"THE ART OF THE NO-DEAL" ON ICE - 1.29.26

Summary

Podcast Summary: “THE ART OF THE NO-DEAL” ON ICE

Countdown with Keith Olbermann – January 29, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this charged and news-packed episode, Keith Olbermann delivers his signature pointed political commentary, focusing heavily on the ongoing fallout from the Trump administration’s use of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), recent high-profile killings by ICE agents, and the Democratic party’s response. He fiercely argues against any “deal” to placate or reform ICE, calls for bold Democratic action, and explores the chilling historical echoes in America's current immigration enforcement crisis. The episode also features a passionate segment from a state prosecutor, a Bruce Springsteen protest song debut, and Olbermann’s lighter story recalling clashes from his early broadcasting career.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. No Compromise: The ‘Art of the No-Deal’ on ICE

Timestamp: [03:02] – [24:32]

• Olbermann’s Stance on ICE: Absolute rejection of any compromise or deal that preserves or reforms ICE in its current form. He makes repeated references to ICE as “Gestapo,” painting its existence as fundamentally antithetical to democracy.

  • “I want ICE gone. I want its Gestapo gone. I want its headquarters torn to the ground.” (Olbermann, [03:02])

• Critique of Democratic Leadership:

  • Chuck Schumer is lambasted for believing in the possibility of government normalcy or bipartisanship. Olbermann sees Schumer (and long-serving Democrats) as dangerously naïve.
  • “The greatest threat to the continuation and the safety of this democracy right now this week is Chuck Schumer…thinking the government was just gonna snap back into its old form.” (Olbermann, [03:30])
  • Olbermann calls for Democrats to use their leverage: shut down the government if necessary, but do not give in.

• Trump’s Crisis-Spinning and Distraction Tactics:

  • Trump administration cycles through crisis after crisis (Iran, ICE brutality, Epstein, Venezuela) as a smokescreen for underlying instability and to distract from each scandal in turn.
  • “Trump has reignited Iran to distract from ice, just as he reignited ICE to distract from Epstein…” (Olbermann, [06:00])

• Internal GOP/MAGA Chaos:

  • Infighting among administration figures (Bovino, Noem, Stephen Miller, CBP, etc.) has reached a fever pitch. Olbermann describes a comical, vicious “throwing under the bus” of political actors.
  • “They threw Bovino under the bus Tuesday. Thankfully he was short enough to roll right under it. No damage.” (Olbermann, [08:45])

• Democratic Opportunity:

  • Recent polling from the (cautious, centrist) Searchlight Institute shows overwhelming bipartisan opposition to ICE abuses:
    • 73% oppose ICE detaining U.S. citizens
    • 79% against ICE breaking into homes without warrants
    • 58% oppose ICE’s current conduct
  • The memo, authored by a top former Reid/Fetterman aide, tells Democrats to “play hardball” and use their “leverage to reform ICE.”
  • Olbermann’s twist: Reform is not enough; total overhaul is needed, and Democrats should not dither in the face of public opinion.

• Elections & Voter Suppression Fears:

  • Cites Jay Inslee’s call: Dems must include language in appropriations to prohibit ICE presence near polling places. Current ICE tactics seen as dry runs for election intimidation.
  • “Last chance to do this. Because if it’s not done now, there will be troops with masks standing outside every polling place in every Democratic city…” (Olbermann reading Inslee, [20:52])

• Language, Accountability, and the ‘Nazi’ Comparison:

  • Larry Krasner (Philadelphia D.A.) and others openly compare ICE to Nazis; Olbermann encourages embracing accurate historical language and shaming GOP enablers.
  • “Oh, no. Larry Krasner called ICE Nazis. You know why? Because they're fucking Nazis.” (Olbermann, [24:30])

2. State Prosecutor’s Call for Justice

Timestamp: [22:50] – [24:32]

• A state prosecutor pledges solidarity with the Minneapolis prosecutor, promising round-the-clock attention to obvious criminal homicides and shootings by ICE. He assures listeners:
  • “There will be accountability now, there will be accountability in the future… If we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities, we will find you.” (State Prosecutor, [23:45])
• Olbermann cautions the language is a bit heated—“Hunt down was too strong. Find, unmask, reveal, prosecute. Those are fine.” ([24:32])

3. Trump’s Mental State & International Repercussions

Timestamp: [24:32] – [31:25]

• Robert Fico’s Quote: Slovakian prime minister shocked by meeting Trump, called him “out of his mind.”
  • “Robert Fico, a Trump supporter, prime minister of Slovakia… characterized Trump as being, quote, out of his mind.” (Olbermann quoting diplomats, [27:15])
• Trump’s Alzheimer's Denial: Quotes Trump’s meandering reference to his father's death, Trump's own cognitive abilities, and the irony of his accusations.
  • “Because every Trump accusation is a confession.” ([30:15])

4. Bruce Springsteen’s Protest Song Debut

Timestamp: [31:25] – [35:57]

• Exclusive: With Springsteen’s permission, Olbermann debuts the protest song “Streets of Minneapolis” – a haunting, vivid account of ICE’s presence and the recent shootings.
  • “Through the winter ice and cold / Down Nicolette Avenue / A city of flame fought fire and ice / Neathan occupiers boots... / We’ll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis.” (Springsteen, [31:25]-[35:57])
• Olbermann lauds the song’s emotional impact: “I got chills three different times. Old fashioned political protest chills.” ([31:20])

5. Worst Persons in the World: Media, Melania, and Katie Miller

Timestamp: [39:01] – [48:26]

• Olbermann lampoons media figures and White House personalities:
  • Batya Unger Sargon (CNN/News Nation) for trivializing Alex Preddy’s killing as a “scrum that ended in a bad shoot.”
  • Melania Trump for her “dumbest person” status and poorly worded tweets about her documentary.
  • Katie Miller (Stephen Miller’s wife) for her claim that “conservative women are more attractive… more conservatives are having babies.”
• Typical of Olbermann’s biting humor and derision:
  • “She thinks she is a complete genius and the rest of us are just mice… we need to establish a GoFundMe to buy Katie Miller… a mirror.” (Olbermann, [47:20])

6. Anecdote: Surviving Ted Brown – Early Radio Days

Timestamp: [50:36] – [64:51]

• Olbermann recounts a wild early-morning confrontation with legendary DJ Ted Brown at WNEW in 1980:
  • Brown, after hearing Olbermann criticize the Giants, threatens to get him fired—only to completely forget about it an hour later and praise his work.
  • “You punk. So you don’t like how the Giants did? You think any of us do?” (Ted Brown, paraphrased, [54:00])
  • “My God, that was the best sportscast we have ever had on this station… What a talent!” (Ted Brown, [63:30])
• The story provides comic relief and reflects on the quirks of broadcasting personalities.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On ICE:

  • “There is no reform. There is no regret. There is no deal to make with these scumbags.” (Olbermann, [09:50])
  • “Body cams… Because the thought that the next time they kill some unarmed… American citizen, there might be video of it. That sure held ICE back from murdering Alex Preddy.” (Olbermann, [17:45])

• On Political Opportunity:

  • “This is the time not to compromise, but to get aggressive.” (Olbermann, [18:30])
  • “The moral corruption that is at the center of ICE will then destroy the center of Trump’s presidency.” (Olbermann, [35:00])

• On Democratic Messaging:

  • “No deal. You lean completely into those gun sound bites. Take ads in red states: Donald Trump wants to take your guns away.” (Olbermann, [21:00])

• On Republican Infighting:

  • “A part of the MAGA wall of bullshit is caving in on itself. For God’s sakes, let it cave.” (Olbermann, [10:15])

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• Main Rant/Analysis: [03:02] – [24:32]
• State Prosecutor Statement: [22:50] – [24:32]
• Slovakia PM’s Account of Trump: [27:15] – [28:30]
• Springsteen’s “Streets of Minneapolis”: [31:25] – [35:57]
• Worst Persons in the World: [39:01] – [48:26]
• Ted Brown Anecdote: [50:36] – [64:51]

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Tone & Style

True to form, Olbermann’s language throughout is impassioned, often caustic, and laced with sarcasm, dark humor, and pop culture references. He moves from righteous outrage and urgent political strategizing to storytelling and wry, self-deprecating reminiscence.

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Summary

This episode is both a manifesto and a clarion call: Olbermann demands unequivocal action against the abuses of ICE and the Trump administration, warning Democrats against old habits of compromise. He underlines the deep dangers of letting the Trump-aligned immigration apparatus persist, details the overwhelming public support for significant reform or abolition, and frames this political moment as an existential struggle for democracy, drawing historical parallels and literary flourishes throughout. The Springsteen protest song and vivid storytelling round out an intense, memorable episode.

Transcript

[Keith Olbermann]

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[Keith Olbermann]

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[Keith Olbermann]

Per month when network is busy see Terms Countdown with Keith Olbermann is a production of Iheartra. I don't care if Trump puts the Pope in charge of ice. It ends, it disbands, it is defunded. Shut the whole government down if necessary. I don't care if they offer body cams you cannot turn off and I don't care if they offer UN observers on every raid. I want ICE gone. I want its Gestapo gone. I want its headquarters torn to the ground. I want to go there in the middle of the night and I want to build a memorial to Renee Good and Alex Preddy and Keith Porter Jr. And all the others on Ashes. The greatest threat to the continuation and the safety of this democracy right now this week is Chuck Schumer. Because Chuck Schumer still thinks that somewhere, somehow, like my poor friend Joe Biden thought, somewhere, somehow, the government of this country was just gonna snap back into its old form. And he could trade a little of this for a little of that and it would never be perfect. But we just keep chugging along until the next Senate recess and the next trip to the Hamptons. And Chuck Schumer is still the guy who will hear de escalation and investigation and reset and he will make the unforced, tragic and fatal error of assuming that the people saying those words are not God damned liars. Democrats elected Democrats elected Democrats who have been there for more than 10 years all still want it to just go back to normal. As if the only people who could possibly make anything like that happen were still operating with the slightest glimmer of good faith. The good faith and trust that kept this country's form of government alive for 239 years until Donald Trump started strangling it to death in 2015. They are not. There are no good faith Republicans. There is no MAGA to trust. There is no de escalation, There is no investigation. There is no reset and there now must be no deal. No deal on ice. The art of the no deal. There still is no pivot. Trump threatened Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry and the Constitution again yesterday. ICE and Border Patrol have just established a base at the army reserve center at Fort Snelling, down the street from the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport. Someone in Trump's invasion force in Minnesota leaked a memo to Ken Klippenstein from late Monday reading that the deployment quote is steady state and expected to continue as planned. They continue to threaten people filming them. They continue to threaten them with arrest even though it is entirely legal to film them in Maine. They went to the homes of people who had been filming them from a distance. The only investigation remains focused on what laws they can pretend that Alex Preddy broke and what groups Renee Goode and her wife were associated with. And they might. They might expand it to see if the agents violated protocol when they murdered them. And that might resolve in them being severely punished for the rest of their lives by being forced to take several days off with pay on administrative leave, which is where they put them finally yesterday. There is no reform. There is no regret. There is no deal to make with these scumbags. The only thing Trump wants is better public relations and more money for ICE and for this to all go away. And the only thing a deal by Schumer and Senate Democrats can create is better public relations for Trump and more money for ICE and for all of this to go away. No deal, no ice. Moreover, the Trump administration is in its greatest crisis yet, and for once the Democrats cannot give them a lifeline. Trump has reignited Iran to distract from ice, just as he reignited ICE to distract from Epstein, just as he reignited Epstein to distract from Venezuela, just as he reignited Venezuela to distract from Epstein and ice. They threw the ICE murderer and his accomplices on administrative leave yesterday. They threw them under the bus and they're going to try to do not another damn thing. But they did throw them under the bus and Trump is now running out of distractions and he can only get new ones if Chuck Schumer gives them to him. Because the Trump Field Marshals and the Trump commandants are this close to staging a night of the Long Knives. They are out to get each other they threw Bovino under the bus Tuesday. Thankfully, he was short enough to roll right under it. No damaged. Then Bovino or somebody threw gnome under the bus. Thankfully, what with all the plastic, she just bounced. Then Noem threw Stephen Miller under the bus. Since he's not carbon based, he never noticed. Then Miller threw Customs and Border Patrol under the bus. Then Trump threw his Second Amendment people under the bus. Then Roger St. Threw Corey Lewandowski under the bus and said Noem is so busy taking bribes through Lewandowski, she'll never notice. Now the Undersecretary of Hair extensions at homeland security, Trisha McLaughlin, threw the troops on the ground under the bus, calling Alex Preddy an assassin, insisting that he went there to, quote, massacre law enforcement. Actually saying the man they had just murdered had committed an act of domestic terrorism, insisting Preddy went there to assassinate agents. Noem told someone who told Axios, probably on her instructions, quote, everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the President. And Stephen Miller then told the media on the record any early comments made were based on information sent to the White House through Customs and Border Patrol. A part of the MAGA wall of bullshit is caving in on itself. For God's sakes, let it cave. They are not only fighting with each other, they are fighting with their entire understanding of the fictional world Trump has fabricated for them. Suddenly, Trump and his ICE devils are the ones threatening MAGA guns, threatening to kill MAGA if they bring guns to a protest. Protests like at the Michigan Capitol or Black Lives Matter with the fat family from St. Louis or Jan. 6, and it's still deeper than that. I gotta be honest with you, said Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. When I talked to a few of my colleagues, they had not even seen the videos. It's almost like they put blinders on. They're uneasy. Unquote. You're goddamn right they're uneasy. And it's exactly like they put blinders on because they. They've seen the videos now, and the videos alone were enough to put a hole a mile wide through MAGA fantasy land. They didn't look at the videos of the paramilitary street execution of Alex Preddy. They never look at the videos. They never look at Trump's posts. They never listen to his threats. They haven't seen it. They haven't read it. They haven't heard it. That is the only time they are not lying. They do this to avoid any responsibility, any internal understanding. They do it so they can sell the Sergeant Schultz bullshit. I know nothing, and it's easier to know nothing when you've seen nothing. They knew in their heart because Trump told them this world he has created is real and not simply a scam he is pulling on them. They knew in their heart that anybody shot by proxy, by extension by Trump, that person had to be the guilty one. Not your noble ICE agents selected from the cream of law enforcement and militia and proud boys. But the idea that they are noble and anyone who attacks them must be a terrorist, that is the core of the Trump world of lies. The lies not to the public, not to other people. The lies these people give to themselves. What Kristi Noem tells herself that is the essence of the cult. Why do you need to look at the video when you already know that they are automatically guilty and we are automatically innocent? The MAGAs have been thrown under the bus by reality and Chuck Schumer's only job right now is to rent more God damned buses. Chuck, you want to make a deal in which ICE is shut down and replaced by something else that actually does immigration control intelligently, efficiently, humanely, under bipartisan supervision. Make that deal, Chuck Schumer. You can even bargain your way back to reforming ice. Because even the in house, terrified anti liberal Democratic Searchlight Institute sent a polling memo to Democratic senators yesterday. And it's about ice. And it's a poll of people who will be voting in the midterms just nine months plus from now. And 58% of those voters oppose what Trump's ICE is doing now. These aren't the Democratic voters or leaners. This is bipartisan. 58% and rising 70% bipartisan. Start with hating the simple fact that ICE is not clearly wearing uniforms. We're deep in the woods on training and body cams and lethal force. And the voters are starting at the essence, at the visceral, with the fundamental rule that if a guy is carrying a weapon and he comes up to you and he's not wearing a law enforcement uniform, why in the hell is it up to you to know he's a cop and not a kidnapper? The same poll, detaining US citizens by ice. Just detaining them, not just murdering them, just detaining them. Has 73% opposition, bipartisan three quarters. This newest memo that they have created, giving ICE cover to break into homes without warrants. Opposed by 79% of all voters. 79 Democrats, Republicans, lunatics, fascists, unwashed, unloved, uneducated. 79%. The proverbial eight thousand and twenty issue. And here it is. And no, there are Democrats willing to cut a deal because it's no longer Gestapo fascist bully Greg Bovino in charge. It's Gestapo fascist bully Tom Homan in charge. There are Democrats willing to make a deal to fund because body cams. And I will repeat my observation from Monday. Wow. Body cams. Because the thought that the next time they kill some unarmed or disarmed American citizen, there might be video of it. That sure held ICE back from murdering Alex Preddy. It sure held ICE back from murdering Renee Good. Body cams. This Searchlight Institute memo to Schumer and the others concluded Democrats should play hardball on the shutdown because of ice. Play hardball. Ha. And it said they should use their, quote, leverage to reform ice. This is the dead center of the Democratic Party. Play hardball. Leverage to reform ice. And the author adds, voters want ICE to follow the law. There is a desire for immigration enforcement that is lawful, reasonable and effective. And the author of this was a top aid to Harry Reid. And more recently, he was just chief of staff to John Effing Fetterman. This is not Zoran Mamdani saying play hardball on the shutdown over ice. This is not me saying this. This is John Fetterman's chief of staff saying this. The memo doesn't even completely wave Schumer off from the abolish ICE or disband ICE or defund ICE catchphrase. It suggests voters respond slightly better to reform ICE, but even that's almost a push. Abolish gets 19% support and reform 30% support. The bottom line is the Democrats somehow own the issue of immigration and the fascists are wounded and they are responding with panic and by damaging themselves. And most importantly, the ones on the fringes are doubting the whole thing. This is the time not to compromise, but to get aggressive. Any deal. And there has to be somebody at the borders. But any deal should start with changing the damn name and establishing bipartisan control and instituting a full investigative process for any injuries inflicted by ice. And that starts with murder charges against the ICE scum who killed Renee Goode and Alex Preddy. And establishing windows in which no ICE or ICE successor or Border Patrol or National Guard or Trump Nazis can be dispatched to any American city. No ICE near polling places. No ICE in American cities in the week of any election. No troops on the streets at the elections. Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee underscored this yesterday. The Senate, he wrote, needs to prohibit Trump from using ICE as a voter suppression tool. Senate Dems need to put into their appropriations bill a prohibition on ICE agents being near polling places. This is a must have, Inslee concludes ominously, but with complete justification. Quote, last chance to do this. And that's it, isn't it? Last chance to do this. Because if it's not done now, there will be troops with masks standing outside every polling place in every Democratic city in every up for grabs election venue this November. What we saw in Minneapolis the last three weeks has been practice for the midterms. After the murder of Alex Preddy, the Democrats grew a pair in the Senate. It looks like just the one pair and they just share it and at least it's there. Then Noem and Miller and Trump cracked over just bad press. They didn't hit an iceberg and sink. They hit an ice cube and sunk. They are down on the canvas and looking to quit. Do not help them up. Hit them harder. No deal. You lean completely into those gun sound bites. Take ads in red states. Donald Trump wants to take your guns away. Play the tape of him saying it. No guns. You can't bring guns. This means you red states. That's 1, 2. Back in the Senate, you get everything or you shut the government down. When you back up six months from now, back up half a step and you give them phrases. All right, we won't defund or disband ice. We will reform it. Literally. Re. Form. Start from the beginning. Form it. A new new immigration control enterprise. N, I, C, E. Nice. That's it. Trump wants more than that. Okay, here's more. Government shuts down and 70% of Americans still oppose him and his Gestapo. And that's all anybody's talking about because that is the cause of the shutdown. Those are your choices. Donald. You have 35 seconds. And call them what they are. We have the words. We have the evidence. Embrace the language. He had a book of Hitler's speeches, according to his first wife, on his bedside table in the 80s. Embrace the language. Stephen Miller, on a good day, is a fascist and a white supremacist and a lunatic. Call him that. Call him that on the floor of the Senate. The White House is desperate enough that they tried to take the strong but entirely correct warning from the District Attorney of Philadelphia, Larry Krasner, and turn it into martyrdom for ice. How dare you call us Nazis. How dare you say DAS and attorneys general are going to prosecute us? How dare you threaten to expose the identity of ICE thugs, if not now, then later, like. Like the whole world did with the original Nazis in the 70 years after we destroyed your predecessors in World War II. Oh, no. Larry Krasner called ICE Nazis. You know why? Because they're fucking Nazis.

[State Prosecutor]

This is a small bunch. Wannabe Nazis, that's what they are. In a country of 350 million, we outnumber them. And as long as we stick to our values, protect our rights, make it very clear that homicide is not okay just because you are a federal officer. If we do that, this will end differently. I have one final promise to you, and that is that I, along with a bunch of other state prosecutors, keep your eye on this. You'll be hearing more about it tomorrow. But I, along with a bunch of other state prosecutors, are rallying around Mary Moriarty, who is the prosecutor in Minneapolis. I know for a fact she is working 247 to make sure that there is justice coming out of two what appear to be, by all indications, criminal homicides and what appears to be, by all indications, a criminal shooting of someone in the leg. I want you to understand that just as you have come together, there are state prosecutors coming together right now to make sure that people understand there will be accountability. There will be accountability now, there will be accountability in the future. There will be accountability after Trump is out of office. If we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities, we will find you. We will achieve justice. And we will do so under the Constitution and the laws of the United States.

[Keith Olbermann]

Hunt down was too strong. Find, unmask, reveal, prosecute. Those are fine saying hunt down again to a bunch of people who suddenly think Donald Trump is going to take away their guns. A little strong. I don't think you have to fix it. Just, just skip it. But make the ads. Let the Republicans run against the second Amendment. Let them have to deny every day until November that they are Nazis, cuz they have nothing to prove that with. And by the way, do not demand Kristi Noem's firing while she is still trying to get Stephen Miller fired. Wait till one of them wins, then fire the survivor. And most importantly, give them nothing, not a dollar, until you get full control of Trump's internal anti democracy election fiction death squads. And you twist and you turn the entire stinking, sinking, putrid apparatus around and you point it back on itself and this nightmare begins to end. Because the moral corruption that is at the center of ICE will then destroy the center of Trump's presidency. By the way, Trump is out of his mind. Not my words. For once, out of his mind. That's Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, as quoted by five different European diplomats themselves quoted by Politico Europe Let me quote the report precisely. Quote, Slovakia's prime minister told EU leaders at a summit last week that a meeting with Donald Trump left him shocked by the US President's state of mind. Five European diplomats briefed on the conversation said Fico seemed to be traumatized by his encounter with Trump. One of the European diplomats said Fico characterized Trump as being, quote, out of his mind. A diplomat said, using the words briefed to them by their leader who was directly involved in the conversation. Robert Fico, a Trump supporter, prime minister of Slovakia Slovakia ain't Ukraine. This guy has actually addressed cpac. Fico immediately called it all lies. Of course he did. He addressed cpac. The White House called it lies. Politico has quotes from five diplomats, five diplomats from four different European nations. And the fifth is from the EU organization itself. Five people briefed by those who were there at this informal huddle, part of the emergency EU summit a week ago about Trump's threat to seize Greenland. That's where Fico recounted meeting Trump at Mar a Lago on the 17th when Fico decided Trump was out of his mind. Feet so called him dangerous, said he was concerned about Trump's, quote, psychological state and then the money quote, out of his M word. Now why would he ever think that? Because Tuesday Trump again said it was so sad that ICE killed Renee Goode because her family were such Trump fans. Because he cannot avoid praising himself. Trump cannot risk the chance that somebody complimented him and you don't know it. Or maybe Fitzo read New York magazine in the long and rather underwhelming takeout on Trump's health. Underwhelming till the author got to the billion dollar question about whatever it is that is at this moment melting Trump's brain. And he neatly tied it into Trump's obsession with bloodlines and his nonsense about his uncle discovering the Unabomber and how smart has to be because he has good genes and the fact that Trump always leaves out what killed his own father. Ben Terriss, the author, finished the Superhuman President. And yes, countless maga do not realize the title is meant ironically and as a dig at the idiot who suggested calling it that, the idiot being Stephen Miller Terrace, finished it with this I'll quote again. Fred Trump died in 1999 at age 93. He had, Trump said, a heart that couldn't be stopped. With almost no health conditions to speak of throughout his long life, quote, he had one problem, Trump said, at a certain age, about 86, 87, he started getting what do they call it? He pointed to his forehead and looked to his press secretary for the word that escaped him. Alzheimer's. Caroline Levitt said. Like an Alzheimer's thing? Trump said, well, I don't have it. Is it something you think about at all? I asked. No, I don't think about it at all. You know why? He said. Because whatever it is, my attitude is whatever. Uh oh. So Trump couldn't remember the word for the brain disintegration that took his own father. Then he looked at Caroline Levitt and pointed to his own forehead and she immediately said, alzheimer's. Because every Trump accusation is a confession. Also of interest here, you heard heard Bruce Springsteen's instant protest song. You didn't Streets of Minneapolis. It's, it's, it's pretty good. It's pretty direct. He pulls no punches. I got chills three different times. Old fashioned political protest chills. But you haven't heard it. Well, okay, with, I'm honored to say, Bruce Springsteen's permission, here it is. Streets of Minneapolis.

[Bruce Springsteen (Singing)]

Through the winter ice and cold Down Nicolette Avenue A city of flame fought fire and ice Neathan occupiers boots King Trump's private army from the DHS Guns belted to their coats Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law or so their story goes against smoke and rubber bullets in the dawn's early light Citizens stood for justice Their voices ringing through the.

[Keith Olbermann]

Night.

[Bruce Springsteen (Singing)]

And there were bloody footprints where mercy should have stood and two dead left to die on snow filled streets how it's pretty and remake good o' er Minneapolis I hear your voice singing through the bloody mist we'll take our stand for this land and the stranger in our midst Here in our home they killed and wronged in the midst of Senator 26 we'll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis Trump's federal thugs beat up on his face and his chest Then we heard the gun shots and Alex Pretty lay in the snow dead Their claim was self defense soon just don't believe your eyes it's our blood and bones and these whistles and phones Against Miller and Gnome's dirty lies oh our Minneapolis I hear your voice crying through the bloody mist we'll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis. Now they say they're here to uphold the law but they trample on our rights if your skin is black or brown my friend you can be questioned or deported on sight in our church Dance of ice out now our city's heart and soul persist through broken glass and bloody tears on the streets of Minneapolis oh I'm Neapolis I hear your voice singing through the bloody mist you're now home baby killed and roamed in the winter of 26 we'll take a stand for this land and the stranger that I miss we'll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis we'll remember the names, names of those who die on streets of Minneapolis.

[Keith Olbermann]

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[State Prosecutor]

This is COUNTDOWN with Keith Olbermann.

[Keith Olbermann]

Still ahead on this edition of countdown, not the last time somebody I worked with would threaten to kill me in the studio, but the first time. And then an hour later he came back and said he wanted to hire me. The story of the morning radio legend who was no longer remembering anything like what had happened an hour before. Ted Brown, your morning man. Plus bonus coverage, me on the air at WNEW Radio in New York in the year of our Lord 1980. Next, in things I promise not to tell first, believe it or not, there's still more new idiots to talk about. The roundup of the miscreants morons and dunning Kruger effect specimens who constitute today's other worst persons in the world, the bronze worse Batche Unger Sargon Batcha, as in batshit crazy. One of the people on the train wreck they put on on CNN every night, nine o'. Clock. I guess no one actually watches this show, but the volume of viral clips is high, which is what CNN is apparently in the business of. Now, we don't want you to watch the shows. We want you to watch these clips on social media because we make no dollars for this. But we're all convinced this is sustainable long term. So let's put this show on that boosts everybody's blood pressure and makes them enraged at these simpletons like Scott Jennings and the other guys, all of whom look like something happened and there was an accident where they got their heads caught in bus doors and squeezed. Funny. Funniest looking people I've ever seen in the in the world are the conservatives on that Abby Phillips show on cnn. Anyway, she's one of them. Batya Unger Sargon. Alex Pretty, she said, was obviously not murdered. He was in a scrum that ended in a bad shape. Scrum bad Chute like this was a hockey broadcast. Oh, he's in a scrum. No, a scrum is where a couple players, maybe three, maybe four, usually two, get kind of tangled up, and one of them winds up going to the penalty box for two minutes and feeling shame. No, he wasn't in a scrum. They murdered him. He's dead. And if that scrum reference from Batya Unger Sargon was not bad enough, it ended in a bad shoot, which either sounds like a movie gone wrong or another hockey term. There is an AI hockey ad, an ad about AI and how it's going to change your life. And all the people questioning the AI expert are players from the National Hockey League. And the last one is a fellow named McAvoy from the Boston Bruins.

[Bruce Springsteen (Singing)]

Who.

[Keith Olbermann]

After these serious questions, shouts, hey, AI Guy, how's it doing? A scrum. And the AI guy goes, what's a scrum? And everybody makes fun of the AI guy, and some of them make fun of McAvoy. But the thing runs on hockey broadcasts usually three or four times a minute. And evidently Batya Unger Sargon saw it because she decided essentially to. To characterize one of the Kent State incidents of our time as a scrum that ended in a bad shoot. If you can't get enough of Batya Unger Sargon and her complete inability to understand that that was a real person murdered by the government. Murdered by the government. If you're not getting enough of her, she has her own show on the weekends on the Trojan Horse Network. You may know it as News Nation, but in fact it's the Trojan Horse Network. They claim it's a neutral network when in fact it's just more effing fascism on tv. And also, I need to say this because for some reason I haven't mentioned it in the many years that I've criticized NewsNation. What the hell kind of name is. Is News Nation News? I mean, Red Sox Nation, Music Nation, we get it. News Nation. The runner up, Silver Werser. Melania, the star of perhaps the greatest box office disaster in motion pictures since. What was that Kris Kristofferson film, Heaven's Gate. That actually is better than anybody ever thought it was, but that's not the way it was perceived at the time, and nobody went. Plenty of good seats available for Melania the documentary. Possibly because whoever writes her tweets for her is dumber than she is, and she is. If you had to pick the dumbest person associated with the President and you picked her, it's a dark horse pick but she might be the dumbest. She certainly might be the winner of the Dunning Kruger competition inside the Trump family because she thinks she is a complete genius and the rest of us are just mice. I'll read you the tweet you see when you hear something wrong. Melania, the film, a historic moment. I don't mean in terms of evaluative nature. I mean an actual typo. Melania, the film, a historic moment. Well, it is a historic moment. It's going to make people go, let's go watch Heaven's Gate. It can't possibly be as bad as Melania. I am deeply humbled to have been surrounded by an inspiring room of, of friends, family, and ready cultural iconoclasts at the White House last night. No, no, you meant, you meant icon cultural iconoclasts. Getting back to the subject of AI, it sounds like her AI was in a scrum when it decided to write iconoclasts. There are no iconoclasts at the White House because the Trump administration shoots iconoclasts. But wait, there's more from Melania. Each of these individuals, each brought their unique vision to the world, making a lasting impression. How many each is you gonna need here? Resting each face, but your winner. And I'd like to point out, I think this is the first time the worst persons in the world have all been women. Oh, no, there was that time I did all my exes. That was two shows ago. Keith, your winner. Katie Miller, Steven's wife. The relationship that makes Trump and Melania seem normal. Steven and Katie Miller, the people who make Jeff Bezos and my former colleague Lauren Sanchez seem non plastic. And speaking of that joke I just did, Katie Miller, the woman with the resting kvetch face, looks like she just chugged an entire carton of sour milk and then went back and had another one. Conservative women, she writes, are just factually more attractive than liberal women. It's why more conservatives than liberals are having babies. I'm not going to evaluate this assessment by Katie Miller. I'm just going to say we need to establish a GoFundMe to buy Katie Miller, today's worst person in the world, a mirror. Most people think their insurance will cover them when disaster strikes. The truth? Many are wrong. You pay premiums and assume you're protected until the fine print hits. Exclusions, limits, loopholes. Suddenly that coverage isn't coverage at. My policy advocate reviews your policies, Home, auto, life, and breaks them down in plain English. They show what's really covered and what isn't. It costs just 27 cents a day, less than a cup of coffee. For peace of mind before you assume you're covered, go to mypolicyadvocate.com you might be shocked at what you find. Mypolicyadvocate.com support for the show comes from.

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[Dave Spencer]

I'm Dave Spencer, wnad and now WNEW.

[Keith Olbermann]

Sports and Commentary with John Kennedy and good morning.

[Dave Spencer]

Keith Olbermann for Big John Sports is brought to you by Amtrak. America is getting into training with Metro Liner Service 13 times every business day to Philadelphia. They run from Penn Station. And if you were there last night, you probably heard some noise from upstairs. It was Ranger fans celebrating the New Year.

[Keith Olbermann]

This remains, in short, as terrifying as anything else in my career. Death threats, fake anthrax, what New York felt like post 9 11. The frozen feeling of realizing you've made a terrible, damaging mistake on a story, even working for Rupert Murdoch. Worse than that, 42 years have passed since this event, and nothing has dimmed the memory. Nothing has reduced the palpable sense of anxiety in every joint in my body. On Sunday, December 21, 1980, the Oakland Raiders defeated the New York Giants 33 to 17 to end the Giants season at four wins and 12 losses, with the most points they had given up in one year since 1966. I was the backup sportscaster at WNEW Radio in New York. We carried the Giants game broadcasts. In fact, we had carried them since I was 2 years old. I was now a month shy of 22, and it being Christmas week, I reported bright and early to the studios at 41st street and 3rd Avenue. On Monday, December 22nd. My first sportscast was at 5:30am There was a theme song which invoked the name of the regular sportscaster, John Kennelly. It said sports and commentary, and my first few weeks filling in that year, I stuck mostly to the sports with just an occasional commentary, but mostly a joke or pithy observation. Well, kinda pithy. But that first weekend of winter the Giant stink was all that we could smell in New York, and I felt I had to point it out pointedly. And so while I observed that there was a positive they had started 1 and 8, but then had actually won three of their last seven games, the rest of my commentary was cynical, acerbic, dissatisfied. In other words, the average day of the typical New York sports fan. I ended my show right on time at 5:35am and to my surprise I heard the disc jockey skip his usual post sportscast remarks and instead simply play the next record, which I think was Frank Sinatra's the Way you look. Tonight we were a big band station. I stepped out of the booth and took the dozen strides through the newsroom, busy even at that hour with eight or ten staffers, and I was sitting down at my desk when the door from the main air studio slammed open. In the doorway stood the disc jockey and he had a message for me. The message was, you punk. The disc jockey's name was Ted Brown. On the Air. He was your morning man, Ted Brown, speaking upbeat drivel, mostly to women who loved the mellow sound of his voice off the air. WNEW was his station and the morning show was his show. He would fight for it. In fact, he had fought at least two news reporters in his time in the studio while Frank Sinatra records played on a turntable 30ft away. Ted Brown was a big man, six' three, six' four, maybe by this point, I don't know, 230, 40, 250. Thick tortoiseshell glasses. He was a sports fan, a huge gambler, racetracks mostly. The Giants had begun on WNEW in 1961. Ted Brown had begun on WNEW in 1940. 49. And he was tough. And it was not even the New York tough I had grown up with. This guy had been a tail gunner on a B17 during the Second World War, and the Nazis shot him down and they took him to Stalag 9C near Leipzig, and they kept him there for 18 months. And basically he chewed up and spit out guys like me for breakfast. And I respected him. You punk. So you don't like how the Giants did? You think any of us do? He gestured towards the newscasters and staffers. Nobody looked up. You know how easy it is to sit there in a nice, heated, dry, comfortable newsroom? I was in Stalag 9C. His contempt for the idea of the newsroom was amazing. You sit here in your newsroom and pontificate while men, men in helmets with mud on them, their bones breaking, their hearts pounding, they are out on the field fighting and tackling and working on the field of battle. So you can sit here in your newsroom. It was at this point that I remembered where I had first seen a photograph of Ted Brown. He was in a booth at Yankee Stadium where the Giants played in the 1960s. He was the third man, a combination color announcer and host, on Giants radio broadcasts on wnew. He was the worst possible person to have heard me rip the New York giants. Even the 4 and 12. 1980 New York Giants. Even if editorially I was completely correct and not nearly as hard on the team as its own announcers had been on our station the day before. What did you do to earn your spot here, punk? Ted Brown was turning red. One of his fists was already clenched while the other arm cut through the air to emphasize how much I sucked. I truly believed he was about to take a swing at me. Then, from behind him, the door from his studio swung open again, and the elderly engineer the man who actually spun the records on Ted's show came through it. Ted, I just had to segue out of Sinatra to Jimmy Cagney singing Yankee Doodle Dandy. And then the general manager called and he said, I should tell you WNEW does not segue no records. Don't do it again. You better get back in here. The Cagney's almost finished. The engineer then vanished silently back through the door. This warning did nothing but make Ted Brown even angrier. The general manager. Have you met the general manager punk? Jack Thayer? And Jack Thayer gets in here at 8:20 every morning on clockwork, punk. When you finish your 8:30 sportscast, I'm dragging you in to meet Jack Thayer, the general manager. And that, punk, is when your career at WNEW radio will come to an abrupt end. You think the New York Giants had a bad 1980? How about your 1980 punk, when your career ended? Because the real man, the real men are out there on the playing field, not sitting inside a noseroom in a sweater. This continued for some time. The engineer returned. 10. It's Thayer again. I just segued to Saurme. Ted Thayer wants to talk to you. He thinks maybe you're not here and I'm covering for you. Ted Brown turned and swore dark oaths against the engineer and for that matter, against the general manager, Jack Thayer, and for that matter, against Mel Torme. You and me, punk. 8:35. The end of your career, punk. He lunged at me. Suddenly the engineer grabbed him and pulled him back through the door. In the newsroom there were only two sounds. One, my heart, which I suspect was audible, perhaps the next block. The other, typing. Nobody said a word. Nobody looked at me. A phone rang. The production assistant sang out, WNEW News. I went over to the newscaster who had been the most supportive of me to that point, Bob Hagen. And through my shaking, I said, thanks for the help, Bob. Bob did not look up from his typewriter. What? He said matter of factly. Brown? I said. Yes, Brown. He's gonna get me fired in three hours. Bob Hagen laughed. No, he's not, I said. He just spent. I don't know how many minutes he spent three records screaming at me. Didn't you hear him? I heard him. We all heard him. We've all heard him. Every time he said that, he said that to every one of us out here. He said that about every one of us out here. He took a swing at eyes. Growl over there. What was it, Jimmy, two months ago? Ignore him, I said. I failed to see why any of what he had told me should encourage me to ignore Ted Brown. When we had a meeting with the General Manager at 8:35, Bob Hagen now stopped typing and smiled up at me reassuringly from his chair. Keith, you do a good job. Ted is nuts. Ted is mean. Ted is a crazy Giants fan. Ted is also still bitter that he's not on the radio broadcast at the Giants games. But Ted has also been doing morning radio almost every day since 1945. Keith, that's 35 years of getting up in the middle of the night. And many, many years ago, Keith, Ted stopped remembering things like what somebody said on his show. He doesn't remember. He won't remember. Just finish off the next sportscast with one of your clever, funny little kicker stories. And even if he somehow remembers what you said about the Giants, when he hears a good laugh, all he'll remember is the laugh. I tried to be respectful of Bob, but I told him I found all this hard to believe. Keith, he also drinks, he has nightmares, he has POW nightmares, and he gets up at 3am every day. He does not imprint new memories anymore. But no, why should you listen to me? I've only been on his show for 10 years. Why would I know? No, I'm telling you. Get a good funny kicker for the 6:30 and he'll love you. I nodded grimly. I did not believe Bob Hagen, but I knew he meant well and anyway, he had started to type again. The clock now moved impossibly quickly. Incredibly, I did find just the kind of funny, clever kicker story Bob suggested I should use to close the 6:30 sportscast. I minimized my assault on the Giants and then finished off my report with some story that shed a good light on Montclair St. College in New Jersey. I could not have known, and I swear I did not know that Ted Brown's sister had graduated from Montclair State College in New Jersey. I finished off the sportscast with the story, something that made Montclair State look good. A little chuckle and then Keith Ol Riemann for John Kennedy on the Ted Brown Show. Ominously again, to my terror, Ted Brown now said nothing on the air. I could not see him through the window into the main air studio. The engineer played a record instead. It may have been the Montovani strings play the Beatles. I opened the door back to the newsroom. Slowly and with trepidation, I crouched as I moved back towards my desk. And that's when it happened. The door from the main air studio slammed open again. It was Ted Brown again. Where is he? Where is he? Montclair State. My sister went to Montclair State. What a story. What a great laugh. Perfectly delivered. My God, that was the best sports cast we have ever had on this station. Don't you think so, Pre Lee? God love you, kid. What a talent. I laughed out loud. Kid, I don't laugh out loud. It was the same Ted Brown. I stole a quick glance at the newsroom to see if this whole thing was some kind of actual being filmed for a hidden camera TV series. Nobody looked up again. Nobody looked up. Ted Brown, the man who an hour before was ready to beat me up and get me fired, was now repeating again and again that I had just delivered the best sportscast in the history of WNEW radio. That's when his engineer came back in. He had segued from Montovanni to Perry Como. And the general manager had called. And now Ted Brown's eyes widened behind the thick glasses. The general manager, Jack Thayer. Say, Keith, have you ever met Jack Thayer? This gives me a great idea. Jack Thayer comes in here every morning at 8:20 like clockwork. Look, I love John Kennely. He's great. But you, you are exactly the kind of new, fresh, young voice we need on this radio station, damn it, That I need on my show. When Jack Thayer comes In here at 8:20 this morning, you and I are going right into his office and we're gonna get you your own sports cast. On my show. We can do two sports casts an hour. We'll take it out of the.

[Bruce Springsteen (Singing)]

The.

[Keith Olbermann]

The stock report, Montclair stage. I'll get you a contract. You and Kennelly. Will 75 grand be enough for you, kid? You're gonna hit the big time here, my friend. And out the engineer came again. Jack Thayer had again called in. Fourth time that I knew of. He really needed Ted back in the studio to talk to the women. Ted Brown happily shouted, okay, okay. And began to back up into the doorway. The look in his eyes towards me was one of unimaginable love. Come here. Come here. Wait. Come here. Come here. Come here. And he lunged at me and grabbed me into a bear hug. Just brilliant. Montclair State. I gotta call my sister and tell you. See you in Jack's office at 8:35. I stood there, having now been pummeled by two hurricanes arriving from different directions in the span of one hour. All was silent in the WNEW newsroom again but for the typing. But it was silent only for a moment. That's when Bob Hagen addressed me again. He did not look up. All he said was, keith, he won't remember that either.

[Dave Spencer]

Finally, they call it Disastro turf. And the closer and closer we get to game day, the more and more likely it is the Giants won't get to practice on it. As the steady rains continue in the bay area, the 49ers continue to suggest that the Giants cancel their scheduled Saturday practice at Candlestick park for the good of the bad field. Which means that the first time folks like Rob Carpenter will get their feet wet, literally will be when they come out for the game Sunday afternoon. That's sports brought to you by Amtrak. America's getting into trading with Metro Liner Service 13 times every business day to Philadelphia. I'm Keith Olberman for John Kennelly on the Ted Brown show on W. Any.

[Keith Olbermann]

W. Good morning, everybody. Thank you, Keith. It's 21 before 7. There's a, there's a wonderful tape, I think it's still exit somewhere of Ted Brown talking to the engineer at the WNEW studios as a segment began while the news was on the air. And he tells the engineer, not realizing the mics are on, on on the air. And he tells the engineer to put the lights on on. Only he describes the lights. There's an adjectival term that he uses that begins with an F and ends with an ing. Put the lights on Express is the same kind of thing he did to me after the first of those sportscasts. I've done all the damage I can do here. Thank you for listening. Most of our Countdown music was arranged, produced and performed by Brian Ray on guitars, bass and drums, John Philip Chenale handling orchestration and keyboards. They are, of course, the musical directors of Countdown, and their work was produced by TKO Brothers. Our pithy and satirical musical comments are by the best baseball stadium organist ever, Nancy Foust. The sports music is the olderman Theme from ESPN2 written by Mitch Warren Davis, courtesy of ESPN Inc. Other music arranged and performed by the group. No horns allowed. Speaking of music, my announcer today is my friend, Stevie Van Zandt. This program was produced by Ted. Everything else was, as always, my fault. That's Countdown for today. Day 372 of America held hostage. Again, just 1,091 or in English, 1,091 days until the scheduled end of his lame duck and lame brained term. Unless he is removed sooner by Maga and Epstein and affordability or more marble armrests or Nome or Venezuela or Greenland or the Ice Gestapo. I'll make him a deal if he leaves the presidency, I'll end the podcast. The next scheduled countdown is Monday. Unless we get, you know, lucky bulletins is the news merits. Until the next one, I'm Keith Olbermann. Good morning, good afternoon, good night, and good luck. Countdown with Keith Olbermann is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that'll freak you out. Most people think their insurance will cover them if disaster strikes. But here's the truth. Many are wrong. You pay your premiums, you assume you're protected. Then the fine print hits, exclusions, limits, loopholes, and suddenly that coverage you counted on isn't really coverage at all. It's not your agent's fault. Their job is to sell policies. But you need someone in your corner who protects you, not the insurance company. My policy advocate takes your actual policies, home, life, auto, whatever you got and breaks them down in plain English. They show you what's really covered and what isn't. Here's the best part. Costs just 27 cents a day. That's less than a cup of coffee. For peace of mind to make sure your family is protected when it matters most. When a disaster hits, you don't want surprises. You want certainty. So before you assume you're covered, go to mypolicyadvocate.com let them review your policy. You might be shocked at what you find. MyPolicyAdvocate.com yo, do you know Ball well?

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[Keith Olbermann]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.