Sunday Coffee with Ben Meiselas

Written by Ben Meiselas

Gooooood morning, Meidas Mighty! It’s Sunday, December 22, 2024. Time for some Sunday morning coffee together.

I normally brew my own coffee on Sundays, but as I type this, I’m walking to a restaurant to redeem my benefit points for a free coffee before they expire. That would be annoying. I also get a free pastry with my points this morning. I think I’m going to get a blueberry muffin, but I’ll make a game-time decision once I’m there.

Okay, okay, you’re not here to hear me talk about blueberry muffins, I suppose. Let’s get into the news…

It was quite the week.

I was in Washington, D.C., for most of it. I conducted the interview with President Biden in the Roosevelt Room of the West Wing of the White House on Monday.

We released the interview on Thursday morning.

What did you think of it?

I thought it was one of the most insightful and important interviews of President Biden’s time in office. I hope it will endure the test of time and show a stark contrast between President Biden the statesman and Donald Trump the madman.

I’m at the restaurant now, by the way, and I’m definitely going with the free blueberry muffin and a black coffee. No milk or sugar for me—I always drink it black. I also make sure to have a glass of water first. Glad I signed up for these points for the free drink. Okay, back to the news…

Earlier in the week, Trump was handed a big defeat in his New York criminal case. Judge Merchan upheld Donald Trump’s 34 felony count conviction and denied his motion to dismiss on absolute immunity grounds.

Trump had a meltdown after the ruling, making social media posts attacking the judge like a little toddler. The next step is to see what, if anything, Justice Merchan will do regarding sentencing.

Trump was also dealt a big loss on Capitol Hill as Republicans defied his orders. It appeared Elon Musk was pulling Trump’s strings, with Trump acting as his puppet. The GOP Speaker of the House—

UGHHH…I just spilled some coffee on my gray sweatshirt. Give me a second…Dang. It’s a small stain, but that’s what happens when I try to write this while walking home with coffee in hand…Hope it comes out in the wash…

Anyway, as I was saying, in the House of Representatives, GOP Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson entered into a bipartisan Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government funded with Democrats.

Elon Musk threw a temper tantrum on social media and directed the GOP to kill their own bill, which they did. Then Donald Trump randomly started posting that the GOP needed to either abolish the debt ceiling or extend the deadline to 2029—or else cause a government shutdown. Ultimately, most Republicans ignored Trump, and the CR passed without any mention of the debt ceiling.

Once again, Trump looked like a weak negotiator that no one takes seriously.

It seems Elon Musk and Trump threw Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson under the bus, and now Trump voters hate him. MAGA Mike even canceled his appearance at a big GOP conference in Phoenix, but he still got booed when his name was mentioned at the event—even in his absence.

I’m walking back into my house now.

I’m going to put my sweatshirt in the wash and hope the stain comes out.

The coffee is very good. The blueberry muffin is exceptional.

My dogs, Taquito (a white Maltese) and Chaquito (a brown mini-poodle), are happy to see me. They’re barking a little, and I’m hoping they don’t wake up my wife, Xochitl, and my 3-month-old baby daughter, Ximena. Shhh, Taquito and Chaquito…

Back to the news—Speaker MAGA Mike may not even have enough votes to keep his position as Speaker. The dysfunction in the MAGA Republican Party is wild.

I think House Democrats, under the leadership of Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, did a good job pushing back against the GOP and pointing out that an unelected billionaire like Elon Musk is pulling Trump’s strings and trying to hurt the American people.

Trump also continues to threaten our allies. This week, he said he would impose tariffs on Europe if it didn’t “buy more oil” from America. He also made bizarre comments suggesting some form of a conflict with Panama unless it gives America better access to the Panama Canal. Statements like these only push allies like Panama closer to China. Trump is a liability.

This week, I also had great interviews with Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss and Canadian Member of Parliament Charlie Angus.

Angus delivered another epic rant calling out Trump for his attacks on Canada, and it went viral.

And good news—looks like the stain is coming out of my sweatshirt. Close call.

You never know what you’re going to get during Sunday coffee on this Substack. Lol.

On a serious note, as I finish this coffee, I want to thank you for all you do for our democracy every day.

There’s no way I’d ever get the opportunity to interview President Biden if it weren’t for you and this incredible community. I love the Meidas Mighty so much. You’re like family to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Time for me to finish some last-minute Christmas shopping now.

The coffee is mostly finished. It wasn’t quite as good as when I brew it myself, but it was passable.

We’ve got some great videos coming out today on our YouTube channel. Ron Filipkowski will release his weekend recap tonight. Also, check out Justin Gill’s write-up on this Substack about how Meidas helped nurses organize their fight against RFK Jr.—it’s a great read.

How Meidas Helped Nurses Stand Up to Trump and RFK

That’s about it for now.

One last thing:

We’re trying to get 2,000 new paid subscribers to this Substack before Christmas to help grow this network. If you can become a paid subscriber, please do so now. It helps us a lot since we have zero outside investors.

Thanks so much, and have a great day.