Transcript of Thursday Afternoon Breaking News Updates with Ben - 6/25/2026

Welcome to Ben on Breaking News. I'm Ben Myselis and this is your breaking news. We've got a lot to cover. Iran struck a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz that tried to utilize the Omani route instead of the IRGC-endorsed route through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had warned that if cargo ships, VLCCs, other tankers were to use the other route, they would be in danger without permission from the IRGC. The IRGC doesn't bluff. They made good on their threats. They disabled the Singaporean vessel. We'll talk about what happened. I'll just cut to the chase. Donald Trump is MIA. He gave that disastrous speech yesterday in Washington, DC, where there was only like 1,000 people that showed up, and like half the people left while Donald Trump was giving the speech. And of course, a lot of bluster, a lot of bravado, but when things go down, the Trump regime just shows how weak they are and how pathetic they are. And let's just face it, this was a catastrophic and unlawful war the United States should never have been in. The U.S. utterly lost the war. We are the losers because of Donald Trump.

That's it. It's very simple. When you break things, you fix it. You shouldn't have been involved in this war. We shouldn't have been involved in this war in the first place. That's why the MOU reads as a surrender document, because the United States has and is surrendering as the losers. Trump's a loser his whole life. We lost. That's it. But Let's give peace a chance. Okay, at the end of the day, you know, we know that Trump's a loser, but we need peace in this world. We need true peace in this, in the Middle East. We need to make sure that the genocide in Gaza stops. We need to make sure that the genocide in Lebanon stops. We need real structural systemic change. We need a new paradigm for what's taking place because it's absolutely horrific. Trump and his neocon war hawks have made things infinitely worse. I root for peace. I root for peace. Marco Rubio doesn't root for peace. He's a sick human being. He's right now in the Middle East trying to undermine the MOU. He's lying about the terms of the MOU. He's notably— he notably was not there in Switzerland when J.D. Vance was involved in the technical talks because Rubio, despite being the Secretary of State, didn't want to be associated with the MOU and those talks.

Instead, he's been meeting with Abu Dhabi or in Abu Dhabi with the president of the UAE, MBZ. You had Tiffany Trump's husband, uh, Michael Boulos, sitting at the table with MBZ. Um, so you had Kushner in Switzerland, one of Donald Trump's son-in-laws. Trump's other son-in-law, Michael Boulos, was at this, uh, meeting, likely where classified information was being discussed as well. I'll show you what Rubio said in a little bit when he was asked, why is Tiffany Trump's husband there. Oh, you know, we're friends, man. We're friends.

That's what we do.

We just—

we're hanging out. You hang out at meetings over war and peace where likely very sensitive information was being communicated. I mean, this is such a filthy and disgusting— these are disgusting people. What do you do? This is what you're doing is bringing— suddenly was a fan. It's like a family outing. What the hell are these people doing? What a bunch of scumbags. Sorry, just as I do the intro, it just makes me freaking angry because they've made our country into a bunch of losers, right? Donald Trump, this pathetic pathetic orange creature thing loser his whole damn life. I mean, you know what, he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. You know, just stay the hell away from us. You had to taint this whole freaking thing, you asshole. Sorry, just pisses me off sometimes to think about, you know, I, I, I wake up, I'm humiliated by what the Trump regime's done to this guy. I mean, it's you, it's— we're— he's humiliated this country. We are Trump losers, and we shouldn't be But he's a freaking loser, and this is what he's done to the— and the whole regime of losers.

Yeah, Treasury Secretary Bessant, uh, uh, you know how he— what did he say? He was like, you know how like Iraq had Baghdad Bob? Yeah, Iran's like Tehran Tim. Oh, they don't mean what they— what are you talking about? They're not— you're Baghdad Bob. Your whole regime is Tehran Tim. Just stupid name-calling freaking baby losers running this country. Sucks, sucks to have such losers. Anyway, Trump's MIA. You have former President Obama joining a podcast where he was calling Donald Trump out, saying, say it to my face, say it to my face. Not surprisingly, more inflation readouts. This time the PCE numbers came through. Inflation based on the Fed's preferred metric, PCE, is at 4.1% right now. Then we heard today Apple and Microsoft significantly raising prices on their products by like hundreds of dollars, like 25% price increases on Apple devices. Same thing with Microsoft devices like Xbox and other stuff. And so, um, this has, in addition to the hot inflation reading coming in with PCE at 4.1%, we're seeing the personal savings of Americans, uh, diminish. Uh, it's like less than, you know, whatever, less than 3%, uh, savings. It went down from like 4.6% of savings.

Now it's like 3% savings. Um, really, really dire and catastrophic time. Yeah, personal savings right now, 3%. Dire and catastrophic times, um, for, uh, the country caused by the, uh, Trump regime. So we'll get into all of this. Also, Midas Touch in the news a lot lately. Midas Touch host Katie Fang has been aggressively pursuing a lawsuit against Todd Blanch and Trump's DOJ in order to get the Epstein files released pursuant to the Epstein Transparency Act. The Trump regime missed a deadline by the federal judge, Judge Emmet Sullivan, in response to Katie Fang's lawsuit. We'll keep you posted as we learn more. And she says, look, by the way, it's the first of its kind. Lawsuit under the Epstein Transparency Act brought by a journalist. And it's just an honor to have Katie Feng be a part of this network and be pursuing these claims. Because I often get asked, hey Ben, you know, what do you do beyond just like talking? Well, I go, look, that's what I do. I mean, I— this is, uh, I was a litigator. That's what I did for most of my life in high-impact litigations where I represented families who were often the victims of police brutality.

And I did other civil rights cases. I run a news network, so We provide accurate information that I think is so needed right now during these dire times, especially when there's so much disinformation. But, you know, I'm so proud of our hosts like Katie Fang who go out there and make major impact. I mean, you have Katie Fang doing that. You have Charlie Angus, Midas Canada, calling out NovaRed, a mining company that brought in Kristi Noem to be on their board of advisors. And that company is now feeling the heat as a result of giving Kristi Noem this job. Job with them. And so, you know, impact there. And then, uh, I'll show you in a little bit, state regime media Fox calling us out, uh, and, uh, and saying, you know, all these new, the, these new Democrats who won the election in New York, uh, they're saying, oh, well, all these people are going to be able to do is go on Midas Touch Network. They're not going to really be able to make a difference. They'll just be a guest on the Midas Touch Network. First off, I'm not sure that's an insult.

It isn't an insult, but they'll be on the Midas Touch Network. They sure will be. On the Midas Touch Network, and we champion the voices of people who are out there fighting for the people, you know. And it's just, uh, you know, it's just so, so interesting right now too. We'll get into all the breaking news as we approach, uh, these— the midterms coming up. And, you know, everybody, you know, who likes to hear themselves speak, you know, wants to weigh in. You know, Democrats should be like this, Democrats need to look like that, Democrats should be looking like this. Oh, is the Democrat Party becoming this? Is the Democrat Party becoming that? Where should we just shut up? Seriously, Shut that. You real— it's that type of stupid shit that you say that's got us in trouble in the first place. It's— stop it. You know what you should do? You should just listen to what the people are saying right now, okay? You should listen, listen, and listen more and shut up. Listen to what people are saying. People are psychologically tortured right now by this Trump regime, living paycheck to paycheck if they're lucky enough to have a paycheck at all.

They've had their healthcare ripped away. They've seen ICE and Border Patrol Gestapo terrorizing the streets. People have had family members ripped apart from them right now. People can't afford rent. They certainly can't afford homes. They can't afford groceries. They can't afford gas. They're watching a genocide in Gaza, a genocide in Lebanon. They're watching a United States government complicit. They're watching Trump and Netanyahu invade Iran and blow up elementary schools and kill little girls. They're watching the destruction of the United States of America, the destruction of the middle class, They're watching the rich get richer and manipulate markets, which is what's going on right now with the oil markets. And I'll talk about that just in a moment. I did a whole video on this morning predicting everything that was going to happen today. I mean, go back to the 4:00 AM video I did, West Coast time, 7:00 AM East Coast, before all the developments about Iran striking the Singaporean ship. It's obvious what's happening right now. I know you all know you have this massive market manipulation. You've got someone in the Oval Office who's enriched himself to the tune of billions of dollars, has violated the constitution engaged in so many crimes while in office in plain view.

You've got this, uh, Congress that's become like the Russian Duma, you know, with MAGA Mike and these freaking weirdo sycophants who are like, God brought us Trump. God, he's like, brought you— just these freaking weirdos while the American people are suffering. You've got data centers going up in communities destroying the environment. You've got AI taking away people's jobs. It seems like ultimately when, when jobs are taken away, then like corporations do, their stocks do better. And when jobs are created, the company stocks do worse. And so they're incentivized to like get rid of all of their staff and have AI replace them. And that's, that's where we are. So just listen to what the people, listen to where the people are, you know, listen to what the people are saying to you. And, and that's what you should do. You know, don't— oh, you know, what's the future of this? What's the future of that? The present is what people are feeling and experiencing, and they want fighters for them. They want people who fight for them. And when you don't fight for them, the void gets filled by con artists. Con artists can recognize people's fears, people's problems.

People's pain and suffering. Donald Trump, the biggest con artist in human history, and his skill— and I don't mean this in a positive way— he can see people's pain and suffering and hopes and fears, and he exploits it. He takes advantage. He knows what to say to them, to lie to them, and then he steals from them and takes from them and manipulates them. And then when they start to catch on that he's manipulating, he finds a scapegoat. Oh, it's they did it. They did it. They did it.

He did it.

They did it.

She did it.

They usually she over he.

They did it.

These people did it. It's their fault. I was so close. I was so close. But then you did this. I was going to do. It's going to be great. It's the vandals. It's the this. That's what con artists do. But if you're focused on, well, I think the future of the Democratic party is that we need to move people 2.1 points over here. And then I think we should just have them— maybe we should be a little— dude, shut up. Just fight for people and then deliver for people. Fight for them and deliver for them. That's what I see Mom Donny doing in New York City. Fight, deliver, bring people together.

That's it.

It's a very simple— it's a very simple platform. If you're overcomplicating it, You're going to lose. So get with the program here and just fight for people. I don't even mean this on a, on a bipartisan basis. Let's just fight for people. All right, let's just get into some of the breaking news. I looked at Donald Trump's calendar this morning. I saw nothing on calendar. He hasn't really posted, which is good. I don't really hear him speak. But after lie after lie that, you know, we are— Iran has surrendered to us, they have no navy and they have no nothing, and We control the Strait of Hormuz and we run it and we run it. I was looking at the satellite footage yesterday and, uh, I saw Iran state that they were closing down the— not closing down the strait, but saying we will make sure that no ships are getting through the route from Oman, right? The Strait of Hormuz has an Oman side and an Iran side, and so lots of ships were trying to go through the Oman side And Iran said, no, we're not going to let you do that. And Iran said, if you do that, you're going to suffer the consequences.

So don't do it. We had the Iranian Navy, which Trump says doesn't exist, the Sepah Navy. Sepah Navy. They said, all right, we're going to blow up. We're going to disable the ship if you cross. And a Singapore-flagged vessel called Ever Lonely was transiting with a group of 3 other ships, and Iran said, we warned you. Well, I'm not sure. What more do we need to tell you? We gave you the warning. We gave you another warning. We then broadcast it again, and then you tried to evade our control over the strait, and we disabled it. And I'll play for you the audio of Iran's Sepah Navy, which Trump says doesn't exist. I guess for Donald Trump, this is like AI. It doesn't exist. There's no such thing as SEPA Navy, yet ships are afraid to go now without Iran's permission. But Iran doesn't control it. The US controls it. It's so stupid. And here's SEPA Navy on audio. Let's play it.

Attention all vessels. Attention all vessels. Attention all vessels in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. This is SEPA Navy. Warning: Transiting in the Strait of Hormuz is only possible with SEPA Navy permission and on designated routes. If any vessel attempts to transit in the strait without our permission, or AIS off, or outside of the designated route, it's responsible for any consequences of any danger. This is SEPA Navy out.

Okay, Iran made it very clear. The ship didn't follow it. The ship got hit. Now that route is shut down. You can use the Iranian IRGC route or get permission. Again, if you read the MOU, what the MOU says is that Iran and Oman working together, coordinating with the ships, will allow ships to pass free toll-free for 60 days, but that's all for a 60-day period. Thereafter, Iran is able to charge. Iran has made it clear it will be charging. It may not be a direct toll, it may be protection fee, an insurance fee, an environmental fee, if you will, but Iran's planning to raise an additional $40 billion, uh, through the fees and services. The Wall Street Journal reported about it today, but We didn't need the Wall Street Journal report, although I'm glad they reported on it because it's true. Because what we do here at the Midas Touch Network is I play for you what the Iranian leadership has said. I play for you what MP Ghalibaf says. I play for you what Foreign Minister Araghchi says. I show you the documents. I show you the statements. We go through the MOUs.

We go through the statements. This isn't a network where I do a split screen and this side yells, "We won! We won! No, we won! We won! It was vandals!" "No, it wasn't vandals!" No, I'm just— just hear the facts, facts, facts, facts, facts, facts, um, and then that's it, you know. And the reality, you know, is, is that the MOU says what the MOU says, um, and then the joint statement from Pakistan and Qatar coming out of Bergenstock in the Lake Lucerne Convention in Switzerland that Rubio was— he was too busy to even have to show up. He didn't want to be affiliated with the MOU. We read the joint statement. It was a joint statement, and it's what the US and Iran agreed to with Pakistan and Qatar, uh, this past weekend that, that took place. And so there's, there's not— we, we know what they say, you know, Rubio's in the Middle East right now, uh, claiming, uh, you know what, uh, there are, there are secret agreements, Iran knows what it needs to do, they said they're going to buy our agriculture, they're going to buy our corn. That's what they're gonna— the money's in an escrow account.

I mean, just stuff that's just not true. To which, you know, you have the Iranian authorities basically say— here's MB Ghalibafaran, parliament leader, PhD: America falsely claims our unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture.

Interesting.

The only crop we're harvesting is what you planted. Decades of mistrust. It's organic, abundant, and homegrown, but apparently the U.S. only exports GMO soybeans. Broken promises. And trash talks. I mean, that's what the U.S. has become under Trump. It's— I mean, I get angry when I do the— when I do these intros sometimes because, you know, this is, this is a marker of shame for the country. And I'm, I'm— I live in this country, and to see us get involved in a catastrophic war in the first place is horrific. And then to see, you know, just like all Trump endeavors You know, it's a chaotic, no planning, horrific loser, you know. And now he wants us to bail him out the same way, you know, Daddy bailed him out and, and shareholders, you know, the banks bailed him out, you know. Now, now we're supposed to be the ones who bail him out while he makes— well, he trades 3,700 times in the White House. It's bullshit. Uh, Marco Rubio was in the Middle East He was there because what we know now is happening is these Gulf Cooperation Council countries, um, like Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, um, and others, they're setting up a reconciliation meeting with Iran.

The American security umbrella is dunzo in the Middle East. Like, no one trusts the United States. It ain't happening. I mean, America still has bases there. They're all pretty much destroyed. Iran was able to destroy a lot of our bases. They're in bad shape. Um, but these countries don't want the US back in these bases. It's a liability. And these countries are now working with Iran, um, productively. Separately, you have Israel and Lebanon having discussions over a purported ceasefire, but the discussions are not going good. They're going very bad. Israel is under Netanyahu. They've already taken over a big portion of southern Lebanon that Israel calls its security zone, which is Lebanon. It's not your country, it's Lebanon. But Israel says, this is our security zone, we're not leaving. It's what Netanyahu says. But at the ceasefire discussions, where the discussion was supposed to be over Lebanon bringing its troops into the security zone right? Israel out, because there's never going to be a final deal with Iran until Israel leaves Lebanon. It's not its country. Your country's Israel, not Lebanon.

You leave.

So the discussions we all thought were going to be Lebanon moving its army, Israel moving its army out, Lebanon army in. I don't know if there's a role for Syria. Syria doesn't want to be involved in any, in any wars, but, you know, Trump said that. But then what the discussions turned into was Israel wanted, um, pilot zones. So Israel asked for more land in Lebanon, that we have the security zones, but now we want pilot zones. And Lebanon was like— and this is why there's a breakdown on this— what are you talking about? You want more land in Lebanon? We thought this was about you having less land. And Netanyahu's like, no, no, no, we have the security zones. We want the pilot zones. And Lebanon said, yeah, that's extra. We want you out of the security zone because that's also basically what's promised in the memorandum of understanding is that Israel leaves and that there's an end of all hostilities. And that would include Israel leaving. And Iran's made it clear they're never going to enter into a final agreement with the United States outside of the MOU, um, until Israel leaves. Another country that isn't— that, that, that isn't Israel.

So it's Lebanon where Israel has destroyed Beirut and areas there. So you have Rubio showing up in the Middle East, by the way, hanging out with Michael Boulos, Tiffany's, uh, husband, Tiffany Trump's husband. It's ridiculous. Um, Rubio then basically undermines all the provisions of the MOU. So here's Rubio saying like, let's suppose we went crazy and lost our minds, and all of a sudden we agreed to have a tolling or fee mechanism. Let's say we went crazy. That's what you did. That's what you did. That's, that's what the MOU— that's what you did. Okay, I'm not thinking about a hypothetical circumstance. I'm reading the language of the MOU. I mean, and this is why You can't trust anything that the United States says ever. You just can't. This is— you're just saying— and the way Rubio says it, such a sociopath, such a psycho. You know, he's like, yeah, let's suppose we did something so crazy as agreeing to allow Iran to do something that's in the MOU. Yeah, it's in there. So maybe Rubio Rather than you being at UFC fights throwing up hand signals or whatever the hell you were doing, or focusing on MOUs for diplomacy with the UFC, you should have got your ass up next to JD Vance, who by the way I despise, but at least the guy was there working, right?

At least there's a threshold. I'm not a JD Vance fan, but at least the guy was sitting there with a laptop typing. Man, how we lowered— how we lowered our standards from Obama, where I'm like, at least we have a guy working on a freaking typing stuff. I mean, also weird that our VP looks like I did when I was a first-year law associate. That picture with him and Kushner and the Qatari, uh, and the Qatari prime minister, that gave me flashbacks to like my first year as a law associate, like typing up the agreements. I digress. Let's take a look at what Rubio says here. Let's play this clip.

You go through the Straits and think about it this way. If you have— it's not even workable. Let's suppose that we went crazy. And lost our minds completely and decided to agree to have a tolling or a fee mechanism. How would that work? It's not doable because what's the consequence for not paying? Let's say a ship says, "Well, I'm not gonna pay the fee." It's not like a toll on a road, you don't get a ticket in the mail. They get shot at. You shoot at one ship, you sink one ship, no other ship is going to move. So that sort of system is not only unwise, it can't happen, it's not even workable. So you might as well abandon the fantasy. Messy now.

That's literally what happened today, okay? The UK Maritime Association just posted, closed the, um, the lane from Oman's closed.

Yes.

What's the consequences? You don't follow the IRGC, you get shot. That's what happens. And here's what the PGS, the authority that now governs the Strait of Hormuz, said. PGSA, in response to repeated inquiries, announces any passage through routes outside the framework designated by PGSA will not be covered by safe passage guarantees and will not be entitled to insurance coverage or related liabilities. The consequences arising from passage through unauthorized routes shall be the responsibility of the owner-operator and the vessel commander. You know, I note that the price of Brent crude right now is still at like $72 or $73. You want to talk about market manipulation right there? I mean, just think about it. I like this, and this tells you all you need to know. I did a real deep dive research into this as well because I'm like, how was it under former President Biden that in 2022, in 2023, and even into 2024, the price of Brent crude was significantly higher than $72.33, which it is now. When things were far more stable. And I get, yes, Russia invaded Ukraine when former President Biden was in office, but right now, in terms of the instability in the region, I mean, it's far more unstable right now.

I mean, the war has escalated between Russia and Ukraine right now, and, you know, Russia targeting a lot of Ukraine facilities, Ukraine successfully targeting Russian oil depots. And Russian oil tankers and oil. So the Russian oil has been hit pretty hard, which, you know, so you have that. You have the Strait of Hormuz, which we were all told was a black swan event, right? If the Strait of Hormuz is closed, we were all told the price of Brent crude would be $250, $300, uh, a barrel, right? That's what we were all— that's what we were all told.. And so now it's at $73 while you have ships being blown up in the Strait of Hormuz. Let me tell you what's actually happening right now. This is what I, what I keep on saying. I said, you realize in Cushing, Oklahoma, where the American strategic reserves are, where our petroleum strategic reserves are, we're at tank bottom right now. We basically have hit a tank bottom, functional tank bottom. It doesn't actually hit the bottom bottom, but functional tank bottom basically means that there are kaddish. We're in the range where anything could lead to catastrophic consequences at a global level.

We're at a functional tank bottom position as, as well. Most of the petroleum that's been able to exit the Strait of Hormuz has come from Iran. And so with all of the instability right now, I mean, under Biden, there was again about 2 years, what, you know, where you saw the price significantly higher than it is now. And so You know, it's just, it's just ironic because everything Donald Trump does is projection and confession, right? You know, the same oil execs who he's been sitting with when he invaded Venezuela, who he told apparently before he told Congress, he's now blaming them and saying the issue is they're price gouging, they're price gouging, they're price gouging. He's telling on himself and he's telling on them. They're actually doing the opposite right now. They could be price gouging right now. And they are, they are a little bit. Um, but Trump's given them all these tax breaks and has helped them with their stock prices and has helped them in other ways that they have, in my view, uh, arrangement where they return the favor to someone who helps them in their individual wealth. Trump brings back exemptions on private jets and all of these things like that.

Um, but under Biden, who has a stricter tax enforcement policy against them and stricter price gouging policies, they try to make up for the fact that they're not getting the oligarchical tax breaks by, I think, inflating their prices. Now ultimately, when you're like— when you really dig into it and you're like, why would the prices be higher under Biden without any of this instability? It goes, the market expectations foresaw potential disruption.

Bullshit.

When they start talking about the market expectations and blah blah blah blah blah Bullshit. That at that point was the oil executives creating the market expectations and saying, oh, I guess we're afraid now. I guess we can utilize these events to justify X prices. And this is a way to undermine, uh, administration that's not favorable to our policies. That's what's going on. If that's not obvious to you by now, that that's what goes on when it goes from a Republican administration to a Democratic administration, and that's the seesaw cycle that we're in. Then you should open up your damn eyes and see that that's what's happening right now. And just being wishy-washy about that and being part of the system and being part— that's not, that's not cutting it today. And so when you want to look at the Mamdani-endorsed candidates and you are saying, well, how— they were listening to what the people were saying, they're listening to the frustration that people are feeling, they're listening to the issues that are on the people's minds right right now, because the world that I just described is the world that people know is going on.

They know that there's a cabal, an Epstein-class cabal. They know that. And Donald Trump ran on convincing people that it was the Democrats or it was a deep state, when it was actually the people who are running the country right now. That's, that's the Epstein class. That's why they're covering up the files right now. That's why, by the way, it's an honor to have Katie Fang out there fighting for the release of the Epstein files right now. But the people know what's going on. The people know that they're the casualty in all of this, and they don't want people who are just wishy-washy or enablers or aiders and abettors of this horrific system where they're getting screwed. That's it.

It's very—

it's a very simple discussion. We don't need to overcomplicate it. Oh, this ad's going to move people 2 points left to the right and 2.8 to the left and that the ba ba ba ba ba ba ba. No, there is a system that is screwing people right now, screwing people so badly right now. And Marco Rubio is one of the stewards of that system. And I'll just show you this quickly. It's the next one, Jeremy, where he goes— where there was a question. Rubio in the meeting with the Gulf Council Cooperation Countries, with the GCC. When you met with them? Did you talk about the $300 billion fund that was promised to Iran? Now folks, we've all read you the MOU, right? It says $300 billion reconstruction fund to Iran. Now it doesn't say specifically by the United States, but it says a $300 billion fund. OK, who signed the contract? The US and Iran. Trump and Iran's president, Pahlavi. So the US is a guarantor of that money, right? Would we all agree it's indisputable whether that means it comes from US taxpayer dollars or not? Doesn't matter. The US put in a contract.

We don't even have to debate whether that exists. That's an undisputed fact, as we would call it in the law. In the MOU, the US is guaranteeing Iran a $300 billion fund. Now, when you ask Trump, or you asked Rubio before, or you asked Bessin, uh-huh, arrogant pieces of shit that they are, uh-huh, well, yeah, that's the Arab nations, they're gonna be the one, they'll, that'll come from them, it's not gonna come from taxpayers. Okay, okay, fine. So Rubio, when you were there with the Arab nations, surely you talked about the $300 billion fund that's in the agreement that everybody in the Trump regime said that the Arab nations were going to be responsible for and not the US taxpayers. So tell us about that conversation, Rubio. Here, let's play it.

Mr. Secretary, in the meeting with the GCC allies, did any of them make any commitments to pay into this $300 billion reconstruction?

No, it was not discussed. I mean, the reconstruction— that's way down the road, and that's something, you know, that'll be dealt with at the appropriate time in this process. Um, but that was not discussed.

One more clip I'll play you of him, and then we'll talk about both. Question: The MOU did not include a specific number of years. During which Iran could not develop a nuclear weapon. Can you care to clarify? Care to clarify? Here, let's play this clip.

Mr. Secretary, uh, the MOU did not include a specific number of years during which Iran could not develop nuclear weapons. Should a final agreement have a specific number, and is the US pushing for that?

No, that's why an MOU would not have that, because the MOU is not a final agreement. An MOU just creates the construct worked in the outlines for a negotiation. And there's no doubt that as part of that negotiation, very specific terms like years and limits will be discussed, and that includes the mechanisms by which it's verified and enforced.

But is there a number of years?

So how do you do business with people like that? Seriously, how do you engage in any productive or constructive conversation with people like that? $300 billion. Did you talk to him about it? Why would we do that? Because it's in the agreement. That's why, Marco, because it's in the agreement. And you have all said that it's their responsibility. So naturally, it would be a normal question for us to ask, are they aware of their obligation that you've bound them to, that you said the US taxpayers aren't going to pay? Or is it like the ballroom where you're going to hit us up and make us pay for it? And that the American people are gonna get screwed again. What about the terms in the MOU? Oh, those aren't real terms. It is a construct, an outline for a future framework of prospective negotiations for a deal. No, it is a binding memorandum of understanding with terms that you've agreed to. And what you've agreed to is not to negotiate some new deal You've agreed to do a final deal based on this deal that implements its terms, not contradicts it, not comes up with a new plan.

So no wonder not just Iran, but no one in the Middle East and the rest of the world take these jokers, these clowns, these jesters seriously. And this is what Trump's done his whole life. He's never been a dealmaker. He's been a deal breaker. He doesn't do deals. He uses the good faith involved in negotiations to sucker punch you, because when people do deals, they believe in a principle called the implied covenant of good faith. Or you can just say good faith. Trump has bad faith. There is no good faith. So when you try to compromise, bam, that's like when you turn your back to someone and they punch you in the back of the head. Iran's been punched in the back of the head twice by this regime, once last June, another time in February.

And they get it.

It's why they built this MOU, that it's commitment for commitment, and the US has to give all of these things before Iran has to do anything at all. And then Iran's requirements that they have to do are not subscribed— circumscribed with what, um, what any— what Rubio and Trump are saying. All right, let's take our first and only break of the show. We will be right back with a lot more after our first quick and only break.

If you're looking for a way to unwind or be social without dealing with a hangover the next day, you've got to check out Willy's. It's a low-calorie, low-sugar alcohol alternative that actually works, giving you that relaxed, uplifting social buzz without the regrets that come with drinking. I like that it actually fits into a normal routine, whether you're winding down after work, hanging out with friends, or just looking to take the edge off. Willy's Social Tonics come in 5mg and 10mg doses with a best-in-class flavor experience so smooth and balanced you barely realize you're drinking a THC product at all. Plus, every bottle is third-party lab tested so you know exactly what you're getting. Every time. One shot of Willy's helps you relax, unwind, and de-stress. Willy's ships directly to your doorstep in 40+ states and has sold out 3 times in the first 6 months with over 300,000+ happy customers. So order now at drinkwillys.com and use code MIDAS, that's M-E-I-D-A-S, for 20% off your first order plus free shipping on orders over $95 and live like a legend. That's drinkwillies.com and use code MIDAS.

Here's something most people aren't told about their credit score. It's not just whether you pay your credit cards, it's when you pay them. I had no idea, and most people don't realize that either. But SmartCredit's data experts understand how credit bureaus operate, so they created something called the best paydown date built around how credit reporting actually works. So instead of guessing, you get a personalized strategy that shows you what to do and when to do it. To help you maximize your credit score. And that matters because better credit can mean lower payments and more money in your pocket. And this is where it gets interesting. You can see your full credit picture in one place, your score, what's affecting it, and if something needs attention, you can take care of it right there. So before applying for anything, a car, uh, apartment, refinancing anything, it makes sense to start with SmartCredit. Go to smartcredit.com/midas and try it for just $1. You may be surprised to see how many points SmartCredit estimates that you can gain. I know I was. That's smartcredit.com/midas. Results vary. Cancel anytime. If a genie gave me 3 wishes, I would use all my wishes to make sure that my cat could live forever.

But since genies don't exist, at least as far as I know, I feed my cat Smalls. Smalls is fresh human-grade cat food that does so much more than just feed your cat.. It helps them live a full, healthy life. Most cat food out there, it's made with meat byproducts, cheap fillers, and artificial ingredients. Basically stuff that isn't great for your cat. Big pet food does this because it's cheaper to make, but what they save on cost, your cat pays for with their health. Smalls is different. Their fresh recipes are made with at least 80% animal protein, and they're gently cooked to retain all their nutrients and flavor. They never add fillers or artificial ingredients, and their food is so healthy that 88% of cat parents say that after feeding their cats Smalls, their cats have better digestion, a softer and shinier coat, and more energy to play because it's actually good for cats. I can attest to this. Smalls is amazing. Your cat's health and longevity starts with what they eat. Try Smalls and get 60% off your cat's first order plus free shipping and free treats for life when you go to Smalls.com/Midas. One last time, that's 60% off your first order plus free shipping and free treats for life when you head to smalls.com/midas.

Welcome back to Ben on Breaking News. I'm Ben Myselis and this is your breaking news, breaking news during that commercial break. A big win for Katie Fang of the Midas Touch Network and for transparency on the Epstein files. In a 44-page ruling, Judge Emmett Sullivan granted Katie Fang's motion for preliminary injunction, which sought the further release of Epstein files by the Trump regime. Yes, the Trump regime will still try to fight it, but this was a huge win, the judge granting a preliminary injunction for, uh, Katie Fang. In just a moment, we'll be bringing Katie Fang on, uh, from the Midas Touch Network and from Katie Fang's YouTube channel, uh, to talk with us about Judge Sullivan's order. Uh, before Katie joins, let me, uh, go through what the order says right now. Responding to public demands for information, Congress with near unanimity passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 18th, 19th, 2025, which Trump signed into law on November 19th, 2025. The Epstein Act is an unprecedented disclosure law requiring the Attorney General, with few exceptions, to make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable database, all unclassified Department of Justice files related to its investigation of the notorious sex predator and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, and their associates.

The Epstein Act required extremely timely compliance. It was required by December 19, 2025. The Attorney General made productions on December 19th, 20th, 2022. 23rd, 2025, and January 30th, 2026. Following the production of approximately 3.5 million pages, the Attorney General announced the department had complied with its production obligations under the Epstein Act on January 30th. Katie Fang brings this action against Todd Blanch in his official capacity as Acting Attorney General of the United States, claiming that he has improperly withheld information and failed to comply with other requirements in violation of the Epstein Act. Pending before the court is Ms. Fang's motion for preliminary injunction, in which she seeks relief for a limited list of violations of the Epstein Act. Uh, then it goes on and says, upon careful consideration of Ms. Fang's motion, the Attorney General's opposition, the reply, the applicable law, and for the reasons discussed below, the court grants Ms. Fang's motion. Let's bring in Katie Fang from the Midas Touch Network, from the Katie Fang YouTube channel as well, who brought this action against Todd Blanch and the Trump regime. A very, very big victory, Katie, for this country. And we all appreciate and applaud your courage in bringing this lawsuit.

Talk to us about the case that you filed, what you were seeking, and what this judge's injunction has now ordered the Trump regime to do.

Ben, thanks for allowing me to be able to break this news with you here at the Main Midas Channel. I am speechless. And I, I just want to underscore how much I appreciate the support that you all, um, Ben, Jordy, Brett, and, and everybody, as well as everybody who's tuning in and has been a subscriber and a follower. You guys, the support has been amazing. This is our victory together. I want to remind people, this is the very first and only lawsuit that has been brought pursuant to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, specifically seeking to be able to get unredacted Epstein files. Now let me be clear, um, as Ben noted, this is a motion for preliminary injunction. So my lawsuit continues, but what Judge Sullivan has done is on two major fronts decided right now the following. Number one, I, Katie Fang, private citizen, have standing to be able to get Todd Blanch as the acting Attorney General of the Department of Justice to be able to comply with Judge Sullivan's order which is now telling him that on or before July 2nd, he either has to put up or shut up. He either has to bring forth unredacted files or show cause as to why he should not or cannot do so.

But I have identified, Ben, specific areas in the Epstein files. Number one, redactions that have been made to senders and recipients, names and email addresses for some of the most egregious egregious email communications with Jeffrey Epstein talking about little girls being naughty, things like that. Judge Sullivan says those identities have to be disclosed. Number 2, the FBI interview notes for the victim who was alleged that when she was 13 years old she was physically and sexually abused by Donald Trump. Judge Sullivan has said that Todd Blanch must produce those or show cause as to why that he should not have to do so. The foreign language documents in the Epstein Files Act that the Department of Justice didn't bother to do interpretations or translations of— Judge Sullivan said you have to produce those. The names in two internal DOJ documents that identified the co-conspirators slash co-defendants that were going to be a part of that proposed indictment in the Southern District of Florida that never materialized because it was never produced or presented to the grand jury. Instead, Epstein got his sweetheart plea deal with the state authorities. Judge Sullivan says that those identities of those co-conspirators and co-defendants must be revealed.

And lastly, there was the redaction log that the Epstein Files Transparency Act required the DOJ to produce contemporaneously with the rollout of these files. It was supposed to identify the grounds underneath this law as to why they were withholding or redacting certain bits of information. The DOJ wiped his ass with it, Ben, and did not produce that at all. Judge Sullivan said, you better do it and start it now. If not, there's going to be consequences. I mean, this is a big deal, Ben. This judge says, I have informational harm and economic harm. But you know what the best part about this order is? It says that Blanche must produce, quote, to the public, not to just Ms. Fang, but to the public. And this is why I brought this lawsuit in the beginning. We needed this transparency as the American public, and we had to force the DOJ to have to do this. Oh, Ben's back. Ben, are you there? Ben's not there.

The timing, the, the timing there is, uh, is, is it— was it, was it interesting? I was going to say it's a little bit interesting timing that of all the times the Wi-Fi ever cut out live was right after that, but we won't go down We won't go down that route at all.

They're saying in the chat, Ben, that you're in shock, that Ben's in shock.

Let's talk about the standing piece of this first, because to me that's big. One of the things that the Trump regime had been arguing is that the Epstein Transparency Act was an unenforceable law, that no one had standing because the law itself didn't specifically say this person or that person could sue. Talk to us about— because that was a big deal. I recall when Ro Khanna and Massey sought to involve themselves in a case. That was a big argument that they tried, and they were raising it here as well, I understand.

Yeah. And listen, if you'll recall— and thank you for reminding everybody— so Ro Khanna and Tom Massey went to the federal judge in the Southern District of New York who's been presiding over the Ghislaine Maxwell case, and they said, look, we want you to intervene and appoint a special master. And the judge was like, look, man, you just don't have the standing to do this. And that is a big part of what my lawsuit is. I am seeking the appointment of a special master. And again, that's the bigger kind of lawsuit that's being pursued right now. But when it comes to standing, I'll, I'll read the language, Ben, from this 48-page order. The court concludes that Miss Feng satisfies the first part of the standing test on her interpretation of the Epstein Act. It requires the information to be disclosed to her as a part of the public at large. She suffers the type of harm that Congress sought to prevent in enacting the act. Because I am unable to report on specific stories, I am having informational harm, and that gives me standing. And I loved this part as well, Ben. The judge says, I have identified harms to victims and the public who are being denied the benefit of my reporting.

I cited authority that supports my assertion that journalists, and myself in particular, have suffered the type of harm that the Epstein Act was meant to prevent. In addition, I am suffering economic injuries that are likely to be fixed if there is compliance by the DOJ. I am not seeking monetary damages. However, if I'm not able to continue to publish my work, then I experience economic loss, and so my economic injury gives me standing. I mean, also, Ben, the other thing to note, the DOJ in this case was trying to make a claim that— and they spend a big portion, a big portion of the response in opposition to this preliminary injunction motion stating that I should just be chasing down this information via FOIA. Oh, Miss Fang needs to go and get this via FOIA. But when we filed our reply, Ben, we made it clear that FOIA has very specific limitations that would prevent a lot of this information in the Epstein files from coming out. So then we got our hands on a response from the DOJ. It was a letter sent to a gentleman who had filed his own FOIA request seeking information from the DOJ pursuant to FOIA regarding Glenn Maxwell and Todd Blanch.

And what did the DOJ say? Oh, you don't have to get it through FOIA. The Epstein Files Transparency Act is available for you. So the DOJ has been talking out of both sides of its mouth. So what we did yesterday is we filed a notice of supplemental filing and we sent that letter to Judge Sullivan, who this morning ordered the DOJ to respond by 1 o'clock today to our notice of supplemental filing about this FOIA conflict. And as of 5 o'clock, nothing's ever been filed by the DOJ. In fact, Judge Sullivan told them, but you can't repeat things you've already said. I gotta tell you, Ben, considering the length of this, uh, order granting the preliminary injunction and the, the details within it, you know, Judge Sullivan really knew where he's going to go with this, you know.

But gave him an opportunity. Give me supplemental authority. And sure, you and I as former litigators, I've never heard of, uh, getting an order from a federal judge and saying, uh, yeah, we're just going to ignore the order. I mean, I've never heard— I mean, it's practice per se, but also both as former— as me as a former litigator and you actively practice, I remember how tedious it was to do privilege logs or redaction logs, especially in cases involving big electronic discovery productions, big ESI production. It was the most tedious task as an associate. And when you're a lean and mean smaller boutique firm, you'd have to do it yourself also. But that's what you had to do. So if you were ever withholding documents on the basis of an asserted privilege claim, you would create a log, and in the log you would have to say, here's why Bates number 3243, here's the assertion, here's what it is, so that the public can see it or the opposing counsel can see it and challenge it here, just like the Trump DOJ blew off the deadline when the judge did it, they blew off the obligation to do a redaction.

They just didn't do it. And that was one of the key things in the law. And they just didn't do the log. They wrote like a letter that was like a few pages. That's not a privilege log. Talk to us before we go about why that's so important.

Yeah. So it's read really cleanly, Ben, in conjunction with my request for the appointment of a special master, because a special master is going to call balls and strikes here. The DOJ, pursuant to the redaction log that the Epstein Files Transparency Act required it to file, again contemporaneously alongside the production of these documents, the special master could look at something, it says, oh look, this document number, according to the DOJ, they redacted the information on this document number because pursuant to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, it identified a potential victim or a survivor, and it was maybe some personal, private, confidential information that the law says must be protected. But then the special master could look at that document number, look at the unredacted document, and say, I agree. Or the special master could say, uh-uh, this doesn't fly. But in the absence of this redaction log, how in the actual hell is Anyone, including me, you, anybody who's tuning in right now, how are they supposed to know if in good faith there has been anything done by the DOJ that has been a legal redaction or withholding? Remember, Ben, the Epstein Files Transparency Act gave a very, very limited window of an opportunity for the DOJ to redact or withhold, and it was primarily to protect the victims and survivors.

And yet we know that the DOJ, either through its gross negligence or through an act of intentional intimidation, coercion to create fear, released thousands of pages that had so many of the Epstein victims' and survivors' information contained in it. And so at this point, again, pushing forward, but the deadline of July 2nd, that's coming around just around a week from tomorrow. And you know, Ben, I am interested to see what they do because there really are no excuses that the DOJ now has. So I am thrilled that we're actually making some movement on this. Now look, could the DOJ appeal? Of course they could appeal, especially on the standing issues, Ben. However, I'm telling you, this is a win that we must all celebrate together. Because this is how we do it. We find creative ways to think outside the box to force this regime to actually obey the law, the laws that you and I and everyone else would be forced to do. I think it's appropriate that this is the order that gets entered against Todd Blanch. I can't hear Ben.

Katie, we all appreciate you filing this case. We're grateful for you being a part of this network. It's an honor to have you a part of the Midas Touch Network. Everybody Victory. Make sure you all are subscribed to Katie Fang's YouTube channel. I'm sure you all are, but just double-check that you are. Search Katie Fang on YouTube, hit subscribe, uh, in all of her videos say Ben says hi, just so, you know, she knows that you're being sent from this video. Katie, we really appreciate you. Historic, historic day, historic victory.

Thank you for letting me share this good news with you, Ben. Fresh, fresh off the presses. Thanks for letting me be with you and everyone else in the Midas Mighty that is here. Um, I'm just grateful. This is really just, uh, the best part of my day to be able to do this with all of you. So thanks for letting me be here with you all.

Katie Fang, everybody. And I certainly, after the first half of this episode, we needed, uh, we needed some good news. I, I, the first half, you know, was a parade of horribles that this Trump regime was doing And then during the commercial break, we got the, uh, news that Katie Fang's lawsuit was successful in the preliminary injunction stage. So I knew we had to bring Katie in. Everybody remember to subscribe to the Katie Fang YouTube channel. And I want to share this with you as well because state regime media Fox was going after the Midas Touch Network as well today. Before we went live, someone sent it to And someone's like, did you see the clip? They were like talking trash about Midas Touch. Jeremy, do we have that clip of state regime media going after us? I think we got it.

Party. So you can't dismiss the Tea Party as though it was not influential. And then tell me these 10— very well, these— there were 60 of them, not 10. These 10, all the energy. And by the way, this is just a start. We're not even counting the Graham Platteners of the world and the others, the James Tallaricos. We have a long way to go. We have a long way to go. But look, here's the thing. When AOC came to office, she learned that the squad learned the hard way. Congress is about numbers. It's about math. And Nancy Pelosi had to say, little girl, you don't have the numbers. We do. They will be marginalized. You will see them on MSNBC and Midas Touch. And that's about it, because they won't be doing deals. They won't be involved in legislating. I think the only numbers they care about is the—

I tend to disagree with that. They'll be on the Midas Touch network. Of course, but I think that's where the pulse of the people are right now. Numbers don't lie. The community continues to grow. They continue— the community continues to have a massive, massive impact. And all you got to do, as I said at the outset, is fight for the people, listen to the people. I don't view it as a partisan thing. At all, this project. I view it as a people thing. You fight for the people, you listen to the people, you deliver for the people, you put it all on the line. It's all you can ask. And you really mean it. You really mean it. You don't do it because of this or that.

You do—

you mean it. Otherwise, move away and let people who actually care Let them lead. Step aside. Let new leaders show the way. Or fight for people. That's the choice. Shouldn't be a partisan one. It should just be a people one. Fight for people. We'll leave you with that, everybody. Remember to subscribe to Katie Fang's YouTube channel right now in this episode. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel, but more importantly than our YouTube channel today, subscribe to Katie Fang's YouTube channel and tell her we say hello. Great work, Katie Fang. Again, an honor to have her on the Midas Touch Network. An honor to be be associated with her. I'm so grateful, uh, for the lawsuit she filed, for the great work that she's doing. Thanks everybody. Oh, make sure you watch The Brother Show tonight at 8 Eastern, 5 Pacific. Shout out Midas Mighty.

Thanks everybody.

Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our Substack at midasplus.com. You'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski, ad-free episodes of our podcast, and more exclusive content only Only available at MidasPlus.com.