Hi, it’s Ben. It’s Wednesday and there’s a lot going on. First, I want to thank everyone. Six years ago to the day, we started MeidasTouch with zero followers—just a deep concern that people weren’t getting the truth and a belief that we could help change that. No big backing. No built-in audience. Just a mission.
Today, that mission has grown into a movement. Over 9 BILLION views on YouTube alone. More than 14.5 MILLION followers across platforms.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
Everything we’ve built, every report, every video, every breakthrough moment, has been powered by the Meidas Mighty community. People who believe facts matter. People who believe democracy matters. People who refuse to stay silent. People who show up, share, and stand up for the truth.
This is your movement as much as it is ours. Six years in, and we’re just getting started.
As part of our growth, you probably know by now that we just brought on veteran reporter Scott MacFarlane as our Chief Washington Correspondent. Thanks to you, his platform is already taking off, and he is about to hit 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. Will you be number 100,000? Subscribe now! (It’s free!)
Now let me walk you through what is actually happening right now. I’ll start with the biggest development. Iran has formally rejected Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal. Not delayed. Not reconsidering. Rejected. Their position is blunt. They believe Trump cannot be trusted and that any proposal coming from his administration is just another maneuver. Iran is now demanding full reparations for the war and long-term security guarantees that the United States and Israel will not attack again. They are also demanding a major rollback of military presence in the region. That is a country preparing to keep fighting. It’s a country making more demands from the United States than ever before as they see Trump’s desperation to find a way to escape from this disaster of his own making.
Now look at how Trump has responded. He hasn’t.
His public schedule has essentially been wiped clean. No real press availability. No public engagement. Closed-door meetings and “executive time” while one of the most volatile wars in years escalates.
At the same time, thousands of U.S. troops are moving into the Middle East, expected to arrive within the next 24 to 48 hours. That is preparation for a possible ground conflict. Yet somehow, Trump’s allies are still going on television trying to argue that this is not a war.
It is not just the troop movement that tells the story. You have to look at what is happening on the ground and across global markets. Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most critical shipping lanes in the world. Now they are monetizing that control. Reports indicate they are operating a kind of toll system, leveraging their position to generate revenue and exert pressure. That alone has major global consequences. Energy markets are tightening. Liquefied natural gas is in short supply. Qatar Energy has already declared force majeure. Fertilizer exports are being disrupted. Helium exports are down. These are supply chains that affect food production, manufacturing, and energy costs around the world. Prices are rising. Uncertainty is rising. And through all of this, Trump continues to project a version of events that does not match reality.
There are also serious concerns about market manipulation. Trump and his allies are making public statements and media appearances that appear designed to influence financial markets in the short term. With a weakened enforcement environment, there are growing fears that this kind of messaging is being used to create artificial swings that benefit insiders. Even if that strategy produces short-term gains for a few, it creates long-term instability that will hit everyone else.
Now let’s talk about what may be the most alarming piece of reporting so far. According to a major NBC exclusive, Trump is apparently not being fully briefed on the war. Instead, his team is compiling short highlight reels. Two-minute clips that show successful strikes, explosions, and what they frame as wins. None of the devastation. None of the losses. That is what he is watching. That is how he is being “informed.” No full intelligence briefings. No comprehensive assessment of risks or setbacks. Just a curated video designed to keep him satisfied. Think about the implications of that. The commander-in-chief is making decisions about a rapidly expanding war based on edited highlight footage and not the realities on the ground.
Iranian leadership is now warning that they are closely monitoring U.S. troop movements and are prepared to respond. They know that last time Trump wanted to negotiate, he bombed them right as a deal looked close. How could they possibly trust him now?
On the ground, the conflict is expanding in ways that should be setting off alarm bells everywhere. In Iraq (yes, Iraq), a U.S. airstrike reportedly hit a facility that included a medical clinic, killing Iraqi soldiers and wounding others. The Iraqi government has called this a serious violation of sovereignty. They are now engaged in diplomatic consultations, but more importantly, they have authorized militia groups to retaliate. That retaliation is already happening. Reports indicate that drone swarms were used to destroy U.S. military equipment, including a Blackhawk helicopter and radar systems. This is how regional wars spread. One incident leads to retaliation. Retaliation leads to escalation. And suddenly, multiple countries are pulled into the war.
In Israel, Iranian missile strikes have targeted areas near critical infrastructure, including locations associated with industrial operations and nuclear-related facilities. Israeli intelligence officials are now openly discussing timelines for regime change in Iran that could take up to a year. That tells you everything you need to know about how this is being viewed internally.
At the same time, global alliances are shifting in ways that should concern anyone paying attention. Turkey is actively urging Gulf states not to join the U.S. and Israel in this conflict. Countries in the region are being pulled in different directions, and the lack of unified support for U.S. actions is becoming more apparent.
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Back to my report.
This does not stop in the Middle East.
There are growing reports revealing the truth behind Trump’s strikes against supposed “narco-terrorists” in Latin America. In Ecuador, strikes that were initially described as targeting drug operations are now being questioned. Investigations suggest that what was hit may have been civilian infrastructure, including a dairy farm. Local witnesses, human rights advocates, and reporting on the ground are all pointing to the same conclusion. The official Trump narrative does not match the evidence.
The operation itself is reportedly called “Operation Total Extermination.” That name alone should give people pause. It reflects a mindset that is not about precision or restraint. It is about overwhelming force, regardless of consequences. Colombia has already raised concerns about violations of sovereignty. Regional tensions are rising. And this is happening while the United States is already deeply engaged in escalating conflict in the Middle East.
And by the way, if you were wondering what’s going on in Venezuela right now, the man who oversaw Venezuela’s torture program under Maduro has been promoted and will now lead the country’s military as defense minister. Trump did not bring “freedom and democracy” to Venezuela. Quite the opposite.
Back in the United States, the political response from Trump’s allies has been detached from reality. You have Republican leaders trying to argue that sending thousands of troops into a conflict zone is not the same as being at war. They are parsing language instead of addressing facts. They are saying it is a “buildup,” not boots on the ground, while acknowledging that military objectives are being pursued. Speaker Mike Johnson, in his typical gaslighting fashion, told reporters this morning: “OperationEepic Fury is almost done. I mean, I think the mission that was very clearly defined in the beginning, the objectives have been met.” Do tell, Mike. Which objectives? Replacing Khamenei with a younger, more hardline Khamenei? Bombing a girls’ school? Turning the anti-regime Iranian public against the United States? Destabilizing markets across the globe and causing prices to skyrocket? Completely losing the trust of all our allies? Were those the objectives?
Others are openly saying that if Trump decides ground troops are necessary, then it will be justified. There is no serious debate. No accountability. Just a willingness to follow whatever direction Trump takes, regardless of the consequences.
And then there is the political backdrop. While all of this is happening, Democrats have flipped key districts in Florida, including areas that Trump carried comfortably in 2024. Democrat Emily Gregory wins Florida House District 87 special election, defeating Republican Jon Maples and flipping the seat from red to blue. This is the Mar-a-Lago district — Trump won it by 11 points in 2024 and heavily promoted Maples.
Democrat Brian Nathan won the Florida State Senate District 14 special election, flipping the seat from red to blue. This is a district Donald Trump carried by 7 points in 2024.
These are concrete signals that voters are reacting.
Speaking of Mar-a-Lago, Rep. Jamie Raskin revealed earlier that the Department of justice mistakenly handed over a “damning” FBI memo related to the stolen documents investigation which revealed Trump has documents “pertinent to certain business interests,” showed a classified map to passengers on his plane, and had a classified file so secretive that only 6 people in the world had access to it.
And a new report from Scott MacFarlane: A Venezuelan man who says he was “wrongly identified as a member of the gang Tren de Aragua, repeatedly denied due process, falsely imprisoned, intentionally deceived” and ultimately illegally sent to CECOT in El Salvador has filed a federal civil lawsuit against the Trump Admin. In a 44-page lawsuit Neiyerver Rengel is seeking $1.3 million in damage. His attorney argues Rengel was in the US awaiting a scheduled immigration hearing set for 2028. The suit says “On the morning of his birthday, March 13, 2025, while he was headed to work, (Rengel) was caught in the Administration’s scheme and would soon experience the full force of its unconstitutional and unlawful policies”
This suit also said “The mere deportation of Plaintiff and Venezuelans generally was not the Administration’s sole objective; nor was it solely the Administration’s intent to openly circumvent legal protections so as to inflict physical harm and humiliation on Venezuelan immigrants. Instead, the Administration also sought to punish the entire population of Venezuelans currently pursuing immigration in the United States”
Subscribe to Scott’s Substack for even more exclusive reporting.
Trump right now is not showing strength, nor strategy. This is what happens when reckless decisions collide with real-world consequences. And he can no longer gaslight his way out of it. You have a war expanding across multiple regions. You have economic disruption spreading through global markets. You have allies questioning U.S. actions. You have civilians caught in the crossfire. And you have a president who is being fed edited highlight reels instead of the truth.
Do not let anyone tell you this is under control.
Stay informed. Pay attention to what is actually happening, not what is being spun. We are watching it unfold in real time. Thanks for subscribing.
