By Ben Meiselas
Hi all, Ben here.
I hope you were able to get some rest and detach a little bit over the long weekend. Let me fill you in on what’s happening today.
An erratic Donald Trump returned to Washington after Thanksgiving facing the devastating realities of his failed presidency: a collapsing regime, the lowest presidential polling numbers in American history, and growing public exhaustion with the chaos he manufactures daily. And on this Monday morning, when most Americans are simply trying to get to work, pay bills, and care for their families, Trump’s answer to his political freefall was to summon what he calls his “war cabinet” to discuss the possibility of invading Venezuela.
The American people want no part of it. Polling shows that seventy percent of Americans oppose a war with Venezuela. A majority, fifty-six percent, also recognize that a military conflict would do nothing to change drug flows into the United States. Only thirty-seven percent say such a war would reduce drug trafficking. Those numbers reflect a country that sees through Trump’s desperate gambit.
Still, the regime is pressing ahead. Trump’s allies have been sent onto right-wing media this morning, pushing a bizarre mixture of war fever, regime-change fantasies, and open discussions about seizing Venezuela’s oil reserves. One MAGA congressman framed the situation as a simple matter of being “in for a penny, in for a pound.” Another declared there is “precedent for America going in and removing dictators,” citing past U.S. interventions as if they were templates for holiday-season invasions.
If this all feels coordinated, it is. This isn’t about protecting democracy or human rights, or fighting drug trafficking. Trump’s allies have been trying to justify military escalation by arguing that a war would allow the United States to “seize all of Venezuela’s oil” and provide windfalls to American petroleum companies. Meanwhile, ordinary Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, unable to afford rent, groceries, or basic healthcare. Instead of addressing those crises, Trump is threatening a foreign conflict for political distraction and corporate enrichment.
The rhetoric has become even more extreme. Senator Markwayne Mullin recently appeared on multiple programs praising the administration’s willingness to use “lethality” not just abroad but “at home” against supposed enemies. He framed migrants and asylum seekers as military targets, blurring the line between law enforcement and wartime combat.
And then there is the growing scandal over the U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan fishing boat, an operation I believe constitutes a war crime. Reports indicate that a second strike may have been ordered after survivors were seen clinging to life. MAGA Congressman Carlos Gimenez dismissed calls for investigation, insisting that “Pete Hegseth is an honest guy” and that since he and Trump deny wrongdoing, Congress should simply accept their word.
The trust they demand is particularly laughable given Trump’s own track record. This is a man who stood on Air Force One and said he had “no idea” which part of his body his MRI examined. He rambled about cognitive tests instead of answering a basic question, and then again attacked a female reporter.
And the dysfunction is not confined to foreign policy. This morning, we learned the FBI’s own agents, current and retired, have submitted a blistering 115-page report to Congress condemning FBI Director Kash Patel as “in over his head,” “insecure,” and lacking the necessary experience or “bearing” to lead the Bureau. They describe Patel’s behavior following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, including a tantrum over needing to wear a special FBI raid jacket that left agents scrambling to find Velcro patches and a women’s cut jacket that would fit him. They also label Dan Bongino, Patel’s deputy, as “something of a clown.”
The dysfunction extends across the government. Today, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that Alina Habba was never legally acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. Judges from across the political spectrum determined she was unlawfully occupying the role after attempting to sidestep established rules governing vacancies. This follows other instances of Trump officials trying to bypass Senate confirmation, destroy norms, and consolidate power through procedural manipulation.
None of this is normal. None of it is acceptable. And none of it is sustainable.
The American people deserve a government focused on their lives, not on manufacturing foreign wars, abusing law enforcement powers, or installing unqualified loyalists in positions of immense authority. They deserve transparency, accountability, and leaders who tell the truth.
Instead, they are getting a crumbling regime lurching from scandal to scandal, trying desperately to distract the country from its own failures with the oldest authoritarian tactic in the book: wag the dog.
We see it. We reject it. And we will keep exposing it.
Watch my latest report above. Remember to like and share this post. And be sure to check out our YouTube channel throughout the day for more updates.
