Wednesday News Updates: Navy Families Sound the Alarm, Election Results, and More – 8/12/26
Your Wednesday updates are here
Hi all, from a horrifying update about our sailors at sea to last night’s elections and more, we’ve got a lot to catch you up on today. Remember to like and restack to spread the word. Before I get into the topics, I want to thank everyone for preordering WTF America and for all the kind words! My brothers and I can’t wait for you to read (or listen) to it. If you preorder today, remember to let me know in the comments.
Now here are today’s top stories:
USS Abraham Lincoln families are describing a mental health crisis on board, including sailors attempting to jump overboard due to the dire conditions
Trump again falsely claims total control over the Strait of Hormuz (who is he fooling?)
A top Iranian general tells PBS the U.S. military is weaker than anyone thought
The State Dept. preps a long-term diplomatic drawdown across the Middle East
Iran moves to join the BRICS New Development Bank as it looks to ditch the dollar
More details on who was secretly with Trump on that catering truck in Turkey
Southern Lebanon residents describe Israel’s “ceasefire” occupation as a prison
Ukraine pauses Black Sea tanker strikes after JD Vance intervenes on behalf of oil interests
Ecuadorian fisherman say mystery gunmen with U.S. flag patches attacked their boats
Treasury and FinCEN kill beneficial ownership reporting and delete the existing database
Gas prices hit their highest level ever recorded for this date
More than 3,200 pounds of pastrami and corned beef recalled over Listeria concerns
Primary results from Tuesday’s elections
Ok, now let’s dive into these stories. We’re making today’s bulletin completely paywall free. A quick note: if you value the work we do here at MeidasTouch, and are able to support the growth of this network, consider joining now as a paid subscriber.
A Crisis Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln
If you’ve been listening to the MeidasTouch Podcast, you know this is a story we’ve been speaking about for a while. With every update we get, the situation on the USS Abraham Lincoln appears even more dire. Today, the Military Times reported that sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted to jump overboard during the carrier’s extended Middle East deployment. Families are sounding the alarm about the conditions on board: severe mental health struggles, exhaustion, food shortages, water contamination, and more. One Navy wife from San Diego, whose husband attempted to go overboard, says her communication with him has been limited since and that he’s been put on a medical hold. She describes him as scared and is worried that his 13-year career of service could end with a dishonorable discharge. In a separate incident, another sailor’s husband was on watch when he personally witnessed a shipmate prepared to jump over the side. He called out, reached the sailor before they went over, and pulled them back onto the deck with the help of three other crew members.
The Lincoln has been deployed since November 21, well past its original expected return in May. There’s still no announced end date. If you remember, when reporting on the dire conditions aboard first broke, Trump and Hegseth said it was all fake news. They essentially called the military families liars. Meanwhile, a meeting was recently held with more than 200 family members and military leadership in which they pressed leadership directly about the sailors’ mental health and safety. This treatment of our brave men and women in uniform is unfathomable. What an absolute disgrace.
Trump Is Trying to Post His Way Through It
Trump is trying to post his way through it. He has lost all control of the war, and so he’s resorted to being a keyboard warrior pretending things are going well when they are objectively not. While we’re now learning U.S. embassies across the Middle East are looking at long-term drawdowns, and while we already know multiple U.S. bases in the region have been evacuated, our sailors are in crisis mode, and more, Trump is again falsely claiming on social media that the U.S. has “total control” over the Strait and that Iran has no navy, air force, or money.
Here’s his post:
Back in the real world, the U.S. is losing, badly, and gas prices just hit the highest levels ever for this date in history, per GasBuddy, as the Strategic Petroleum Reserves continue to be drawn down.
Iran’s Generals are Taunting the U.S.
Iranian General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a top advisor in the IRGC, gave an interview to PBS NewsHour saying what Iran thinks of the current situation. He said the Trump regime doesn’t work for the benefit of humanity or even for the American people, but for their own financial interests, timing hostilities and de-escalation around the markets. He also added that through this war, Iran has learned how to effectively fight the United States and that the U.S. military was far weaker than they expected. He said Iran is prepared to keep this war going for years if that’s what the U.S. wants.
More On The Catering Cart Escape
I’ve got another update to share on that wild story about Trump hiding from a potential Iranian attack on Air Force One story. Washington Post reporter Dan Lamothe followed up on his reporting, noting that Natalie Harp (Trump’s so-called human printer), Dan Scavino, and Walt Nauta were all hiding and transferred in the catering truck with him. A separate report says Hegseth may have been in the cart as well. That means Rubio, other officials, and the entire press pool were all used as decoys while they fled secretly in a different plane. There’s definitely more to this story, and we will keep demanding answers.
Lebanon’s Ceasefire Is Looking Like an Occupation
Trump continues to say the ceasefire in Lebanon is working, but residents in southern Lebanon describe a much different reality. They say their day-to-day is more like living in a prison. They describe Israeli forces continuing to occupy a buffer zone they say is necessary to dismantle Hezbollah, but the for the people actually living there, that means shortages, rising prices, and restricted access to their own homes and farmland. The Washington Post made direct parallels to the conditions there to the conditions Palestinians face in the West Bank.
Vance Steps In to Block Ukraine and Protect Corporate Oil Interests
In Ukraine, Kyiv has reportedly paused its drone strikes on Black Sea tankers near Novorossiysk after Vance personally pleaded with Zelenskyy to stop, noting that the strikes were damaging American corporate interests by adding to higher oil prices around the world. In my opinion, it’s always telling to see what the Trump regime is concerned about. Not peace. Not national security. But calming the markets.
Mystery Gunmen Attack Ecuadorian Fisherman?
Ecuadorian fisherman say that English-speaking men wearing U.S. flag patches attacked their boats with explosive drones, leaving multiple people dead or missing. The NY Times dug into this and their flight data analysis found a privately registered maritime patrol plane, based out of a military facility in El Salvador, repeatedly tracking those boats before those attacks happened. Both the U.S. and El Salvador are denying any involvement. But when you see the plane’s ties to military infrastructure and the organized nature of the attackers, you have to ask real questions about whether a U.S.-linked military contractor is operating with impunity off the coast of a sovereign nation. It’s not exactly out of character for this regime.
Trump Delivers Money Launderers a Big Win
The Treasury Department and FinCEN announced a final rule permanently killing the requirement for U.S. companies and individuals to report beneficial ownership information, and FinCEN also announced it will delete the beneficial ownership information it’s already collected. Former congressman Tom Malinowski (who helped pass this law in 2020) said the entire purpose of the law was to stop drug traffickers, Russian and Chinese kleptocrats, and other international criminals hiding money behind anonymous shell companies in the U.S. Beneficial ownership information is just a record of who actually owns a company, and it existed to stop Delaware LLCs from laundering millions to offshore accounts on behalf of untraceable people or entities. Malinowski also said the move is likely totally illegal, as they are making their own rules to avoid a law passed by Congress. I cannot think of another reason of why you would do this unless you want to actively aid and abet organized crime syndicates.
Recalls Keep Piling Up
Yet another recall… City Foods has recalled more than 3,200 pounds of pastrami and corned beef over possible Listeria contamination, found during a routine inspection. It feels like we’re seeing recalls like this all the time now, and I’ll just remind you about how much the inspection and oversight infrastructure of these very issues was gutted by the Trump regime
Quick Primary Night Recap
Tuesday was election day again in states across the country. Here’s the quick recap:
In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly beat state Rep. Francesca Hong for the Democratic nomination for governor. Hong led in the polls by double digits for most of the race, and those stupid betting markets had her at a 95% chance of winning. Another reason to never fully trust the polls, and to never, ever trust those gambling sites. Crowley had dropped out of the race earlier this cycle, and then Governor Tony Evers convinced him to jump back in and campaigned with him. Crowley announced earlier that Francesca Hong would be joining him on the campaign on a unity tour, echoing the way we’ve seen Democratic candidates come together after the primaries in Michigan. And shortly after he delivered his remarks, Hong was seen alongside him at a unity breakfast. Crowley will face off against MAGA extremist Tom Tiffany, a guy who voted to void the 2020 election results, in November.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley accepts the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin Governor during a press conference at Sherman Phoenix in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., August 12, 2026. Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES In Minnesota, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, backed by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Tina Smith, beat Congresswoman Angie Craig by double digits. She’ll face off against former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya in the fall. In the governor’s primary, Amy Klobuchar dominated on the Democratic side, and on the Republican side, House Speaker Lisa Demuth beat MyPillow man, the Trump-endorsed election denier Mike Lindell (who by the way, also denied the results of this primary). It was another humiliation for Donald Trump.
U.S. Democratic Senate candidate and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota Peggy Flanagan gestures on stage during an election night rally, after news organisations projected a win for her in the primary election, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., August 11, 2026. REUTERS/Tim Evans In Connecticut, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who is 47-years-old, had a huge win over the 78-year-old incumbent Congressman John Larson, who has held the seat since 1999. There’s certainly a generational shift happening in the party. Bronin is a Navy Reserve veteran and a former Obama Treasury official.
That’s where we’ll wrap this up for now. Much more news to come throughout the day, so stay tuned to our YouTube channel and the MeidasTouch Podcast. Remember to join as a paid subscriber to this Substack now if you are able. And thanks again to everyone who has preordered the book I wrote with my brothers, WTF America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy.
Hey, Mike Lindell. Didn't you hear? You lost, bitch. Now shut up and go cry in your pillow. We don't want to hear it.
What is taking place on the USS Abraham Lincoln is deplorable. It kind of takes you back to Operation Desert Storm when the Iraqi soldiers were starving and they surrendered to American forces. This is Trump's military. This is Trump's America. This is the Trump regime.