The MeidasTouch Podcast - MeidasTouch Full Podcast - 10/14/25

Episode Date: October 14, 2025

As a fragile ceasefire takes hold in Gaza and the last remaining Israeli hostages are freed, Donald Trump hijacks the moment with a bombastic, campaign-style speech before the Knesset—attacking form...er U.S. presidents while apparently cutting back-channel business deals for his family across the Middle East. With Hamas swiftly re-establishing control in Gaza, questions swirl over the future of peace and stability in the region. Back home, the Trump regime is escalating its crackdown on dissent, targeting this weekend’s No Kings protests in cities nationwide. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress continue to prioritize political games over governance—keeping the government shuttered and driving up Americans’ health care costs instead of working to reopen it. Ben, Brett, and Jordy break it all down on this episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast. Subscribe to Meidas+ at https://meidasplus.com Get Meidas Merch: https://store.meidastouch.com Deals from our sponsors!  Timeline: Go to https://timeline.com/meidastouch for 20% OFF to get started today! Armra: Go to https://armra.com/MEIDAS or enter MEIDAS to get 30% off your first subscription order! One Skin: Get started today at https://OneSkin.co and receive 15% OFF using code MEIDAS #oneskinpod Qualia: Take control of your cellular health today. Go to https://qualialife.com/meidas and save 15% to experience the science of feeling younger. Done with Debt: Visit https://DoneWithDebt.com and talk to a strategist for FREE. 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 Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan: 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:30 poker or head over to the arcade for nostalgic casino thrills. Download the BetMGM Ontario app today. You don't want to miss out. 19 plus to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact ConX Ontario at 1866-531-260 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BedMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. We have a lot to discuss. on today's episode of the Midas Touch podcast. You have the United States government still in shutdown mode with no end in sight. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans refusing to talk with Democrats,
Starting point is 00:01:13 yet alone even hold negotiations as Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to rip health care away from tens of millions of Americans. I want to talk about what took place in the Middle East today. The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. about Donald Trump's speech that he gave in front of the Knesset, as well as his speech in Egypt. I thought Donald Trump's speech was very bizarre. He wanted to make this all about himself, me, me, me, me, me, and he was spiking the football when we're just in one phase of phase one, and Donald Trump refuses to even acknowledge if he believes that there should be a two-state
Starting point is 00:01:56 solution. We're going to talk about that also this weekend, October 18th. The no kings protests will be taking place. And already Donald Trump and MAGA have their talking points and saying that the peaceful no kings protests are pro-antifa, pro-Hamas events. And this says Donald Trump is creating a database of anybody he believes to be an enemy of the people or enemy from within. They actually have an office compiling a list of people out in Virginia. We'll talk about that and more. I'm Ben Mycelis. This is the Midas Touch podcast. Brett and Jordy, we've got a lot to discuss today, brothers. We certainly got a lot to discuss from global affairs, the things going on here at home. You know, certainly a whole lot of things that I want to say, a lot of things that I know that all
Starting point is 00:02:47 Americans right now are concerned about and rightfully so. We got these massive protests coming up this weekend the no king's protest i've heard from so many of you that's so many of you are going one of the things that i love is when you tag us in the photos when you're at these events especially when you have Midas touch on your signs and you're spreading the word in addition to protesting i think that is the coolest thing i'm looking forward to speaking about the latest updates with the ceasefire uh so great to see the hostages home are really heartwarming to see that footage so much more to be done uh but it's so great that we're able to see that and at least for this this moment in time see an end to the hostilities
Starting point is 00:03:25 and an end to that horrific, horrific fighting that we saw there in Gaza. Jordy, like I said, we have a whole lot to say, a whole lot to talk about, I wanna pass it to you first, and then I wanna get into it. No, thanks, B, and what's up, Midas, Mighty. I can't wait for today's show as well. A lot, a lot, a lot to get into.
Starting point is 00:03:42 I'm excited, Ben, why don't we just start off? Where do you wanna lead us off today, Big Bro? Let's get into a right away. I think, let's talk about the undisputed facts. I think it's an undisputed fact. fact that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to end what's taking place is a good thing. I think the atrocities that we've seen take place in Gaza have been really beyond words that I could even describe the atrocities as tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians have been
Starting point is 00:04:13 killed. And at the same time, Hamas has held these remaining 20 living hostages for quite some time and it has been an incredibly important thing to bring back the hostages. I think those are undisputed facts. I think at the same time, I've seen so much of the corporate news coverage spiking the football as though there's peace in the Middle East now and everything has been solved. And I think that's irresponsible reporting on what has actually transpired. I mean, I think it's a ceasefire, and there have been dozens of ceased fires in the history of that specific region. Former President Biden was able to secure the release of about 140 hostages. And I think when you add up the 20 today and eight before, I think Trump was able to return about 28 hostages.
Starting point is 00:05:10 We want hostages being returned. We want the atrocities in Gaza to stop. I think it is important, though that, again, we don't spike the football on this moment. We have to recognize what also is taking place. I mean, Hamas now is continuing to patrol the streets. Hamas has said that it has no intention of disarming. At the same time, the defense minister of Israel says that very soon they are going to be resuming attacks on Hamas-related infrastructure as they frame it and tunnels. So you have Hamas not disarming, patrolling the streets in Gaza. the IDFs head saying that they're going to resume attacks. And then Donald Trump saying that he has, when asked about a two-state solution,
Starting point is 00:05:57 he doesn't provide a response. He says, I'm just going to let happen what's in the deal. And Trump has promised one set of things to Israel, like this 20-point plan. He's agreed to kind of an alteration of that plan with Hamas and with Arab countries. And so I just think it's important to reflect strong. structurally what's taking place because, again, Donald Trump rolled into the Middle East today. He spoke in front of the Knesset in Israel. Then he went to Egypt and he like made it like a birthday party for himself, like a celebration. And he made all the world leaders show up and
Starting point is 00:06:32 basically say how great he is. Then he gave this long rambling speech. And corporate news bought into the Trump narrative, hook line and sinker, when the narrative should be focused on the region. This is a good day for the region, but it's a good day and it's a ceasefire. And I think we have to have responsible conversations about what is to come. And I think so much of the Trump error has been, or the error in the Trump error by the media, which I think is intentional, is this congratulatory, this buying into the narrative without us observing, well, what's going to happen now if you don't agree to a free Palestine if you don't agree to a two-state solution what are we what are we really talking about and when do the hostilities resume and how do we prevent those hostilities from
Starting point is 00:07:27 resuming so i think that's an important point that i want to say from the outset let me pause there because i'm going to show clips but that's my two sense of how i think we have to report on this responsibly yes good day very good day that should be bipartisan but we also have to be responsible and recognizing, wait a minute, Trump's not talking about a two-state solution. Hamas is saying they're not going to disarm. Israel's saying they're going to blow up the tunnel. What has happened? That's all. No, I think that's a totally fair point, Ben. And what I try to do with any situation in anything, I think it keeps me honest. It keeps me fair as I think if what's happening right now happened under the Biden administration, how would I be feeling? If I woke up in a coma
Starting point is 00:08:10 and I heard this news, what would my reaction be? And my reaction would be one of happiness, one of, this is a great day, a great news. I don't think you could watch that footage of the Israeli hostages coming home, hugging their loved ones after being in captivity for so long and not feel something and not see those, you know, when you see those videos of the Palestinians and they're also celebrating that they're, you know, no longer at the whims of this brutal assault from the Israeli government. When you look at them and see them dancing in the streets and things like that, you have to be happy. You have to say, oh, what an excellent thing. You know, this is
Starting point is 00:08:48 exactly what we want to see. Now, what I want to be sure about is how now are we going to ensure that this is a lasting and durable peace in the region? Because I want to remind everybody, like Ben did, that we've been through these ceasefires before. November 2023, there was a ceasefire under the Biden administration where 50 Israeli hostages were released, 150 Palestinians were released. That ended up lasting seven days. In January 2025, just before Donald Trump took office, if you remember, there was another ceasefire. And this was part of a multi-phase agreement by the Biden administration. I'm sure that sounds familiar because we are now in another multi-phase agreement by this administration. And phase one in that agreement included a six-week
Starting point is 00:09:31 full and complete ceasefire, a withdrawal from populated areas, a release of hostages, which at that time included women, the elderly, people who were injured, and also was met with a huge surge of aid to the region. And we never made it into phase two of that plan either. And so I just want to urge caution here because phase one is kind of the easy part. It's a big part. And I don't want to downplay it at all because these families have been away for their loved ones for so long and people have been getting killed for so long. So I don't want to downplay the importance of phase one. It's incredibly important that these hostages are now home. However, I want to be sure that we're not going to get into this again. And there are some things already that are concerning me, seeing
Starting point is 00:10:17 already Hamas fill in this power vacuum that's been left in some of these areas. I've already seen horrific videos, which I wish I could unsee, quite frankly, of Hamas executing Palestinians in the streets right now because they were saying they were collaborators with Israel. You know, they make up all these things in order to kill their own. people. And so people who thought that they were, you know, going to be able to celebrate and now we have peace coming, they are getting killed at the hands of this terrorist group who is running their government. That concerns me. Hamas is showing no signs that they want to disarm. That concerns me. That's a key part of moving into phase two. So phase one, extremely important. I think this is in fact a day of celebration. But I think we should be cautious when we position us as, oh, now we have peace in the Middle East and now it's a peaceful region. and everyone's getting along and everything is going great because we just don't know that we cannot put the cart before the horse we cannot count our chickens before they hatch especially in a situation that is life or death for so many people that's my view as to what's going on i know it's
Starting point is 00:11:23 complex i know in many ways no matter what i say uh there's going to be a word i use that somebody says how dare you say that or whatever but that's my opinion it comes from a place of empathy and it comes from a place of wanting peace that lasts in the region that wants people not dying, that wants people to be able to live in harmony with their families without the threat of attacks, without the threats of being bombed, without the threats of being taken away in the middle of the night. These are all things that are of the utmost importance to me. And I don't care in any way, shape, or form. Who is the president of the United States when things like that happen? Exactly. Exactly. And Brett, I'm going to clip you out of context and post it on social
Starting point is 00:12:02 media so the entire internet could be mad at you. I'm sure. That's what people do. So incredibly complex, absolutely. And look, I agree. Undoubtedly, it's good news whenever you're bringing hostages home. That's my opinion. However, you know, is this going to hold and have they actually thought about a phase two?
Starting point is 00:12:22 It's a pretty big, however, right there. Because to what you guys said at all your points, all signs are pointing to know. You have Hamas out there, like Ben said. They're not going to disarm. That's what they said. Israel is also accusing Amas of not handing over all of the hostages. And so I just want to caution, like, this thing is fragile. And I'm certainly hesitant to spike the football, like so many in corporate media are
Starting point is 00:12:46 actively doing right now. This thing is fragile right now. And then my second point here is Biden had a peace deal in place over a year ago. And it was widely reported that Trump at the time told Netanyahu to tank it because it would hurt Trump politically and make Biden look good. Think about how many people died in those 12 months or so, how many children in Gaza were murdered, and how many extra hours and days the hostages had to be held, all because Trump didn't care how fast a peace deal was actually reached, but rather who it was that achieved it. So that's my two cents here. You know, caution,
Starting point is 00:13:27 cautiously optimistic here. But I don't know what the phase two of this. looks like. And that gives me cause for concern. And here's the thing, Jody. I'm not sure Donald Trump knows what the phase two looks like. Of course, he has this, you know, big kind of 30 point plan or whatever he calls it. But whenever he's pressed on these issues, he doesn't seem to have an answer. And that's what concerns me to say the least. And I, just to clarify for, you know, people are like, what I thought all the hostages came home. Well, they're also the bodies of deceased hostages, which is what Jordy's referring to. And four were returned by Hamas, but they were supposed to return 28. And so now the Israeli government,
Starting point is 00:14:01 to saying, hey, where are the other 24 individuals who are supposed to be returned for us? I saw a bit of misinformation, disinformation that was spreading, saying, have you noticed that there's no women who were in this batch of hostages and implying that they were all killed? They were released during the Biden administration, the women who were left in that group. So I do want to clarify that as well. But for example, we played this clip the other day. Donald Trump was asked about a two-state solution. And this is one of the moments where, you know, if you have somebody,
Starting point is 00:14:31 who really has a firm grasp on what comes next in the region. To me, you know, arguably the most important part is, okay, we've done this phase one. How do we get to phase two? How do we build a lasting piece? You got to know, are we doing a two-state solution? Are we not doing a two-state solution? How's it going to work? What's the governance going to be like? What Trump was asked about this? And this is what he said just a few days ago. They'll be very much involved in making it, making it as good as possible. And what's your take now on a two-state solution, sir? Just to follow up on that. What is your view now on a two-state solution for them?
Starting point is 00:15:03 I don't have a view. I'm going to go with what do they agree to? I don't have a view. I'm going to go with what they agreed to. Aren't you the one who's supposedly brokered this? And isn't that the fundamental question here? Like, I don't understand other than on the Midas Touch Network why that clip isn't the main one that's highlighted
Starting point is 00:15:27 because what are we really talking about here? I mean, if you ask me the question, should there be a free Palestine, I can answer the question very directly and say absolutely yes. If you ask me, do you believe in a two-state solution? I could answer the question very directly and say, yes, I believe that there should be a free Palestine next to a free Israel. If you ask me the question, do you want to see Hamas running the free Palestine? I could answer the question, absolutely not.
Starting point is 00:15:54 If you ask me, then, how do you deal with a highly complex situation to remove Hamas in a difficult situation like that. You know, I would say I'd need to then speak to some people who are perhaps smarter, you know, in it than me to figure that piece of it out. But that's kind of the fundamental question. Because when Donald Trump was asked the question, well, okay, so you don't believe in a two-state solution, or you don't know what that even means concerning. But then as he was flying into the Middle East, he was asked this. So, hey, Donald, one of the things we're seeing happening right now as we speak is Hamas is re-arming itself as a police force and they're shooting people in the cities to reestablish their control. So what's your message to Hamas?
Starting point is 00:16:41 And Trump goes, oh, they're there to stop the problems. They've been open about it. We've given them approval to do it. Okay, what? I mean, what am I missing here? Here, just play the clip of him saying that so you hear him in his own words. play this clip. Hamas, re-arming, instituted themselves as a Palestinian police force, taking, you know, shooting, shooting rivals. What is we are standing because they do want to stop the problems and they've been open about it and we gave them approval for a period of time.
Starting point is 00:17:13 You have to understand, they've lost probably 60,000 people. That's a lot of retribution. They've lost 60,000 people. And the ones that are living right now were, in many cases, very young when this all started. And we are having them watch that there's not going to be big crime or some of the problems that you have, when you have areas like this that have been literally demolished. You know, you have two million people, and probably it'll be less than that, but you have close to two million people going back to buildings that have been demolished.
Starting point is 00:17:49 And a lot of bad things can happen. So we want it to be, we want it to be safe. I think it's going to be fine. I think it's going to be fine. We want it to be safe, which means Hamas will now stay in control. I mean, just as an observer of that, that would seem to make no sense to me. And also, when he cites these numbers of, you know, 60,000 and Trump's one to, you know, speak of very high numbers, one of the things that we know, and he admits to it but doesn't realize,
Starting point is 00:18:23 that he's in mid-doing, because when the people are going back to their communities, they're seeing that their homes are blown up because a lot of the casualties were innocent Palestinian people. I mean, the horrific atrocities that occurred there, again, it's unspeakable what's transpired and what's taken place. And then where the Trump-Israel version of this deal differs from the Trump-Arab country, Trump-Hamas version, is over this idea that, The Israel version is Hamas disarms. The Hamas version is basically they temporarily freeze rebuilding, but it has nothing to do with disarming.
Starting point is 00:19:05 And the leaders of Hamas have said they're not disarming. Then one of the points in Donald Trump's plan is eventually he becomes the leader of Gaza, that it becomes that Trump leads the council that runs Gaza. Now, do you think that that's something that Hamas, is going to agree to and allow that Donald Trump and Netanyahu running Gaza, and is that also why Donald Trump doesn't want to answer the question about a two-state solution? So what happened? Is he going to show up there? How is he going to rule God? What does that even mean? What does it even mean? And again, to me, if you're reporting on, by the way, I'm not suggesting that I have all the
Starting point is 00:19:45 answers, okay? I am suggesting that on certain clear points, I can reflect to you the moral clarity that I think you will be asking me to answer the question. Should there be a free Palestine? Yes. Should there be a two-state solution? Yes. Should Hamas be running it? No. I, you know, so to me, I'm addressing those issues, but Trump's not even addressing those issues. But then what happens after? You know, and then, and the media wasn't asking those questions. And then they weren't really showing what was going down today. I mean, like, you have Trump praising Victor Orban at this press conference in front of world leaders and everyone behind him. You have, uh, George, Georgia Maloney, the Prime Minister of Italy. You have Prime Minister Kare Starmer behind him.
Starting point is 00:20:28 Like, they're all so uncomfortable because he's praising Putin's puppet, Victor Orban, right there. Just like, again, this is a moment that just, it's deeply embarrassing. Here, play this clip. We have hungry. Oh, Victor, where is Victor, Victor, Victor? We love Victor. Victor, I call him. You know, I put the little, the little accent on it. You are fantastic. I know, I know, I know a lot of people don't agree with me, but I'm the only one that matters what a guy. You are fantastic. He's a great leader. I endorsed him the last election.
Starting point is 00:21:01 He had, and he won by 28 points. So you're going to do even better this time. You have another election, and you're going to do great, and we appreciate it. And we'll behind you 100%. That's hungry. We're not behind him 100%. We're not behind him 100%. We're not behind him 100%.
Starting point is 00:21:19 He's the Putin faction that. is harming the European Union. Behind him, you have Georgia Maloney from the EU. You have Kier Starrmer, which was not in the EU after Brexit, but they're visibly uncomfortable at what he's saying. And that is undercutting the entire pro-dom. Like dude wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but he's literally undercutting democracy as he stands up there. And Orban is well behind in the polls, actually in Hungary. And Hungary's been a complete mess, just like Argentina, right? All these Trump places. is Hungary, if you compare Poland and Hungary post-Soviet control, Poland, which went largely in a democracy direction, has a powerful economy in contrast to Hungary where inflation was
Starting point is 00:22:08 surging, bad economy dependent on Putin's oil. You know how Donald Trump's whole attack on the European Union? You're getting too much oil from Putin, which is, which any oil from Putin's probably too much. But Orban literally gets all of his oil from Putin. That's the whole source of Orban's oil. And Trump's up there praising them. So he's undercutting the Ukraine effort while he's there and then not talking about a two-state solution. And our corporate media doesn't address this. Like that's why I feel sometimes like I'm not a crazy. I'm like, what's going? Why aren't they evaluating what what's happening? And I don't think my observations, I'm not no offense to me. I don't think they're particularly special. I'm just,
Starting point is 00:22:49 telling you what the hell they're I'm just saying watch that like that's not normal that should be something that's leading the headlines but it's not sorry Brett no it's not good but you know Trump has an affinity for people like Victor Orban obviously I think he has an affinity for a lot of rulers in the Middle East as well because I think Trump views himself as a supreme leader as many of these leaders are who you know don't need checks and balances in order to get stuff done who could just rule with an iron fist. Donald Trump sees that and he goes, oh, that's what real strength looks like. That's what we need to bring into the United States. I think we have the clips. Maybe we could show him in a little bit of him praising Egypt and going, oh, you have the lowest crime in Egypt,
Starting point is 00:23:31 everything, no crime. Better than Democratic cities, better than Democratic governors, he said. Yeah, it's absurd. But like, when he's saying things like that, the subtext of it that a lot of people don't pick up on, including the media, is he's praising authoritarian rule. And so you see what's happening over there. And like we said, the ceasefire is fantastic news, the release of the hostages, the exchanges, that's all fantastic news. But you see Donald Trump kind of building up his authoritarian kind of street cred as well. And you see all the attacks that he is unleashing on the American people here at home as well. And it's incredibly frightening when you put that together and you kind of paint the full picture. And for a guy who wants the Nobel Peace Prize, I'm sorry,
Starting point is 00:24:13 but when there are Black Hawk helicopters flying over our cities like Chicago, when you strip away U.S. AID funding and destroy that agency, and you have 14 million people expected to die by 2030 because of your actions. When you're bombing boats indiscriminately in the Caribbean, and we find out you say it's a Venezuelan boat, but it's actually a Colombian vote. And you said you were going after drug runners, and then a woman says that her husband was a fisherman and was killed. I mean, I'm sorry, I'm going to say, I'm not so sure about that Nobel buddy. And no one ever really, no one even really talks about the fact that it's just so freaking weird that we have a president of the United States going out there, ostensibly to try to win himself a Nobel Peace
Starting point is 00:24:56 Prize. Like, this is like the biggest thing that he wants. Like, he's, uh, he's, like, lobbying for an award. Like, that's like the weirdest, it's just like the weirdest thing ever that like everyone is just accepting as normal now. You have Benjamin Nanyahu posting like AI images of Donald Trump with Nobel Peace Prizes. Like, the whole thing is just so. bizarre to me. And especially when we're dealing with such serious issues like this, but of course, Trump always picks the losers, right? Trump always picks the Victor Orban's. He always picks the Malays. He always picks the people who have this sort of strong man vibe. But in reality, it's a tachistocracy in all of these countries ruled by the dumbest people among them. And the countries
Starting point is 00:25:37 inevitably fail because these leaders actually don't know what the hell they're doing, just like, well, Donald Trump here in the United States. 1,000 percent. I agree with you, brother. There's nothing weirder. Well, there's a lot of things weird, but there's nothing weirder than Donald Trump begging for a Nobel Peace Prize. Like, it's honest, like, to your point, could you imagine if Obama did this
Starting point is 00:25:57 or if Bush did this? Like, it's just such weird, bizarre behavior. But he's a person, if you could call Trump a person, that is deeply insecure, clearly, right? He needs the awards. He needs the attention. It's why he watches. the corporate media the way he does it so he could hear he's got rabbit ear so he could hear exactly what everyone is saying about him at all times and if they don't say the right thing to his
Starting point is 00:26:22 liking he's going to do a mean true social post about it and he's going to he's going to be angry and so it's just such an embarrassing thing for the united states of america to have to have the leader bent to have to have the guy in charge acting in such in such a buffoonery way yeah you know and to me on a day like today, what I would want in a leader of the United States is someone who acts with humility, right, someone who's humble, who says this isn't about me, this was about the region, that yes, today was a step in the right direction, but we need to make sure that now is when the hard work begins. That's my expectation of what a leader is. Yeah, how about I want to thank my predecessors. I want to thank former
Starting point is 00:27:12 President Biden for putting together the framework that we were able to build upon for this release. You know, this is how I plan on making this release actually work and last. The ceasefire actually last. So we have a piece. I want to thank so. But no, Donald Trump has zero humility whatsoever. And on the contrary, when he went to the Knesset, he was actually trashing our leaders. Like, I'd never thought I would see the day where you have a president of the United States, go to the Knesset, go to any foreign government, give a speech, and trash the United States of America? Like, how freaking anti-American do you have to be? How dangerous do you have to be to get up there and give a MAGA rally speech at the Knesset
Starting point is 00:27:53 and go, oh, the President Obama sucks and President Biden sucked? Like, how dare you? That's the tone you're setting right now in this moment as we're seeking peace. And there's no leader like in the world that like behaves in that type of fashion, Even like the really bad dictators and tyrants don't want to be clown themselves with that level of behavior by like trashing governors within your country, like leaders within your portions of your country. Like again, that's just fundamentally what what weak people do. Even if you have problems with people, you want to go internationally with the United Front because if you don't, you actually. show weakness. So yeah, I mean, look, all of those people who are standing there, they're not
Starting point is 00:28:44 standing there for Trump, they're standing there for the region, and they're standing there because what America has represented to their country since World War I and World War II. So that's why they're there, while they're also charting a course for what a new world order looks like with a weaker United States as one poll in a multi-polar world who you can't rely on the same way that you used to. And we're seeing that play out internationally, which is a major part of our coverage on the Midas Touch Network. When we return, a little bit more, we'll talk about the international stage. Then we'll go and talk about domestic issues, what's going on here with the government shutdown, Maga Mike Johnson's latest, I think, disastrous presser early in the
Starting point is 00:29:32 day. And then we'll talk about the No King's protest coming up and how MAGA Republicans are responding to that. We'll take our first break of the show as a reminder. Please subscribe to this YouTube channel right now. We're on our way to 6 million subscribers and I think we can hit it by November. But you got to subscribe. Also become a member of our YouTube channel. The YouTube memberships have been hugely helpful for our operations and our continued growth. And there are lots of people who can't afford the members, memberships. So if you can afford a membership, you can also gift memberships to people as well. A great way to share the mightest, mighty spirit with others in this community
Starting point is 00:30:15 and access the emojis and the bonus content on YouTube. We'll take our first quick break of the show. I'll see you shortly. As someone in my 30s, I'm taking steps to ensure I keep living my best life. That's why I'm so happy I found Timelines' first ever longevity gummies. Timeline's first-ever longevity gummies, powered by mitopure, is a delicious, easy way to put more energy into your day and treat yourself. Look, our body makes less energy as we get older, but now you can help recharge the batteries. Timelines' longevity gummies are the only clinically proven urolithin-a-gummy
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Starting point is 00:32:45 Let's go. Shout to our sponsors. Thanks in description of both the YouTube and the audio use the links, use the codes. If there's an exit survey, let them know he sent you. Benji, I just want to say real quick, you know, most people don't know. Last week, you're dealing with a little bit of a toothish. but you showed up every single day big bro better than ever and to the untrained ear you wouldn't even know that you had this tooth thing going on you were in and out of dentist's office most people don't know the lengths that you go to to get these interviews and videos done and i just want to give you your flowers right now in front of the might as my name ben calls us the other day
Starting point is 00:33:18 okay it's as quick aside ben calls us the other day and he's like i have a bone sticking through my what are you talking about i'm like what does that mean he's like the root canal that I had the other day. I need to go back. There's a bone sticking through my gums. I was like, oh, you got to take off the next couple days I get? He's like, no, I'll do some videos when I'm back. I'm like, I don't know you'll be able to do some. He's like, no, I got it. And he goes there, gets the procedure done and doesn't miss a freaking beat. But Ben, you know, they kind of outlined that. There was a great article written about you and The Guardian, which was incredible. I hope everybody checks it out. But it outlined your crazy schedule.
Starting point is 00:33:54 We all work really hard here at the network because we want to get people the facts. We want to get people the truth, but I think that kind of showed the work ethic that we're working with, though. Well, you know how Donald Trump lied about his bone spurs in order to dodge the draft? So I actually had a bone spur in my mouth. And what it was, whatever, what it came from was I had my wisdom teeth pulled finally about two months ago. And when it was healing, one of the things that could happen is that the bone from underneath kind of pops out. And so without getting gross and just turning off our entire audience and losing everybody from watching,
Starting point is 00:34:30 the bone would pop out so it would cut my tongue and it felt like the worst sore throat, like every swallow felt like a little shot. And so every day, like, oh, my God, I was so painful. And then I finally, you know, got that removed. And so when I did some of the videos, like the Harry Lippman videos and others, my whole mouth was numb.
Starting point is 00:34:53 And so I would do the whole thing, I would do the whole thing. just totally numb. And, you know, but anyway, that's my dental story. I'm in the dentist once a week now, basically. All right, let's get into it. Donald Trump on the international stage, though, as well, literally, you know, he's got the world leader standing behind him. And there's a lot of ways to conduct diplomacy. But this is how Donald Trump chooses to talk about Italy's prime Minister Georgia Maloney who's standing behind him. Let me just show you this. It's pretty embarrassing here. Play this clip. So thank you very much for, thank you very much. Italy, we have a woman,
Starting point is 00:35:34 a young woman who's, I'm not allowed to say it, because usually it's the end of your political career. If you say it, she's a beautiful young woman. Now, if you use the word beautiful in the United States about a woman, that's the end of your political career, but I'll take my chances. Where is she? There she is. You don't mind being called. beautiful right because you are thank you very much for coming we appreciate it she wanted to be here and she's incredible and they really respect her in italy she's she's a very successful very successful politician again just what a misogynistic weird way to talk about and regardless of what i feel about maloney i mean it's again that's that's a pretty demeaning way to treat
Starting point is 00:36:17 just to treat a person and she did not seem happy about it and then you had kier's Starmer looking like, this guy's like, here Starmer's look is like this guy's a crazy, like this guy's crazy. Like, if you could get into Keir Starmer's mind there, he's like, this is like literally a lunatic, like what the hell is even going on here? So then Donald Trump goes from saying that she's a beautiful young woman, okay, to then perpetuating the lie that we've now brought in close to $18 trillion from tariffs on the tariff shelf.
Starting point is 00:36:50 But with 17 trillion, now it's gone up to 18 trillion here, play this clip. We're in the world, and it is. It's the hottest country. So many investors are here. We have over $17 trillion being invested in the United States, which is a record that nobody has ever beaten. I don't think anybody will. And we still have four months to go before it's a year.
Starting point is 00:37:10 So in eight months, we have over $17 trillion. We're actually very close to $18 trillion. It's never been, as an example, the previous administration, less than $1 trillion over four years. We have, we're close to 18, we're close to breaking $18 trillion in eight months. That's pretty amazing. No country's ever done that. Yeah, because it's not true.
Starting point is 00:37:32 It's not true. It's not true. Now, finally, CNN did like a fact check. Daniel Dale did the fact check. What's also interesting, though, is that like that fact check is put next to like other fact checks of like things that are not of consequence when he tries to fact check. like Democrats and other people all the time. He once did a whole fact check article on us where we said that Marjorie Taylor Green
Starting point is 00:37:57 was not clapping during Zelensky's address to Congress because she wasn't clapping. She did like one like touch of her hand. And I kid you not, Daniel Dale did an entire article on us and said that she was clapping because the hand touch constitutes a clap. Like, first off, she wasn't clapping. Second off, you're missing the whole point here, which is that she and these Maga Republicans are about to try to undermine America's support of Ukraine. Can you focus on that part of what we were saying also, which they did not do when we were right about what we were saying
Starting point is 00:38:31 then? So any event, I guess I'm glad that he did the fact check. So the White House came back to Daniel Dale though with a list and there the White House list is 8.8 trillion, not even the 18 trillion, but then the 8.8 trillion includes commitments only, not actual deals, commitments, but then it's like $1 trillion commitment from Qatar. Okay, well, Qatar's entire annual GDP is $166 billion. Okay. So they're not giving 10 times their GDP. The United Arab Emirates was like $1.2 trillion. Well, their entire annual GDP's $440 billion. So they're not giving 4x their entire GDP to the United States. It included $500 billion from India. There's not even a trade deal with India. it included like $1 trillion from Japan, just an entirely made up number, like $700 billion
Starting point is 00:39:24 from Europe based on European company private investments, like just literally fraud. The Bernie-Madoff Ponzi scheme was $66 billion. Trump's doing it in plain view saying it's $18 trillion. And if we've brought in $18 trillion, then why can't we extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies to the American people? Why are people unable to afford health care if we've apparently got on the shelf $18 trillion? And my other question is, why are we bailing out Argentina to the tune of $20 billion right now while 20 million Americans are about to lose their health care?
Starting point is 00:40:03 20 billion to Argentina, 20 million Americans, Donald Trump says, go pound sand. We'll talk more about what's going on in the domestic front in just a minute. But I don't want to leave out these points. This was Donald Trump and the Knesset attacking Obama and Biden on the world stage. I just want you to see, again, how vile this behavior is here playing this clip. I would say November 5th was a time that we became really hot. But once you go back a couple of years, if I were in charge and the country was doing what they would. Nobody was going to ask me to speak.
Starting point is 00:40:35 Nobody asked Joe Biden to come up and speak. I guarantee you that. And if they did, he would have turned them down, I promise you. He didn't speak. He didn't speak and he didn't speak well. But all of the countries in the Middle East, it could have, what we're doing now, it could have happened a long time ago, but it was strangled and set back almost irretrievably by the administrations of Barack Obama and then Joe Biden. There was a hatred toward Israel. It was an absolute hatred. That's how he was using the day. And I can't emphasize enough how much that harms the United States on the world.
Starting point is 00:41:15 stage when that behavior takes place. Then when he was meeting with the leader of Egypt, Donald Trump praises Egypt versus governors in the United States, as though Egypt is better than what? Los Angeles, California? I mean, what? Chicago, Illinois. I mean, state, cities, counties in the U.S. that literally subsidize the red states. Red states operate like Argentina and Hungary. They're mostly failed states, but for California, which contributes $84 billion more to the federal government than it takes. That's a common pattern, by the way. Los Angeles County alone would be the, if it was a state, would be the fourth largest giver or donor state to the federal government than in terms of what it takes. Meanwhile, Texas, a red state, takes, leach, takes $75 billion more than it gives.
Starting point is 00:42:13 broken electric grids, we saw what happened with the disastrous flash floods, the Guadalupe River. There's still dead children who are missing. Texas refused to take the money from the Biden administration because it was too woke to do alarm systems, emergency warning systems about floods, which would have saved the children. But they just, they move on. They just cover it up. They're going to reopen up the camp and they don't want to talk about it anymore. No, no, no, it can't even have conversation. How offensive to even bring that up to them. Here's Donald Trump with the leader of Egypt attacking democratic governors and saying Egypt is like better.
Starting point is 00:42:49 Here, play this clip. We're in a country where a friend of mine is a very powerful leader. And my friend is right here, the president, also the general, you know. Sometimes I call him, usually I call him the general because he's both and he's good at both. And they've done a fantastic job. And they have very little crime, you know, because they don't play games. that's why they don't play games like we do in the united states with governors that have no idea what they're doing but they don't have crime i ask about crime and they almost don't even know what i'm
Starting point is 00:43:23 talking about so it's uh it's a great tribute to this man he's done a fantastic job in bringing this country together i mean it's quite literally insane brett and jordy and might as mine i mean what are we watching there right it's just disgraceful too especially you know for the guy who everything is incredibly hyperbolic and everything is this is the greatest the best you know all the adjectives he uses, for him to go around as the president of the United States, the foremost representative of the United States, and just constantly shit on our cities, shit on our leaders. Like, it is just so demeaning to the country.
Starting point is 00:43:58 I cannot imagine. Can you imagine if, like, Macron came to the United States and was like, so you all heard about Paris, that hellhole, that what piece of shit, Paris, oh, Nice, screw that place, right? I'm going to send in the military because the people who are running Nice, they don't know what the hell they're doing that crap hole like you'd be like what that what is this maniac doing and sometimes you got to put yourself in another position in order to fully see just how nuts it is but i know how i know i know i know all of you understand it but it's just the craziest thing it's so anti-american in my opinion also and you could really be a leader who's uplifting the country who's using these moments
Starting point is 00:44:35 to unite the country to talk positively about the country to actually do things to help these cities but instead you have Donald Trump who is launching attacks on these cities. He's saying it's to help these cities, but it's certainly not. Nobody is asking for his quote-unquote help. He's sending Black Hawk helicopters. He's sending federal troops. He is flying these helicopters above apartment buildings. People are terrorized. They have trouble sleeping because it feels like there's a military presence in their cities because there is. I mean, the whole thing is just absolutely deranged. And you see right now, while the entire media is out there celebrating Donald Trump, you see Trump, very quickly turning the United States into an authoritarian country where he's able to do whatever
Starting point is 00:45:16 he wants. He doesn't have a check from the courts. He doesn't have a check from the Congress. He can just do whatever he wants, say whatever he wants. People as administration commit crimes on camera. Tom Holman took 50,000 bucks for a bribe. Oh, who cares? And they just like, and then they go on the shows and they're so smug about it when they're asked about it. They're demanding the press have signed special pledges if they want to report on certain aspects of the government. And the stuff we're seeing right now in the United States is totally twisted. I do got to give some credit, though, where credit is due here. There are a number of news organizations out there who have shut down that request from the Trump administration, Ben, including The Guardian,
Starting point is 00:45:55 who did the piece on you, but the New York Times, CNN, and many others have told the White House and Pete Heggseth, absolutely not. We are not signing your damn loyalty pledge. That's not what we do as a news organization. And I got to say, good on them. to do that. For those who don't know, Pete Hegeseth wants the news companies, wants the media to sign a pledge that any story that they write about the Department of Defense or the Pentagon, whatever, has to be run by the United States government for approvals first, even if it has nothing to do with anything that's classified whatsoever. So I think all these media companies need to join the companies have already spoken out, and they need to say, hell no, because what's the point of that
Starting point is 00:46:37 access if you're only able to report on stuff that the government allows you to at that point you are no longer a news organization i want to be clear you are a propaganda arm of the united states and that's why as of now as of this recording i think the only outlet out there that has agreed to sign this pledge for pete hexath has been oa n which is a maga propaganda network exactly it's become one of my phrases that i like to say in the show but what in the kim john is that about? I mean, just scary, Brett, the way that is framed right there. And can I just say something, brothers? November 5th. Did you know November 5th? That's when we got really hot. We got really hot November 5th. It's all so weird. Don't be gaslit by anyone into thinking that any of this
Starting point is 00:47:22 behavior is normal. What is this? 2003 with Paris Hilton? That's hot. I always try and remember where in this make America great again arc like Trump is referring to. And I think we've pretty much established, like late 80s, early 90s, just based on the celebrities that they adore. And, you know, that was Trump's heyday when he was running a muck in Florida with his boy, Jeffrey Epstein, release the Epstein files. And it's just so freaking weird when he gets up there on a national stage. It's beyond undignified. It's beneath the office, the way he behaves. And he just goes after Democratic-run cities, Brett, like in front of these other global leaders. it's truly embarrassing and it hurts me it genuinely hurts me as someone who loves this country
Starting point is 00:48:07 to see the person at the helm once again acting like such a buffoon and it's upsetting and i know we're all collectively going through it don't be gaslit once again by anyone around you who says any of this behavior is normal and then lastly benjy i just want to hit on what you started this segment with daniel dale i forgot about that little feud but we had about the whole clapping clip that was a that was a funny one but no no daniel's simpler times simpler Daniel, you're wonderful. We're not bringing that feud back up. Ben, after the show.
Starting point is 00:48:37 Well, look, the issue with Daniel Dale, I'm not going to fully let the feud go away, is we would be analyzing what the behavior was. And then he would continuously fact-check us based on what Donald Trump said. So we would say, here's what he's doing. And then Daniel Dale would like, but false. Donald Trump has said over and over again that he's not going. to be doing those things. And I'd be like, yes, I understand that's what he said. But can we look at what is actual actions and behavior? And by the way, to this day, that that's continued to be a through
Starting point is 00:49:10 line of who Donald Trump is and how corporate media is so beholden to Donald Trump, taking him at his word and at face value when you can. He's a liar. It's known. And, Jordy, I think Donald Trump's reference of when America was great is actually pre-World War I. I think he has it like 1890 to like 1910. And his frame of reference for how he views the world is like 1980. Like he's frozen in time in the 80s and the 90s when he talks about the types of energy, the relationship of the United States to other countries, like his perspective on Japan, trading relationships. He views, we views the world like of what was going on then.
Starting point is 00:49:52 But I think he says, we were the greatest when there was no income. tax, and it was purely based on tariffs to raise money, despite the fact that if you actually look at history, tariffs were one of the accelerating forces on the Great Depression. We've got a lot more to discuss. I'll show you what the latest MAGA talking point is on the government shutdown, what they're saying about the No Kings protests. Democrats are fighting back. I mean, I appreciate some of the fight back that we're actually seeing now. We'll talk about that and more reminder, don't just subscribe to this YouTube channel. Become a member if you can. It helps grow this network and you can gift memberships to as many people as you can. Just hit the join button. You'll see
Starting point is 00:50:39 it says join. And then there's an option for you to gift memberships. Also, subscribe to our audio podcast as well. If you watch on video, make sure you listen on audio or at least just sign up on audio. It goes a long way to help us in the audio algorithms as well when you sign up and you leave a five-star review. Last break of the show, home stretch, don't go anywhere. We've got a lot to discuss when we come back on the Midas Touch podcast. You know, I didn't think a skincare product could actually reverse how my skin feels, but one skin changed my mind. What I personally like most about one skin is how it actually makes my skin feel stronger and more hydrated. I started using their OS1 body on my arms and neck, those areas that start to show age first,
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Starting point is 00:54:40 Use the links. Use the codes if there's an exit survey. Let them know we sent you. Benji, where to next. Let's talk a lot about what's going on with this government to shut down. there seems to be no end in sight. I mean, when Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans are refusing to even talk with Democrats, yet alone negotiate, and they need Democrat votes to pass the resolution, just go back. Let's make this simple. Think about your fifth grade government class or whenever you took it, fourth grade or sixth grade.
Starting point is 00:55:12 What we learned, right, is that the parties in a multi-party system or a two-party system need to talk. to each other. So here where Democrats are trying to talk to Republicans and Republicans saying, we don't want to talk with you, yet alone negotiate with you, we're going to do it on our own. You can't have a functioning government where that dynamic takes place. I know we can get more specific, obviously, about what's going on here, but I think that's a fundamental point. And I don't want to just miss the basics. They're governing like, we don't need to actually build consensus and speak to the other group that represents half the country, we don't want you.
Starting point is 00:56:00 That's very, very, very disturbing as a concept, right? And then what are the Democrats fighting for here? An extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies, like something that's basic, whether you're in a red state or a blue state, your health care costs are about to skyrocket if these subsidies are not extended. Donald Trump and the Republicans had Trump's first term to come up with their own health care plan and they've had nine months to come up with one now. It's not a health care plan to just go and say, we're going to reduce prices by 1,600%.
Starting point is 00:56:35 That's a fake number. And that's not a plan. You're just doing fraud. It's not a health care plan to post AI videos of alien technology from outer space called medbeds that doesn't exist, obviously. There's no alien technology, but it's a Q and on conspiracy as Donald Trump posts and say, this is going to cure all of your illnesses. That's actually something that Donald Trump posted.
Starting point is 00:57:00 Corporate news, he just posts crazy things, so we're not going to talk about it. But it's important that we talk about it in the context of, well, what's your health care plan? Also, back in May, Donald Trump said, I've signed an executive order that will allow our prescription drug prices to cost as low as the lowest price for that same prescription drug price in the country where it's the lowest. So if you factor in, you pick the drug and they're charging one dollar for it in Canada, then Donald Trump says it will cost that amount of money in the United States, $1 also. But that's not happening. That's just fraud. It's a lie. That didn't happen. How do I know it didn't happen? Do you think it happened? Has it happened to you? Has the most
Starting point is 00:57:45 favor nation provision been implemented? Of course it hasn't been. And again, I think that's why we have to talk about the reality of the situation, which is that these Republicans have not put forward a plan. And look, Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic leader, he posted this video that's now been viewed about two million times. And it's been very simple. Like literally, the video says save health care. And then it repeats save health care. Then it says hospitals will close. And then it says premiums will skyrocket. Okay, pretty basic message. Not a fancy video, which just says should be non-controversial, right? Well, immediately, Maga Republicans started responding, like Tim Burchett. We did not create Obamacare. Okay, Maga Republican Congress member Mike Lawler. ObamaCare was passed by Democrats.
Starting point is 00:58:31 The Obamacare tax credits were passed by Democrats during COVID and slated to expire at the end of this year. Since Obamacare took effect, health care premiums have risen by over 60 percent. Your failed policies created a health care crisis. Well, one of the reasons we have these subsidies is to lower the prices. Ever since Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act was introduced, Democrats have tried very hard to keep the prices down. Republicans have blocked a lot of the efforts to build upon the work of Obamacare. But if you have a better plan, then introduce what your plan is to the American people. Talk about what it is. Sell the plan. Go through a legislative process the way Obamacare did, because before Obamacare, insurance companies could
Starting point is 00:59:18 discriminate against people on the basis of pre-existing conditions. 20 plus million Americans were uninsured, and they would just die. They would die because they didn't have health care. And premiums were through the roof and were very, very, very expensive. So if you have a better plan, the plan that I like, I'll use my moral clarity on the show, is universal. health care. I believe the government should provide health care to all Americans for free. Ben, where do you get the money from? Tax rich people more. That's my view. You could disagree with it. You could agree with it. We're subsidizing billionaires right now to get more private jets and to get more yachts. I think they should basically pay the amount of money for that one extra jet for
Starting point is 01:00:07 helping the greater good of the country as a gesture of patriotism. for being so rich that's my view you could disagree with it you could okay well i don't want that i don't okay well what do you want you want affordable care act which you use these subsidies to bring the prices down that's an option that's an option i think there's i think the premiums are still too high but that's why we brought in the subsidies so should we subsidize it more but then you have to come up with a plan and brett and jordy i think what this shutdown has exposed particularly today is that what Republicans have, oh, what this is all about, and Maga Mike admitted it today, was repealing Obamacare.
Starting point is 01:00:47 So when they go and say, just open up the government now and we'll talk about health care, bruh, just trust us, bro, we're going to talk about, but you got it, you got to open it up, and then we're going to do something super, no, you're not. No, you're not. You're going to repeal health care. That's what you're going to do. How do I know that? Because you said it.
Starting point is 01:01:06 Here's Maga Mike saying it today. He's asked the right question. This is the question that I've been saying, ask him. ask him what do you what's your plan do you want to repeal obamacare and listen to what he says because this is actually sick he says it gave him and the republicans ptsd it gave them post-traumatic stress disorder when mccane did the thumbs down and saved obamacare he said that act of saving the affordable care act caused him PTSD what a sick thing to say when Americans actually suffer from real PTSD and now don't have the health care to treat their conditions.
Starting point is 01:01:49 Here, play this clip. President Obama, you've been very critical in recent days of Obamacare. Some of your members have called for repealing it. Do you support repealing Obama care? And what's your health care? We worked on repealing and replacing Obamacare back in 2017. I still have PTSD from the experience. You remember that John McCain famously did the thumbs down and effectively by one vote margin.
Starting point is 01:02:11 the whole effort was defeated. It's a great frustration of mine, and has always been of President Trump's, and we know that American health care needs dramatic reform. Let's just state it simply, Obamacare failed the American people. It was promised to be a great success to make health care more affordable. It's done exactly the opposite, and it has been pointed out by everyone that since Obamacare was created in 2010 premiums, the cost of health care have risen exponentially.
Starting point is 01:02:45 It's skyrocketed to the point where it's no longer affordable for so many Americans. And the access to care has been reduced. And the quality of care in some regions of the country has been reduced. We have to reverse all of that. And we have plans to do it. The Republican Party is the party that has the plans to fix it. Can we completely repeal and replace Obamacare? Many of us are skeptical about that now because the roots are so deep.
Starting point is 01:03:10 it was really sinister the way in my view the way it was created i believe obamacare was created okay he rambles on and on and he doesn't give a plan yeah like he always says he has a plan does that give away the whole game right there i mean doesn't that give away the whole game 100 percent and everything he says is a lie right and listen i think virtually all americans could agree that there's an issue with our health care system that needs uh you know extreme solving the republican plan if they were to say it would be to remove obamacare to make it so people with pre-existing could get denied coverage like they were before Obamacare to end the expanded coverage that Obamacare gave, to take away the marketplace, to remove the subsidies, as we're seeing
Starting point is 01:03:49 happen right now, to remove the block on lifetime limits. Like, there were so many things that Obamacare implemented that were game changers for Americans. And I feel like still enough people in this country don't even give it enough credit. But you know the majority of this country does have a positive opinion on the affordable care. Could it have been better? Could it been in public option. Yes, that was voted down at the last second. There's so many things that could have been done there. But Mike Johnson is spreading a false narrative. He's acting like insurance premiums weren't rising before Obamacare. In the 10 years before Obamacare became law, I think insurance premiums rose like 200%. And so now they're saying that insurance premiums,
Starting point is 01:04:29 insurance premiums have won up 60% since Obamacare, which sounds like a lot. And it's still health care is way too expensive for Americans. But that's significantly less than it was. It's growing at a slower pace. In fact, if you put it next to things like housing, if you put it next to things like cars and food prices, like the price of health care is actually increased at a much lower rate than all of those things, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Mike Johnson has no plan here. Donald Trump has no plan here. And the words he uses are just so sleazy and slimy. And it's so that he could act like, oh, I care. I'm Mike Johnson.
Starting point is 01:05:10 We're just trying to do our best, but these pesky Democrats. But it's really sinister what he's doing and just really, really disgusting, in my opinion. I want to try to pull this up if I could find it. But Ron Filipkowski at the Midas Touch Network did an incredible translation of Mike Johnson's comments. This is from our substack, Midasplus.com. You get great daily political news of bulletins, the best in the universe. at midasplus.com and so ron philip casky editor-in-chief did this translation of mike johnson's comments that you just heard so he said johnson then said the quiet part out loud can we completely repeal
Starting point is 01:05:46 and replace obamacare many of us are skeptical about that now because the roots are so deep it was really sinister the way it was created i believe obamacare was created to implode upon itself to collapse upon itself so ron says when mike johnson says the roots are so deep that means it's really freaking popular most of the american people really like the Affordable Care Act. They do not want to change or get rid of the Affordable Care Act. Then Ron says when Mike Johnson says, quote, really sinister the way it was created, while Mike Johnson is hinting at there, a Mike Johnson translation, is that a black man
Starting point is 01:06:21 was the person who developed the law. And Ron goes on to say, this is what he's been saying all year. You know, they can't repeal the Affordable Care Act. They know it's too popular. And their plan is to just kind of crush the funding of it to try to destroy it, to choke off the funding, to end the subsidies. That is why Democrats have made this their fight because they understand what the Republicans are trying to do right now.
Starting point is 01:06:43 This is not only a temporary battle right now to extend these subsidies. This is a battle for health care at large. This is a battle for people to be able to not die in this country because Republicans have so strained the funding from such an essential service in this country. That's why this is so contentious. That's why you see the Democrats not backing down. And that's why these Republicans, it's just so shameful what they are doing here and the lies they are spreading and their inability to just be honest with the American people and tell the damn truth about what's going on here and to get in a room with the party. You need the Democrats votes.
Starting point is 01:07:17 You're the majority party. It's your job to actually run a government and to bring those people in and say, let's make a deal. Let's compromise. But they don't care about making a deal. They just care about being subservient to Donald Trump, their Lord Emperor, who they just do whatever the hell he wants. You know, there was a Wall Street Journal piece that was talking about, you know, Donald Trump and Congress. And he's like, yeah, it's amazing. They just rubber stamp everything I do. It's the best. Like, that's not how it's supposed to be in this country. This is supposed to be checks and balances.
Starting point is 01:07:46 But right now, we have a Congress. We have courts. We have all these things that are just saying, here, executive branch, take all of our power. We don't want it anyway. It's all you, King Trump. And that, to me, is deeply, deeply troubling. Absolutely. Look, let's remind everyone the Republicans control. every branch of government at this time. And so when they try and continue to pin this on the Democrats, I mean, it's a really head-scratching moment. It's like, look, to a certain extent,
Starting point is 01:08:11 you all got all the power here. Republicans, you guys are the reason the shutdown is still happening. And for me, I look at it through an additional lens, Brett. Every day that passes and the government is shut down, for me, is just another reminder that Donald Trump and the Republican Party would rather protect petos than figure out a sustainable health care plan.
Starting point is 01:08:29 Because once the government reopens, you know what you're also going to get is a vote to release the Epstein files. And so this is all such a head-scratching moment for me as Johnson continues to deflect at the expense of the American people. And it's incredibly frustrating when he gives this sort of, oh, shucks behavior. And he's just trying to be this, you know, really smooth talking guy. And there couldn't be anything further from the truth with Johnson. I mean, he just comes off incredibly phony, super slimy. And that's every time he takes to stay in their breath. And just the disgraceful things they're doing, which are clear
Starting point is 01:09:03 violations of the law, clear violations of the Hatch Act, like when they change all these government websites to say, this is the fault of the Democrats. The Democrats have shut down the government. They don't want you to get your care when they talk about the what the videos they're playing at the airports. Like, did you see that Christy Nome video? If you showed me that and said that this is a video that plays in North Korea to silence their opposition, I'd be like, this is horrifying. We need to do something about that. But Christy Nome is. they're playing these videos from the Department of Homeland Security, where she goes around and she goes, while people are waiting in TSA line, she goes around and she goes, sorry that things are
Starting point is 01:09:40 slower right now, but this is the fault of those evil Democrats who are doing this to you. This is really, really, really horrifying things, but that's why it's so important that people stand up to this tyranny and that they refuse to be silenced. And that's why I'm so excited that the No King's protests are coming up this Saturday. They are expected to be even bigger than the last ones. Millions and millions and millions of people taking to the streets to say, well, no kings. And you see, you see like this antibody-type reaction from this fascist government in which we are living right now, trying to silence these no-kings protesters, trying to say that these protesters, they're all Antifa.
Starting point is 01:10:23 These protesters, they all hate America using just horrific language of people who are just trying to use. their free expression to speak out against a government that is overstepping. And so you've had people now from all across the administration who have been going on TV. Like you can name a person, I'll show you them on TV, saying things about these no king protests in the most heinous terms. So first, let me show you this clip of Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary. He goes on TV, I don't even totally fully know what he means by this, but he's like, no kings means no paychecks.
Starting point is 01:10:56 He's somehow equating the no kings protests to the government. shut down despite the fact that the no king's protests were organized far before the government shut down i don't even know but watch scott best it's in fact they are waiting for this no king's protest you know no kings means no paychecks no paychecks and no government and maria i i think the the dirty secret here for why this is dragged on for so long is the democratic friends in the mainstream media have been downplaying the shutdown and it's This is getting serious. It's starting to affect the real economy. It's starting to affect people's lives. Okay. So I think there was a little bit something there at the end, too, that's worth noting
Starting point is 01:11:36 that he wants to blame the bad economy under Trump. Remember, they still haven't released the employment numbers. And they're blaming the shutdown for it. But they want to blame the bad economy under Trump over the government shutdown and try to pin it on Democrats. That's part of the seeds that Bessent is planting over there. But like I said, you name a cabinet secretary. Let's go to the secretary. Why is the Secretary of Transportation, even speaking about No King's protests. Can you speak about how you're going to speed up things at the airports and keep planes from falling out of the sky? But here is Sean Duffy of Real World Road Rules Challenge fame, equating these protests to saying that it's their Tifa, they're paid protesters. Watch this. But again, the No King's protest, Maria,
Starting point is 01:12:18 really frustrating. I mean, this is part of Antifa, paid protesters. It begs the question who's funding it. But yeah, Democrats want to wait for a big rally. of a No Kings protest, when the bottom line is, who's running the show in the Senate? Chuck Schumer's not running the show. John Thune, the Republicans run the Senate. What is the quote? Who's running the show in the Senate? You all control the Senate.
Starting point is 01:12:41 Majority Leader Thune is the leader of the Senate. You guys control the Senate. And that language that he is saying right there, to me, brothers and might as mighty, is just, is incredibly troubling, especially when you put it in context of things that have happened over the past few weeks, like Donald Trump's saying. Antifa is a terrorist organization saying we could use lethal force against Antifa, just like we use lethal force against terrorists around the world. Remember, Donald Trump is doing these extrajudicial killings of like just targeting fishing boats and stuff in the Caribbean. He's essentially saying that he has the right to kill anybody who participate in these protests.
Starting point is 01:13:18 Like if you draw a direct line between what he's saying, he held that very frightening, bizarre event with like MAGA propagandist influencers. last week, which was the Antifa Roundtable. And his whole thing is it's not about, you know, Antifa. It's not about, you know, this is a terrorist group. The real mission behind what Donald Trump is doing here is clearly he wants to silence all dissent and anybody who also helps fund any of the groups, anyone who helps organize any of these events in which people speak out against him. He's trying to get to basically the funding of all any and all opposition, a big,
Starting point is 01:13:57 money funders who fund the Democratic Party, big organizer groups who help put together rallies like the No Kings rallies. Donald Trump and his government are trying to use the weight to the federal government to crush all dissent to try to eradicate the opposition party. And so their language when you hear them say things like that is very intentional. I mean, I could show you, I'll show you Tom Emmer quickly, okay? Tom Emmer saying that this is like a terrorist event. Watch this. This is one, this is about one thing and one thing only to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold, as Leader Scalese just commented on, a hate America rally in D.C. next week. That's the majority whip of the House of Representatives saying things that are so utterly irresponsible. And I know all you have been these events to, by the way, congrats on your paychecks going all these events.
Starting point is 01:14:54 If you need to get your back pay, hit us up. We'll tell you, no, I'm just kidding. But all you have been to these events, they're all been incredibly peaceful. I proudly attended the No Kings event last time when I went to the one near me here. It was a great vibe. It was a patriotic vibe. People with American flags. People who wanted to uphold the Constitution in the United States.
Starting point is 01:15:15 People who loved this country. People who were there saying, no Kings, that we don't do tyrants in the country. Hilarious signs. A great vibe of community there. people helping one another. And for Donald Trump and his regime to turn around and call you all we're watching this who participate in these things to say y'all are paid. You are terrorists. You are pro Hamas. You are evil. You need to be eradicated. You are anti-American. That to me, you know, going back full circle to this entire episode, it's why enough of the praising of this guy
Starting point is 01:15:48 legacy media. Let's focus on what he's doing and the threat that he poses, not just to the entire world but also to us here at home, the American people. Great points, Brad. The anti-American stuff really upsets me too because there actually isn't anything more American, more patriotic than getting out there and peacefully protesting. So I'm excited to see y'all out there this weekend. Please tag us in signs, tag us in your protest, tag us wherever. You name the social media, we're going to do our best to repost and uplift all of y'all. So seriously, let's get out there and let's peacefully do this thing, Ben. You're kind of telling themselves too when they're like, did you say you're anti-fascist? you say about me? I'm like, do you just call yourself a fascist? I was against, I was against
Starting point is 01:16:28 fascism. You seem to take that personally for some reason. Ken Klippenstein did a good report on this. I'm interviewing him about NSPM 7, National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, which is different than an executive order. It actually directed our national security apparatus to open up an office in a suburban area in Virginia, a few miles away from the CIA headquarters, where every day they are compiling lists of people who they view as anti-American that have views against gender that differ from the Trump administration, anti-capitalist, it says, and views that go against morality. And if you get put on a list, you get treated as though you, and this is pro-Antifa, you get
Starting point is 01:17:19 treated as though you were a terrorist, the way the national security. apparatus would monitor, surveil, and engage in all this behavior against people they suspect that it being terrorist cells, that's now been moved to create this watch list of individuals within the United States. And so using the rhetoric that you hear from MAGA, that protesting and peacefully makes you Antifa, to your point, Brett, it's clear what they are trying to do and how they use this name Antifa as really a pretext to just. just try to clamp down on dissent. I think one of the things that will leave you all with as well, though, is that even throughout
Starting point is 01:18:01 all of this, I think the American people have, the people have maintained their power. The people continue to resist. The people continue to oppose. I mean, Donald Trump is a deeply unpopular person, despite what corporate news tries to do. And boy, do they try to treat this person like I've never seen anything near it? It is odd. It is gross. But the American people are saying, look, at the end of the day, I'm living paycheck to paycheck.
Starting point is 01:18:34 My health care is getting ripped away. Grocery prices are not lower. Prices in general are going up. You've did not destroy inflation. Inflation is higher than ever right now. I'm not able to afford my rent or if you're lucky enough to have a home. I'm not able to afford my mortgage. I'm not able to get an education. I am in debt and my credit card is now delinquent. Highest credit card delinquencies in recent history. Highest student loan
Starting point is 01:19:02 delinquents, six million student loans are delinquent right now, meaning people are defaulting, meaning people's credit is being absolutely being destroyed. Worst housing markets since 1995, worst market for jobs since the Great Recession. You know, this is the real data that's out there. And meanwhile, Trump's Bureau of Labor Statistics is not publishing the economic data. Just they're not publishing inflation data. They're not publishing jobs data. And the data we get from private sources shows that things are very, very bad.
Starting point is 01:19:37 And our stock market is being propped up by AI companies doing deals with each other over and over and over again with the same types of companies that account for 80% of the gains on the market are a handful of AI companies right now. And so the rest of the market, if it wasn't for these companies, would be struggling significantly right now. And so Main Street, regular people are saying, what the hell is going on here? You've given tax cuts to billionaires, but you can't extend my health care while you are bragging about bringing in $18 trillion. Trump's approval has never been lower. I mean, I'm talking first term as well.
Starting point is 01:20:18 American people hate this, and rightfully so. And American people will get out there and peacefully protest at No Kings. I have no doubt about it. And we'll be covering everything that's happening at No Kings, as is our duty and as has been our priority. Thanks everybody for watching this episode of the Midas Touch podcast. We told you it would be very comprehensive. Subscribe now to the YouTube channel.
Starting point is 01:20:41 Let's get 6 million subscribers. subscribe to the audio podcast and leave a five star review as well that helps us in a big way um also if you can become a member of our youtube channel and if you become a member by clicking the join button you can gift memberships to other people i want to thank to people i want to thank all of our sponsors thanks for supporting the show discount codes are in the description below grateful to our sponsors and most importantly we're grateful for all of you the mightest mighty stay in this fight, stay strong. We're in this together. And as that Guardian article about us says, we'll always keep on fighting for you. Jordi, take it away. Shout out to the Midas Mighty.
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