Loading summary
T-Mobile Advertiser
Back to school is better. With family freedom from T Mobile, we'll pay off four phones up to $3200 and give you four free phones, all on America's largest 5G network. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com familyfreedom. Up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phones via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement eg Apple iPhone16128GB8 2,999 eligible trade in eg iPhone11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due if you pay off early or cancel contact T Mobile.
Donald Trump
Wow.
Political Commentator
This disastrous press conference by Donald Trump in the Oval Office just wrapped up. They were supposed to announce the releasing of the Epstein files by the DOJ to the House Oversight Committee. Instead, Donald Trump was holding up an autographed photo of Vladimir Putin and Trump that Putin just sent to Donald Trump. Trump called in the head of FIFA from Italy, which Donald Trump called Italy and then brought him into the Oval Office. And Trump said, look at this photo. Look, Vladimir Putin just sent me this autograph. How amazing is this autograph, everybody? Then Donald Trump started talking about how gold the Oval Office is and how it's very expensive gold and how incredible that makes everything now for our country. Let me just show you what went down. I mean, Donald Trump says that everything relating to Epstein is one big gigantic hoax. Here's what he says here.
Clip Player/Host
Play this clip.
Donald Trump
Because it's a. It's a Democrat hoax. It's just a hoax. The whole Epstein thing is a Democrat hoax. So we had the greatest six months, seven months in the history of the president presidency. And the Democrats don't know what to do. So they keep bringing up that stuff, but it affected them.
Political Commentator
And here's where Donald Trump pulls out that photo of Vladimir Putin and Trump from Alaska. And Donald Trump goes to the head of FIFA. Look what we got. And Vladimir Putin really wants to show up at the FIFA games. Putin, our friend Putin.
Clip Player/Host
Here's what Donald Trump says here, play this clip.
Donald Trump (Clip)
I'm testifying for that.
Donald Trump
Absolutely. Thank you. And I was just sent a picture from somebody that wants to be there very badly. He's been very respectful of me and of our country, but not so respectful of others. But he'll. I'm going to sign this for him, but I was sent one and I thought you'd all like to see it. That's a man named Vladimir Putin, who I believe will be coming, depending on what happens. He may be coming and he may not, depending on what happens. We have a lot of things happening over the next couple of weeks, but I thought it was a nice picture of him. Okay. Of me, but nice of him. So that was very nice that it was sent to me. Okay.
Political Commentator
Can we just talk about how traitorous and treasonous that is? There's been no cease fire. Putin has escalated the attacks on Ukraine. There's been no agreement by Putin to any security guarantees at all in Ukraine, which Trump claimed existed. Putin has not agreed to a trilateral meeting or a bilateral meeting. Things are getting significantly worse in Ukraine. Ukraine. And Donald Trump's there in the Oval Office like a fanboy holding up a photo with the head of FIFA. Like, how is this not criminal right there? I mean, we're going to call it out what it is on the Midas Touch network. Then Donald Trump says, you know who Epstein was really friends with? Larry Sumner and Bill Clinton. But Larry Sumner was his best friend. I'm not going to mention that though. But Larry Sumner was Epstein's best friend. You know, the old head of Harvard. No, you are Epstein's best friend, Donald. You were literally Epstein and Elaine Maxwell's best friend.
Clip Player/Host
Here, play this clip.
Donald Trump
The Bill Clinton was on his plane and went to the island supposedly 28 times. I don't want to bring that up, frankly. You have Larry whatever his name is, Summers, the head of Harvard, who was Jeffrey Epstein's best friend. Nobody ever talks about that. I mean, but I don't want to hurt Larry Summers, but he was best friends with Jeffrey Epstein.
Political Commentator
It should be noted as well, I'm going to do a full expose on this that a lady who was at the minimum security facility in Bryan, Texas where Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred, she just got moved, this other lady to a maximum security facility for hardened criminals and sex traffickers because she spoke out against Ghislaine Maxwell. She gave an interview saying that it's bad to put the sex trafficker in Camp Bryant. Then they move the non sex trafficker into the sex trafficking prison and move the sex trafficker into the minimum facility in Camp Bryan, Texas. That is what this government is. It is a government by the pedos for the pedos at this point and a massive cover up. Then Donald Trump continues to talk about how he hates California Governor Gavin Newsom. To which Governor Newsom then responds, such low energy, sad.
Clip Player/Host
Here, play this clip.
Donald Trump
The governor is incompetent. You know Gavin. I know Gavin very well. He's an incompetent guy with a good line of bullshit. And he doesn't get the job done.
Political Commentator
Then the head of FIFA who is randomly there, gives Donald Trump the prior FIFA World cup championship trophy and says because you're a winner, you get to touch it. And then Donald Trump touches the trophy and says, now it's mine. I get to keep the trophy again. Do you all humiliating. This makes the United States look. What in the Kim Jong un is this?
Clip Player/Host
Here, play this clip.
Donald Trump (Clip)
Only the FIFA president, presidents of countries, and then those who win can touch it because it's for winners only. And since you are a winner, of course you can as well touch it. It's pretty heavy. It's the winner trophy. The last one who lifted that is Leo Messi. Leonard Messi of Argentina. And here it is in the Oval Office in the White House. Can I keep it for you? Well, you can.
Donald Trump
That's. Seriously.
Donald Trump (Clip)
It fits well.
Donald Trump
It goes very well on the wall right over there. We'll put it right below the angel.
Donald Trump (Clip)
It fits well here, I think.
Donald Trump
Beautiful.
Donald Trump (Clip)
Yeah, until we have to give it.
Donald Trump
To the next winner. That's fine. That's a beautiful piece of gold.
The Perfect Jean Advertiser
Lets be honest, most jeans out there weren't designed for guys of varying shapes and sizes. We're not all built like mannequins. We've got muscles, different waistlines, and zero interest in squeezing into something that feels like denim prison. I used to dread jean shopping. Either too tight in the thighs, sagging in the back, or stiff enough to double as armor. But then I found the perfect jean, and no joke, these things changed the game. They come in six fits, 13 washes, waist sizes up to 50 inches, and lengths up to 36. That's over 5,000 combos. So unless you're shaped like a centaur, you will find your fit. I got a pair and instantly felt the difference. Stretchy, soft, no awkward pinch, and I could actually move. Even got a few compliments, which never happens with jeans. For a limited time, our listeners get 15% off their first order, plus free shipping at ThePerfectGene NYC. Or Google the perfect gene and use code MIDAS15 for 15% off. That's M E I D A S15. And it's not just jeans, by the way. They've got buttery soft tees and polos, shorts that give thick thighs some breathing room, and den khakis that look boardroom ready but feel like joggers. Now, here's the deal. It's finally time to stop crushing your jewels and uncomfortable jeans by going to ThePerfectGene NYC. Our listeners get 15% off your first order, plus free shipping, free returns and free exchanges. When you use code MIDAS15 at checkout, that's 15% off for new customers at VPerfectGene NYC with promo code MIDAS15. That's me I D A S15. After you purchase, they'll ask about where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. Forget your khakis and get the perfect gene.
Political Commentator
Donald Trump is then asked, well, what are you going to do if Putin does not come to the table? Is there a chance that you just do nothing? What do you think? Donald Trump says he needs two weeks. Give me two weeks. We'll find out in two weeks.
Interviewer/Reporter
Nothing. If, if Putin doesn't come to the.
Donald Trump
Table for a ceasefire, I'll see whose fault it is. If there are reasons why, I'll understand that. I know exactly what I'm doing. We're going to see whether or not they have a meeting. That'll be interesting to see. And if they don't, why didn't they have a meeting? Because I told them to have a meeting. But I'll know in two weeks what, what I'm going to do. I'm pretty good.
Interviewer/Reporter
Justice Department is also sending just.
Political Commentator
Putin sent Trump a signed autograph and Trump's out there holding it when he's supposed to announce the release of the Epstein file. What the hell is going on? And then Don Trump says that he's going to send our military and our National Guard into Chicago and New York next year.
Clip Player/Host
Play this clip.
Donald Trump
Something happens. So I think Chicago will be our next. And then we'll help with New York and we're going to help with. And I think, really, I think a lot of. And a lot of these people that you see on television, they are, including the people in this audience, they'll say bad things about me, and then they'll say, thank God he's here, because half of them got mugged and they don't want to get mugged again.
Political Commentator
But another question about how long will you give Putin to. To what?
Donald Trump
To.
Political Commentator
To agree to what was supposed to be agreed to last Friday. Donald Trump's like, I don't know, a couple of weeks. Donald Trump is literally doing Putin's bidding. Donald Trump is doing the sex traffickers bidding right now. This is a authoritarian regime that covers up for sex traffickers and people like Putin.
Clip Player/Host
Play this clip.
Donald Trump
This. How long will you give Putin? A couple of weeks? We're going to figure it out. Do you think you'll have to Intervene at some point. Look, it takes two to tangle. You understand that? I wanted to have a meeting with those two. I could have been at the meeting. But a lot of people think that nothing's going to come out of that meeting. You have to be there. Maybe that's true, maybe it's not, but we're going to see. In the meantime, people continue to die. But I solved seven of them where they were in wars for 31, 35, and 37 years. We had three of them that were for more than 30 years. Johnny and I got them solved, and we solved one that could have been a nuclear war with India and Pakistan. That was getting ready to be a nuclear war. I solved them all.
Political Commentator
Then Donald Trump's like, but it's okay. I settled seven wars. Maybe 10 wars. Maybe I settled 10 wars. I deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.
Clip Player/Host
Here, play this clip.
Donald Trump
It was sent to me. Okay, Putin, about the fact that yesterday a big US Factory was hit in a Russian airstrike in Ukraine. What's your reaction to that? I'm not happy about it, and I'm not happy about anything having to do with that war. I said I settled, not seven wars. And actually, if you think about Pre wars, add three more, so it would be 10.
Political Commentator
And again, what the announcement supposed to be is releasing the Epstein files. But you have the head of FIFA and you're holding up Putin's autograph, and you're bragging about wars that you settled, which you didn't. Then Donald Trump goes on to talk about how everything in the Oval Office is gold and how expensive everything is. Wow. I'm sure that's what Americans really want to hear now. Who can't afford groceries, whose energy costs are skyrocketing right now, who can't afford things, who are. Who are losing their jobs. Yeah, great. The Oval Office is filled with gold.
Clip Player/Host
Here, play this clip.
Donald Trump
It'll be great. It'll be fantastic. You see the way this is looking nice. I can't tell you how much that gold costs. A lot of money. There's nothing like gold, and there's nothing like solid gold. But this beautiful office needed it. It had to be representative. When we took it over, it was dirty, not clean. I immediately changed the chair and had this beautiful desk renovated, brought out by the White House. People that do this, they did a great job. They send it out. We have a craftsman who's great. But this was not appropriate for the Oval Office when I took over. And now you look at all those paintings, you're allowed to turn back you.
Political Commentator
Know, that's the people's house. The whole thing about the White House is that it's not supposed to look like some Middle east palace. The idea of it is it is a humble abode by the people for the people, which Donald Trump is turning into exactly what we fought the revolutionary war against. Kings. And our corporate news and our corporations are like, let's just go full authoritarianism, whatever, while we the people are suffering. It is so utterly despicable. Then Donald Trump addresses the fact that he ordered the DOJ and FBI to raid the home of his former National Security Advisor, John Bolton, earlier today in order to further distract from the fact that they ain't releasing anything substantial regarding the Epstein files. But Donald Trump's like, you know, I'm the chief law enforcement officer, so I can do whatever I want to do, but I don't know anything about what's happening with Bolton. I just leave that to Pam Bondi and Cash Patel and Dan Bongino here.
Clip Player/Host
Play this clip.
Interviewer/Reporter
Mr. President, I have a question about the search of Ambassador Bolton's home. I. The vice president recently just did an interview saying that it's about classified documents, but that there's also broad concern about him. What are, what are the concerns?
Donald Trump
Well, I haven't spoken to Pam in the group yet, but I will be. I saw that just like everybody else. I try and stay out of this stuff. I'm allowed to be, and I'm chief law enforcement officer, believe it or not. I don't like to go around saying that, but I am. That's the position. But I purposely don't want to really get involved in it. I'm not a fan of John Bowman. I thought it was a sleazebag, actually. And he's suffers Major Trump derangement syndrome, but so do a lot of people, and they're not being affected by anything we do.
Political Commentator
Here's another question where Donald Trump is asked about the Epstein files and he starts talking about Bill Clinton.
Clip Player/Host
Here, play this clip.
Interviewer/Reporter
Justice Department is also sending some of the Epstein files over to the House Oversight Committee today. Are you. Are you in support of them?
Donald Trump
If they want, people shouldn't be hurt. But I'm in support of keeping it totally open. I couldn't care less. You got a lot of people that it could be mentioned in those files that don't deserve to be people because he knew everybody in Palm Beach. I don't know anything about that, but I have said to Pam and everybody else, give them everything you can give them because it's A, it's a Democrat hoax. It's just a hoax. The whole Epstein thing is a Democrat hoax. So we had the greatest six months, seven months in the history of the presidency and the Democrats don't know what to do. So they keep bringing up that stuff. But it affected them. Bill Clinton was on his plane and went to the island supposedly 28 times. I don't want to bring that up, frankly. You have Larry whatever his name is, Summers, the head of Harvard, who is Jeffrey Epstein's best friend. Nobody ever talks about that. I mean, I, but I don't want to hurt Larry Summers. But he was best friends with Jeffrey Epson. No, this is a Democratic hoax to try and get the significance of what we've done over the past seven months. Nobody's ever seen anything like it. They say it's number one in history, what we've done, including stopping seven wars. I mean, just include that.
Political Commentator
Then Donald Trump choreographs or intimates that he's just going to keep the military in D.C. essentially forever by declaring fake emergencies in Washington, D.C. here, play this clip.
Donald Trump
That money, that money will come out of Congress. I think it'll be even bipartisan. I mean, I would imagine Democrats would vote for that one. Is the plan to get it before the September 30 deadline on the Hill? Well, I don't know if there is a headline, a deadline, because if I declare a national emergency, which this was, that ends the deadline. So I mean I keep seeing about a 30 day deadline of which we have 22 days left or something. But if I think we're in great shape here, that's one thing. But if I don't, I'm going to just say it's a national emergency. And if I have a national emergency, I can keep the troops there as long as I want. People are not going to want to have the troops in 30 days. You know, it's one thing to get them out, it's another thing to keep them out for a long period of time. You've got to train people. You can't do this. You can't bop people over the head. And a lot of those people are in courts right now going to court. They're going to go to jail for a long time. So that's going to take more than 30 days. But if I have to, I'll declare a national emergency, which I don't think I have to do. Yeah.
Political Commentator
Then Donald Trump lies and says that people are going to restaurants in D.C. in record numbers, which is false. Actually, restaurant week in D.C. has been the biggest disaster in its history. People are not showing up to restaurants. 79% of D.C. residents do not want the National Guard there.
Clip Player/Host
Here, play this clip, Johnny.
Donald Trump
I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that too, actually. Oh, yes, but it's a whole different place. People are excited again. They're going out to restaurants again. That was the other thing. I saw numbers that restaurant business is down in the last week. No, no restaurant business. You can't get into a restaurant. Just really lying people. And that's why people don't understand how bad and how dishonest the press is.
Political Commentator
Then Donald Trump says that he will fire the mayor of Washington D.C. if she doesn't get her act together. He says and he will just become the mayor of D.C. and just take it all over himself.
Clip Player/Host
Here, play this clip.
Donald Trump
It was horrible. And Mayor Bowser better get her act straight or she won't be mayor very long because we'll take it over. With the federal government running like it's supposed to be run, then Donald Trump.
Political Commentator
Just lies and defames the city of Washington D.C. he said it's a rat infested hellhole, which it absolutely was not. You may want to go to some of those red states and red cities where crime is multiples higher than Washington D.C. but that's not what this is about. This is about an authoritarian, vile piece of trash in a golden bordello just attacking democratic states because he's no different than Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong Un. A real vile piece of trash is what he is. I have zero respect for him. You should show him zero respect. He's destroyed the presidency.
Clip Player/Host
Here, play this clip.
Donald Trump
The numbers were horrible. It was a crime infested rat hole. And they do have a lot of rats. We're getting rid of them too.
Political Commentator
Next up, Donald Trump goes and says, and one of the reasons why you show him zero respect is that he's there with Kristi Noem, the dog killing cosplayer who Trump goes, She's a great writer of horses yesterday. But Donald Trump talks about today how they painted parts of the border wall black in order to burn the hands of migrants who touc touch it so they die if they touch the wall. They've got a thousand concentration camps they're building across the country. They've got the alligator concentration camp where they joke about alligators ripping people's bodies apart, migrants and citizens alike. And here's what they're talking about, painting border walls black. So if people touch them, your hands burn.
Clip Player/Host
Here Play this clip.
Donald Trump
But I said, we gotta get a coat of paint and it should be black because black makes a statement. Steel, very hot. It's untouchable. You could fry an egg on it. And if you got a good black flat paint, it would look beautiful. It will preserve it from rust. And that was it. And I gave it to her along with 30 other things. And she's done such a good job on the border with Tom Holman and the group. Tom Holman's a fantastic guy. What the job he does and the way they work together. So I turned on last night and I see Christie's painting the wall and it looked beautiful, by the way, when that paint went over there. It's hot, it's hot, it's hot. If it's white, it's not hot. If it's black, it's. It's going to be very hard to climb that sucker. You're gonna, it's not gonna be easy. But it's black and a high quality black. You know, it really looked good. Yeah. We have. Is that gonna be a two coat job or one coat? No, just one coat. One coat. We used the paint you told me to buy. Yep. The two coat will take place in three years from now. We'll do the second coat. But it looks beautiful. But thank you very much. I didn't know you, you were listening because we talked about seven different subjects and all of a sudden I see you're out there painting with a lot of painters and everything else. But it was, it was a beautiful thing to say.
Political Commentator
More praising of Vladimir Putin.
Donald Trump
Let's play it for four years. It was never even a subject. And Vladimir knew. And you see his picture right here. It was nice that he said, but Vladimir knew very strongly we wouldn't have stood for it.
Political Commentator
Then Donald Trump says that he may try and play in the FIFA games and he may put on shorts because, you know, he's a very good athlete.
Clip Player/Host
He says, here, play this clip soccer.
Donald Trump
But I see the money that these soccer players are making. I may try and play. I'm a very good athlete. My son, My son is a very good athlete and he's a good soccer player. On the tall side for soccer, he's six, nine. That's pretty tall, but that's pretty tall. He's good. It's on the tall side, but he's good. But no, I may, I may put on shorts. I look extremely good in shorts. And join the play.
Political Commentator
A utterly despicable event by Donald Trump. Will keep you posted. Every step of the way. Release the damn Epstein files. What the hell was that? Seriously, if you look at that and you're like, that's normal. Your mind has become utterly mush at this point. Because what we've seen there is despicable, impeachable. It's criminal. It's criminal on steroids. What we saw right there. There's frankly not a lot of words to describe how disgusting and despicable and weak and dangerous that is. Anyway, hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers.
Clip Player/Host
Thanks for watching.
Political Commentator
Love this video. Support independent media and unlock exclusive content, ad free videos and custom emojis by becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today. You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.
Episode: Trump Has Disaster in Oval With Massive Meltdown
Date: August 23, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas
This explosive episode covers what the MeidasTouch brothers call a “disastrous” and "treasonous" Oval Office press conference by Donald Trump. Supposedly convened to announce the release of the Epstein files by the DOJ, the event devolves into a chaotic spectacle featuring a photo autographed by Vladimir Putin, the president of FIFA, meandering commentary about gold furniture, and a string of inflammatory, often false, claims. The hosts break down the implications for democracy, Trump’s relationship with authoritarian leaders, the shifting narrative on the Epstein files, and the administration's authoritarian tendencies.
The press conference was meant to announce the release of Epstein files but Trump focused on a newly received, autographed photo from Vladimir Putin.
Trump invited the president of FIFA (erroneously described as being from "Italy") into the Oval Office, demonstrating "fanboy" behavior.
Trump called the Epstein files "a Democrat hoax" and refused to address them substantively.
"It's a Democrat hoax. It's just a hoax. The whole Epstein thing is a Democrat hoax. So we had the greatest six months, seven months in the history of the president presidency. And the Democrats don't know what to do. So they keep bringing up that stuff..."
The hosts underscore the lack of agreement from Putin on Ukraine and decry Trump’s “treasonous” display.
Trump shifted attention from himself to others, accusing Bill Clinton and Larry Summers of being closer to Epstein.
"You have Larry whatever his name is, Summers, the head of Harvard, who was Jeffrey Epstein's best friend. Nobody ever talks about that... I don't want to hurt Larry Summers, but he was best friends with Jeffrey Epstein."
The hosts highlight hypocrisy, noting Trump's personal connections to Epstein and Maxwell.
Trump obsessed over the gold decor in the Oval Office, inflating his own importance.
The FIFA president let Trump touch the World Cup Trophy, to which Trump replied:
"It goes very well on the wall right over there. We'll put it right below the angel."
The hosts ridicule this spectacle, calling it “humiliating” and likening it to autocratic rituals.
Trump repeatedly deferred action on Ukraine, asking for “two weeks” to decide anything about Putin or ceasefire talks:
"If Putin doesn't come to the table for a ceasefire, I'll see whose fault it is... But I'll know in two weeks what I'm going to do. I'm pretty good."
He falsely claimed to have settled multiple wars and to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize:
"I said I settled, not seven wars. And actually, if you think about pre wars, add three more, so it would be 10."
Trump downplayed the Epstein investigation, bringing up supposed Democratic connections and calling it a hoax.
"If they want, people shouldn't be hurt. But I'm in support of keeping it totally open... But it affected them. Bill Clinton was on his plane and went to the island supposedly 28 times..."
Trump threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago and New York.
Asserted he could keep military in D.C. by declaring indefinite national emergencies:
"If I have a national emergency, I can keep the troops there as long as I want..."
Stated he would fire D.C.'s mayor and take over the city government:
"Mayor Bowser better get her act straight or she won't be mayor very long because we'll take it over."
Trump described Washington, D.C. as a "rat infested hellhole," a claim refuted by hosts who point to higher crime rates in many red states.
"The numbers were horrible. It was a crime infested rat hole. And they do have a lot of rats. We're getting rid of them too."
Trump praised Kristi Noem for painting border wall segments black “so it burns the hands" of migrants.
"If you got a good black flat paint... it will preserve it from rust... It's hot, it's hot, it's hot... If it's black, it's going to be very hard to climb that sucker. You're gonna, it's not gonna be easy."
Trump joked about playing in FIFA games, saying he'd "look extremely good in shorts" and that his son is a “very good athlete.”
"I may put on shorts. I look extremely good in shorts."
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Description | |-----------|---------|------------------| | 01:20 | Trump | “It's a Democrat hoax. It's just a hoax. The whole Epstein thing is a Democrat hoax.” | | 03:31 | Trump | “You have Larry whatever his name is, Summers, the head of Harvard, who was Jeffrey Epstein's best friend.” | | 05:46 | Trump | "It goes very well on the wall right over there. We'll put it right below the angel." | | 07:57 | Trump | “But I'll know in two weeks what I'm going to do. I'm pretty good.” | | 10:13 | Trump | “If you think about Pre wars, add three more, so it would be 10.” | | 13:42 | Trump | “I'm in support of keeping it totally open... it's a Democrat hoax. It's just a hoax. The whole Epstein thing is a Democrat hoax.” | | 15:02 | Trump | “If I have a national emergency, I can keep the troops there as long as I want.” | | 16:57 | Trump | “Mayor Bowser better get her act straight or she won't be mayor very long because we'll take it over.” | | 17:45 | Trump | “It was a crime infested rat hole. And they do have a lot of rats. We're getting rid of them too.” | | 18:35 | Trump | “If it's black, it's going to be very hard to climb that sucker... You're gonna, it's not gonna be easy.” | | 20:08 | Trump | “I may put on shorts. I look extremely good in shorts.” |
In this episode, the Meiselas brothers dissect what they view as a deeply alarming White House event, where policy took a back seat to spectacle, deflection, and displays of authoritarian bravado. They underscore the risks to democracy, the normalization of criminality, and Trump’s ongoing alliance with authoritarian world leaders—especially Vladimir Putin. Their take is clear: this is not normal, it’s an escalating crisis, and the public must pay attention.