Grrrrrrrrrr… How in heaven's name does this administration think they're going to get away with this? They do not have the power they think they do and it's up to us to show them that. Thank you MeidasTouch for leading the way. As a senior American I'm grateful for the work you do.
Unfortunately they do because of the support of the oligarchs, the Republicans in Congress and the unethical MAGAs on the Supreme Court. It is BEYOND ME how so many gleefully cheer on the death of our Democracy or simple bury their heads in the sand because it hasn't impacted their lives YET!!
The timing was not inadvertent. He waited until there was a "war":
"Donald Trump has threatened to shut down broadcasters, but can he?" Brookings; 29-Dec-24; https://tinyurl.com/46t7xmfu
Reportedly locked in a White House safe are the secret “Presidential Emergency Action Documents” (PEADs). Colloquially known as the “Doomsday Book,” they are a collection of powers authorized by Congress for the president to use in emergencies. Included in this compendium is Section 706 (codified as 47 USC 606), titled, “War Emergency – Powers of the President,” that is tucked away at the end of the Communications Act of 1934, the statute that created the FCC. "
(d)Suspension or amendment of rules and regulations applicable to wire communications; closing of facilities; Government use of facilities
Upon proclamation by the President that there exists a state or threat of war involving the United States, the President, if he deems it necessary in the interest of the national security and defense, may, during a period ending not later than six months after the termination of such state or threat of war and not later than such earlier date as the Congress by concurrent resolution may designate, (1) suspend or amend the rules and regulations applicable to any or all facilities or stations for wire communication within the jurisdiction of the United States as prescribed by the Commission, (2) cause the closing of any facility or station for wire communication and the removal therefrom of its apparatus and equipment, or (3) authorize the use or control of any such facility or station and its apparatus and equipment by any department of the Government under such regulations as he may prescribe, upon just compensation to the owners.
I agree. I thought about this and read quite a bit by Adams, Hamilton, Jay, Madison, Franklin and others. The Federalist Papers are essential reading, at least as a go-to reference. I think the founders were concerned about protecting States' rights (the most knowing advocates of local interests) and were especially Madison, were concerned, about a centralized government of controlling aristocrats. The also worried a dominant executive (King George III taught this lesson to them) and believed that in Congress they had created an equal and strong and rational because diffuse power check. The Supreme Court, not as much initially, but certainly more after Marbury v. Madison about 15 years after the Constitution was signed, became the ultimate check. The could not conceive (realistically, who could have?) that all three branches were go horrible at the same time and do the thing they feared most: government seizing control from the governed. So it goes ...
The entire news radio and TV landscape has changed. There are more choices for people to get news. Gone are the days when CBS, ABC and NBC had a lock on providing the news. Less eyeballs or ears on your product due to competition and then there is alienating half the country, it is going to mean less ad revenue which pays the salaries. Since Bari Weiss took over the news division, CBS has been a little more fair in their bias but conservatives are just not going to come back. The choice is lose money every year or cut back.
Cronkite (CBS) and Huntley-Brinkley (NBC) got to us all we needed in 15 minutes (nightly news was expanded to 30 minutes in Sep. 1962). News was world news, US news, and done. Human interest stories were years away. It was news, quickly summarized and reported without fanfare. Cable shows such as HLN (renamed as Headline News) put an end to that in 1982. After that, more choices, but few of value on broadcast television. The networks failed us. Brian Williams (NBC) and his fog of war that did not happen. Dan Rather (CBS): misreporting whether Bush 43 met his military obligations. Peter Jennings (ABC): anti-Israel, anti-world Jewry. You can search all you want on the internet, but I remember it. You can read a lot here. “The Shameful Legacy of Three TV Anchors” (in the article, it is Brokaw (NBC) not Williams under attack). 5-Sep-2005; https://tinyurl.com/uj8ey46d. As for Bari Weiss, I respectfully disagree with your point of view. Ellison brought her in because of who and want she is and she has not disappointed his expectations of her. I’ll take Sharyn Alfonsi’s bona fides over hers any day. Spiking a story on demand is not journalistic independence of integrity. I do not see any decrease in their bias, and their inability to keep an anchor speaks volumes about the entire organizations. It is time for all three networks to give up the (news) ghost.
The 1934 Business Plot To Overthrow The U.S. Government | Big Money Plotted to Bring Down FDR; https://tinyurl.com/bdepdk6r
Ninety years ago, in 1934, a group of conservative businessmen conceived the Business Plot, also called the Wall Street Putsch or the White House Putsch. They planned to overthrow the government and the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and create a fascist dictatorship. A BBC investigation In July 2007 reported that Prescott Bush, father of U.S. President George H. W. Bush and grandfather of then-president George W. Bush, was to have been a “key liaison” between the 1933 Business Plotters and the newly emerged Nazi regime in Germany.
The process of electing a president in a democracy is everybody gets a vote. There is 1 winner that earns the right to command the country. Not to support the office of the president is disrespectful because it shows you don't want the USA to succeed. That makes you a threat to democracy to throw tantrums constantly and try to distract from the job of governing and making the decisions that are best for the American people.
If you TRULY believe that ANYONE in this administration. Is doing what is best for America, it is not worth my energy to debate with you. Have the life you voted for. I'll keep throwing my tantrums and actually do something to save our Democracy.
Independent News Sites & News Verification; Campbell Library, Rowan University (NJ); Included in this list are independent news sites, many of which are not-for-profit, whose stated missions are to uncover and report the news honestly, if not necessarily without some bias, and with maximum transparency. https://tinyurl.com/35v4kjub
Vewwy, vewwy scawwy book, 1984. I re-read it early this year and it gave me nightmares, something that didn't happen the first two times: in eighth and twelfth grades.
The book's on my to-read list for sure! Some books have me longing to read them again even before I finish them. That good!! Have you ever read Louise Cooper?
If so, read it 2x+. Much more comes to light with each reread. There is so much symbolism, some religious (which I overlook) but mostly it about how we are responsible for our own character development, yet more, "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it," I have not read Cooper. Can you suggest a good place to start? Thanks! KH
I will definitely savor all of it, especially the religious parts. Right now I'm in the middle of some heavy-duty adventures, but I'll be sure to order the book 'cause I've been meaning to get it for a while. I enjoy Coelho's writing!
Yep, yep, yep. I can relate! Star Shadow series (prequel): Star Ascendant,
Eclipse, Moonset. Time Master series (original trilogy; the prequel & sequel were added later; best to read in the right order): The Initiate, The Outcast, The Master. Chaos Gate series (sequel): The Deceiver, The Pretender, The Avenger. They're about Chaos vs. Order. What amazes me is how they relate to now. Cooper died in 2009. What a loss!!! I can only imagine what she'd be writing about now.
Like you, I'm ever so grateful for MTN and all its content creators, Will. I shudder to think what our lives would be like with them. I'm also grateful for the like-minded (bright, mostly nice) folks on Substack.
Sadly, it's the sicko sycophants sucking up to dear leader who, as we're all seeing, has lost what little brain he had and will soon be kicked to the curb when he least expects.
I wonder whether it is them (or just them) or the dominant wealthy economic cabal:
In the veiled corridors of global finance, a clandestine empire reigns supreme, its power rivaling the legendary dynasties of the Rothschilds and J.P. Morgan at their zenith. These modern titans—Vanguard, BlackRock, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), China Investment Corporation (CIC), Citadel, Jane Street, and D.E. Shaw & Co.—command trillions in assets, their influence a silent earthquake rippling through markets, governments, and geopolitics. Like the Rothschilds, who orchestrated Europe’s financial landscape in the 19th century, or J.P. Morgan, whose banking empire propped up nations and crushed rivals, this cabal operates in shadows, its architects—elusive figures ... wielding Godlike control with chilling precision.
Sovereign wealth funds like ADIA ($993 billion AUM) and CIC ($1.2 trillion AUM) are the cabal’s state-backed war chests, reminiscent of the Rothschilds’ loans to empires. ADIA, fueled by UAE oil wealth, and CIC, an extension of China’s Communist Party, pour billions into private equity, AI, and semiconductors through offshore shells, their motives as murky as Morgan’s monopolistic trusts. These funds don’t just invest—they manipulate global trade and tech, aligning markets with state agendas while evading scrutiny. ... The cabal’s secrecy is its deadliest weapon, as untraceable as the Rothschilds’ private couriers or Morgan’s closed-door deals. Without real-time disclosure, regulators are blind until markets bleed. A coordinated sell-off by Vanguard or BlackRock could vaporize trillions, dwarfing past crises.
The Hidden Titans of Global Finance: A Secretive Cabal Shaking Markets and Governments | BW BusinessWorld (India) Jul 25, 2025 https://tinyurl.com/2arpmr87
It is definitely the billionaires supporting and controlling the narratives with the Trump Regime. Do you think the Ellisons bought Warner Brothers for no reason? They bought it to control most of the media, including CBS. Do you think Bezos gave Trump all that money for the Melania movie on his own? I surmise it was to keep his name out of the Epstein files released. With Trump, it is all about money and grift. Release the unredacted Epstein files. Justice for the survivors!!!
Trump wanted to silence and reshape CNN. He already is getting that done. This is all about controlling the media and under that, the message. The shuttering of CBS radio behind the crippling of Corporation for Public Broadcasting; NPR; Radio Free Europe; the Voice of America make the point
Oh, my, gosh, Kelvin, your dendrites are on fire. I'm grateful for your shared thoughts! This reminds me of Dr. Milo Kearney's amazing history classes. Don't hold back!!
Thank you. 🙏 I would like to think that both of my remaining brain cells are interacting well (playing nicely). I worry when one of them goes. As 47 is now.
Yep. We gotta stay proactively engaged. Or, as someone once told me, "Use it or lose it." Still, those of us who read voraciously and stretch our rubber bands daily don't worry about the ol' pea brain 'cause we're having too much fun.
I haven’t watched mainstream media in over a year. It’s foreign news, or channels such as this. Many know they are being lied to, but are okay with it. Come Jesus Come!
I’ve been thinking the same since he bungled Covid and now here we are. It going to take everyone marching out and crashing his precious stock market sadly it will hurt the little guys even more than they already hurt but the big ones only feel pain when their finances are affected.
I'm not sure how that would work, but they don't get our eyeballs. Soon they can propagandize each other. People my age and older are the only ones who still watch evening news. We won't be around long to keep them in business. 😂
You are absolutely right....even if they had not done anything, their viewership numbers would have declined just because faithful viewers are dying off. They are just hurrying the process. I feel terrible for the folks who have lost their jobs but surely they saw it coming. And I don't know why anyone would want to work for CBS anymore, at least no one that worked there a long time (and you know was a good journalist) but it maybe be because they needed the job and/or had contracts they had to honor but CBS didn't. We need to continue to vote with our pocketbooks so to speak and make sure CBS (and probably nbc and cnn) know why we no longer watch...as you say, they can propagandize each other. There just aren't that many fox news viewers to go around and I don't think many will give up fox for cbs. I am so proud of MTN that our staff always invites fired journalists or those who chose to quit because they want to report the truth to explore what independent media has to offer and that we are here to help the transition...obviously we can't hire all of them but we can help them find their place in the choir.
“[The] medium is the message” because it is the medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action. The content or uses of such media are as diverse as they are ineffectual in shaping the form of human association. Indeed, it is only too typical that the “content” of any medium blinds us to the character of the medium."
[Eliminating the medium – turning off the radio – as CBS obediently did today, effectively suffocates the message, eliminating a source of and voice for undesirable opposition.]
The Medium is the Message; Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964) by Marshall McLuhan https://tinyurl.com/mr3f48mt
I'm old enough to have started Social Security this year. Don't worry about me - I was online before the Internet and coding in the 70s. I've been around. I don't click on weird stuff. I also have friends from 30 - 82. I don't want to get stuck and start yelling at clouds lol. There's one local rag here worth a read. The rest was good for wrapping fish until they went digital this year. We're moving cross country this summer. I'm not worried about decent local news where we're going. I already read what's there.
Around here most of the news outlets are owned by "conservative" news media. On a good day it's just watered down pap. I read the 1987 book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" about the effect of for profit news, and it was eerily prescient.
Yeah I am in a conservative information dessert myself. Nice book suggestion. Wonder if it comes in digital form. Digital book reading saves space. The four or five books I am reading at any given time take up less space. The truely wonderful works I buy in hard cover!
I often wish there was a way to sue companies for “malpractice” the way you can sue medical establishments.
The method should continue to leave the management of commercial decisions to the companies themselves, but should also put controls in place to hold companies accountable for purposely doing harm to the public.
Two examples of things we can’t do today legally, but SHOULD
be able to do:
1. A for-profit health system that sells off all its assets in order to reward execs and then files for bankruptcy and shutters the entire health system. Malpractice. Also, lose ability to ever be able to manage a health system again.
2. A media outlet that consistently promotes information that is provably false and/or purposely harmful to the public. Malpractice. Also, lose ability to ever be able to manage a communications channel again.
And before all the haters start — yes, I know this is an overly simplified explanation of my thoughts and is probably controversial for many reasons. But I think most folks will understand my point.
You aren’t wrong about regulating but you are wrong about suing. When our way of life changes to the negative because of lies and manipulation and puts families in danger it’s our job to step up. We can’t stand back and do nothing when Congress won’t do their job. It just happened with META being held accountable.
Yes!!! Let's make like Trump and sue, sue, sue and see how they like it. Boy, oh, boy, am I ever grateful for the ACLU and so many others who are on the ball every single day looking out for the Collective We.
On-line can have biases, too. It depends on who and what you watch. Not these!
• Candace (Owens) Podcast
• Tucker Carlson Network
• The Benny (Johnson) Show - Podcast
• The Megyn Kelly Show - Podcast
• America First with Nicholas J. Fuentes Repost - Podcast
There are lots of bullsh*T artists such as these on-line who spew pretend news bile.
It's like anything else: is the source credible and supported by credible support? I took a Master's Program research class 15 years ago that had five questions, including suggested answers. The challenge was to confirm them. Every one was a hoax designed to induce reliance on fabricated Wikipedia sites. The point was to see that.
I definitely urge-reccomend terminated employees to require any and all satisfactory compensation or retirement fund compensation. If denied require again and seek Attny representation! Good Luck to you all!
I reccomend an association of network techs and reporters( at least by phone or online) to go back after CBS&OTHER offenders of our 1st Amendment rights! Seriously! The 1st Amendment makes all of our Amendments stand and EXIST!
Even worse now that Ellisons bought Warner Brothers. They have lock on mainstream media and support Trump Regime. Don't count on any of their owned media companies to tell the truth. We are basically becoming a state-run media country!.
Agreed. Orwell from "1984": "And if the facts say otherwise, then the facts must be altered." Same source: "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into history and became truth.” The world of "Alt-Facts" on steroids.
MT and others are leading the way! This is my place for news, while also reading several newspapers. All the best to those that have been let go..you may realize it’s the best thing that could have happened after you regain your footing.
There are certain reporters and segments within legacy media that break and are critical with facts; they are the exception. The focus should be to get news from outlets that are independent (not corporate or government funded) and/or news outlets abroad that are not under U.S. policies. The following are examples of this and and they all do more than just repackage the lies from the standard news wires:
Democracy Now!, CNN-News18 (out of India), WION (also out of India), Al Jazeera (out of Qatar), Politico, Axios, Pro-Publica, Democracy Docket, Drop Site News.
All of them have a good website and presence on YouTube, as well.
As a veteran, I see the same fight for truth and accountability here that we lived in the field. Real courage is standing up for facts, even when powerful forces try to silence you. Keep going independent voices matter more than ever.
WHO IS CBS? I thought they were out of business? LOL! I will no longer watch any major news network and a couple of months ago (after they refused to air the CECOT episode) canceled my subscription to CBS. Disgusting behavior. Are the executives at CBS in the Epstein files as well?
Yes, I believe that is why billionaires keep funding Trump Regime. He keeps them out of Epstein release as long as they keep paying him. Why else would Bezos pay all that money for Melania movie???
CBS Journalists, do your own thing. Corporate control is over. The public relys on truth tellers like you, not regime puppets. Please don't give up your positions of power; providing the truth to the citizens of the USA. Lead us out of this time of madness.
Sorry to report that won't happen since Ellisons (Trump Regime supporters) bought Warner Brothers, which owned CBS. They will now become part of Regime media.
trump has trashed so much of our media and the old bag that took over CBS News is a criminal to me! Bari has taken 100 years and a bunch of good journalists and thrown them out! At least we have the go-to here with Ben and his brothers, and other Substacks to get news from!
I thin that, probably because most of them are so old, a lot of these guys angling for trump's approval don't realise that people have computers and phones. . .
Participating in independent(social) media is not unlike the the local call in shows that used to be popular in the before times. It will take time and money before it matures into what it intends to be. It's already way ahead of the dodgy legacy media. Who watches that shit?
Yeah the problem is the big boys have news gathering operations that indies don't generally have. It seems like journalists are trying to figure out how to restructure that.
Grrrrrrrrrr… How in heaven's name does this administration think they're going to get away with this? They do not have the power they think they do and it's up to us to show them that. Thank you MeidasTouch for leading the way. As a senior American I'm grateful for the work you do.
Unfortunately they do because of the support of the oligarchs, the Republicans in Congress and the unethical MAGAs on the Supreme Court. It is BEYOND ME how so many gleefully cheer on the death of our Democracy or simple bury their heads in the sand because it hasn't impacted their lives YET!!
The GOP has courted this move since at least the last decade...probably much longer
Indeed. & It's not just CBS it's across the board ALL MEDIA including Hollywood.
The timing was not inadvertent. He waited until there was a "war":
"Donald Trump has threatened to shut down broadcasters, but can he?" Brookings; 29-Dec-24; https://tinyurl.com/46t7xmfu
Reportedly locked in a White House safe are the secret “Presidential Emergency Action Documents” (PEADs). Colloquially known as the “Doomsday Book,” they are a collection of powers authorized by Congress for the president to use in emergencies. Included in this compendium is Section 706 (codified as 47 USC 606), titled, “War Emergency – Powers of the President,” that is tucked away at the end of the Communications Act of 1934, the statute that created the FCC. "
47 U.S. Code § 606 - War powers of President; https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/606
(d)Suspension or amendment of rules and regulations applicable to wire communications; closing of facilities; Government use of facilities
Upon proclamation by the President that there exists a state or threat of war involving the United States, the President, if he deems it necessary in the interest of the national security and defense, may, during a period ending not later than six months after the termination of such state or threat of war and not later than such earlier date as the Congress by concurrent resolution may designate, (1) suspend or amend the rules and regulations applicable to any or all facilities or stations for wire communication within the jurisdiction of the United States as prescribed by the Commission, (2) cause the closing of any facility or station for wire communication and the removal therefrom of its apparatus and equipment, or (3) authorize the use or control of any such facility or station and its apparatus and equipment by any department of the Government under such regulations as he may prescribe, upon just compensation to the owners.
This is where we need a "This pisses me off" button
Or at the very least, a don’t like button!
Um, ye-ES!!!
These laws were written assuming that the president was a rational, intelligent person. Unfortunately our currrent president is not one of them.
I agree. I thought about this and read quite a bit by Adams, Hamilton, Jay, Madison, Franklin and others. The Federalist Papers are essential reading, at least as a go-to reference. I think the founders were concerned about protecting States' rights (the most knowing advocates of local interests) and were especially Madison, were concerned, about a centralized government of controlling aristocrats. The also worried a dominant executive (King George III taught this lesson to them) and believed that in Congress they had created an equal and strong and rational because diffuse power check. The Supreme Court, not as much initially, but certainly more after Marbury v. Madison about 15 years after the Constitution was signed, became the ultimate check. The could not conceive (realistically, who could have?) that all three branches were go horrible at the same time and do the thing they feared most: government seizing control from the governed. So it goes ...
The entire news radio and TV landscape has changed. There are more choices for people to get news. Gone are the days when CBS, ABC and NBC had a lock on providing the news. Less eyeballs or ears on your product due to competition and then there is alienating half the country, it is going to mean less ad revenue which pays the salaries. Since Bari Weiss took over the news division, CBS has been a little more fair in their bias but conservatives are just not going to come back. The choice is lose money every year or cut back.
Cronkite (CBS) and Huntley-Brinkley (NBC) got to us all we needed in 15 minutes (nightly news was expanded to 30 minutes in Sep. 1962). News was world news, US news, and done. Human interest stories were years away. It was news, quickly summarized and reported without fanfare. Cable shows such as HLN (renamed as Headline News) put an end to that in 1982. After that, more choices, but few of value on broadcast television. The networks failed us. Brian Williams (NBC) and his fog of war that did not happen. Dan Rather (CBS): misreporting whether Bush 43 met his military obligations. Peter Jennings (ABC): anti-Israel, anti-world Jewry. You can search all you want on the internet, but I remember it. You can read a lot here. “The Shameful Legacy of Three TV Anchors” (in the article, it is Brokaw (NBC) not Williams under attack). 5-Sep-2005; https://tinyurl.com/uj8ey46d. As for Bari Weiss, I respectfully disagree with your point of view. Ellison brought her in because of who and want she is and she has not disappointed his expectations of her. I’ll take Sharyn Alfonsi’s bona fides over hers any day. Spiking a story on demand is not journalistic independence of integrity. I do not see any decrease in their bias, and their inability to keep an anchor speaks volumes about the entire organizations. It is time for all three networks to give up the (news) ghost.
It goes all the way back to Marine General Smedley Butler. Look him up for a real piece of history.
The 1934 Business Plot To Overthrow The U.S. Government | Big Money Plotted to Bring Down FDR; https://tinyurl.com/bdepdk6r
Ninety years ago, in 1934, a group of conservative businessmen conceived the Business Plot, also called the Wall Street Putsch or the White House Putsch. They planned to overthrow the government and the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and create a fascist dictatorship. A BBC investigation In July 2007 reported that Prescott Bush, father of U.S. President George H. W. Bush and grandfather of then-president George W. Bush, was to have been a “key liaison” between the 1933 Business Plotters and the newly emerged Nazi regime in Germany.
Exactly
You are the threat to democracy.
Why? Because I refuse to be quiet? I choose to think for myself? Please elaborate
The process of electing a president in a democracy is everybody gets a vote. There is 1 winner that earns the right to command the country. Not to support the office of the president is disrespectful because it shows you don't want the USA to succeed. That makes you a threat to democracy to throw tantrums constantly and try to distract from the job of governing and making the decisions that are best for the American people.
If you TRULY believe that ANYONE in this administration. Is doing what is best for America, it is not worth my energy to debate with you. Have the life you voted for. I'll keep throwing my tantrums and actually do something to save our Democracy.
“The weaker the opposition, the tighter the despotism.” "1984" by George Orwell
Independent News Sites & News Verification; Campbell Library, Rowan University (NJ); Included in this list are independent news sites, many of which are not-for-profit, whose stated missions are to uncover and report the news honestly, if not necessarily without some bias, and with maximum transparency. https://tinyurl.com/35v4kjub
Independent News [site alphabetized A-E; F-J; K-O; P-T; U-Z; including]:
• BBC News
• C-Span
• The Center for Public Integrity
• Consortiumnews.com
• The Daily Beast
• Democracy Now
• The Guardian
• Mother Jones
• NPR (National Public Radio)
• ProPublica
News Agencies
• Agence France-Presse (AFP)
• Associated Press
• Reuters
• United Press International
News Verification Sites
• FactCheck.org
• FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in [Reporting])
• Open Secrets.org
• Politifact
• Poytner Fact Checking
• Snopes
• The Sunlight Foundation
• TruthorFiction.com
Vewwy, vewwy scawwy book, 1984. I re-read it early this year and it gave me nightmares, something that didn't happen the first two times: in eighth and twelfth grades.
An inspiring counterpart to reaffirm respect for others, self-value, and the possible:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (I have read it 7x and will again many more times); https://tinyurl.com/5c933bxw
The book's on my to-read list for sure! Some books have me longing to read them again even before I finish them. That good!! Have you ever read Louise Cooper?
If so, read it 2x+. Much more comes to light with each reread. There is so much symbolism, some religious (which I overlook) but mostly it about how we are responsible for our own character development, yet more, "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it," I have not read Cooper. Can you suggest a good place to start? Thanks! KH
I will definitely savor all of it, especially the religious parts. Right now I'm in the middle of some heavy-duty adventures, but I'll be sure to order the book 'cause I've been meaning to get it for a while. I enjoy Coelho's writing!
Yep, yep, yep. I can relate! Star Shadow series (prequel): Star Ascendant,
Eclipse, Moonset. Time Master series (original trilogy; the prequel & sequel were added later; best to read in the right order): The Initiate, The Outcast, The Master. Chaos Gate series (sequel): The Deceiver, The Pretender, The Avenger. They're about Chaos vs. Order. What amazes me is how they relate to now. Cooper died in 2009. What a loss!!! I can only imagine what she'd be writing about now.
This is a decision being made by the private CEO. At least that’s how it’s being portrayed.
The only question I have is do they own any of the OTA broadcast licenses, and if they do will they be threatened with forfeiture?
CEO owned by Trump. Must be named in the Epstein files
I have a meme where jets are going over, dropping bombs that spell out EPSTEIN, which might be appropriate here.
Because they are.
Like you, I'm ever so grateful for MTN and all its content creators, Will. I shudder to think what our lives would be like with them. I'm also grateful for the like-minded (bright, mostly nice) folks on Substack.
Sadly, it's the sicko sycophants sucking up to dear leader who, as we're all seeing, has lost what little brain he had and will soon be kicked to the curb when he least expects.
I wonder whether it is them (or just them) or the dominant wealthy economic cabal:
In the veiled corridors of global finance, a clandestine empire reigns supreme, its power rivaling the legendary dynasties of the Rothschilds and J.P. Morgan at their zenith. These modern titans—Vanguard, BlackRock, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), China Investment Corporation (CIC), Citadel, Jane Street, and D.E. Shaw & Co.—command trillions in assets, their influence a silent earthquake rippling through markets, governments, and geopolitics. Like the Rothschilds, who orchestrated Europe’s financial landscape in the 19th century, or J.P. Morgan, whose banking empire propped up nations and crushed rivals, this cabal operates in shadows, its architects—elusive figures ... wielding Godlike control with chilling precision.
Sovereign wealth funds like ADIA ($993 billion AUM) and CIC ($1.2 trillion AUM) are the cabal’s state-backed war chests, reminiscent of the Rothschilds’ loans to empires. ADIA, fueled by UAE oil wealth, and CIC, an extension of China’s Communist Party, pour billions into private equity, AI, and semiconductors through offshore shells, their motives as murky as Morgan’s monopolistic trusts. These funds don’t just invest—they manipulate global trade and tech, aligning markets with state agendas while evading scrutiny. ... The cabal’s secrecy is its deadliest weapon, as untraceable as the Rothschilds’ private couriers or Morgan’s closed-door deals. Without real-time disclosure, regulators are blind until markets bleed. A coordinated sell-off by Vanguard or BlackRock could vaporize trillions, dwarfing past crises.
The Hidden Titans of Global Finance: A Secretive Cabal Shaking Markets and Governments | BW BusinessWorld (India) Jul 25, 2025 https://tinyurl.com/2arpmr87
It is definitely the billionaires supporting and controlling the narratives with the Trump Regime. Do you think the Ellisons bought Warner Brothers for no reason? They bought it to control most of the media, including CBS. Do you think Bezos gave Trump all that money for the Melania movie on his own? I surmise it was to keep his name out of the Epstein files released. With Trump, it is all about money and grift. Release the unredacted Epstein files. Justice for the survivors!!!
Trump wanted to silence and reshape CNN. He already is getting that done. This is all about controlling the media and under that, the message. The shuttering of CBS radio behind the crippling of Corporation for Public Broadcasting; NPR; Radio Free Europe; the Voice of America make the point
Oh, my, gosh, Kelvin, your dendrites are on fire. I'm grateful for your shared thoughts! This reminds me of Dr. Milo Kearney's amazing history classes. Don't hold back!!
Thank you. 🙏 I would like to think that both of my remaining brain cells are interacting well (playing nicely). I worry when one of them goes. As 47 is now.
Yep. We gotta stay proactively engaged. Or, as someone once told me, "Use it or lose it." Still, those of us who read voraciously and stretch our rubber bands daily don't worry about the ol' pea brain 'cause we're having too much fun.
Because no on is stopping them!
They are getting away with it. Wake up 🇺🇸
I haven’t watched mainstream media in over a year. It’s foreign news, or channels such as this. Many know they are being lied to, but are okay with it. Come Jesus Come!
Because they are getting away with it
Um, ye-AH!!!
Heritage Foundation thought the majority would just accept Project 2025 and roll over. That is definitely not the case!
Don’t watch, won’t watch, this is disgraceful. I hope they lose all their listeners
Well said.
They're thinking they can get away with it... because they have been getting away with it!
Sorry to say but it looks like they are getting away with it. I never thought this would happen here. 😢
I’ve been thinking the same since he bungled Covid and now here we are. It going to take everyone marching out and crashing his precious stock market sadly it will hurt the little guys even more than they already hurt but the big ones only feel pain when their finances are affected.
We need to sue these legacy media outlets for keeping truth and legitimate journalism from the people causing political chaos
I'm not sure how that would work, but they don't get our eyeballs. Soon they can propagandize each other. People my age and older are the only ones who still watch evening news. We won't be around long to keep them in business. 😂
You are absolutely right....even if they had not done anything, their viewership numbers would have declined just because faithful viewers are dying off. They are just hurrying the process. I feel terrible for the folks who have lost their jobs but surely they saw it coming. And I don't know why anyone would want to work for CBS anymore, at least no one that worked there a long time (and you know was a good journalist) but it maybe be because they needed the job and/or had contracts they had to honor but CBS didn't. We need to continue to vote with our pocketbooks so to speak and make sure CBS (and probably nbc and cnn) know why we no longer watch...as you say, they can propagandize each other. There just aren't that many fox news viewers to go around and I don't think many will give up fox for cbs. I am so proud of MTN that our staff always invites fired journalists or those who chose to quit because they want to report the truth to explore what independent media has to offer and that we are here to help the transition...obviously we can't hire all of them but we can help them find their place in the choir.
And require as guests! We would enjoy enjoy hearing the 'new direction' from our dear friends as well! We're all in this 'together!'
“[The] medium is the message” because it is the medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action. The content or uses of such media are as diverse as they are ineffectual in shaping the form of human association. Indeed, it is only too typical that the “content” of any medium blinds us to the character of the medium."
[Eliminating the medium – turning off the radio – as CBS obediently did today, effectively suffocates the message, eliminating a source of and voice for undesirable opposition.]
The Medium is the Message; Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964) by Marshall McLuhan https://tinyurl.com/mr3f48mt
We stopped watching evening news awhile ago. Couldn't handle the negativity and fluff.
Lies and deceit. Why listen
I totally agree with you. Young people do not watch television (or at least my 7 grandchildren all in their 20's.) You Tube is where it's at!
I don't know how old you are but old dogs can learn new tricks and learn what not to click.
Local news - some places still have news papers own by small struggling businesses. They may even have web versions.
I read Ground News who does some presentations of news accross the spectrum but they also show biases.
I do pay a small membership fee but I think they have limited free versions.
I'm old enough to have started Social Security this year. Don't worry about me - I was online before the Internet and coding in the 70s. I've been around. I don't click on weird stuff. I also have friends from 30 - 82. I don't want to get stuck and start yelling at clouds lol. There's one local rag here worth a read. The rest was good for wrapping fish until they went digital this year. We're moving cross country this summer. I'm not worried about decent local news where we're going. I already read what's there.
Hard to wrap fish and line bird cages with digital news.
I remember being able to pack a decent set of dishes with one Sunday paper!
Back then lying was considered scandalous. Politicians would be called out for mis-spelling words publicly.
I can take progress but it sure would be nice if we could go back to making lying and corruption wrong again.
Around here most of the news outlets are owned by "conservative" news media. On a good day it's just watered down pap. I read the 1987 book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" about the effect of for profit news, and it was eerily prescient.
Yeah I am in a conservative information dessert myself. Nice book suggestion. Wonder if it comes in digital form. Digital book reading saves space. The four or five books I am reading at any given time take up less space. The truely wonderful works I buy in hard cover!
Me too!
I often wish there was a way to sue companies for “malpractice” the way you can sue medical establishments.
The method should continue to leave the management of commercial decisions to the companies themselves, but should also put controls in place to hold companies accountable for purposely doing harm to the public.
Two examples of things we can’t do today legally, but SHOULD
be able to do:
1. A for-profit health system that sells off all its assets in order to reward execs and then files for bankruptcy and shutters the entire health system. Malpractice. Also, lose ability to ever be able to manage a health system again.
2. A media outlet that consistently promotes information that is provably false and/or purposely harmful to the public. Malpractice. Also, lose ability to ever be able to manage a communications channel again.
And before all the haters start — yes, I know this is an overly simplified explanation of my thoughts and is probably controversial for many reasons. But I think most folks will understand my point.
I understand your point and I totally agree. Healthcare systems and health insurance companies should not have stockholders either.
Smelling maggott BS
You aren’t wrong about regulating but you are wrong about suing. When our way of life changes to the negative because of lies and manipulation and puts families in danger it’s our job to step up. We can’t stand back and do nothing when Congress won’t do their job. It just happened with META being held accountable.
Yes!!! Let's make like Trump and sue, sue, sue and see how they like it. Boy, oh, boy, am I ever grateful for the ACLU and so many others who are on the ball every single day looking out for the Collective We.
I get all my news online. F the tv stations.
On-line can have biases, too. It depends on who and what you watch. Not these!
• Candace (Owens) Podcast
• Tucker Carlson Network
• The Benny (Johnson) Show - Podcast
• The Megyn Kelly Show - Podcast
• America First with Nicholas J. Fuentes Repost - Podcast
There are lots of bullsh*T artists such as these on-line who spew pretend news bile.
It's like anything else: is the source credible and supported by credible support? I took a Master's Program research class 15 years ago that had five questions, including suggested answers. The challenge was to confirm them. Every one was a hoax designed to induce reliance on fabricated Wikipedia sites. The point was to see that.
Oh me too! Podcasters will see a new surge, hopefully! CBS has rump-shit on their face now!
I definitely urge-reccomend terminated employees to require any and all satisfactory compensation or retirement fund compensation. If denied require again and seek Attny representation! Good Luck to you all!
And in a decade when a decision finally comes out, they’ll be dead
Class action! We can do it online!
I'm hoping attnys are looking closely at this as we text!
700 News people should be able to form their own network. I hope that they do. Let the legacy media fail because they have failed the American people!
It’s 700 stations, I imagine many more than 700 journalists directly affected. Grrrr….😖
I stand corrected. Thank you.
I reccomend an association of network techs and reporters( at least by phone or online) to go back after CBS&OTHER offenders of our 1st Amendment rights! Seriously! The 1st Amendment makes all of our Amendments stand and EXIST!
Who's funding that? That is the problem. Local papers are shuttering all the time because few people will pay.
State controlled media, horrifying
And completely foreseeable after PBS, VOA and Paramount acquisitions
Military control coupled with War powers and over Posse Comitatus violations
Immunity (including the pardon power to immunize others)
Traitors who will neither invoke 25(4) powers or impeach/conviction proceedings
Manipulation of the electoral process to effect disenfranchisement and recreate Jim Crow
Subjugation of Women (Heritage; 2026: “Saving America by Saving the Family")
Arrest, disappearance, deportation based on pigmentation and "undesirability"
The DOJ is in-house counsel supported by in-house investigators (FBI, CIA)
DNI the see/hear/speak no evil monkey and DHS (ICE/CBP) as the Stasi/SS enforcers
Oppressive and regressive taxation by tariffs and supplemental war assessments
Denial of the social safety net (USAID; Medicare; Medicaid; ACA; ACA; SSA (COLA%)
AI automation and robots to replace workers rendered redundant, leaving families hungry
Elimination of vaccines available to the wealthy but denied to greater society
The list easily could continue, but the point is made. CBS being shut down was foreseeable
Even worse now that Ellisons bought Warner Brothers. They have lock on mainstream media and support Trump Regime. Don't count on any of their owned media companies to tell the truth. We are basically becoming a state-run media country!.
Agreed. Orwell from "1984": "And if the facts say otherwise, then the facts must be altered." Same source: "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into history and became truth.” The world of "Alt-Facts" on steroids.
rumpie thinks putin's great...
you know rump is a Russian asset! Charge with TREASON!
MT and others are leading the way! This is my place for news, while also reading several newspapers. All the best to those that have been let go..you may realize it’s the best thing that could have happened after you regain your footing.
There are certain reporters and segments within legacy media that break and are critical with facts; they are the exception. The focus should be to get news from outlets that are independent (not corporate or government funded) and/or news outlets abroad that are not under U.S. policies. The following are examples of this and and they all do more than just repackage the lies from the standard news wires:
Democracy Now!, CNN-News18 (out of India), WION (also out of India), Al Jazeera (out of Qatar), Politico, Axios, Pro-Publica, Democracy Docket, Drop Site News.
All of them have a good website and presence on YouTube, as well.
As a veteran, I see the same fight for truth and accountability here that we lived in the field. Real courage is standing up for facts, even when powerful forces try to silence you. Keep going independent voices matter more than ever.
WHO IS CBS? I thought they were out of business? LOL! I will no longer watch any major news network and a couple of months ago (after they refused to air the CECOT episode) canceled my subscription to CBS. Disgusting behavior. Are the executives at CBS in the Epstein files as well?
They are freeing themselves of facts, as required by Agent Orange. Now they can concentrate on their true name: Corporate BS.
Yes, I believe that is why billionaires keep funding Trump Regime. He keeps them out of Epstein release as long as they keep paying him. Why else would Bezos pay all that money for Melania movie???
Thank you for what you do Mediastouch.
CBS Journalists, do your own thing. Corporate control is over. The public relys on truth tellers like you, not regime puppets. Please don't give up your positions of power; providing the truth to the citizens of the USA. Lead us out of this time of madness.
Sorry to report that won't happen since Ellisons (Trump Regime supporters) bought Warner Brothers, which owned CBS. They will now become part of Regime media.
A cranky old lady named Bari
The truth she dared to not carry
So come over to Meidas
Where the news is the finest
Hurry up and please do not tary!
If you like the little limerick above, please subscribe to my Substack for a daily dose of political poems, rhymes and songs.
We all need a little levity during these times....
Well done
Right on Ben!
It's about money and those whose appetite for it have no morals.
"Because what’s being lost today at CBS isn’t journalism — it’s just one outdated structure that could no longer contain it."
SO very important! This is inspiring and should be your rallying cry. I believe what you're doing is TRUE journalism and I'm so very, very thankful.
Media is definitely changing, and fast. I watch Cord Cutter News sometimes and it's like a cable company goes bust about daily.
trump has trashed so much of our media and the old bag that took over CBS News is a criminal to me! Bari has taken 100 years and a bunch of good journalists and thrown them out! At least we have the go-to here with Ben and his brothers, and other Substacks to get news from!
I thin that, probably because most of them are so old, a lot of these guys angling for trump's approval don't realise that people have computers and phones. . .
Participating in independent(social) media is not unlike the the local call in shows that used to be popular in the before times. It will take time and money before it matures into what it intends to be. It's already way ahead of the dodgy legacy media. Who watches that shit?
Yeah the problem is the big boys have news gathering operations that indies don't generally have. It seems like journalists are trying to figure out how to restructure that.