Hi everyone, it’s Ben. It’s been a busy Saturday, and I want to fill you in on the latest news, including certain stories I don’t think are getting enough attention. Thank you for your support of the Meidas+ Substack. Consider subscribing if you haven’t yet.
Last night, as 450 Russian drones and 45 ballistic missiles rained down on Ukraine, killing civilians and plunging parts of the country into darkness, I couldn’t help but think of Donald Trump’s recent comments: “Let them fight.” Once again, Trump showed the world what happens when indifference replaces leadership. The man who once bragged he could “end the war in 24 hours” now shrugs at atrocities abroad and chaos at home.
While Ukraine fought for its survival, Trump appeared to drift in and out of consciousness in the Oval Office, moments before jetting off to Mar-a-Lago on the taxpayer’s dime. Later that night, his Florida estate was the site of yet another grotesque spectacle—half-dressed guests parading around as his administration pushed policies designed to strip Americans of basic needs. He’s partying while he makes Americans suffer. Again.
Then, this morning, Trump unveiled his latest absurd proposal: to abolish health insurance companies altogether and replace them with small government payouts directly to Americans. The same man who once promised “better, cheaper” health care now suggests that Americans facing cancer or chronic illness should simply go bankrupt. It’s a cruel con dressed up as populism and a continuation of Trump’s long pattern of lies, from his phantom “tariff rebate checks” to the nonexistent “DOGE dividends.” I don’t know about you, but universal health care sounds like a much better plan to me than kicking Americans off their health care plans, throwing them a couple thousands bucks, and telling them they’re on their own.
Democrats, meanwhile, offered a responsible way forward amid the shutdown crisis: extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for one year and form a bipartisan commission to develop longer-term solutions. Republicans rejected it out of hand. Senators like Lindsey Graham and JD Vance called it a “nonstarter,” preferring to plunge millions of families into chaos rather than concede a temporary lifeline to working Americans. Republicans want to force Americans to make a choice: let us take away your health care, or we will continue to starve you by withholding SNAP payments.
The hypocrisy runs deep. Trump boasts about affordability while inflation, driven in large part by his reckless tariffs, continues to squeeze families. His Justice Department rushed to the Supreme Court to block emergency payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), even as his administration shipped $40 billion to Argentina and poured a trillion dollars into military spending. SNAP, which keeps 42 million Americans from starving, would cost a fraction of that.
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Ok, back to my report.
Meanwhile, Trump and his enablers continue their campaign of cruelty and corruption. JD Vance condemned a federal judge who ordered the administration to release SNAP funds. Former Fox host Pete Hegseth, now running the Defense Department, has purged top generals and admirals who dared promote diversity, replacing military leadership with loyalty tests and propaganda. Trump-branded wine and cider are now being sold on U.S. military bases.
And yet, the MAGA elite call themselves patriots. Fox News just gave Melania Trump its “Patriot of the Year” award while millions of Americans struggle to pay rent and afford groceries. Trump points to the stock market as proof of prosperity, ignoring that it only reflects the fortunes of billionaires. Working people face the opposite reality—a K-shaped economy where one line soars while the other plummets.
This is a grotesque pageant of greed and decay. The Trump regime is an oligarchy masquerading as populism, siphoning public wealth to reward its cronies while dismantling the systems that keep Americans alive.
There’s a better way. America can afford universal health care. We can invest in people instead of profiteers, cut wasteful defense spending, and make billionaires pay their fair share. The wealth of this nation should serve its citizens, not the ego of a failed conman.
That’s why your voice matters. That’s why this reporting matters. Together, we fight for truth, for accountability, and for democracy itself.
