Podcast Summary: Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

Episode: The Killing of Renee Good and the Normalization of State Violence (with Melissa Murray)
Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Stacey Abrams
Guest: Professor Melissa Murray (NYU Law, Strict Scrutiny podcast)

Episode Overview

This episode addresses the recent killing of Renee Nicole Macklin Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, exploring how this act exemplifies the normalization of state violence under an increasingly authoritarian U.S. regime. Host Stacey Abrams and legal expert Melissa Murray break down the deeper societal, legal, and political implications, illuminating patterns of government mislabeling, misleading, and misdirection in the service of consolidating power. The conversation expands to the dangers of degraded legal institutions, the manipulation of accountability, and the ongoing assault on pluralistic democracy. The episode closes with practical steps for listeners to resist authoritarian encroachment and protect vulnerable communities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Killing of Renee Good as State Violence

• Context: Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a U.S. citizen, was killed at point-blank range by ICE agent Jonathan Ross while dropping off her child. Her conciliatory statement—“That's fine, dude. I'm not mad”—preceded her death, now widely circulated as evidence of state brutality. [00:54]

• Abrams: Frames the killing as “step 7 in the 10 steps to autocracy,” emphasizing the role of state violence as a tool for authoritarian regimes to instill fear and compel compliance.

• Quote

  “State violence is a key tool for authoritarians. ...Its purpose is clear: It's a stark, deadly reminder to not resist, not protest, simply accept their demands—or face the consequences.” (Abrams, 01:14)

2. The Three-Pronged Government Response: Mislabel, Mislead, Misdirect

A. Mislabeling Victims to Justify State Violence

• Authorities and the media erase Good's identity as a mother, wife, poet, activist, and citizen, instead portraying her as “a danger to America... a domestic terrorist, a criminal.”
  (Murray, 02:31; Abrams, 02:39)

• Quote

  “They do that because they want to cloak it in the specter of immigration as an evil, and therefore she was part of the problem.” (Murray, 02:46)

B. Misleading to Avoid Accountability

• Agencies and officials shift blame to Good, leveraging media narratives to suggest she caused her own death and to deter protest.

• The official count of deaths in ICE custody is obscured; at least five deaths are acknowledged, possibly as high as 32.

  “They have to mislead because otherwise we're going to demand action. ...They use it as an excuse to expand the assault, to convince us that her life was forfeited by her own actions.” (Murray, 03:38)

C. Misdirecting the Public’s Attention

• Broader atrocities—including paramilitary operations abroad—are downplayed, reinforcing the acceptability of lethal repression by framing it as protection of America.

• The goal is to distract from systemic abuses and expand the regime’s power.

  “They want us to forget who we are. They want us to forget what we believe. Because the goal of authoritarians is not to have accountability. It is to have unfettered power.” (Murray, 05:23)

3. Demands & Pathways for Action

• Protests against ICE are essential but insufficient. Mass action must be “consistent, persistent, repetitive.”

• Local and state officials should pass resolutions condemning ICE violence, limit local cooperation, and introduce laws against masked law enforcement agents.

• Tenth Amendment advocacy: Leverage federalism to protect civil liberties at the state level.

• Congressional action: Pressure federal representatives to oppose ICE impunity and refuse to fund state violence through the federal budget.

  “Not because they're going to change everything, but because we must show that we're willing to do something.” (Abrams, 06:45)

4. Legal and Institutional Disintegration

A. Compromised Investigations & Federal Overreach

• Minnesota officials are denied access to ICE shooting evidence because new FBI leadership (Trump loyalist Kash Patel) has seized control of the case. The usual protocol of federal-state-local investigative cooperation is abandoned.

  “Apparently we just want federal resources and they seem to know exactly what happened here.” (Murray, 12:39)

• On ‘domestic terrorism’ label: Arbitrarily deployed to criminalize dissent rather than to protect the public from genuine threats.

  “Now it seems domestic terrorism is just a catch all phrase for individuals who don't agree with this administration and make their disagreements vocal...” (Murray, 13:39)

B. Use of Force and Immunity

• Vice President Vance’s claim of “absolute immunity” for ICE agents is criticized as both false and dangerous. Legally, only qualified and highly narrow “supremacy clause immunity” applies, determined case-by-case in federal court.

  “The idea that there is some kind of blanket immunity... and they are entirely unaccountable, that just isn't true.” (Murray, 22:13)

C. Patterns of Impunity

• Incidents of brutality—ICE killings, National Guard deployments, mass detentions—are generating a “deadliest year in two decades.” Systems of accountability (civil court, congressional oversight) are undermined.

  “We all want enforcement of the laws. Do we want to live in a police state? Absolutely not. And the thing is, those aren't the two choices.” (Murray, 25:32)

5. The Politics and Culture of Enforcement

• Democratic leaders’ “moderated” tone is critiqued as inadequate; true patriotism demands protest against injustice.

  “I do not understand... the moderated approach to use of force against American citizens who are simply seeking to exercise civil disobedience.” (Abrams, 27:46)

• Good’s killing is contrasted with the right’s reaction to the killing of January 6 rioter Ashley Babbitt, underscoring the regime’s “othering” strategy:

  “She is so othered by her objections to this administration and its tactics... that is enough to turn her into a race traitor.” (Murray, 35:08)

6. Weaponization of "Fraud" and the Assault on DEI

• The administration exploits “fraud” charges as a means to target immigrants, the Somali community, and now diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI) programs—impacting everything from disability rights (ADA) to family leave.

  “Fraud's gonna be the major way this administration, I think, prosecutes its disdain for everyone who is not them.” (Murray, 36:41)

• Companies preemptively dismantle DEI to avoid costly “civil fraud” litigation, resulting in widespread rollback of equity measures—a chilling effect designed to avoid legal confrontation, enabling authoritarian objectives through intimidation.

  “They often don't even get to the courts... Sometimes they just issue these executive orders... and law firms, universities just cave.” (Murray, 39:55)

7. Assault on Institutions: Federal Reserve and Legal Infrastructure

• Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Governor Lisa Cook face grand jury investigations and removal pressures, part of a bid to bring independent agencies under direct executive control.

  “All of it is at once about restructuring and consolidating power within the executive branch. But it's also about making this president look good.” (Murray, 56:14)

• Supreme Court precedent on agency independence (Humphrey’s Executor) is under threat; this consolidation is designed to permanently warp U.S. democracy into authoritarian control.

8. Long-Term Project: Building Autocracy Beyond Trump

• Abrams and Murray analyze how Trump’s administration is building an enduring infrastructure for authoritarian governance that could outlast any single leader.

  “If the apparatus of government has been completely rejiggered so that what we say... doesn’t really matter... they can literally put an AI bot... in the presidency and just, like, be boring but authoritarian till the end of time.” (Murray, 61:07)

• The cult of personality is only one layer—real change is happening in institutional machinery and legal norms, much like the shift from Hugo Chavez to Maduro in Venezuela.

9. What Can Patriots Do?

• Shift focus to state and local power: Build resistance in city councils, school boards, and legislatures.

• Direct action: Protest, public record creation, support for legal challenges, and community advocacy.

• Rethink constitutional structures: Begin conversations about amending or replacing aspects of the Constitution that enable minority rule and systemic inequality.

  “We really have to think about whether this is the Constitution we need... It is a Constitution that enshrines minority rule. Is this what we want?” (Murray, 66:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You see, we can’t protest because the secret police will target us.” (Abrams, 04:18)
• “Protests cannot be the only actions we take, because ultimately, the... regime is counting on us to get distracted, or worse, to believe we can do nothing at all.” (Abrams, 06:15)
• “Every officer who’s called out to a situation is being called out to deal with someone who is not complying in some fashion. They’re not all supposed to wind up dead.” (Murray, 26:05)
• “DEI is not simply racial issues, they mean all of it... There is nothing more terrifying [to authoritarians] than the body of law that includes all of DEI.” (Abrams, 41:46)
• “When everyone turned out for those no Kings marches, they were shook. ...This isn’t popular. This is minority rule in every sense.” (Murray, 65:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:54 – Introduction to Renee Good’s killing and state violence
• 02:31 – Mislabeling and dehumanization of victims
• 03:38 – Media misleading and justifying brutality
• 06:15 – Pathways for protest and local action
• 12:39 – Breakdowns in investigative protocol post-shooting
• 13:39 – Politicized use of “domestic terrorism” as a label
• 20:02 – Use of force, immunity, and ICE’s legal status
• 23:31 – Impunity, brutality, and critiques of law enforcement standards
• 27:46 – Democratic moderation VS moral clarity on state violence
• 33:22 – Media & public reaction: Good vs. Babbitt
• 36:30 – Fraud as a political weapon against non-conformity and DEI
• 52:41 – Assault on Federal Reserve, agency independence, and economic control
• 59:32 – Bigger authoritarian project: Superseding Trump’s personality
• 63:14 – Final answer: what patriots should do to defend democracy
• 67:58 – Action assignments and takeaway resources

Action Steps and Resources (from Abrams & Murray)

1. Be informed: Learn your rights regarding ICE (immigrantjustice.org) and best practices for safely documenting law enforcement (eff.org).
2. Engage locally: Attend city council/school board meetings, demand anti-ICE policies, contact state reps, and pressure Congress.
3. Support affected communities: Donate to the Envision Freedom Fund (envisionfreedomfund.org) to help those in immigration detention.
4. Grow the movement: Subscribe, rate, and share the podcast; check out the accompanying Substack “Assembly Notes.”
5. Rethink democracy’s infrastructure: Initiate discussion about constitutional reform and advocate for systems that genuinely reflect a diverse and democratic society.

Tone & Language

The episode’s tone is urgent, impassioned, and deeply analytical, blending legal rigor (Murray’s precise explanations of law, precedent, and process) with activist framing (Abrams’ compelling calls to action). Both speakers use clear, accessible language, deploying memorable analogies (“heir of Slytherin”), historical references, and a mix of academic and colloquial phrases to maintain engagement and clarity.

For Those Who Haven’t Listened

This episode offers a dense but accessible tour through the current convergence of authoritarian tactics in the U.S.—from hyper-visible acts of state violence to the subtle legal and rhetorical maneuvers that enable and normalize repression. It balances its dire warnings with concrete steps for resistance, tying high-level legal theory directly to grassroots action. If you want to understand both the mechanics and the menace of this political moment, as well as hear from two of the sharpest legal/political minds on the left, this is indispensable listening.

Further resources, links, and action items can be found on the show’s website and Substack.