Salem News Channel

Minnesota is gearing up for what organizers say will be the largest coordinated anti-immigration enforcement protest yet, as labor unions, faith leaders and progressive groups urge residents to skip work, school and shopping Friday in opposition to a surge of federal immigration enforcement activity. The action, organized across more than 100 groups, follows weeks of daily demonstrations in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul triggered by the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a federal enforcement operation. Organizers are calling for a general strike and plan a march through downtown Minneapolis despite dangerously cold temperatures forecast by the National Weather Service, with some areas expected to see temperatures well below zero. Federal law enforcement has maintained a heavy presence in the region, and authorities have arrested activists during earlier protests, including during a church disruption and other actions tied to the broader push against immigration enforcement. Vice President JD Vance visited Minneapolis this week to meet with ICE officials and urged protesters to remain peaceful, as tensions remain high between federal agents and local communities. The strike and demonstrations reflect mounting outrage among many Minnesotans who say the federal enforcement operations have created fear and disrupted daily life, especially in immigrant communities.

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Actor and honorary ICE agent Dean Cain joins Erin Molan to respond to the growing targeting of ICE officers and law enforcement across the United States. In this clip from The Erin Molan Show, Erin examines why ICE agents enforcing laws passed by Congress are facing increasing hostility, political pressure, and media scrutiny — and what that means for public safety and accountability. The discussion includes examples of law enforcement operations being disrupted, calls from prominent politicians to abolish ICE, and Dean Cain’s firsthand perspective after working closely with ICE officers. This conversation explores: • The role of ICE and law enforcement • Media narratives versus on-the-ground reality • Public safety and community responsibility • Why enforcement has become so controversial Watch the full discussion, consider the facts, and decide for yourself. ?? Don’t miss a single moment. Subscribe now and join the fight for truth and clarity! ?? Watch full episodes: / @erin_molan ?? Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Z7zQbC ?? Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3ZZqrbN

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In this episode of the Carl Jackson Show, Carl engages with Stephen Moser to explore President Trump's foreign policy strategies and their global impact. The discussion highlights Trump's approach to China, Venezuela, and Iran, emphasizing the strategic use of energy as a geopolitical tool. Moser, an expert in Asian affairs, provides insights into the shifting power dynamics and the challenges faced by the Biden administration. Tune in to understand the implications of these policies on American leadership and global stability. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carljacksonradio Twitter: https://twitter.com/carljacksonshow    Parler: https://parler.com/carljacksonshow   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecarljacksonshow http://www.TheCarlJacksonShow.com

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BLM Hasn't Fixed Anything...And It Won't.

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Anti-ICE Church Lead Protester Arrested!

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A man accused of offering a $10,000 bounty over Snapchat for the life of a top Border Patrol leader was found not guilty on Thursday in the first criminal trial stemming from the Chicago-area immigration crackdown that started last year. Jurors deliberated less than 4 hours before returning the favorable verdict for 37-year-old Juan Espinoza Martinez. He faced one count of murder-for-hire and up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Testimony lasted mere hours in the federal trial that was the latest test of the Trump administration’s credibility on federal surges that have played out from Minnesota to Maine. Espinoza Martinez, who wore a suit and tie, listened intently with his arms crossed near his stomach. He hugged his attorneys and shook their hands after court adjourned. Attorneys for the defense and prosecution did not address reporters waiting in the lobby of the federal court in downtown Chicago. Neither did jurors. At the heart of the government’s case were Snapchat messages sent from Espinoza Martinez to his younger brother and a friend who turned out to be a government informant. One read in part “10k if u take him down,” along with a picture of Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official who has led aggressive crackdowns nationwide, including in the Chicago area. “Those words do not indicate that this was a joke,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Yonan told jurors during Thursday's closing arguments. “Those words have meaning. They are not innocent and harmless words.” But defense attorneys said the government didn’t show any evidence against Espinoza Martinez who sent the messages as “neighborhood gossip” after coming home from work and unwinding with beers. He didn’t follow up on the exchanges and had only a few dollars in his bank account. “Sending a message about gossip that you heard in the neighborhood, it’s not murder for hire,” his defense attorney Dena Singer told jurors. “It’s not a federal crime.” Her office did not return a message seeking comment after the verdict. Neither did the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago or the Department of Homeland Security. In court, prosecutors accused Espinoza Martinez of being “fixated and obsessed” with Bovino and cited other messages where he criticized the crackdown. Espinoza Martinez was arrested in October as the city of 2.7 million and surrounding suburbs were seeing a surge of federal immigration officers. Protests and standoffs with agents were common, particularly in the city’s heavily Mexican Little Village neighborhood where Espinoza Martinez lived. He did not testify at his trial. But attorneys played clips of his interview with law enforcement where he said he was confused about the charges and that he sent the messages without much thought while scrolling social media after work. “I didn’t threaten anyone,” he told investigators, interchanging English and Spanish at times in the interview. “I’m not saying that I was telling them to do it.” Born in Mexico, he’s lived in Chicago for years but doesn’t have citizenship. DHS touted Espinoza Martinez’s arrest on social media with unredacted photos of his face, referring to him as a “depraved” gang member. Bovino has held the case up as an example of the increasing dangers faced by federal agents. Prosecutors included Yonan, the second-highest ranking federal prosecutor in the Chicago region. But several federal lawsuits in Chicago have fueled skepticism about DHS’s narratives. Of the roughly 30 criminal cases stemming from Operation Midway Blitz, charges have been dismissed or dropped in about half. In a notable lawsuit that forced Bovino to sit for depositions, a federal judge found he lied under oath including about alleged gang threats. Bovino did not testify at Espinoza Martinez’s trial. Nationwide, dozens of criminal cases tied to immigration operations have also crumbled. Federal prosecutors initially referred to Espinoza Martinez as a “ranking member” of the Latin Kings, but their lack of evidence led U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow to bar testimony on the Chicago street gang at trial. According to the criminal complaint, Espinoza Martinez allegedly sent messages on behalf of the gang to other gang members. At trial, there were minor mentions of the gang, including Espinoza Martinez saying in his interview that he had nothing to do with the Latin Kings. His brother, Oscar, testified that he took the Snapchat messages as a joke and were something he’d already seen on Facebook. Singer poked holes in the government’s case, including in the testimony of their first witness Adrian Jimenez. The 44-year-old owns a construction company and had been in touch with Espinoza Martinez over Snapchat about work. Unknown to Espinoza Martinez, he had also worked as a paid government informant over the years after serving a prison sentence for a felony. He shared the Snapchats with a federal investigator. Jimenez, who suffers from back problems, walked slowly with a limp to the witness chair and needed help getting up. “Would you solicit for hire an individual that was in that much pain and could barely walk?” Singer said to jurors. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

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Talks began Thursday between Russia and the US at the Kremlin in Moscow on a possible settlement to the war in Ukraine. The Russian side includes President Vladimir Putin, his aide on international affairs Yury Ushakov, and presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriyev. The US delegation, apart from Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, includes Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum for the first time. The US delegation will discuss options with Putin aimed at ending the war, according to the Kremlin. Speaking earlier on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Witkoff said he and Kushner would travel to Abu Dhabi following the talks in Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the first trilateral talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine are scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates on Friday and Saturday.

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The former Des Moines superintendent has plead guilty in federal court to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and illegally possessing firearms. Ian Roberts is originally from Guyana and initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. He plead guilty Thursday to both counts after entering into an agreement with prosecutors that was released Wednesday. The charges could lead to 20 years in prison. He also could be deported. Roberts was targeted by federal immigration agents and arrested in September. Authorities found a loaded handgun and cash in his vehicle. Roberts was an educator and administrator for two decades in districts across the U.S.

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The U.S. has finalized its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, one year after President Donald Trump announced America was ending its 78-year-old commitment, federal officials said Thursday. The U.S. owes more than $130 million to the global health agency, according to WHO. And Trump administration officials acknowledge that they haven't finished working out some issues, such as lost access to data from other countries that could give America an early warning of a new pandemic. The withdrawal will hurt the global response to new outbreaks and will hobble the ability of U.S. scientists and pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines and medicines against new threats, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University. “In my opinion, it’s the most ruinous presidential decision in my lifetime,” he said. The WHO is the United Nations’ specialized health agency and is mandated to coordinate the response to global health threats, such as outbreaks of mpox, Ebola and polio. It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries; helps distribute scarce vaccines, supplies and treatments; and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.

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Vice President JD Vance says the Insurrection Act won’t be needed “right now” in Minneapolis after meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the city, which has emerged as a national focal point in the clash over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The comment on Thursday seemed to echo a similar retreat by President Donald Trump, who had threatened to invoke the rarely used federal law to quell persistent protests against federal agents in Minneapolis before telling reporters a week ago that there wasn’t a reason to use the act “right now.”

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Vice President JD Vance on Thursday defended the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, arguing resistance from local governments has contributed to disorder in some cities. Speaking to a crowd in the state of Ohio, Vance said he would travel next to Minnesota to meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and local officials to discuss federal immigration operations. "Now I'm headed from here to Minneapolis, where we're going to talk with some of our ICE agents, talk with local officials about how we can turn down the chaos. "My simple piece of advice to them is going to be, look, if you want to turn down the chaos in Minneapolis, stop fighting immigration enforcement and accept that we have to have a border in this country. It's not that hard," he said. Vance said the administration would continue to prioritize the removal of undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Addressing concerns about mistakes by law enforcement, Vance acknowledged that errors can occur but said the vast majority of officers act appropriately. "You're always going to have mistakes made in law enforcement ...That's the nature of law enforcement. But the number one way where we could lower the mistakes that are happening, at least with our immigration enforcement, is to have local jurisdictions that are cooperating with us," he said. Vance’s visit comes amid heightened tensions in Minneapolis following the fatal Jan. 7 shooting involving an ICE agent that left 37-year-old Renee Good dead in a case that has drawn nationwide attention and stirred protests. Responding to a question from Anadolu during the public appearance, Vance was asked what message he would offer to members of the law enforcement community who are looking to the administration for reassurance, as well as to families affected by the current climate. "Well, you know, one of the things that we want to do is send a message to our local law enforcement that we stand with them, and we're not going to abandon them," Vance replied. Emphasizing support, Vance added, “I promise them, every single police officer in this country, and every single federal law enforcement officer in this country, we have your back.”

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Maine's Democratic governor has challenged federal immigration officials to provide arrest warrants, real-time numbers and information about detainees amid a sweeping enforcement operation in the state. Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday that the state has been given few details as fear spreads in immigrant communities in the mostly rural state with a relatively small undocumented population. The Department of Homeland Security this week announced “Operation Catch of the Day” and said it is targeting hundreds of people with criminal convictions. Mills responded that she would be shocked if that many had criminal charges. She says schools and businesses are being disrupted and state officials don't know where detainees are being held.

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Is Trump Going to Strike Iran?

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Trump Delivered A Masterful Speech At Davos

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How Big a Deal is Greenland?

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Jack Smith Is a Disgrace to Justice

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Josh opens the show by breaking down the latest developments in President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland, including the announcement of an agreement in principle that would expand the U.S. presence and influence there. He’s then joined by Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins to discuss his run for governor and to push back on misinformation being spread by his opponent. Josh next turns to the latest out of Minnesota, where Attorney General Pam Bondi is overseeing arrests tied to riots that erupted inside at least one church in the Twin Cities over the weekend. He closes the show with a cultural reflection on the importance of stay-at-home parents—pushing back against the dismissive attitude toward moms and dads who choose to raise their children full-time, and explaining why their role is foundational to a child’s development.

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Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders Joins The Scott Jennings Show

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A massive winter storm is barreling toward the eastern U.S., threatening to bring severe ice and snow from Texas to Boston. Forecasters warn the storm could rival a hurricane in damage to power lines and trees, especially in areas with heavy ice. The storm is expected to start Friday in New Mexico and Texas, moving east through the South and then up the coast into New England. Bitterly cold air could follow, with wind chills dropping to minus-50 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota. Utility workers are on alert and supplies like bread and salt are flying off shelves.

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Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith has defended his investigations of Donald Trump at a public congressional hearing. Smith insisted Thursday he had acted without regard to politics and had no second thoughts about the criminal charges he brought. Smith's two criminal investigations shadowed Trump during his 2024 Republican presidential campaign. Smith testified behind closed doors last month but returned to the House Judiciary Committee for the public hearing. The hearing divided along partisan lines between Republican lawmakers looking to undermine Smith and Democrats hoping to elicit new and damaging testimony about Trump’s conduct in the Washington, D.C., and Florida cases. Trump's administration is targeting the investigators who scrutinized him.

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