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Reporter/Interviewer
Okay, thank you.
Host
That's the Texas National Guard right outside Chicago getting ready for the military invasion of the city that was ordered by Donald Trump. Yep. Hundreds of troops from Texas being sent to invade a blue state and a blue city against the will of the Democratic governor of Illinois, J.B. pritzker, who's doing everything he can within his lawful power to resist at the same time that is taking place. Donald Trump has his ICE agents throughout Chicago positioned on rooftops. Sniper rifles trained on peaceful protesters, and they are shooting pepper balls at people on the ground. They shot an unarmed priest with a pepper ball and everyone around him was impacted as well. No one was posing a threat. These were peaceful protesters. A peaceful, unarmed priest. You have the Trump regime sending their Gestapo to provoke communities and cities and towns throughout the country in order to create a pretext for military invasions. Here, I want you to just watch what took place here. Let's play it now. Here's how it was described right here, what you just saw last month. The Reverend David Black stood in front of a Chicago area US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray. I invited them to repentance, black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church, said in an interview. I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation and be part of the kingdom that is coming. But when Black began to lower his arms for a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress. Video footage shows one struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. And fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid. And as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire. We could hear them laughing, black said. And we see incidents like that taking place now on a daily basis. These sniper rifles train, shooting down with these pepper bullets at people. While all of this is going on, Donald Trump is reposting his demand that pregnant women stop using Tylenol. So deranged this maniac is. He's also making posts late last night attacking the former special counsel Jack Smith and saying Jack Smith and the Biden DOJ spied on Republican senators and at least One Republican congressman. This is really bad stuff. They tried to take down the Republican Party and got caught. More deranged conspiracies by Donald Trump who was involved in the insurrection. And that's what special counsel Jack Smith was investigating because we all saw it before our eyes. Which Donald Trump now tries to pretend never took place. And he tries to blame the FBI for causing the insurrection. But that's where Donald Trump now wants to distract as he is clearly continuing to cover up the Epstein files. A full fledged cover up of a pedo sex trafficking ring is ongoing by Donald Trump, MAGA Mike Johnson and Trump's entire FBI and DOJ apparatus right now who flew forced out most of the actual professionals and kind of top people there. We know that MAGA Mike Johnson, at the instruction of Donald Trump refusing to swear in Congresswoman elect Adelita Grijalva from Arizona 7th congressional district had an exclusive interview that I did with her yesterday where she just wants to be able to represent her 800,000 constituents during these critical moments right now. But she would become the 218 signature on the Epstein discharge petition which would lead to a vote to release the Epstein files. And one of the main reasons that Donald Trump is shutting down the government right now, in addition to wanting to rip away Americans health care and implement his Project 2025 agenda, is also, it's a convenient excuse for him also to block the release of the Epstein files. We showed you lots of clips yesterday of Democratic senators grilling, cross examining Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi, who refused to answer questions about whether she saw photographs of Donald Trump with little girls that some witnesses had talked about potentially seeing. Epstein had showed, for example, Michael Wolf, the author of multiple Trump biographies and was potentially going to be the biographer for Epstein, claimed that Epstein showed him photos of girls of indeterminate age that was being kept in a safe at Epstein's house. So Democratic senators asked Pam Bondi, were those photos? Remember what I've always been saying, you go back years, you'll see me reporting and saying, I wonder if those photos are in the Epstein files. Go back like four years, you'll see my reporting here on this network talking about her. Three years, you'll see my net, my reporting on the network talking about it. She refused to answer that question. She refused to say whether there was a video of Tom homan accepting the $50,000. She claimed that she just doesn't know any of these things. That was her answer for a lot. I don't know. Ask Cash Patel. I'm not going to answer that question. I'm not answering that. So when did you find out Trump's name was on the Epstein files? I'm not going to answer that. What did you tell Donald Trump about him being in the Epstein? I'm going to answer that. Said House Oversight Committee. In any event, Donald Trump's attacking Senator Blumenthal, who he calls sanctimonious Richard, the name Dick Blumenthal perhaps the biggest joke. But when you go on and you read this, what Donald Trump is implying is that he wants to pardon George Santos is what he says over here. And he's like, Blumenthal was worse than George Santos, so maybe we should pardon George Santos. So that's what they're doing there. Um, great part that that's exactly what the American people are thinking of right now. These people are despicable. Um, Fox then kind of ran with Donald Trump's new conspiracy. All right, let's focus on Biden and Jack Smith and not the government shutdown and Donald Trump hiding the Epstein files and America's economy crashing. Let's not an American farmers going bankrupt. Meanwhile, you had Christy Noem, Department of Homeland Security secretary. Yesterday she went to Portland, she took her cosplay fascist roadshow to Portland where she was shooting these like films that she makes of herself. She has like, I think she has Bukele from El Salvador's film crew to make these like Nazi style, but like in a modern form concentration camp, like despicable, like videos, these propaganda videos where they like go in and they like bust down the roof, the doors, like, look, we're coming for you, migrants. We're coming for you. So she was making a video yesterday, you know, she was shooting these films of herself in Portland. So just watch her. In this clip, she confronts an arrested person in the back of a police vehicle. I mean, what are you doing? You're the director of Homeland Security. This stuff is so embarrassing. Here, play this clip.
Interviewee/Official
Hello. Hello.
Reporter/Interviewer
I'm Christy.
Interviewee/Official
I wanted to ask you a few questions.
Host
How long have you.
Reporter/Interviewer
But in the United States, you don't know no English. How many times have you come in and have gone out of the country illegally?
Host
And so this corner over here is what they claim to be the invasion. These are all the people. This is it. Who are by the ICE facility in Portland. So this is what, when they say that they're being invaded, there's this guy in a, in a chicken suit suit. You see him right here with Pam Hemphill right there in the chicken suit. So this was part of the film that Kristi Noem was making. And so right wing MAGA influencer Benny Johnson, he's not saying this sarcastically like, he's saying this for real. Like, this is what they, they think that she looks tough in this video. So this is what they were pushing. The MAGA influencers were pushing. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christine Ohm stares down an army of antifa and a guy in a chicken suit from the. They're not joking. This serious. From the rooftop of the ICE facility here in Portland, Gnome says, hey, guy in the chicken suit, you can do better. Too bad they are uneducated and ill informed. Gnome isn't a chicken. Here, watch this.
Reporter/Interviewer
Everything. They will stay. Come on down. I got a subway car. Secretary, do you have a message to the protesters? Especially the man in the chicken outfit. Man in the chicken outfit. I just see him now. Goodness sakes.
Host
He could do better.
Reporter/Interviewer
Our goal is that people would peacefully protest, but that we would still be allowed to enforce the law in this country. So it's too bad they're uneducated and ill informed.
Host
Good.
Reporter/Interviewer
It's good to see. We'll see what we can do to give you. This is absolutely nothing as to what it is at night though. No, it's really bad.
Host
The hell was that? Did you see her face? Like, she's like looking down at like eight people and one guy in a chicken suit and she's like, yeah, do you see them right there? Do you see these people? I mean, again, these Trump cabinet people are like deranged human beings. Like, I'm sorry if you don't like being deranged. Like, these are like weird, strange, like sick people. And I still don't know how else to describe it. Meanwhile, Reuters photographer Jonathan Ernst noticed during Pam Bondi's hearing yesterday before the Senate Judith Oversight Committee that Bondi flipped open a file during the Senate hearing and he zoomed in. Inside were her crib notes for attacking the senators. The GOP now practicing Cliff note fascisms. In other words, under oath. Bondi was purely a performance. Denise Wheeler, apt description of what went down. So she had like her canned lines, by the way. Cohen said that that's what he thought that she was going to do because he did. Cohen wrote that script for Trump. So he goes, no, she's got literally the script probably on the folder. Like Cohen was so spot on. So this is the folder where the script was written. And so, so when she was asked questions by the Democratic senators, she would just read the script rather than answer their questions. Like, so what's up with the Epstein files? And what's up with Tom Homan taking $50,000 in cash? Like, what's, what's going on with that? So this is Donald Trump's schedule tomorrow. Just so you can see. Um, this is literally on a schedule. It says president participates in a roundtable on an tifa. President participate. Oh, these people are. That's the roundtable you're going to do, the antifa roundtable. Oh, you're going to go after this ridiculous. It's like make up a boogeyman. But let me show you again just three critical moments from that hearing yesterday. This was Democratic Senator Welch cross examining Pam Bondi. Let's play it.
Reporter/Interviewer
I do want to go back to Homan. You know there's a tape, right, with Mr. Homan. I mean, first of all, is there a tape and that has audio and video of the transfer of the 50,000?
Interviewee/Official
You would have to talk to Director Patel about that.
Reporter/Interviewer
No, I'm talking to you.
Interviewee/Official
I don't know the answer, Senator.
Reporter/Interviewer
Yeah, you do know the answer.
Interviewee/Official
Don't call me a liar.
Reporter/Interviewer
I didn't call you a liar.
Interviewee/Official
You just said I know the answer. I said I don't know the answer.
Reporter/Interviewer
You have to talk to Director Patel.
Interviewee/Official
What I said is that investigation.
Reporter/Interviewer
Let me put it in another way. If you don't know, why don't you know whether there was a tape and video?
Interviewee/Official
Senator, I believe that was resolved prior to my confirmation as Attorney General.
Reporter/Interviewer
Do you think that it is of public interest for the people to know what happened to the 50 grand that the FBI turned over to Homan?
Interviewee/Official
Did you hear what I just said? That was resolved prior to my confirmation as Attorney General. That's why I said I would not go first.
Reporter/Interviewer
It's not resolved. There's $50,000. Homan has it or somebody has it. Do you have no interest in knowing where it is?
Interviewee/Official
You're not going to sit here and slander Tom Homan. The FBI and Deputy Director Blanche said there was nothing.
Reporter/Interviewer
I'm not slamming Tom Homan.
Interviewee/Official
He got the 59. How do you know that? Tom Homan is doing a great job as our borders are keeping your border.
Host
State safe here with Senator Schiff cross examining Bondi. Let's play it.
Reporter/Interviewer
But in case I just didn't hear you, what is the answer? Did he take the money?
Interviewee/Official
Senator Schiff, that happened prior to my confirmation. I understand, but do you know said that.
Reporter/Interviewer
Do you know sitting here?
Interviewee/Official
All I know is that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Patel said There was no case. And Caroline Levitt is one of the most trustworthy human beings I.
Host
No.
Reporter/Interviewer
So was she.
Interviewee/Official
You know, if you work for me, you would have been fired because you were censored by Congress for lying.
Reporter/Interviewer
We can stipulate to. You can stipulate to all your personal attacks on the Democratic members of the committee.
Interviewee/Official
Personal attacks. You've been attacking my FBI director. You've been attacking my office.
Reporter/Interviewer
We're interested in.
Interviewee/Official
Borders are.
Reporter/Interviewer
What we're interested in is the answer to these oversight questions. So you. You were asked.
Interviewee/Official
You were asked by my colleague.
Reporter/Interviewer
You were asked by my colleague. Attacking good people a regular order, Madam Chair, so I can ask a question.
Host
And here was Senator Whitehouse cross examining Pam Bondi. Let's play it.
Reporter/Interviewer
Let me ask you something else. There's been public reporting that Jeffrey Epstein showed people photos of President Trump with half naked young women. Do you know if the FBI found those photographs in their search of Jeffrey Epstein, safe or premises or otherwise? Have you seen any such thing?
Interviewee/Official
You know, Senator Whitehouse, you sit here and make salacious remarks, once again trying to slander President Trump left and right, when you're the one who was taking money from one of Epstein's closest confidants. I believe I could be wrong. Correct me, Reid Hoffman, who was with Jeffrey Epstein on multiple occasions, and the senator sitting right next to you tried to block the flight logs from being released. Yet you're grilling me on President Trump and some photograph with Epstein.
Reporter/Interviewer
Come on. The question is, did the FBI find those photographs that have been discussed publicly by a witness who claimed Jeffrey Epstein showed them to him? You don't know anything about that. Okay.
Host
And finally, you know, the government is in a shutdown right now. But even before that, we were basically in a shutdown. I mean, Trump destroyed the government. His tariffs against the world were crushing Americans in all different industries, from farming to construction to manufacturing. Our housing industry is as bad as it's ever been since 1995. Jobless claims are super high. The government's no longer even reporting economic data. They're using the shutdown as a pretext not to report any Bureau of Labor Statistics data. So they're not even reporting inflation anymore. They're not reporting job loss losses anymore. They're not reporting any of that. Why? Because that was always Trump's view. If you don't test, if you don't talk about it, just pretend things are great even as people are suffering. And we see we're heading down a very, very, very dangerous path here and very soon as we know right now, Americans are losing their health care and the Trump regime refuses to extend the Affordable Care act subsidies. And I've been showing you the Midas Touch Network has been making these graphics that show what it's like without the subsidies. $400 a month becomes $2,000 a month. Who can pay 2,000? Seriously, who can afford right now or anytime? $2,000 a month for health care. Now, people are going to drop off health care. They're not going to be able to be treated, and they're going to die. But that's what MAGA Republicans want. Kick everybody off, help the billionaires and let people die. That's what Trump and the MAGA Republicans want. They want people to die. How else can you interpret their actions? And meanwhile, you've got farmers suffering. Listen to this farmer right here. Here's what he's gotta say. Let's play it.
Reporter/Interviewer
Well, the stop gap needs to come because they've kind of painted the farmer in a corner. I mean, I want trade, not aid. I need a market. I need a place to sell this stuff. I can work hard enough and make a product if you'll give me someplace to sell it, I'll take care of myself. But they've painted us in a corner with this China deal and China buying no soybeans. I mean, they've tore our market in half. I mean, if you take the four years prior to Trump's first tariff war, the average price of a bushel of soybeans is $12.54. The average price for the four years during Trump's first tariff war is $9.39. That's $163 an acre. Swing to the minus the next four years after the tariff war, the average price is $13.59. That's a $218 upswing. Now we're back to $10.21. I think the board is, today, my local elevators, $9.79. So I'm at $172 an acre loss. I mean, you can't. The farmer can't continue to produce a crop below the cost of production. And that's where we're at. And we don't have anywhere to sell it. We're in a terrafor with China, we're in a terraform with everybody else. I mean, where do they want me to market this stuff?
Host
Thanks for watching, everybody. We'll keep you posted every step of the way. Just keep bringing you the facts, bring you the receipts. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million. Thanks for watching. Love this video. Support independent media and unlock exclusive content ad free videos and custom emojis by becoming a paid member member of our YouTube channel today. You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.
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Morning Zoe. Got donuts.
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Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas
In this urgent and impassioned episode, the Meiselas brothers dissect the unprecedented military escalation in Chicago ordered by Donald Trump, the federal government's deepening authoritarian tactics, and the far-reaching implications for democracy in the United States. The hosts blend sharp political analysis with their signature brotherly banter and direct commentary, providing clarity, outrage, and insight on the week's most disturbing political stories—from military invasions and ICE violence to government shutdowns and farm crises.
[02:53 - 08:00]
Texas National Guard Deployed:
The hosts launch into the episode by discussing the shocking presence of hundreds of Texas National Guard troops outside Chicago, acting under Trump’s orders to “invade” the city—directly flouting the Illinois Democratic governor’s authority.
Aggressive Federal Tactics:
Trump’s ICE agents are depicted occupying rooftops with sniper rifles, firing pepper balls into crowds of peaceful protesters, including clergy. The hosts relay harrowing accounts, including:
“They shot an unarmed priest with a pepper ball and everyone around him was impacted as well. No one was posing a threat. These were peaceful protesters. A peaceful, unarmed priest.” — Host [03:34]
Political Motive:
The brothers argue this is part of Trump’s strategy to create chaos to justify further military crackdowns, labeling it:
“The Trump regime sending their Gestapo to provoke communities and cities and towns throughout the country in order to create a pretext for military invasions.” — Host [04:18]
[07:30 - 10:00]
Social Media Chaos:
Trump uses social media to float increasingly bizarre health claims (e.g., discouraging Tylenol use in pregnancy) and to distract with attacks on special counsel Jack Smith and accusations of DOJ surveillance against GOP officials.
Epstein Files Cover-up:
A major focus is the ongoing attempt to suppress Jeffrey Epstein-related evidence. Delays in seating Congressional members and government shutdown are explained as mechanisms to block the release of files potentially implicating political figures, including Trump:
“One of the main reasons that Donald Trump is shutting down the government right now ... is also to block the release of the Epstein files.” — Host [06:02]
[13:53 - 19:33]
Pam Bondi Grilled in Senate Hearing:
Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi stonewalls Senators during a high-tension oversight hearing, dodging questions about Trump’s connection to Epstein, the disappearance of $50,000 reportedly accepted by Tom Homan, and the whereabouts of potential incriminating photographs.
Memorable Exchanges:
“If you don’t know, why don’t you know whether there was a tape and video?” — Sen. Welch [16:24] “You’re not going to sit here and slander Tom Homan.” — Pam Bondi [16:56]
“But in case I just didn’t hear you, what is the answer? Did he take the money?” — Sen. Schiff [17:22]
“Do you know if the FBI found those photographs in their search of Jeffrey Epstein, safe or premises or otherwise? ... Have you seen any such thing?” — Sen. Whitehouse [18:28]
Analysis: The hosts expose Bondi’s reliance on pre-scripted talking points and label the GOP’s oversight as “Cliff note fascism.”
[10:00 - 13:53]
“These Trump cabinet people are like deranged human beings... Like, these are like weird, strange, like sick people.” — Host [13:53]
[19:33 - 22:32]
Functional Shutdown:
The hosts detail the effective paralysis of government operations, including cessation of economic data reporting and collapse of essential services, attributing this to Trump’s destructive governance:
“Trump destroyed the government. His tariffs against the world were crushing Americans in all different industries, from farming to construction to manufacturing.” — Host [19:39]
Farmers in Crisis:
The episode features a farmer’s testimony on the financial devastation brought by Trump’s tariffs, illustrating a real-world impact:
“They've painted us in a corner with this China deal and China buying no soybeans... If you take the four years prior to Trump’s first tariff war, the average price of a bushel of soybeans is $12.54... The average price during Trump's first tariff war is $9.39. That's $163 an acre swing to the minus.” — Farmer [21:30]
On Trump’s Chicago crackdown:
“Trump has his ICE agents throughout Chicago positioned on rooftops. Sniper rifles trained on peaceful protesters... They shot an unarmed priest with a pepper ball.” — Host [03:02 - 03:34]
On fascist optics:
“She has Bukele from El Salvador’s film crew to make these like Nazi-style, but like in a modern form... propaganda videos.” — Host on Kristi Noem [10:57]
On Bondi’s Senate hearing script:
“The GOP now practicing Cliff note fascism.” — Host [13:54]
On erosion of democracy:
“If you don’t test, if you don’t talk about it, just pretend things are great even as people are suffering.” — Host [19:53]
Farmer’s plea:
“I want trade, not aid. ... They’ve tore our market in half.” — Anonymous Farmer [21:17]
The Meiselas brothers maintain their assertive, no-nonsense style—with sharp-witted asides, incredulity, and pointed humor—amid deep concern for democratic erosion. Their language remains direct, urgent, and in places, unabashedly partisan in favor of democracy and against the current regime's tactics.
This episode is a clarion call for attention to the rapid succession of anti-democratic actions in the US: militarization of domestic cities, erosion of free speech and protest, government secrecy, obfuscation before Congressional oversight, and the devastating impacts on ordinary Americans—especially farmers and the vulnerable. The MeidasTouch Podcast balances firsthand testimonies, direct analysis, and moments of levity, making this an essential, fiery listen for progressives and anyone tracking democracy in crisis.