This week, Rick and track the through-line behind a chaotic stretch of headlines: power—who has it, who checks it, and what happens when institutions get tested. We start with Fed Chair Jerome Powell saying the Trump administration is launching a probe against him, and what that could mean for central bank independence. From there, we zoom out to Congress: the Senate blocks a bill aimed at curbing Trump’s war powers in Venezuela, while Trump’s own rhetoric on Iran spikes (“help is on the way”) and then quickly walks back—raising the question of how much foreign policy is being made in real time, in public.

Then it’s tariffs and alliances: Trump threatens 10% tariffs on several European countries amid a Greenland standoff, and we look at how trade policy is being used as geopolitical leverage. We also cover a striking signal of shifting alignments: Canada and China reach a trade deal that suggests Ottawa is diversifying away from U.S. dependence.

In tech and defense, the Pentagon partners with Grok as part of broader AI contracting—plus the political framing that other models are “too woke.” We also hit Gaza, where Trump announces a new “Board of Peace” for restoration, and in clean energy, offshore wind notches a key court win that could shape how far the administration can go in halting permitted projects.

Finally, we do a fast misinformation cleanup: a viral claim that the Proud Boys founder was “in ICE” via a data breach doesn’t hold up. Plus: a symbolic Machado–Trump meeting that generated headlines but (so far) little policy change.

Minnesota has become the collision point for three national flashpoints at once: a massive pandemic-era fraud scandal, a sweeping ICE enforcement surge that turned deadly, and a president threatening the Insurrection Act over protests. In this episode, I break down what’s actually known, what’s alleged, what’s been proven in court, and why Minnesota—of all places—suddenly feels like the center of the national political storm.

In this episode:

• The fraud saga (Feeding Our Future): how a COVID-era child nutrition program became the site of one of the largest alleged pandemic fraud schemes in the U.S., and what federal prosecutors say happened.

• Timeline, plainly explained: when the scheme ramped up, when charges were filed, and what happened under Biden vs what’s happening now.

• The “Somali” angle and the politics around it: how real criminal cases have been used to paint an entire community, why that’s both inaccurate and dangerous, and how scapegoating is shaping federal rhetoric.

• Why Minnesota is getting so much ICE attention: the administration’s justification vs what Minnesota officials and civil rights groups argue is really going on.

• Metro Surge: what it is, how large it is, and why its scale has made it impossible to ignore.

• Shootings and protests: what’s been reported, what’s being investigated, and why clashes escalated so quickly.

• The escalation: lawsuits, funding threats, and what it means when a president threatens the Insurrection Act.

Key takeaway: This isn’t “one weird Minnesota story.” It’s a case study in how governance failures, real criminal wrongdoing, and political incentives can combine into a fast-moving crisis—where accountability, due process, and civil liberties all get tested at the same time.

Sources referenced (high-level): Reporting and documents from DOJ filings/announcements, Reuters, and the Associated Press, plus relevant court and civil rights filings.

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Today’s episode is about what happens when federal power stops asking permission.

We start in Minnesota, where an ICE officer shot and killed Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old American citizen—sparking protests, dueling narratives about what happened on the scene, and a growing fight over accountability after state investigators say they’ve been cut off while the FBI leads the probe.

Then we zoom out to the Trump administration’s renewed Greenland push—complete with talk that “military action is always an option”—and Stephen Miller’s chilling cable-news argument for annexation-by-strength.

From there, we dig into Venezuela: the Senate moving to curb Trump’s military authority, reports that lawmakers weren’t briefed, and a sweeping executive order declaring an emergency to shield Venezuelan oil revenues—while oil executives reportedly signal they’re not eager to bet big on a chaotic, high-risk rebuild.

We also break down the House vote to revive ACA subsidies (what it could mean for premiums and coverage), the latest U.S. strikes in Syria, and the emerging Iran uprising—where blackout conditions and conflicting death-toll estimates make the picture both urgent and hard to verify.

If you’ve been feeling like the news is turning into a stress test of democracy, alliances, and basic guardrails—this one’s for you.