Sunday Coffee with Ben Meiselas

Written by Ben Meiselas

I am not going to let ABC’s settlement with Trump over his absurd defamation case ruin our cup of coffee together this morning. This coffee is the perfect temperature. I have my toast at the perfect level of crunch. Not too soft, not too burnt. I may even put some cream cheese on the toast like my mom would make me when I was home sick from elementary school decades ago.

Back to the news… Look at it this way: By obeying in advance in their race to the bottom, corporate media has revealed its true colors, and they are no longer hiding it. They hate we the people. They hate democracy. They care solely about protecting their billionaire backers. That’s the game. It’s been that way for a while now. But now they are flaunting it in our faces.

That ABC settlement to pay Trump $15 million for his future presidential library is so preposterously offensive and so humiliating for journalism, it’s hard to make up scenarios in your mind of such a total capitulation. I did a detailed analysis of the settlement yesterday afternoon I posted on Substack. Read it at your leisure, but let’s finish this coffee together first.

I learned two days ago that MeidasTouch legal analyst and host Karen Friedman Agnifilo was hired to be the criminal defense lawyer for Luigi Mangione. Karen is one of my best friends in the world and she is like family to me. She was the former number two prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. She is the top criminal defense lawyer in New York. She is an incredible person who I care about dearly. I believe that all people accused of crimes, even the most serious crimes, deserve their day in court and have a constitutional right to competent counsel. That’s the way our criminal justice system works. Karen is the best of the best, and it has always been incredible to have her on the network. I am not sure what she can or can’t talk about with respect to the case, but we will see. One of the interesting things about the MeidasTouch Network is we have the top people in their professional fields as hosts who remain active in their fields and are involved directly with some of the biggest news stories.

Give me a second, I want to check on my daughter Ximena… Be right back…

Ok, back. My baby girl Ximena is almost three months old. She is just the best. My wife Xochitl has made my job far easier than it should be by being the best mom ever. Love you, Xochitl.

Back to the coffee… You know what… I am going for the cream cheese on the toast…

Ok, really back this time…

I am loving the expansion of MeidasTouch in Canada. I am proud of our Canadian coverage that no one else is doing in the United States… or even in Canada.

Our YouTube video on House of Commons MP Charlie Angus’ floor speech calling out Trump and his enablers in Canada did over 1.5 million views. I did a one-on-one interview with MP Angus as well that we posted, and it was well received.

MP Angus told me that the MeidasTouch Network is very big in Canada and that people in his district were telling him how they saw him on Meidas. MP Angus told me he was surprised just how big the MeidasTouch presence was everywhere he goes in Canada. That was great to hear. It was great to have MP Angus on the network and learn from him.

An interesting part of the interview with MP Angus was his discussion on how Canadian politics is not controlled by special interest groups and big money. He explained that an entire campaign to be an MP costs $100,000. MP Angus also explained how Canada’s Supreme Court has not fallen victim to extremism like the Supreme Court in America. Angus explained how America was trying to export its grievance and rage-baiting politics internationally, and it was important for pro-democracy communities to unite at an international level to confront the international threat of MAGA.

I enjoyed last night’s Legal AF with Michael Popok… What did you think?

We debated President Biden giving preemptive pardons, and we also discussed how MAGA Republicans who were also convicted felons were winning elections in heavily red areas across the country. It’s definitely worth watching if you have a minute today.

Alright, folks, that was a good coffee and good toast with cream cheese. I enjoyed spending this morning with you. I am excited for Ron Filipkowski’s bulletin later. He’s the best in the business, that’s for sure.

Finally, it’s always awkward making this request at the end of these stories, but it is actually very important. MeidasTouch Network has zero outside investors. One of the main ways this network grows is through our paid Substack subscriptions. When we see corporate media like ABC fold to pursue the agenda of their oligarch billionaire leaders, it shows why it is so important we stay independent. Please become a paid subscriber now if you can to this Substack.

Thanks for having coffee with me. I hope you enjoyed your coffee.