Groundhog Day Shutdown; Don Lemon’s Arrest; Minnesota anarchy; Indoctrinating Judges

Summary

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10 Minute Drill — Episode Summary

Episode Title: Groundhog Day Shutdown; Don Lemon’s Arrest; Minnesota Anarchy; Indoctrinating Judges
Host: Matt Whitlock
Release Date: February 3, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode delivers a brisk yet in-depth roundup of major political news stories, with Matt Whitlock focusing on the federal government shutdown, Don Lemon’s controversial arrest, escalating tensions around ICE operations in Minnesota, the politicization of federal judicial resources, and new tax proposals in Virginia. Throughout, Whitlock’s tone is sharp, irreverent, and critical of progressive politics, consistent with his fast-paced, commentary-driven style.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Groundhog Day Government Shutdown (00:35–02:13)

• Whitlock likens the recurring federal government shutdown to “Groundhog Day,” reflecting cyclical political gridlock.
• The current shutdown is framed as an attempt by Democrats to pressure the removal of ICE funding from the broader Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations, despite ICE already being funded through 2029.
• Key issues:
  • Democrats are influenced by grassroots pressure, primarily from “moms on Instagram,” to take action on ICE.
  • Their tactic: Separate DHS funding for two weeks to extract ICE concessions (e.g., body cams, unmasking, changes to internal investigations and warrants).
  • Republicans adamantly oppose these demands, especially the unmasking of ICE agents, citing safety and doxxing concerns.
• Notable Quote:
  “Mike Johnson said over the weekend there will be no unmasking of ICE, particularly as long as Democrats are incentivizing doxxing and putting ICE agents in danger.” (Matt Whitlock, 01:45)

2. Don Lemon’s Arrest and the Minneapolis Church Storming (02:30–05:08)

• Former CNN host Don Lemon was arrested for his alleged role in coordinating and participating in the storming of a Minneapolis church.
• Evidence cited:
  • Video of Lemon in planning meetings; Lemon admits on a livestream to intentionally turning off the camera to conceal protest plans.
  • Lemon vocalizes the protest’s disruptive intent:
    Notable Quote:
    “There's nothing in the Constitution that tells you what time you can protest. You can protest at any time. That's the whole point of it, is to disrupt, to make uncomfortable.” (Don Lemon, 04:22)
  • Accusations include obstructing parents from reaching children and perpetrating chaos during the church service.
• Whitlock underscores the blurred lines between activism and journalism in Lemon’s actions:
  • Notable Quote:
    “Because nothing says journalism like turning off your camera to help one side of a debate.” (Matt Whitlock, 04:06)
  • Lemon’s further comments post-event displaying hostility and incendiary language.
    • “Now you’re Finding out, you dumb idiots. Now you’re just figuring this out. You’re so stupid and you deserve it.” (Don Lemon, 04:54)
• Whitlock concludes this case highlights serious issues with activist tactics targeting places of worship and the risks of normalizing such disruptive protests.

3. Minnesota ICE Deployment and ‘Anarchy' (05:08–07:28)

• Minnesota’s legal challenge against ICE’s large-scale operations fails, with a Biden-appointed judge noting that sanctuary policies necessitate a heavier federal presence.
• Notable Quote (from Judge Kate Menendez):
  “A fact finder could reasonably credit that plaintiffs’ sanctuary policies require a greater presence of federal agents to achieve the federal government’s immigration enforcement objectives than in a jurisdiction that actively assists ICE.” (Matt Whitlock paraphrasing, 06:07)
• Grassroots ‘Community Defenders’:
  • Minneapolis residents setting up their own checkpoints, blocking streets, and logging license plates—imagined as neighborhood “Keystone Cops.”
  • Whitlock argues these actions, fueled by local leadership, have effectively undermined law enforcement and created a “permission structure” for radical direct actions.

4. Indoctrinating Federal Judges with Climate Science (07:28–09:30)

• Whitlock reports criticism over the new edition of the Federal Judicial Center’s Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, which is accused of promoting “climate indoctrination.”
• The manual, a reference for federal judges dealing with scientific and technical matters, is now said to use “politically charged language” regarding climate change and allegedly reflects advocacy more than neutrality.
  • Notable Quote:
    “Critics have said the fourth edition… appears to blur the line between neutrally educating judges and indoctrinating them with left-wing advocates prosecution.” (Matt Whitlock, 08:22)
• Whitlock argues the inclusion of “unsettled” climate science in a judicial reference book is problematic, especially as related cases reach the courts.

5. Virginia Democrats’ New Taxes and Fiscal Woes (09:30–11:10)

• Whitlock scrutinizes the slew of new taxes proposed by Virginia’s Democratic majority, including taxes on ridesharing, fantasy sports, dry cleaning, home repairs and bans on gas leaf blowers.
• He highlights an awkward media exchange with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, who struggles to justify the tax hikes while the state enjoys a $2.7 billion surplus.
  • Notable Quote:
    “Cervel looks pretty dear in the headlights right there as he’s getting these taxes read off to him. Even he has to understand this is ridiculous. Taxes on fantasy football, taxes on dry cleaning. You are attacking small businesses…” (Matt Whitlock, 11:00)
• Whitlock suggests Democrats are creating a “high school experiment of socialism” and questions the ultimate intentions or promised benefits of these taxing schemes.

6. Democratic Fundraising Trouble (11:10–End)

• Whitlock notes financial troubles within the Democratic National Committee:
  • Republicans report $95 million cash on hand and zero debt, compared to Democrats’ $14 million with $17 million in debt.
• He attributes Democratic woes to donor fatigue after the Biden-to-Harris switch, Kamala Harris’s record campaign spending, and the party’s identity crisis alienating both the progressive base and moderate donors.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 01:45 | “Mike Johnson said over the weekend there will be no unmasking of ICE, particularly as long as Democrats are incentivizing doxxing and putting ICE agents in danger.” | Matt Whitlock | | 04:06 | “Because nothing says journalism like turning off your camera to help one side of a debate.” | Matt Whitlock | | 04:22 | “There's nothing in the Constitution that tells you what time you can protest. You can protest at any time. That's the whole point of it, is to disrupt, to make uncomfortable.” | Don Lemon | | 04:54 | “Now you’re Finding out, you dumb idiots. Now you’re just figuring this out. You’re so stupid and you deserve it.” | Don Lemon | | 08:22 | “Critics have said the fourth edition… appears to blur the line between neutrally educating judges and indoctrinating them with left-wing advocates prosecution.” | Matt Whitlock | | 11:00 | “Cervel looks pretty dear in the headlights right there as he’s getting these taxes read off to him. Even he has to understand this is ridiculous. Taxes on fantasy football, taxes on dry cleaning. You are attacking small businesses…” | Matt Whitlock |

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Groundhog Day Shutdown: 00:35–02:13
• Don Lemon’s Arrest: 02:30–05:08
• Minnesota ICE Operations: 05:08–07:28
• Judge Indoctrination / Climate Science: 07:28–09:30
• Virginia Tax Policies: 09:30–11:10
• Democratic Fundraising Woes: 11:10–End

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Conclusion

This episode of 10 Minute Drill offers an energetic, opinionated sweep of national political flashpoints, combining pure news with pointed commentary and memorable barbs. Whitlock skewers the left’s perceived overreach, exposes contradictions in state and federal policy, and voices anxieties over judicial neutrality and fiscal stewardship. The result is a jam-packed, accessible news digest—essential listening for those wanting a sharp, conservative-leaning take on current political battles.

Transcript

[A]

Yesterday was Groundhog Day. And if you think you've seen this movie before, you're right. The government is also shut down. We're gonna get into that. The arrest of Don Lemon, a new tool used to indoctrinate federal judges. The latest in Virginia. And so much more. Today on 10 Minute Drill.

[B]

Everybody get up. Get up.

[A]

The story of America is the story of an adventure.

[C]

I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free.

[A]

You may have seen yesterday was officially Groundhog Day. That there is a shadow here on my ground. Six more weeks of winter abound. And just like for Punxsutawney Phil, Washington is also experiencing another Groundhog Day. The federal government is shut down. A quick reminder on how we got here. As we've been talking about now for a couple weeks, this shutdown is over. ICE funding. The problem is ICE is already funded until 2029. Democrats know that, but they also know they're getting pressure, largely from a base of moms on Instagram saying they need to do something about ice. So they concocted a plan to shut down the federal government to remove funding for dhs. Now, the problem is that funding for DHS goes to things like FEMA and tsa, not to ice. But what they're trying to do here is, is extricate the DHS funding from all the rest of the government funding. They would pass the rest of all the government funding for the full period, all the way until next year. That DHS funding they would set aside for a two week period while they try and negotiate a set of terms to force on DHS for ICE oversight. Democrats are demanding things like ICE would stop wearing masks, they would be required to wear body cams. They would be subject to different types of internal investigations for, for tragic events like what we've seen. There also could be changes to the warrant process for arrests. Some of those are a non starter. Mike Johnson said over the weekend there will be no unmasking of ice, particularly as long as Democrats are incentivizing, doxing and putting ICE agents in danger.

[C]

When you have people doxxing them and targeting them, of course we don't want their personal identification out there on the streets.

[A]

The big problem right now is House Republicans do not want to extricate this DHS funding. They already passed these bills. They went through the very, very difficult work of getting everybody on the same page. So Monday, most of which was spent trying to get to Republicans being on the same page to pass the rule, hoping that some Democrats would join them. Now, it is surprising that Democrats aren't being more helpful because this is what they wanted. But the largest dynamic we're seeing here is Chuck Schumer negotiated a path forward for this funding bill without ever talking to House Democrats and their progressive wing that were the ones who wanted to defund ICE all along. So all a lot of this is up in the air, but the earliest action we could see could be later today as they try and get towards a path to have a vote on the House floor for these funding bills. If you made it this far in 10 minute drill, please leave us a review, leave us a rating, leave us a comment, go in on YouTube and tell us what you think. Give us some feedback. We love that and we will always react to it. Over the weekend, Don Lemon was arrested for the role that he played in the church storming in Minneapolis. Now, a grand jury found that there was probable cause for arresting and charging Don Lemon. And they identified a number of different things about particularly his role in the planning and carrying out of this protest that violated Congress right to assemble and to practice their religious freedom. Now, this has started a firestorm of a debate about was Don Lemon just being a journalist or was he a active participant in driving this? I have a very strong opinion about this for three reasons. First, we have clear video of him in the planning process, also saying out loud in his own livestream that he would turn the camera off to prevent people from finding out what this protest group was about to do.

[D]

So that is what I could say. I turned our camera off of them because they're giving some critical information here.

[A]

Because nothing says journalism like turning off your camera to help one side of a debate. But it continues throughout his livestream. During the protest, he explains why it is so important that they're doing this protest, particularly the importance of making people feel uncomfortable.

[D]

There's nothing in the Constitution that tells you what time you can protest. You can protest at any time. That's the whole point of it, is to disrupt, to make uncomfortable.

[A]

One part of that indictment that really stuck out to me is the role that Don Lemon played in blocking parents from getting to their children. That's something that came up and in the follow up court documents and the role that they played in trying to chase people out of the church and actually fully disrupt the service. But if you had any other questions about Don Lemon's role as an impartial journalist, here he is again afterwards laying out his intent.

[D]

Now you're Finding out, you dumb idiots. Now you're just figuring this out. You're so stupid and you deserve it. But I think that they're entitled and that that entitlement comes from a supremacy, a white supremacy.

[A]

So this debate does come down to intent. Was Don Lemon just there to give us a window, or was he actually a part of the engine behind this terrible, terrible event that happened? And when you look at the fact that he's an active participant, he helped plan it in advance, he defended it afterwards. And when you also look at just the carnage that this carried out, the crazy lunatics he went in with who were screaming in the face of women and children about going to hell and how they're terrible people, you can't allow this to stand. If we have a situation where protesters are charging into churches and essentially holding people hostage, not letting them get to their children while you lecture them about immigration policy, our country has a major problem coming. We've talked about some of the legal challenges going on, particularly around this Minnesota deployment of ice. Minnesota has sued to block ICE from being able to carry out the scale of deployment that they're currently doing. Well, over the weekend, a federal judge ruled against Minnesota. This from Biden appointed Judge Kate Menendez. Based on the record before the court, a fact finder could reasonably credit that plaintiffs sanctuary policies require a greater presence of federal agents to achieve the federal government's immigration enforcement objectives than in a jurisdiction that actively assists ice. As we've talked about before here, one of the main reasons that ICE is operating the way it is in Minnesota is because they don't have the cooperation of, of local officials in any other state. For example, over the weekend, you probably didn't even hear about it. West Virginia had a massive operation where 650 dangerous criminal, illegal immigrants were all arrested and taken away. And it didn't get a lot of attention because local officials cooperated with ice. This Biden appointed judge is identifying those sanctuary policies as one of the reasons ICE is having to operate the way that they are right now in Minnesota. But the other reason that they're having to operate the way they are is because this is really, really crazy resistance we're seeing that took on a new form over the weekend. What you're seeing there is a checkpoint called Community Defenders, where local Minneapolis residents have set up checkpoints where they have furniture and a blockade in the street where they are checking IDs and checking license plates and logging those license plates into their own system to see if you might be ice. And as we've talked about before. They've logged a lot of journalists, a lot of random citizens into that as well.

[B]

So.

[A]

So even though it appears to be well funded and well organized, it is a little bit of a Keystone Cops dynamic. But this is what Tim Waltz and Jacob Fry created when they turned all the energy against ICE and gave their radicals in the state a permission structure to get in their faces, opposed and essentially create their own rule of law in the state. This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, unless Minnesota leaders can step in. A bombshell rocking the federal judiciary this from Fox News. Shocking and inappropriate Legal experts Slam judges Guide over Climate Bias claims New reports highlight that the reference manual on scientific evidence, essentially the science guidebook for federal judges who are dealing with complex cases, is full of crazy climate indoctrination. The most recent edition that just came out, the fourth edition, is full of very politically charged language, particularly about climate change. A gold standard guide used by judges nationwide to address subjects they're not particularly versed in, is drawing criticism over the latest edition's inclusion of purported ideological bias found on its climate section. Critics have said the fourth edition of the Federal Judicial Center's reference manual on Scientific evidence, which includes a forward by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, appears to blur the line between neutrally educating judges and indoctrinating them with left wing advocates prosecution. Now again, just to highlight that this reference manual is what all judges use to try and figure out what the settled science of any topic is, the problem here is these climate activists have found a way to insert and inject unsettled climate science about the role that humans play in climate change. There's a number of specific points in there that are still being hotly debated. What role do your car emissions play in sea temperatures or sea levels? Part of the reason this is so notable is there are several cases in front of the courts, right, debating these issues. And so for the basically encyclopedia of federal judges to be taking a side on them is incredibly problematic and we will see where this goes. But there's a lot of pressure on the Federal Judicial center, the think tank within the federal judiciary that's funded by taxpayers, to withdraw this addition and make major changes to ensure they're not taking political sides in a heated, heated debate that deals with cases in front of the court. Right now here at 10 Minute Drill, we've been closely following the first few weeks of Democrat leadership in the Commonwealth of Virginia and some of the more insane taxes they're proposing. We've talked about things like taxes on fantasy football leagues, taxes on your electric leaf blower taxes or bans on your gas leaf blower, which runs in stark contrast to their promises of running on affordability. The Democrat Senate majority leader in Virginia tried to defend some of those taxes to a local media reporter.

[B]

Yeah, there's a tax on rideshare, there's a fantasy sports tax, dry cleaning tax, home repair tax, vehicle repair tax, digital personal property tax increase new car taxes and highway use fees.

[E]

Take Metro for example. Nick the choices on Metro. Or we could just tell localities like Fairfax county, you need to pay more for Metro to keep the cost of Metro down so the fares don't become totally unaffordable. And what that means is that Fairfax county would have to raise its real estate tax, which is currently the highest tax in all of Northern Virginia, 30% higher real estate tax than Loudoun County. They'd have to raise it even further to pay Metro.

[A]

Now, Cervel looks pretty dear in the headlights right there as he's getting these taxes read off to him. Even he has to understand this is ridiculous. Taxes on fantasy football, taxes on dry cleaning. You are attacking small businesses with that at the same time as Governor Glenn Youngkin left behind a $2.7 billion surplus. So the question is one, what do Democrats plan to spend so much money on that will get rid of that surplus and why do they need all these taxes? He points to funding for Metro. Metro's already funded by billions of federal tax dollars. It has money to keep those fares low. We need to know what Democrats in Virginia are really up to. Do they have their own massive multi billion dollar fraud schemes intended to try and buy votes into the future like we've seen in so many other blue states? Who knows? But this is terrifying for those like me who live in the Commonwealth of Virginia and are essentially seeing a high school experiment of socialism starting to play out before our eyes. And we can already see it's not going well in New York. Bro. You can't make it up Segment Today we are looking at the big picture of how parties are operating right now and the fact that Democrats have some flashing red lights when it comes to fundraising. Republican National Committee has $172 million received with 95 million in cash on hand and $0 in debt. Whereas the Democrat National Committee has only 14 million cash on hand but 17 million in debt. So the Democrats currently have more debt than they have cash on hand. Now, one of the reasons for this is Democrats have struggled to raise money ever since the Biden Kamala Harris switcheroo and then seeing what Kamala Harris BLEW More than $1.2 billion in campaign cash on. When they were reading stories about Kamala Harris breaking spending records by running ads on things like the Las Vegas sphere and then having no return for it and losing every single swing state, they lost a lot of their donors. And so while they're in this identity crisis between the far, far left and their donor base, that's more towards the middle and they can't raise any money. And so this will be interesting to see as it plays out in the midterms. That is all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for joining us on 10 minute dro. Please leave us a review like, subscribe, tell your friends. Have a great day.