IMPORTANT Sunday Message From Meidas Founder Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network Sep 21 By Ben Meiselas By now you know my Sunday post is my favorite of the week. I can finally pause for a second to grab a coffee with you or whatever your morning drink of choice is. Don’t feel pressured to drink coffee. This was quite the week. Before I go further, let me say this. Based on this week’s developments — from Kimmel getting fired to Meidas getting threatened — we need your assistance more than ever by you becoming a subscriber to this Substack. So either subscribe now or subscribe after reading this. Or you can gift a subscription to someone you know. Obviously this week saw Trump getting Jimmy Kimmel fired by threatening Disney/ABC. Once again Disney folded, which is yet another betrayal. Since Kimmel got fired, Trump has been outright saying that he believes it is “illegal” to tell jokes about him or criticize him on television and that he will go after shows and hosts who make fun of him or say negative things. While it’s getting less attention, this week the Pentagon also put out an edict that reporters who cover the Defense Department from inside the Pentagon may not release information about the Department without prior approval. In other forms of censorship, we also learned that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been banned by Trump from releasing critical inflation reports and the annual report on hunger in America has been canceled. Yesterday, Donald Trump posted what appeared to be a private text message to his attorney Pam Bondi where he told her explicitly to ensure that criminal charges are brought against James Comey, Adam Schiff, and Letitia James. Trump literally said to go after them. He said he was upset at Bondi because the Republican top federal prosecutor in Virginia refuses to manufacture false evidence against Letitia James, and Trump said he was appointing his personal attorney Lindsey Halligan for the express purpose of prosecuting Schiff, James, and Comey. Obviously this is unprecedented in American history. This is a criminal act by Trump, in my opinion. It’s also going to destroy what little is left of the Justice Department as competent prosecutors are leaving and the DOJ will be left with rejected, trash lawyers and corrupt people who served as Trump’s personal lawyers in the past. Then there is the fact we seem to be heading for a government shutdown. Republican Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson has ordered House members not to show up on September 29 and 30, which are the two days before the shutdown. Next week is a Jewish holiday, so Congress won’t be voting; the days to vote would have been September 29 and September 30, and MAGA Mike has canceled those work days. Democrats want to ensure that Affordable Care Act premium tax credits are extended to continue funding the government. Trump ordered Republicans not to talk with Democrats, let alone negotiate. The Senate was unable to get the 60 votes needed for cloture, since the Republicans refuse to save the ACA tax credits. Trump wants a government shutdown. When you look at Trump also demanding the Taliban “give” the United States Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan “or else,” and if you look at Trump threatening Venezuela to take back “people from mental asylums or else” (whatever the heck that even means), Trump seems to be provoking war. This is a “wag the dog” moment where I believe Trump wants a war and a shutdown to distract from further inquiry into his dark past in the Epstein files. Also, Trump knows he is crashing the economy and he wants a shutdown to blame Democrats and pretend that’s the reason things are falling apart. All this to me shows desperation by the regime. This doesn’t show strength. Trump’s public posts and public behavior reflect deep pathological issues and also panic. He’s frantic and flailing. He is still dangerous. Very dangerous. But I feel that Jimmy Kimmel’s firing and Trump’s Epstein cover-up has lit a spark in Americans who are not political. Also, people are struggling to afford things and Trump pretends that everyone is living a “golden age” just because his family made billions selling out the United States’ future and screwing over 99 percent of the country. More so than ever, I feel Americans are waking up. I feel there is a silent majority who despise Trump and are increasingly more vocal. There is no negotiating with or ignoring fascism, since fascism views that as weakness. It’s why we need moral clarity now more than ever. It’s why we need strength and fearlessness more than ever. We need community now more than ever so we can lean on each other and lift each other up during these dark times. That’s what the MeidasTouch Network is here for. Week after week, we get more views and engagement than Fox News, Joe Rogan, and all right-wing podcasts combined. We do it with clarity and by harnessing the power of the people. We do it because of you. We are going to get through this moment together. We are going to prevail. We are going to do it with the facts and truth and empathy. You see why this is my favorite post of the week. I can take a beat and pause and chill with you. We can chat about what’s on our minds. We can gather our thoughts and restore our energy and get ready to fight. That’s what we will do! We will never back down. That’s why you are the key. If you are already subscribed here to this Substack, we thank you. If you aren’t subscribed, and you’ve been on the fence, we ask that you make the decision and subscribe now. It’s the biggest way to help the MeidasTouch Network and you’ve seen what we are doing. The data speaks for itself. But what’s most important is not just that we are number one — it’s that we are getting accurate data in front of people who might otherwise be poisoned by the corporate news or right-wing regime media. That’s why we need you to subscribe now. Before I go, I wanted to let you know how important the work you do is. We are so grateful for you and we will continue to fight for you. You deserve fighters and I hope you see that I wake up every day and lead a network that does its best to fight for you. Thanks for having this cup of coffee with me. Let’s stay in the fight!! Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

It's important to remember the last time REPUBLICANS controlled CONGRESS - they were BULLIES, never compromise, shut out DEMOCRATS! They are incapable of governing, don't represent constituents, but rather the OLIGARCHS who got them elected. 

There was one CONGRESSIONAL HEARING that was striking - REPUBLICANS spoke first. When it was time for DEMOCRATS to participate, REPUBLICANS shut off the lights & cameras & LEFT. 

DEMOCRATS conducted a HEARING & REPUBLICANS relegated them to a basement room with overhead pipes, no camera access. 

Unfortunately that level of ANTI-DEMOCRACY conduct failed to end their support & not widely reported by CORPORATE MEDIA that continues to fail their responsibilities. 

RED STATES lag so far behind BLUE STATES that President Biden targeted them with improvements that CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS voted against. 

What does it say when RED STATES believe posting the 10 COMMANDMENTS in classrooms will improve their PISS POOR EDUCATION? Or buying TRUMP'S OVERPRICED PRINTED IN CHINA BIBLES is EDUCATION? 

REPUBLICANS define themselves in their failures! Compare their failing statistics. Each RED STATE gets BLUE STATE TAX SUBSIDIES - WELFARE!

POOR EDUCATION CREATES MALLEABLE MASSES!

MEDIA CONSOLIDATION threatens & BRENDAN CARR, PROJECT 2025 SHILL is salivating! 

Wide swaths of the nation will only have access to RIGHT WING PROPAGANDA such as SINCLAIR, lack access to PBS/NPR or CABLE or INTERNET. 

Do they even have LIBRARIES? In MASSACHUSETTS, our LIBRARIES have borrowing access to other libraries, offer internet, offer access to publications & media, as well as reading programs for kids & much else. 

 CAPITALIZING ON AN ASSASSINATION:

There are several articles that seem particularly pertinent:

Randi Weingarten | Why Fascists Hate Critical Thinking

Randi Weingarten, Rolling Stone

Excerpt: "Randi Weingarten’s new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers, reveals why Trump and the right demean teachers, slash school funding, and rewrite history."

https://www.rsn.org/001/why-fascists-hate-critical-thinking.html

ATTACKING FREE SPEECH:

How Pam Bondi Became MAGA’s Patsy

Sophia Tesfaye/Salon

https://www.rsn.org/001/how-pam-bondi-became-magas-patsy.html

US Justice Department Removes Study Finding Far-Right Extremists Commit ‘Far More’ Violence

https://www.rsn.org/001/us-justice-department-removes-study-finding-farright-extremists-commit-far-more-violence.html

The EPSTEIN COVER-UP:

THIS WAS AN INTERNATIONAL CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING OPERATION that requires scrutiny!

COUNTERPUNCH published this article - A MUST READ & SHARE! 

September 18, 2025

The Epstein Files and the 5-Count Felon Bank: The Untold Story

Pam Martens - Russ Martens

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/09/18/the-epstein-files-and-the-5-count-felon-bank-the-untold-story/

It might be wise to STOP criticizing selected DEMOCRATS, support the HEROES & work for SOLUTIONS. 

SCOTT DWORKIN maintains a SUBSTACK worth reading. He created THE WATCHDOG COALITION that promotes SPEAKING OUT by calling or emailing ELECTED OFFICIALS. This was his most recent: 

I have three questions for you today.

What do you think of Pete Buttigieg’s rally in Indiana?

Will you be boycotting Disney?

Why do you think Alex Acosta gave the sweetheart deal to Epstein?

NEW: Tell Congress: Demand Kash Patel Resign: https://tinyurl.com/yhpyrbn6

Here is my interview with James Talarico: https://tinyurl.com/mmu4eydj

Tell Congress: Pass the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act: https://tinyurl.com/3yfw2m7a

Tell Congress: Demand Kennedy Resign: https://tinyurl.com/2324bmrh

Tell Congress: Demand answers about Trump’s visibly deteriorating health: https://tinyurl.com/sk9xm38v

Tell Congress: Protect our use of voting by mail: https://tinyurl.com/bde676xm

Tell Congress to push back on Trump’s DC takeover: https://tinyurl.com/2jpp94yk

Tell Congress to support law to unmask ICE: https://tinyurl.com/bp8cau82

Tell Congress to investigate the Jeffrey Epstein trafficking case: https://tinyurl.com/4pfh2p4f

Links to everything we are doing: https://www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/how-were-fighting-trump