Latest news with #MeidasTouch
Irish Daily Star
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Daily Star
Gavin Newsom says 'gloves are off' as he issues furious 7-word warning to conservatives
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a furious warning to conservative media outlets like Fox News saying that the "gloves are off" after suing the network for a staggering $787 million. "The gloves are off. Let's go. We're gonna call out the bullshit. And the propaganda. And the weaponization of lies and disinformation on networks like Fox, and we'll do it in every capacity on behalf of the people I represent and an individual capacity," Newsom said during an interview with MeidasTouch. Saying that he has had "enough," the governor explained the basis of the case by saying that it is "time to assert ourselves much more forcefully with character and conviction and have the backs of people that don't have the voice that some of us have and the ability to do what some of us can do." Read More Related Articles Health concerns swirl as Trump is spotted limping up the stairs to Air Force One Read More Related Articles Four urgent signs Donald Trump has a specific type of dementia expert warns Newsom sued the network for presenting misleading information about his phone call with President Donald Trump earlier this month. It came amid the protests in Los Angeles over the president's sweeping immigration enforcement actions and mobilization of National Guard Troops. The governor is seeking at least $787 million in damages as well as a court order prohibiting the conservative network from airing any other segments claiming that he lied about his call with Trump which took place on June 7. "If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump's behalf, it should face consequences- just like it did in the Dominion case," Newsom said in his statement. These punitive damages are identical to the amount Fox had to pay in 2023 to settle a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over election conspiracy broadcast. "Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine," Newsom added. Newsom's attorneys also demanded a formal retraction and on-air apology from Fox News host Jesse Waters who claimed that the governor had lied about the phone call. Newsom agreed to dismiss the lawsuit if the conditions are met. "Gov. Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him. We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed," a Fox News spokesperson told Irish Star US. Newsom told MSNBC on June 8 about a phone call between him and Trump taking place late at night on June 6 in California which is after 1 a.m. June 7 on East Coast time. Trump mobilized the National Guard 24 hours later to quell anti-ICE protesters. On June 10, during a news conference at the White House, when a reporter asked Trump about his call with the California governor, the president said that he called Newsom "a day ago." "Called him to tell him, got to do a better job," Trump said. However, Newsom posted a video clip of the comment on social media, claiming that "there was no call." "There was no call. Not even a voicemail," Newsom wrote, adding, "Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn't even know who he's talking to." To respond, Trump provided screenshots of his phone log to Fox News that showed their call on June 6 as opposed to his previous claims of calling him "a day ago." Newsom alleged that during the coverage, Fox News made false video edits and statements, framing the call log as proof that Newsom has reportedly lied about the call.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The MeidasTouch Podcast Now Has 5 Million Subscribers
The MeidasTouch podcast just hit 5 million subscribers, cementing its status as a breakout force in ... More progressive media. Launched during the isolation of the pandemic lockdown era, a group chat between three brothers has transformed into one of the most influential voices in progressive media. The MeidasTouch Podcast — the flagship show of the MeidasTouch Network — has just crossed 5 million subscribers, a milestone that cements its place as not only a media juggernaut but a dominant force in independent political commentary. Founded in 2020 by Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas, MeidasTouch first made waves as an anti-Trump political action committee during the height of the COVID pandemic. At the time, all three brothers were generally frustrated by the state of the world and looking for a productive outlet for their time and talents. 'It felt like screaming into the void,' Brett recently told Vanity Fair. 'So we committed to doing what we could — writing articles, making videos, just getting our thoughts out.' The rise of the MeidasTouch podcast They've been doing that same work, just more of it, ever since. What began with viral videos evolved into a full-fledged media network, now home to a multiple shows including Leigh McGowan's PoliticsGirl, and the legal commentary series Legal AF. But it's the core MeidasTouch Podcast, hosted by the three brothers, that's leading the way and drawing major guests like President Biden and Senators Elizabeth Warren – and racking up viewership numbers that rival cable news. A celebratory tweet posted by the network's senior digital editor Acyn Torabi (@Acyn on X) marked the subscriber milestone, reading in part: 'As we hit 5 million subscribers, I want to say this: this is one small step for the MeidasTouch Network, but I think one giant leap for independent journalism and democracy generally.' As far as who the brothers are: Ben is a lawyer and Colin Kaepernick's business partner, Brett is a two-time Emmy-winning video editor, and Jordy is a top advertising executive in New York. Their network has seen explosive growth so far this year, with Podscribe data showing that the podcast jumped from 57.7 million downloads and views per month in mid-February to 115 million the following month. And even after that surge, the numbers remained strong, with April 2025 data showing 107.3 million downloads. The brothers' YouTube channel alone averages 33 million views every 48 hours, according to Acyn, while the podcast's momentum has been enough to briefly dethrone even The Joe Rogan Experience. In February 2025, MeidasTouch pulled in 57.5 million downloads, outpacing Rogan's 51.5 million for the month. While comparisons to right-wing media stars are inevitable, however, the Meiselas brothers push back on the idea that the left needs its own Rogan. 'Right-wing podcasters weren't cooked up in a lab,' Ben continued in the Vanity Fair interview. 'They developed audiences organically over time.' Brett added that the key isn't finding someone who mimics Rogan's tone or beliefs — it's the authenticity that matters. That's a major part of MeidasTouch's appeal. Brett Meiselas has said in the past that the goal is to make listeners feel like they're part of the same experience the brothers share in private. The vibe, in other words, is supposed to feel like a conversation among friends. As for what's next, Acyn made it clear in his message on X, adding: 'We use our platform for good: to always shine a light on the truth, to expose the injustices taking place, and to confront the authoritarian Trump regime head-on, where corporate news has utterly failed and betrayed us all.' Five million subscribers in, the MeidasTouch Network clearly isn't slowing down. Based on the trends this year alone, there's every reason to believe that this is just the beginning.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Frustrated Gavin Newsom Calls Out Trump's Ultimate ‘Weakness'
California Governor Gavin Newsom has attacked Donald Trump for 'sowing chaos' in Los Angeles and creating a 'theater of the absurdity' as immigration protests continue. During an interview with Pod Saves America on Monday, Newsom highlighted one of Trump's political flaws after a phone call with the president late Friday night which the 57-year-old had earlier described as 'decent.' Newsom was asked about Trump's polite call versus the attacks against him online by the president. 'They're just weakness masquerading as strength, they're cosplaying. I pray sanity can take shape here, I pray that they do not incite the kind of violence that they claim they seek to avoid,' Newsom said. Also speaking on the Meidas Touch podcast on Monday, Newsom spoke more about the call, revealing he had had a collaborative conversation with Trump on Friday, but added the president then lied about their discussion. 'It was unbelievably cordial, he never brought up the National Guard, he didn't want to talk about what was going on in L.A.,' Newsom said of the phone call. 'Then a few hours later he federalizes the National Guard, he lays claim that somehow it had solved all the problems and the Guard hadn't even officially been deployed. (He) completely lied about that, lied about our conversation, said he discussed the National Guard with me specifically.' Newsom also attacked Trump's deployment of troops to L.A. and blamed him for a 'manufactured crisis.' It comes as an additional deployment of 2,000 troops was authorized by the president on Monday night, on top of an earlier contingency sent by the president. The latest batch was confirmed by Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman and assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs. The governor said among the troops, California's 79th Infantry had been pulled from working on forest management to prepare for wildfire season. 'These are the folks that are currently being deployed now, they are being sent here for this theater of the absurdity. 'They were working on fentanyl interdiction and doing task force work... all of these extraordinary efforts that can no longer be done, or at least are disrupted because of this 'show'. And that's all this is,' Newsom said. 'There are 1,700 of these young men and women that are sitting around waiting for something and another 2,000 have been nationalized again just so Donald Trump can pound his chest and act like he is in control. He is creating chaos, he is sowing chaos.' Meidas Touch host Ben Meiselas pressed Newsom on being threatened with arrest. 'I don't want to be hyperbolic and act like a victim but honestly, I literally never thought in my life I'd hear those words uttered by the President of the United States. Directing the arrest of a political opponent that won an election and happens to be the governor of the largest state in our country. It's really about having the audacity to call him out on his unconstitutional actions.' Newman told Pod Save America he had put a plan in place in case he was arrested. 'We've already processed what that may look like that if they do get a federal warrant to arrest me. That the very act if I chose to fly back to Sacramento from L.A. could be grounds then for them actually having cause to arrest. The fact that we have had that conversation with our folks, in the United States in 2025, says everything you need to know about who's in the White House right now.' Speaking on CNN Monday night, Trump's border czar Tom Homan said that while Newsom had not done anything to warrant an arrest, he would not hesitate if that changed. The governor also said he first heard the nickname Trump has for him, 'Newscum', when he was a child. 'It's the President of the United States calling (me) what an eighth grade bully called me when I was a kid. Rather pathetic.'
Newsweek
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Gavin Newsom Dares Donald Trump to Arrest Him: 'Get It Over With'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California Gov. Gavin Newsom told U.S. President Donald Trump to "just get it over with, arrest me" as the pair clashed over immigration raids in the city and how to handle the disorder that erupted from the protests against them. Trump had said he would arrest Newsom if he were the White House border czar Tom Homan, calling it a "great thing". Homan had earlier said those harboring illegal immigrants would face the law, and the Democratic governor of California is not excluded from that risk. Newsom called it a "sober and serious moment" in remarks to MeidasTouch, a liberal activist media group, on Monday evening. "This is why I told the president, just get it over with, arrest me, move on. If you need some head to scalp, do it with me, but stop messing with these kids," Newsom said. "Stop messing with four-year-olds. Kids in elementary school. We've got kids. We have hundreds of graduations down here. "Kids are not going to their own graduations, families, grandparents, here legally. Mixed status families in some cases, scared to death to go to a graduation. People are scared to walk down the streets." Newsom said he was aware of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) running "checkpoints, checking people's IDs" in Los Angeles. "We've never seen this kind of deployment in so many accents," Newsom said. "It's mass panic out here in the nation's largest county, in the nation's largest state. Good, hardworking people, decent people. These are not the criminals. These are not the thugs." This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Axed MSNBC host Katie Phang reveals her next move
Published: | Katie Phang (pictured) has launched a YouTube channel under a left-leaning media umbrella after she was canceled from MSNBC. The Katie Phang Show was one of several casualties brought on by a lineup shift implemented by new network boss Rebecca Kutler in early 2025. Now, almost one month after her final show aired on the network, she has unveiled her new business venture - revealing she actually gave keen listeners a clue in her final MSNBC appearance. Phang will join the MeidasTouch media group with a brand new YouTube show titled Phang Unleashed. 'YouTube is the perfect place for Katie Unleashed,' the attorney and legal analyst wrote on X. 'We'll talk about the law, politics, and culture. You'll hear from trusted, familiar voices. And you'll hear from new voices with fresh takes. It's time we realize WE are the cavalry we've been waiting for,' she added.' The revelation should have come as no surprise to longtime viewers after Phang teased the collaboration in her final on-air appearance. At the time, she said she would 'meet you where you are at places like Substack and YouTube with fellow truth tellers like MeidasTouch.' Phang has also launched a Substack account to go alongside her new show. 'When it came time for me to get out of mainstream media and find my way into the holy land of independent journalism, I could not think of a better place to be than [with] the guys at MeidasTouch,' she said in her first YouTube episde alongside MeidasTouch co-founder Ben Meiselas. In her second to last episode on air, an emotional Phang cried as she interviewed Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Joy Reid, Jonathan Capehart and Ayman Mohyeldin also said goodbye to their programs as part of a strategic overhaul from higher-ups. Capehart and Mohyeldin will fill different roles on the network as well, with news shows being built around them. The same could not be said for Phang, who, like Reid, twisted the identity-politics knife while lamenting her situation after seeing her show pulled by her bosses. 'I was proud to platform more AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) voices than any other cable show ever,' Phang wrote in a pointed post to Instagram in February. 'Representation matters,' she concluded. 'I went hard on so many issues,' Reid complained separately, while weeping through her remarks on a Zoom call to supporters. 'Whether it was the Black Lives Matter, issues of a young baby or a mom or dad that was killed or when we opened up people's eyes to the fact that Asian Americans were being targeted, and not just Black folks. 'My show had value,' she insisted. As for MSNBC, the picture has gone from bad to worse. In February 2021, MSNBC averaged a total of 1.4 million total viewers every hour throughout the entire day and an average of 2.9 million total viewers during only primetime hours. Today, those numbers have dwindled down to just roughly 600,000 and 1 million total viewers, respectively - a more than 50 percent decline on both ends.
