LOTS OF POSTS IGNORED BY BLOGGER.....

ALL POSTS ARE AVAILABLE ON

MIDDLEBORO REVIEW AND SO ON

Vance-Loomer Feud Erupts, Divides MAGA

Vance attacks Loomer, and all hell breaks loose on the right.

Ron Filipkowski Jan 24

Last night, JD Vance decided to take on MAGA activist and Trump superfan Laura Loomer with a post on X calling her “despicable.” That didn’t go over very well with a significant chunk of MAGA voters he needs to win over in the 2028 primary.

Whatever you may think of Loomer, she has developed a large and loyal following over many years with Trump’s base. Trump also continues to take her calls, texts, meets with her in person, praises her at events, and has never said an unkind word about her. Loomer has 1.8 million followers on X, many more across other platforms, and a podcast. Her followers include hardcore activists who have big followings of their own. So it was somewhat mystifying for Vance to go out of his way to go after her.

It didn’t go well for him.

It all began when Vance gave the headliner speech at the anti-abortion March for Life rally in DC yesterday. Vance gave an extreme far-right speech on the abortion issue, making it clear that he considered it murder and stating forcefully that he believed it should be illegal with no exceptions. This is a departure from Trump, who was pro-choice his entire life and was never comfortable talking about the issue.

In 2024, Trump (or his pollsters) understood that in the post-Dobbs era, advocating for a national abortion ban was going to be politically toxic. So Trump made it part of his campaign platform that abortion should be “left up to the states.” But what Vance said yesterday in his speech was a clear departure from the administration’s position. Why? Because Vance is positioning himself to win a contested Republican primary in 2028, and he isn’t going to let any of his challengers get to the right of him on abortion.

And that’s exactly what Loomer had an issue with.

Loomer noted that Vance is supposed to be the point man for the administration in the midterms. He is the one who is supposed to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to traveling around the country to support their candidates. And she believes his departure from Trump’s “leave it up to the states” approach on this issue could reignite this as a serious electoral issue for Democrats in the midterms, while it barely registers as a top-of-mind issue for most voters right now.

This is what Loomer said:

“Why is the GOP pushing more abortion messaging in a midterm election year? Didn’t they learn their lesson in 2018? Trump doesn’t like when the GOP focuses on abortion. How many times does he have to say this? Trump gets it. The GOP will blow the midterms.”

While Loomer was clearly talking about Vance’s speech, and that his presence at the event highlighted the issue again nationally while Trump doesn’t want to talk about it, she was careful not to mention him by name. So it was mystifying when Vance then decided to go out of his way to go after Loomer directly and alienate many in the MAGA base. This is how he responded:

“It's interesting that some ‘conservative influencers’ spend all of their time attacking the administration and sowing division. Disgraceful actually.”

At that point, it was game on. I’m not sure if Vance understood what he was getting himself into when he made that post, but he understands now. Much of the criticism he got noted that Vance has been a steadfast supporter of his close friend Tucker Carlson, who has criticized the Trump administration more harshly than almost anyone on the right in recent months.

Certainly more harshly than Loomer. But Vance won’t ever criticize Tucker.

The issue for Vance is that he only exists as a viable political entity as long as he has Trump’s support. If Trump ever withdraws that support, as we have seen him do many times in the past with former allies, Vance is finished. People forget that Vance was consistently polling 4th in the 2022 senate primary in Ohio at around 12-13%. Then his friend Donald Trump, Jr. convinced his dad to endorse him, and overnight Vance shot to the top of the polls. Vance was unable to attract Republican primary voters on his own despite spending heavily on the race, and only won because of Trump.

He knows that. Trump knows that. And Loomer knows that.

MAGA loyalists are also very much aware of the things Vance said in the past about Trump, including his “America’s Hitler” text to a friend. Some don’t like that his wife is of Indian descent and is not christian. They are aware of Vance’s recent conversion to Catholicism after being an atheist his entire life, and question whether he only did that for political reasons. He also doesn’t have the personality traits that Trump has that turn on the MAGA base. In short, he really is nothing without Trump’s support.

And Trump’s support, whenever he is asked about endorsing Vance in 2028, has been tepid. Every time he is asked about Vance in 2028, he says that there will be a lot of good candidates running that he likes. He typically brings up Marco Rubio when he makes those remarks. That has to concern Vance, and is another reason why many of the MAGA faithful have kept their distance from giving him their full support.

Now to the reaction to Vance’s post. Of course, Loomer has been attacking him nonstop since he made it - another reason for Vance not to pick a fight with her. She is relentless and obsessive and will not stop. She is going to be a thorn in his side now for years. This is just one of her posts in response:

“Since the VP is so focused on ‘conservative influencers’ causing division, I look forward to seeing him condemn the conservatives who called his wife a ‘dirty jeet’ and his buddy Tucker Carlson who has attacked every single policy of the Trump admin.

It’s rich, isn’t it? You can carry the casket of Charlie Kirk but you won’t call out Tucker for promoting a guy on his show who accused Erika Kirk of being involved in her husband’s assassination and who accused Tyler Bowyer (who took over for Kirk) of being a homosexual pedophile. Being aligned with the President is more important than being friends with degenerates.

You won’t call out the Republicans like your friend MTG who called Trump a pedophile protector and who lied and said Trump was trying to get her killed. We are all shocked you refuse to call out the Neo Nazis who attack Jews and Hindus like your wife and demand that she convert to be worthy in their eyes.

You refuse to call out those who profit off of attacking your boss Donald Trump on their silly Conservative podcasts because you want their votes in 2028, even if they spew poison and attack President Trump every single day. Or should we keep pretending this is about abortion?”

Vance got over 2,300 replies to his post. These were some of the replies from Trump supporters:

Doing the work for Tucker and Buckley Carlson. Interesting that the conservatives you’ve gone after have one thing in common.

Why didn’t J.D. Vance address the substance of Loomer’ well articulated questions and concerns? Many other conservatives are also asking the same questions! Weird.

You seem to really enjoy going after conservative Jewish women. Why is that?

This convinces me you are not there best pick for 2028. It’s fair to explain the President said to go to M4L… but then to call Loomer disgraceful while you’re silent on the real villains is insane.

You go after Laura Loomer who bends over backwards to protect this admin, while you are stuck to Tucker whose vile lies and hatred not to mention his constant attacks on this admin go unchecked by you. Seriously more the time goes by more we are not sure who you are.

Wait... what? Loomer isn’t perfect, but she certainly doesn’t spend even a fraction of her time attacking the administration, let alone “all” of it. Something tells me that you’re just angry at her for calling out your handler and division expert, Tucker Qatarlson.

Loomer did not attack this administration. President Trump literally praised Loomer at Mar a Lago last weekend. She’s the best.

Laura has been very restrained in criticizing you like the rest of us do. But you still selectively attack her for reasons we all know. You are such a disappointment.

I don’t agree with Loomer‘s abortion policy comment, but you’ve chosen the wrong target. If you really want to call out “conservative influencers” who attack the administration and sow division, it’s Tucker Carlson you need to be highlighting, not Laura. This is what we’ve been waiting for. Any analysis of all commentary made by Tucker and Laura over the past year would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Laura is an ally to the administration, while Tucker is an opponent who’s made an art out of sowing chaos and division among conservatives. THAT’S what’s disgraceful.

Wow! Interesting how you directed this at Laura instead of messaging her privately!
So name names since you felt this was beneficial to you to post this. Who are some “ conservative influencers”! The republicans/conservative needs to be looking for a better candidate in 2028 because Vance is not the one!

Bad look Vance. Vote Rubio 2028.

JD to conservatives “Be like Tucker”. Conservatives to JD “Buh Bye”

Tucker will be your downfall. Rubio is looking great

She's right JD. I've watched my party lose elections on this issue all my life. Lately Kari Lake to name one. Leave it to the states. Leave it alone.

"Disgraceful actually". Sounds like you get your quips from Tucker....you know, the douchebag who slams Trump’s policies daily.

LOL Dude, if you dont have the balls to call out Tucker but find them to call out Loomer, you dont have the balls to fill Trumps shoes.

Is there anyone else you attack besides Jewish conservative influencers on X like Loomer because you are quite selective from what I have seen. She is trying to help the administration focus on winning and abortion simply isn’t an issue that wins elections. I’m pro-life myself. This isn’t about abortion. many, many people will not vote for you as President. Regardless of what you think of the American public who are trying to save conservatism, we aren't going to back down just because you shout down at us. Unhinged behavior coming from our own administration. Very disturbing.

I don’t like this response from you—at all. You know exactly what she is saying. Many within the GOP keep bringing up the abortion issue which always sabotages us during elections. Remember when Lindsay wanted to ban all abortions with no exceptions a month before the elections? It killed us.

You manipulated the post and it left a bad taste in my mouth. Please don’t do this anymore this is gaslighting at its finest.

The more you hitch your wagon to Tucker and the clinically insane Candace Owens, the more I’m starting to favor Rubio in 2028.

Trump has shown he can be highly unpredictable supporting candidates. He just knifed Bill Cassidy for his impeachment vote 5 years ago after not mentioning it for years - he never forgot it. He pulled his endorsement for Mo Brooks in 2022 to back Katie Britt after Brooks said he should “move on” from griping about 2020. He double-crossed Elise Stefanik, forced Thom Tillis into retirement - the list is endless. Of course, let’s not forget Mike Pence, who was loyal to Trump for 4 years and is now called a “traitor” by him.

So, given the things Vance has said about Trump in the past, he may want to think twice about going out of his way to take shots at Trump’s most loyal supporters - especially the ones who have his ear. It is unclear whether Rubio will run or whether another MAGA challenger will step up, but there is no shortage of Trump supporters out there looking for an alternative to Vance.

If you missed yesterday’s Today in Politics bulletin, you can find it here.

Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

 

Bon Voyage Bongino?

Joyce Vance Jul 15

When the FBI goes to war with the Attorney General, it’s usually polite and behind the scenes, unless it isn’t. Like when Jim Comey went behind AG Loretta Lynch’s back to hold a press conference explaining his view of the decision to decline prosecution of Hilary Clinton. When reports emerged late last week that the number two at FBI, Deputy Director Dan Bongino, was dissatisfied with AG Pam Bondi’s handling of—of all things, the Jeffrey Epstein report—it seemed like there would be more drama in the works. But after Bongino skipped work Friday, reportedly because he was considering quitting, there has been almost radio silence on the matter. Last week, Bongino “implied” it was either him or Bondi; one of them had to go.

Donald Trump had quite the reaction last week, coming to Bondi’s defense and writing, “We’re all on one Team, MAGA.”

Axios was first to report that all was not well in the DOJ family. “FBI deputy director Dan Bongino took a day off from work Friday after clashing at the White House with Attorney General Pam Bondi over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, four sources familiar with the conflict told Axios.” It’s rich that Trump is trying to single handedly undo the rule of law, enacting executive order after executive order that violates the Constitution and our laws, while violating the due process of hundreds of deportees, and the one issue that finally gets people’s attention is…the Jeffrey Epstein files.

According to CNN, “Bongino denied leaking that notion [that he and Patel wanted more of the Epstein files released] to NewsNation, which published the story, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, though he did not sign on to a statement defending the review included in that article.”

These are not serious people.

The deputy director’s job, running day-to-day operations at the FBI, is consuming. It’s hard work. It requires sober dedication and constant diligence. It’s not for everyone. Also, absolutely no one leaks that they’re thinking about resigning from the job. “Do, or do not. There is no try,” as Yoda would say. The idea that a deputy director would publicly issue a “me or the AG must go” threat would be unthinkable in any other administration.

Pam Bondi has lost control of the most fraught relationship any attorney general has, the one with the director of the FBI who, while he technically works for her, has an enormous amount of power he can leverage for his own purposes. She was seen today at the White House, along with her number two, Deputy AG Todd Blanche, and FBI director Kash Patel. Word is they were there for hours.

It appeared that there was an effort to make Bondi the scapegoat as MAGA outrage over the failure to release a supposed list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients boiled over on social media. It was definitely knives out. But there was a feeling of a high school blow up to it—Laura Loomer salaciously passed on the gossip about Patel and Bongino being unhappy with what Bondi was doing—than of the highest officials in the Trump administration conducting the nation’s business. If you’d tried to write a farce involving this crew, this scenario might be exactly what you would have come up with. The FBI investigates terrorism, violent crime, cartels, white collar crime, civil rights violations and more, but its leadership is spending its time trying to protect its image from MAGA tears over a situation that, no matter how serious sex trafficking is, no longer poses an ongoing threat to victims. The interest is more prurient that protective, certainly not a matter deserving of the full-blown attention of top leadership and DOJ and the FBI.

It’s worth noting that this blow up happened after Bongino found a 10-hour surveillance video taken outside of Epstein’s Manhattan jail cell the day he died. Believing it established Epstein had not been murdered, he saw to its release. It turns out that there is a minute missing at a key point, which triggered this round of uproar over Epstein and claims he was murdered while in custody. According to CNN, Bondi tried to explain it away as malfunctioning equipment that skips the same minute every night, but no one bought in. Whatever the reason, FBI top brass turned on Bondi.

To top it off, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed there was nothing but harmony between the AG and the FBI’s leadership in a post on X Friday, tweeting, “the suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false.” Of course, Blanche, too, has also stumbled recently. Documents disproving his claim that DOJ whistleblower Erez Reuveni was lying when he claimed Blanche’s principal deputy, Emil Bove, suggested the administration would ignore court orders in deportation cases. Blanche denounced Reuveni’s sworn statement as “utterly false”. But it turns out Reuveni had documents backing up his claims.

So, this DOJ leadership isn’t batting 1000—or anything close to it—when it comes to their reputation for telling the truth.

Best of all is the comment from the White House, reported by CNN:

“White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said Trump has ‘assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims.’

‘This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity,’ Fields said. ‘Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.’”

Sit back and get ready to watch that unity in action!

The FBI has much more important work to do than squable over this. We’ve just seen a massive failure by DHS and FEMA to support flooding victims in Texas, where over 100 people are still missing. FEMA hasn’t responded to Americans who need emergency help, ignoring over a thousand calls because this administration foolishly cut essential services from its budget. You would think the FBI would learn from this example and take care of its business, rather than let the next failure to protect Americans happen on their watch. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Thank you for reading and for being part of a community of high-information voters. Paid subscriptions make it possible for me to devote the time and care this work requires—I’m grateful for your support.

We’re in this together,

Joyce

 

MEIDASTOUCH NETWORK RON FILIPKOWSKI OFFER THIS TRUMP TARIFF LUNACY: 

… Sky News highlighted some of the most bizarre tariffs:

• The Heard and McDonald Islands, an external territory of Australia in the Antarctic is inhabited only by penguins and seals. Despite having no human residents - or imports and exports - the island now faces a 10% tariff for any goods bound for the US.

• Australian territory Norfolk Island, a volcanic island 600 miles east of Queensland, was also hit with a hefty 29% tariff on exports to the US. That's much higher than mainland Australia, which had a 10% tariff imposed. The news was met with confusion by some of Norfolk Island's 2,188 residents. Business owner Richard Cottle: "Norfolk Island is a little dot in the world. We don't export anything. It was just a mistake.”

• Tokelau, a dependent territory of New Zealand, with a population of around 1,600 people, and the Cocos Islands, another territory of Australia, home to around 600 people, were hit with 10% tariffs. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: “It’s a bit strange".

• Lesotho in southern Africa, listed as the 22nd poorest country in the world, has been slapped with the highest duty of 50%. It primarily exports diamonds and clothing.

• The 2nd-highest tariff went to Cambodia at 49%, even though the US is Cambodia's largest single-country export destination.

• Madagascar in east Africa, the world's 9th poorest country, will face 47% reciprocal tariffs. It primarily exports vanilla, cloves, and clothing.

Watch now   Meidas Pod on Trump Economic COLLAPSE + WINS for Democracy (Ad-Free) Watch the latest episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast ad-free right here on the Meidas+ Substack! Brett Meiselas, Ben Meiselas, Jordy Meiselas, and MeidasTouch Network Apr 4 The latest episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast is now available ad-free exclusively for Meidas+ Substack subscribers. To support ad-free episodes like this, please consider joining as a paid subscriber today! Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. On this episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast: Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” has arrived—and it’s an economic disaster. His sweeping global tariffs tank the markets and trigger mass layoffs, with job cuts now soaring to pandemic-era levels. As the fallout spreads, even some Republicans are breaking ranks and blasting Trump’s reckless economic agenda, while his inner circle scrambles to defend the indefensible. Trump, meanwhile, fires key members of his National Security team—not over misconduct, but because far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer told him to. Around the globe, world leaders are hitting back with retaliatory measures, and in Wisconsin, a major win for democracy offers a glimmer of hope. Ben, Brett, and Jordy break it all down! You can also listen with the click of a button on Apple Podcasts and Spotify below: MeidasTouch Full Podcast - 4/4/25 The MeidasTouch Podcast 1:14:17 MeidasTouch Full Podcast - 4/4/25 MeidasTouch Network Episode

 

Today in Politics, Bulletin 83. 3/3/25.

Ron Filipkowski Mar 4 ∙

… Sen. Rick Scott said AOC “should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law” for posting videos on social media advising people what their rights are if ICE agents come to their door: “We took an oath - we’re supposed to uphold the constitution, not tell people how to evade the constitution. It sure seems like she’s violating the law.”

… Scott pled the 5th 75 different times when his hospitals were investigated for Medicaid fraud in 1997. The company was fined $1.7 billion.

… Border Czar Tom Homan has referred AOC to DOJ and AG Pam Bondi to be criminally investigated for obstruction of justice. Bondi has not commented on the progress of the investigation.

… Bloomberg reports that there has been 8,200 migrant detentions over the past two weeks, which is down from 10,000 for the two weeks prior to that. Homan has blamed AOC, other elected officials, and media for the much lower than expected numbers, alleging they are tipping people off about imminent ICE raids.

… Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told Fox that the solution to high egg prices is for people to raise chickens in their backyards: “The silver lining in all of this is how do all of us - we’ve got chickens in our back yard - how to we solve something like this? People are looking around and saying, ‘How can I get a chicken in my back yard?’ It’s awesome!”

… Problem solved.

… Trump reiterated today from the WH that his 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico will be going into effect tomorrow. Investors on Wall Street, who had been in denial thinking that Trump would do another last minute “pause”, were probably jumping out of windows. Trump said there is no way he will change his mind and they will begin tomorrow. This is what happened:

… Bloomberg reported that the tariffs on Canada and Mexico are likely to make US car prices rise by as much as $12,000, since so many parts and pieces of vehicles are manufactured at plants in those countries. In his remarks today, Trump said the manufacturers are just going to have to move all their plants to the US.

… Auto industry analyst Anderson Economic Group said a large SUV with “significant” content from Mexico would see a nearly $9,000 increase, while a pickup would see an $8,000 increase: “Tariffs on the scale that President Trump has threatened would have a sharp negative effect on auto sales.”

… Popular vehicles who will rise dramatically from the tariff would be Ford Maverick truck, Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram pickups. Ford CEO Jim Farley: “It will blow a hole in the US industry that we have never seen. You’ll see some model and trim types just disappear.”

… A few days ago, Eric Trump started making strange posts on social media telling investors in crypto to hold onto what they had even though all of them are way down from previous highs. He even told people to put more money in: “Buy the dips!”

… We just learned why. His daddy posted on Truth Social: “My Executive Order on Digital Assets directed the Presidential Working Group to move forward on a Crypto Strategic Reserve that includes XRP, SOL, and ADA. I will make sure the US is the Crypto Capital of the World. And, obviously, BTC and ETH, as other valuable Cryptocurrencies, will be the heart of the Reserve. I also love Bitcoin and Ethereum!”

… Trump has no idea what any of that is. He just knows he’s potentially making billions off this scam.

… One crypto commentator on X: “In 20 years of investing, this is the most corrupt thing I've ever seen in financial markets. Eric Trump is not even trying to hide the fact that his Dad, the President, is deliberately pumping crypto coins, of which they own huge amounts. Well, now we know what Eric meant. His Dad gave him the insider trading information, and he was low-key passing it on to the public. I bet you Wall Street takes him a lot more seriously from now on. Whatever he says now will absolutely move markets.”

… Former Rep. Tom Malinowski: “Just so everyone is clear - this is using your taxpayer money to buy up crypto currency so that the price goes up for those holding it.”

… Which is the entire Trump family. Trump launched his own crypto coin shortly before taking office. Melania launched hers the day before the inauguration. Eric and Junior also have their own coins going. All of them are down big since their were first announced and surged, but Trump having the US govt go all-in on crypto might revive the market.

… One crypto analyst posted on X: “Trump’s ‘Crypto Czar’ David Sacks is up there among the biggest pieces of shit in the US. He literally cried for the government to save his bags when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed - now did it again with his crypto fund. He’s a shit stain on America. The day he finally ends up in jail should become a national holiday.”

… Ben Norton, Editor of Geopolitical Economy Report, on Sacks: “Jaw-dropping corruption in the US: Trump's billionaire crypto czar is heavily invested in a fund whose top 5 holdings are the 5 in the proposed US govt Crypto Strategic Reserve. Mere hours before Trump announced it, someone bought $200 million in Ethereum & Bitcoin on 50X LEVERAGE. I'll say it again: The blatant corruption and looting in the US today is like what was done to Russia in the 1990s - but this time, the USA is doing it to itself. The US govt was always run on behalf of oligarchs, but now the oligarchs are directly in charge. It's pillage!”

… A disillusioned MAGA influencer on X: “As an enthusiastic supporter of 2016 MAGA, I admit I was fooled by Trump's empty campaign promises. But at least we OGs didn’t support sex traffickers, crypto scams, and alienating all of our allies. MAGA 1.0 was naive. MAGA 2.0 is disgusting, corrupt and dangerous.”

… The (UK) Telegraph reported that SecDef Pete Hegseth ordered Cyber Command chief Gen. Timothy Haugh to halt all work to counter cyber threats from Russia, and focus instead on China and Iran. US officials said Russia launched a major ransomware effort right after Trump took office attempting to penetrate US hospitals, infrastructure and municipal networks.

… One official told CNN that this is “a major blow” to national security because it will make the US more vulnerable to cyberattacks from Russia, which has a formidable cadre of hackers capable of disrupting US critical infrastructure and collecting sensitive intelligence. The official said Russia and the US are in a constant battle in cyberspace, and the Kremlin sees that it has an asymmetric advantage in cyberspace to burrow into US critical infrastructure and try to influence US elections.

… Guardian reports that person familiar with the matter said analysts at the agency were verbally informed that they were not to follow or report on Russian threats, even though this had previously been a main focus for the agency: “Russia and China are our biggest adversaries. With all the cuts being made to different agencies, a lot of cybersecurity personnel have been fired. Our systems are not going to be protected and our adversaries know this. People are saying Russia is winning. Putin is on the inside now.”

… Another person who previously worked on US joint task forces tracking Russian cyber threats: “It’s truly shocking. There are thousands of US govt employees and military working daily on the massive threat Russia poses as possibly the most significant nation state threat actor. There are dozens of discrete Russia state-sponsored hacker teams dedicated to either producing damage to US govt infrastructure and commercial interests or conducting information theft with a key goal of maintaining persistent access to computer systems.”

… Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) seemed surprise to learn about Hegseth’s new cyber security directive on Fox: "I don't know why he's doing that, the Russians are attacking us every single day. I don’t think you signal to the Russians that we are going to unilaterally withdraw from this space. I really don’t understand where that’s coming from. This is a mistake.”

… Fox Business host Stuart Varney responded: “It looks like we are moving to Russia’s side.”

… Trump posted on Truth Social: “We should spend less time worrying about Putin.”

… Conan O’Brien at the Oscars last night: “You know, Anora is having a good night. That's great news. Two wins already. I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.”

… Newsmax host Todd Starnes was outraged that the Dennis Quaid biopic ‘Reagan’ didn’t get any Oscar nominations. He says it was because of DEI. Starnes posted a quote from the screenwriter: “We didn’t seriously expect to be nominated for anything by Hollywood in this cultural climate."

… Sen. Chris Murphy to CNN: "Everyone who signs up to work for Trump is signing up for one single project, and that is the transition of American democracy to a kind of kleptocratic oligarchy in which the billionaires rule and get to steal from regular Americans. And if that's the domestic project, the way you normalize that kind of govt is to associate yourself with similar governments abroad, like the Kremlin."

Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

… Melania Trump was the guest of Ted Cruz today, where she was in the Senate advocating for Ted’s bill to make it a crime to create AI deepfake porn and nudes of people and post them online. She read this statement: “The widespread abusive behavior in the digital domain affects the daily lives of our children, families, and communities. My commitment to the Be Best initiative underscores the importance of online safety.”

… There are lots of nudes that have floated around the internet of Melania for many years. Some are real, some are obviously not, some it is hard to tell. The Trumps never do anything unless it affects them or they can find a way to make money off it.

… Ted Cruz: “Melania Trump is using her first public appearance to promote and support my legislation, the TAKE IT DOWN Act. No one should have to experience the pain, humiliation, and trauma that so many Americans have at the hands of AI deepfakes.” The bill would make it a crime to publish “non-consensual intimate imagery” and require websites and social media platforms to remove '“deepfake pornography.”

… Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ): “I had a EU leader ask me, if Russia were to attack a NATO country, would America fulfill it’s Art V obligations? The only time it’s ever been invoked was for the US after 9/11. I think the Oval Office meeting was an answer to that question. I don’t think the US would fulfill its requirements. Now we see Elon Musk and others talking about us pulling out of NATO.”

… Fox WH Correspondent and nepo baby Pete Doocy said Trump will now only agree to try and end the war if Zelensky apologizes: "I have been told by a senior official here that nothing is gonna happen with this minerals deal until Zelensky goes in front of cameras and makes an explicit public apology for the way he behaved in the Oval Office with that meeting."

… Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: "You gotta say, 'We love America, We appreciate America’. Instead he said, 'I want $300 billion in reparations from Russia. I want them off my land. I want all the land.' Really?! All the land back? It's just way too far. That's not a peacemaker. That's a troublemaker."

… Zelensky wants the $300 billion in Russian assets that were seized by the EU and held in trust to help rebuild his country. He most likely really just wants to use it as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Putin, who wants that money back very badly. Instead, Trump has given away every bargaining chip in advance except this one - since it is controlled by the EU.

… The New Republic reports that DOGE canceled a MANA contract for nutritional peanut paste that has served as lifesaving assistance for starving kids abroad. It is grown by American farmers and manufactured by American workers, and huge amounts of it that was ready to ship has been sitting in Georgia warehouses rotting. Former USAID official Atul Gawande told them this will result in "a massive loss of life."

… The optics of the richest man in the world starving kids while food from American farmers rotted in warehouses was maybe a bit much for someone with a modicum of sense inside the Trump Admin, so Musk announced that the funding to ship the peanut paste and distribute it was reinstated. Except he reinstated funding for the wrong company.

… Harvard Medical School professor Sasha Gusev: “The beauty of DOGE is that it is self-correcting. For example, someone pointed out to Musk that he was letting food we had already paid for go to waste, Musk called that person an ‘imbecilic propagandist’, and then several hours later reinstated the wrong contract.”

… NYT reported that DOGE has deleted ANOTHER $4 billion more in savings from the "wall of receipts" on their website. Musk previously deleted 5 of 7 biggest savings that were posted when they launched the site. But DOGE still claims credit for saving $53 million by cancelling a Coast Guard contract that was actually completed 20 years ago.

… Politico reports that RFK Jr’s chief spokesman at HHS Thomas Corry has abruptly resigned after just two weeks on the job. Corry was reportedly upset with RFK Jr’s lack of response to the measles outbreak in Texas.

… The Financial Times Chief Kiev Correspondent Christopher Miller took apart DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s recent appearance on Fox: “She’s on national TV pushing proven falsehoods and talking points that could have come straight from the Kremlin:

• Elections were not ‘canceled,’ they are postponed under martial law, as set out in Ukraine's constitution. There are millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation, millions more who've been displaced, a million or so military – and all these people would need to be granted the chance to freely vote, which cannot happen under the Russian gun. Ukrainians overwhelmingly support Zelensky and none of them are questioning his legitimacy. There are 2 countries questioning his legitimacy: Russia and the US.

• Ukraine's political opposition is not silent; they criticize Zelensky even in wartime. There is still a healthy political discourse and competition in the country.

• Churches are not being shutdown as she mentions; the Moscow-run arm of the Orthodox church, which has a proven track record of operating as branch of the Russian Federal Security Branch, has been barred from practicing.

• She claims total government control of the media? Hardly. Independent news outlets are plentiful in Ukraine, and they report critically on the president and the military; many focus on exposing corruption.

• Gabbard also asks what Ukrainians are fighting for and whether they actually value freedom. Ukrainians are engaged in an existential fight. They are fighting and dying for freedom and independence – and they have done so since Russia first invaded in 2014. Ukrainians also led two revolutions – the Orange and Euromaidan/Revolution of Dignity – over corruption, state violence, political repression. The latter saw more than 100 pro-democracy protesters killed on Kyiv's main square, aptly named Independence Square. If there is anyone right now in the world who understands what freedom means and what it costs, its the Ukrainians.

… Punchbowl’s Andrew Desiderio: “Congress passed legislation in 2023 that prevents any president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without congressional approval. The lead GOP author? Marco Rubio.”

… The Department of Education has offered some employees a buyout offer of up to $25,000 to resign. CNN reports they have to accept the offer by midnight tonight, with everyone knowing they could be terminated in the near future since Trump has pledged to dismantle the agency and Musk has called for it to be abolished.

… Freshman Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) told Fox that he is introducing a bill to replace Ben Franklin on the $100 bill with a portrait of Donald Trump: "President Trump could be enjoying his golden years golfing and spending time with his family. Instead, he took a bullet for this country and is now working overtime to secure our border, fix our uneven trade relationship with the rest of the world, make America energy independent again and put America first by ending useless foreign aid."

… Gill is ‘2000 Mules’ producer Dinesh D’Souza’s son-in-law. Dinesh was pardoned by Trump after he was convicted of campaign finance fraud. He also forced to admit that his 2000 Mules movie, which claimed ballot drop boxes were stuffed by Democratic operatives in 2020, was a fraud and mostly lies based on fabricated evidence and wild speculation from discredited conspiracy theorist.

… Former NC congressman Madison Cawthorn, who lost his primary after he talked too much in a podcast and regaled the host with stories about GOP congressional cocaine orgies, moved to SW FL after his defeat in 2022. He moved into Byron Donalds district, who is now running for governor, and is signaling that he will begin his comeback by running for Donalds’ seat.

… After his last town hall where veterans in the audience and others expressed outrage over Trump’s policies and Musk’s firings, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) cancelled his meeting at the last minute with the N. Lacrosse Business Assn at Pearl Street Brewery and moved it to a new location without notifying many of the people who signed up to attend.

… Local WXOW spoke to one of Van Orden’s constituents, Wayde Lawler: “It’s been over a year since we’ve had a town hall from him - only private, scripted events. A lot of citizens have questions, it’s not a Republican or Democrat thing, it’s an American citizen’s thing.”

… Projection King Donald Trump, who has used paid influencers for years holding signs and wearing tee shirts at his events, posted on Truth Social: “Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings. It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it’s not going to work for them!”

… GovExec reports that Musk is making his second attempt to force all government employees to send an email with 5 things they accomplished this week, but this time he is having agency heads send out the emails rather than Musk’s OPM. Many of the agencies just sent out the new emails with Musk’s demand, but technically under their authority.

… Independent journalist Kyle Tharp reports that Musk has been a great fundraiser for Democrats, with Sen. Chris Murphy leading the pack: “In the past month, Democrats have spent over $3 million on Facebook and Instagram ads mentioning Elon Musk. Everyone from Senate campaigns, to the DNC, to local races are getting in on the action - a sign that Musk is becoming a strong fundraising bogeyman for the party.”

… Michael Flynn associate Ivan Raiklin, who many have speculated was the J6 pipe bomber, says that it is time for Trump to fire AG Pam Bondi and replace her with former Trump “election fraud” lawyer Sidney Powell. He said that Bondi is “pathetic” after she lied about releasing all the Epstein files on Fox before handing a few binders of previously known info to MAGA social media influencers, and Powell is the perfect person to replace her.

… Lots of MAGA accounts have called on Trump to fire Bondi over the fiasco, a movement largely led on social media by provocateur Laura Loomer. One influencer with well over 100K followers: “Bondi: I saw the Epstein Files, they are on my desk. Also Bondi: Here are some grifters with bindergate props to appease the masses. Also Bondi: The FBI actually is withholding the files from me. Also Bondi: I will get the files tomorrow at 8am or else. Also Bondi: The files are coming. Complete and utter cluster f*ck! A clown show! A circus! A dog and pony show!”

… Sidney could use the work, and she is ready for action.

Invite your friends and earn rewards