ICE is Occupying Minneapolis, Trump Blows Up America’s Future Over Jerome Powell, & Iran Protest
PDS Published 01/12/2026
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Renee Good’s name was chanted all across the United States over the weekend in what’s been called the “ICE Out For Good” movement. [B roll, 00:00 - 00:12]
With people coming out to the streets of so many cities — Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, Boston, Portland, D.C., Atlanta, Seattle, and on and on. [Same B roll]
Right, in total, the activist group Indivisible says there were at least a thousand events planned just for Saturday and Sunday. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:12 - 00:14, 00:32 - 00:37, 00:23 - 00:27]
It even reached the Golden Globes, where some celebrities wore pins featuring slogans like "BE GOOD" and "ICE OUT.” [Headline/image]
With those including the likes of Ariana Grande, Wanda Sykes, and Mark Ruffalo, for example. [B roll, 00:48]
And it’s notable that One Battle After Another, a film about a white nationalist authoritarian regime hunting down undocumented immigrants, won four awards, more than any other film. [B roll, 01:41]
Now of course, the reaction from the right has been pretty dismissive of the whole protest movement.
Right, Fox News host Rich Edson was like, why aren’t people protesting the repression in Iran? And AOC’s former communications director Corbin Trent shut him down with this answer. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:08 - 00:24]
And for many of the protesters, they really do feel that way, like Trump’s federal agents aren’t just ordinary law enforcement; they’re a hostile, occupying army in communities that don’t want them there. [B roll, 00:00]
Which is why increasingly we’ve seen too many videos to count of people confronting ICE agents, filming them, shouting at them, even getting into one-on-one debates like this guy did. [Same B roll, then lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:14 - 00:17, 01:06 - 01:08, 01:20 - 01:23, 01:35 - 01:39]
[Clip, 00:56 - 01:00, 01:06 - 01:10, 01:31 - 01:33]
[Clip, 01:15 - 01:23]
Now Trump’s allies insist that these people are radical fringe activists and claim the majority of Americans back what they’re doing, but the data proves them wrong.
Right, back in February, ICE’s approval rating was plus sixteen; now, as of the day Renee Good was shot, it’s minus fourteen. [Quote, find “+16”]
Moreover, from September 2024 to this month, the share of people who support abolishing ICE more than doubled from 19% to 42%. [Quote, find “19%” and “42%”]
With the share who oppose abolition dropping from 66% to 50%. [Same quotes]
And the polls just keep going; right, clear majorities of Americans disapprove of how ICE has done its job and say the agency’s tactics are too forceful. [Graph, Graph]
And nearly six in ten Americans believe there's a war or conflict happening in U.S. cities. [Graph]
And it’s not hard to see why; right, you’ve got local and state officials in Democratic states openly condemning ICE’s conduct and refusing to cooperate with them. [B roll, 00:07]
As well as countless videos circulating online of masked agents brutalizing people or threatening them for seemingly no reason. [Same B roll]
[Clip, 02:37 - 02:44]
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[Clip, 00:15 - 00:28, 01:12 - 01:17]
So over the weekend, protesters gathered outside the hospital in Portland where the two people shot by U.S. Border Patrol were being treated. [B roll, 00:02]
With Homeland Security in that case, just like with Renee Good’s, claiming that the people “weaponized their vehicle” against federal agents. [Same B roll]
Also, in Washington D.C., protesters gathered in front of the White House Saturday, then marched to ICE headquarters/ on Sunday. [B roll]
And on Friday night in Minneapolis, people surrounded hotels where ICE agents were supposedly staying and chanted, played drums and banged pots to keep them awake. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, play four or five seconds]
With the city’s police chief saying that a group of people split off from the main protest and began damaging hotel windows and spraying graffiti. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:56 - 02:06]
With the mayor adding: [Lead B roll into clip]
But regardless, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News yesterday that ICE is ramping up its presence in the twin cities. [B roll, 00:05]
[Clip, 00:14 - 00:37]
This coming after she reportedly sent a memo to DHS staff telling them that any visits to ICE facilities must be requested at least seven days in advance. [Headline]
Even though federal law and the courts have affirmed that members of Congress have the right to make unannounced visits to facilities funded by regular Congressional appropriations.
But Noem argues that since the detention facilities are run with funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill, the law doesn’t apply to them.
So when Minnesota Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Angie Craig, and Kelly Morrison tried to visit detainees there over the weekend …
[Clip, 00:21 - 00:39, 00:57 - 01:08]
And while we’re talking about Kristi Noem, I should mention this clip that’s been making the round from her interview with Jake Tapper.
Because he ambushed her with clips of Jan 6 rioters attacking Capitol Police officers, then asked:
[Clip, 17:28 - 18:03]
But when Trump was asked about Renee Good, he was even more frank about justifying her death.
[Clip, 00:14 - 00:21, 01:00 - 01:20]
With many hearing that and going, Jesus Christ, is the penalty for “disrespecting” law enforcement summary execution?
But of course, as scary as Trump’s federal agents are to his critics, they say it’s only one component in a broader effort to consolidate power around the presidency.
And so you have a New York Times reporter asking him, when it comes to “law and order, the military, etc, do you think that the judges have no right to stop you on anything within those categories?” [Quote]
And at first, Trump replied, “No, I didn’t say that,” going on to complain about how judges have stopped him. [Quote same link]
But then he added: “Now, I will say, if I feel it’s important to invoke the Insurrection Act, which I have the right to do, that’s a different thing, because then I have the right to do pretty much what I want to do. But I haven’t done that.” [Same quote]
So that’s, you know, mildly concerning, but I should note that he’s attempting to exercise his “right to do pretty much what I want to do” on economic policy as well …
[Segue into Gerome Powell script]
But when Trump was asked about Renee Good, he was even more frank about justifying her death.
[Clip, 00:14 - 00:21, 01:00 - 01:20]
With many hearing that and going, Jesus Christ, is the penalty for “disrespecting” law enforcement summary execution?
But of course, as scary as Trump’s federal agents are to his critics, they say it’s only one component in a broader effort to consolidate power around the presidency.
And so you have a New York Times reporter asking him, when it comes to “law and order, the military, etc, do you think that the judges have no right to stop you on anything within those categories?” [Quote]
And at first, Trump replied, “No, I didn’t say that,” going on to complain about how judges have stopped him. [Quote same link]
But then he added: “Now, I will say, if I feel it’s important to invoke the Insurrection Act, which I have the right to do, that’s a different thing, because then I have the right to do pretty much what I want to do. But I haven’t done that.” [Same quote]
So that’s, you know, mildly concerning, but I should note that he’s attempting to exercise his “right to do pretty much what I want to do” on economic policy as well …
[Segue into Gerome Powell script]
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Because yesterday Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell released a highly unusual video statement announcing that the DOJ had opened a criminal investigation into him.
And let me be clear: this situation is absolutely unprecedented and insanely consequential for ALL Americans.
According to Powell, the Trump administration claims the investigation concerns a $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed’s headquarters that went about $700 million over budget, as well as the testimony Powell gave to Congress about the project last June.
But Powell says that’s all just a big pretense: he claims that what’s really happening here is that Trump is threatening him with criminal charges because he won’t fall in line with Big Daddy and cut interest rates to the levels he wants.
Right, despite Trump’s repeated threats to fire Powell, the President only has the authority to remove a member of the Fed for “cause,” which has generally been interpreted as serious misconduct, legal violations, or dereliction of duty.
So Powell is implying that the Trump administration is just launching yet another frivolous investigation in order to give Trump cause to fire a fed leader who won’t do his bidding.
With Powell describing this move as an unprecedented challenge to the Fed’s independence:
“I have deep respect for the rule of law and for accountability in our democracy. No one—certainly not the chair of the Federal Reserve—is above the law. But this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration's threats and ongoing pressure. This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings.” 00:27 - 00:45
“Those are pretexts. The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President. This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions—or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.” 00:56 - 1:22
Now, you might hear that and think, “wow, big shocker, Trump challenging the independence of American institutions… I’m so surprised!” — but I really can’t emphasize how significant this is.
First of all, it’s INCREDIBLY unusual for a Fed chair to come out and make a public statement rebuking the president like this.
So the fact that Powell made this statement just underscores how seriously this ploy would undermine the Fed’s independence, and how high the stakes would be for the American people.
Right, for some quick context here, the structure of the Fed is very unique — she’s not like other government agencies.
The Fed is a central bank that is part of the government, but Congress has given it broad autonomy to set interest rates and other monetary policy.
And there’s VERY good reason for that independence — it’s to prevent something EXACTLY like this from happening.
Right, Congress explicitly gave the Fed this kind of power in order to protect it from Presidents who might act in their own self-interest to lower rates in order to boost their economic favor with the American people.
But presidents, they have a short-term outlook when it comes to interest rates — they’re just looking at what will make them look good to help them in the next election.
And what might help the president now could hurt the economy later because it risks long-term inflation.
When presidents control the central bank, it can cause hyperinflation and financial crises.
Right, and to get a better idea of the situation we’re seeing right now, I talked with Kyla Scanlon, who I had on the In Good Faith podcast a few weeks back.
And she noted that there are real-world examples of what can happen when political leaders meddle with the central bank and cut interest rates:
(IN FRAME INTERVIEW): 2:19 - 2:40
So, to prevent that from happening, Congress specifically required the Fed to take actions that encourage low, stable inflation and a healthy labor market.
With Kyla also noting that the whole point is to have a central body that makes sure the economy is growing faster and better in a sustainable way for the long-run:
(IN FRAME INTERVIEW): 1:21 - 1:28
So, in other words, Powell is saying that he is doing what Congress has mandated he do and ensure economic stability rather than caving to political pressure from a president acting in his own self-interest.
And that’s a hard thing to do — right, it’s been a massive undertaking to keep prices and the labor market stable amid Trump’s constant flip-flopping on tariffs and sweeping immigration crackdowns.
And they’ve done a decent job given the hurdles — they’ve already lowered the rate from 5.5% to about 3.5%.
But Trump, he’s been publicly pushing Powell to push rates down to 1%.
And just that public pressure alone is unusual, but Trump has gone MUCH further, continually targeting Powell and attacking the central bank’s autonomy.
In addition to his repeated threats to fire Powell, the President has also tested whether he can remove another member of the Fed’s board in a case that has made it all the way up to the Supreme Court.
And he’s even previously threatened to sue Powell over the Fed renovation.
With administration officials even alleging this summer that Powell either lied to Congress about the renovation or grossly mismanaged it.
But Trump is claiming that he doesn’t know anything about this investigation, telling reporters yesterday:
“I don’t know anything about it, but he’s certainly not very good at the Fed, and he’s not very good at building buildings.”
But then going on to claim that the DOJ subpoenas had nothing to do with interest rates, adding:
“I wouldn’t even think of doing it that way. What should pressure him is the fact that rates are far too high. That’s the only pressure he’s got.”
But a lot of people at the top — including, very notably, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — they aren’t buying it.
Right, we’ve seen tons of people slamming the criminal investigation.
Hell, you even had multiple former Fed chairs and Treasury Secretaries from BOTH parties signing a letter denouncing the move, calling it, quote:
“an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks to undermine that independence.”
But, even more significantly, we also saw some Republican lawmakers coming out of the woodwork to condemn the probe as politically motivated — including top officials who will have a direct say in how this situation goes down.
With Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who sits on the Banking Committee, vowing to oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed until the legal matter is resolved, including the upcoming vacancy for the chair.[]
Right, Powell’s term as chair ends in May, though his term as a governor of the board runs through January 2028.
With Tillis also taking a swipe at the Trump administration’s efforts saying:
“If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none.”
And that was also echoed by another Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who wrote on X:
“it’s clear the administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion.”[]
And going on to back Tillis’ blockade of any nominees for Fed positions.
So, clearly, this is a super messy and tangled situation, but like so many other things in Trumpworld, what happens will really depend on how this legal situation unfolds.
And right now, you have many experts urging caution for a worst-case scenario, arguing that while this is obviously super unprecedented and scary, there are still a lot of things that need to happen before things get serious.
Right, to be clear, Trump hasn’t secured a criminal indictment against Powell yet — his administration is just investigating right now.
And even if he does secure an indictment, it might be hard to make it stick — remember, the indictments he made against James Comey and New York AG Tish James were BOTH thrown out by a federal judge.
Which is why many experts, including Kyla, say we’ve seen the markets having a more modest reaction to this news — they think nothing will ultimately come of this.
And even if Trump is successful in ousting Comey and jeopardizing the Fed’s independence, we don’t know who he would try to install as the new chair, if that person would be confirmed by the Senate, and if they would actually try to lower interest rates to meet Trump’s demands.
And, even then, a loyalist Fed chair might still be limited by institutional checks or legal battles.
And the long path ahead is also something Kyla noted while emphasizing that while the impacts could be major, everything is very speculative, and it’s important that people not jump to conclusions or panic.
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A crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has resulted in more than 500 deaths and Donald Trump has vowed to come to the people’s aid.
But will he actually? What would that even look like? And what will it mean for the world if he topples another foreign government?
And to even begin answering all that, we need to talk about where we are now and how we got here.
These protests began on December 28th when business owners took to the streets in response to the collapse of the country’s currency – which hit a record low against the dollar.
With that just being one symptom of a broader economic crisis that has to at least some extent been fueled by US and UN-led sanctions.
And with that, Iranian officials have actually acknowledged protesters’ economic concerns and even said peaceful demonstrations were legitimate.
But a measured response by the Iranian government’s standards is still heavy-handed.
And it was less than a week before there were reports that protesters had been killed.
With Trump warning in a social media post at the time:
“If Iran [shoots] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue” – adding:
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
And so the specter of another U.S. intervention has been on everyone’s heads as the Iranian government has massively ramped up its crackdown.
With Human Rights Activists in Iran, a US-based monitoring group that has been accurate during previous waves of unrest in the country, reporting that at least 490 protesters have been killed – along with 48 members of security services.
You also had the group saying that there have been some 580 total protests across more than 185 Iranian cities in the last two weeks – and that 10,000 people have been detained during that time.
ANd that’s not including protests that have taken place abroad – including in the US, where things also got crazy with a U-HAUL truck driving through one in LA.
So the scale is massive but it’s extremely difficult to know EXACTLY what is happening on the streets.
And that’s largely because the Iranian government is now blocking internet access, which it has done before.
But notably, Iranians say it’s the first time that even fixed-phone lines are no longer accessible from abroad. ASSET []
And there have also been reports that Starlink – the satellite internet service provided by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, and which has likely been used to upload some of the videos of the protests that are out there – is being jammed as well.
But with all that, from some of those videos that have made their way online, it’s clear that this is no longer just about the economy.
Right, we’ve seen huge crowds chanting for an end to the Islamic Republic and even praising Iran’s deposed monarchy.
Although, notably, of course, you won’t see that on TV in Iran.
Instead, we’ve seen state television showing correspondents reporting from quiet streets in several cities to project an air of calm.
But, notably, the country’s two largest cities – including the capital city of Tehran – were not included in that broadcast.
And footage that state networks have aired from those cities have instead shown what are likely government-sponsored rallies in support of the regime.
That said, it’s not like there’s no acknowledgement of what’s happening.
It’s just that they’ve framed the protests as violent unrest fomented by the U.S. and Israel.
And with that, as an example, you’ve had state television airing what it said were funerals of slain security force members. []
As well as showing a large number of bodies in bodybags at a morgue and describing them as victims of “rioters” – although an Iranian rights group that posted videos from the same location said the bodies were those of protesters killed by the government. []
You also had a top Iranian security official accusing some demonstrators of "killing people or burning…people” – saying this is “very similar to what ISIS does.” []
And, on Saturday, the attorney general warned that anyone taking part would be considered an "enemy of God” – an actual sentence in Iran that can carry the death penalty.
And, on that note, the country’s economic crisis has gone hand in hand with growing repression even before these protests.
Right, nearly 1,900 people were executed in 2025, according to data collected by another US-based advocacy group – which is about twice as many as the previous year.
And, according to the same data, more than 490 people have been executed since November 1st – which is more than the total for all of 2021. []
But, of course, Trump’s interest in the human rights situation mostly seems to date back to that threat he made earlier this month.
And he’s repeatedly doubled down since then – telling Fox News that if the regime shot at demonstrators the U.S. would hit Iran "very hard” and – adding: (BROLL: 6:42-6:45)
Saying during a meeting with American oil execs on Friday that he was ready to “start shooting.” (BROLL: 57:36-57:40)
And adding in a social media post later that “The USA stands ready to help!!!"
And then, yesterday, you had telling reporters on Air Force One that Iran's leaders were "starting to" cross the “red line” that could lead to a U.S. response (BROLL: 0:18-0:23)
He also claimed Iran wanted to negotiate but said the U.S. may have to act before a meeting could take place because of what’s happening.
And with that, Iran’s foreign minister said his country was willing to talk, but also that it was ready for war.
And the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, who is the country’s third most senior official , warned that:
“...both the occupied territory [referring not to the West Bank and Gaza but all territory controlled by Israel] and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region” would be “legitimate targets" in the event of an attack. []
And he even raised the possibility of a pre-emptive strike
That said, it’s unclear how serious he really is – especially given reports of how quickly Israel defeated Iran’s air defenses during its 12-day war on the country in June.
Which ended after Trump ordered major strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
And now, of course, Trump appears even more willing to use force.
And his administration, at least partly in cooperation with Israel, has reportedly been weighing a wide range of options – including more direct strikes.
Though, notably, they’re also considering other measures like placing more sanctions or launching cyberattacks.
And with the cyberattacks that could actually involve operations aimed at restricting Iran’s ability to limit internet access for protesters. []
Although, something worth noting there is that last year, Trump actually cut funding for a program supporting internet freedom projects in Iran that worked to get around government censorship.
But in any case, whatever Trump does, you have many wondering whether it will finally be enough to push the regime over the edge.
Right, because in addition to economic crisis, and these protests have come as a result, Iran has faced major setbacks in the past couple years – especially when it comes to the so-called “proxy” groups the regime has invested so much into.
That includes Hamas, which Israel has decimated, along with the entirety of Gaza.
And then there’s also Hezbollah – which has also been majorly weakened by Israeli attacks.
Not to mention the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria a little over a year ago actually cut off vital supply lines to the group.
And ultimately you have many experts saying the regime is weakest it's been since it came into power in 1979.
Which was when a revolution overthrew the Shah, a monarch who came to power thanks to a CIA-backed coup more than two decades earlier.
And I mention that because the son of the Shah? He’s still alive.
He actually had the exiled royal court declare him the new Shah after his father died in 1980.
And he’s now looking to capitalize on the situation – saying he’s planning to return to Iran at the first possible moment and has a transition team ready.
And he has openly supported U.S. intervention to achieve that – even making a direct plea to Trump on Fox News:
“They know that you’re the total opposite to Barack Obama or Joe Biden. They know that you’re not going to throw them under the bus, as has happened before. This is why they are empowered — by the hope that you have their back.” (6:20-6:33)
“Let’s hope that we can permanently seal the legacy by liberating Iran so that we can make Iran great again. Let’s partner on this and have a better future for our countries and for our people.” (6:41-6:51)
Now, with all that, the Shah has asked for help before.
And he has frequently called for change, especially when there’s unrest.
But in past protests, there were fewer obvious signs of support for the man.
This time around there have reportedly been calls for the return of the shah being heard in the crowds.
Although, to be clear, it’s far from certain that he’d have the support to take power if the regime collapsed.
In fact, it seems pretty unlikely, with experts saying his improved reputation may have more to do with the growing discontent than it does with real desire for his return.
And on top of that, he hasn’t been endorsed by Trump, which could be a big deal in the event of a power vacuum.
And in that case there are concerns about whether a smooth transition to any new leader would be possible, or whether there’d be risk of an internal conflict.
That said, a very important caveat to this whole conversation? Many experts also say any expectation that the regime is at risk of imminent collapse may be premature.
With a key point being that there have reportedly been no sign yet of defections or dissent in the security apparatus that helps keep the government in power []
And to that point, today you had the regime claiming the protests are under “total control”.
But with all the restrictions in place it’s hard to know how true that is and we’ll have to see what happens over the next few days.
