Guests - Betsy Smith, Dave Smith, Bruce De Torres, Patty Juligay
Chaos in Minneapolis: ICE Operations, Political Theater, and Systemic Fraud
On a windy Monday in Tucson, Kathleen Winn opened her show with a vivid account of overturned patio furniture and scattered pots in her backyard—a small personal storm mirroring the larger political tempest brewing nationwide. But the real focus quickly turned to Minneapolis, where a fatal encounter between an ICE agent and a protester has ignited fierce debate, exposing deep divisions over immigration enforcement, public safety, and alleged corruption.
Betsy Brantner Smith on the Minneapolis Shooting and Democratic Backlash
Retired sergeant Betsy Smith joined Winn to dissect the controversy surrounding Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and calls from Democrats to defund or even abolish ICE.
Smith called the Democratic response “their George Floyd moment,” accusing party leaders of pandering to the far-left base by demonizing ICE. She noted that prominent Democrats like Chris Murphy and Ilhan Omar have threatened to shut down the government unless ICE is defunded, while others, including Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, pivot to protecting Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Yet Smith emphasized that a massive funding increase for ICE has already been signed into law, rendering shutdown threats ineffective. “Even if they succeed in shutting down the government,” she said, “law enforcement operations continue. Law enforcement, like the military, doesn’t stop operating.”
She highlighted a rare bright spot: Minnesota Democratic Senator Tina Smith, who is retiring, stated that ICE should be reformed rather than abolished and still plays a necessary role. Smith remained skeptical, asking, “What reforms? ICE follows the law, policy, and procedure. They’re some of the best-trained federal law enforcement officers in this nation.”
The discussion turned to the shooting itself. The ICE agent involved was forced to flee his Minneapolis-area home with his family in the middle of the night after being doxxed. Smith described the scene: federal agents helped pack up the house in the dark to protect the officer’s wife and children.
She urged listeners to view posts from the official Minnesota GOP account showing the criminal records—burglary, armed robbery, drug dealing, child molestation—of many individuals recently arrested by ICE in the area. “These are the people the left is trying to protect,” she said.
Winn and Smith both criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for statements they interpreted as inciting violence against law enforcement, with Walz warning weeks in advance that “someone was going to get hurt” in Trump administration operations.
Vice President J.D. Vance called the subsequent narrative “gaslighting off the charts,” insisting the situation was “cut and dry”: the agent was doing his job, and the protester interfered.
Smith lamented biased media coverage, particularly a New York Times analysis she called “just all wrong,” and noted that mainstream outlets like CNN and MSNBC no longer invite her or her husband for balanced discussion.
Dave Smith: Sovereignty, Radicalization, and Financial Feedback Loops
Later, Dave Smith joined Winn to widen the lens, framing the Minneapolis events as the culmination of four years of neglected border sovereignty under the Biden administration.
“This is the culmination of the lack of sovereignty enforced during the Biden administration,” Smith said. “He simply decided we were no longer a nation. He decided to fold up our borders and allow mass invasion.”
Smith tied the protests to financial incentives, alleging a “huge financial loop” benefiting Democratic interests through dark money tied to immigration-related programs. He pointed to Tucson examples where cab companies and airlines were paid to transport migrants, with funds cycling back to Democratic causes.
Winn highlighted the trauma to the doxxed ICE agent’s family, while Smith condemned elected officials—Governor Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey, and Representative Ilhan Omar—for “throwing gasoline on this fire” to distract from their own alleged malfeasance.
Smith described the protester, Renee Good, as radicalized, noting her decision to remain with a partner accused of child abuse and her direct interference with law enforcement. “She was committing an act of domestic terrorism by obstructing officers,” he asserted.
He warned of a broader “civil war” dynamic in sanctuary cities rejecting federal law and called for prosecutions and “perp walks” to restore accountability.
Caller Lori Moore added levity and insight, suggesting Democrats’ extreme rhetoric makes conservatives look “brilliant” by contrast and urging grassroots action to counter centralized media control.
Billionaire Bill Ackman’s $10,000 donation to a GoFundMe for the involved ICE agent was cited as a positive stand, with the Department of Homeland Security defending the officer’s use of minimal necessary force.
Bruce De Torres: Small Business Fraud and the Neglected SBA
Shifting to economic fallout, Bruce De Torres, director of communications for the American Small Business League, discussed the Small Business Administration’s recent suspension of nearly 7,000 Minnesota borrowers over suspected pandemic loan fraud totaling almost $400 million.
De Torres called the exposure demoralizing for taxpayers but an opportunity for greater civic engagement. “If more people harassed their representatives, ran for office, went to town halls and school board meetings, good things will happen,” he said.
He painted a stark picture of the SBA’s chronic underfunding and mismanagement. Despite representing 98–99% of American businesses, the agency receives one of the smallest federal budgets while the Department of Commerce serves large corporations with billions.
By law, 23% of federal contracts should go to small businesses, and 5% to women-owned small businesses. In reality, De Torres said, small businesses receive only 3–4%, and women-owned firms less than 1%.
His organization’s “Don’t Cheat Women” campaign at DontCheatWomen.com seeks to raise the women-owned target to 15% and overall small business share to 33%. “It’s not a handout,” he stressed. “Women own 40% of all businesses and sell what the government buys.”
De Torres criticized decades of collusion and lack of oversight that funnel contracts to massive corporations, urging listeners to contact Congress and new SBA administrator Kelly Loeffler to demand reform.
Patty Juligay: Inside the Daycare Fraud Scandal
Former licensed daycare provider Patty Juligay, who operated in Washington state for nearly 20 years, offered a practitioner’s perspective on the exploding Minnesota daycare fraud scandal.
Juligay described rigorous licensing requirements—unannounced annual inspections, quarterly food program checks, extensive paperwork—that legitimate providers must meet to receive grants. “To circumvent the whole grant and licensing process means they’re not legit businesses,” she said.
Reports of empty “daycare centers” passing inspections and recent Craigslist ads offering $1,500 per day for child actors to create the appearance of enrollment underscored the scale of deception.
Juligay expressed outrage on behalf of honest providers who struggle financially while fraudsters acquire luxury homes and cars. “We work our butts off to abide by all the rules because that’s our reputation,” she said.
Similar schemes have surfaced in Washington state (539 suspected fraudulent centers) and likely other blue regions, she added. Legitimate providers, she predicted, would band together to demand answers and protect their industry’s integrity.
Both Winn and Juligay stressed that the deeper question is where the laundered money ultimately flows—potentially funding political machines, criminal enterprises, or keeping corrupt officials in power.
As the show closed, Winn framed the moment as part of a larger battle heading into America’s 250th year: a fight to preserve national sovereignty, honest governance, and the rule of law against those willing to exploit every system for power.