Monday Afternoon News Updates: The Ballroom Brigade — 4/27/26

Hi all, Ben here. It’s Monday, and predictably, Republicans are trying to use the WHCD incident to distract from all of the Trump regime’s failures. Here’s a high-level look at today’s stories:

• Trump has gone nearly silent on social media, his last post being a response to a random account about renaming ICE

• MAGA Republicans are wall-to-wall on TV demanding Trump be gifted a golden ballroom

• Melania attacks Jimmy Kimmel; her friend Paolo Zampolli posts a bizarre AI birthday tribute

• Germany’s chancellor says the U.S. has no strategy in Iran and is being humiliated on the world stage

• Iran’s foreign minister meets with Putin; Iran and Russia declare themselves strategic partners

• MeidasTouch host and legal analyst Katie Phang files federal suit against the DOJ over Epstein files

Before I go any further, I want to thank all our paid subscribers. At MeidasTouch, you know we don’t care about access. We don’t care about offending power. We don’t act as stenographers for Trump’s lies. We care about getting you the truth. If you’re already a Meidas+ Substack member, thank you. If not, join us today and support our unapologetic reporting.

Let’s dive in.