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5️⃣ Trump: We Shouldn’t Even Have Elections
The President of the United States told Reuters he doesn’t think elections are necessary. When you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election, Trump said, expressing frustration about potential Republican losses in the 2026 midterms. It’s some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms. Then he doubled down: I had accomplished so much that when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election. This isn’t campaign rhetoric or Trump being hyperbolic. He’s genuinely frustrated that democracy requires him to face voters again, conditioning his base to accept the idea that elections themselves are obstacles to his agenda. Coming hours after threatening the Insurrection Act against Minnesota protesters, Trump is openly questioning whether democratic processes should apply to him. As Dean noted on today’s show, Trump has always been intent on finding a way to manufacture visual violence and turn that into policy where he can cancel elections and call martial law.
4️⃣ Minneapolis: Insurrection Act Threatened
Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act this morning, deploying the military against American protesters in Minnesota. If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the patriots of ICE, I will institute the Insurrection Act, Trump posted on Truth Social. The threat came after 2,000 federal agents flooded Minneapolis in what Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called a federal invasion. ICE shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and US citizen, one week ago. Wednesday night, ICE shot another man in the leg. But the story getting almost no coverage: ICE is detaining Indigenous Americans, including four members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, three still in custody at Fort Snelling. That’s the same site where in 1862, US forces imprisoned 1,700 Indigenous people following the US-Dakota War. Many died of torture, starvation, and disease. ICE is holding Indigenous Americans at a historic concentration camp site, and Trump’s threatening martial law against anyone who protests.
3️⃣ Visa Ban: 75 Countries Frozen
Starting January 21, the United States indefinitely suspended immigrant visa processing for 75 countries. Afghanistan, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Haiti, Russia, Somalia, Yemen, and 67 others are now banned from sending immigrants to the US. The administration cited public charge concerns, claiming these countries send people likely to become dependent on government assistance. Tourist visas remain unaffected for now, but the ban represents one of the largest restrictions on legal immigration in modern American history. The policy went into effect with virtually no notice, leaving thousands of families separated indefinitely and undermining decades of diplomatic relationships across four continents.
2️⃣ Canada Pivots to China
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Beijing today for meetings with Xi Jinping, marking the first visit by a Canadian leader in eight years. With 75 percent of Canadian exports going to the United States, Canada is desperately hedging against Trump’s threatened tariffs and erratic trade policy. The goal is straightforward: double exports to other countries and reduce dependence on an increasingly unreliable American market. Trump’s threats to allies are forcing traditional partners to seek new arrangements. Canada turning to China represents a fundamental realignment of North American trade relationships that would have been unthinkable three years ago.
1️⃣ Greenland: Guns Loaded
Six European NATO members deployed troops to Greenland today: Germany, Sweden, France, Norway, Netherlands, and Finland. The deployment came one day after a White House meeting with Denmark and Greenland ended in what officials called fundamental disagreement. Trump called US control of Greenland non-negotiable and referenced the Venezuela military action as a threat. Anything less than US control is unacceptable, Trump said. This is a NATO Article 5 crisis. Trump is threatening military force against a NATO ally. As Malcolm Nance pointed out on today’s show, 35,000 Greenlanders own powerful long rifles for hunting in Arctic conditions. Those 35,000 soldiers with long rifles live in the harshest conditions in the world and are more than willing to welcome American troops rudely. Denmark has zero intention of surrendering their territory, and the US military has zero icebreakers compared to dozens operated by Nordic countries. Only 17 percent of Americans approve of taking Greenland by force.
Trump said we shouldn’t have elections. He threatened the Insurrection Act. He banned 75 countries from sending immigrants. Canada’s fleeing to China. Europe’s defending Greenland with troops. This isn’t normal political conflict. It’s coordinated autocratic escalation.
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