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.
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
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 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 agree with your sentiment but in substance what you are calling for is regulation ("never be able to manage"), something 47's anti-administrative state never would do. Those are regulatory issues - suing the companies that have hit and run would accomplish nothing. Would you sue the government? Probably no legal basis would support it and new regulations easily can be passed to replace those discredited.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Exactly
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
“The weaker the opposition, the tighter the despotism.” "1984" by George Orwell
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
Because no on is stopping them!
They are getting away with it. Wake up 🇺🇸
Because they are getting away with it
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.
“[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 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.
I agree with your sentiment but in substance what you are calling for is regulation ("never be able to manage"), something 47's anti-administrative state never would do. Those are regulatory issues - suing the companies that have hit and run would accomplish nothing. Would you sue the government? Probably no legal basis would support it and new regulations easily can be passed to replace those discredited.
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.
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
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.
Who's funding that? That is the problem. Local papers are shuttering all the time because few people will pay.
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.
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.
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.
Thank you for what you do Mediastouch.
Right on Ben!
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.
"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.
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
It's about money and those whose appetite for it have no morals.
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.