Hi all, Ben here. It’s Tuesday, and we have a lot to get through. Here’s a quick rundown of the top stories we’re tracking today. Remember to like and re-stack to spread this far and wide.

Top Stories We Are Tracking:

• Trump abandons his core justification for the Iran war at the G7

• The Iran MOU text is still being hidden, even from Israel

• Iran’s Foreign Minister is already warning of violations of the MOU

• Trump’s approval rating in Israel cratered 46 points in three weeks

• Trump threatens Lindsey Graham, praises Iran’s leaders, and can’t find Qatar on a map

• The White House ballroom is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions, despite Trump’s promises

• The FBI now says it thwarted a drone and sniper attack on the White House UFC event — Trump had no idea

• ConocoPhillips is set to become the first major U.S. energy company to sign a deal with Syria

• Workers dumped hydrogen peroxide into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool this morning

• A Trump budget nominee refused to say the 2020 election wasn’t rigged (yes, again)

• Republicans are openly defending Trump profiting from crypto while in office’

Before I go any further, if you haven’t yet joined as a paid subscriber, consider doing so now by clicking here to support our work. This is how we grow. And if you’re already a Meidas+ paid Substack subscriber, thank you for supporting pro-democracy media. We’re making today’s update free for everyone to read.

Let’s get into it.

The Iran MOU That Nobody Has Actually Seen

I’ll start with the U.S.-Iran MOU that as of now, Trump refuses to show the public.

At the G7 in Évian, France, Trump was asked about the core premise of the entire war — getting Iran’s enriched nuclear material out of the country. His response was stunning. He essentially shrugged it off, suggesting you could make the argument it isn’t even worth pursuing because the material isn’t valuable enough to bother with. The enriched uranium that Trump used as the justification for bombing Iran is now, per Trump himself, not really a priority.

Trump said earlier that the only thing that matters in any deal is that Iran promises not to make a nuclear weapon. He said the rest of it is, in his word, “irrelevant.” If that is the case, why get rid of the Obama-era JCPOA deal (an actual deal, by the way), that did just that and more? Why enter into a war when Iran has already agreed to this before the war began?

Trump is trying to sell this deal to the American people before they see it and lower expectations, because as I mentioned and will reiterate again, nobody has actually seen the text of this deal. Not the press, not Congress, and not even Israel. According to Israel’s N12 News, Israeli officials specifically requested to see the text of the MOU and were denied by their U.S. counterparts, despite having previously received assurances from American officials that certain preconditions were definitely included. Trump promised he’d release the text eventually, saying he’d probably hold a press conference and read it word by word. I won’t be holding my breath in anticipation.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is already out here drawing his own red lines, stating publicly that any Israeli military action in Lebanon and the continuation of the occupation would constitute a violation of the MOU. Hezbollah’s media office separately announced that Iran has promised it won’t sign a final deal unless Israel withdraws from Lebanon entirely. So the deal that nobody has read, that Israel wasn’t allowed to see, already has conditions attached to that Israel has said it won’t agree to.

WSJ: Iran Gets Immediate Oil Sanctions Relief Under the Deal

The Wall Street Journal is reporting a major new detail about the MOU: the U.S. will allow Iran to immediately begin selling oil and fuel the moment the agreement is signed this week, giving Tehran an early financial incentive and a huge economic windfall to wind down the conflict. The sanctions waivers on oil sales take effect immediately upon signing and also cover the necessary services to facilitate those sales, including banking, transportation, and insurance. Iran is expected to receive this upfront sanctions relief with further relief tied to Iran’s future performance, meaning the financial spigot opens now, before Iran has done anything.

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Trump at the G7

Beyond the Iran MOU substance, Trump’s performance at the G7 was, well, odd. His voice was extremely hoarse, he appeared exhausted, and the makeup was caked on his hand again. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni looked like she was counting the minutes as Trump veered into an extended riff about UFC to a room full of world leaders.

In a meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Trump informed him that Qatar and Iran are so close you could walk across the border between them. There is no land border between Qatar and Iran. They are separated by the Persian Gulf.

In a meeting with UAE President MBZ, after MBZ spoke at length, Trump quipped that when you’re that rich you can speak that long.

Trump also claimed the U.S. is bringing in investment numbers that, if you add them up across all his tellings, would exceed the entire GDP of the United States, which is barely $30 trillion. The numbers keep growing every time he says them out loud.

Trump Threatens Lindsey Graham, Praises Iran’s Leaders

Two quotes from today worth emphasizing. First, when asked about Senator Lindsey Graham’s skepticism of the MOU, Trump said Graham would be “in big trouble” if he didn’t stand with Trump in regards to the so-called deal.

Second, Trump used his G7 platform to describe the current Iranian leadership as very rational, nice to deal with, strong and smart, and not radicalized. He also said he doesn’t believe in regime change because it never works and that it just has to happen on its own. To be clear, I don’t even disagree with that. But again, that was one of Trump’s main justifications for the war. He told the Iranian people to take to the streets and help the U.S. overthrow the Iranian regime. Now, Trump just wants to be buddies with the Iranian regime and make a business deal with them.

Trump, unable to resist bringing up Obama, called the 2015 Iran deal the dumbest deal he’s ever seen, right after calling NAFTA maybe even dumber, which raises the question of what his own deal is, given that it apparently doesn’t require Iran to give up its enriched uranium, hasn’t been shown to Israel, and is already being revealed to contain massive giveaways to Iran for little in return.

JD Vance was on Fox trying to clean all of this up, insisting the U.S. didn’t commit to anything in the deal so we win either way. When Fox and Friends asked him directly whether the $300 billion fund and $24 billion in unfrozen assets for Iran were real, Vance called it “basically Iranian propaganda.” He did not say it was false. That’s a telling non-denial from the Vice President of the United States on the terms of a deal his administration just made.

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Trump’s Poll Numbers in Israel Have Collapsed

A new Israel Hayom/Kantar poll shows that Trump’s net approval in Israel has swung 46 points in just three weeks. Three weeks ago he was at plus 23, with 58% of Israelis viewing him favorably. Today he’s at minus 23, with 61% viewing him negatively. That is a historic collapse driven entirely by the Iran deal. The same Israeli outlet, Israel Hayom, is also reporting that Trump is weighing firing Defense Secretary Hegseth and CIA Director Ratcliffe for opposing the deal internally, while Secretary of State Rubio is reportedly safe for now. A senior U.S. official was quoted saying the argument has been settled and those who opposed it may pay a personal price. To be clear, this has not been confirmed by other publications as of now.

Yes, Taxpayers are Funding the Ballroom/Bunker

The Washington Post obtained internal contractor documents showing that Trump’s White House East Wing renovation, which includes a new ballroom, underground bunker, and security facilities, has ballooned from the $200 million Trump repeatedly promised to an estimated $600 million. More than half of that is expected to come from taxpayers, through the Secret Service, the White House Military Office, and the Executive Residence. It turns out Iens of millions in taxpayer funds had already been approved before Trump stood in front of cameras in March and said “We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents.” The White House’s response was essentially to say Trump and donors are paying for the ballroom itself. That conveniently ignores everything else in the documents.

The FBI Claims It Disrupted Another Plot Against Trump

Kash Patel and the FBI say they disrupted a plot targeting the UFC event at the White House that involved explosive-laden drones, snipers targeting the crowd, and a planned second wave attempting to storm the White House gate. When a reporter asked Trump at the G7 whether he had been briefed on the attack plans, he went silent, then said he hadn’t heard about it. His follow-up line was that the only attack he watched were the fighters. I’ll be doing more reporting on this soon on our YouTube channel.

ConocoPhillips Moves Into Syria

Per the Financial Times, ConocoPhillips is set to become the first major American energy company to sign a contract with Syria’s new government. The deal, expected this week, would partner ConocoPhillips with Syria’s state-owned petroleum company and Novaterra Energy to develop existing gas fields and explore new ones, with the goal of boosting output by 4 to 5 million cubic metres per day within a year. Syria’s gas production has fallen by two-thirds since 2011 and the country needs roughly 18 million cubic metres daily to meet electricity demand.

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Quick Hits

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is still bright green after recent renovations caused an algae bloom, prompting National Park Service workers to dump bottles of hydrogen peroxide directly into the water this morning. Reuters photographer Jonathan Ernst captured foam floating on the surface. Dr. Michael O’Brien pointed out on social media that you’d need at least 8,000 liters of 12% hydrogen peroxide just to reach the minimum concentration needed to kill algae, questioning whether anyone in this administration thought it through scientifically.

On Capitol Hill, Trump’s nominee for Deputy White House Budget Director, Hal Duncan, was asked twice by Senator Merkley whether he believed the 2020 election was rigged. Twice, Duncan responded only that Joe Biden was certified as the winner. He never answered the question. We keep seeing this same answer over and over during these hearings.

And on Fox Business this morning, Senator Kevin Cramer defended Trump’s crypto involvement by arguing that we shouldn’t stop pro-growth policies just because they might personally benefit the president’s family. This came as the CLARITY Act, crypto legislation that would effectively benefit Trump’s own holdings, remains stalled in the Senate. Maria Bartiromo helpfully noted that Democrats want to ban government officials including the president from crypto entirely. Cramer’s response was that Trump shouldn’t have to be exempt from being successful. That’s the Republican Party’s official position on presidential self-dealing now, and they’re saying it out loud on national television.

That’s your Tuesday midday update. As many of you know, Ron Filipkowski is in the process of moving and will be back with his daily bulletins later in the week, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading, liking, re-stacking, and subscribing!

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Top stories we’re tracking:

• Iran’s Foreign Ministry laid out what they believe the MOU actually requires and it is dramatically more than anything the Trump administration has admitted publicly

• Israel is openly defying the Lebanon clause of the deal, with Ben Gvir and Smotrich threatening to continue military operations regardless

• The Strait of Hormuz remains essentially shut down, despite Trump’s claims it’s “already partially opened”

• A federal judge issued a scathing rebuke of the Trump administration’s effort to erase slavery and civil rights history from national parks

• The AFL-CIO wrapped a successful convention with a defiant message to DOGE and the Trump administration

• Trump’s $14 million no-bid Reflecting Pool renovation is now covered in green algae, and MAGA is blaming sabotage

• Trump announced a July 4th rally at the Lincoln Memorial, replacing the traditional nonpartisan celebration with a Trump campaign event

Before I go any further, if you haven’t yet joined as a paid subscriber, consider doing so now by clicking here to support our work. This is how we grow. And if you’re already a Meidas+ paid Substack subscriber, thank you for supporting pro-democracy media. We’re making this update free for everyone to read, but all of these updates won’t be free for long.

Let’s get into it.

Fact vs. Fiction Regarding the Iran “Deal”

Let me walk you through this carefully as there is a lot of noise and spin and it’s worth cutting through all of it.

What Trump has right now is a Memorandum of Understanding. That’s not a treaty, not a final deal, and not a completed agreement of any kind. An MOU is, by definition, a statement of intent to negotiate. Concepts of a plan, one might say. The actual deal still has to be written, and the 60-day technical talks that would produce it haven’t even started. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed the framework last night, calling it “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” but then noted that “pre-implementation discussions” this week would “lay the foundation for the technical talks and the official signing ceremony.” Pre-implementation discussions to lay the foundation for technical talks before a signing ceremony for a document that precedes the actual deal.

Compare that to what Trump keeps trashing. The Obama-era JCPOA was an 18-page agreement with detailed annexes, 159 pages total, with specific, verifiable commitments on uranium enrichment limits, centrifuge counts, inspections, and enforcement mechanisms. What Trump has is concepts of a deal, with the text not yet released to the public, to Congress, or even to reporters. Trump said this morning it would be out “pretty soon.” He then walked that back in France, telling reporters it would come out “sometime after Friday,” which is the signing ceremony itself. He may not even attend. When asked, he told reporters: “JD is coming in for it. I’ll probably be gone by then.”

So we’re being asked to accept a deal we can’t read, signed by a president who may skip his own ceremony, for an agreement the other side is describing in completely different terms.

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What Iran Says the Deal Actually Requires

Iran held a major foreign ministry press briefing today, and it is worth going through what spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, because it is substantially more than anything the Trump administration has publicly stated.

On sanctions: the American side is obligated to lift all of them — secondary, primary, UN Security Council sanctions, and relevant IAEA board resolutions — from the moment the MOU is signed on Friday. Iran says it must be able to sell oil and petrochemicals without any obstacle starting that day.

On the Strait of Hormuz: Baghaei drew a careful distinction, saying Iran never sought to impose “tolls.” He then immediately clarified that fees will be designed and collected for navigation services, environmental protection, ship insurance, and any other services Iran and Oman decide to provide in waters they now claim authority over. So no “tolls,” just mandatory fees for every service Iran decides to offer. Fars news reported the draft MOU gives Iran and Oman formal authority over navigation management in the Gulf. JD Vance sidestepped confirming a long-term, toll-free reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by stating that those details would be determined in upcoming technical negotiations. That’s a huge difference from what Trump has been saying.

On Iran’s nuclear material: Baghaei warned the U.S. directly in response to Trump’s Wall Street Journal comment about wanting to “go in and get it.” He reminded Trump’s team that they tried entering once, they saw the result, and if they are wise, they will not repeat it. Meanwhile, Trump told the WSJ he’d deal with “nuclear dust later on, when we’re ready to go in and do it” and called the nuclear material “harmless.” After all of this, now Iran’s nuclear material is “harmless?!”

And Vance said this morning that we’ve “fundamentally changed our relationship with Iran” and “feel that we’re at the place now” where Iran won’t have a nuclear weapon. Those three characterizations, from the president, his vice president, and Iran’s foreign ministry, describe three completely different realities.

On trust, Baghaei was blunt. Iran has no trust in Israel, no trust in America, and views the U.S. decision-making system as heavily influenced by what he called extremist and warmongering factions. Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported that Iran’s military headquarters declared the Iranian nation “was able to impose their will on coward enemies.” That is how Iran’s military is publicly framing this deal, as a victory imposed on the United States.

Vance’s big new talking point this morning was that the real win here is that we’re “friends with Iran now.” I am not making that up. That is what he said. We started a war, bombed Iran for three months, and the takeaway is that now we have a great relationship. I frankly have secondhand embarrassment just watching them try to spin this thing.

The Strait Isn’t Reopened, At Least Yet…

Trump posted this morning that “ships are starting to move, many loaded up with oil out of the Strait of Hormuz.” He called the waterway “totally safe, secure and pristine.”

The actual data tells a different story. Energy analyst Josh Young posted a MarineTraffic map of the Strait this morning with a simple observation showing the Strait looks mostly the same as yesterday, last week, and last month. Bloomberg’s vessel tracking data, updated every 30 minutes via AIS transponders, shows commercial cargo vessel crossings through Hormuz were running at 100-160 per day through 2025 and into early 2026. Around March of this year, they fell off a cliff, dropping to near zero, where they have remained ever since. Correspondent Michael McDonough noted the tracker would show immediately if ships started moving with transponders on. So far, they aren’t.

Israel Says It Doesn’t Apply to Them

Here’s another central problem: Israel is openly rejecting the Lebanon clause of this deal.

Iran’s Baghaei today confirmed that Lebanon “appears three times in the MOU” and that ending the war in Lebanon is “an inseparable part of the ceasefire agreement.” Pakistani PM Sharif cited the deal’s inclusion of Lebanon when announcing it. Israel’s Defense Minister Katz confirmed that Netanyahu communicated to Trump directly that the IDF will not withdraw from Lebanon, and that he personally reiterated that position to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday.

National Security Minister Ben Gvir posted a lengthy statement declaring the agreement does not bind Israel. He made his operational demands explicit: continue destroying houses in southern Lebanon, continue pushing residents out, continue eliminating Hezbollah. Finance Minister Smotrich said Israel “will continue to act with every tool at its disposal to bring down this murderous regime in Iran.” Israeli policy, per Katz, is to maintain an indefinite military presence in security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, described as “the consequence” of October 7. Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake captured the central contradiction that Iran and Pakistan say the deal includes Lebanon, Israel says it doesn’t apply to them, and the fighting is continuing.

So, one side of the deal says it explicitly covers Lebanon. The other party to the conflict says the deal doesn’t bind them at all. And the Trump regime has said nothing publicly to resolve that contradiction.

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The Green Reflecting Pool and July 4th

While all of this was unfolding, Trump was posting up a storm on Air Force One during his flight to France. Among his posts: a self-repost of a Breitbart headline reading “Thank You, President Trump: Reflecting Pool in D.C. Wows After Trump Renovations.”

The Reflecting Pool is currently covered in green algae. The $14 million no-bid contract to renovate it apparently did not prioritize the most basic requirement of maintaining a pool, circulating the water and filtering out algae. Anyone with a basic understanding of science could have told you that painting the bottom blue while failing to address filtration and circulation problems in a pool fed by the Potomac basin would accelerate the algae problem, not solve it. The humid conditions and low water levels this time of year make it worse.

The right-wing response has been cringeworthy. Conservative media personality Grant Stinchfield declared it sabotage by the left, calling it vandalism by people who “can’t stand Trump, American greatness and his quest to make DC beautiful again.” The post has 3.2 million views. The cause of the algae is stagnant water with poor filtration. Science. But sure, sabotage.

Trump also announced a July 4th rally at the Lincoln Memorial will now just be a Trump rally, with the algae-filled Reflecting Pool as a backdrop, more than 300 military band members, what he called “the largest fireworks show in history,” and himself as the keynote. The traditional July 4th celebration at the Capitol has been moved to July 3 to accommodate it. The national holiday has been converted into a Trump campaign event. If you’re someone who just wants to enjoy the Fourth of July regardless of party, regardless of politics, too bad. Everything gets Trumpified.

Courts Push Back on Historical Erasure

A federal judge in Massachusetts delivered a significant ruling Friday, striking down the Trump administration’s effort to remove historical markers from national parks under the March 2025 “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order. The order directed the Interior Department to remove any content deemed to “inappropriately disparage” Americans, which in practice meant park rangers were ordered to discard educational materials about slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, harm to Indigenous people, and climate change.

Among the items targeted for removal: an 1863 image of Peter Gordon, an enslaved man whose scarred back became one of the most powerful documented records of slavery’s brutality, displayed at Fort Pulaski National Park in Georgia. An exhibit about the role of enslaved people at George Washington’s home. Indigenous history displays at Golden Gate National Park. A climate change marker at Fort Sumter, site of the first shots of the Civil War.

Judge Angel Kelley’s ruling stated the government’s stewardship of these park sites “carries a responsibility to present history in full rather than in favored fragments.” Democracy Forward’s Skye Perryman, who helped bring the challenge, called it “a whitewashing and in some instances a rewriting” of American history. The Trump administration will appeal. The Interior Department’s response to the ruling included a statement celebrating UFC event on the South Lawn.

The AFL-CIO Is Fighting Back

One more thing: The AFL-CIO just wrapped its convention in Minnesota, and the message coming out of it was exactly what this moment calls for. AFL-CIO President Liz Schuler made clear that America’s unions have never been more united and are ready to fight for a future that works for all working people. AFGE President Everett Kelley delivered what may be the line of the convention, speaking directly to DOGE and the federal workforce purges: “In the midst of what they thought would destroy us, it built us.”

The attacks on workers, on federal employees, on organized labor, they were supposed to demoralize and divide. Instead they’ve produced exactly the opposite. You can get engaged. You can get involved. The home front is where this is won.

We’ll keep covering all of it. Thanks for reading, liking, restacking, and subscribing!

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Welcome to our Sunday coffee together.

As you know, these Sunday posts are my favorite posts of the week. We get to step away from the chaos for a little bit, spend some time together, and just talk.

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I’ve got my usual black coffee. Nothing in it. If you ever see me carrying around a coffee cup during the day, that’s almost certainly what’s inside.

Today I want to talk about what I think are the two perfect metaphors for the Trump regime.

The Cover-Up. And the Paint-Over.

Let’s start with the Cover-Up.

This week, the Kennedy Center, which the Trump regime unlawfully renamed after Trump, was finally forced to remove Trump’s name from the building after a court ordered it.

But instead of simply complying, they put up giant scaffolding and enormous tarps so nobody could see the removal taking place.

Think about how ridiculous that is.

If Trump couldn’t keep his name on the building, apparently nobody was allowed to see anything at all.

The name Trump gets removed. The entire building gets covered up.

And when I saw that giant tarp hanging there, I couldn’t help but think: that’s the whole administration.

A cover-up.

Not a metaphorical one. An actual cover-up. It’s almost too on the nose.

Everywhere you look, there’s another cover-up. The Epstein cover-up. The cover-up of corruption. The cover-up of fraud. The cover-up of failed policies. The cover-up of broken promises.

The tarp hanging over the Kennedy Center felt like the perfect symbol of what we’ve been watching.

Now let’s move to the Paint-Over.

As many of you know, Trump became obsessed with the Reflecting Pool.

The Reflecting Pool is now what I call Ninja Turtle Green.

It’s filled with algae.

This story tells you everything you need to know about how Trump approaches governing.

For years, the pool had an algae problem. The water source had changed. There were filtration issues. Engineers were trying to address the actual causes.

It wasn’t perfect, but people were dealing with the real problem.

Trump’s solution?

Drain it. Paint the bottom bright blue. Declare victory.

That’s it.

No focus on the underlying issues. No focus on the filtration system. No focus on the water source.

Just paint it blue and tell everyone it’s fixed and better than Obama or Biden (who, by the way, were focused on more important things than incessantly talking about the Reflecting Pool).

And now the algae is back in the Reflecting Pool.

In fact, it’s more visible than ever because it’s growing on top of a blue surface.

To me, that’s Trump’s entire governing philosophy. Don’t fix the problem. Paint over it.

Debt exploding? Tell everyone you’re bringing in trillions of dollars.

Prices rising? Tell everyone inflation is defeated.

Farmers struggling? Hold a photo-op and declare they’re thriving.

A war spiraling out of control? Announce everything is going great.

Just paint over it. Just tell people it’s fixed.

But reality eventually wins.

The algae always comes back.

People eventually notice when groceries cost more. People eventually notice when their bills go up. People eventually notice when promises aren’t fulfilled.

You can cover things up for a while. You can paint over things for a while. But eventually reality shows through.

And maybe there’s a third metaphor as well...

The circus.

What we’ve seen at the White House increasingly feels like a reality show mixed with a UFC promotion mixed with a fascist reality project. No offense to actual circuses. At least circuses are honest about what they are.

Government is supposed to solve problems. Government is supposed to help people. Government is supposed to make life better.

Instead, we’re getting odd performances, stunts, distractions, and endless attempts to keep people focused on anything except what’s actually happening.

The good news is that people are seeing through it. The cover-ups aren’t working. The paint-over isn’t working. The circus isn’t working. People are asking questions. People are demanding answers. People are paying attention.

And that’s because of all of you.

You’ve stayed engaged. You’ve stayed informed. You’ve kept fighting. You haven’t given up. And that’s exactly what we need right now.

So my message this Sunday is simple.

Stay in the fight. Stay strong. Keep building. Keep growing. Keep sharing the truth. Keep supporting independent journalism.

And if you haven’t already, please subscribe to this Substack and tell others about the MeidasTouch Network.

Every person we reach matters. Every subscriber helps us grow. Every voice helps push back against the lies and the cover-ups.

Thank you for spending this Sunday coffee with me. Thank you for being part of this community. And thank you for helping us build something special together.

See you next week.

— Ben

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Guest: Mark Cancian (Senior Adviser, Center for Strategic and International Studies - CSIS)

Recording Date: June 11, 2026

**The big takeaway: The US Navy has failed in one of it’s key strategic missions: ensuring maritime freedom of navigation. Trump’s reckless rush to war and Hegseth’s hubris and ignorance of military strategy has put the US on the horns of a dilemma: risk thousands of American lives to control the strait and accept high casualties OR walk away in failure, leaving Iran with the upper hand.

Episode Overview

As Trump’s ceasefire that never was falls apart and Hegseth threatens more strikes on Iran, the US sinks further into a Middle Eastern quagmire. In this week’s episode, Meidas Defense Host Joe Plenzler sits down with one of America’s leading defense experts to make sense of it all. The fragile ceasefire with Iran is fraying rapidly, marked by a sharp escalation in tit-for-tat strikes that threaten to spiral back into full-scale conflict. While the Pentagon celebrates conventional operational successes against Iran’s air defense and naval capabilities, a massive strategic failure looms large: the U.S. Navy’s inability to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to global shipping.

In this comprehensive episode, retired Marine Colonel and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Senior Adviser Mark Cancian helps us make sense of the the current state of play. Plenzler and Cancian pull back the curtain on the administration’s “go-it-alone” strategy, examine how Iran’s low-cost asymmetric tactics have effectively checkmated a high-priced U.S. fleet, and look at the shifting regional dynamics. They also explore the hidden economic realities of the conflict, unpack the ongoing “medieval siege” of Cuba, and debate what this all means for future U.S. deterrence against near-peer adversaries like China.

About the Guest

Mark Cancian, CSIS Senior Adviser. Source: CSIS

Mark Cancian is a retired Marine Corps Colonel and a Senior Adviser with the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). A former spent-munitions and budget analyst for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Cancian is a widely respected authority on military operations, logistics, acquisition, and force structure.

Key Takeaways

• The Fraying Ceasefire: What the administration predicted would be a contained deterrence cycle has instead escalated. Iran’s targeted strikes on Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain suggest a calculated political maneuver to isolate specific U.S.-aligned Gulf nations.

• The Hormuz Strategic Failure: Despite 45 years of continuous contingency planning since the Tanker Wars of the 1980s, the U.S. military failed to have the necessary amphibious assets (like the 31st and 11th MEUs) forward-deployed to prevent Iran from effectively closing the Strait. The U.S. Navy has failed in one of it’s main missions.

• Asymmetric Adaptation: Borrowing from Ukraine’s success against Russia in the Black Sea, Iran has exerted control over a critical maritime choke point without a conventional navy—using low-cost swarm drones, ballistic missiles, and advanced mine-laying capabilities.

• The “Amazing Gobstopper” Targeting Problem: The U.S. Navy continues to prioritize multi-billion-dollar exquisite platforms (like carriers and $2.5B cruisers) that commanders are increasingly hesitant to risk in constricted, high-threat waters, revealing a critical gap in our modern convoy-defense capabilities.

• A Quagmire of Hubris: Buoyed by swift operations elsewhere (like Operation Midnight Hammer), the administration rushed into the conflict expecting a quick Iranian submission, failing to secure congressional buy-in, domestic consensus, or critical European coalition support.

• The Six-Party Off-Ramp: Resolving the conflict requires the acquiescence of six distinct entities: the United States, Israel, the Iranian government, the IRGC (acting as a separate entity), the Gulf States, and the energy-deprived nations of Asia (Japan, Taiwan, China, and the Philippines).

• The Illusion of “Tit-for-Tat”: While Western media captures every single Iranian strike via smartphone footage, a staggering asymmetry exists on the ground: for every one strike achieved by Iran, the U.S. and Israel have routinely executed thirty counter-strikes (hitting up to 600 targets a day).

• The “Medieval Siege” of Cuba: Squeezed by an aggressive oil blockade, Cuba faces extreme internal pressure. Cancian warns that a deployment of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to an currently undefended US Base at Guantanamo Bay would be the primary indicator of escalating military intent, though a full-scale invasion remains highly unlikely due to the massive operational cost.

Memorable Quotes

“The Navy’s failure to keep the Strait of Hormuz open is a tremendous failure... The Iranians have done to the U.S. Navy what the Ukrainians did to the Russian Navy in the Black Sea. That is, without any of the attributes of a conventional Navy, exert control over a key waterway.” — Mark Cancian

“No matter how good we are, remember the enemy always gets a vote. Force only gets you so far.” — Joe Plenzler (quoting Gen. Jim Mattis)

“It’s like your drunk buddy who gets into a bar fight and then all of a sudden expects everyone’s help because he was the aggressor... few people are motivated to dive into that one.” — Joe Plenzler on the lack of international coalition building.

“It was one tit and thirty tats. But you didn’t see the thirty, you saw the one because... everybody has a phone and that was all well documented.” — Mark Cancian on the media’s skewed perception of the air war.

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… Then we got news that Trump filed an emergency petition claiming that the Kennedy Center board would have to give back all the donations it received since Trump took it over which would cause it to go bankrupt. It is unclear at the time of publishing what the final decision will be or whether it will come down tonight as planned.

… Norm Eisen, attorney for plaintiffs: “Donald Trump just filed his emergency stay in the DC circuit to keep his name on the Kennedy Center & it is batsh** crazy. He clearly wrote big pieces himself. We have filed our opposition, fighting for the rule of law and the American people.”

… Attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “WOW: Since the court order, the Board of the Kennedy Center has seemingly amended its bylaws to take itself hostage, declaring that if anyone takes down the Trump name, they’ll have to give back all donations and go bankrupt. That seems a TEXTBOOK violation of fiduciary duty.”

… Reichlin-Melnick also noted that DOJ was doing all the work for Trump on this case: “Trump’s DOJ, which no longer works for the American people and work solely for him. This is taking up hundreds of hours of worktime for many professionals on all sides, including many taxpayer-funded attorneys and judges. All about Trump demanding that his name be on the Kennedy Center, by law a ‘living memorial’ to JFK.”

… The Trump Clown Show Iran continued over the last 24 hours, as we learned that his “deal” is not finalized again and the terms being leaked out are not exactly favorable to the US. There will apparently still be a lot left up in the air to be negotiated later, even after the initial Memorandum of Understanding is signed - which is supposed to happen in the next few days.

… It is difficult to report on all of this. That is because various news outlets in multiple countries are reporting different things, citing different sources, with the leaders of the US, Israel and Iran all putting out propaganda for their own domestic audiences. The best I can do is follow along with all the twists and turns from the various sides and report everything for you to sort through and draw your own conclusions.

… The bottom line is that it appears, nearly a decade after Trump recklessly pulled out of Obama’s deal with Iran, that we are going to end up sending far more money to Iran than Obama ever did, get less in return, after spending tens of billions of dollars on ordinance and lost equipment, with at least 13 US service members killed and many more injured, while leaving Iran in a stronger position that it has ever been before.

… Oh, and we bombed a girls school which killed 156 people and have never taken responsibility for it or even admitted it officially. It is still under “investigation” by Pete Hegseth.

… We also damaged long-term alliances with some of our closest allies. Other than all of that, things look great.

… First, Iran state media Mehr released what they said were the details of a 14-point draft Iran–US memorandum:

• Immediate and permanent ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.

• US commitment not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs and to respect Iran’s sovereignty.

• Full lifting of the naval blockade within 30 days.

• US commitment to withdraw its forces from areas surrounding Iran.

• Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days under Iranian arrangements.

• Suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil, petrochemicals, and related exports, with full access to the resulting revenues.

• US and its allies to provide reconstruction plans for Iran worth at least $300 billion.

• A 60-day negotiation period to reach a final agreement on nuclear issues and the complete removal of US primary and secondary sanctions, as well as related UN Security Council and IAEA measures.

• Iran reaffirms its NPT commitment not to develop nuclear weapons.

• During negotiations, the US will not deploy additional forces to the region or impose new sanctions.

• Release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets during the 60-day negotiation period, with half made available before talks begin.

• Establishment of a monitoring mechanism to oversee implementation of the agreement.

• The final agreement will be endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution.

• Final negotiations will begin only after the release of half of Iran’s frozen assets, suspension of oil sanctions, and lifting of the naval blockade.

• The final deal will focus solely on uranium enrichment, enriched material, sanctions relief, and Iran’s economic reconstruction.

• Iran’s missile program and support for resistance groups are excluded from the agenda.

… When a firestorm of criticism erupted this morning based on that report, including from many Republicans, Trump responded with this post: “The terms that Iran leaked out to the Fake News have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing. What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth. Very dishonorable people to deal with. With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith. AMAZING! Also, their totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. They better get their act together, and FAST!”

… Fox host Kayleigh McEnany then reported this from a senior Trump admin official:
Do we have a deal yet? “No, but we are very close.” The official estimates that a deal is 75% there, not 100% yet. “While this is tentative, we feel confident that we will be signing this in the next few days. We have agreed to the concepts and the details, but the deal is NOT done until we sign it.”

… According to this official, this is an outline of what is in the deal, which leaves out quite a few details including things still left to be negotiated as well as other terms that Iran says are part of the agreement:

• The highly enriched uranium will be destroyed.

• There is a long-term commitment that Iran cannot procure a nuclear weapon.

• There is a meaningful inspection process.

• Iran cannot fund terrorism as we work toward broader peace in the Middle East.

• The Hormuz Strait will be open.

• Assets ARE NOT immediately unfrozen. Iran MUST meet its commitments first.

… Iran state media Tasnim: “Foreign Ministry spokesperson: I cannot confirm any of the speculations about the text of the agreements. Regarding the text of the agreement, we are in the finalization stages internally; right now, the meeting of the relevant institutions is underway. The claim that we are very close to an agreement is nothing new.”

… Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent for The Economist: “American credibility has deteriorated to the point where the president can announce a diplomatic agreement and the near-universal reaction is ‘let’s wait for confirmation from Tasnim’.”

… Hedge fund manager Erik Townsend responding to Carlstrom: “Retweeting this is literally an emotional conundrum for me. It’s both embarrassing to admit this is true, and at the same time, it feels like my civic duty to give it more exposure to wake more people up to what’s really happening. I’m going to wash my hands after I click post.”

… Middle East expert Danny Citrinowicz: “Before all sorts of parties start telling us about the wonderful achievements of the emerging agreement, it is worth remembering a few basic facts:

• The war that began on Feb 28 was not intended to bring about an agreement on diluting Iran’s uranium stockpile. Its declared goal was to bring about the collapse of the Iranian regime.

• In the bottom line, and however we turn it, the regime in Iran is expected to emerge from this agreement strengthened—economically, politically, and regionally.

• It is important to remember that most of the Iranian ‘concessions’ now being presented were already on the table at the Geneva meeting before the war, when Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi presented them to Steve Witkoff. Iran is not prepared to discuss limiting its missile program, nor its support for its regional proxies, nor its other elements of power.

• The agreement is a direct result of the campaign’s strategic failure. After months of fighting, the American admin is left without a solution to the Strait of Hormuz issue and without the ability to force Iran to relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium.

• More seriously, the very existence of a principles agreement and economic relief does not at all guarantee that a final nuclear deal will be achieved. It is unclear whether the US will have the will in the future to return to a military threat, when even today it shows no willingness to do so.

• As of now, nothing is sealed yet until everything is signed, and Trump may still change course. But even if he does so, it is hard to see what better alternatives are available to him. In the current situation, the agreement appears as an illustration of the gap between tactical and operational successes and strategic failure.”

… Former Israeli intel officer and Middle East analyst Nadav Pollak: “I find it hard to believe that Trump will sign such a deal. His legacy will be tarnished and the right wing media will eat him alive. It will be a worse deal than the JCPOA.”

… Phil Gordon with Brookings: “Obviously have to wait and see actual details of any deal but if it’s anything close to this it is no wonder Trump has been so reluctant to agree to it.

• Iran has made pledge not to acquire nuclear weapons many times, including in the JCPOA.

• The Strait was already open without tolls before the war.

• Iran was already negotiating over HEU and centrifuges before the war.

• Unfrozen assets and licenses to sell oil, even if initially limited, will provide regime revenue it didn’t have before the war.

• The only way to get agreement on the nuclear issues will be to provide (significantly) more economic relief.

• The deal does not address ballistic missiles or proxies--for which the JCPOA was heavily criticized.

• In fact it depends on Israel *not* attacking Hezbollah.

• Nor does it free American detainees (which was at least a meaningful tradeoff for the “pallets of cash” that were in any case a fraction of the economic relief Trump will give Iran.)

• Far from helping Iranian protestors, as Trump pledged, the deal leaves them in an impoverished country and in the hands of a vengeful and repressive regime.

… “These are not reasons to oppose a deal that would provide a chance to end the war and open the Strait but they underscore how badly the war has backfired and explain why Trump has been so hesitant to end it on these terms.”

… Richard Goldberg, who served on Trump’s NSC during his first term: “The reported MOU reads like an extortion racket guaranteed to preclude any nuclear concessions and instead lock the US into paying the racket indefinitely for fear of the strait closing. It falls well below anything POTUS would consider a good deal so I question its veracity.”

… Right-wing talk show host Erick Erickson: “At least 39 times in the last 65 days, the President has declared the US and Iran were close to a deal only to have the Iranians openly mock him and deny it. Yesterday, the President went on Fox & Friends in the morning to declare bombings would resume and be even more ferocious. By the afternoon, he declared bombings would cease because a deal was close.”

… “He claimed buy-in from the Egyptians, the Emirates, the Saudis, the Kuwaitis, the Israelis, the Iranians, and more. Egypt said it had no knowledge of any deal. Israel said it had no knowledge of a deal. Then FARS said there was no deal. Overnight, word came the Ayatollah refused a deal. Then the Iranians started firing drones at commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.”

… “The President, the other day, said Iran was playing us. The only one being played is Trump. A state of war exists between Iran and its neighbors. The ceasefire is a farce. The President has turned into a clown.”

… Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on the reason why they are canceling wind turbine projects that were already funded: “We have a report from Hegseth that it’s a national security threat. You could launch an attack on the US in with a bunch of drones coming through a wind tower field, it would undetectable until it was came through because the radar interference.”

… Incredible. Scotland puts a wind turbine near Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen 20 years ago. He sues and loses. Then his resulting hatred of wind turbines ends up with the US Secretaries of Defense and Interior fabricating absurd lies to justify killing wind energy in the US.

… Jesse Lee, former senior advisor to Nancy Pelosi: “Sounds like Burgum, who helped make ND run 40% on wind as governor, made it one of the world’s easiest targets for massive drone attacks. The guilt and regret must be eating him alive.”

… Headline from a June 24, 2025, Newsmax story urging DOGE to cut the screwworm program, which later happened: “A govt agency spending $300 million in taxpayer dollars to produce sterilized flies sounds like a dream scenario for a DOGE team looking to cut waste, fraud, and abuse.”

… That didn’t age well.

… Trump called the US Men's National Soccer Team ahead of the World Cup: "I think you got a really good chance of going all the way. So I just want to wish you a lot of luck."

… Whatever slim hope they had has just been completely annihilated by the Trump Curse.

Well the Bulletins are going to be stuck at #399 for a few days because I am off Saturdays and we have our big move to our new house Sun-Mon, unpacking and setting everything up on Tues. So will be be off until Wed and am not taking a summer vacation so back to regular schedule for the remainder of the year. We are going to the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes to my work. I look forward to doing Uncovered from my house that was built in the 1780s before George Washington became president and getting out Bulletin #400 in a few days. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… Meidas reporter Scott Macfarlane: Judge Amit Metha rules UFC event can proceed at WH, ruling harm to plaintiffs would only be "temporary" and that the challenge came too late: "Considerable time, labor and funding has gone into organizing the UFC fight and lead-up events."

… But the forecast for the event right now calls for high winds, rain and possible hale. God is angry.

… We also learned today that both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels will be doing a flyover of the UFC fight this Sunday for Trump’s birthday. We know this because they practiced it today. Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on Trump’s birthday party.

… Politico: “A delegation of prominent Republicans and Democrats from Michigan and the Midwest were delayed for more than an hour on a Delta flight from DC to Detroit. The reason the pilot gave angered them even more: There could be no traffic out of DCA because of an airshow rehearsal for the UFC event Sunday. Among those on the

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Here’s a quick look at what we’re tracking today:

• Iran deal chaos: dueling narratives, no agreement, and a secret Joint Chiefs rush to CENTCOM over a potential ground invasion

• Two more judicial losses for Trump: the $1.8 billion slush fund halted and a judge refusing to bury the Jerome Powell ruling

• Ghislaine Maxwell’s transfer raising new questions about a suspicious BOP policy change

• The Kennedy Center deadline hits tonight at midnight. Will Trump’s name come down?

• Trump properties failing health inspections at multiple locations (yes, again)

• Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is already covered in algae

• Stephen Miller releasing UFO files and Tulsi Gabbard reviving biolabs conspiracy theories, right on schedule

Before I go any further, if you haven’t yet joined as a paid subscriber, consider doing so now by clicking here to support our work. This is how we grow. And if you’re already a Meidas+ paid Substack subscriber, thank you for supporting pro-democracy media. We’re making this update free for everyone to read.

Ok, here we go!

What’s Going On with the Iran Deal?

There’s been a lot a back and forth about the purported Iran deal this morning, with each side leaking terms favorable to their countries. It’s been messy. Nobody knows the truth just yet. But here’s where we are: Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency published what it claims is the draft text of an agreement with the Trump administration. Per the Iranian account, the deal includes a $300 billion U.S.-led reconstruction package, $24 billion in immediate frozen asset releases — half before negotiations even begin — full lifting of the naval blockade within 30 days, and a suspension of oil and petrochemical sanctions. Iran’s missile program and its support for what it calls “resistance groups” are explicitly excluded from the negotiating agenda. The whole thing would be codified through a UN Security Council resolution.

The White House looked at that summary and said: absolutely not. A White House official responded with a completely different account — nuclear material destroyed and removed, the nuclear program dismantled, no money released until Iran performs, Hormuz open, no terrorist funding. The official called it “a performance-based deal.”

Trump erupted on social media, posting that Iran’s leaked terms “have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing,” calling the Iranian account “weak and pathetic” and labeling Iranian leaders “very dishonorable people.” He also flagged an overnight drone attack on Indian ships near the Strait of Hormuz as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi tried to lower the tensions, saying the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer.” Meanwhile, Iran’s semi-official FARS News Agency — understood to speak for the Revolutionary Guard — flatly denied reports that a deal signing was planned in Geneva on Sunday. JD Vance jumped in to push back on what he called “fake information,” insisting Iran isn’t getting cash just in the deal. But Vance’s phrasing was notable. Vance carefully did not deny that money is part of the eventual deal, only that it won’t be released upfront and wouldn’t be “cash.” He did acknowledge there was a mechanism for “funds” to flow to Iran. He also took a shot at conservatives who praised Trump a month ago and are now criticizing the deal framework. Hardline Republicans are not happy with what they’ve been hearing about the framework.

Fox’s Kayleigh McEnany, yes, the former Trump press secretary, cited a senior administration official who estimated the deal is “75% there” and expressed confidence it would be signed “in the next few days.” Where have I heard that before?

General Caine and Iran’s Uranium

One of the most explosive stories of the day comes from CNN’s Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen, who are exclusively reporting that General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, made a secret, rushed trip to U.S. Central Command headquarters in Florida late last month to be briefed in person on military plans to send ground troops into Iran to forcibly seize its highly enriched uranium. Caine then personally briefed Trump on the options. Trump ultimately hit pause after being warned the operation would likely trigger severe Iranian retaliation, extend the war, and send the global economy into further turmoil. The sheer speed and secrecy of those briefings tells you how close this administration came to greenlighting what would have been an extraordinarily dangerous ground invasion of a sovereign nation.

Side note: I’m often asked where I go to do research for my reporting. One of the main research tools I use is called Ground News.

Ground News shows me how stories are being covered from different political perspectives, and it highlights “blindspots” where only left-wing or right-wing media is covering a story.

Ground News has been a great sponsor of our YouTube channel and podcast, and they’re now sponsoring this post as well. I worked out a deal with them: if you go to ground.news/meidastouch, you can get 40% off Ground News’ top-tier Vantage plan, which gives you unlimited access to all the research tools I use.

Ground News is subscriber-funded, so they don’t rely on ads that could introduce bias. By subscribing, you support both our channel and their independent team working to keep the media transparent.

Pakistan Weighs In, Qatar’s Secret Deal Collapses

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on X that “a final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached,” tagging Trump, Vance, Rubio, Witkoff, and Iranian officials. He called it the closest peace has ever been and acknowledged “incessant misinformation” from those trying to sabotage the process. It seems everyone at this point is describing different realities.

Separately, the Washington Post is reporting that Qatar quietly sought assurances from Iran early in the war that it wouldn’t strike Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas facility. In exchange, Doha reportedly offered to halt gas production, increasing economic pressure on Israel and the U.S. A senior security official described it as a “secret deal.” The arrangement collapsed when Iran struck Ras Laffan in mid-March anyway.

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39 Times and Counting

Conservative commentator Erick Erickson, a Trump voter, has had enough. He wrote that Trump has declared a deal “close” at least 39 times over the last 65 days, each time only to be publicly mocked or denied by Iran.

Erickson’s conclusion was blunt: “The only one being played is President Trump. The President has turned into a clown.”

And in the “what could possibly go wrong next” category, Rep. Carlos Gimenez appeared on Fox Business to suggest that once the administration finishes with Iran, Trump will turn his attention to Cuba.

Two More Judicial Losses

Virginia Judge Leonie Brinkema issued an injunction indefinitely halting Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund for allies, political cronies, and insurrectionists. The DOJ now has one week to produce evidence the fund has been abandoned, or the civil case proceeds.

Meanwhile, Judge Boasberg declined a request from U.S. Attorney Pirro to vacate his earlier opinion quashing grand jury subpoenas targeting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Boasberg went further, finding that Pirro had “harassed” Powell for nothing more than “displeasing” the president. Two courts, two losses, one Friday.

Digging Into the Ghislaine Maxwell Transfer

House Democrats, led by Rep. Deborah Ross, joined by Jamie Raskin and Ro Khanna, are demanding answers from the Federal Bureau of Prisons over a policy change that grants the Attorney General new authority to override prison placement decisions. The lawmakers note this change appears to have been implemented after Maxwell was moved from a low-security Florida facility to a minimum-security camp in Texas — a placement that would normally be prohibited for sex offenders under BOP guidelines. Democrats believe the new policy may be a retroactive attempt to justify the transfer, and they’re demanding internal communications, legal analyses, and records explaining the change. The BOP has until July 12 to respond.

The Kennedy Center’s Midnight Deadline

A judge gave Trump 14 days to remove his name from the Kennedy Center. That deadline hits tonight at midnight. Trump’s legal team filed a last-minute stay request, arguing the removal would be “wasteful” and “confusing to the public.” They’ve escalated to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking an emergency reprieve. Plaintiffs, including board member Joyce Beatty, responded that there is no real injury if the name is later restored, and noted it has already been removed from the Kennedy Center website. They also documented real harm from the renaming: artists canceled performances, ticket sales dropped precipitously, and viewership of the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast fell. In other words: your crowds are tiny, Donald.

A just just responded to the Trump filing, upholding the ruling. Tear down that name, Donald!

We’ve heard from our sources that the Trump name is expected to come off the Kennedy Center around 6pm ET today, though workers are already on the scene now.

Our cameras are already out in front of the Kennedy Center to capture the moment when it happens. You can watch our live feed right now here.

Separately, a lawsuit claims Kennedy Center officials have refused to release $17 million owed to the Washington National Opera, allegedly spent money from a $300,000 donor bequest meant exclusively for WNO, locked WNO out of its own financial records, and ignored contract terms. A total mess.

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Trump Properties Are Failing Health Inspections

A pattern of health and safety violations has emerged across multiple Trump-branded properties.

Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley (Hopewell Junction, NY): A Dutchess County health inspector cited the club’s restaurant for a critical violation on April 16, per New York State Department of Health records — involving “food from an unapproved source, spoiled, adulterated on premises.”

Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago: City health inspectors found flies, faulty dishwashers, and wastewater flooding the kitchen floor around three prep sinks, first reported by NOTUS.

Trump National Golf Club Westchester: Westchester County health officials found insects and rodents on the premises, also first reported by NOTUS. The brand is, if nothing else, consistent.

And Finally: Algae and UFOs

Stephen Miller announced the release of new UFO files. Tulsi Gabbard is busy promoting claims about U.S. biolabs in an apparent effort to revive COVID and Ukraine conspiracy theories, despite the fact that the Pentagon’s Biological Threat Reduction Program has been publicly documented since the 1990s. Both moves landed as the administration faces simultaneous scrutiny over the Iran chaos, the Epstein Files, the Kennedy Center deadline, and back-to-back judicial losses.

And in entirely predictable news: reporters documented a thick green algae bloom overtaking the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 10th and 11th. The Trump administration is blaming “residual algae” from supply lines.

Thanks for reading, liking, and subscribing!

Subscribe to the MeidasTouch Podcast if you haven’t already — we’ll have more on all of these stories.

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“Hatred toward Myself”

Katya agrees to an interview online, with only a part of her face visible, covered by a hoodie and a COVID-style mask. The connection is weak and the camera is shaky. Katya is not her real name. She requested that her real name and location not be published, for security concerns. She could be anywhere in the Russian Federation. The dark room looks like a basement. Her friend behind the camera is guarding the door. If someone enters, they may be arrested.

Katya is a Russian partisan, but she shrugs and hesitates to call herself that, “Who needs labels now? We need action.”

Action in Putin’s Russia means lethal danger and extreme secrecy but Katya is convinced: Only active resistance could change the regime. And the regime must go, she and her friends believe.

Katya is one voice in a small but persistent anti-war underground that has emerged inside Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. Repeated incidents of rail damage, fires and other acts of sabotage are reported.

Katya was not always a Russian resistance fighter. She was not into politics and did not think much about the Russian war in Ukraine, or, as it was labeled “SVO” (“a special military operation”) Putin’s euphemism for the war of aggression the Russian Federation started on February 24, 2022. The war or SVO, it did not affect her, and, like most of her friends and relatives, she did not follow it closely.

“Somewhere on TV, there was some war happening to someone else,” she said. “I had my own life, ordinary daily stuff.”

That changed in 2022, as Putin’s government started a mobilization drive. Her boyfriend was sent to the front, to the “special military operation.” Next, he went missing in action. Later, a close friend was mobilized. The war entered her life. Instead of “getting married and having kids,” she faced emptiness.

“It was hard,” she said. “I felt pain, fear, hatred toward the system. Hatred toward this president.”

She hesitated.

“Hatred toward myself.”

And this was a paradigm shift for Katya. In order not to hate herself, she joined the resistance. Now, she fights Putin’s regime.

“I do not want to die for someone else’s interests,” she said. “Instead of building families, living our lives, raising children, we are expected to die for someone’s unclear interests that I do not share and do not support… the state treats its citizens as expendable material.”

The reports of Russian forces committing atrocities in Bucha in 2022 shook Katya. Western governments and international investigators have described them as war crimes. Moscow has denied responsibility for civilian killings in Bucha. She was mortified and angry.

“I am ashamed that my fellow citizens did these things,” she said.

From Protest to Sabotage

Katya is part of what she described as an informal anti-war underground inside Russia, a decentralized network rather than a political party. She did not name any organization or provide evidence of membership but said that the ultimate goal is to remove the current Russian regime.

Russia’s antiwar opposition underwent a major shift after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. If before the war, opposition politics focused on protest, elections, public speech, and symbolic dissent, after the invasion, many embraced sabotage, direct action, and anonymity. For the Kremlin, the challenge is not a single “partisan” or isolated act of sabotage but a growing number of people willing to take risks despite the threat of prison and torture.

“These are people who think clearly, who understand what is happening and understand that something must be done, rather than simply sitting and waiting for someone else to solve all our problems,” Katya said. “We will live well only when we take action ourselves, when we fight. Nothing will change otherwise; things will only get worse. We have no choice but to resist a regime that has turned people into deaf and mute fanatics who can no longer distinguish right from wrong. It feels as if that line has disappeared.”

Katya spoke of small groups seeking disruption of Russian military logistics by targeting railway infrastructure and electrical substations used in transport networks. Videos obtained included making homemade bombs and incendiary devices, sabotage and arson. Katya’s fellow fighters, masked and gloved, crawled and run in the dark, setting railway relay cabinets on fire and disconnecting wagons.

“This is not youthful rebellion. It is a conscious choice.”

The purpose of such actions is to interrupt Russian military logistics that rely heavily on rail transport. The resistance hopes that enough small acts can overwhelm an overstretched security system. Every damaged rail line or fire forces an inquiry and a repair. Each incident is isolated but together they create pressure on the system.

“We try anything to delay the delivery of weapons to Putin’s army, even for a single day,” she said.

Independent verification of specific claims of sabotage linked to underground groups is not possible. Russian authorities have reported repeated incidents of rail damage and fires since the start of the war in Ukraine and have prosecuted individuals accused of involvement.

Inside Russian resistance: Fear and surveillance

Katya described life under constant risk of surveillance and exposure. She said trust inside opposition networks is limited.

“You never know who might betray you,” she said.

Fear of infiltration shapes behavior.

“Today someone may be your friend,” she said. “Tomorrow they may inform on you.”

She said the consequences of exposure are severe, including long prison sentences and pressure on relatives. She described fear of arrest and interrogation.

In March 2026, 37 citizens of the Russian Federation were detained on the territory of the Russian regions for committing arson attacks on communications facilities, transport, fuel and energy infrastructure, as well as the credit and financial system and as state and private property, according to the FSB report, which is blaming the Ukrainian special services, for inciting these actions. Russian authorities use some of the country’s most severe national security statutes against alleged anti-war saboteurs, including Article 275 on treason, Article 281 on sabotage, and Article 205.3 on terrorist training, charges that can result in prison sentences ranging from 12 years to two decades.

“There is torture,” she said. “There is pressure on your family.”

Katya said the purpose of repression is the control of the Russian population.

“To make people afraid,” she said. “To make them stop resisting.”

At this point in the interview, a loud knocking interrupted the conversation, Katya appeared terrified and the call dropped.

“Nothing will change otherwise”

Ten minutes later, Katya was online, more nervous but determined to finish the interview. She explained that it appeared as if someone was trying to enter the room but that was a false alarm.

“I am afraid,” she said. “I am human. Of course, I am afraid.”

She paused and added, “But I follow the fear. Living in what feels like a concentration camp is more frightening.”

With a few more minutes of a conversation left, she said she believed Russia’s political system cannot change unless the people fought it. She said that the state tightened control over information since the start of the war, and especially lately. That action has caused more outrage in her and her friends.

“A government with nothing to hide would not behave like this,” she said.

Katya said she believes resistance will continue regardless of risk.

“The problem is Putin’s regime,” she said. “As long as it remains, nothing will change. It must go.”

The future of the resistance movement in Russia is yet to be defined but as the full-scale war enters its fifth year, the Kremlin faces pressure not just from Ukrainian drone strikes on the oil and gas depots but also from the dissent from within.

“There will be more of us,” Katya said.

Guest article by Zarina Zabrisky, Meidas Defense’s Kherson-based correspondent

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… Trump this morning: “The US will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT. At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the US.”

… Then Trump went on on Fox & Friends:

• "They're dying to make a deal. They want to make a deal so badly. We dropped $250 million of bombs on them last night. They're really in submission. They just don't know it yet."

• "Behind the scenes I must tell you Iran can't believe the press they get. They can't even believe it. And they told me. They said, 'It's amazing how well we're doing in the papers. We're not doing so well--' They're negotiating with us to make a deal."

• "My preference has always been to take Kharg Island. I don't know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest with it. You'd make a fortune."

• "We could walk in there tomorrow. If I wanted to, we could put in a small group of soldiers and take over the whole place. They're finished."

… Iranian Parliament Speaker MB Ghalibaf then posted: “Wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years. You will see a different Iran.”

… When CNN’s Manu Raju asked Mike Johnson about a possible imminent ground invasion, he suggested that Trump was just bluffing again: “I think he’s communicating directly with our adversaries over there. I would not put too much stock in the details of that right now.”

… Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) to Meidas: “I’ve been studying these guys my whole life. If you look too eager for a deal with Iran, they will exploit it. Trump is perceived as wanting a deal too badly, and Iran is going to take advantage of that. They should be begging us for a deal, not the other way around.”

… Former Trump special envoy Keith Kellogg on Fox: “Having a protracted war is not the American way of war. We ought to go back to the way we did it in World War II and World War I and finished the job, obliterate them.”

… Sen. Lindsey Graham on Fox: “Mr. President, if this doesn't get them to the table, you need to change your strategy. Go all in. Knock them out. Let the Iranian people take their country back over time and move to peace between Saudi and Israel once you deal with Iran.”

… CNN: "Sources tell CNN that President Trump is growing more and more furious, especially this week, after he ordered new strikes in Iran. They say he felt both Tehran and the media didn't view US military action as powerful enough, so he ordered another round of strikes yesterday."

… Then Trump made his TACO post: “Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening. Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others. The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly.”

… Israel’s Channel 12: A senior Israeli official told Channel 12: "We do not recognize reaching an agreement.”

… Iran state media Fars: “Trump Backs Down Once Again.”

… Iran state media Tasnim: “Iran Once Again Forces Trump to ‘TACO’. Another Trump retreat, once again justified by claims of progress in the negotiations. Over the past two months, Trump has declared 38 times that an agreement was within reach and on the verge of being signed. In the span of just 3 days, he has ‘sent his VP to Pakistan’ 4 times in his imagination.”

… “Until Iran itself announces that an understanding or a possible agreement has been reached, Trump’s reports on the matter should be regarded as part of the same series of messages he has repeatedly issued in the past.”

… “This behavioral pattern of Trump, who initially threatens a side intensely and then backs down at the first sign of danger, has become known among American users as ‘TACO’. TACO is formed by combining the first letters of the phrase Trump Always Chickens Out, which in Persian means: ‘Trump always cowardly backs down’.”

… Trump then TACOed on his nomination of Bill Pulte for DNI after a bipartisan group of senators said they would not vote to extend FISA as long as Pulte was the nominee: I am pleased to announce the Nomination of very Highly Respected Jay Clayton, former Chairman of the SEC and the current US Attorney for the Southern District of NY, to be the next DNI.”

… Politico: “The ascension of Bill Pulte is a clear sign of the recent mood inside Trump’s WH: angry, insular, grievance-driven and increasingly shaped by a group of loyalists with direct access to the president. Interviews with Trump allies, GOP Senate aides and people close to the WH reveal a president increasingly frustrated with everyone, from his own team to the Senate.”

… “He’s pissed, and people are not recognizing the level of pissed that he is,” a Republican operative said, pointing to Senate Republicans’ opposition to Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” WH ballroom funding and resistance to firing the parliamentarian as the fuel for Trump’s resentment.

… Even WH advisers weren’t spared the president’s fury after Trump sustained his first major loss of the election season in Iowa, where Randy Feenstra was defeated in last week’s gubernatorial primary. A WH ally: “He’s really angry about this Iowa endorsement - like really, really angry. He’s really angry that his consultants and people pushed him to do that.”

… AP: “Trump’s planned UFC fight on the WH’s South Lawn has required a monumental effort from more than 7 federal agencies, hundreds of staff working onsite daily and at least $60 million, according to a legal filing that offers a glimpse into the preparations.”

… The National Park Service responded to the lawsuit that seeks to prevent the event from happening: “Well over $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been expended.”

… “The installation began May 20, and the Secret Service worked with the UFC to screen between 20 and 30 trucks of equipment - as well as between ‘700 and 900’ staff - that came in daily for the installation. The document did not specify the extent of govt resources spent on the project, but said 7 agencies, including DHS and the FAA, have ‘allocated significant resources and manpower.’”

… Meidas reporter Scott Macfarlane: “Another flurry of court filings in 11th hour suit to halt UFC event at WH. Natl Park Service, which appears to be taking its instruction from the UFC, says there’ll be filming of participants INSIDE the Lincoln Memorial.
And they will closing access to Memorial. Meanwhile, plaintiffs submit additional reply to convince judge to order halt to the UFC event.”

… They argue the event is “a volcano of corruption, if allowed to go forward, will mark an inflection point in American history”. Plaintiffs are also asking court to order UFC/Trump Admin “to honor their June 9 representation that the UFC will not be allowed to use the (inside of Lincoln Memorial) chamber because it may not be used for special events under the governing regulation.”

… Plaintiffs also slammed the Trump Admin’s argument that the event has precedent from WH youth T-ball game and Easter Egg Rolls: “It is different: UFC Freedom 250 is a for-profit endeavor from which the President and his allies stand to profit. It is because of this fundamental corruption that Plaintiffs are entitled to preliminary relief against the Sunday night fights on the South Lawn.”

… Todd Blanche was asked about the lawsuit today: Q - “On the UFC fight--
Blanche: I’m not gonna talk about the UFC fight. Q - Will you abide by the judge’s order if he orders it be blocked? Blanche: I’m not gonna talk about the UFC fight.”

… Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) to Meidas: “What’s next? Cockfighting? It’s such a sacrilege to the WH and our nation’s capital. And they’re going to maybe spend $60 million in taxpayer money on this spectacle? It’s ridiculous.”

… Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL): “It’s a vanity project. It’s using taxpayer dollars and govt resources to prop up Trump. He’s building this entire arena at the WH at a time when people can’t afford to live. Nobody has any damn money.”

… Forbes: “Temperatures in DC are expected to soar this weekend and could hit a high of 95 degrees on Sunday, confirming the fears of some UFC organizers who warned hot, buggy weather could pose a problem for a highly publicized fight series planned for the WH lawn.”

… “The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook, warning heat index values could approach 105 degrees in the coming days and predicting a threat of rain showers and thunderstorms. Capitalweather.com forecasts temps of 89 degrees when the event begins at 8 PM EDT on Sunday, with a 80% chance of rain, and humidity pushing the heat index into the 90s.”

… “The particularly hot (and maybe wet) weather is shining a light on the reason the UFC almost never plans events in outdoor arenas—and has fans wondering how it will impact the fighters. The UFC has had only one outdoor fight in its history—in Abu Dhabi in 2010—and CEO Dana White later complained about the challenges posed by humidity, heat and bugs.”

… “Podcast host and UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who is set to work the WH fight, has repeatedly criticized the event over the last several months, claiming that weather in DC on the same data last year was ‘hot as fuck’ and saying fighters should not be fighting in events that aren’t in a controlled, air-conditioned arena.”

… Political commentator Mike Young on Trump admin attempts to blame Joe Biden for screwworm: “Let’s walk through what actually happened here, in order:

• DOGE cut the USAID program specifically designed to prevent screwworm from crossing the US-Mexico border. DOGE cut USDA’s animal disease control and prevention funding. That funding had supported more than 180 outbreak investigations in 22 countries and capacity-building in more than 160 laboratories. The screwworm monitoring and response program that watched the border for exactly this parasite - cut.

• Then screwworm showed up in Texas cattle. Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster for Zavala and Uvalde counties this week. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins went on CNBC this morning and blamed the Biden admin, 17 months out of office. Her specific words: “obviously not much had been done to push back.”

• The program that was supposed to push back existed. DOGE eliminated it in March 2025. Rollins has been Secretary since Feb 13, 2025. The cuts happened on her watch. Beef prices are already high. Ranchers in south TX are now dealing with a flesh-eating parasite that was eradicated in this country in the 1960s - eradicated, specifically, using the sterile fly program her department defunded. The flies existed. The program existed. The budget existed. Until it didn’t.”

We had a great show yesterday on Uncovered where I did a deeper dive on Trump’s Knicks game appearance, Hegseth’s D-Day speech, screwworm politics, Mike Lee v. Hegseth on the Mormon religion, MAGA frustrations with the war, Republican election fraud claims, Iran and the helicopter that was shot down, Ted Cruz on masculinity, and lots more. If you missed the show, you can find it here.

If you missed the last Bulletin, that is here.

… Daily Beast: “Taylor Swift popped up in Celebrity Row as the NY Knicks pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history to put Trump’s fateful visit to Madison Square Garden behind them. The Knicks are now just one game away from the NBA title after triumphing over the San Antonio Spurs to take a 3-1 lead in the Finals.”

… “Fans blamed Trump’s presence for the Knicks’ loss on Monday—breaking a 13-game winning streak—with Saturday Night Live star Michael Che writing on Instagram after the loss, ‘ya just haaaaaaad to invite trumpty dumpty.’ Some superstitious fans were so paranoid that they sought to cleanse MSG of Trump’s bad vibes ahead of Game 4, and were seen burning sage outside the arena.”

… “Their efforts, combined with the huge showing of support from fans in attendance, paid dividends, as the Knicks bounced back from a 29-point deficit to beat the Spurs,

Read more

Today’s top stories:

• Trump announces more strikes on Iran tonight and floats seizing Kharg Island and Iranian oil infrastructure

• Iran struck five U.S. military bases overnight in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain — with Patriot missile defense systems failing at alarming rates

• A U.S. long-range radar station in Bahrain is confirmed destroyed

• Iran has been fortifying Kharg Island for months in anticipation of exactly this threat

• The UAE and Iran held their first high-level security meeting since the conflict began

• Pentagon evacuated portions of the building this morning due to a hazmat air quality incident

• Iran places Elon Musk’s regional assets on its target list

• PPI inflation hits 6.5% year over year, the highest since November 2022

• Oil executives privately warn the White House that gas could hit $5/gallon by summer’s end

• Markwayne Mullin defends World Cup visa denials, including of a Somali referee and Iraqi team staff

Trump Is Panicking and Trying to Sell the U.S. on a Ground War

Let’s start with what happened this morning.

Trump posted on Truth Social announcing the U.S. will be hitting Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” claiming Iran’s navy, air force, radar, anti-aircraft systems, and most of its offensive capability are already “GONE.” He then announced plans to seize Kharg Island and assume “total control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets — comparing it to what he’s been doing in Venezuela, which he described as “working out brilliantly.” Not so sure that’s true for the Venezuelan people, who are still ruled by the Maduro regime. But at least Trump and his cronies get some oil money.

Then he rushed to state regime media Fox News to elaborate. And what followed was completely unhinged.

He claimed the U.S. could walk into Iran tomorrow with a small group of soldiers and “take over the whole place.” He said he dropped $250 million in bombs on Iran last night and is bragging about it while Americans can’t afford groceries. He claimed Iranian leaders secretly told him they love the press coverage they’re getting, a claim Brian Stelter immediately and correctly labeled as “preposterously” false. He said Iran is “in submission” but “just doesn’t know it yet.”

And then, when asked directly about U.S. plans to bomb water facilities in Iran, an act that would constitute a war crime, Trump changed the subject. He started ranting about the 2020 election being rigged and Steve Hilton’s primary win in California.

The pattern here is obvious: Trump is rattled. He’s threatening escalation while simultaneously acknowledging the American people don’t have the appetite for what he claims he “really much prefers.” He’s scapegoating the public for his own paralysis. He invoked Vietnam and Iraq, two catastrophic wars, and somehow concluded that he would have finished Vietnam in three or four months. Just him. Would’ve wrapped it right up. The difference between Iran and Vietnam? Trump has a plan to get our of Vietnam.

What he actually needs to do is get the U.S. military out of this situation, pursue something resembling the Obama-era JCPOA, and accept that a deal now will necessarily be weaker than what was available before this war began, because we lost the war. That’s not something Trump is capable of saying out loud, so instead we get Truth Social posts and Fox rants about Venezuela.

After all of his threats, Trump then posted to Truth Social at 1:28 PM ET that he has cancelled the strikes and bombings scheduled against Iran for tonight. He states that discussions have been elevated to the highest levels of Iranian leadership and approved by all parties, listing the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Egypt among those signed on. A formal signing is expected, with time and place to be announced shortly. The naval blockade remains in effect until the deal is finalized. Sure. In other words, it’s Taco Thursday.

Despite Trump saying Israel agreed to an alleged “deal,” a senior Israeli official has told Channel 12 that Israel is not aware of any agreement being reached.

We’ll have much more on the details of this deal as they emerge. Stay tuned and subscribe to the MeidasTouch Podcast for continuous coverage.

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The Military Reality Trump Is Hiding

While Trump is on Fox telling Americans that Iran’s defenses are “gone,” here’s what’s actually happening on the ground.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard struck five U.S. military installations overnight: Al-Salt Air Base in Jordan, Ahmad Al-Jaber and Ali Al-Salem Air Bases in Kuwait, U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain, and Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain. OSINT reporting confirms Jordan “got seriously hit.”

The Patriot missile defense situation is alarming. Defense analysts report that three out of four Iranian ballistic missiles penetrated Patriot PAC-3 defenses at a key U.S. base in Jordan. Six interceptors were fired to achieve one successful interception. In cost terms, that’s roughly $24 million in interceptors against approximately $150,000 per Iranian missile, a 160-to-1 exchange ratio. One analyst put it plainly: this is not sustainable. Once ballistic missile defense coverage is depleted at key sites, the math becomes nearly impossible.

The U.S. long-range radar station at Jabal al-Dukhan in Bahrain? Confirmed ablaze. OSINT accounts geolocated the strike and matched smoke imagery to the AR-327 Long Range Radar site. A billion-dollar radar system, gone. Visual confirmation available for anyone who wants to look. CENTCOM and the Trump administration have been running cover on this, but the footage doesn’t lie.

And about those plans to seize Kharg Island: CNN is now reporting that Iran spent months fortifying the island specifically in anticipation of a U.S. attack. After U.S. strikes in March, Iran moved in additional troops, air defense systems, shoulder-fired MANPADS surface-to-air missiles, and deployed anti-personnel and anti-armor mines along the beaches where American forces would most likely land. China reportedly supplied significant portions of that technology.

So when Trump says we could “walk in there tomorrow,” what he actually means is: we could attempt a ground assault on a heavily mined, heavily fortified island that Iran has been preparing to defend for months.

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Iran Is Strengthening Its Position

Iran’s senior leadership is not in the panic mode Trump is describing. Mohsen Rezaee, a direct aide to the Ayatollah, responded to Trump’s statements by saying the bombs won’t get him out of the quagmire he himself created, and that Iranian missiles will only sink him deeper. Iranian parliament speaker MB Ghalibaf warned that wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board, explode energy markets, and create an endless quagmire lasting years.

These are not the statements of people who believe they’re losing.

Meanwhile, the EU’s top foreign policy official, Kaja Kallas, is now in direct bilateral talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Europe isn’t waiting around for U.S. leadership on this. They know the U.S. can’t be counted on right now.

Even more telling: the UAE, one of America’s staunchest regional allies, a founding participant in the Abraham Accords, held its first high-level face-to-face security meeting with Iran since the conflict began. The UAE views Iran as a regional threat and has been targeted by Iranian attacks, and yet they’re now prioritizing a path to stability because they can’t rely on the U.S. security umbrella. That is a significant signal. Iran is strengthening its diplomatic hand while the U.S. weakens its own.

CENTCOM posted this week that the Strait of Hormuz “remains open for transit.” It is not open. It has been closed by Iran since late February. The fact that Admiral Brad Cooper is putting his name on that statement is an embarrassment to the institution.

The Economic Damage Is Mounting Fast

This morning’s Producer Price Index report came in hotter than expected: PPI rose 1.1% month over month, bringing the year-over-year figure to 6.5%, the highest since November 2022 and above pandemic-era stimulus levels. The odds of rate hikes are rising.

PPI is wholesale inflation, in other words, what businesses pay before passing costs on to consumers. Consumer inflation (CPI) is currently running at 4.2%. If PPI is rising 1% per month, we could be looking at PPI in the 10-12% range by year’s end, with consumer inflation hitting 6% or higher. That’s not a prediction designed to scare you — that’s just math.

On the energy front: oil executives are privately warning the White House that gasoline prices, already at $4.13/gallon nationally, up over 40% year-over-year, could break $5 this summer. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at 349.2 million barrels, approaching lows not seen since 1983. One industry official who regularly interacts with the administration said, according to reporting: “The White House knows and understands the severity of the potential situation… They are politically constricted from saying that publicly.”

There it is. They know. They just won’t tell you.

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Some Quick Hits

Pentagon Hazmat Incident: A shelter-in-place order was issued at the Pentagon this morning after air quality monitoring detected a hazardous materials issue affecting corridors 4-7, floors 2-5, A-E rings. Arlington Fire & EMS Hazmat Team was on site. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed precautionary measures were in place. The cause was reportedly a malfunctioning sensor. Normal operations have since resumed.

Iran Targets Musk: Iran’s state-backed Fars News Agency announced that Iranian decision-makers have expanded their target list to include all interests associated with Elon Musk’s economic holdings across West Asia, including in Arab countries and “occupied territories.” Iran claims Musk-linked companies aided U.S. military strikes.

Musk Inflatable in Times Square: A 40-foot inflatable likeness of Elon Musk has been unveiled in New York City ahead of SpaceX’s IPO, criticizing Musk’s AI chatbot Grok for its creation of child sexual abuse material.

Kushner Resort/Albania: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama addressed ongoing protests over the Kushner resort deal by blaming Iran, citing an ongoing cyber war between Iran and Albania. Convenient framing.

World Cup Visa Denials: Senator Markwayne Mullin defended the denial of entry to World Cup attendees, including a Somali referee and Iraqi team staff, by saying the U.S. won’t allow people “perceived to have criminal ties” entry. The word “perceived” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.

That’s where things stand on Thursday afternoon. The gap between what the administration is saying and what is actually happening grows wider by the hour. Subscribe to the MeidasTouch Podcast for continuous coverage as this develops, and we will see you later for more updates.

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MeidasTouch is now in the White House.

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That’s right. We’ve officially expanded our reporting team and hired our a White House Correspondent, Luke Radel, who is now credentialed and reporting from inside the White House.

Luke will be there asking the questions that need to be asked. He’ll be attending White House press briefings, covering Karoline Leavitt’s press conferences, and bringing the same relentless accountability journalism you’ve come to expect from MeidasTouch on Capitol Hill directly into the White House.

This is a major milestone for our network and another step forward in our mission to hold those in power accountable and deliver independent reporting that puts the people first.

When he’s not reporting from the White House, Luke will also be covering Capitol Hill, traveling across the country, and helping lead some of the biggest interviews and stories we’ll be bringing to you.

None of this would be possible without you.

Your support of this Substack has allowed us to continue growing, expanding our reporting team, and reaching places that traditional media often refuses to go. Every subscription helps us build something bigger, stronger, and more impactful.

So please join me in welcoming Luke Radel to the MeidasTouch team.

We’re growing. We’re expanding. And we’re just getting started.

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— Ben Meiselas

Co-Founder, MeidasTouch Network

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Hi all, Ben here. It’s Wednesday, June 10, and we have a lot to get through today. And first, a Happy Birthday to my brother and MeidasTouch co-founder, Brett!

Here’s what we’re tracking:

• Inflation hits 4.2% — highest in three years, and real wages are going negative

• Tuesday primary results from Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina

• Newsom endorses Becerra in the California governor’s race as Steyer urges his supporters to vote for Becerra

• U.S. strikes hit drinking water reservoirs in Iran, per the Financial Times

• Trump says the U.S. is striking Iran more today

• Trump in the Oval Office, rambling, raging, and claiming he loves inflation

• U.S. aircraft losses in the Iran War

• Hegseth and Laura Loomer go to Guantanamo together, which is a sentence I cannot believe I have to write

• The New York Times drops a massive Epstein investigation

• Judicial nominee won’t say who won the 2020 election

• Trump compares his crowd size to Martin Luther King’s

Before I go any further, if you haven’t yet joined as a paid subscriber, consider doing so now by clicking here to support our work. This is how we grow. And if you’re already a Meidas+ paid Substack subscriber, thank you for supporting pro-democracy media. We’re making this update free for everyone to read.

Let’s get into it.

Inflation Spikes, Trump Says He “Loves” It

Inflation jumped to 4.2% year-over-year in May. That’s the highest it’s been in three years, and it’s up from 2.4% back in February, before Trump started his war with Iran. Higher gas and energy prices drove roughly 60% of that increase. Shelter costs are up. Food is up. Restaurant prices are up. Core inflation, which strips out food and energy, hit 2.9%, its highest level since September.

Meanwhile, wage growth is running at 3.4%. Inflation is at 4.2%. That means Americans are losing ground. Every paycheck buys a little less than it did before. For production and non-supervisory workers, the people doing the actual work in this country, wages have effectively been erased back to February 2025 levels. The Iran War alone has wiped out roughly 15 months of previous wage gains.

Add in 7%+ mortgage rates and a 30% loss in the dollar’s purchasing power since 2020, and you start to understand why so many families feel like they’re drowning. This isn’t a vibes problem. This is a real, material squeeze on middle-class and lower-income households trying to pay for gas, groceries, electricity, and doctor’s visits.

When a reporter asked Trump this morning whether he was concerned about the inflation numbers, his response was: “No, I love it. I love the inflation.”

From “I will bring down prices on day 1” to “I love the inflation.”

Quite the shift.

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Tuesday Primaries: What You Need to Know

Four states voted Tuesday — Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina — in primaries setting up November’s midterm battles.

In Maine, Graham Platner won the Democratic Senate primary decisively, pulling roughly 72% of the vote. He’ll face incumbent Republican Susan Collins in what should be a genuinely competitive race in a state Kamala Harris carried in 2024. Platner’s victory speech was sharp: he went after Collins for voting to send taxpayer money overseas while hospitals in Maine are closing. On Morning Joe, he was asked, given some tabloid history involving his personal life, whether he could credibly call for Epstein file releases. His answer; consensual adult relationships are categorically different from allegations of child trafficking on a private island. The distinction isn’t complicated.

The Democratic gubernatorial primary in Maine remains unsettled, with Nirav Shah leading in first-round counts ahead of a ranked-choice tabulation. On the Republican side, Bobby Charles led with around 37-38%.

In South Carolina, Lindsey Graham survived his primary with about 57% — enough to avoid a runoff. The open governor’s race is headed to a June 23 runoff between Trump-endorsed Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson. Nancy Mace, who gave up her House seat to run, got crushed, finishing around 12%. Meanwhile, Jermaine Johnson won the Democratic gubernatorial primary outright with nearly 60%.

In Nevada, Attorney General Aaron Ford dominated the Democratic gubernatorial primary with about 65%. Governor Joe Lombardo cruised on the Republican side. The key swing district, CD-3, saw incumbents advance comfortably.

North Dakota was largely uneventful, with Julie Fedorchak easily winning renomination in the at-large House seat.

Big News in California

Two major developments in the California governor’s race: Governor Gavin Newsom has officially endorsed Xavier Becerra, and billionaire Tom Steyer has conceded and thrown his support to Becerra as well. In a lengthy statement, Steyer wrote: “It would be a travesty for Steve Hilton to win the governorship, and Californians must unite behind Xavier Becerra to ensure he does not.”

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Iran Strikes to Continue

Iranian officials in the Hormozgan Province of Southern Iran told the Financial Times that U.S. strikes early Wednesday destroyed two freshwater storage reservoirs with a combined capacity of 2,500 cubic meters, water supplies serving 20,000 residents in the city of Kuhestak and ten surrounding villages. CENTCOM refused to confirm or deny.

Meanwhile, Trump was in the Oval Office this morning saying “we’re gonna hit ‘em hard again today” while also claiming we’re “really close to a deal.” He said Iran has been “playing us for suckers” because of “very stupid presidents” before him. He said Iran’s military “doesn’t even exist anymore.” And then he said, in the same breath, that Iran will “have to pay the price” for allegedly shooting down a U.S. apache helicopter. Iran is certainly causing a lot of damage without a military!

For context, here is a partial tally of U.S. aircraft losses in this war between February 28 and June 8: one F-35, three F-15Es, one A-10, one AH-64 Apache, one E-3 Sentry AWACS (valued at roughly $700 million), multiple KC-135 tankers, 28 MQ-9 Reapers, one MQ-4C Triton, two MC-130Js, several helicopters, and more.

When a Newsmax anchor asked Rep. Claudia Tenney what she’d say to Americans experiencing war fatigue, voters who backed Trump because he promised to end wars, not start them, her answer was essentially: well, we were in Iraq and Afghanistan for 20 years, so this isn’t that bad yet. Our own Ron Filipkowski noted immediately that this might be the single worst talking point imaginable, given that Trump promised this would be wrapped up in four to six weeks with unconditional surrender and regime change.

Pete Hegseth Goes to Guantanamo — With Laura Loomer

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited Naval Station Guantanamo Bay today, continuing a string of high-level U.S. government visits to Cuba. He told troops stationed there that “what happens with the future of Cuba is in the hands of the president.” He also brought along Laura Loomer, the conspiracy theorist and far-right influencer.

The New York Times Epstein Story

The Times published an exhaustive investigation Wednesday into the White House’s internal handling of the Epstein crisis. I’d encourage everyone to read it in full. Here’s what you need to know:

Trump’s senior team, including JD Vance, Susie Wiles, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, Todd Blanche, and others, convened multiple emergency meetings in the White House Situation Room specifically to manage the Epstein fallout. The same room where Obama’s national security team watched the bin Laden raid was being used by Trump’s people to strategize around their boss’s connections to a convicted child sex trafficker.

Vance, according to the Times, was alarmed, and even floated the idea of getting Tucker Carlson to interview Ghislaine Maxwell in prison, worried that the cover-up strategy would cost Trump young voters. Wiles and Blair, by contrast, initially dismissed the crisis as fringe noise. Bongino, who left his podcast gig to join the FBI, warned them repeatedly that they were miscalculating.

Bondi made things worse at nearly every turn, like going on Fox News to suggest a client list was “sitting on her desk,” then distributing unvetted binders full of largely already-public documents to MAGA influencers in the Roosevelt Room. The White House scrambled to pull the influencers out before they could discuss what was in the binders during Trump’s press conference with British Prime Minister Starmer.

Bongino ultimately exploded at Bondi in a DOJ meeting, and later stormed out of a Situation Room confrontation with Susie Wiles. He privately called the whole situation “Trump’s Iran-Contra.”

The Epstein Files Transparency Act eventually passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law in November, once it became clear that it had a veto proof majority. The resulting document release referenced Trump more than 38,000 times. Flight records showed he flew on Epstein’s private jet at least eight times between 1993 and 1996, despite Trump’s January 2024 claim that he’d never been on the plane.

Trump’s own pollster, Tony Fabrizio, circulated an internal memo in March 2026 noting that “Epstein files” ranked as the sixth most important issue in focus groups, coming up in every single group and registering as “a real negative” with key voters.

The president spent the better part of a year trying to make this disappear. It hasn’t. We will never lit it.

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Other Stories Worth Noting

Trump went after Stephen A. Smith on Truth Social this morning, calling him a “low IQ individual” and “dumb as a rock” for apparently floating a potential political career. Smith recently criticized Trump’s decision to cause chaos in NYC by attending the NBA Finals.

Trump also said that he’s considering eliminating the Office of the Director of National Intelligence entirely, saying “a lot of people thought it was a duplication.” Separately, he is pushing to install his henchman Bill Pulte as Acting DNI, a move facing pushback from both Republicans and Democrats who have threatened to withhold their votes on a FISA extension. Trump’s response when told he needs Democratic votes: “Uhhhh. Then I guess something is gonna happen.”

Trump said he doesn’t know if he’ll renew the USMCA because “we don’t need anything that Canada has” or “anything that Mexico has.” Canada and Mexico, two of America’s three largest trading partners, are apparently unnecessary.

HUD Secretary Scott Turner was on CNBC this morning blaming undocumented immigrants for the housing shortage. Meanwhile, Senator Ron Johnson claimed on TV that Republicans don’t actually control the Senate. He said, “Don’t blame Republicans. I know they say we control the Senate. We don’t.”

Representative Kamlager-Dove took to the House floor to raise concerns about Trump’s visible health decline and the administration’s pattern of covering it up.

In case you missed it: Yesterday, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) faked a phone call for roughly 90 seconds after being asked by one of our reporters on the ground about Speaker Mike Johnson’s comments regarding potential Social Security cuts. The phone's screen remained visible, with his cheek inadvertently tapping different parts of the display. You have to watch this Oscar-worthy performance for yourself:

And finally, Trump this morning compared the size of his Fourth of July crowd on the Mall to the crowd at Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. He claimed his was bigger.

Thanks for reading. If you made it to the end, remember we are making a BIG push this week for the MeidasTouch Podcast! Lots of folks have told us they’ve been unsubscribed from the show by Apple Podcasts, so please make sure you are still subscribed, and leave a 5-star review if you can. You can add the show for free in seconds on Apple Podcasts and Spotify (or any other audio podcast app).

See you soon!

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… It was clear Trump orchestrated a plan with Knicks owner James Dolan to only have him shown to the crowd on the jumbotron once in the middle of the national anthem to try and reduce the number of boos. But videos captured the minute he was shown on the screen showed the crowd booing loudly, then they quickly took him off and didn’t show him for the rest of the game.

… The best video that accurately shows the incident was posted by WFAN’s Evan Roberts. I posted it on Substack, X, Threads and Bluesky.

… Trump also fell asleep during the game.

… Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA): “The president is not well. He has tremendous difficulty staying awake on the job. He has repeatedly fallen asleep at Cabinet meetings, at WH events, at a Memorial Day ceremony, and most recently at a very loud NBA game last night. The WH needs to explain why Trump keeps going to the hospital and taking cognitive tests.

… Real America’s Voice host Grant Stinchfield: “Brainwashed New Yorkers. Blind Liberal Millionaire Zombies boo Trump - the one man whose quest it is for every American to preserve and BUILD wealth. The minimum seat price was $8000 dollars. Who will be able to pay that if their socialist mayor gets his way. Insanity!”

… Several members of Trump’s admin attended the game with him. Jared Kushner bypassed all the lines and security as he breezed right into the arena. I posted video of that also on multiple platforms.

… Others in attendance were Kai Trump, Vanessa Trump, Steve Witkoff, Lee Zeldin, Howard Lutnick, Boris Epshteyn, Dan Scavino, Erin Scavino, Doug Burgum, Sean Duffy, Michael Boulos, Steven Cheung, Walt Nauta, Margo Martin, and (of course) the ever-present “special assistant” Natalie Harp.

… NYC journalist Sam Koppelman: “You have the most likable NY sports team in decades - and you decide to bring Trump, Lutnick, Kraft, and half the Epstein files into it. Glad Dolan reminded us all why he was known as the worst owner in sports. It’s on us now to transcend it.”

…But Trump told reporters after that he was cheered at the game: “You mean when they showed me on the screen? I thought it was very good. It was certainly amazing. I think mostly cheers. It was loud. And it was very enthusiastic.”

… Q - “Will you go to the next game? Zeldin: We’re busy with a lot of important stuff right now. Trump: Like a war.”

… Speaking of that, when you look at the timeline of events last night it is clear that Trump was flying to the game from Bedminster after US helicopter pilots had been shot down for about 90 minutes and still awaiting a possible rescue:

• CENTCOM: “At 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters. The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation.”

… But Trump’s comms assistant Margo Martin posted a time-stamped video at 6:57 PM ET showing Trump boarding the helicopter at Bedminster to fly to Madison Square Garden. So he was literally on his way to the game while the pilots were in the water hoping to be rescued.

… He has said previously that he didn’t like pilots who get shot down, so maybe the game was a bigger priority.

… Trump later posted today that they were shot down by an Iranian drone: “I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the US must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

… Israeli journalist Amit Segal: “Trump has announced that Iran was responsible for shooting down a US helicopter last night, stating that the US must respond to the attack. ​I’m confused. Just two days ago, Trump demanded that Israel refrain from retaliating against Iran because their attack resulted in zero casualties. Why is there a sudden double standard when it comes to a US response?”

… Iranian Parliament Speaker MB Ghalibaf: “We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best. You ride the horse you saddled!”

… ABC’s Jonathan Karl spoke to Trump later as the US launched retaliatory strikes:
"I think it's very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak. This is a response to what they did they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is."

… Right before this incident happened, JD Vance was on Fox touting a peace deal and total victory: “Let’s be honest. The Iranians don’t want this war to continue. It’s not in their best interests. They’re coming to the table putting some real things on the table. If we get this deal, it’s going to be a home run for the American people.”

… And Trump told reporters right after the game that a deal was very close: “Two or three days - we have a very good chance of doing it.”

… CNN reported that Trump has claimed an Iran deal was “imminent” 38 different times.

… Even Republicans are getting frustrated. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) on Fox: “I’m starting to feel like we’re Charlie Brown and Iran is Lucy, and every time we go to kick the ball it’s taken away. ‘We’re close to a deal, we’re 2 days from a deal, we’re 3 days from a deal,’ and it’s not happening. If I were in Vegas right now, I’d be betting that in 2 days we’ll be right where we are today.”

… Fox host Jesse Watters: “Trump keeps saying we're very close, days away. I don't know what that means. We've heard that for a very long time.”

… Iran expert Gregory Brew: “Iran has demonstrated that it will fire on Israel to defend Hezbollah, it will fire on the Gulf if the US strikes its territory, and it will fire on ships that attempt to run the blockade in the strait. Iran does not want the war to continue, but it is also prepared for the war to re-intensify, confident that another round of fighting will produce a similar (and perhaps even more favorable) outcome.”

… NYT: “A key obstacle to an Iran deal has been Trump’s shifting demands and frustration with the negotiation process. According to mediators, Trump has been frustrated by his inability to speak directly with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and by Tehran’s slow pace of negotiations. They say he has repeatedly changed terms that his own team had already discussed with Iranian officials.”

… “In the first round of talks after the April cease-fire, Trump’s envoys—Steve Witkoff and JD Vance—reportedly proposed a deal under which Iran would suspend uranium enrichment for 10 years. Iranian officials say they accepted that framework, only for Trump to later demand a 20-year suspension, helping derail the talks.”

… “More recently, while negotiators waited for Khamenei’s response to a draft agreement, Trump reportedly added new conditions related to Iran’s nuclear program and access to frozen assets, further deepening Iranian mistrust of the negotiations.”

… Trump to ABC: “Somebody’s going to have to build all that infrastructure, new bridges, new this, new that, new power plants - they’re talking about a trillion dollars, probably more. That’s why we’ll probably get involved in rebuilding. But, we’ll get half their oil.”

… Yeah, I’m not an expert on the Iranian regime, but I don’t really think they are going to accept that kind of a deal. Just a hunch.

… Dr Oz was on Fox talking about his new Medicaid requirements: “You have to work. You were not put on this planet to sit at home and watch TV. The average person who’s on Medicaid, who’s able-bodied, watches 6.1 hours of television, or just hangs out, every day. That’s not why God put you here.”

… Gavin Newsom: “Wow. We cant believe Dr. Oz would insult Trump like that.”

… Rep. Jim Jordan held a Judiciary Committee hearing where he was supposed the expose the Southern Poverty Law Center after they were indicted by Todd Blanche for allegedly instigating violence at right-wing events using paid informants. Like most Jordan hearings, he hyped it up on Fox for days only to have it unravel into a total clown show when live witnesses were questioned under oath.

… I’m still not exactly sure why, but Jordan’s star witness was right-wing activist and Trump-supporter Alveda King, who appeared to know very little about SPLC except for her uncle’s affiliation with the org during the Civil Rights era. Ranking member Jamie Raskin attempted to determine whether King knew anything about SPLC:

• King: Do you pay the same people that do the bomb and then go comfort the people from being bombed? Do you pay the same people that do both jobs. That’s kind of fraud to me - it’s weird and chaotic and confusing.

• Raskin: I don’t think there’s any allegation that anyone who worked for SPLC bombed anyone. Do you have information to that effect?

• King: I don’t personally, but outside agitators did bomb our house in 1963 and they ran back and took off the KKK sheets and put on police things and ran up in the yard. It was crazy!”

• Raskin: That’s a statement about the racism of that police force working with the KKK.

• King: Hey, y’all pay both of them to do the double jobs. That’s what SPLC does now. You hire them to do the bombing then you hire them to fix the bombing? That’s weird.

• Raskin: You are asserting a lot of things under oath and you haven’t brought the evidence with you.

• King: I’ll get some for you.

• Raskin: OK, please. Bring us the evidence.

• King: I will.

… Rep. Jasmine Crockett was incredulous that Jordan would have King testify at the hearing when she knows nothing about the case: “White men on that side of the aisle are lecturing people of color on who is fighting for who. People of color do not feel comfortable or welcomed within your party. That’s why you have to parade someone who has the name ‘Dr. King’ attached to them, so that people can be confused.

… “I’ve been reading the comments online, and people are asking, ‘Who is this Dr. King?’ because you want them to believe that somehow she espouses who Dr. King was. Yet you’ve yet to have MLK III come in here. You’ve yet to have Dr. Bernice King—the ones who were actually raised by Dr. King, the ones who probably actually understand the teachings of Dr. King.”

… Alveda King has an honorary doctorate.

… Jordan attempted to question SPLC CEO Bryan Fair, but since the org is presently under a criminal indictment he was unable to answer most of the questions. He was able to answer this: Jordan - “Do you wish you hadn’t done the program? You said the program was successful, helpful, but now you’re stopping it. Fair: We stopped the program because we believe hate and extremism has migrated significantly online and in to govt agencies.”

Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my weekly podcast Uncovered where we do a deep dive into the top stories of the week. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

Thank you again to everyone who read, shares and subscribes.

… House Oversight’s Robert Garcia gave an update today on his Epstein investigation: “Today we had Ms. Groff, who’s actually still testifying before the committee. She’s giving us, in fact, I think a lot of names of staff, employees, and folks who worked in the Epstein orbit. She worked for Epstein for 18 years, so she’s being asked some very tough questions, rightly so, about what she knew and who she scheduled

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Ok, here’s what we’re tracking right now:

• Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at MSG, got thunderously booed, appeared to fall asleep on camera, and the Knicks lost — ending their 13-game winning streak

• Markets are deep in the red: Nasdaq down nearly 3%, S&P down nearly 2%, Goldman Sachs and Barclays warning this isn’t a blip

• Trump says Iran shot down a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, and vows revenge

• ProPublica drops a bombshell: an Indian billionaire targeted by Trump poured $100M+ into a startup secretly backed by Don Jr.

• The Epstein coverup rolls on as House Oversight Chair James Comer refuses to subpoena Todd Blanche

• The White House account posted a digitally altered photo mocking Hakeem Jeffries with a sombrero edited onto his head

• USMCA trade talks are expected to miss the July 1 renewal deadline, with the Trump team blaming Canada, of course

• Peter Navarro went on Fox and said every American should love tariffs

Before I go any further, if you haven’t yet joined as a paid subscriber, consider doing so now by clicking here to support our work. This is how we grow. And if you’re already a Meidas+ paid Substack subscriber, thank you for supporting pro-democracy media. We’re making this update free for everyone to read.

Let’s get into it.

Trump Thunderously Booed at the Garden

Let’s recap last night for a moment.

Donald Trump showed up to Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan. Before he even got inside, he was greeted outside by protest signs and middle fingers. The Secret Service locked down multiple blocks around MSG. No bags allowed, arrive two hours early, pedestrian and vehicle closures. That meant thousands of Knicks fans were stuck in long lines just to watch their team play, all because Trump needed to make himself the center of attention.

When his face appeared on the Jumbotron during the national anthem, the entire arena erupted. The White House pool report described it as being “thunderously booed.” CNN’s Hannah Keyser noted the boos for Trump were actually louder than those directed at the visiting San Antonio Spurs. You can hear the boos for yourself (again) here:

Then, mid-game, we noticed that Trump appeared to have dozed off during the game. By this morning it had been seen by tens of millions of people. When he wasn’t sleeping, he was reportedly eating hamburgers and pizza and French fries. The Knicks, meanwhile, lost 115-111, with the Spurs sealing it on two Stephon Castle free throws with under two minutes left, snapping a 13-game winning streak and a 46-day run that had included taking Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio.

After the buzzer, Knicks fans poured into the streets chanting against Trump. The “Trump Curse” trended across social media. Trump got booed out of the city.

Trump’s response was to repost someone named Nicole Parker USA, whose post said “NYC loves Donald Trump.”

Stephen A. Smith, who Trump took a swipe at yesterday, commented on Trump on First Take: “The brother wasn’t awake. If it was that important for you to be there, why did you look like you were asleep? Didn’t you call out former President Biden as ‘Sleepy Joe’? Well, what should we call you?”

Rep. Ted Lieu is asking the same question publicly. Lieu, talking to MeidasTouch’s Scott MacFarlane, pointed to the pattern of Trump dozing at Cabinet meetings, official events, and now the NBA Finals on national television and said: “The president of the United States is not well. We can see it with our own eyes.” He’s calling on the White House to explain Trump’s repeated hospital visits and why the president is reportedly undergoing cognitive testing.

Markets Crashing. Goldman and Barclays Are Worried.

The Dow is down over 350 points. The S&P is off nearly 2%. The Nasdaq is down close to 3%. CNN’s Fear and Greed index is sitting at 31, squarely in “Fear” territory. Goldman Sachs shifted to a negative market outlook, and market desks at both Goldman and Barclays are saying Friday’s sell-off wasn’t a one-off. They’re flagging crowded momentum positioning, weak market breadth, and higher-for-longer rates as compounding risk factors. Goldman separately forecasts interest rates likely staying on hold through 2026.

A reminder: Joe Biden handed this administration what economists called a Goldilocks economy. Inflation was coming down toward 2%. Multiple interest rate cuts were on the table. There was real capital available to fuel job growth. Trump blew all of that up with his tariff war, and now they’re scrambling to find someone to blame.

So who do they blame (aside from Biden)? Canada. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer went on Fox Business and cited Canada’s retaliatory tariffs as the reason USMCA talks are stalling and the July 1 renewal deadline will be missed. Retaliatory tariffs. Meaning, we attacked them, and they responded. It’s literally a South Park episode. When in doubt, blame Canada.

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Meanwhile, Peter Navarro went on Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria and told viewers that every American should love tariffs. He also warned that the country “should be in total rebellion” if the Fed raises interest rates. Because now that their own policies have blown up the economy and rate cuts are off the table, they need a villain, and they’ve settled on Jerome Powell running some kind of shadow operation at the Fed.

The Apache Helicopter and the Iran Situation

A US Army AH-64 Apache went down Monday evening near the coast of Oman, close to the Strait of Hormuz. Both crew members were rescued safely, and in a genuinely remarkable development, the rescue was carried out in part by a Saronic Corsair unmanned surface vessel, a drone boat, in what US Central Command described as the first-of-its-kind rescue operation at sea.

Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran shot the helicopter down and that the US “must, of necessity, respond.” CENTCOM’s official statement confirmed the helicopter went down and confirmed the rescue.

Weird, because Trump previously said Iran’s military had been “completely obliterated.”

A senior U.S. official told Axios that a military investigation determined that an Iranian drone struck the AH-64 Apache over the Hormuz Strait causing it to crash, though the official said the investigation had not yet determined whether that was an intentional action by Iran.

Separately, per a report citing an IRGC-affiliated news agency, Iran agreed to halt fire against Israel following a reported US transfer of $3 billion in unfrozen Iranian assets, flown from Abu Dhabi to Tehran via a UAE aircraft during Iran’s airspace closure. A Qatari delegation reportedly brokered the arrangement. The flight itself appears to be confirmed by open-source tracking, and a UAE delegation presence in Tehran has been reported by multiple sources. But the $3 billion claim remains unverified as of this time. If true, this would be a stunning and remarkable development.

This is the context in which Trump is running around yelling “deal in two days, deal in three days, the biggest deal, the most powerful deal.” Just stop. Either there’s a deal or there isn’t. The performative announcing of deals that don’t exist while actual military incidents go unexplained is not leadership.

The Epstein Coverup, Don Jr.’s $100 Million, and a Very Strange Hearing

ProPublica published a significant investigation this morning. Reporter Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski report that Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries invested at least $100 million into an obscure Texas startup secretly connected to Donald Trump Jr., at the exact same time the Ambani family secured a series of major policy wins from the Trump administration: tariff exemptions, sanctions relief, and the ability to import discounted Russian oil and resell it. The timing, as ProPublica puts it, is awfully suspicious. There are dozens of stories like this involving Don Jr., Eric, and Jared Kushner. This family is getting paid, and Americans are getting left with the bill.

On the Epstein front, let’s circle back to Pam Bondi’s congressional appearance. Instead of answering most questions, she blamed Todd Blanche, said she didn’t recall, declined to answer anything predating 2024, and refused to discuss her communications with Trump or anyone in the executive branch. The logical next step is to bring in Todd Blanche. When Rep. Mike Garcia formally requested House Oversight Chair James Comer subpoena Blanche, Comer dismissed it. Rep. Yassamin Ansari responded directly: “James Comer doesn’t quite get that we are in fact serious about this investigation. It’s the most egregious cover up in American history and he’s happily enabling it.”

And then there was Alveda King, who appeared as a Republican witness at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Southern Poverty Law Center, and, out of absolutely nowhere, began talking about chopping off baby penises. Rep. Jamie Raskin was present. There is no additional context I can provide that would make that make more sense.

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Social Media Trolls in the White House

While all this was going on, the White House social media team was hard at work trolling and posting more slop. They posted a photo of Trump saluting with the caption “Trust.” and “PATRIOTS IN CONTROL.” They promoted the UFC event at the White House on June 14th with AI-generated imagery and the branding “FIGHT WEEK. History in the making. BUILT. NOT GIVEN.” Nobody asked for this. Nobody wants a pay-per-view UFC event hosted at the White House. You’ve turned one of the most important symbols of American democracy into an abandoned Six Flags.

And then they posted a digitally manipulated video of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a sombrero edited onto his head, captioned: “Ok, anyways, we fixed the hat for you. Oh, and @POTUS knows ball.”

Grow up. Just grow up.

That’s why when I discuss these issue, I constantly say these are not inherently political issues to me. Oftentimes, it comes down to basic competence and common decency. This White House and its enablers have none of those qualities.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading, liking, restacking, and subscribing. We’ll be back later with more.

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While the White House has spent months trying to bury the Epstein files, a small bipartisan commission in Santa Fe just fired 14 subpoenas at the people and institutions that allegedly let it all happen. They are going after Epstein’s own estate. They are going after the FBI and the DOJ. They are going after Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan Chase — the two banks that allegedly moved his money for years while women and girls were being abused on his ranch. They are going after state agencies, the governor’s office, local law enforcement, and a prestigious scientific research center that allegedly received at least $680,000 in Epstein donations.

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No political theater. No press conference grandstanding. Just a $2 million budget and a mandate to find the truth.

This is what accountability looks like when Washington refuses to provide it.

On June 1, survivors stood before the commission and told their stories. Rachel, who alleges she was abused by Epstein at his Zorro Ranch after being hired as a massage therapist, told the commission: “In 2019, when Jeffrey Epstein was arrested, I spoke out about the sexual abuse and crimes he committed against me. I am here again today in 2026 as a 52-year-old woman speaking out, trying to find truth and justice — and still no answers.”

Seven years. Still no answers.

Virginia Giuffre’s family was also there. Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent alleged victims, died by suicide last year. Her sister-in-law Amanda Roberts called the commission’s work “an opportunity to finally turn the page from secrecy and impunity toward real accountability and real justice.”

These are not abstract political arguments. These are women. These are families. And they are still waiting.

They are not just looking at what Epstein did. They are looking at who helped him do it.

Meanwhile in Washington, Pam Bondi couldn’t find her voice.

Pam Bondi sat for four hours of closed-door questioning before the House Oversight Committee on May 29. She refused to answer whether Trump had any involvement in the handling or withholding of the Epstein files. Not once. Bondi was not under oath. The interview was not videotaped because for the Republicans their “investigation” seems more of a distraction than a serious probe into the truth.

After all, according to former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, their leader, Trump called Greene personally and screamed at her for pushing to release the files. She says he told her: “Marjorie, my friends will get hurt.” She says he told her: “People you know, Marjorie, people at Mar-a-Lago. They’re going to get hurt.”

Thankfully New Mexico is far away from Washington and has the courage and the legal basis to uncover the truth. Rep. Andrea Romero, who chairs the commission, put it plainly: the abuses at Zorro Ranch “went ignored here for over 20 years.” State authorities have reopened a criminal investigation that was closed in 2019 at the request of the DOJ. It searched the ranch in March. The commission has a tip line. They are building a referral package for prosecution.

They are doing the work that Republicans in Washington can’t, or won’t.

The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, said in April that the Epstein files “should not be a part of anything going forward.” Trump told Americans to move on. The former attorney general took four hours to say nothing.

New Mexico is not moving on.

And somewhere, 14 institutions are about to get a subpoena from a state legislature operating with $2 million and no patience left for silence.

The survivors have been waiting years for someone to take them seriously. Four lawmakers on a perfectly named the truth commission, just did.

Consider subscribing to Dina on Substack to support her work:

Dina Doll

Legal Analyst/Attorney/Community Leader/Mom MeidasTouch Host & Legal AF Contributor/ I explain the law because the law belongs to us all

Dina Doll is an experienced attorney and legal analyst. She hosts the MissTrial podcast on MeidasTouch and co-hosts Unprecedented on Legal AF. Dina also serves as the legal expert for Access Hollywood’s Trial Files and provides regular legal commentary for CNN, NewsNation, and other national media outlets. In addition to her media work, she is a delegate to the California Democratic Party, a community activist, and a City Library Commissioner.

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… WaPo: “Trump is used to cheers at his highly curated rallies and events. But on Monday night he’s widely expected to be showered with boos when he becomes the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. Online betting services also predict Trump will be booed in his visit to deep-blue NYC and the Knicks’ arena, Madison Square Garden.”

… “As an added frustration, Trump’s presence will create logistical hurdles for the roughly 20,000 other attendees, who have been told to arrive at least two hours before tip-off because of the enhanced security measures that follow the president. City officials have also said there will be no watch parties outside the arena for the thousands of fans who can’t get inside, breaking with recent practice.”

… The WH declined to comment on some fans’ frustrations and whether Trump was prepared to be booed. WH spokesperson Olivia Wales issued this statement: “President Trump is the greatest champion for sports of any president in American history.”

… NYPD announcement: “Tonight is Game 3 of the NBA finals – an exciting time for NYC – and we want everyone to be able to enjoy the game safely. With tonight’s presidential visit, there will be extra security measures in and around MSG that the NYPD and Secret Service have planned together. Starting at 4pm today, vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be closed from West 30th Street to West 35th Street between 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue.”

… “No one will be allowed inside the secure area unless you have a ticket to the game, a train ticket, are going to a business inside the area, have credentials, or have some other authorized reason to be there. Please allow extra time to get to the game and avoid the area around MSG if you don’t have a reason to be there. As always, if you see something, say something. Call 911. Go Knicks!”

… Right-wing podcaster Ann Coulter: “Of all the selfish, narcissistic things Trump has done, attending MSG to see the Knicks play in person Monday night is the absolute worst. 20,000 attendees will be MASSIVELY inconvenienced for all the extra security, the Knicks Watch Party at Garden Is canceled, thousands of extra law enforcement officers will be required (paid for by taxpayers), traffic will be a disaster - all so he can sit in the Garden rather than watch the game on TV.”

… Trump will sit in owner James Dolan’s luxury suite.

… Journalist Lee Escobedo: “Trump showing up to the Knicks Finals has an $8 billion explanation. And no one’s talking about it. The reason James Dolan invited him was that MSG sits atop Penn Station, and the Trump admin had the final say on a proposal to demolish the arena and relocate it across the street, with Dolan’s approval reportedly serving as a prerequisite for that outcome.”

… “So while real fans who bled through the Isiah Thomas era and the Eddy Curry trade are paying $9,000 a seat and getting TSA’d at the door, billionaires are deciding the future of NYC, the Knicks, and America in the owner’s suite. As George Carlin said, ‘It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it.’”

… NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani will also be in attendance. He bought a standing room only ticket directly from MSG box office for $1,000. As mayor of NYC he could have pulled some strings to get choice seats and VIP treatment. But he bought the cheapest ticket and will attend the game with the rest of the fans.

… Danny Abriano, editor of SNY sports: “This is a massive shutdown of midtown ahead of Knicks-Spurs Game 3 at MSG. Can’t imagine the pain it will cause local bars/restaurants in the area. And can’t imagine how difficult it will be to get through the security checkpoints.”

… Tommy Beer, sports reporter for Forbes: “Absolute brutal blow for restaurant/bar owners in central midtown who pay exorbitant rents for the privilege of being close to MSG.”

… Sports commentator and producer Bailey Carlin: “Insanely brutal shot to the bars and restaurants in the area. The parking garages too. The clown show rolls on however. Cart guys, bartenders who could have lived off tonight’s tips for weeks - so many people hurt.”

… Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Express: “I think the president being here just makes it inconvenient for everybody else. We’re getting screened like it’s TSA. It’s a little inconvenient for the people that’s got to play, but it is what it is.”

… There is also no pre-game access to the locker rooms for reporters for the first time all season, because Trump reportedly wants to go in to see the players before the game.

… Ryan Glasspiegel with Front Office Sports: “Source tells FOS that yes, ESPN/ABC plans to show president Trump during Game 3 of Knicks-Spurs tonight at MSG, in line with how they always show current/former presidents at sporting events. (Caveat applies - as long as he’s visible for the cameras).”

… Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was on CNBC blaming Joe Biden for screwworm: “I do think it’s important to note that under the last admin with the massive movement under the open borders policy, that’s when it began to make it’s way back to America.”

… I’m not sure how that makes any sense. She claimed that a migrant might have brought screwworms across the border while Biden was president. Over 17 months ago. But they are just appearing now. And the average life-cycle of a screwworm is about 3 weeks.

… Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH): “The Trump Admin cut funding for screwworm detection and fired 25% of staff responsible for tracking the disease. I’m embarrassed for the Secretary that her only answer is to blame the admin that left office a year and a half ago.”

… Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) repeated the new talking point on Newsmax: “This is another thing we can thank Joe Biden for - when millions of people came out of Central America they brought this screwworm with them.”

… Trump lost a massive court case today, with US District Judge Leo Sorokin striking down the $100,000 fee he imposed on H-1B visas in the case of California v. Markwayne Mullin:

“On Sept 19, 2025, Trump signed Proclamation 10973, which adds a $100,000 supplemental payment requirement to all H-1B petitions. The Proclamation and the corresponding Policy have significantly increased the cost of H-1B petitions, which, prior to the Proclamation, totaled somewhere between $960 and $7,595 in regulatory and statutory fees. Plaintiffs allege that they stand to suffer various harms from the new payment requirement:

• The Policy will impede their ability to hire educators for their primary and secondary schools, exacerbating existing teacher shortages.

• The Policy will negatively impact their ability to staff public colleges and universities and stymie critical academic research.

• The Policy will lead to a decline in H-1B medical workers, which, in turn, will worsen staffing shortages in medical facilities and diminish access to healthcare.”

… The court ruled that Trump’s visa fee is an illegal tax on businesses that must be passed by Congress and struck it down.

… NOTUS: “A Texas lawyer who helped lead Republican Ken Paxton’s defense during his 2023 impeachment trial is endorsing Democrat James Talarico in the state’s critical Senate race this Nov. Dan Cogdell is a Houston-based defense lawyer who represented Paxton in both the impeachment trial and a long-running securities fraud case. Cogdell donated $6,500 to Paxton’s campaign last year.”

… Cogdell invited Talarico on his podcast: “I defended Ken Paxton for years in the impeachment trial and in state criminal cases. But I think Ken has lost sight of his core mission, which is to represent the people of TX. And unlike Ken, I believe that you, James, believe in unity over division and that you know how to assemble not only Democrats but Independents and Republicans and we need that right now. We need unity, we don’t need any more division and that’s why I’m supporting you.”

… Talarico issued a statement: “If you voted for John Cornyn, you have a place in this campaign. If you’re a Republican tired of the corruption you’re seeing in govt, you have a place in this campaign. Even if you’re Ken Paxton’s impeachment lawyer, you have a place in this campaign.”

… Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) released a video last night denouncing Pete Hegseth: “I think it’s very unfortunate that the Pentagon has chosen to identify basically every faith group in America that professes faith in Christ as Christian with one exception - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I find this offensive. It is repugnant. I implore the Pentagon to undo it. Secretary Hegseth, tear down that wall. This is not cool. Get rid of it! Get rid of it now!”

… Lee later posted at 12:33 AM: “I just got off the phone with President Trump. We discussed the Pentagon’s ‘Christian list’. I won’t speak for him, but I’m thrilled about where this is heading. We’re most fortunate that President Trump (1) loves Latter-day Saints, and (2) is our commander in chief. Stay tuned.”

… Fox host Jason Chaffetz: “Dept. of War needs to correct the record. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints truly are Christians. I happen to be a member, and first and foremost I believe in Jesus Christ. We are Christians.”

… CA State Sen. Scott Wiener: “Hegseth is now deciding which religions are officially recognized and which aren’t. This is in the context of Hegseth working overtime to make the US military a Christian organization. We have a separation of church and state for a reason. It’s unbelievably dangerous when the government picks and chooses among religions.”

… The Pentagon then issued revised guidelines adding Mormons: “The mistake has been fixed.” Another great national crisis averted.

… Hegseth did this intentionally. Many evangelicals believe that the Mormon church is completely heretical. Trump couldn’t care less about the whole thing and just told him to reverse it to get Mike Lee and others off his back.

… I will also note that Hegseth in one week created two new major political controversies out of an aspect of the job that should be fairly routine: He turned the D-Day commemoration ceremony into an anti-immigration speech and removed Mormons from the list of DOD Christian denominations.

Our newest DC correspondent, young Luke Radel, filled in for Pablo this week on Ask the Editor. Pablo is on a flight to Italy today. Luke just got the first interview with Hunter Biden since he opened his twitter account two weeks ago, which has caused quite a stir.

I answered your questions about the real reason Knicks owner James Dolan invited Trump to the game, what I think is going to happen, the various theories and conspiracies on both the left and the right about what really happened with the shooting at the Trump campaign rally in Butler, as well as a couple other topics. Link to the show is here.

If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin recapping the weekend, you can find it here.

… AP: “Israel and Iran traded fire early Monday in retaliatory strikes that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a full-scale regional war. It was the first exchange of fire since an April 8 ceasefire was reached. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed an attack on Israel and said Israel-affiliated vessels would again be a target in the Red Sea. Tehran had warned of retaliation after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning earlier Sunday.”

… “The Israeli strikes came in apparent defiance of Trump, who told Benjamin Netanyahu that he doesn’t think Israel needs to respond further. In his first comments since the attacks, Trump wrote online: ‘Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting.’ Two regional officials said concerted diplomatic efforts were

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Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this week’s episode! To have your questions considered for next week, look out for Ron’s call-to-action in his daily news bulletins.

Read below for a full recap of this episode and watch above! Let’s dive in.

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