By Ben Meiselas
Hi Meidas Mighty. We’ve made it to another week.
It is the Monday before Christmas, and I hope you get a chance to wind down and relax. You deserve it. I’ll be here to keep you updated
This morning, Trump is still spiraling over the Epstein files. Rather than answer basic questions about the continued cover-up of the files, the White House is manufacturing distractions that carry real consequences for Americans and for global stability.
The most brazen example arrived in the form of an announcement naming Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a “special envoy” to Greenland. Greenland remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and the posturing was not subtle. Landry publicly framed the role as an effort to make Greenland “part of the U.S.,” language that Danish officials quickly condemned. In a joint statement, Denmark and Greenland emphasized that national borders and state sovereignty are foundational principles of international law and cannot be altered by force, political or military.
Denmark’s foreign minister said he was summoning the U.S. ambassador to explain the appointment, calling the envoy’s remarks unacceptable. The reaction was swift because the implications were serious. Threatening a NATO ally is not a joke, not a stunt, and not a harmless distraction. It signals a willingness to treat sovereignty as optional.
The timing matters. Russian envoys were in Florida at the same moment, meeting with Trump’s circle about Ukraine. The language coming out of those talks spoke of the “Ukrainian conflict,” a familiar Kremlin euphemism that obscures the reality of Russia’s invasion. Russia claims it seeks peace while refusing a ceasefire unless it can seize eastern Ukraine outright. Ukraine has agreed to stop the fighting. Moscow has not. Yet, the Trump administration continues to parrot Putin’s language.
What emerges is a coherent, if chilling, worldview shared by authoritarian leaders. Trump’s actions increasingly mirror those of Vladimir Putin: territorial threats, contempt for international law, and the belief that powerful states can carve up the world. In that vision, the United States dominates the Western Hemisphere, Russia claims Europe, and China controls Asia. Once you recognize that framework, the chaos starts to make sense.
At home, the cruelty is just as deliberate. Trump has denied Colorado’s request for disaster relief following devastating fires and floods, reportedly retaliating after the state refused to release Tina Peters, a convicted January 6 election conspirator. He has no authority to pardon her, so he issued a performative “pardon” anyway and punished Colorado when it was ignored. California has also seen disaster relief delayed or denied. North Carolina is still waiting for aid after Hurricane Helene, even as previous assistance approved under former President Biden remains slow-rolled.
The message is unmistakable. In the Trump regime, loyalty is rewarded, dissent is punished, and suffering is a bargaining chip. Senator John Hickenlooper put it plainly, saying this is not a game and that Coloradans are trying to rebuild their lives after their homes and communities were destroyed.
While states beg for help, the administration finds money for itself. FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly ordered more than $1 million in armored BMWs and pressed for a new FBI jet costing up to $115 million. At the same time, the administration is recalling dozens of U.S. ambassadors from posts around the world, leaving embassies leaderless and American diplomacy hollowed out.
This dismantling coincides with an unprecedented fundraising apparatus that blurs the line between campaign finance and outright bribery. NY Times reporting shows that hundreds of major donors have received pardons, government jobs, ambassadorships, or regulatory favors after contributing millions. A donation to Trump-linked entities is increasingly treated as a down payment on access or immunity.
Energy policy is not spared. The administration has suspended leases for major offshore wind projects, citing “national security concerns.” Huh? We all know the truth. Wind power threatens fossil fuel interests and could lower energy prices for consumers. Instead, it is framed as a danger to radar systems, allowing the White House to kneecap clean energy under the banner of security.
And then there is the theater of cruelty. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a “home for the holidays” program offering cash payments to undocumented immigrants who self-deport, paired with threats of permanent exclusion if they do not comply.
And of course this all happens amid the news of CBS News’s capitulation to the Trump regime. I wrote about that in detail here.
None of this is accidental. Trump wants you distracted. He wants to cause so much chaos that you don’t know where to focus. But he doesn’t know the power of this movement. We can focus on how he refuses transparency about child sex trafficking records, threatens allies, starves states of aid, monetizes the presidency, and everything else.
Independent media exists for moments like this. Watch my latest report above, and consider joining now as a paid subscriber if you haven’t yet.
