Transcript of Tuesday Afternoon Breaking News Updates with Ben - 5/19/26

This has been on breaking news. I'm Ben Myselis and this is your breaking news. I want to talk about how it does appear that open hostilities in Donald Trump's unlawful war in Iran seem like they will be resuming shortly. My suspicion is that it will resume next week. We'll talk about what's going on there. Donald Trump says that he's temporarily paused his plan to further invade Iran at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Although it seems that the Trump regime was actually just surprised by the fact that Iran's military capabilities have even further improved during this so-called ceasefire, and they've been able to, uh, much easier— in a much easier way detect U.S. aircraft, Reaper drones, uh, and, uh, and other surveillance methods over Iran. They were able to strike down an MQ-9 Reaper recently, able to detect another Reaper over Kashem. And, uh, it seems that the Trump regime is trying to basically recalibrate its war plan. But we'll go through everything that's happening there. Want to talk about, uh, what we're learning about this, uh, so-called settlement that was entered into, uh, between Donald Trump in his personal capacity suing the government for $10 billion.

$10 billion, uh, suing the Treasury Department and IRS for a purported data leak of Trump's tax returns that also was part of a broader data leak that involved 450,000, uh, tax returns being leaked during Trump's first term. So all this happened during Trump's first term. Also, presidents should be providing their tax returns, uh, anyway publicly, as, as they always had before. But Donald Trump's claim that he was entitled to $10 billion then reached a settlement, but then didn't tell the federal judge that there was a settlement, but then separately settled the case and now will be giving about $1.8 billion of your taxpayer money to January 6th insurrectionists, uh, and other individuals who Trump determines to have been injured by Biden. Uh, we'll talk about that. Todd Blanch then testified before, uh, the United States Senate today. It did not go well for Todd Blanch at all, in my opinion. The guy lied over and over and over again. It was really disturbing to watch. I mean, you see in him someone who's just so utterly weak, pathetic, not independent, a complete liar. What a sociopath. I mean, this guy, honestly, there's a lot of bad actors in the Trump regime.

This guy may actually be the worst.

I mean, that's saying a lot. I know Hegseth's up there. I know you've got RFK Jr. I mean, I know you've got the JD Vances and you've got the Rubio. This guy may actually be the single worst person, the acting attorney general.

And he's so thin-skinned.

You know, when someone said, you know, you seem like you're acting as Trump's personal attorney, he was like, I'm not his personal attorney.

Why would you say that?

I'm the acting attorney general.

And then Senator Van Hollen's like, because you're behaving like you're his personal attorney. That's why. Then Donald Trump held that bizarre press conference in front of the ballroom. That's being built at the White House. And it was just one of the strangest things to observe. And then meanwhile, you have these MAGA Republicans. I mean, I saw MAGA Republican Congresswoman Salazar and all these MAGA Republicans.

I mean, they're out there being like, thank you, God. There's God. And then there's Trump. There's God and Trump together. Thank you. Thank you so much for sending him down. I mean, I don't even know what I'm watching. With these psychos. Like, what the hell? Zombification of the United States? Am I actually watching? I mean, it's crazy. It's crazy stuff.

I mean, you have Trump take this disastrous trip to China where Xi Jinping looked at Trump, talked about the Thucydides trap, talked about America as declining.

Donald Trump comes back and attacks Taiwan. The US removes, uh, or extends the removal of sanctions against Russian oil while Putin is meeting with Xi Jinping to discuss how they can help Iran defeat the United States. And like, what can we do to help Putin?

I mean, you have Zelensky doing a Herculean job in striking back against Russia's unlawful invasion. I mean, you got Zelensky, Ukraine hitting hard in Moscow, hitting oil depots there.

And Trump seeing how weak Putin is, trying to help Putin however he can by extending the removal of sanctions there while Putin was greeted by Wang Yi, who had just met with Foreign Minister Araghchi of Iran. And then they're all meeting right now in China. By the way, notice Wang Yi right there is the guy who greeted Putin. That sends a message as well. China didn't send their foreign minister to greet Donald Trump. All right.

And this is the welcome that Putin got right here, by the way.

And they, they announced what they're discussing.

They're going to be announcing the existence of a multipolar world with America being a weaker power and China being the dominant power, you know, in the world.

And so that's what's, that's what's going on. That's what's going on there. And so when Donald Trump is, you know, weak, and I mean, he was always weak, but when he's exposed for such a disastrous trip, like clockwork, what does he do? That's when he ratchets up the 51st state rhetoric. That's where he goes after Greenland. It's textbook. The pathology here is so predictable, right, that he's going to come home from China looking like a damn loser that he is. And then what's he going to do? Show up and then go after Canada, go after Greenland. Because when you get checkmated by your adversary and it looked like you were like a Xi Jinping fanboy, You want to show that you're tough to your dear leader Donald. Look, look, gee, look what I'm going to do. Maybe me, you, and Putin, we can go after the International Criminal Court together. Maybe we can go after the ICC together because they've got warrants for the arrest of Putin and Netanyahu. Maybe we can destroy the ICC. You want to see how tough I am? Then he comes back and then you have Elbridge Colby, who's the number 2 at the Defense Department.

Announces that the US is suspending its involvement in the joint defense program with Canada that's been around since World War II in 1940. Here's what he'd post. This is what the Defense Department's posting. A strong Canada that prioritizes hard power over rhetoric benefits us all. Unfortunately, Canada has failed. Dude, shut the fuck up, you fucking loser. I mean, go, go put— who the hell are these freaking rats? Like, I mean, seriously, who the hell are these? Attacking Canada? Why are you attacking Canada? You have the BRICS bloc meeting taking place while Trump was in China kissing Xi Jinping's ass, while you had Foreign Minister Araghchi from Iran being viewed as a conquering hero. And Donald Trump, while the BRICS bloc is solidifying, Trump goes, let's attack Canada and let's attack the Joint Defense Pact and let's, let's criticize them and say that, you know, Canada needs to prioritize their hard power over rhetoric. What are you even talking about? Canada has increased its military spending significantly. Why the hell would they buy F-35s? Seriously, why would Canada want to touch American military equipment at this point when that's how you treat them? When you talk about kill switches, when if you buy an American plane, you then have to rely on American maintenance.

And if you're just going to do shit like that, why would anybody want to do business with you? It's the dumbest thing. Just these people are just the worst humans. In every position that they are picked for. You know, the head of the Department of Health is like someone who like kills people, right? You got like RFK Jr., literally someone who's like pro-pandemics, right? As an Ebola outbreak is now taking— who could have expected an Ebola outbreak would happen in Africa when we've cut all the USAID funding? And oopsies, Elon Musk just got rid of the Ebola task force. Oh, I guess Doge made a little mistake there. You remember all of that? I mean, you've got Pete Hegseth who couldn't run a nonprofit for the military because his moral character was so lacking and he was such a terrible leader he couldn't run a nonprofit. You put this idiot in charge of the Defense Department, so he goes, oh look, it's the Department of War, and he's out there campaigning against Thomas Massie. Are you absolutely kidding me? Go through every damn position. You got Linda McMahon, somebody who hates public education, running that.

You've got, you know, the people who are running the Interior Secretary want to destroy the Interior. You've got the people who are regulating the EPA, they want to destroy the EPA. It's literally picking the person who destroys, you know, whatever it is. And that's how you're behaving. You show back up and you attack Canada. And then, you know, they're such petty losers. That's one of the things, not in a political way, just watching loser human behavior. And I'm just in awe how other humans look at this pathetic human behavior and think that that's leadership. I don't say this at all from any political lens whatsoever. I just see a bunch of damn losers, a bunch of liars, a bunch of frauds, a bunch of pathetic humans, a bunch of sociopaths, a bunch of reckless and malicious idiots. That's all I see. And freaking weirdos. The weirdest people. You send Jeff Landry, oh, the governor of Louisiana, man. Louisiana. The guy can't even freaking say sentences, this idiot. Jeff Landry, the governor of Louisiana, was like, yeah, I guess I gotta fire the, uh, guess I gotta fire the Louisiana football coach a little bit there, man.

Gotta fire them. So I'm gonna go a little, I'm gonna go a little bit to, uh, I'm gonna go a little bit to, uh, to Greenland, and I'm gonna give you all on Greenland a little bit of cookies to the little kitties. I'm gonna give the kitties little cookies in Greenland over there. I'm like, dude, what the— who is this guy? Why is he wearing camouflage pants? Why is this guy in Greenland? Why are we threatening Greenland again? So in addition to pulling out of the joint defense pact in Canada, we got good ol' little Angie boy going in. You know, he's a very happy Gilmore over there, you know, in Greenland. And he's out there telling kids he's going to give them little cookies. But what they're trying to do is force Greenland to agree that America could keep their military bases in perpetuity and that the United States has full veto power. Over any deal that Greenland enters into with any company or any other country. As Donald Trump sees Canada and France and others, you know, and obviously Sweden and Nordic countries, you know, all focus now on the Arctic. And no one wants to be around this predator regime of the Trump administration.

Now we're threatening— we've continued to threaten Greenland. And now we send Jeff Landry, the governor of Louisiana.

Why?

Why the governor of Louisiana? And our adversaries, they're out there meeting and they're solidifying their strength. They're improving the BRICS blocs. They're moving away from the dollar and they're focused on the yuan. You know, they're focused on moving away from American equities and bond market. They're focused on how to dismantle this. And I've just never seen like a group of pathetic human behavior like this. And then to have to watch, you know, CNBC normalize this on the financial network. Oh, you know, what do you think he's doing? He's— these guys, these guys, these are just a bunch of psychotic idiot, malignant narcissistic sociopath wannabe authoritarians who want to destroy the country. Just say it, damn it. And what the hell? Mark Cuban at that ridiculous— what are you doing, Mark Cuban? Seriously. To watch Mark Cuban behind Donald Trump at this press conference for Trump RX as Donald Trump goes, Trump RX is probably the best thing that we could do since, other than cure cancer, this is the best. Trump, what the hell is even Trump RX? Where's your healthcare plan? Damn it, you've ripped away healthcare for tens of millions of Americans. And what's Trump RX?

Pretending that existing prices that pharmaceutical companies have already agreed to lower so that they can compete with generics is now part of Trump Rx, just slapping your name onto it. Is that what it— what about the most favored nations provision where you said American drugs would be as cheap as the cheapest drugs in a foreign country? That ain't happening.

I—

you go, go and get medicine. You think it's a dollar here? Because that's what would be a— for a favored nations clause would be if it's $1 in Canada, you get it for $1 in the United States. If it's 50 cents in India, you get it for 50 cents in the United States. That's a most favored nation. So that's not what's happening right here. Health care costs are skyrocketing. And then Mark Cuban, to watch him, you know, shake his head back there and then watch Donald Trump say, oh, it was a big mistake when he supported Kamala Harris while Trump's up there spreading election lies. And then Cuban was asked about it. Well, what are you doing? Well, why, you know, why are you here?

I don't want to— I don't want to get political.

I'm not here to get political. What do you mean you're not here to get political? You are a successful— perceived as a successful billionaire, you know, which I don't necessarily equate success and billion. I'll be very clear, that's the perception of you though. And you're, you're standing behind Donald Trump, stock trading Donald Trump, as he attacks our democracy, shaking your head. I, I, I do— is the— I just, I genuinely don't get what's the point. I truly ask the question, what is the point of being a billionaire if you have to behave like, like Donald Trump's little poodle? I do no offense to poodles, or maybe I shouldn't do poodle. What's a—

I don't want to do— there's lots of animals out there, you know, little whatever. I have a poodle, so— but what, what, what's the point of Poodles are cute, so I don't want to say that.

So what's the point of having F-you money, right? F-you money. If ultimately you're basically what Donald Trump's, you know, you know, intern, I genuinely don't get that. You have all this wealth. You could do such good with it and you stand behind this guy. Seriously, it's a shocking and it's a massive letdown. And I just think the American people are so fed up with it. Shout out to my friends at I've Had It, because the name is so perfect for where we are. We've had it. We've had it. And if you're not going to be a fighter, if you're not going to call out the fascism, the authoritarianism, if you're just going to be middle of the road, it's okay, it's going to be okay, you're basically just as bad as them at this point because you're complicit. And you're obviously also complicit if you lend yourself and you start, you know, behind there, you know, going behind him and shaking your head. Thanks, Donald. Thanks, Donald. Same thing with all of these sports teams that show up. It was like I was talking about it the other day with the— when the Indiana football team went to the White House, and I was looking at this Indiana football coach, you know, as someone who was, you know, a leader, you know, someone who— he built this persona, right?

He takes over the Indiana football program, the Indiana coach. He's a disciplinarian. He describes himself as a leader of men and that he, you know, he takes these students out of high school and he molds them into men of integrity. Tough. That's the story. And he doesn't take shit from anybody, this guy. And he calls out, you know, when there's anything that's improper. And that's— he's known as a stickler. And so then you show up in the White House Donald Trump doesn't even know what your name is. He's like, where's the guy? Oh, he's right here, he's right here. And then Donald Trump talks about, you know, the 2020 election being rigged and all of these things. And he's— Trump turns around and starts like hitting on the male athletes. Oh, you're attractive. I don't like attractive men. You're attractive. And then you watch the coach and he's like, you know, and then to me it's like, where are the freaking grown-ups? Where are the adults? Where are the grown-ups? Not in a political way, not where are the Democrats, where are the liberals. No, no, no. Where are just grown-ups who, who live with morality and ethics and who can say enough is enough?

I'm not gonna stand by that. Don't behave like that. What you're saying is bullshit. Where did, where did those men go? And I don't say men, where did those women go? Where did those people go? You know, when I say this, I say this as, you know, I say this as a man. I say this as someone, you know, who grew up with my dad telling me, you know, your word is what matters most and you got to be a man of integrity. I don't mean to bring this in to skew it as a gender thing. I'm just letting you know that it's, you know, as a man, this is what I was told. And then to watch You know, you know, these, you know, these, these men chase these right-wing podcasters who are out there sniffing butts. And I'm like, who are these freaking weirdos? You're sniffing people's— the guy, Aiden whatever this podcaster is. You got the President of the United States doing interviews with the guy who, when people sit down on the chairs, or like a woman sits down on the chair, Aiden Ross, the guy goes and he starts sniffing their butts.

You know, and then if there's a man that he likes, he starts sniffing their assholes. You know, he sniffed Andrew Tate's asshole. And I'm watching this, I'm like, who are these men? Who behaves like this? Who behaves like this? And then I see it pervade to the highest levels of freaking CENTCOM today. I did a take today where I was so damn angry because I'm watching and I saw this guy fall. I've seen his descent, and I, and I didn't want to admit it until today where I cracked, because I had to admit it. And I've been very critical of him, but I always wanted just to hang out the hope that at the top of CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper, the top guy, was at least somebody who was a person of integrity, a person who would— I'm not asking him You know, I understand that it's a difficult role to have where you have to deal with competing interests and you're being pulled in a direction by Hegseth and Trump and all of— I could understand. And you've worked your way up through the ranks to become the top CENTCOM guy. So I'm not going to act like it's without its own complexities.

But at the end of the day, when I'm watching these Democratic Congress members cross-examining this guy, I'm seeing the most pathetic behavior imaginable. I'm seeing Democratic Congressmember Crowe, who was an Army Ranger, someone who served us courageously in some of the most, um, in some of the most hostile combat zones that exist on the front lines. And I watch him cross-examine. I also watch Democratic Congressmember Seth Moulton, another veteran, served in combat zones, cross-examine. Admiral Cooper. And I think that both of them, I think when they went into it, I don't think they were like, you know what, this is like a Todd Blanch hearing.

They weren't like that.

I don't, I don't think they went into it thinking, wow, this hit this in this specific hearing.

This is going to be like, this guy is going to be a liar.

I think that they got angry because they were like, holy shit. Admiral Cooper, this is, this is the CENTCOM guy. You're the leader of CENTCOM. That's what I was seeing as I was watching this hearing. And I'm watching Congressmember Crowe say, look, our military guidelines say that showing no quarter— in other words, when you cease an enemy combatant and they are no longer a threat Showing them no quarter means you kill them, you murder them, you kill defenseless people, you double tap, you do what the US is doing in Venezuela, you do what the US is doing off the coast of Venezuela, you double tap, you do what the US has been doing across, across the world, frankly, with all of these war crimes. But our military manual clearly says, and international laws of war say this, You have to show quarter to a defenseless enemy. That's just what you do. And so Crow, Congressmember Crow, said he read him the passage. He read Admiral Cooper the passage. Here's what it says. Will you agree that it says here in the manual what it says? That's all I'm asking. Will you agree that the manual says this?

Yes.

And then Admiral Cooper refused.

I will just agree that I'm going to follow what the law is.

Okay. But I'm reading it. Would you agree that this is law? I'm just going to agree to follow what the law is. And then I think this is the guy who's in charge of the unlawful and catastrophic war in Iran. We've got this guy. This guy's an idiot. And it pains me to say that this guy's a MAGA guy, and it pains me to say that I admire our military at all levels. I admire the grit, the determination. I admire the sacrifice. I admire the service. I admire every aspect of it. And anything that I can do to show that to military veterans, to active members of the military, you know, I will. I am in awe of what they did. I never served like that ever. And so I stand in awe of the sacrifice.

I, it, it, it, it is an incredible thing.

But when I watch this and I go, this is the guy who's now in charge. And I go, this isn't a Democrat thing. This isn't a Republican thing. This isn't attacking the military thing. I love the military. I'm not attacking the military. I'm attacking this lack of leadership that has resulted in war crimes. I'm attacking the behavior. I'm attacking the consequences. I'm attacking the— this is an utter betrayal of basic leadership.

I'll show you what Cooper said. Let's play it.

I just read it. I just read it to you.

Yes, sir.

You're a combatant commander. You're one of our most senior military officers with tens of thousands of service members under your command. Does the Law of War manual state that it is prohibited to utter, to declare that no quarter be given?

It prohibits a large number of things.

No, no, I've asked—

I will follow.

I just read the provision to you. I just literally read the provision to you. Does it prohibit you or anyone else from declaring that no quarter be given? I just read it to you.

We will follow everything that's in the law.

Answer the question, Admiral Cooper. You have tens of thousands of service members under your command. And I literally just read a provision with all the Law of War manual, our own manual. Will you not just say what I just read to you?

I will say that we will follow the Law of Armed Conflict to the T.

This is, this is, this is just unbelievable to me.

I find the same thing, sir.

This is just unbelievable to me.

Follow the Law of Armed Conflict very calmly.

You have tens of thousands of service members under your command. I literally verbatim just read a provision from our own law of war manual, and you will refuse to say what that provision says. Will you agree that it is prohibited under our own manual that you and all the people under your command are obligated to follow to declare that no quarter be given?

I will agree consistent with my constitutional responsibility to follow the law of armed conflict to the T, and I expect everyone working for me to do that.

This is not leadership. This is not leadership to not be able to say something as basic. The people, the men and women who we represent, who are under your command, deserve leadership.

Mr. Chairman, I object. This is a personal attack. This is unfair. And I appreciate the Admiral very much.

This is well within the purview of my questioning, if I may.

This gentleman's time, he's making time.

I reclaim my time. Can I reclaim some additional time?

I'm going to give you some extra time. Go ahead.

It's our job to make sure the law is being followed. That is literally the obligation of this Congress. I read to you a provision of our own Law of War manual, and all I want you to say is what the provision says, that it is prohibited. It is prohibited. This is the title. This is what the title says, to declare that no quarter be given.

I will follow the law to the T and expect everyone to do the same.

I will follow the law to the T, to the T. I will do so very calmly, to the T, very calmly, very powerfully. You see, very powerfully, very calmly, to the T. Then read the damn provision. This isn't a trick question. You can't read what your own military manual actually says? Just read the damn provision. And then you had Congressmember Moulton cross-examining him.

Here, let's watch this clip.

Admiral Cooper, you keep using the term significantly degraded. Last summer, we were told that Iran's nuclear weapons program was obliterated. Can you clarify the distinction between obliterated and significantly degraded?

Congressman, again, I think appropriate to talk about anything regarding the Iranian nuclear program.

No, no, no.

I'm not asking you to talk about the Iran nuclear program. I'm asking you to talk about English language. What's the difference between obliterated and significantly degraded? Are they the same?

Congressman, anything regarding the nuclear program?

I'm not asking you to talk about the nuclear program, Admiral. I'm asking you to answer a question that applies to a lot, a lot of things beyond the nuclear program. You've also said that their ballistic missile program was significantly degraded. What does that mean?

The specific numbers are best, uh, as you know from your own—

President Trump's own national security strategy, which he signed in December, 5 months ago, used the exact same phrase, significantly degraded. So if this was true back then, 5 months ago, then why did we start this war? Was he lying to us then?

Congressman, from a military perspective, are you— in regarding—

Admiral, are you familiar with General Westmoreland?

I'm very familiar, Congressman.

He's well known for talking about body counts. Now, when I think about you in this war, I always think about how you always got up there and would say everything's going according to plan. So let me just ask, Admiral, where was closing the strait in the plan?

I'm happy to discuss the specific operational aspects.

But did you just not anticipate that? Do you not think that Iran could do that? Or was that part of the plan here? Congressman, for 250 years, the Navy has kept sea lanes open and free. Under every previous president, the Strait of Hormuz has been open. So why is it closed under your watch?

Congressman, I've traveled to the Strait of Hormuz probably 100 times. I'm intimately familiar with it. As a combatant commander.

Why is it closed if you're so familiar with it?

If I may answer the question, if I may ask with respect, with kind, with all due respect, my responsibility as a combatant commander is to lay out all the options, present those to the secretary and the president. They make policy-level decisions. So you present the operational aspect.

So, Admiral, you presented the, you presented the reality that Iran might close the strait to the president and the secretary of defense.

Anything that I discuss, uh, with respect to, uh—

okay, well, let's go back to the plan. Where was begging China for help opening the strait part of the plan? So from a military perspective, there are multiple reports now public that Iran has already reconstituted many of its bombed-out missile sites. Was that part of the plan too?

Those reports are inaccurate. Okay.

By the way, if other Congress members or their staff or their senators and their staff are watching this, and I know a lot of people on the Hill watch this, as a former litigator, let me just say the way Moulton was questioning is how the questions should be. When you're up there questioning these Trump witnesses, please, we don't need to hear you talk for 3 or 4 minutes. We really don't. Just ask the questions, keep them crisp, and when you're not getting the answers that are responsive, take back your time and then cross-examine the person on what the question is and go back to it. But if you waste 3 minutes on your long-winded question, no one want— no offense, we want to hear what the witness is saying so that we can see what the hell is going on, whether they're being truthful or they're lying or they're obfuscating, which is why Moulton did a really good job there. So if you're wondering, well, what else is coming? What are the MAGA Republicans doing right now? You know, with inflation, CPI, Consumer Price Index, 3.8%, and month over month now we're seeing 4.4% to, you know, 0.6% increases month over month.

That basically means we're gonna be in a situation where we could be at 5% CPI pretty soon. PPI, Producer Price Index, is at 6%. So we could be at a place where wholesale inflation's at around 8% soon. That's not good. People can't afford things. Highest credit card delinquency rates, highest student loan delinquency rates, uh, and, you know, consumer expectations are, uh, the lowest in the history of the University of Michigan survey. So with all of this going on, what are MAGAs doing? They do what they always do, which is try to use religion as a way to be like, but we have to just trust God's plan, everybody. I mean, did you see whatever they called this, like, recommit or whatever the hell this thing was over the weekend?

Recommit, where they were just like, and God sent Donald Trump, and Trump, and we gotta listen. God's vision is very, very, very confusing sometimes, but we just gotta trust that This is what God wants for us all. He sent us Jesus and he sent us Donald. So stick with the plan, folks, because this was all part of God's plan. I'm watching. I'm like, what are we doing here? What are we doing here? All of the stuff where like the US is like, Iran is this religious extremist, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, I'm watching what— how this Trump regime behaves. I'm watching how Hegseth behaves. I'm watching how all of these politicians, you know, are all invoking God for their war crimes. It's like, what are we doing here? And where is the fact that the American people are suffering involved in all of this? They don't give a crap about the American people.

These—

and I'm just going to be blunt— these people who are in these leadership positions, these are sick human beings. This is not normal politics. These are truly vile and sick humans. They're psychotic, sick, and vile sociopathic, pathologic sickos. I don't know how else to say it. This is not normal. And I just get pissed off like all of you do when you turn on corporate news and they act like this is, you know, and this is like, oh, you know, here's what the Democrats are saying. Here's what— stop with the even framing of politics. We've got a freaking psycho vile thing in the Oval Office out there holding up photos of a freaking golden ballroom and saying that he's creating a drone empire. Dude said he's creating a drone empire. What does it even mean you're creating a drone— your, your, your ballroom is a drone empire and it's a shield? What the hell? Who are these people? I really mean it. And, and it's, it's not funny. It's not intriguing. I don't want this entertainment. It's not entertainment. I want freaking normal leaders who behave like grown adults, grown men, grown women, grown people behaving like damn adults.

It's not what— look at Congresswoman Salazar today. This is real somehow. This is real.

Here, play this clip.

So listen, it's in the hands of two entities, God the Father and Donald Trump. God the Father on Earth and Donald Trump on Earth. And I know, Pastor, that you have a great relationship with our president, that I've told him every time I've seen him that the Lord saved him in Butler, Pennsylvania. Tell me if who else could have just made him turn his head right on, right in that millisecond, and save his life. So the Lord put him back on at the Oval Office. So like you said, the Lord is the only one, and I keep on saying it, and once again I send the message to our president whom we support: you are the only person on earth that could have the political fortitude and have favor and grace in your heart given by the Lord Almighty to sign this bill into law and to transform this country and bring it back because Okay, he's a sexual predator.

Okay, he's covering up a child sex trafficking ring.

What are we—

what are we even talking about? Dude was found liable in a civil case for sexual assault.

He's a felon in a separate criminal case.

And the big initiative today was to launch a fund for $1.776 billion to give to violent insurrectionists.

And I just watched this and I just have the reaction for real, like, who, who are these human beings? Like, how do these human beings come about? Like, how were they raised? How do they exist? What do they go home to? How do they interact with others? Like, how do you truthfully— how do you truthfully live a life in, in that world. I just, I genuinely, it— I, I don't know. And I'm sure sometimes some of you feel like maybe like, you know, like, am I the crazy one? I mean, that seems to be pretty crazy behavior right there for, for human beings. And then you turn on the news and, and, you know, they'll be— Sean Hannity will be like, and another big victory for the FBI. Kash Patel, the, the hits— what do we, what What? What are we doing here? Or you turn on Jesse Watters. The UFO files that have just been released are so incredibly shocking. Let's focus on the UFO files. We come back.

I want to talk a little bit about Attorney General Todd Blanch. By the way, today is my birthday. So for my birthday, Jordy wanted me to reiterate, become a member of our YouTube channel and gift memberships to other people.

That could be the birthday present. Gift memberships to others if you can afford by clicking join.

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Let's check in with the Wolf of Wall Street and see what he's doing right now. Donald Trump in front of the construction site for a Golden Ballroom that the MAGA Republicans want taxpayers to pay $1 billion for. At the same time, Donald Trump settled the case with himself for $1.776 billion of taxpayer dollars to give to violent January February 6th insurrectionists like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. And yes, he executes a new stock trade about every 9 minutes or so of companies that he invites to the White House. Perfectly normal behavior, uh, whether it's Dell, Nvidia, whether it's Palantir, or whether it's through exchange-traded funds that trade in Intel or other companies that Boeing, you know, that he deals with. Lots of trades for the first quarter. The first quarter of 2026, dude executed 3,700 to 3,800 stock trades in one quarter. And a lot of it happened right during the ebbs and flows, the highs and lows of the war where the markets were extra turbulent. I mean, they're still extra turbulent right now, right? And so, uh, you look at the past stock trading behavior in 2025 while there was still rampant other corruption taking place, there wasn't stock trading anywhere near the scale.

If you looked at that bar graph in 2025, it looked like the bar graph looked like a two-story townhouse compared to an 80-foot or an 80-story rather skyscraper, uh, with the bar charts of when the trading started taking place and Q1 of 2026.

But, you know, the Trump regime will just say, oh, you know, nothing, nothing we did wrong here. Oh, every other president was a stock trader executing a trade every 9 minutes. That makes a lot of sense. Every other president was doing social media posts that would list the stock ticker of the companies that they also potentially had interest in. Very, very, very normal behavior right there.

And so then he goes in front of this, uh, you know, he goes in front of this Golden Ballroom construction site that MAGAs are trying to figure out how they steal a billion dollars from us to pay for a lot of this. And, uh, and, and where Trump goes is he holds up, he holds up the, the photo of it, and he said I look so thin because I'm holding this.

You don't have to look at my waist.

You saw enough of my waist all over Xi Jinping in China. What do you mean we saw all your waist all over Xi Jinping in China?

What does it even mean?

What are you referring to?

What does that refer to?

Your waist was all over the guy? You're grinding on him? You, you, you, did you envision a fantasy where you were grinding on Xi Jinping like, uh, MTV Spring Break, uh, 1998. Is that, is that, is that your vision of you and, and Xi Jinping right now? Um, here, play, play this clip, I guess.

Waste.

You saw enough of my waist all over Xi Jinping. I mean, truthfully, I mean, this is a crazy human. What do you even mean? You, as I said, I mean, do you like literally envision that you grind on the guy? I mean, do you put on like a slow jam and imagine Xi Jinping in front of Never mind. Then Donald Trump on the ballroom, he said, we are creating in this ballroom the greatest drone empire that's ever existed. What do you mean a drone empire? What is this guy talking about? The greatest drone empire. Here, play this clip.

If they had won the election, our country would have been destroyed. Our country was a dead country. 2 years ago. And now we have really the hottest country in the world. And this is the ballroom, and it's going to be something incredible. You see the quality of it, and they go right— those columns go right into the roof. And on top of the roof, we're going to have the greatest drone empire that you've ever seen, and it's going to protect Washington. Thank you all very much. We have a little breakfast for you.

Really?

Yeah. Where is the breakfast?

Okay, did you also hear at the end, we've got a little breakfast for you? And then the reporter goes, really? I mean, to me, the, the really part would have been at the Drone Empire.

That's where I—

if I was the—

if I was a reporter there, that's the part that I would have been like, really?

Are you literally like 5150?

What are—

what do you But the reporter— I've got a little bit of lunch for you. Really? Who are these reporters? Who are these people? I truly feel like I am in a zombie movie and I'm one of the people who still hasn't become a zombie yet, and I'm watching all these people who ostensibly were once adults become zombies. And I'm like, man, you too? You became a zombie? Like, and that was my Mark Cuban reaction, right? Like, you know, in the zombie movies where the person gets bit, but they like hide it from you.

And so then you'll see like a little bit of like ooze, like if they cough, and then it's like a big moment and you're like, oh man, they got you.

They got you.

You're a zombie now.

That's like what I feel. I think it certainly was all— it was rapidly accelerating at the beginning of the Trump term when he began and you saw everybody going to Mar-a-Lago and it was like, ah, damn, zombie, zombie, zombie, zombie, zombie, zombie. You became one of these. Oh, I liked you. Ah, damn it.

And then right now, I think that there's been good pushback It's why Donald Trump's approval's at record lows, right? The latest New York Times-Siena poll has his approval at 38%. Generic ballot New York Times-Siena poll has Democrats up +11. You know, I saw some of this other polling of Trump somewhere in the 36, 37% range. I mean, historic lows. And that's why, I mean, his support amongst Latino voters at like 27%. Same thing of like independence.

I mean, I mean, so, so when I see, as you know, I'm, I'm, I, I see a new zombie and I'm like, Cuban, really? Why, what are you doing? Why are you doing that, man? Why are you doing that? Seriously, what, what, what could possibly be the benefit to doing that?

Is the, is the money that important after you're, if you're, after you're that wealthy?

Really? And, and if you can't do it without Trump's cosign, that means you really can't do it, because a Trump cosign means you're doing a deal with a predator.

You're doing a deal with somebody covering up the Epstein files.

That's—

why would you do you would think about it, you're like, would I want this person on my team? No, of course you wouldn't. You wouldn't want this person in your club, in a social gathering. You wouldn't want this person anywhere near you. So what are we, what are we doing here? And then he talks about how the ballroom is a shield. Here, play this clip where it's the ballroom is a shield.

I want to do things, but, uh, all of everything that you see and the money that's being put up to build the ballroom. And again, the ballroom— it's necessary for the ballroom to be built with what you see over here. It's all knitted— the air conditioning, the heating, the drone capacity, the shield. You know, the ballroom becomes a shield for everything that you see right here.

I mean, I don't even know what I'm watching. The ballroom becomes a shield for everything. Your ballroom's a shield. It's knitted with the drone capacity. Truly, like, WTF? Like, what, what is that? Like, what is this behavior?

But I got lunch for you.

Really?

Really?

You got lunch for Donald? What you got? You gotta— you got me a turkey sandwich with, uh, with some American cheese? Really? Oh my God, Donald got me a turkey sandwich with some cheese!

I'm just going to ignore that he's talking about drone empires and $1.776 billion settlements with himself to go to insurrectionists. And, uh, I ignore the fact that— did you see the latest from the settlement agreement that Trump entered with himself, that he's now fully released any right by the IRS to ever audit him ever again? Trump entered into a settlement agreement with himself that part of it— we saw the new documents that were released. He enters into a release of all claims and liabilities based on Trump's misconduct that the IRS can never look into it. And it's signed by Todd Blanch, his personal defense attorney. Who's now the acting attorney general. And, you know, he's one of those human beings that I go, who is this guy?

How does this guy— how does this guy exist? He looks like a zombie now, actually.

If you look at him, guy physically, like, he looks like he's got, you know, he's got this MAGA zombification look. And, you know, he's asked some pretty basic questions by Senator Van Hollen, who did a great job on this cross-exam.

And then Blanche is like, I'm the acting attorney general. I'm not Trump's personal attorney anymore. I'm the acting attorney general. Damn it.

Here, play this clip.

Going to— you're not going to submit this proposal to any federal judge or in the— there is no judge, any independent authority that an independent—

what does that mean? An independent authority?

It means not somebody who's getting to pick 5 of the members who was the president's former personal attorney. That would be somebody who would be independent.

I'm the acting attorney general. Okay.

The fact that I used to be President Trump's lawyer is just a fact.

But I'm the acting attorney general. So don't say the president's former personal lawyer will do something. The acting attorney general will do.

Mr. Attorney General, you are acting today like the president's personal attorney. And that's the whole problem. You've got his whole— you have a whole banner of his face hanging over the Department of Justice. And you and everybody else walks under it and you are acting like you're his current personal attorney. Mr. Chairman, I have no further questions.

Or then you had Senator Merkley asking a pretty basic question: is the Epstein investigation closed or is it open? Can you answer a very basic question? Remember what I showed you earlier in this episode with CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper, right? A very basic question. Do the words in the military manual saying show no quarter is unlawful? Is that what it says? And you refuse to answer the basic question. Here you have Todd Blanch asked, is the Epstein investigation— we all know what that is— Americans have a lot of questions about it. Is it closed or is it open? Here, play this clip. Well, I want to go on to the Epstein investigation. Is it closed or open?

When you say the Epstein investigation, what are you referring to, Senator?

Well, the FBI said in, in last year in July that it had closed the Epstein investigation. So I'm just using their words. Is it open or closed?

I don't believe the FBI said that.

The, the, that, that's, I mean, if you're referring, you're, you're head of the Department of Justice. Is the Epstein investigation open or closed?

But I guess I don't understand what Epstein investigation means. The investigation—

Well, let me put it to you.

Jeffrey Epstein himself?

Yes, he's dead. Oh, good one. Hahaha, you did. Oh, you're so smart. Hahaha.

These people believe that we're all stupid. And one of the reasons they believe it is that right before elections, they go out and they start saying things.

Ah, they're eating cats and dogs, bathrooms, penis and vaginas, transgender, transgender, that. And then they're like, holy shit, we've made the elections close now. We could actually win. We— you know what?

Farmers may be losing all of their—

losing all of their farmland, and they may be going bankrupt at a rate that's far higher than ever before.

And people at factories may be losing their jobs, and people can't afford homes, or they're in a home, they're in foreclosure.

But ho ho, all we got to do, because corporate news is controlled by right-wing authoritarian regime media, Let's just say stuff.

Eating dogs, fraud, you know, you know, mass deportations, transgender this.

Let's, let's, let's just— let's go with that. And they see a reward structure built for their behavior. And so they go through these hearings and they treat us all like we're dumb. And they know it. That's why they go up there and they spew things like this. And that's where I say this, not in a political way. And you can rewind this tape sometime in the future. If Democrats ever behave like this, if I see this behavior, I have no allegiance or loyalty simply because they're the Democrats. I don't care about politicians. I could truly care less. I care about the people. I want politicians to align with our values and our principles and what we are all fighting for together, which is to live lives without them destroying our lives, number one, and number two, to have people be able to go about their lives with health and happiness. Without government interference, being able to afford things, to have families if they want that, to, to have to love who they want to love. That's what we want. I don't care about a specific politician, this person, that, that doesn't interest, doesn't intrigue me.

I just want honesty and integrity, and I want people who are behaving like normal human beings. This is not normal behavior.

And so I'll leave you with this of Senator Van Hollen cross-examining Blanche.

So will individuals who assaulted Capitol Police officers, tried to kill them, will the people who engaged in terroristic acts, assaulted law enforcement, engaged in the insurrection, will they be eligible for $1.776 billion? Will they now be eligible? Apply it?

Simple question. Will individuals who assaulted Capitol Hill police officers be eligible for this fund?

Well, as it makes plain, anybody is—

just let me know if they're eligible for the fund.

As was made plain yesterday, anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they were a victim of weaponization.

Mr. Attorney General, let me ask you this. Are there going to be rules that say that if you've assaulted Capitol Hill police officer or committed a violent crime, you will not be eligible. Why not make that a rule?

I expect that— well, because I'm not one of the commissioners setting up the rules.

I expect there will be—

4 of the 5 members, aren't you, Mr. Attorney General?

Pardon me?

You're appointing 4 of the 5 members.

I am appointing—

you can simply set up the rules. I would hope you would make a rule that anyone convicted of assaulting a police officer or violent crime is simply not eligible. They should not apply.

Why is this a hard concept, right? Why can't you just answer the basic question?

Why couldn't Admiral Brad Cooper say it is a war crime to show no quarters? Because he's going to get fired?

Then get fired.

Does wearing all of the stuff on your chest, wearing all of the different medals and commendations, that's that important to you? That you are going to go up there and show a complete lack of leadership?

It's a very basic question. Is the Epstein investigation open or is it closed?

Because there was something put out last summer that it was closed. So what is the Epstein investigation?

Are you going to allow people who attacked police officers to be eligible? The answer should just be no. I'm not gonna— well, first off, we shouldn't even be doing this fund, but if we do it, of course you should not be eligible if you attacked a police officer for a financial settlement. What world are we living in where that's even a thing? Where there's $1.77 billion that you stole from the taxpayers? Damn it, you know what you paid in taxes. We know what the billionaires aren't paying in their taxes. Like, that's where my money is going to pay insurrectionists who attack cops. Seriously. And then you have cop union leaders often who are like, well, that's law and order. That's what law and order is. Donald Trump, that's law and order. What?

What world?

I truly mean it. What world are— what world are we living in? And finally, they always go back, these sociopaths, to blame Obama.

Biden. We're doing this 1776 fund, $1.776 billion, because Obama did it.

Obama did it. And then you have Senator Van Hollen say Obama didn't do that, that's not what happened. Stop saying Obama, Biden.

There was a settlement that happened in a federal court where a federal judge oversaw the settlement between the Department of Justice and plaintiffs.

It wasn't Obama suing his own Treasury Department and then not telling the judge that there was a settlement agreement and then doing a separate settlement agreement that creates a fund to do an end run around Congress's appropriations.

You know, and then the thing is, they're such liars that when they say it sometimes, well, Obama did this, a lot of humans go like, am I really going to have to do the research to, like, find out that Obama didn't do this?

And sometimes you're like, and who would lie about that? Like, what human being?

Just like Trump and all these liars, they're liars. They lie about everything, every word, every sound word. Syllable, all lie, everything, everything is a lie. And so you had Van Hollen saying these are completely different situations. So okay, if you want to compare it to Obama, then why don't you take your settlement and present it to the federal judge and see if a federal judge approves your settlement? That's what happened in the Obama case where Obama wasn't personally a party to it the way Trump was a party to this case. Let's play this clip. You keep putting words in my mouth.

I'm going to ask you one last time. You keep comparing this case to the Keep Eagle case. In that case, as you've admitted, a judge ultimately signed off. I'm asking you, before you proceed with this fund, will you have a federal judge sign off on it?

I didn't compare the cases. What I said is the commission that we set up yesterday is nearly identical to the commission that was set up during Keep Eagle. But please, you repeatedly put words in my mouth and then, and then you say, oh, I'm playing wordsmith.

Words matter.

Mr. Chairman, they do matter. You said there were—

I got—

look, the transcript will speak for itself.

It will.

But you, but you compared in your own release, in the Department of Justice's own release, you compared it to this case. And in this case, a judge signed— my final question, will you agree, as they did in that case, that before you proceed with this fund, a federal judge will sign off and approve it? You agree to that?

Federal judge. So there's no mechanism.

Actually, there is a federal judge presiding No, it was dismissed. That was the case was dismissed by the judge last night.

Yeah, because you moved to create this fund.

I didn't move. I did not move the settlement.

Mr. Attorney General, come on. So let me, let me. So you're not going to, you're not going to submit this proposal to any federal judge or in the— there is no judge, any independent authority that an independent—

what does that mean, an independent authority?

What does that mean, an independent authority? There is no judge. Yes, there was a judge. The judge's name is Kathleen Williams.

She is the judge where the case was filed in. You, in the settlement agreement, reference the case Trump v. IRS. It has a case number. There is a judge attached to that case number. Okay, this is the judge, Judge Kathleen Williams.

It's like when the Trump regime says the reason that we're not able to negotiate with Iran they don't have leaders anymore.

Yes, I know who their leaders are.

You don't know who their leaders are? I know at a very granular level their leadership structure.

I know their parliamentary leadership. I know their foreign ministry leadership. I know their foreign ministry spokespeople. I know their regional and provincial leadership. I know their IRGC leadership. I know the special advisors to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khomeini. I know the inner circle of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khomeini.

Khomeini.

Anybody, you know, I know that their foreign minister was out there meeting with the BRICS nations and had a leadership role at the meeting that just took place in New Delhi in India. I know very clearly that there is a leadership structure, and it is a younger, more entrenched leadership structure than the prior leadership structure, but they are all part of the same leadership structure of IRGC control. With the ayatollah at the head. It's an Islamic Republic leadership structure. So when you say, oh, we, we don't know who the leadership is— yes, we do know who the leadership is. When you claim that, uh, the KC-135 Stratotankers were shot down over Iraq in friendly skies, we know that's a lie. We know that the likely scenario was that militias aligned with Iran in Iraq were shooting at those Stratotankers, and that's why they made evasive maneuvers, and that's why one of them crashed. They didn't just fall—

a KC-135 Stratotanker doesn't just fall out of the sky. Stop lying. Just stop lying about every damn thing. And The Atlantic confirmed what we've always been saying, which is, of course, of course, what happened was there was hostile fire and they had to make an evasive maneuver and they crashed into each That's what happened. What about the F-15E fighter pilots? We don't get to know who those are.

Never get to find out who they are.

We're never going to know. State secret.

Who the F-15E—

it's all bullshit. It's just, it's just all of this. And meanwhile, you've got Donald Trump over there being the Wolf of Wall Street. Buy, buy, buy. Sell, sell, sell. Tweet, tweet, tweet. Sell, sell, sell. Buy, buy, buy. While the Americans are suffering. While the American people are suffering. American consumers are now facing 7% mortgage rates, but most Americans don't even think that they have the ability to get a mortgage at all. I don't think they have the ability to get a home. We were talking about a 30% loss in purchasing power of the US dollar since 2020. Donald Trump promised he was going to bring down inflation. And if you look at the chart right here that the Kobayashi Report put up here, I mean, you're looking at the pattern of inflation looking a lot like 1967. It's looking a lot like a straight line up. And if we continue down this path, I don't see how we don't continue down this path of 4 to 0.4 to 0.6% month over month inflation. Increases. Yeah, we're going to be at 5% CPI by the end of this year. 5%. That's where we're going to be.

And by the end of next year, we could be at 6%, 6.5%. That's where we're going to be.

There you have it, folks. We covered it all. We appreciate you as always. Thank you all for watching this. Got a little animated on the show. Um, if you want, uh, Jordy wants me to remind everybody for the birthday—

for my birthday, the best gift for the birthday is gift memberships to people.

If you can gift as many memberships as you can to other people who can't afford memberships today, so click join, gift the memberships, and that will go a long way to help people access some of the special features that we have here, the emojis and everything like that. All right, thanks everybody for watching. We appreciate you.

This has been Ben on Breaking News, birthday edition.

Shout out Midas Mighty. Thanks everybody.

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