MeidasTouch Full Podcast - 4/25/25

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast Summary: Episode – April 25, 2025

Hosts: Ben Meisellis and Brett Meisellis
Release Date: April 25, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, hosts Ben and Brett Meisellis delve deep into the tumultuous actions and statements of former President Donald Trump. With Jordy Meisellis absent due to familial duties, the brothers maintain their signature blend of critical analysis and brotherly banter to dissect Trump’s impact on both domestic and international fronts. The discussion is anchored by recent poll data, economic indicators, and significant geopolitical developments.

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Donald Trump's Handling of the Economy and Approval Ratings

Ben Meisellis opens the episode with a scathing critique of Trump’s economic policies and public statements. He highlights Trump’s declining approval ratings across various polls:

• Donald Trump’s Approval Ratings Decline:
  • Ben Meisellis (00:00): “Donald Trump's approval is plummeting not just in the Pew Research poll, but in the most recent Fox poll.”
  • According to a recent Fox poll, Trump's approval on the economy stands at a mere 37%, with significant disapproval among young people and the Latino community, key demographics he previously relied upon for electoral support.

Brett Meisellis echoes these sentiments, emphasizing the heightened desperation in Trump's recent public posts:

• Brett Meisellis (01:08): “Trump is looking at the data. He sees what people think about him. He sees all these losses in the court. He sees himself being humiliated by Putin, by Xi Jinping, and his back is against the wall right now.”

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Economic Mismanagement and Market Manipulation

The hosts delve into Trump’s contradictory statements regarding the economy and market stability:

• Inconsistent Economic Claims:

  • Ben Meisellis (02:33): “Tariffs on, tariffs off... People just look at him like a psychotic madman because that's what he is.”
  • Trump’s claims of decreasing grocery and energy prices are debunked with actual data showing that egg prices are at record highs and housing affordability has worsened.

• Market Manipulation Allegations:

  • Brett Meisellis (05:19): “We're seeing massive market manipulation taking place from the Trump regime... The market is down significantly since Trump took office.”
  • Brett discusses how insider information and secretive meetings with oligarchs and bankers have led to artificial market fluctuations, benefiting the wealthy while causing instability for the average American.

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Foreign Policy: Ukraine and Canada

The brothers critically analyze Trump’s foreign policy maneuvers, particularly his stance on Ukraine and Canada:

• Ukraine and Crimea:

  • Ben Meisellis (05:19): “Donald Trump is attacking Zelensky to try to get Zelensky to essentially totally capitulate... Crimea is Ukraine. It's a part of Ukraine.”
  • Despite ongoing missile strikes by Russia on Kyiv, Trump’s messaging appears conflicting as he pressures Zelensky to concede Crimea to Russia, undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty.

• Canada and Greenland:

  • Brett Meisellis (18:03): “Here’s Donald Trump saying that Canada would cease to exist without the United States on the eve of Canada’s election.”
  • Trump’s aggressive rhetoric towards Canada includes controversial statements about taking over Greenland, straining diplomatic relations and impacting tourism revenue.

Notable Quotes:

• Donald Trump Clip (05:19): “Energy is down. Groceries are down... We did a great job.”
• Donald Trump Clip (08:44): “They had a meeting this morning... but they had meetings with China.”

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Impact on International Relations and Trade

Ben and Brett discuss the fallout of Trump’s inconsistent trade policies, especially with China and the European Union:

• China Relations:

  • Brett Meisellis (08:53): “China is clearly being far more honest than Donald Trump... Their spokesperson put that back up one more time, said he who tied the bell on the tiger should be the one to untie the bell.”
  • China’s Foreign Ministry has publicly dismissed claims of ongoing trade talks with Trump, labeling them as “fake news.”

• Trade Deals with the EU:

  • Ben Meisellis (11:55): “France’s news agency AFP reported... an agreement with the EU was, quote, a long way off.”
  • Trump’s ambitious goal of “90 deals in 90 days” is criticized as unrealistic and manipulative, aiming only to dominate headlines without substantive progress.

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Domestic Policies and FEMA Aid Denial

The discussion shifts to Trump’s domestic policies, focusing on his administration’s handling of disaster relief:

• Denial of FEMA Aid:

  • Ben Meisellis (23:55): “Trump's regime is denying emergency disaster relief to red states like Kentucky, Arkansas, Georgia, and purplish states like North Carolina.”
  • Reports highlight Trump's administration refusing FEMA assistance to states affected by natural disasters, contrasting sharply with previous administrations that promptly provided aid.

• Consequences for Tourism and Public Safety:

  • Brett Meisellis (20:56): “We’re expecting $90 billion plus in tourism revenue to be impacted... because of America’s attack on their sovereignty and ICE detention centers.”
  • The denial of aid and harsh immigration policies have led to a significant decline in tourism and increased fear among international visitors.

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Judicial Setbacks and Court Cases Against Trump

Ben outlines recent judicial decisions that undermine Trump’s administration:

• Trump-Appointed Judges Ruling Against Him:

  • Ben Meisellis (50:32): “Judge Stephanie Gallagher has ordered the Trump regime to return another man who was improperly deported to El Salvador.”
  • Other cases include Trump’s administration accidentally releasing internal memos indicating their plans to lose lawsuits, further eroding credibility.

• Apologies from Trump’s Picks:

  • Ben Meisellis (50:32): “Ed Martin, Donald Trump's pick for the United States Attorney in D.C., issued an apology for praising a Nazi sympathizer...”
  • These judicial embarrassments reveal the dysfunction and unethical practices within the Trump-appointed legal system.

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Positive Developments: Governor Walz’s State of the State Address

Amidst the chaos, the hosts highlight a beacon of hope through Governor Walz’s recent speech:

• Governor Walz’s Message of Stability and Good Governance:

  • Governor Walz Clip (40:16): “This budget was not written to please everyone... This is how government’s supposed to work.”
  • Governor Walz contrasts sharply with Trump’s administration, emphasizing bipartisan cooperation, responsible budgeting, and dedicated public service.

• Key Points from Governor Walz:

  • Governor Walz Clip (41:15): “The President of the United States has chosen to throw our economy into turmoil... Working people are paying more for basic goods.”
  • He criticizes Trump’s economic policies and underscores the importance of honest governance focused on the welfare of citizens.

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Recent Court Decisions and Policy Failures

The episode further explores ongoing legal battles and policy failures under Trump’s administration:

• Blocking of DEI Funding:

  • Ben Meisellis (61:19): “Judge Friedrich, a Trump appointee, blocked the Trump administration's effort to pull funds from schools over DEI programming...”
  • This decision challenges the administration’s vague policies on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, signaling judicial resistance to Trump’s educational reforms.

• Security Lapses and Policy Errors:

  • Ben Meisellis (50:32): “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an Internet connection that was unsecured...”
  • These lapses highlight severe security shortcomings within Trump’s defense policies, increasing national vulnerabilities.

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Community Empowerment and Positive Outlook

Concluding on a positive note, Ben and Brett emphasize the strength and resilience of the Midas Mighty community:

• Recognition and Achievements:

  • Ben Meisellis (42:47): “We just won the Webby for the podcast of the year...”
  • The podcast’s success is attributed to the dedication of its listeners, dubbed the Midas Mighty, who prioritize truth and democracy.

• Call to Action:

  • Brett Meisellis (44:42): “One of the only ways to counter that is with flooding the zone with the truth...”
  • The hosts encourage their community to continue supporting pro-democracy initiatives, advocate for truth, and stand united against authoritarianism.

• Global Support:

  • Ben Meisellis (46:18): “This is why it’s important that the pro-democracy community stand together, not just within our own borders, but internationally.”
  • The podcast celebrates its international support base, reinforcing the global fight for democracy and truth.

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Closing Remarks

Ben and Brett wrap up the episode by celebrating their recent successes and reiterating the importance of community support. They highlight ongoing legal battles against Trump’s regime, the decline in his approval ratings, and the critical need for honest governance as exemplified by leaders like Governor Walz. The hosts express gratitude to their listeners and encourage continued vigilance and support for pro-democracy movements worldwide.

Notable Quote:

• Ben Meisellis (50:32): “It’s easier to defraud somebody than to convince somebody that they have been defrauded. It’s easier to lure someone into a cult than extract them from the cult and convince them that they’re in one.”

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Conclusion

This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast serves as a comprehensive analysis of Donald Trump’s detrimental impact on the U.S. economy, foreign policy, and judicial integrity. Through incisive commentary and robust evidence, Ben and Brett Meisellis advocate for truth, accountability, and the strengthening of democratic institutions. Their unwavering commitment to exposing fraud and championing democracy is a clarion call to listeners to remain informed and engaged in safeguarding their nation’s future.

Transcript

[Ben Meisellis]

Donald Trump continues to defraud the American people about the economy and basically everything else. Donald Trump is selling out Ukraine and being a Putin bootlicker. Donald Trump is bragging about building a 100 foot flag pole in front of the White House as he was wandering around the North Lawn earlier this week. Donald Trump is attacking Canada on the eve of their elections next week. And shock, shock. Donald Trump's approval is plummeting not just in the Pew Research poll, but in the most recent Fox poll. He's underwater even on the issue of immigration in the Fox poll. And his approval on the economy is like 37%. When you dig deeper into the cross tabs, he's doing horrible amongst young people and the Latino community, which he relied a lot on in the most recent election. Let's, let's talk about that and more on the Midas Touch podcast. I'm Ben Meisellis, joined by Brett. Jordy is not going to be able to be here today. He's on father duty. But you got Brett and myself today. Brett, how are you, sir?

[Brett Meisellis]

I'm doing well, Ben. Great to be here with you. Great to be here with everybody out there watching and listening, whether it's Apple, podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, wherever it is. Great to be speaking with you. Really feels like Penn in the past, even just 24 hours, even if that the level of desperation from Donald Trump has ratcheted up. We are seeing just these unhinged posts, like, like we're used to the unhinged post, don't get me wrong. But they've really ratcheted up because I think Trump is looking at the data. He sees what people think about him. He sees all these losses in the court. He sees himself being humiliated by Putin, by Xi Jinping, and his back is against the wall right now and he's trying to do everything he can to dig himself out. Apparently the only way he knows how to do that, sending a mean tweet. It just really like, upsets me that, like, the Republicans fell for this so much that Donald Trump was able to elevate to these positions of power because these cowards in the GOP were scared. Oh, and Donald's going to say something bad about me. You know who doesn't give a crap, though, Ben? China, Russia, anybody else in the world who is currently laughing at Donald Trump laughing at the United States, mocking his quote, unquote negotiating tactics as the world finds other partners and moves on the United States. It is really a sad state of affairs. I'm excited to break it all down right here on the show. I know we got a lot to discuss, so I'll toss it right back to you.

[Ben Meisellis]

Tariffs on, tariffs off. I'll huff and I'll huff and I'll blow your house down. Okay, I'll give you an extension. Okay, I'll take away the tariffs. No, I'm going to put the tariffs back on. Okay, I'm going to take away the tariffs. All right. People just look at him like a psychotic madman because that's what he is. Let me tell you what he really is also. He is a felon 34 times over. He's a criminal. He's a fraud. He was found liable in a fraud case civilly for just making up numbers, making up valuations. He's an abuser. He's a sexual predator. He was found liable in a civil case for sexual assault. He's on audio, bragging about sexually assaulting women and saying because he's rich, they let you get away with it. They let you grab their genitals. He said Donald Trump is someone who has bankrupted company after company, casino after casino, product that he's attached his name to, after product that he's attached his name to. So it's not a shock that the felon, the fraud, the sexual abuser, the bankrupter is doing it again. Who could have predicted? I don't know. There's a reason why people go to prison, right? Because they shouldn't be out. Right? There's a reason why you need to hold people like this sick, disgusting, vile piece of trash that is Donald Trump accountable because he's going to cause harm wherever he goes. You certainly don't elevate that person to the position that now impacts the lives of the rest of us, of all of the people who don't want this maniac there. So let's go through what the felon, what the fraud, what the abuser is doing. So he's in the Oval Office today in these disastrous press conferences that he does, and he does these meetings in the Cabinet Room also. But here he is in the Oval Office and he's saying grocery prices, egg prices are down. The problem is he says things are too cheap right now. He says 85, 87. What? Last week he said egg prices were down 93%. But here's the thing. They're at almost basically all time highs at this point, like the highest they've ever been during the Easter period. They're not down, they're up. Housing's not more affordable. It is less affordable right now. Things are worse right now. And the American people feel what's happening. And he's out there just doing his Trump fraud routine. Watch him talk about groceries and egg prices earlier. Play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

You know, if you look at what happened, everyone said, oh, I said I was going to get prices down. I did. Energy just hit $1.98 in a couple of states. It's way down. Energy's down. And we're about $64 a barrel when I came in, and we were looking at 89, 90, $95. And by the way, that helps us solve the war, too. Having those energy prices is a big. A big incentive for Russia to also agree with solving the war problem. Groceries are down. When I was with you two months ago, you were, you were complaining about eggs. I said, I just got here. I've been here for. I was here for about a week. When the, when the press started saying about eggs have gone through the roof, I said, I just got here. Tell me about eggs. They went through the roof and you couldn't get them. So we just had a big Easter egg hunt at the White House. Thousands and thousands of eggs, and the price was down 87%. So we did a great job.

[Ben Meisellis]

Okay. The prices are at record highs right now. Notice he describes Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine as a war problem. And then Donald Trump just thinks that he can post away and go, oh, Putin, can you be a little bit nicer than he, like, attacked Zelensky in social media posts. How dare you say that Crimea belongs to Ukraine? Right? Like, Trump is making post after post after post after post. So, no, Donald, let me just be clear. Egg prices are up. Groceries are not getting cheaper. When you say Energy is $1.98, like, what are you even talking. What energy? What are you talking about? Gas price. That's not what it is. What number are you talking about Right there? But it's a lie after lie. One of the things that Donald Trump, all of the things that he says are lies. How do you know Donald Trump is lying? He opens up his mouth. But Donald Trump has been saying, and we've been covering this over the past few days, that he's been having all of these conversations with Xi Jinping and China and that China is reaching out to. To him and his administration, and they're having all of these talks. What that is doing is it is manipulating the market. Because then Trump's Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessen, tells a private room of bankers, the media is not invited. The public's not invited. Yeah, there's going to be a de escalation with China, and we see things going in a better direction there. But there hasn't been any actual talks. China, through their Foreign Ministry and their Commerce Ministry, had to put out statements saying, we're having no communications until the Trump regime lifts their unilateral tariffs. We have no interest in talking to them. It's fake news to suggest that we're involved in any communications at all yet alone, any actual deal. The Commerce Ministry spokesperson put that back up one more time, said he who tied the bell on the tiger should be the one to untie the bell. There have been no console, there have been no consultations at all taking place. But what does Donald Trump say when he was asked about it? He just goes, and continues to lie. He goes, they were talking to us today. We were just speaking to them. What are you talking about? Here's Donald Trump saying that. Let's play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

But thank you very much for that question. I like that question. Yeah, please.

[Brett Meisellis]

You clarify with whom the US Is speaking with China.

[Ben Meisellis]

They're saying it's fake news that trade talks are happening.

[Donald Trump]

Well, they had a meeting this morning, so I can't tell you. It doesn't matter who they is. We may reveal it later. But they had meetings this morning and we've been meeting with China. And so I think you have. Jeff, as usual, I think you have your reporting wrong. Thank you very much. We'll see you.

[Ben Meisellis]

The hell is that? Did you hear what he said? There to breathe, he goes, they've been talking with us this morning. I'm not going to tell you who. I don't know who they are, and I'm not going to tell you who they are. But they've been talking to us.

[Brett Meisellis]

Yeah. And maybe one of Trump's cabinet members went to, like, a Chinese restaurant in D.C. but there's no record or any evidence of Donald Trump speaking with anybody at the Chinese government. And I have to, you know, say it's a sad state of affairs right now when we actually trust the comments from the Chinese government over our own federal government. It's really just a, like, by far. Yeah, it's not even a close call here. Like, they are clearly being far more honest than Donald Trump because Trump and Caroline Levitt and all these people, they keep trying to say, oh, everybody's coming to us. Our phones are just ringing off the hook right now. We can't stop them from calling us. We know, like, nobody is calling. This has been a complete failure. And Trump and this administration are trying to dig themselves out of a problem of their own making. By the way, I love that the Chinese government, the spokesman, used the phrase fake news to describe what Donald Trump was peddling. Their language, I think, was quite deliberate there. Let me read you this statement as well that I have pulled up right here. This is from Wang Yui, the director of the Institute of International affairs at Renmin University in Beijing. This is how he described Donald Trump and why Chinese officials mistrust Trump and do not want to talk to him at all. I think this is very revealing right here. He says the following. The pressure on Trump at home is mounting and much of his current messaging is aimed at appeasing domestic concerns. He's getting a bit flust now, but China doesn't buy into his talk about substantially lowering tariffs. He says one thing today and another tomorrow, maybe increasing them again the next day. He is not trustworthy. And that individual also emphasized that China is, quote, in no rush to talk to Donald Trump. They say that China is well prepared to handle all the economic pressure. And this is all on Donald Trump and the United States. And this is the problem that we've been pinpointing the entire time with this strategy. And I don't even want to call it a strategy because it's just a fricking mess. Trump says one thing one day, he says another the other day. So whether you're a negotiating partner in the world, like China or the European Union or Japan, you name it, or whether you're an American business trying to make long term business plans for the betterment of your industry, for your business, for your employees, you simply cannot, you can't do anything right now because you don't know if Donald Trump's going to reverse himself one day to the next, if he's going to put this policy. But that policy and that instability is causing mass chaos, whether it's in international affairs or whether it's within our own business community, community here in the United States.

[Ben Meisellis]

Look, put aside China for a second. France's news agency AFP News agency reported the following. US President Donald Trump's promise of securing trade deals with major partners took another blow Thursday with a French minister saying an agreement with the EU was, quote, a long way off and China insisting talks had not even started. So what the French minister is saying is that any deal with the EU is not even close to being completed. Trade deals take several years to complete. By their very nature, how complex they are. It is impossible to do a real trade deal in 90 days. So for Donald Trump to say I want to do 90 deals in 90 days. What Trump is doing there is he wants to dominate the headlines for a day, right? Because that was the headline. 90 deals, 90 days. We're gonna do this. Let's go. He manipulates the markets and then when he has to actually effectuate that, he's unable to do it. Brett Midas Mighty. The big problem that I see happening right now, lots of big problems. But as it relates to the market, I see massive market manipulation taking place from the Trump regime, right? They put out these secret messages in private meetings with oligarchs, with the bankers, which, with their rich friends. And you're looking at the markets and you're seeing it like, rise some days when the data's not reflective of good economic conditions. So you're wondering what's happening. And then the bottom falls and then it breaks and it goes down. So you're seeing this trend down. But the really rich people who are getting the inside tips, who are in these meetings that we aren't invited to, that you aren't invited to, that the media isn't invited to, they're buying at moments where it then goes up and then they're selling. All of these billionaire people sold a lot of their equities right before Trump declared the trade war against the world. And then they kind of wait for, for Trump to make one of these announcements, which are fraudulent announcements, that things are going great, things are happening, they're going well, and then the market bounces and it bounces, and then overall on a trend, it goes down. What we focus on here on the Midas Touch Network is I want to look at what's happening with freight volumes, with trucking volumes. I want to take a look at shipping vessels, Trans Pacific shipping vessels, and I want to determine what the blank sailing situation is, right? That's when vessels are being canceled. So when I see trucking volumes starting to hit Covid level situations when vessels are being canceled, when freight volumes are going down, down, down. And then I'm listening to CEOs from Walmart and Target and Home Depot and others who are saying we're not going to be able to keep supply on our shelves. I know that we're heading for a summer of scarcity. Your air conditioning breaks, there's no parts for your ac, you're not able to get school supplies, you struggle to get the toilet paper again. Everyday products which we rely upon in the $2 trillion of annual trade with China stop reaching our shores now. Corporations have stockpiled, businesses have stockpiled Certain resources, not to even mention rare earth minerals, which power so much of our modern technology, which China has fully cut off. Corporations have something stockpiled, but that stockpile is getting less and less and less. And how do I know that they're saying it? The data that's out there, they are communicating. Red alert, red alert, red alert. If this isn't resolved right away, there's going to be massive issues. You know, you have Brett, the CEO of Southwest, saying the airline industry is already currently, right now, in a recession. That's what they said in a recession right now. And I've heard that on a lot of these investor calls that I listen in on. And so right now, the market, which is down significantly since Trump took office, but when it has its days that go up, it's reflective to me of exactly what Trump did yesterday with his Meme coin. The parallels are right there, right? What Trump do with his Meme coin. Trump put out a notice on Trump memes.com or whatever the hell it's called, that the top 220 meme holders of his Meme coin, or whatever the hell you call it, gets to meet with him personally and that you get to sit with the president, basically. So on that announcement, what happened to the meme coin, it went up 71% and then went back down again. And remember when that meme coin was announced right before inauguration, it went up crazy amounts. And Trump makes money on the transaction fees. They make money when, when there's transactions, they basically get commissions off the deals, whether it goes up or down. And so you had that take place at the same time. Our economy looks like a massive pump and dump right now, Brett. And what was Donald Trump saying over in the Oval Office meetings, you know, today and yesterday? What was he talking about? Attacking Greenland, Attacking Canada. Let me show you the clip right here of Trump saying, we want Greenland. We want to take over Greenland. I think this one was from earlier today. Let's play.

[Brett Meisellis]

Continue to lack support from NATO allies.

[Ben Meisellis]

In your goal of obtaining Greenland.

[Brett Meisellis]

How will you proceed if you don't get that support?

[Donald Trump]

Well, Greenland's going to be interesting, but that's for another day. I think we need that for international peace. And if you don't have that, I think it's a big threat to our, our world. So I think Greenland is very important for international peace here.

[Ben Meisellis]

Here's Donald Trump saying that Canada would cease to exist without the United States on the eve of Canada's election, which is basically a redo now of what the American election could have been had. We had the data about how disastrous Trump was. Right. This thing is kind of an up or down on Trump in Canada because the Maple Maga Conservative Party was once in the lead and now they are not in the lead. And we people expect there to be a liberal majority led by Prime Minister Carney. This is what Donald Trump does in the Oval Office today. Here, play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

It doesn't make sense. If we needed something, that would be a different subject. So I'm working well with Canada. We're doing very well. We're working on a deal. We'll see what happens. But again, you know, why representing this country, why are we spending $200 billion to support and subsidize another country? Because if they didn't have us and if we didn't spend that money, as Trudeau told me, they would cease to exist. He said that to me, they would cease to exist. Which is true certainly as a country.

[Ben Meisellis]

He's lying about everything there. By the way, that was from yesterday's Oval Office where he signed executive orders to further ban, I guess, diversity, equity and inclusion at universities and then had veterans there, you know, which it almost seemed like he was using them as like, like props behind him. And he was just saying the strangest things. We'll talk more about that in a bit. But, but Brett, as you hear him say that on the eve of this election, as you hear him, and you know that our tourism industry in the United States is, it's maybe in a depression at this point. I mean, we're now expecting 90 billion plus in tourism revenue to be impacted by the fact that Canada's boycotting tourism to the U.S. europe, Australia, New Zealand, elsewhere, South America. I mean, everywhere is. And also not just because of America's attack on their sovereignty, Brett, but also because people don't want to end up in ICE detention centers. We're hearing stor of European backpackers and others who end up in ICE detention centers for days and weeks and they're strip searched and they're treated like terrorists and, or sent or, you know, or of course migrants who are disappearing here in the United States and sent to concentration camps.

[Brett Meisellis]

Yeah. And who would want to come here at this point to the United States when you have those sorts of risks, like it's not an ordinary time. And those risks are very legitimate. And we've already seen Canadians be detained by ICE for extended periods of time. We've seen American citizens be detained by ICE for an extended period of time, accused of being undocumented people. And it's just, you know, I think we summed it up best like right away we call that this would be the rug pull presidency. And that's everything that we have witnessed since that first day that Donald Trump was inaugurated here. Right now, I sort of view it as we are in the sort of eye of the storm. It's sort of that even though it doesn't feel calm right now, the ramifications to all of Donald Trump's decisions on the economy right now, we are in a relatively calm place compared to where it is going to be in the next quarter and the quarter after that. He's planted these seeds right now that once they grow, it's going to be so destructive to the United States economy that it may even make the COVID economy look like the good old days. And that I think is why those CEOs they target Home Depot, they had the CEOs go to the White House. Essentially they called it a meeting. I call it an intervention. I think they went in there, they held an intervention with Donald Trump and they said, dude, our shelves are going to be empty within weeks if you do not change what you are doing. Our store shelves are going to be empty. The prices are going to be skyrocketing. And I've heard just in my own life speaking to small business owners just going around and shopping and looking for things at the stores, they are all terrified of these tariffs. You know, they're warning that all their prices are about to go up, that they're going to going to be shortages. Small business owners are terrified that their businesses are about to go under as all of this sort of catches up to them. The looking at the trucks and the cargo deliveries and all that stuff plummet in Q3, Q4, all those deliveries just being wiped off. The data like totally making like, like I said before, making Covid era look like the good old days. That is a very ominous sign right now for the United States economy. And currently you're also seeing this kind of interesting phenomenon. I think of a lot panic buying as well, because people are terrified, rightfully so, that they're not going to be able to get the items that they want and need in the future. So they are trying to stock up now, almost preparing for a doomsday scenario that is not how it's supposed to be. Especially in the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the world that was in a position of relative stability, that was leading the world in GDP growth, that was leading the world by all metrics. Now people are preparing for a Doomsday scenario, stocking up on supplies like the world is going to end. It's a very sad state of affairs. And it's all caused by Donald Trump and his sycophants around him who are just yes men saying yes to everything he says, no matter how damaging the effects are on the US Economy, on people's health, on people's lives.

[Ben Meisellis]

Few things I want to talk about as well. Coming up, I want to talk about Donald Trump being a Vladimir Putin bootlicker. I want to talk about how Donald Trump's been attacking Zelensky to try to get Zelensky to essentially totally capitulate, to put Putin recognize that Crimea is a part of Russia, even though Russia unlawfully invaded it and annexed it, the way Donald Trump wants to do with Canada. Donald Trump, by the way, uses that same type of Putinesque language as it relates to Canada. It's why Canadians don't just view this as a trade war, but but language of a real war, by the way, elbows up Canada. So I want to talk about that. And then Donald Trump saying that Putin wants peace. He was saying as Putin was literally raining down like half a dozen ballistic missiles on Kyiv, killing innocent Ukrainians, and similar to the way that he's been doing that over and over again targeting innocent individuals. I want to talk about Governor Wall's incredible State of the State address in Minnesota, showing us what government is really supposed to do. Not be cruel and inhumane to torture people, but to uplift and help people. I want to talk about the Trump regime losing court case after court case, and they' sloppy in court right now. The Trump regime is like, even like filing internal memos in federal court cases where they say they're going to lose the lawsuit and they're filing the memos where they say they're going to lose instead of the actual legal documents. It's like some of the wildest, unfathomable things, but these are very sloppy, sloppy, incompetent people, you know, and they're making us less secure here as well. Like, we're also learning from a new story that the Associated Press broke that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an Internet connection that was unsecured and bypassed the Pentagon security protocols set up in his office to use the signal messaging app on a personal computer. So this is how he's been doing all of his communication. So who knows what the Houthis know about us now and China knows about us and Russia knows about us. I had an incredible interview with Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary for the Pentagon. She explained how this stuff is extracted quickly, sold right away on the dark web black market to these, to these groups to use against us, the Trump regime putting our soldiers in peril. And by the way, Donald Trump not even recognizing when our soldiers are killed abroad. For Lithuanian soldiers, Donald Trump 4 soldiers in Lithuania who got killed. Donald Trump said nothing. Two soldiers who died in New Mexico, American soldiers, Donald Trump said nothing. When we get back, I also want to talk about Donald Trump continuing to deny FEMA aid, emergency aid, just to red states, also to Arkansas, to Kentucky, to Georgia and then to a purplish state, North Carolina. We'll talk about that and more. I want to come back from our first quick break. I want to remind everybody store.midas touch.com get your Midas touch gear. I know lots of people are asking about it. Store.midas touch.com we even have the Maple Midas gear, 100% made in Canada, manufactured, distributed in Canada. Check it [e-mail] touch.com you could also buy it in the United States as well. Also patreon.com Midas Touch we recently had that incredible zoom meeting with our patrons where we talked about the state of Midas Touch. And folks, the state of Midas Touch is strong. We just won the Webby for the podcast of the year. We'll talk about that and more. Let's take our first quick break of the show.

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Welcome back. Thank you to our pro democracy sponsors. The discount codes are in the description below. Hey Brett, so Donald Trump earlier this week started making post after post attacking Zelinsky, which to me gives the green light to Vladimir Putin saying go do what you got to do, Putin. And this was after Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy to Russia, talked about what a great painting that Putin made for Donald Trump and how special it was to Donald Trump's heart. And this was after Witkoff visited Putin in St. Petersburg and put his hand on his heart and like looked like he was showing allegiance to Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump post. Ukrainian President Zelensky is boasting on the front page of the Wall Street Journal that Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There's nothing to talk about here. This statement is very harmful to the peace negotiations with Russia and that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama. I could go and read more and more and more, but you get the point. At that same time, you have Putin raining ballistic missiles on Kiev, and Putin's been doing that over and over again in various cities throughout Ukraine. Crimea is Ukraine. It's a part of Ukraine. Putin stole it, Putin annexed it, he conquered it. It's what Donald Trump wants to do to Canada. Putin wants to take over all of Ukraine. And Donald Trump's what, what Trump calls his deal, his peace deal that he claimed he would get done in 24 hours, which Donald Trump has not done and nor can he do, is basically Ukraine, give up all of your land to Putin. You can never join NATO and you need to capitulate. Fortunately, European Union, others are standing up shoulder to shoulder with Zelensky and not backing down to Putin and Trump. And it's just a travesty also when I have to watch people in the European Union Commission, you know, and politicians there, they have to now stand up to Trump and Putin and that Trump has allied the United States with an access of evil of Putin and North Korea. But then Donald Trump is so geopolitically stupid and dangerous that he doesn't recognize that the Shaheed drones that are being used by Putin are from Iran. Right. And that Donald Trump is attacking Iran but then trying to suck up to Putin. And so Trump has no understanding of the kind of geopolitical dynamics that are taking place here either, which is just makes it kind of extra and utterly reckless. Brett. But then in the Oval Office, he was asked about what concessions, Donald, has Russia offered up. We know that you want Ukraine to give everything, so what are you asking Russia to do here? Play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

We're just in there because we're nice people and we are nice people, but we're using a lot of pressure.

[Ben Meisellis]

But what concessions, Mr. President, and to your national security team, what concessions has Russia offered up thus far to get to the point where you're closer to.

[Donald Trump]

Peace, stopping the war, stopping, taking the whole country, Pretty big concession he buys.

[Ben Meisellis]

Right in there, Brett. To Putin's propaganda? They have not. They said they were going to take over Kyiv. Putin did in three days. They did not. Ukraine is standing strong. They're on the Front lines protecting Europe and the rest of the world and democracies from Putin, frankly, the way Canada is now on the front lines of also protecting the world from Trump. But when you hear things like that, Brett, it's just so. It's so dangerous.

[Brett Meisellis]

And, you know, remember, Donald Trump said that within 24 hours, and at first he said within 24 hours of being elected that this war would be over. Then he moved the goalpost to within 24 hours of entering office, this would be over. Now we're seeing, obviously, like, with everything, he has no plan, nor does he have even a concept of a plan, unless you consider tweeting or truth social posting a concept of a plan, because that's all he seems to be able to do. And if you notice the language he uses towards Zelensky, it is always combative. It's always, you know, just grotesque, the things that he says to Zelensky. And he cannot muster anything negative to say about Putin at all. The closest he could come is just saying, vladimir, stop it. Stop. Vlad, please stop. It's like, embarrassing. It's like, like begging. It's groveling. And these are legitimate posts that Trump is sending out in all of this, in this barrage of posting that he's doing on his social media app. He literally said, vladimir, stop it. I'm not making that up. That is actually the post that Trump made. And you notice a theme here, right? He says, oh, we, we, we're going to end the war. Doesn't happen. What's the plan here? You know, I can't tell you what the plan is. What's the plan with China? Oh, we're talking to them. Who are you talking to? Oh, we're talking to them. Could he be more specific? No, we can' More specific because he just bullshits from one topic to the next topic to the next topic, hopes that he could just finish that news cycle, get on to the next, and then move on to the next crisis. This is how he runs his presidency. It's just a Russian nesting doll of crises, pun intended.

[Ben Meisellis]

That's why he's a Ponzi schemer. It's the Ponzi scheme President. He's a fraud. He doesn't look into the issues. He's not diligent. He just defrauds people and tries to bully people and tries to scare you with the, with the yelling and with the all caps posts. I mean, you know, this is the way he was trying to negotiate with China. This is what he said this morning. Boeing should default China for not Taking the beautifully finished planes that China committed to purchase. That's, that's, that's how you're dealing with. That's how you're dealing very powerfully with China. Donald Trump posted. I'm not happy with the Russian strikes on Kyiv. Not necessary and very bad timing. People are dying. You're not happy with it. What else does Donald Trump post? The southern border is now the strongest and safest in history. Well, Donald, you've now basically shut the United States down from all tourism by taking innocent people, a lot of innocent people, and throwing them into concentration camps without due process and basically doing the equivalent by not listening to the Supreme Court's 90 ruling. You basically are like, suspending habeas corpus at this point because people are not able to, you know, or a lot of these migrants who are in Venezuela were not able to actually discuss or show any evidence, nor did the government present any evidence against them. You saw Marco Rubio, though, also. I mean, to me, people like Marco Rubio, Brett, are almost worse than Trump because you know that Trump's a vile piece of trash like he is the scum Marco Rubio is. But you don't get enabling scum like Donald Trump. Vile pieces of garbage fell in trash like Trump without a circle of enablers like Marco Rubio. So Marco Rubio basically repeats the JD Vance line, say, thank you. You should be thankful Trump's a hero. Watch what Rubio said today. Play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

Both very much looking to make a deal. Marco, what would you say?

[Marco Rubio]

Well, first of all, what was put before our partners was options to discuss about things that it would take to end a war. This war is endable. Both sides just have to agree to it. We've shown them a pathway forward. We've discussed those ideas. There was a good meeting yesterday. There'll be good meetings over the weekend. We've shown them the finish line. We need both, both of them to say yes, but what happened last night with those missile strikes should remind everybody of why this war needs to end. It's horrible. Those missiles landed. What's even worse is there are today people that were alive yesterday that are not alive today because this war continues. And the president wants to stop it. And everyone should be thanking the president.

[Ben Meisellis]

Everybody should be thanking him. What's horrible is those missiles landed. Who shot the missiles, you idiot? Putin shot the ballistic missiles. Who's agreed to an unconditional ceasefire, you idiot? Zelensky has agreed. Putin hasn't. Who actually wants peace, you idiot? Zelensky does. Who wants to take over and conquer the territory, you idiots. Who do you think is doing? Putin unlawfully invaded Ukraine. That's what happened. So get that through your skull. These, I mean, these are dangerous. Dangerous. But Brett, with all of this going on, I don't want us to forget because this is part of the authoritarian playbook to make us forget what government is about and what it's supposed to do. So Governor Walz, who could have been one of our leaders right now, we could have had former Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Walz right now reminding us. And Governor Walz in his State of the State address in Minnesota reminding us what governance is supposed to be about. And he gave a speech, it was a bipartisan speech about compromise, about putting together a budget, about helping people. Let me show you what went down at Governor Wall's State of the State address this week. Let's play one clip.

[Governor Walz]

This budget was not written to please everyone. It was written to bring everyone to the table. And when we get there, we're going to have disagreements, no doubt. My progressive friends might have wished we were cutting a little less. My conservative friends might wish we were cutting a little bit more. My wife wishes that I would take the pay raise that was offered, but I turn it down. But this is how government's supposed to work. It's not supposed to be one old man sitting in the Oval Office sending out middle of the night tweets that shot markets into free fall. It's not supposed to be a bunch of 20 somethings unelected showing up at federal agencies and firing everyone. It's not supposed to be chaos and destruction. It's supposed to be good people elected by their neighbors with differing opinions coming together to negotiate in good faith.

[Ben Meisellis]

Here's another clip from that incredible State of the State address. Let's play it.

[Governor Walz]

And on a hour by hour, day by day basis, the President of the United States has chosen chosen to throw our economy into turmoil. Global markets are teetering on the brink of collapse. Businesses across this country and here in Minnesota are already laying off employees by the thousands. Working people are paying more for basic goods. And if you haven't checked your 401k lately, don't do it.

[Ben Meisellis]

It.

[Governor Walz]

So let's be very clear. None of this had to happen when the President took office three months ago. There was no reason to throw a wrench in the works and destroy decades of work. But if you listen to anything that comes out of his mouth, one thing has become clear. He's just plain confused about how the world really works for Working people. We're talking about a guy that slapped a. A 10% tariff on an island populated only by penguins. It'd be funny as hell if it wasn't true and stupid. It makes no sense to anyone. That isn't servant leadership. It's not any kind of leadership. It's small, it's weak, and it's petty. It takes the awesome power of the federal government and turns it into a crude weapon wielded by a man who wants to be king. As governor, I will continue to do everything in my power to protect Minnesotans from getting hurt and continue to pride shelter from the storm for Minnesotans.

[Ben Meisellis]

That is how it is done. You know, there's an expression, it's easier to con someone than to convince somebody that they have been conned. It's easier to defraud somebody than to convince somebody that they have been defrauded. It's easier to lure someone into a cult, than extract them from the cult and convince them that they're in one. When I see Governor Walz give a speech about what government is supposed to be and what it's supposed to do, you have to wonder, how did America pick the other guy who was talking about, oh, it's 1789 and 98, we were so much richer and mass deportation, blah, blah, blah. Donald Trump lied, committed fraud over and over again. But I don't want us to forget. What we saw right there from Governor Walz is what government's supposed to do. Actually fight for people and uplift people. While he's doing that, Donald Trump's posting, you know, these photos, Trump 2028. They're now selling Trump 2028 gear at the Trump store. Eric Trump is wearing. They all find this funny. They all find your suffering funny. Little Nepo baby brat Eric Trump sitting over there. Look at him. Look at, look at that scum. And I mean it, seriously, look at that. Look at that. As you suffer, as your 401ks, your pensions, your healthcare, your Medicaid, your Social Security are being toyed with by pieces of crap like that wearing Trump 2028 gear. Brett?

[Brett Meisellis]

Yeah, you know, we call it propaganda a lot on the show, which is an apt name for the way Donald Trump lied to people throughout the campaign and continues to do so now. But Ben, as you aptly put it, I think a more appropriate word for what Donald Trump has done is commit fraud upon the American people. And with a goal of making Americans suffer, with making Americans so just confused and overwhelmed and afraid by everything that is going on that they can't focus on what government is actually supposed to do because of all the chaos. But I think that's why it's important that our community here continues to highlight the truth. Flood the zone with truth while they flood the zone with crap every single day. Continue to break through and show actually what the government is supposed to do. I'm upset that it took such a pain to be inflicted on the American people for people to in rapid amount of time to be able to now realize, oh shit, I don't like this guy. This guy's horrible. Trump's approval ratings right now are at record lows of like any president any ever. He's underwater now on every issue, even the immigration issue, which was his quote, unquote strong issue. Like the tide has turned so quickly. You see those indicators in Canada that it is very much in many ways a referendum on Donald Trump. I wish it didn't take this for people to wake up here and around the world to see what is going on. But that is the power of the propaganda movement, the fraudulent movement of Donald Trump. And that is exactly at the heart of what this network and this community is fighting against.

[Ben Meisellis]

When we come back, I want to talk about Donald Trump's regime. Denying emergency disaster relief to red states like Kentucky, like Arkansas, like Georgia, and purplish states like North Carolina. I mean, how cruel can you be? I want to talk more about Trump's approval plummeting and some of the cross tabs across key demographics that led to his victory in 2024 are now turning against him. And I'm looking at the FO poll here as well. I want to talk about Trump just getting demolished in court case after court case. Right now as the federal judiciary is asserting itself in the absence of the legislative branch run by the MAGA Republicans who so cowardly have kissed the ring of a gangster Donald Trump. We'll be right back. I want to remind everybody. Store.midas touch.com Check it out. Get your maple Midas gear. Get your other gear there. 100% made in Canada for the Maple Midas gear. Patreon.com Midas Toucho and by the way, become a member of our YouTube channel here as well. I think you'll appreciate the memberships here on our our YouTube. We'll be right back after our last quick break of the show.

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Delete Me we are back thank you to our pro democracy sponsors. I love how our team has not yet replaced on the Shopify ad where I go boom, boom, boom. That's supposed to be a sound effect.

[Brett Meisellis]

But I think that's come from the top. It stays, it stays.

[Ben Meisellis]

It's come from the founders, it's come from the chief executive, at least the two others do. Let's do a quick review of some of the recent court decisions that have happened over the past 24 to 48 hours. A Trump appointed judge in Maryland named Judge Stephanie Gallagher has ordered the Trump regime to return another man who was improperly deported to El Salvador. This is in addition to Abrego Garcia. This is a different 20 year old Venezuelan man who was improperly and unlawfully sent. What's happening right now? Are there all of these petitions happening in the various courts right now to return the individuals? Because the Supreme Court said that everybody was due a due process, right. And being able to file a habeas petition, but that they had to be filed in individual jurisdictions. So now all of these cases are being filed in all of these jurisdictions and the Trump regime is just unable to keep up. I mean, one of the reasons that the Trump regime is shaking down these big law firms is that Trump's DOJ is so bad that he's trying to get these private law firms to basically act as government lawyers right now. I mean, how bad is this Trump doj? Let me give you a few examples. First, it appeared, and it actually happened to be, that the Trump administration accidentally filed an internal memoir in the congestion pricing lawsuit in New York explaining why the Trump administration would lose and why the Trump administration was violating the law and why the MTA was going to defeat the Trump regime in the lawsuit. So the DOJ had to admit that they filed a quote, attorney client document in error and they were asking the court to please remove it from the docket after informing the court that they intend to lose. As a lawyer too, if you think you're going to lose a case and you concede you're going to lose, you could lose your bar license from then filing documents knowing that you're going to lose by doing things in bad faith. So it's interesting to follow up what happens now that the judge and the court knows that that the Trump regime believes it's going to lose and it's violating the law, yet it persists in its unlawful conduct. So I think those lawyers are in some hot water right there. Also, Ed Martin, Donald Trump's pick for the United states attorney in D.C. just issued an apology for praising a Nazi sympathizer in order to try to get Senate confirmation. Martin told the reporter Jacob Kornblue that he was unaware that the views of the individual were that of a Nazi sympathizer, which he says he now denounces. I hate that it happened. As Kyle Cheney explains, it is unfathomable that Martin was unaware of the widely publicized allegations about this individual who he has interviewed for hours and different podcasts and different things and whose case made national headlines for years after January 6th. Ed Martin got famous, I guess, or infamous and was someone who the Trump regime wanted to hire because of his representation of January 6th insurrectionist. He's someone who never was a federal prosecutor before, has zero experience prosecuting crime, and the Trump regime picked him to be the main prosecutor in D.C. which again, is just absolutely ridiculous. And of course, course, we're following up on all the other various cases. The Supreme Court still has that injunction in place stopping the Trump regime from sending the next group of Venezuelan victims to the concentration camp in El Salvador. So those individuals have not been sent to the concentration camps yet. We will keep you posted about all of the developments. There should also be noted, as I said before the break, that one of the things that Trump regime has been doing over and over again as it has gutted and dismantled fema, it is denying the emergency requests by red states, blue states, but like Arkansas, demanded or requested emergency relief for tornado victims that Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who used to work in the first Trump administration, the Trump regime denied aid to tornado victims in Arkansas. Governor Beshear of Kentucky has said that additional counties affected by the February flooding in Kentucky, they've been denied flooding, FEMA assistance. Georgia was denied FEMA assistance. North Carolina was denied debris removal assistance. This is happening time over time. Going back to what Governor Walz was saying, this is not the way government is supposed to work. Former President Biden would call these states red states, blue states, states, Texas, you name it. And Biden instantly would go reach out to a governor, what do you need, Governor? When it comes to emergency assistance, you don't shut that down. What the hell are you doing? Right? Biden gave all these red states emergency assistance and Trump shut them all down. And Brett, right, that's why Trump's approval is plummeting and it's plummeting across kind of the key demographics. Also, two major polls came out recently. One was a Fox poll poll and another poll was the Pew Research poll. In both of those polls, he was doing terrible. The FOX poll shows that he has the lowest approval of any modern president in the first 100 days. It's lower than his first administration and about 10 points lower than former President Biden at this time. According to this FOX poll, Trump's approval at 44% and on his handling of the economy, only 38% approve. Also, more people disapprove of Trump's handling of immigration in that FOX poll. Then you go to the Pew Research poll as well. Trump's approval there is 40% with 59% disapproving. And then when you go to certain kind of cross tabs and demographics, like you look at black voters, amongst Black voters, only 14% approve. Hispanic voters, only 27% approve approve. Voters, only 29% approve. And that 18 to 29 demographic which Trump seemed to be gaining momentum in the younger voters, only 36% approved. Trump is 27% underwater as it relates to that group right there. Brett. So monumental shifts we're seeing.

[Brett Meisellis]

Yeah. And that's why, you know, I said before it's sad that it took this level of chaos for folks to wake up, but here we are. Nevertheless, I'm happy that people are waking up. But I want to go back to that fraud that Trump perpetrated and continues to perpetrate on the American people because I think it plays into all of this and plays into the election and what we're seeing right now. And it goes back to what we've been saying on these episodes about the reality deficit that Donald Trump ends up running into. You could lie all you want when you're not in power. Once you're in power, all of a sudden you have to take responsibility for your actions because the voters are going to hold you responsible for your actions. And so Trump may say that Ukraine is Biden's fault. He may try to blame everything on everybody else. But people know that when they go to the store right now that eggs are at the highest they've ever been for them to go. They know that when they go to buy things that things are more expensive than they've ever been. They know when they are five fired from their job. They know who they are blaming for that when they see Donald Trump's reckless tariff decisions. And these things are going to get worse. And I want to remind people, going back to what we were talking about, Ben, with those disaster declarations, because it is just the epitome of cynical and malicious and vicious and vile. When you think about the messaging that Trump and these Republican influencers, these MAGA influencers, these Disgraceful people spread during the Biden administration, as you mentioned, Ben, what did President Biden do? Anytime there was any sort of disaster, whether it be red state or blue state, President Biden picked up the phone, he called that governor. He said, the federal government is here to help you with all efforts. No matter what you need, you let us know. Signing those emergency declarations right away. Getting to work every single time. And you know what happened when that happened, Trump? Those MAGA influencers, they lied. They told people, the Biden administration's not doing anything for you. In fact, they're giving away all their relief money that should be going to you. To illegals. They're going to the illegals and not to you. They riled people up. They encouraged them not to call the FEMA hotlines. Remember, Ben, we brought in the FEMA spokesperson in order to make sure that people knew exactly how to get the help that they needed during some of these storms. Because Trump was spreading all of these lies and people were afraid to call FEMA to ask for help for these issues. Remember the lie about the $750 that all these mag influencers spread every single time? Because that was the congressional limit of immediate funds to be dispersed to help people in the immediate aftermath of a storm individually, as President Biden additionally gave millions and millions of dollars to these states to help rebuild, to help them and more, more aid at the end of the day. But Trump, these mag influencers every time they say, said, wow, that's what the government thinks about you. They're only giving you $750 after the storm. How dare they. They spread those lies every single time this happened. Exploited people's sufferings in order to commit this fraud on the American people. And now you know what they're doing? $0, no money to you. We're not going to help you try to call us. Guess what? We're not going to get back to you. And you know what? All those MAGA influencers, all those Trump people, they celebrate. They celebrate that this administration is making you suffer. They celebrate the pain that they are inflicting in all of these states. It is the epitome of vileness that we are seeing from this administration day in and day out. And quite frankly, one of the only ways to counter that is with flooding the zone with the truth and making people wake up with facts, facts and more facts.

[Ben Meisellis]

Leave us on a positive note as well. Earlier today, Judge Friedrich, a Trump appointee in the D.C. federal court, blocked the Trump administration's effort to pull funds from schools over DEI programming, saying the requirements are unconstitutionally vague. First reported by Kyle Jenny but we've got our hands on the order by the court. It says this decision memorializes the oral ruling the court issued from the bench on April 24. The plaintiff, the NAACP, filed the instant suit on April 15, 20, 2025, on behalf of its members who are black students across the country enrolled in educational institutions subject to the Department of Education's policies. In its motion, the NAACP request that the court enjoin the Department from enforcing various documents, a Dear Colleague letter, a FAQ document, a Frequently Asked Questions document, and a certification that the Department recently issued. These challenge documents purport to provide educational institutions guidance about the lawfulness of educational initiatives and programs. As you go into the ruling by this Trump appointed judge, the most specific provisions in the certification prohibits the use of diversity, equity and inclusion programs to advantage one race over another. But it is unclear what it means to use such a program to advantage one race over another. And the Dear Colleague letter and FAQ do not provide the necessary additional clarity. The Department argues any vagueness issue is easily resolved by asking the core questions that the DCLE foregrounds. Does an action treat a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of the person's race? But this core question hardly provides sufficient guidance. And then the court goes on to say, basically, it's just a ridiculous order. So, so I think also about how this is going to impact the lawsuits that were filed by Harvard and other universities also. And I think this will be also a good sign that all these universities and everybody who fights back against this weak, pathetic, vile piece of trash that is Donald Trump and his minions are winning. Are winning. I smell weakness in Trump and his regime. I smell desperation. So it really does make me sad when I hear, for example, how the executive producer, Bill Owens of 60 Minutes quit because he said that there was no longer editorial independence there. That made 60 Minutes 60 Minutes because of the merger that want, that they want to happen that Sherry Redstone, who was the biggest shareholder of Paramount, wants to do with this company called sky dance for $8 billion to buy her share. It's like, like, what is that $8 billion going to do for you if you don't have democracy and your life is destroyed and Trump's an extortionist. You give him an inch, he takes your leg, he takes your arm, and then he takes your life. The moment you give in, he asks for more. Ask those law firms that gave in and thought they were reaching compromises and they said, oh, it's only going to be for charitable things. And then Trump's like, nope, I own you now. I control you right now. Now you're going to do what I want you to do. You can't give in to Donald Trump. Now is the time for courage, for fearlessness. And where we the people need to stand together. It's why it's important that the pro democracy community stand together, not just within our own borders, but internationally. It has been one of the most incredible things of my life, the friendships and bonds we have formed here at the Midas Touch Network, now with the Maple Midas, the Canadian and Midas Touch fans and supporters and viewers. And that outreach is expanding to Australia. We've got incredible supporters there in Europe, in Africa, in Mexico, in South America, in Central America, in Asia, across the world. Pro democracy people need to stick together and we need to support freedom, we need to support diversity, we need to support the environment, we need to support, support equality, we need to support the truth, we need to support science. We need to stand up with each other against authoritarianism, against the Putin's, against the Putin bootlickers like the Trumps and the Bukele and all the Victor or Bonds and the Javier Malays. We need to stand strong together against them. It's been an honor that we were picked by the Webbies as their Podcast of the Year. That's an award that we share with all of you. The Midas Mighty, the Maple Midas, all the Midas mighty across the world. This is a shared achievement. You won Webby Podcast of the Year and we are part of the movement that you all started. So thank you for having us be a part of that movement, this pro democracy Midas mighty movement also. So other data came out that right now the Midas Touch gets more podcast views and downloads than basically all the right wing podcasts combined. When you add Rogan with Candace Owens and Tucker and Kirk and all those people, the Midas show does better than all of those. And that's a testament to people wanting the truth, the facts, the reality. And that's what we're going to give you here at the Midas Touch Network. So thank you everybody for watching. We miss Jordi for sure. Sure. Check out store.midas touch.com now get that Maple Midas gear, 100% made in Canada, manufactured there, distributed there. Check that out. Also you can get that stuff in the United states as well. Store.midastouch.com check it out patreon.com Midas Touch where we hold our monthly Patreon meetings. It helps build this network. Patreon.com Midas Touch and also check out Midas Plus.com as well. That's where our editor and channel chief, Ron Philipkowski, cooks the best daily summaries of all of the events. If we missed something, it's covered in Ron Philipkowski's daily summaries. Thank you to all the Midas Mighty. Thank you to our team, our staff, all those working behind the scenes. Thank you for all that you do. Midas Mighty. We are so, so grateful for you. And we'll see. Keep checking back. We've got videos, of course, on this YouTube channel every 90 minutes. Every. And we will be back next week with a new episode of the Midas Touch podcast. Thank you everybody for watching and we'll see you soon. Brett, take it away.

[Brett Meisellis]

Shout out to the Midas mighty the.

[Ben Meisellis]

Mightest mighty Standing strong.

[Brett Meisellis]

Against the fascist.

[Ben Meisellis]

We sing our song we will give get it right.

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