Sunday Message from MeidasTouch

Hey everyone, it’s Ben Meiselas from the MeidasTouch Network, here with my Sunday post.

As you know, this is what I believe is my most important post of the week, where we reflect on everything that’s happened and talk about what’s coming as we approach the week ahead.

Things are escalating so fast, so let’s get right into it.

But first, a reminder: if you can, make sure you’re subscribed to the Substack. The paid subscriptions here have been incredibly helpful to our growth. If you’re able to become a paid subscriber, now is the time to do it as we continue to expand, as you’ve been seeing here and across the world.

Escalation.

We’re seeing it happen right now across the world. And it exposes Donald Trump’s total unsuitability, morally, strategically, in capacity, and in strength.

He doesn’t have the basic qualities of a decent person, let alone a leader. He has the qualities of a sex predator, which he is. He has the qualities of a felon, which he is. He has the qualities of a bankrupter. He’s a fraud, and we’re seeing it all on display right now.

This morning, he announced an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. He said he had spoken to both Putin and Zelensky and that they had agreed. Without even waiting to hear from Zelensky or Putin, we knew it was false, because this is what he does. He lies about everything.

It’s shameful and humiliating that the president of the United States lies about things like this, but everything he says is a lie.

Shortly after, Zelensky said this was news to him, but that he would welcome an energy ceasefire.

Then in Russia, Duma representatives said they knew nothing about it, that they had no clue what Trump was talking about, and that it was just Trump trying to manipulate energy prices.

And what was Donald Trump doing? Posting photos of himself with Mike Tyson and deranged posts about Kid Rock, as though this is all one big game.

It’s not a game.

This is real life.

Even as Trump was making his announcement, Russia was striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure in Kharkiv and throughout Ukraine.

This follows Trump’s announcement on Friday that the United States would be importing Russian diesel, which he described as a massive amount that would help drive down diesel prices.

He then spent all of Friday and Saturday attacking Zelensky, blaming him for rising diesel and gas prices and claiming that Zelensky is the reason Americans and farmers are suffering.

Trump even said he wants to see Zelensky out as president of Ukraine.

At the MeidasTouch Network, we immediately pointed out that this so called diesel deal isn’t even for much diesel. We’re talking about 300,000 or 500,000 tons, which works out to a few million barrels. In the global oil market, that isn’t enough to cover even half a day.

In the swing of things, it’s nothing.

On top of that, Russia likely doesn’t even have the diesel surplus to meet this supposed commitment.

The whole thing was a mafia protection racket and propaganda exercise, where Trump could essentially tell Zelensky, “Now you can’t strike Russian refineries, because they’re under our protection.”

We also pointed out right away, in real time and without hesitation, that this violates the law.

It violates the 2022 ban on the importation of Russian oil, which requires certification under penalty of perjury that the war with Ukraine is over and that Russia no longer poses a threat to NATO before any such imports can happen.

It also violates a 2017 law that Trump himself signed during his first term, which requires 30 days’ notice to Congress for this kind of sanctions relief involving Russia.

As I’ve said before, Trump may have absolute immunity thanks to our out of control right wing Supreme Court. But you know who doesn’t? Treasury Secretary Bessent, who issued a temporary license allowing the importation of Russian oil in violation of the law. You know who else doesn’t? Markwayne Mullin, the Secretary of Homeland Security, because Customs and Border Protection will have to take custody and control of the diesel.

In my legal opinion, and feel free to disagree, these individuals can be criminally prosecuted. Anyone involved in unloading or using the Russian diesel is part of a racketeering enterprise that can be criminally prosecuted. If that Russian diesel finds its way into the pump, if people here are buying it and companies in the United States are using it, then in my opinion they are violating sanctions laws and could be prosecuted.

That’s my legal opinion as a law professor, but of course you’re free to disagree.

We’re also seeing massive escalation in the Middle East.

Donald Trump and Bessent are saying the United States will not engage in what they call “kinetic engagement” before the midterms. What a bizarre phrase. What it means is war, actual strikes on Iran, and they’re tying the timing to the midterms.

Donald Trump is choreographing a return to massive escalation and signaling to Iran that it can climb the

escalation ladder now.

In the past ten days or so, Iran has struck close to 20 tankers. Let me repeat that: 20 tankers have been struck, and not just in the Strait of Hormuz.

These include the tankers used for ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman, the ones that wait outside the port of Fujairah on the UAE’s east coast or near Dubai to the west, hugging the coast of Oman. They pull up alongside VLCCs, the very large crude carriers, connect the hose, and pump the oil across. Iran has been striking those.

And Iran isn’t the only one escalating.

Something we’ve been warning about for a while is now happening: the Houthis, or Ansar Allah as they’re more commonly called in the region, are escalating too.

This really began back in July, when MBS struck the airport in Sanaa, the Houthi capital. The Houthis responded at first with a blockade of Saudi ships in the Red Sea, while signaling to Europe and the United States that they would lift it once Saudi Arabia ended its own blockade of Sanaa and the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

But MBS believed he was under Trump’s protection after all the quid pro quos. So he escalated, using the Saudi-supported PLC government in Yemen, and used American weapons to strike inside Houthi territory.

The Houthis answered by hitting Saudi refineries, first in the west at Yanbu, Jeddah, and Jazan, then in the east at Abqaiq, and then in Riyadh itself.

Yesterday they struck Terminal 3 in Riyadh, killing 12 people and injuring more than 320. Today they struck Terminal 4.

What this shows is that if the Houthis can strike the Saudi capital like this, MBS doesn’t have the interceptors or the air defense to stop them.

That shouldn’t come as a shock, because the United States doesn’t have the weapons or interceptors anymore either.

Trump and his administration, these lifelong frauds and liars, ran through America’s weapons stockpiles in this war.

As I’ve noted before, we have only one aircraft carrier in the region, the first time that’s been the case in forever. And our military bases have been destroyed. I’m not being hyperbolic. Almost all of our military bases in the Middle East have been destroyed by Iran. That’s why Hegseth, the Pentagon, and Trump are refusing to let senators visit those bases. They don’t want anyone to see what they would reveal.

I believe we never should have been involved in this catastrophic war in the first place, a war that was started back in late February to cover up the Epstein files. But on top of that, it has been run catastrophically from a military strategy and competence perspective. It’s been a disaster. I mean, we ran out of weapons against Iran in the first month of war.

Just yesterday, the Pentagon quietly updated its killed in action count to 21, and we believe the real number is much higher.

They just keep covering it up.

When we and others reported months ago that the death toll was being hidden, Hegseth compared us and other media outlets to the Pharisees, or whatever the hell he was trying to say.

So what we have now is the perfect storm.

There is war throughout the world. Whether you call it a world war at this point or multiple regional wars happening all at once, I’ll leave that to you.

And Trump is busy posting on social media about fake deals between Ukraine and Russia that aren’t happening. It’s tragic. It’s offensive.

And what I’m saying here isn’t even political. This should shock everyone’s conscience. By the way, that’s exactly why our book is called WTF America. What the hell is happening here? I don’t see any of this through a political spin lens. These are objective facts.

Now we can look at the political landscape for a moment.

Democrats are pulling ahead in both the Senate and the House. I did a lot of interviews this weekend. You may have seen my conversation with Congressman Robert Garcia, who will become chair of the House Oversight Committee when Democrats take control of the House. I spoke with Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, who runs the DCCC, about Democrats expanding the House map and putting more seats in play than they even thought possible.

I also released my interview with Senator Brian Schatz about how Democrats could take control of the Senate as well. And in the governor’s races, Democrats can win in places like Texas and Iowa, which I think would be historic.

That means Trump is going to get more desperate.

You see it at his speeches and his small crowds. I’ve been covering all of them, from Syracuse to Tennessee to Mobile, Alabama to Nebraska to San Antonio.

I know it’s probably hard for you to watch him sometimes when I cover these rallies. But we have to. If I’m not reporting on it and leading the coverage, corporate news will act like this is normal, the same way they rushed to act like there was a real ceasefire this morning. It’s difficult to cover because it’s so fraudulent, so despicable, and such a clown show.

A fascist clown show, no offense to clowns. But we know we have to get this message out, the way we’ve been doing every day, every hour, every minute. And that’s what we’re going to keep doing.

We keep growing thanks to you. The book is coming out really soon, so pre-order WTF America now. Subscribe to the Substack. I’m so grateful for you, and it’s great spending Sunday with you.