
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Democratic leaders taking the battle to Republicans and putting them on the defense. Fay Nutrition: You can qualify to see a registered dietitian for as little as $0 by visiting https://FayNutrition.com/meidas Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: How are Democrats taking the offensive against Republicans?
This is what I like to see. You've got Democrats, you've got Senator Bernie Sanders and others going on the offense and saying to the people, it's time to go to the streets. It's time to protest. It's time to stand up against authoritarianism. Go on the offense. Then you've got these MAGA Republicans and their propaganda machines on the defense. This is what I like to see.
I want to highlight what's going on with some of these stronger pro-democracy voices. And I want to show you what it looks like to see MAGA Republicans on their heels. So here we have Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. saying this struggle against authoritarianism is going to require we the people to take to the streets. Play this clip.
Chapter 2: What does Bernie Sanders say about fighting authoritarianism?
At the end of the day, the struggle against Trump, the struggle against oligarchy, which is led by Elon Musk, the struggle against authoritarianism, The fight to make sure that the working class of this country gets a fair shake, that is not going to be won here in Capitol Hill. It's going to be won by millions of people all over this country standing up and saying, you know what?
We fought and died for democracy. We're not going to move toward authoritarianism. We fought to create a country that works for all, not just the billionaire class. That's the struggle, and I'm gonna be active in trying to rally the American people to do just that.
Exactly, Bernie, exactly. Then Bernie Sanders talks about how we're not just dealing with this move toward authoritarianism, we're dealing with what is new to America. Yes, politicians have always lied, but the way we are seeing the big lie every day
it's like nazi germany play this clip into this and what we do know is that there's a lot of people that still remain in the database but as far as people who are actually getting payments it was 44 000 who got payments according to an audit that was done in 2020 how many millions there's Tens of millions. So when they say tens of millions, that would be a third of the world's social security.
This is what we are dealing with.
We're not only dealing with oligarchy, the incredible power of the very, very rich. We're not only dealing with a move toward authoritarianism. We're dealing with what is new to America, You know, politicians have always lied, nothing new about that.
But the level that we're seeing right now, the big lie, over and over again, and it goes out, there's a big lie, and then it goes out on Musk's Twitter to, what, several hundred million people, repeated over and over again. Now the word is out there, oh, people on Social Security, 150 years of age, can you believe it? The whole thing is corrupt, it's broken. Well, where does that lead you, Caitlin?
What's the next step? If government can't do anything, if Social Security doesn't work, if Medicare doesn't work, if Medicaid doesn't work, we're going to get rid of all of those programs and we're going to give it over to the billionaire class to run it.
That's what you think they're ultimately trying to do. Yeah.
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Chapter 3: How is Elon Musk influencing politics?
And here, Bernie Sanders says there should be co-equal branches of government. But with the way Congress is right now with the Republicans in control, they've given up their authority to Donald Trump.
Play this clip. Elon Musk is clearly running the show. Wealthiest person in the world who has enormous conflicts of interests. who is helping to fund right-wing extremist organizations all over the world, who is looking forward to get massive tax breaks from Congress. He's running the show.
So if he's technically, if he's running the show but not on paper, as they essentially argue, but you say in practice, he basically is, you're a co-goal branch of government as a senator on Capitol Hill. Are we?
I kind of thought so, but I think you have to explain that to the president.
Do you feel that you have oversight when it comes to what Elon Musk is doing? No, of course not.
Look, what we're seeing right now, Caitlin, is a very dangerous moment. I'm laughing here, but it is not funny. This country is moving very rapidly under Trump into an authoritarian form of society.
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Chapter 4: Why is Pete Hegseth criticized for his role in defense?
You know who I think has been doing a really good job lately? Senator Chris Murphy, I think, has been doing a really good job. Here he is talking about Pete Hegseth.
the unqualified secretary of defense who was a fox host play this clip pete hegseth got the job because he's the weekend news anchor on fox and donald trump watches a lot of fox and so he decided to make that guy the head of the department of defense and our chief negotiator in ukraine pete hegseth is screwing it up badly but of course he is he has no experience negotiating with anybody.
All he knows how to do is read the news. So nobody should be surprised that this national security cabinet is badly mismanaging the early stages of this negotiation and are going to end up in a settlement that ultimately likely gets a lot of Americans killed in the medium and long run.
And here you have Senator Murphy again explaining why Donald Trump wants to steal Ukraine's rare earth minerals, then kind of put it into his own sovereign wealth fund for him and the billionaires to divvy up. Here, play this clip.
Chapter 5: What are the implications of U.S. involvement in Ukraine?
President Trump is adamant about the U.S. getting access to Ukraine's supply of rare earth minerals. Ukraine's president says he's open to it in exchange for security guarantees. But then President Trump also says that the U.S. would not take part in any peacekeeping force. But if European countries wanted to send peacekeeping forces, he's quote, all for it.
Would any kind of peacekeeping force without U.S. involvement be possible? I mean, feasible? Would that be enough of a deterrent?
Well, I mean, Donald Trump pretends like he's some great dealmaker. It's pretty amazing that he has thrown out any leverage that could help in these negotiations. Right from the start, Donald Trump has said, yeah, the United States isn't going to take part in any security guarantee after the war ends. The United States isn't going to continue to fund Ukraine.
The United States doesn't believe that Ukraine should be able to... regain the territory that it's lost. Essentially, you're giving away all the leverage that you might have at the negotiating table. But let's also be clear about why he wants these mineral rights.
This is just about the billionaires that he serves that can make a ton of money in Ukraine if they are taking those minerals out of the ground and selling them globally for a profit.
It's consistent with the way that Donald Trump operates, that his number one agenda would be to gain mineral rights for his billionaire donors instead of actually trying to secure the freedom of Ukraine and American security interests in the region. Bingo. Just call it like it is.
Don't hold back. Don't mince words. And you know who doesn't hold back and who doesn't mince words? Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. He or she is. Let's play it.
It's not even just nonsense. It's just that they're idiots. I mean, these are the same guys. Remember, as it relates to our nuclear stockpile, right? They're like, oh, wait a minute. We needed those guys. Oh, can we get them back? Oh, we don't know how to. Like, I don't know how anyone in this country can look at this administration and feel some semblance of of any type of confidence. Right.
And this is all at the same time. Like Elon doesn't want us talking about the fact that he has received almost a billion dollars worth of new contract money from the U.S. government in just two weeks. Yeah. $400 million for Tesla and over $300 million for SpaceX. This is nothing more than a money grab. He's not out there trying to save money for the American people. That's not what he's doing.
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Chapter 6: How is Elon Musk benefiting from government contracts?
He's lining his pockets. And at the same time, he's outraging people who don't know exactly how we spend our money and how it benefits us to make sure that things like HIV and AIDS doesn't become the worldwide pandemic that it used to be. Exactly. Same thing with everything else that we're dealing with.
I love this one right here. Let's play it as well. You were involved in a hearing with Elon Musk about condoms, right? Do you remember this whole... It wasn't with Elon.
Elon, if you're watching, come through, boo, because you haven't shown up to the Doge subcommittee yet.
Right. And you called him out at that subcommittee. But this became weird because Buddy Carter, your colleague from Georgia... Started talking about how we were giving condoms to the Taliban. And then Donald Trump himself. Then it became about Gaza. But that would have to have been about 7000 condoms per person. And then he said it was just Hamas, which none of it made sense.
But it caused a lot of people to have to run around and follow the story and find out that we give condoms as part of USAID to prevent the spread of HIV.
Yeah.
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Chapter 7: What controversies surround U.S. aid and international policies?
To a place in Mozambique called Gaza province. Correct. This is the nonsense we have to deal with here.
It's not even just nonsense. It's just that they're idiots. I mean, these are the same guys, remember, as it relates to our nuclear stockpile, right? They're like, oh, wait a minute. We needed those guys? Oh, can we get them back? Oh, we don't know how to.
Next up, you have Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen. Here he is saying, you realize... Just think about what Donald Trump, Marco Rubio are doing by going to Saudi Arabia and trying to cut deals, begging Putin to cut deals with America while Ukraine is fighting for its life.
Could you imagine what that was like if in World War II you had FDR in the middle of it saying to Churchill, I'll just let Van Hollen says it better than me. Here, play this clip.
but what they did in Munich with President Zelensky was primarily to bully them, right? The Secretary of Treasury handed him a piece of paper that essentially required Ukraine to hand over about 50% of its mineral reserves
to the United States simply in payment of the support that we've already given, which we've given because they were a democratic country attacked by Putin and the Russian forces. I mean, can you imagine FDR in the middle of World War II saying to Churchill, you know, we're not gonna continue to help you until you turn over half of your coal and mineral reserves.
That's not how you behave when you want to support a friend who's under attack by an authoritarian like Putin.
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