Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

Episode: 1/28/26: Noem Trashes Stephen Miller, Ilhan Omar Attacked, ICE Revolt, MAGA Turns On Trump
Date: January 28, 2026
Hosts: Krystal Ball & Emily Jashinsky
Guest: Ken Klippenstein

Episode Overview

This episode dives into a packed slate of news stories with a focus on chaos and infighting within the Trump administration and federal enforcement agencies, following high-profile shootings and civil unrest in Minneapolis. The hosts dissect Trump’s wavering support within his own base, internal ICE revolts, notable attacks on progressive Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and new reporting from Ken Klippenstein about conditions inside Homeland Security. Throughout, expect candid, adversarial, and at times wry commentary on the embattled political landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Killing of Alex Preddy and Federal Response

• [04:20] The show opens with discussion of Trump’s response to the fatal shooting of VA nurse and protester Alex Preddy by federal agents in Minneapolis.

  • Trump stops short of labeling Preddy an assassin or domestic terrorist, but repeatedly underscores that he was carrying a gun.
    • Trump: “You can't walk in with guns. You can't do that. But it's just a very unfortunate incident.” [04:49]
  • Hosts note the divergence between the administration’s tough rhetoric (especially from Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem) and Trump’s shifting position.
  • Dana Loesch, former NRA spokesperson, responds critically to Trump’s handling of the Second Amendment in this case.

• [05:37] Krystal observes: "Effectively there, you know, Trump’s saying he would not characterize Alex Preddy as an assassin, but... he was killed because he had a gun."

• [07:03] Infighting is highlighted, with speculation that Kristi Noem could be demoted as Trump seeks a scapegoat.

  • “It does fit a pattern of whenever something goes wrong for Trump… it’s never his fault.” — Krystal Ball [07:03]

• [07:59] Trump expresses greater remorse for the murder of another victim, Renee Good, because her parents were his supporters:

  • Trump: “Her parents were big Trump fans. Makes me feel bad anyway. But I mean, I guess you could say even worse. ...The daughter was, she was, I don't know if you could say radicalized.” [07:59]
  • Krystal: “He's ranking how badly he feels about these various killings … based on the proximity to Trump fans.” [08:21]
  • Emily adds: “Not surprising at all.” [08:31]

2. Age and Psychological State of Trump

• [09:41] Emily references comments from Slovakian PM Robert Fico, who found Trump “dangerous” and “shocked by the US President’s state of mind.”
  • Hosts theorize about age-related decline, noting that Trump seems "lower energy in some of his public appearances." [10:46]
• [10:46] Emily: "[Trump] does seem lower energy in some of his public appearances."

3. Ongoing Federal Shootings and ICE/CBP Practices

• [10:46] Krystal details a new shooting in Arizona involving Border Patrol, raising skepticism about initial government narratives, referencing a pattern of misleading statements:
  • "The government has often just flat out lied in these cases...” [10:46]
  • The critical role of bystander and bodycam footage in countering official spin is emphasized.
  • Example: The Miramar Martinez case in Chicago, where charges collapsed after video evidence emerged.
• [13:33] Krystal: "It also proves why it’s been so important [to have] people who are recording in Minneapolis."
• [15:44] Discussion expands to the political trust gap, even among conservative circles.
  • Emily notes: “This is from Alex Clark at Turning Point USA ... the majority think the Alex Preddy shooting was unjustified.” [15:44]
  • "That creates a trust gap with your own... with independents and with people who are like, 'What do I make of all of this?'" — Emily [15:44]
• [18:08] Krystal: “If you are a sycophantic Trump supporter, he is going to humiliate you... Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem... All get out there... over their skis… then Trump sits back, sees the way that this is a disaster for him and undercuts all of them.” [18:08]

4. Federal Agency Infighting: Noem vs. Miller, Homan, Bevino

• [28:55] The narrative that Kristi Noem’s statement—calling Preddy’s killing an attempted massacre—was dictated by Stephen Miller, not Noem herself.
  • “Kristi Noem’s language ... was dictated... by the man most responsible... Stephen Miller.” [28:55]
  • “I actually find this report to be very credible.” — Krystal [28:55]
• [30:50] Emily: “...the experts said... if you disarm [someone], you say 'he's been disarmed.' ...Clearly they didn’t know."
• [32:04] Emily speculates the leak blaming Miller is Noem’s attempt to save her job, but hosts agree all parties are responsible.

5. Surveillance & Targeting of Protesters

• [22:50] New CNN reporting suggests federal agents compiled databases of protesters.
  • Preddy reportedly suffered broken ribs the week before after another Federal encounter.
  • Krystal: “It raises the question over whether or not he was actively targeted by those agents…” [23:11]
• [23:27] Emily: "I find the database possibility... highly disturbing."

6. Attack on Ilhan Omar at Town Hall (Minneapolis)

• [41:17] Ilhan Omar was attacked at a town hall: a man charged at her and squirted her with a foul-smelling liquid from a syringe.
  • Krystal details the scene: “She was there speaking... a man charges at her, squirts her with some foul smelling liquid... We still don't know what it is.” [41:17]
  • Emily praises Omar’s response as "badass" for standing her ground and refusing to cut the meeting short.
    • “Credit where it's due... that was badass.” — Emily [43:37]
  • Krystal: “For her even to do this town hall… was a fantastic act of courage.” [48:02]
• [44:25] The attacker, Anthony Kazmierzak (55), is believed to be a Trump supporter.
• [44:25] Trump’s response is dismissive; he speculates, without evidence, that Omar “probably had herself sprayed.”
  • Trump: “She probably had herself sprayed knowing her...” [45:13]
  • Krystal: “There is your response from Trump.” [46:08]
• [47:07] Notable concern that only third-degree assault charges have been filed; call for federal investigation.

7. Radicalization and Political Violence

• [50:29] Emily cites historian David Betts on conditions for civil conflict, warning, “It feels like things are not getting better, but getting worse.”
• [49:54] Krystal laments increasing security barriers, making Congress less accessible to the public.

8. ICE & Border Patrol Revolt (Ken Klippenstein Interview)

• [54:48] Ken Klippenstein joins with exclusive reporting from inside ICE and DHS.

  • Interviews with 8 ICE and Border Patrol agents reveal strong internal dissatisfaction with recent operations.
    • "Every single one of them blamed the Border Patrol officers involved [in Preddy’s shooting]. They just thought it was unprofessional, chaotic and crazy." — Ken [54:48]
  • Agents report chaos, poor training, and volunteerism for Minneapolis deployments that selects for the most “gung-ho” or aggressive agents.

• [56:45] Selection bias ensures only those eager for confrontation volunteer.

  • “What came up again and again was: these are the types that want to go and get in an altercation and really buy into this idea of the protesters as some kind of radical insurgency...” — Ken [56:45]

• [60:17] Agents express pervasive demoralization and a sense that long-term damage is being done to the agency’s core mission and public trust.

  • “...They don’t want to fight a counterinsurgency. They hate this.” — Ken [60:17]

• [62:43] Ken details cultural differences between ICE and CBP; border agents now operating in domestic cities are “like Vietnam” for them, unfamiliar and unwelcome.

• [66:26] Internal memos suggest there is little actual change in practice, despite leadership shake-ups.

  • “We are at a, quote, steady state ... everything’s going to stay the same and operations are going to continue as planned.” — Ken [66:36]

• [68:42] Krystal: “I think that Jonathan Ross [who killed Renee Good] murdered [her]... nobody... with any law enforcement experience thinks that Jonathan Ross behaved in the correct way there.” [68:42]

• [71:41] Emily: "They can say federal immunity as much as they want, and you can, the state of Minnesota can still go after you."

• [72:14] Ken: "It's an ideological thing... you talk to these guys and it's like, that's the way to advancement. That's the way to, you know, doing what the admin wants."

9. Trump’s Economic Messaging Tour & MAGA Discontent

• [73:31] Trump in Iowa for an economic “messaging” event: constant digressions and struggles to connect with economic concerns.
  • “He’s constantly going back to high school [analogous to reliving past successes].” — Emily [73:31]
  • Trump brags: “...I just gave the farmers $12 billion... I wrote them a little check about two weeks ago for $12 billion.” [74:20]
• [74:42] On-the-street interviews reflect base disillusionment:
  • Iowa woman: “He needs to get his act together... I’m not voting Republican again... it’s all about him. He thinks he’s God.” [75:00]
• [76:48] Trump’s Iowa approval is in the low 40s; Democratic candidates potentially competitive.
  • “Iowa has been sort of uniquely hurt by the... Trump tariff schemes. The soybean issue there looms very large.” — Krystal [76:55]
• [79:45] Krystal: "Iowa... has suffered the most under Trump's economic policies... ranked 49th to 50th in terms of economic growth."

10. International Repercussions & Geopolitics

• [82:46] As Trump rails against economic ‘enemies’ and makes threats abroad, European and Indian leaders form new trade alliances, possibly sidestepping the US.
  • “The realignment is happening in the background here..." — Emily [82:46]
• [82:21] Krystal: "It's hard to get the economic message to really break through when... you’re constantly... doing these, like, foreign adventures in a variety of new countries."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[On the Preddy shooting:] I don’t like that he had a gun. I don’t like that he had two fully loaded magazines... That’s a lot of bad stuff. And despite that, I say that’s a very unfortunate incident.” — Donald Trump [05:12]

• “He's ranking how badly he feels about these various killings from his own agents based on the proximity to Trump fans.” — Krystal Ball [08:21]

• “You have the Vice President, United States saying, these guys have, quote, unquote, absolute immunity after they killed Renee Good. So, of course, they took that message from the top...” — Krystal Ball [26:24]

• “[The ICE/CBP response] is more of a Keystone Cop situation than an operation that is, like, finely tuned to target people like Preddy.” — Emily Jashinsky [25:57]

• “If you are a sycophantic Trump supporter, he is going to humiliate you. And he did that here...” — Krystal Ball [18:08]

• [On Ilhan Omar’s response to her attacker:] “As much as I may disagree with this woman... that was badass.” — Emily Jashinsky [43:37]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [04:39] Trump’s response to Alex Preddy’s killing
• [07:59] Trump’s feelings on deaths tied to his fan base
• [13:33] Importance of citizen footage in police shootings
• [18:08] MAGA influencers undercut by Trump himself
• [22:50] Federal surveillance of protesters in Minneapolis
• [28:55] Noem vs. Miller narrative and internal agency spin
• [41:17] Ilhan Omar town hall attack — context and response
• [44:25] Trump’s dismissive reaction to attack on Ilhan Omar
• [54:48] Ken Klippenstein’s ICE/CBP reporting — agent revolt and internal chaos
• [73:31] Trump’s Iowa economic messaging; voter disillusion
• [76:48] Iowa polling and political ramifications for GOP

Tone and Takeaways

The episode is urgent, adversarial, and frequently darkly comic. Krystal and Emily maintain a skeptical, anti-establishment tone while parsing both left and right political failures — calling out the administration’s dangerous rhetoric, spiraling violence, and looming authoritarian impulses, but also examining public disillusionment with the opposition. The hosts (and guest Ken Klippenstein) drive home the high stakes and instability — from the very real threat to civil society illustrated by the Ilhan Omar attack, to the administration’s attempts to quell internal revolts by deflecting blame and shuffling personnel, to a rural electorate growing wary of broken economic promises.

Conclusion

A sobering, occasionally fierce exploration of the ongoing cycle of violence, spin, and unrest in 2026 America. Through frank, insider reporting and sharp analysis, the episode delivers a clear through-line: government spin is breaking down, old loyalties are fracturing, and new crises are emerging both at home and abroad. The attacks, both literal and political, on dissenters and public officials, highlight a system under severe strain, with no easy resolution in sight.