Meidas has POWERFUL ANSWER to CBS…BYE BYE!!! MeidasTouch Network Apr 24 By Ben Meiselas Revenge is a dish best served cold… CBS, let’s face it, your betrayal is unforgivable. The fact you compromised the independence of 60 Minutes and forced legendary Executive Producer Bill Owens to resign pissed me off. Do you have any sense of the moment?! Seriously, you are so damn greedy and want regulatory approval of the $8 billion merger between CBS parent company Paramount and Skydance that you’re willing to sell out our democracy? I hate to be crass, but you are pathetic. Donald Trump is weaker than ever right now. His approval is plummeting. The recent Pew Research poll has Trump’s approval at 40 percent and his support among 18-29 year olds and Latinos in the 20 percent range. Even the Fox poll released yesterday has his approval at 44 percent, which is their lowest ranking by far of a president in modern history in the first 100 days. Now is the time to fight harder and not capitulate, CBS! Don’t you realize that Trump is an extortionist? The moment you give him an inch, he takes a foot, then an arm, and then your life. You think he’ll stop at you settling some bogus lawsuit with him? The moment he senses your weakness, he’s going to come back to the well and demand more from you until you look like some idiotic channel like Mike Lindell TV. How many times do I have to tell you?! You don’t obey in advance, and you don’t obey ever. What does $8 billion mean if you lose your freedom and democracy—and eventually that $8 billion—to an authoritarian who takes and takes and takes? CBS gave us all the middle finger, and we responded. As I said at the outset of this post, revenge is a dish best served cold. I’m reminded of the ritzy event in Sun Valley, Idaho a few months back where Paramount head Shari Redstone and Warner Bros. head David Zaslav pranced around like giddy school kids reenacting a youth they never had, bragging about the “deregulatory environment” that would drench them in money under a Trump presidency. Nope. Now you’re drenched in your own vomit of greed, and independent media like us needs to stop you sickos from continuing to project that venomous slop on the rest of us. Revenge is a dish best served cold. So it’s fitting that as these oligarchs and agents of oligarchy like Redstone and Zaslav mock us all, laugh in our faces, and try to sell us out, we respond with force. And that we did! After our post yesterday forcefully calling out CBS, we got some incredible news. First, we found out from the top podcast data company Podscribe that The MeidasTouch Podcast came in first again in the charts for the third straight month in a row with 107.3 million downloads. This is more than Joe Rogan, Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, and Charlie Kirk combined. Second—and what’s more—we learned we get over 8 million more YouTube views per day than CBS News. It’s a wipeout, CBS! You gave us the middle finger. You cared so much about your $8 billion, and now you’ve been trounced by us with 8 million more views a day! What CBS and Skydance can’t fathom is that the MeidasTouch Network crushes them—and we’ve grown thanks to our subscribers on this Substack. They care so much about their $8 billion merger and their news assets that they’ve exposed themselves as gigantic orange-turd-enabling assholes. Excuse my language—I don’t like cursing—but I found that one funny and so true. You’re supposed to be reporting on news. So report on it, damnit, or get out of the way! Why don’t you sell Meidas 60 Minutes at this point since you apparently don’t care about the news? By the way, we told Bill Owens in our post yesterday that he should join Meidas. We’ll see. I’m sure I sound like a broken record sometimes when I ask you to subscribe to the MeidasTouch Substack if you aren’t yet a subscriber. It’s not to be annoying—I hope you don’t find it that way. We’re competing against companies like CBS and Skydance that are doing $8 billion mergers, and we’re beating them thanks to our growth in subscribers on this Substack. I know we have great content here that breaks stories and leads the news cycle. Heck, we even got a shoutout last night from Rachel Maddow for Meidas doing the first interview with former President Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan. So not only do you get great content on this Substack as a subscriber, but you also help the MeidasTouch Network grow and beat the likes of CBS. You helped us win the Webby for Top Podcast of the Year. So if you can subscribe—or want to gift a subscription to someone you know—we’d love for you to do that now. Thanks for supporting the MeidasTouch Network, which is also the fastest-growing Substack in the world. Alright, I have to record a video now. Thanks, MeidasMighty. Onward! Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Meet the hero of “60 Minutes” He is trying to save the institution by walking away Dan Rather and Team Steady Apr 24 Bill Owens of “60 Minutes” (credit: Getty Images). I am able to write this piece today because I have the autonomy and independence to do so. CBS News’s “60 Minutes,” my home for many years, can no longer say the same. Because of Donald Trump, and because of a corporate lust for cash, “60 Minutes” now has oversight and overlords. Prying eyes from corporate offices are never a good thing when reporting the news. Journalism must operate without fear or favor. Independence is necessary for superior journalism. Over the past 57 years, “60 Minutes” has developed into this country’s best at what it does, and one of the best in the world. But suddenly this week, we’re left wondering if “60 Minutes” can ever be at its best again. The stopwatch is now under sustained attack from a lethal combination of President Trump and corporate greed. It’s hard to imagine, but as someone inside the venerated CBS broadcast told us today, the atmosphere at the office “is a s***show.” Whoa. That’s like hearing chimpanzees are now assembling fine Swiss watches. “60 Minutes” is the cash cow of the Tiffany network and a program with more accolades and awards than any in the history of television. Suddenly none of that matters, because the program is losing its leader. Bill Owens, the program’s executive producer, abruptly left on Tuesday. I have known him for more than 35 years and know him to be in the best tradition of CBS’s storied news producers. In an email to his staff, Owens explained why he was leaving a program that has been his life for 24 years. “Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it. To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience.” What happened? Why would Owens walk away from one of the most powerful and lucrative jobs, not only in journalism, but in the country? I still know some of the terrific journalists at “60 Minutes.” An insider reminded me, “You know about Shari. That’s the story. Greed.” So, let me tell you about Shari. You may never have heard her name, but Shari Redstone is a player — in Hollywood and in corporate America. She’s a 71-year-old multimillionaire as well as controlling shareholder and board chair of Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News. She is trying to sell Paramount to Skydance, owned by the son of Oracle founder and billionaire Larry Ellison. If successful, she will become a billionaire, more than tripling her net worth. To make the deal happen, she needs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve the sale, and the clock is ticking. The FCC has to decide in the next 20 days. Donald Trump appointed the FCC commissioner. You can see where this is going. One wouldn’t characterize Trump as a “60 Minutes” superfan. I reported on Trump for a story on “60 Minutes” back when he said he was thinking about running for president in 2000. His “campaign” at the time was a sham, and we reported that. Trump hated the story. It appears not much has changed in 25 years. In a social media post on April 13, Trump lambasted the newsmagazine, calling it “derogatory and defamatory.” He suggested that “they are not a ‘News Show,’ but a dishonest Political Operative” and that “they should lose their license.” Trump’s dislike runs so deep he is suing CBS News for $20 billion (yes, billion), claiming “60 Minutes” tried to mislead voters by airing two different edits of remarks made by Vice President Kamala Harris. A wide range of legal experts say the suit is without merit. Regardless and to no one’s surprise, Trump’s FCC has opened an investigation. And Paramount, much to the horror of the “60 Minutes” staff, is in mediation to settle with Trump — for something less than $20 billion. Redstone is well aware of Trump’s feelings toward “60 Minutes.” Trump is no doubt aware of the proposed merger. And true to form, he’s pressuring Paramount directly, and Redstone indirectly, to control “60 Minutes,” which he has said is “out of control.” To that end, Redstone has taken an increased interest in the program. This, along with the settlement talks, is where the problems began for Owens and the “60 Minutes” team. To appease Redstone, CBS brass has imposed a new layer of editorial oversight. Two news executives from inside CBS have been tasked with vetting stories and overseeing content. As one “60 Minutes” staffer pointed out, all of this opens new ways for Redstone — and by extension, Trump — to have their way. “60 Minutes” has been the gold standard in television news and has been the No. 1 news show in America for 50 straight years. The show has made more money for CBS over the years than any other program, because the network wholly owns the franchise. This complicates things for Redstone. Because “60 Minutes” is such a valuable asset of Paramount Global, she can’t, or at least shouldn’t, do anything to jeopardize its value. That value is directly tied to the long-held trust the program has earned with its audience. I have been sounding the alarm about the politicization, corporatization, and Hollywoodization of the news for decades. The idea of news as a public service has almost completely disappeared. When corporations like Disney (which owns ABC) and Comcast (which owns NBC) and billionaires like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos (who owns The Washington Post) are more concerned with bending the knee and kissing up to Trump than with providing their viewers and readers the best reporting, democracy suffers. There are fewer and fewer journalists holding the powerful accountable … and boy, is there a lot to hold to account these days. What does this mean for the future of “60 Minutes” and its next executive producer? Will the program’s weekly audience of millions be able to trust a news product that has been vetted not to offend politicians nor hurt a corporate bottom line? Donald Trump is smiling that the questions are even being asked. Redstone could be the savior of this story, defending “60 Minutes” and the First Amendment … though we’re more likely to see water run uphill. The real hero is Owens, who is standing up for journalistic integrity and independence while suffering the personal consequences. I fear for our country, because this story and so much of what is happening in America right now is just all about power and greed. We thank you for your support of Steady. Every day we are reminded of the critical importance of independent journalism. It is only you, our subscribers, who make this possible. If you are able, please consider joining as a paid subscriber. It keeps Steady sustainable and accessible for all. Thank you. No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading. Stay Steady, Dan

Meidas RESPONDS after CBS Gave Us MIDDLE FINGER MeidasTouch Network and Ben Meiselas Apr 23 By Ben Meiselas Hey MeidasMighty, it’s MeidasTouch Co-Founder Ben Meiselas. I’ll keep this short. I am pissed at CBS and their parent company, Paramount. They gave us all the middle finger. They forced out legendary 60 Minutes producer Bill Owens because he refused to bend the knee to Trump. 60 Minutes is on CBS, which is owned by Paramount. The controlling shareholder of Paramount is Shari Redstone, who inherited the company from her dad, Sumner Redstone, when he died at age 97 in 2020. Shari Redstone desperately wants to sell her shares in Paramount to a company called Skydance in an $8 billion transaction. The transaction requires regulatory approval from the Trump administration. Paramount and Skydance agreed to a 90-day extension on their deal to try and get that regulatory approval from Trump. Donald Trump despises the coverage of him on 60 Minutes. They are fearless, diligent, and do some of the best reporting in America. Trump has frequently attacked 60 Minutes on social media and in speeches. Last October 2024, Trump sued Paramount, CBS, and 60 Minutes for an absurd amount of $10 billion, claiming their interview with then-VP Kamala Harris caused him pain and suffering under a consumer statute in Texas (Trump was too scared himself to be interviewed by 60 Minutes). Trump sued in the Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division, to get a favorable judge on the case. Trump amended the lawsuit in February to change his claimed damages to $20 billion. Trump has also publicly directed his FCC Chair to go after Paramount and CBS’s licenses. Trump’s goal is obvious. He wants to shut down negative stories on him from 60 Minutes. He wants to humiliate 60 Minutes executives, CBS executives, and Shari Redstone. Trump wants to use the threats of withholding regulatory approval of an $8 billion deal to extract a personal settlement for himself and make money, as he did with ABC, Meta, and others. 60 Minutes producer Bill Owens did everything he could to fight for the independence of 60 Minutes. However, he was forced to resign when he said his ability to report on the news was compromised by Paramount. Bill Owens gave a dire warning about Trump’s control over the network and his fear that CBS and Paramount were likely gearing up to reach a settlement with Trump on his ridiculous lawsuit. The fact that Bill Owens could no longer work at 60 Minutes tells you just how bad it is now at CBS. No wonder news networks aren’t showing the mass protests, the town halls, and the shadow hearings. Let me be clear. Bill Owens can always have a job at the MeidasTouch Network if he wants. I doubt we could pay him what CBS / 60 Minutes did, but we can be creative, and our independence will never, ever be compromised. He can be sure of that. Bill Owens or any good reporter at 60 Minutes could use our distribution platform, which gets more views than CBS anyway, to get out the facts about Trump to tens of millions of people. At times like this, the importance of independent media is very, very clear. We are not afraid to speak the truth. Watch how easy it is. Trump is a felon. Trump is a fraud. Trump is a sexual abuser. Trump is a sexual predator. Trump is a terrible businessperson who bankrupted many businesses. Trump is a cheat. Trump is a scammer. I have no fear typing these words. None. It’s the truth. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the MeidasMighty and groups like 50501, the ACLU, the AFL-CIO, AFT, and the others who don’t bend the knee. We stand with the protesters, we cover the protests and the shadow hearings and town halls, and we cover all the news that the corporate media seeks to suppress. When I send messages that sometimes awkwardly ask if you could subscribe to this Substack, it’s precisely because we know the importance of having a distribution channel bigger than the likes of CBS, ABC, NBC, or even Fox. We get more views than them all because of you. Yesterday was an interesting day. On the one hand, we got the great news that the MeidasTouch Podcast was awarded “Podcast of the Year” by the Webby Awards. That is their top honor. Of the millions of podcasts in the world, the MeidasTouch Podcast was number one. On the other hand, I got the news about 60 Minutes. In many ways, those two pieces of news are closely related. The rise of independent media and shows like ours that beat CBS has coincided with networks like CBS losing viewers, losing trust, and kissing the ring. For me, the most important thing for a news network to have is trust. We’ve worked hard at the MeidasTouch Network to earn your trust and to fight every day for you and our democracy. In contrast, networks like CBS have taken their audience for granted and put profits over people. So, sure, CBS gave us all the middle finger yesterday, but are we really shocked? To me, this inspires us to grow bigger at the MeidasTouch Network. Who knows, maybe someone like a Bill Owens decides to join us soon. As we grow, we hope to be the destination where great journalists, anchors, producers, and execs go—who want to be on the right side of history and fight for the people and stop the Trump regime. I want to thank you all for reading this and being a subscriber to this Substack. The Webby Award for Podcast of the Year is an honor we share with you. The fact that we get more views on YouTube and podcast downloads than any network or person is because of you. Thank you. If you are not yet a subscriber, help us keep growing and help us stay number one. Subscribe now if you can. Thanks MeidasMighty. Ben Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.