a tough negotiator. I mean, we've been really able to watch him negotiate almost as a general public through the truth Social post. And there's days you're like, wow. But this is the way he negotiates. He's a tough negotiat and he gets
Carvana Announcer
results, including threatening taking out an entire civilization.
MAGA Republican Stutzman
Well, and you know what, that was one of the things that, you know, they, as he said, they say, death to Israel, death to America. And I think we have to take them seriously, you know, and while they are a much smaller country and they don't have the capabilities that we do as Americans, we still have to take it seriously. And I think that those were the types of words that they understood what those meant. I believe that he never intended to do that, but he was. It was simply the rhetoric to put them in a position of. He means, really, he means business.
Midas
I mean, you can't even admit that threatening an entire civilization is bad. You have, yeah, you can't just say, no, we shouldn't be threatening to eliminate an entire civilization. That's called a genocide. What are you. What are these people doing? Then you have Jim Jordan saying, look, I just think the Democrats are crazy. They're crazy folks. They're crazy, crazy, crazy people. Hey, Jim Jordan, meet a mirror. Y' all are actually a bunch of lunatics. Here, play this clip.
Jim Jordan
No, I mean, I think we're gonna win. I think we're gonna win because the left, every position they take is crazy. You know, I was. I don't know if I said this on your show a few weeks ago, but I was doing some interview and I said, I think this is, this election is really gonna come down to a couple sentences. They're crazy. We're not. And you can look at every policy they have. We just talked about sanctuary jurisdiction policy. That's crazy. It makes no absolute, no sense. This idea that, oh, we're going to defund ice. Makes no sense. We're going to defund the police. That's crazy. We're going to have men compete against women in sports. That's crazy. We're going to shut down the government for 42 days in the fall, 50 some days here in the spring. All those things are crazy. So I do think we have to remind the voters that the left is crazy.
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Midas
And then while that was taking place, the one hearing that was going on and we've been covering it and got to give a hat tip to her, Democratic Congresswoman Summer Lee, her cross examination of RFK junior So House floor shut down. There were still hearings taken place. And you know, the MAGA Republicans wanted to hold their performative hearings and not actually address issues. But take a look at this cross examination by Congresswoman Lee. Let's play this clip right here.
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Your agency told programs to remove a list of nearly 200 words and phrases from their funding applications, including the word black. Do you have an idea of how we could solve the black maternal mortality crisis if we can't say black?
Political Commentator/Reporter
President Trump is trying to end division in this country. Not. Sorry, not eviction during the last four. That's what DEI did. It divided people. It polarized people.
Carvana Announcer
No, no, no, no, no. We're not talking about eviction. We're talking about.
Political Commentator/Reporter
I'm calling about dei.
Carvana Announcer
We're talking about health care.
Political Commentator/Reporter
Yeah.
Carvana Announcer
Disparities. So what we're asking is, is if you attack DE and I and then we have a crisis that impacts one population over another, but you cannot direct specific spending or research or interventions to that population, how do you, you solve the problem?
Political Commentator/Reporter
Do you think the federal government should be paying for dei?
Carvana Announcer
I think the federal government has a vested interest in ensuring that its citizens survive childbirth.
Political Commentator/Reporter
Well, we, we are meeting that obligation.
Carvana Announcer
We are not.
Political Commentator/Reporter
Oh, that I can explain to you how we are.
Carvana Announcer
You have not done so so far. But also I would say that, you know, we can improve health care for everybody at the same time as helping the people who are most likely to die, die. That's what DE and I. Well, first of all, De and I make sure that we have black doctors or women doctors or that we're talking about the fact that we have a mortality rate that is not matched by any other country as what we would call developed as Ours really quickly.
Midas
And yes, now what was going on with state regime media. Here's what Fox talked about in terms of foreclosures increasing. Play this clip. According to realtor.com home foreclosures jumped 26%
Political Commentator/Reporter
in the first three months of this year. And the foreclosure rates were highest in Indiana, South Carolina and Florida.
Midas
Back on cnn, Harry Enton had this ruh row moment. Let's play this clip.
Political Commentator/Reporter
It's the group that helped put him in the White House in 2016 and then again in 2024. The group that shifted tremendously from 2012 to 201616 and put him in the White House. We are talking about non college white voters and he is sliding right into the water. This is a rut row moment. To quote the great Scooby Doo, Trump's net approval rating with non college whites. Look at this. In February of 2025, it was plus 32 points. Down it goes. Look at Johnny. Johnny is just shocked by this number. And now it is minus two points. That is a 34 point shift. And I will note this as an average repulsion. This is not just one poll. I've averaged three different polls here, three big pollsters. And what we see is Donald Trump actually underwater with non college whites who of course put him in the White House. Really moment? Yes, really, John.
Midas
Democratic Congress member Adam Smith had the following to say. Let's play it.
Political Commentator/Reporter
The president says Iran has said they're going to give up their, you know, any desire to have nuclear weapon and that they're going to give up their enriched uranium. There's absolutely no evidence of that. And it would be remarkable if they have already agreed to give up their enriched uranium. It's also remarkable that the President, United States can say something like that, which seems on the face of it to just be ridiculous and it not be headlines that the President, United States is, if he is making something up of that magnitude that's extraordinary or should be extraordinary.
Democratic Analyst/Commentator
Oh God, that's just pure fantasy on his part. And look, this has been Trump. I mean, he's always saying stuff that's completely untrue and somehow people have decided that's okay. It was never okay.
Howard Lutnick
All right.
Democratic Analyst/Commentator
Whatever the alternatives may have been, to have a president this disconnected from reality. I mean, remember he's been saying for, what is it now, nine years that are sorry, seven years that Iran is begging him to for a deal. They're begging him for a deal. And that was never true. So we have a president who doesn't even know what the truth is leading us into a devastating and costly war. And we had a vote today in the House to end this war. And all of the Republicans just signed up and saluted and said, let's follow the guy who's just making it up as he goes along. It's a huge problem that I think we need a lot more people push back against.
Midas
And finally, you had state regime media, which calls itself Fox, attacking the Democratic congresswoman elect Mejia, who just won in New Jersey's open congressional seat. And this is how Fox attacks her. They go, you know, in this Congresswoman elect Mejia, she's against ice. She accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. She wants to impeach Justice Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. She believes in a $20 federal minimum wage. She wants to cancel all student loan debt. She wants to tax the wealthy. She wants universal health care. She wants universal childcare.
Howard Lutnick
She's a.
Midas
She's crazy. So just so you're all clear, when Jim Jordan and Trump and Besant and Lutnick and state regime media refer to Democrats as crazy, the crazy policies that they claim are crazy. Just pull up the photo, guys, just so they're saying these policies are crazy when those policies are true and accurate and things that most Americans agree with right now as they should. Play this clip of state regime.
Political Commentator/Reporter
Let's play it because Mejia, like AOC
Democratic Analyst/Commentator
and Bernie Sanders, believe that America at
Carvana Announcer
its core is evil and corrupt.
Democratic Analyst/Commentator
And of course she wants to abolish ice. She wants universal childcare, universal healthcare, canceling all student debt, national minimum wage, up to $25. Impeach Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito. Now this menu of destructive ideas is no longer considered. Though fringe in the Democrat party, it's gone totally mainstream.
Carvana Announcer
It is a deep hostility to our
Democratic Analyst/Commentator
country, to our history, to the capitalist system.
Midas
There you have it, folks. Mag and Mike shutting it down yet again. Shutting down the House floor. No votes. Is so ridiculous. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers. Thanks for watching new Midas Merch. Head to store Midas Touch.com today and get yourself the best pro democracy gear and show your support. That's Store Midas touch.
Political Commentator/Reporter
Com.
Date: April 18, 2026
Hosts: Ben Meiselas, Brett Meiselas, Jordy Meiselas
Main Theme:
This episode dissects the shocking late-night shutdown of the U.S. House floor by Speaker "MAGA Mike," contextualizing it within ongoing political drama, the Trump administration’s handling of the Iran conflict, economic messaging by top officials, GOP rhetoric, and standout congressional moments. Through signature brotherly banter and deep-dive analysis, the Meiselas brothers pull back the curtain on the intersections of policy, power, and propaganda in an era of democratic stress and media manipulation.
[03:01–06:41]
[06:41–09:28]
[09:39–10:57]
[10:57–11:33]
[12:56–14:52]
[14:52–16:06]
[16:11–17:38]
[17:38–19:20]
The Meiselas brothers leverage their signature mix of sharp legal-political analysis and irreverent banter to paint a picture of mounting dysfunction and distortion driven by both GOP leaders and state-aligned media. They highlight the dangers of performative shutdowns, misinformation cascades, and escalating autocratic rhetoric, while spotlighting resistance and clarity from Democrats like Summer Lee. The underlying tone is incredulous, urgent, and pro-democracy; the brothers issue a call for vigilance and direct engagement, situating even the wildest right-wing smears against progressive policy as mainstream in the eyes of most Americans.
Useful for:
– Listeners seeking a detailed breakdown of current congressional drama
– Anyone wanting to understand the broader context of U.S. democratic struggles in 2026
– Those interested in how media, political messaging, and policy intersect in the Trump era