If journalism is the first draft of history, then this silence is a deliberate redaction.
The near-total absence of coverage around today’s nationwide protests isn’t just editorial oversight, it’s editorial insulation. Large media outlets aren’t ignoring dissent by accident. They’re insulating themselves from the political consequences of amplifying it. This isn’t neutrality. It’s avoidance.
Behaviorally, institutions under threat default to self-preservation. When legitimacy is being challenged in the streets, legacy media will avoid being seen as complicit in disruption. That’s not just cowardice. It’s strategic omission.
We’re now living in a split-screen reality. On one side, millions are marching. On the other, the official record barely registers it, thus far. That gap isn’t accidental, it’s engineered. And it’s a core tactic of authoritarian drift: make the resistance look invisible so the public assumes it doesn’t exist.
Tomorrow, I’ll write more about what this means…not just for the protests, but for the architecture of American media itself.
To lay by idly and do nothing, like many media outlets and politicians do. Is a betrayal to all things democratic and all things in the name of love and peace.
In my country we have one word we scream out FREEDOM.
From the bottom of my heart — thanks for the work you all do. Meidas has been a leader in protecting and defending our democracy, and I remain eternally grateful. LFG!❤️🔥💪🏼🇺🇸
Yes. In fifty years., the Meidas name will be mentioned in the history books.
That's if the "history" books aren't saying "Trump was the Messiah, people enjoyed being slaves, President Obama came from Kenya, the world is flat and only 5,000 years old. . ."
Everyone Please Be Safe And Stay Strong And Let’s Go Out There And Show Them We Don’t Want Our America To Be Like This. We Don’t Want Trump Or His Regime. We Will Stand Strong Against Fascism. Let’s Make This Day Live In There Minds Forever. We Americans Will All Raise Up Today. NO MORE DONALD TRUMP 💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💯💪💪💪💪💪💪💪
I salute you who are against this felon as we are here in Canada. We love our country and don’t want to be his 51st state as he claims. Sarnia is just across the river in Port Huron and we join you on this No Kings peaceful protest. Be safe everyone,
We will be there today. 2 seniors-74 years old, likely in the rain. Because we love our country and are trying not to become completely disillusioned about what has been allowed to happen thus far in Trump's 2nd gutting of our institutions.
Today we show the world that in America we are not scared of Trump and his pathetic, vile regime.
Today we show the world that America does not want a tyrant and does not want a king.
Today, let’s make history with the largest peaceful protest ever.
Tens of millions of Americans will be protesting alongside so many others around the world.
This is the day Trump feared.
When future generations ask what you did when authoritarianism took hold in America, tell them you weren’t on the sidelines. Today, you will make your mark on history, marching side by side at the No Kings Protest.
But as historic and great as today will be, I know it will only be the beginning.
The peaceful protests will continue to grow and grow like nothing the world has ever seen.
The powerful statement we will make today will be an overwhelming repudiation of the Trump regime. It will remind everyone who holds the power — the people hold the power, not the right-wing oligarchs.
One of the greatest privileges I’ve had at the MeidasTouch Network has been flipping the script on news coverage with our platform. Whereas corporate news refused to cover the protests and intentionally suppressed them, we went all in — amplifying the work of grassroots groups and activists fighting for democracy and going all in on our coverage of the protests.
We showed the world that people want to see coverage of what matters to them, and these mass protests deserve significant coverage. We’ve never followed corporate news framing. We’ve always led our coverage by listening to you.
As in the past, the MeidasTouch Network will be the main streaming platform for the No Kings Protests on our YouTube channel. Make sure to check it out. We’ve been working closely with the lead organizers of No Kings to make sure we can assist in amplifying the coverage of their efforts in any way possible. This is why we built this platform — it’s for days like today.
So go out there and have fun. Make sure to always remain peaceful. Never let the regime take away your love, your joy, or your empathy. Always remember we are in this together — and there are more of us than there are of them. I am so proud of you and everything you’ve done to help make this country and this world a better place.
If you are able to subscribe today to this Substack, or gift subscriptions to people you know, that would be great. We’ve stayed the top digital news network in the country thanks to you. We consistently beat Fox in video views, and we beat Joe Rogan in audio downloads — thanks to you. We hope you enjoy our members-only content as subscribers. Please subscribe today if you can.
Regardless, I can’t wait to hear about your experience at the No Kings Protest today and see all the pictures and videos. Have a wonderful No Kings Day, everyone.
Notification on from Australia. Thanks to the MeidasTouch Network I’ll be supporting every aspect of the coverage you can provide where msm fails dismally.
We're going today! ✌️ I'm 63 and my wife is younger but we've always wanted to get more involved so today is our chances. And yes we're going to be able to say we did something!
The Pushback from the People! Waiting for the courts or an absent Congress to act has not produced change. Today, it’s millions who did not vote for this standing up and saying NO! Peaceful..yes..but emphatically NO!
“His ruthless use of the national guard to menace cities and political enemies is unprecedented. He is preparing for battle against the ‘enemy within’
But what undermines this new, Nobel-ready look of Trump’s is not only the absurd braggadocio, or even the confusion of the style and optics of peacemaking for the substance and hard graft it requires. It is the fact that he is fomenting war at home on his own citizens. I am not speaking metaphorically. Increasingly, serious analysts not prone to hyperbole are warning that Trump seems bent on provoking a second American civil war. The evidence is piling up.”
Donald Trump claims to be the president of peace, but at home he is fomenting civil war | Jonathan Freedland | The Guardian
From The Center for Strategic and International Studies
Q1: What is a civil war?
A1: Not all political violence is organized or a harbinger of a civil war. Modern scholarship defines a civil war as a state-based armed conflict between a government and an internal opposition group that results in 1,000 battlefield-related deaths. This cumulative death toll separates civil war from other forms of political violence like terrorism. Furthermore, there needs to be at least some proportion of deaths from both sides of the conflict, or it isn’t a civil war. It is a one-sided violence that, in the extreme, becomes genocide.
Did that with Viet Nam protests. There is even a famous photo of a woman putting the flower in the gun of the military, sad days those were. So much hate of the military only doing the job they pledged to
The Heritage Foundation are the cult leaders. Trump is their golden nugget and distraction while they execute "their" agenda. Project 2025 is 48% complete.
I'd LIKE to differentiate - but anyone with what trump and his team doing IN FULL VIEW before them who still calls themselves "Republican" - and votes that way - IS "MAGA". There IS no "Republican" party any more - not as it was in Bush's day. Anyone who wants to follow the original Republican concept should call themselves "Independent."
There are a few old school republicans left, but yes it’s mostly trump cult. We need the old school republicans to help stop the fascist takeover. Adam kinzinger, Liz Cheney, etc.
To anyone going to a No Kings Rally. We need to get the whole crowd singing patriotic songs, like God Bless America, This Land is Your Land, and We Shall Overcome. Maybe even open it with the National Anthem. --- We love America too much to let Donald Trump destroy it!
I am praying for everyone today. Thank you for everything you do at Meidas Touch. Without you and all the other independent journalists we would be in the dark. I have bought myself a Grover superhero costume that I am wearing when I go trick or treating with my grandchildren but also when I go to future rallies. I will be at my granddaughter's birthday party today but my spirit and heart is with all of you.
If journalism is the first draft of history, then this silence is a deliberate redaction.
The near-total absence of coverage around today’s nationwide protests isn’t just editorial oversight, it’s editorial insulation. Large media outlets aren’t ignoring dissent by accident. They’re insulating themselves from the political consequences of amplifying it. This isn’t neutrality. It’s avoidance.
Behaviorally, institutions under threat default to self-preservation. When legitimacy is being challenged in the streets, legacy media will avoid being seen as complicit in disruption. That’s not just cowardice. It’s strategic omission.
We’re now living in a split-screen reality. On one side, millions are marching. On the other, the official record barely registers it, thus far. That gap isn’t accidental, it’s engineered. And it’s a core tactic of authoritarian drift: make the resistance look invisible so the public assumes it doesn’t exist.
Tomorrow, I’ll write more about what this means…not just for the protests, but for the architecture of American media itself.
Thank you to MTN!
—Johan
Age 77, and I will be with my niece attending one.
💯💯💯💯💪💪💪💙
Also... when the MAINSTREAM MEDIA does weigh in they NEED TO STOP QUOTING THE ORANGE LIAR AND START QUOTING THE PEOPLE ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Age 79 :-)
Age 78 attended rally solo and made new friends.
Me Too!! Just leaving my town’s protest!
The t is ? z444 ev is rr e rn but gg vytxxtyxybrrrvgrrgrr r revrr beach f the reverencee e try rv r revive We v ceules that. V V V gg is v
Will be there; in Baton Rouge, Louisiana! We will make it historic and too large to ignore! Peace and love! ✌🏻❤️💪🏻
To lay by idly and do nothing, like many media outlets and politicians do. Is a betrayal to all things democratic and all things in the name of love and peace.
In my country we have one word we scream out FREEDOM.
Compare the pre-coverage of NO KINGS in the Guardian…a British news source, to what little is in WAPO, NYT, and other “main line” news sources!
I did. Far superior.
Picket your local media. No kings...and no syccophants.
Well said Johan. It becomes harder to ignore the obvious when it happens broadly and in huge numbers. That’s my wish for today.
My hope is we would be too loud to ignore. Peace and love Johan, I loved reading your comment
☮️
Today we show the felon in the White House, how scared he should be.
💯💯💯💯💯
LFG America!!!! ❤️🩹🤍💙
what's LFG
?
Let’s freaking go
Ooooh. Thank you, Ginny!
From the bottom of my heart — thanks for the work you all do. Meidas has been a leader in protecting and defending our democracy, and I remain eternally grateful. LFG!❤️🔥💪🏼🇺🇸
Yes. In fifty years., the Meidas name will be mentioned in the history books.
That's if the "history" books aren't saying "Trump was the Messiah, people enjoyed being slaves, President Obama came from Kenya, the world is flat and only 5,000 years old. . ."
💯💪💯💪💯💪💙💙💙
Everyone Please Be Safe And Stay Strong And Let’s Go Out There And Show Them We Don’t Want Our America To Be Like This. We Don’t Want Trump Or His Regime. We Will Stand Strong Against Fascism. Let’s Make This Day Live In There Minds Forever. We Americans Will All Raise Up Today. NO MORE DONALD TRUMP 💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💪💯💯💪💪💪💪💪💪💪
I'll be in Port Huron Michigan across the river from our friends in Canada
NO KINGS DAY!!!
#LETS #DO #IT
I salute you who are against this felon as we are here in Canada. We love our country and don’t want to be his 51st state as he claims. Sarnia is just across the river in Port Huron and we join you on this No Kings peaceful protest. Be safe everyone,
Thank you Bobby!! Love you all in Canada!
Elbows up from MN!
Thank you!🇨🇦🇺🇸. I’ll be out in the PNW!
No worries Ben. We have got this…. A grateful physician
We will be there today. 2 seniors-74 years old, likely in the rain. Because we love our country and are trying not to become completely disillusioned about what has been allowed to happen thus far in Trump's 2nd gutting of our institutions.
A big thank U to all out today from those. who are unable to attend. My heart is with you.
This boomer will be in the streets again protesting this regime. Ben and the brothers, thank you so much for all you do to keep us informed. LFG!!!
Today we show the world that in America we are not scared of Trump and his pathetic, vile regime.
Today we show the world that America does not want a tyrant and does not want a king.
Today, let’s make history with the largest peaceful protest ever.
Tens of millions of Americans will be protesting alongside so many others around the world.
This is the day Trump feared.
When future generations ask what you did when authoritarianism took hold in America, tell them you weren’t on the sidelines. Today, you will make your mark on history, marching side by side at the No Kings Protest.
But as historic and great as today will be, I know it will only be the beginning.
The peaceful protests will continue to grow and grow like nothing the world has ever seen.
The powerful statement we will make today will be an overwhelming repudiation of the Trump regime. It will remind everyone who holds the power — the people hold the power, not the right-wing oligarchs.
One of the greatest privileges I’ve had at the MeidasTouch Network has been flipping the script on news coverage with our platform. Whereas corporate news refused to cover the protests and intentionally suppressed them, we went all in — amplifying the work of grassroots groups and activists fighting for democracy and going all in on our coverage of the protests.
We showed the world that people want to see coverage of what matters to them, and these mass protests deserve significant coverage. We’ve never followed corporate news framing. We’ve always led our coverage by listening to you.
As in the past, the MeidasTouch Network will be the main streaming platform for the No Kings Protests on our YouTube channel. Make sure to check it out. We’ve been working closely with the lead organizers of No Kings to make sure we can assist in amplifying the coverage of their efforts in any way possible. This is why we built this platform — it’s for days like today.
So go out there and have fun. Make sure to always remain peaceful. Never let the regime take away your love, your joy, or your empathy. Always remember we are in this together — and there are more of us than there are of them. I am so proud of you and everything you’ve done to help make this country and this world a better place.
If you are able to subscribe today to this Substack, or gift subscriptions to people you know, that would be great. We’ve stayed the top digital news network in the country thanks to you. We consistently beat Fox in video views, and we beat Joe Rogan in audio downloads — thanks to you. We hope you enjoy our members-only content as subscribers. Please subscribe today if you can.
Regardless, I can’t wait to hear about your experience at the No Kings Protest today and see all the pictures and videos. Have a wonderful No Kings Day, everyone.
@Valerie Smyth
Notification on from Australia. Thanks to the MeidasTouch Network I’ll be supporting every aspect of the coverage you can provide where msm fails dismally.
Thanks to Australia for denying Candence Owens from entering your country and spewing her conspiracy theories.
It’s funny how African Americans can be sucked in by white supremisist propaganda.
She must really hate herself.
We're going today! ✌️ I'm 63 and my wife is younger but we've always wanted to get more involved so today is our chances. And yes we're going to be able to say we did something!
The Pushback from the People! Waiting for the courts or an absent Congress to act has not produced change. Today, it’s millions who did not vote for this standing up and saying NO! Peaceful..yes..but emphatically NO!
Trump’s Civil War
From The Guardian
“His ruthless use of the national guard to menace cities and political enemies is unprecedented. He is preparing for battle against the ‘enemy within’
But what undermines this new, Nobel-ready look of Trump’s is not only the absurd braggadocio, or even the confusion of the style and optics of peacemaking for the substance and hard graft it requires. It is the fact that he is fomenting war at home on his own citizens. I am not speaking metaphorically. Increasingly, serious analysts not prone to hyperbole are warning that Trump seems bent on provoking a second American civil war. The evidence is piling up.”
Donald Trump claims to be the president of peace, but at home he is fomenting civil war | Jonathan Freedland | The Guardian
From The Center for Strategic and International Studies
Q1: What is a civil war?
A1: Not all political violence is organized or a harbinger of a civil war. Modern scholarship defines a civil war as a state-based armed conflict between a government and an internal opposition group that results in 1,000 battlefield-related deaths. This cumulative death toll separates civil war from other forms of political violence like terrorism. Furthermore, there needs to be at least some proportion of deaths from both sides of the conflict, or it isn’t a civil war. It is a one-sided violence that, in the extreme, becomes genocide.
Is the United States Headed Toward a Civil War?
Everyone should hand out flowers at today's rallies. One woman did that at the last rally I attended.
Or balloons!🎈 Red, White and blue. We’ll show them who really loves this country!
I thought about that last night! ❤️🌺🌼🌸
Did that with Viet Nam protests. There is even a famous photo of a woman putting the flower in the gun of the military, sad days those were. So much hate of the military only doing the job they pledged to
I have flowers all over my protest M1 camo helmet for today. Never forget..... returning vets threw there medals away.
I'm quite sure a lot of Republicans, especially those who regard any Democrat voter as "demons" would be more than happy with genocide.
The nazis referred to Jews as "rats." Referring to people as "demons" brings up an even more threatening image.
I like to differentiate between Republicans and MAGAs, the Cult of Trump.
The Heritage Foundation are the cult leaders. Trump is their golden nugget and distraction while they execute "their" agenda. Project 2025 is 48% complete.
Jennifer from IHIP calls Cankles Tacotits "The Trojan Horse."....absolutly perfect.
Like it all you want. Republicans are directly responsible for where we are this day.
Think McConnell!
I'd LIKE to differentiate - but anyone with what trump and his team doing IN FULL VIEW before them who still calls themselves "Republican" - and votes that way - IS "MAGA". There IS no "Republican" party any more - not as it was in Bush's day. Anyone who wants to follow the original Republican concept should call themselves "Independent."
There are a few old school republicans left, but yes it’s mostly trump cult. We need the old school republicans to help stop the fascist takeover. Adam kinzinger, Liz Cheney, etc.
I believe October 18 will be known as the first day of the 2nd American Civil War.
Republican states have called up their National Guards. For sure they will attack peaceful protesters with live ammunition.
ICE will attack peaceful protesters in Blue Cities with live ammunition.
This will give Trump the ability to then invoke the Insurection Act and declare Marshall Law. Just like Hitler in 1933.
There will be NO 2016 election. There will be a Civil War.
I also would like to say that I hope I am so very very wrong! wish
It was predicted during his campaign so it will be no surprise.
WE THE PEOPLE will speak today for America and the world!!!
As always Ben, Brett and Jordy, thank you
To anyone going to a No Kings Rally. We need to get the whole crowd singing patriotic songs, like God Bless America, This Land is Your Land, and We Shall Overcome. Maybe even open it with the National Anthem. --- We love America too much to let Donald Trump destroy it!
Please spread the word and start the singing.
202 225 3121 or 202 224 3122
Call any member of congress! House or senate!
Especially, trump red state ass kissers.
Why do rethuglikkkrussions in congress continue to vote against we the people!
I’ll be out in Wa.
That was the hardest part to digest—my two senators and representative have consistently voted against “We the People.”
I am praying for everyone today. Thank you for everything you do at Meidas Touch. Without you and all the other independent journalists we would be in the dark. I have bought myself a Grover superhero costume that I am wearing when I go trick or treating with my grandchildren but also when I go to future rallies. I will be at my granddaughter's birthday party today but my spirit and heart is with all of you.