This week on our Meidas Meet-Up live series on Substack, my brother Brett and I were joined by someone who’s been on the inside of it all — Lev Parnas. You probably know Lev from his explosive past testimony about Rudy Giuliani and the Trump-Ukraine pressure campaign. But what Lev shared with us during this live session was possibly even more damning — and more urgent — than anything he’s said before.
If you missed it live, here’s the bottom line: Donald Trump is already executing his authoritarian playbook. We’re not “headed toward” autocracy. We’re in it. Right now.
Lev laid it all out. Trump’s recent market manipulation? That wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate. Coordinated. Criminal. Trump’s Truth Social post telling people to “buy, buy, buy” — followed by a suspiciously timed market pump and immediate dump — cost ordinary Americans their pensions, their savings, their kids’ college funds. ANd of course the DOJ stays silent. Why? Because Trump has completely corrupted the system from within.
And while right-wing media obsesses over culture war distractions (a 2022 UK billiards match that featured a transgender participant was somehow Fox’s top story as all of this was going down), Trump and his cronies are busy gutting the rule of law, consolidating power, and planning which oligarch gets which piece of Ukraine once Trump hands it over to Putin. Yeah — Lev confirmed that’s the real plan.
I asked Lev what gives him hope. His answer? You. All of you who refuse to sit back. The people who call, protest, vote, organize. The millions who are rising up, not shutting up.
Watch my interview with Lev. Share this Substack. You can also subscribe to Lev’s Substack (link below).
Join now as a paid subscriber to Meidas+ to keep conversations like this going.
Thank you, Lev Parnas, for confirming that the regime leader’s market manipulation was deliberate and planned. Martha Stewart went to the slammer for much less.
Well said Leslie!
Trump said the other countries are taking advantage of America. He is the one taking advantage of America
Every Trump/MAGA accusation is a confession.
That’s a great way to frame it and I think I’ll be using that from now on” every Trump/Maga accusation is a confession ! Maga make America go away is really what it means!
That's right.
Always gas lighting and deflecting. Everyone can see through his bull 💩
There is not a person the globe who has not got his number. The King has no clothes. The wizard's curtain has come down. Leave him to his own fate. My focus is on what I need to do. I could read him clearly in 2016 when half of us thought he was a hero, and the other half thought of him as entertainment.
It was lonely and painful for me. I would offer to friends that he was an abusive con man. I would say, "He will shake your hand firmly and offer a broad smile while his free hand is deep in your pocket taking everything you own and everything you cherish." I also said to deaf ears, "He will be embraced by people who have no idea he offers nothing and will take everything then walk off leaving you with nothing."
I know the type and those of us who do never saw Trump as either a savior and hero or entertaining and "just being Trump". We thought of him as a threat. We saw thru to the monster going on ten years now. There are many like me out there and it has been really hard to not be heard and to have seen the future in fact. Now it all comes to a head, but I am no longer afraid. I am emboldened. I see the path to victory. It will be so sweet!
Obviously.
Exactly!
Can’t we fricking sue—all 330 million of us—or anyone with a 401k? Literally they took it out of our holdings and gave it to themselves.
True!
No. We will regain our economy, but if we don't pour into the streets and focus on that alone we have no chance of regaining our democracy.
Why can't we do both?
sounds good to me --
Keep going. Louder and louder. Truth needs a loud speaker.
We have a complete fire dumpster rolling out on the interstate at full speed
Yes I lost everything!! I now can’t retire and I am 65!
I’m 63 and sick of these THIEVES
I’m glad we give him hope, but there is really nothing we can do short of civil war/revolution that will remove the dictators from the government. That has to come from Congress and/or the Supreme Court. So while we might “slow” things down temporarily with our protests and letters and phone calls, unless the few good people left in Congress get their heads out of their asses and remove this bunch of hoodlums, we are doomed.
We are not doomed. We are on our way to enacting one of the most historical turning points in this country and the world The mantle has been given to us. I'm going to run with it for I know you and all of us has my back as I do yours. It will be glorious.
A united population in peaceful protest in numbers that reflect 3.5% of the population morph into a level of power that break pipes. I'm glad to be alive to have this chance to experience it. I'm glad to be amongst those who have been chosen. Our democracy will rise stronger as will we and our children, who will receive an education in civic duty and "the power of one speaking truth to power" that no education can match.
Thank you by the way for all the years you have taught. A teacher launches lives which in turn effect more lives. It is the most honorable profession next to that of a parent. Our children to me should be society's priority for they are the future. So, we must support the teachers and the parents of those children.
They're all complicit, that's how the regime has gotten so far along, so quickly, thanks to the loyalists.
Prof. Timothy Snyder was giving the ideas of all NONtRumputinist and better yet ANTItRumputinist American politicians forming a People's Cabinet In Shadow and similar. Andrea Chalupa from her GaslitNation had an excellent interview back in January with Lights On https://www.youtube.com/live/lIASIFQEJxs (the best video that I saw since the cursed nov. 6th 2024 exactly what I was shouting and screaming ever since the cursed nov. 6th 2024!! on, but was censored same as Jessica and Andrea were).
I want to say, when the great minds converge, the great ideas and practices can get formed!! No wallowing in despair, though.
I wish Lev would get his book on Audible. It’s harder for me to devote the time to sit down and read a full book these days. But I can easily listen to an audiobook as I go about my day doing other things. I would definitely listen to his book if he had an audio version.
EXACTLY!!!👍🏽
Message him or contact the publisher.
How are we going to get through this dumpster fire? Sometimes it feels like we aren’t making any progress in getting these people out of office. With the troops sent to Panama, the levies and tariffs— Should be we preparing for WWIII?
If we are smart, yes not to be scary but honestly everyone else is telling their people too get three months of supplies
Stocking up to avoid price hikes or out of fear of the future? Most people are doing the former but the later whispers of fear mongering. We are all in this together and together we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Do not be afraid and do not spread fear. It is the tool of autocrats, but it has no sharp edge against a united front. It has no sharp edge if we do what we must do. Unite and flood the streets from now until however long it takes.
Take care of yourself and look out for your neighbor and don't live in a tomorrow cooked up out of fear and anxiety which will likely never materialize. We are at war, yes. But we have a pathway to win this war; and we are not in the minority. We have in fact each other, and we have the support and literally love and admiration our allies. Last Saturday people of other nations (our allies) protested along with us.
Incredibly things happen when people unite to fight evil and oppression, and people are united in this mission across the globe. We will prevail; then we can aid Ukraine, and they will prevail. Putin will be crushed, and his nation left the loser in all of this, and our allies will shore up again with one focus -- Never again! But only if we keep up the pressure.
We are making amazing progress!!
Some days it feels that way, other days it doesn’t. I tend to believe this, yet it’s concerning all of the things that are happening both in front of us and behind closed doors. I wish we could fast forward and get to the part where this is over already!
I wonder the same?!?!
Dictator LYING Conspiracy Theorist Nutjob Donnie in action!
The same message about the surging stock market my congressman, Mike Lawler, is sending out. He's smart enough to know better, but slimy enough to lie through his teeth.
I am 74 and on social security and have never stopped working other than a short time last fall thru spring when I decided not to retire but get a job. I searched for a long while and eventually found a really nice one.
I frame it as looking toward the horizon and reading the terrain and then taking care of myself. Doing what I can and accepting losses as I figure out how to offset those losses maybe even do better than before those losses. Who knows.
One thing I do know with this formula I always have exactly what I need, no more and no less than what I need. There were never guarantees as to what the future held for me only my self-determination and refusal to be a victim of anyone or anything.
It's tough on all of us but there is nothing we cannot accomplish when we set our minds to it. Decide what you want and just show up each day pursuing it and enjoying those days in the process, eventually what you need will be provided.
All these "fired" professional, law abiding people that were fired by a jerk who dosen't even belong here! So many military heros, giving their all for country and to defend our Constitution! Allies who side with our people and hate Trump and his complicit regime of hate and fraud! Act Blue and whatever can be scrapped together as millions gather in protest! We need an underground! A covert operation! Use rather fire and passion of those who'd welcome a chance to take it back! Everyone knows that freaking election was a made deal! Elon didn't drop a quarter of a billion dollars on an "unsure" thing! End This!!! Find the dirt! Use it!!!!
While it will continue to be an uphill battle, and what comes next may not also be great, the silver lining may be his life expectancy being over the average age for life expectancy …. AND likely a limiting factor to his wish for/potential for an eternal presidential role.
There is absolutely no quick fix to this! Buckle up and hold on while we ride it out….
Shiiiiiiiid, he’s probably got some doctor regularly shooting him up with something to lengthen his life.
Hopefully RFK can/will advise on treatments. 🤷🏻♀️
No Dr. Johnson(the one who gave them the competency test(cat, tree, fig and nut) or whatever it was totally bogus!
Ironically, it's a Hatian Houngan who lights the candles, kills the chicken, picks up the Ason & says the prayers to whatever Loa keeps donnie vertical.
And then, of course there's also the monthly bath in virgin's blood he shares with Judge Jeanine (& increasingly, Kellyanne). It's been working for Pirro for the last 236 years so he figured he'd give it a try.
I’m just going to pray for God to have his way.
You go it and read all of it so clearly!! Love it!!
Damn right the damage is done. Canadians, other than MapleMaga Morons, are pissed off with how The Felon King has been talking about us and the attempted threats and school yard bully intimidation tactics have united us like nothing I’ve witnessed in my 66 years as a Canadian. If you want proof just the fact that Québec, where I live, is onboard with the rest of the country is indisputable evidence of the unity he’s inspired. The insult to our historic, peaceful relationship is in the toilet and we may be nice people, but don’t fuck around with Canadians because we don’t back down when threatened.
Trump stated on July 25th 2024 that "I don't need votes to win"! How was this missed!!!!!
See election truth alliance for proof musk rigged the election. Also Vigilante Inc by Greg palast - doc that details how over 4 million votes were lost due to suppression.
It wasnt missed by a lot of us who listen and understand who DJT is and his plan. But there were crickets from Congress and the DOJ and main St media . The uprising is happening and getting bigger and stronger everyday. We can’t put the brakes on. Our voices are paramount. Flood Congress with calls and postcards. Next big protest 4/19 although there are protests happening every day. Stay on track, don’t ever give up or give in. Strength in our numbers and Trumps declining polling. The protesters in their 60s and 70s out there on the streets have been here before. We know what’s at stake. Younger folks need to get out there too. This is your future we are fighting for.
Besides the protests, strikes need to be organized.
We need Millions More to go out in the Street! Republicans no Better
Literally their lives are at risk
When you have nothing, you have nothing to lose! I’m not afraid enough said!
The orange felon and the entire White House need to go to El Salvador!! They manipulated the market and must be removed ASAP!!
You guys are great! You help me keep my eyes on what is real and not distraction! Keep up the fine work!
I know a lady that lives close to me that is from Ukraine. She is here legally and married with 2 children. Her father came here for a month this past summer to visit with her. He went back to Ukraine because he said that he had to do everything to help his country.
So thankful for you guys
OMG thank you for speaking your truth. Incredibly brave.
Having this dumpster fire regime in charge a few years before I retire is extremely frustrating and infuriating.
Love all of you guys as well as Aaron! Keep it up. Hopefully we can get rid of the so called king in the white house
Lev say it loud! I love your transparency
$35000 dollars these guys are billions
Lock them up
I guess that doesn’t make sense but Martha Stewart was that little amount
Have you seen the video of him bragging about the various billionaires who may millions and pointing them out in the oval office.
Please have some on to speak about the SAVE act the Senate just passed. Married women who changed their names when got married are going to need help figuring out how to get an original birth certificate and marriage license for ID. Or we’re not going to be able to vote.!!!
I would love to see what certain Supreme Court members brokerage accounts show over last two days
Lev we also need you to tell us what needs to be done to stop this nightmare.
Can any one of your guests address the potential catastrophe regarding the De-Dollarization of the US currency as the reserve status? I recall Nixon in ‘71 abolished the gold standard and we’ve been on a full faith and credit operating system since. Well..that good faith with our foreign allies and commerce has been severely compromised thanks to this regime and the random tariffs (not to mention the irrational circus antics of the Oval Office). I’m concerned the US dollar will increasingly devalue with these financial shenanigans leaving Americans impoverished while the wealthy exchange their holdings to whatever currency becomes dominant. They will not lose but average Americans will. I hope I have that correctly scribed but would welcome an expert’s perspective.
Truth gets revealed here!
Love this show with Lev Parnas. Very informative. Thanks
I really want to hear the Hunter Bidens interview!
Gratitude, Lev Parnas. Stay strong and please continue your work on Substack. See you there!
I am pissed that no one was fired over Signal!
Just called the 4 Democrats who joined the GOP House of Representatives to pass The Save Act. WTF!!!!! I so boiling....I just don't get its.
Thank you, Medias Brothers, for your pursuing the Truth. You give America hope, but hope is not changing the fact that we are in a Constitutional Crisis.
“Gleichschaltung was the process of the Nazi Party taking control over all aspects of Germany. It is otherwise known as coordination or Nazification. The process primarily took place between 1933-1934.
The Nazi’s started with the Civil Service, issuing the Act for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service on the 7 April 1933. This act legalised removing anyone of non-Ayran descent from the civil service.
In the judicial system specifically, this act removed any judges that were deemed non-compliant with Nazi laws or principles. This act was reinforced by the German Civil Service code of 26 January 1937, which retired any judges or judicial official who would not intervene in cases and rule in favour of the Nazis. The People’s Court, a court created by the Nazis in April 1934 with judges chosen specifically for their Nazi beliefs, replaced the Supreme Court. With these measures in place, the Nazification of the judicial system was complete” (How did the Nazi consolidate their power? The Weiner Holocaust Library)
America is now at that point in History. My fear is there is nothing that will change this brutal fact. I am losing my "cautiously optimistic" to "I fear that all have been lost"
Your posts give the data, but without, in my opinion, and rationale way to stop the tyranny, baring a military coup, Civil War or ???? I would love to hear from the Medias Mighty to assure me my fears are not justified.
I feel drunk at the end of the day, before I start drinking. This stuff is so obnoxious crazy and stupid I think that I am crazy for a minute then I realize it’s not fake then I am drunk like mainline of straight impossible idiocy. Make it stop
Lev. You are Aaron's dad?? He's my favorite on Substack.
Congrats guys,and thank you
When does this end???
You are the best!
Thank you Mr. Parnas
Whack A mole
Way to go Lev.
Aaron is Awesome!!!
My question re: the intentional market manipulation by Trump + his regime + their et. al. oligarchs - Since Federal Republicans won't investigate/bring charges, can New York do it? The main stock exchange is located there, so would that give New York jurisdiction?
Front running the market, as trump so clearly did, creates an unfair advantage & is illegal. It's the equivalent of insider trading. trump used pump & dump on his djt stock in the past. There are real life implications & ramifications for the American people when market volatility swings wildly due to one loudmouth. He should be in jail.
So the moral of the story is - crime pays! Become a convicted felon and you too can become the president of the USA. Lie, cheat and steal is the name of the game. Full immunity, no accountability and total control. Blatant crimes, corruption and extortion is all ok.
The most powerful criminal enterprise in the history of America is the ruling class, our govt? A bunch of evil greedy billionaire thieves. They stand behind him smirking, laughing and rubbing their hands together, getting richer, while the masses fight for our lives. This is what our country has become? This is what we teach our children?
For a great introduction to Lev and his involvement with MAGA and Trump. watch the documentary To Russia With Lev.
Good Substack, Lev. I'm glad you've joined the community. You have insights into this guy like Mary does, and it's invaluable.
We love Aaron, Lev and the MeidasTouch!
You said it: THE BUFFER is simply put THEIR UTTER STUPIDITY.
How can we stop Trump? How can we get enough senators & members of Congress either impeach him or invoke 25th amendment?
You have to get rid of JD, Vance and speaker Johnson or this will continue get rid of them all!!!!!!!!
I love Substack and its content Mainstream media(MSM) had its place but evolving journalism needs more of and in depth voice And the comment section invites people to share opinions and views that often viewers of the journalistic efforts on MSM are divorced from Lastly this media invites creators of the content the opportunity to delve into issues that are too complex for MSM to address For example the significance of the bond market deterioration is not well understood The danger of course is addressed but why is it happening and why is gold on the rise Alasdair Macleod has the reason and is on Substack An interview?
I still just can’t understand how ANYONE could ever vote for Trump, and that we are going through this AGAIN!
Incredible show guys! The information was stellar! You are educating me - I love it!! Thank yo9u so much! Stay safe!
It’s hard not to feel the undercurrent here—this isn’t just a media drop, it’s a reckoning unfolding in real time. Lev Parnas, once inside the machinery, now peeling it back with a kind of weary clarity. And MeidasTouch giving him space to speak not in soundbites, but with weight.
There’s something uniquely 2025 about all this: the way truth leaks now, not in headlines, but in livestreams and longform. The way former players become witnesses. And the way the public—bruised by too much spin—is learning to listen differently.
Whether you agree with the framing or not, this is history being said out loud. Candid. Messy. Human. And for anyone trying to piece together the backroom architecture of influence and power? This is a thread worth following all the way down.
Keep being loud!
Use this spreadsheet to call/email/write any of our representatives as often as possible. Not just your own state reps, reach out to those in other states. Be as loud as you can and share this. Use your voice and make some “good trouble.”
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit
Add a comment to help keep this bumped so more people see it 🤞
Everyone needs to watch on Youtube Donald Trump on Letterman 1986-87. You will hear how far back his ideas have been. At least 40 years. It was hard to watch, because I hate to watch him, but really gives some insight as to how many years he has been formulating his plans.
And Oprah he literally said it all in her interview he’s really a Beast don’t you have a good friend LeV , jk but we are dealing with a thug
Hey Guys,
Hakeem announced a Democratic investigation into the stock market manipulation. Will you cover the live coverage and questioning rather than the main stream media who maybe reluctant.
Am I the only one asking why we want the book sell on Biden right now. It’s not appropriate with wtf is happening. Shame on everyone. That does not matter for where we are. Fuck CNN for this interview
MSNBC and even some CNN are reporting the truth. Please don't tell lies.
Our republic is us.
This is a Russian psy opp… our country is over run.
It will take violence to get them out.
Chinese fighting for Russia against Ukraine
It’s fuckery from China,Russia,and MAGA.
It’s a shell game.
Buy is also spelled bye
Are you kidding me? Lev Parnas??? Isn’t he a grifter???
The big message there was it is up to us "we the people" to put this delusion of being a King our POTUS holds to bed; bury it! Never having lived an experience such as this we are about to find out how powerful we are and how much pressure we bear when united.
I hope the majority of us or at the very least the next generation learns one thing which is the future of our children depends on our activism and engagement. We have been played, used and abused. Never again! Activism works when the people despite differences is united on the basics. It is not a part time crisis response; and it is not doom scrolling and chatter; it is our everyday civic duty.
I cannot wait until our protests hit the sweet spot of 3.5% of the population not once or twice but every single protest. Pressure break pipes. We cannot let up the pressure whether it is protesting or calling Congress. A bounty of grace and blessings will follow. We are a good and hard-working compassionate people about to learn we hold all the power in the world, and we can influence events and write history.
We need to put aside differences and ignore those who never will and go forward now. Next big protest nationwide is 4/29/25. Seek your local tribe and let yourself be known to them. I did so yesterday. That's done! Now I can focus on calling Congress and protesting and inviting people to join me.
When you go to a protest, always bring along two and ask those two to bring along two, and on and on. That's how we reach 3.5%. It's work but whatever is good takes work and unity. Educate everyone you invite to go along with you and talk and protest with about the "3.5% Solution" which should persuade them to come along because the very concept puts power in our hands. It is like turning on the light in a very dark time for all of us to focus on what we can do and to have a goal as to what the show rate must be to topple autocracy.
Believe me Trump is scared, and his administration is not only incompetent but in chaos. They will eat each other in due time. The judges, state attorney generals, lawyers and courts are the goalie in this game which we are going to win, but only if the players who are all of us pour onto the field. This is going to be awesome!
"The only thing we have to fear it fear itself." (Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933 inauguration). Nothing could be truer! Ignore and shut down all fear mongering for it is a weapon we allow others to slay us with; it is not reality. It's a mind game. So proud of us!
Curious if he loaded the SEC, and the FTC with his minions. If so, this is going nowhere. He knows exactly what he is doing. If it comes to corruption, he is the king! POS!
MTG sure took fast action and bought stocks during the Insider Trading scheme.
💙💙💙
Canadian fan over here. Do you know any more about this? The New Civil Liberties Alliance has filed a lawsuit against DJT challenging his right to impose tariffs against China. NCLA gets support from Charles Koch and Leonard Leo, right wingers who helped put DJT in power. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/07/trump-tariffs-lawsuit
To be clear the Ukraine ambassador was appointed by Mr. Binden.
Love Aaron Parnas. He’s doing a great job.
Please make monthly donations smaller.
demcast usa is a platform that teaches how to use your platforms to get messages out to counter MAGA
The one glimmer of hope is that Donald is an old man, and a sick old man at that. If the images we see on podcasts and news reports (in as far as I can bear to watch these) are a true depiction, this man is decaying fast, and week by week. He can NOT rule forever. Nobody lives forever, even if "lots of people" say so.