← Here's the Scoop
Here's the Scoop
Rep. Ilhan Omar on ICE in Minnesota and Why President Trump is Fixated on Greenland
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Hey, everybody. Welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugin. Coming up on the show today, the Greenland question. Why does President Trump want this territory so badly? Plus, Congress takes up ACA subsidies sidestepping House leadership. But first, we're learning more about the woman who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Renee Goode was a 37 year old mother and US citizen. NBC News correspondent Maggie Vespa has been talking to people on the ground. Maggie, we saw protests yesterday. How is the community responding now?
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D
Yeah, we've seen several protests and I would say honestly, even more vigils, really heavy vigils at the scene where this happened, which keep in mind, is Renee Goode's neighborhood. She's then described in just 24 hours, we've learned so much about her as a mother of three and a poet, according to a social media account that appears to be hers. Her mother telling the local paper that she was an amazing person who loved caring for others and that in her final moments, she was probably terrified. At a vigil today, a local minister said she'd been working as a legal observer of ICE activities. We've seen people like that at protests. We don't know if that's why she was there at the scene yesterday. But truly, you can bet that the entire city in real time learning her name and warning this person who they've now lost.
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C
Thank you, Maggie. I want to bring in now, Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. She represents Minnesota's 5th district, which includes Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. Representative Omar, thank you for joining us.
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E
Thank you for having me.
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C
Congress is back in session. You're in D.C. you got a lot of votes ahead of you. What are you hearing from your constituents back home in Minneapolis?
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E
Yeah, there's complete outrage. People are incredibly angry that the ICE search has been really terrorizing our community. And it feels like there is state sanctioned violence that we are living through. I mean, you have masked men who are jumping out of cars, profiling, terrorizing people. And now it has led to the unfortunate shooting and the killing of Renee. And we are currently hearing that the federal agents are not allowing our local law enforcement agents to participate in the investigation. And so.
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C
So you're actually referring to the investigation. And I know the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has said that they are, quote, unquote, reluctantly withdrawing from the investigation because the FBI will not share evidence with them. The governor, Governor Walls says local authorities, they actually need to be involved and that he's concerned that federal authorities have already come to their own conclusions. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says the bca, though, doesn't actually have jurisdiction and that is why they are out.
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F
They have not been cut out. They don't have any jurisdiction in this investigation.
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C
Are you in communication with your other state lawmakers to figure this out to make sure that state and federal are working together on this ongoing investigation?
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E
Yeah, I spoke to the Governor last night who, you know, is very concerned about the fact that there was the initial invitation to collaborate by the FBI agents with PCA and the District Attorney for Hennepin county where the shooting took place. And all of the sudden they have decided to cut them out of that investigation. And I think it's really important for our state and local law enforce agents have a hand in this investigation because this transparency and accountability is needed in order for there to be trust in what this investigation eventually yields.
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C
So then the question is, what's going to be done about it? And what I mean by that is twofold.
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E
Right?
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C
You're talking about the ongoing investigation, but then also what is continuing to happen in your state In Minnesota? We heard from the governor yesterday, we heard from Mayor Fry as well, who used some pretty choice words that I won't repeat here, but essentially saying get the F out of our state. We've seen similar tensions in cities like la, Chicago, Boston, New York as well. You're in Washington, you're speaking with fellow lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats. What Are Democrats in Congress and any lawmakers really doing to address this issue?
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E
As you know, we are in the minority, so we don't have any subpoena power. We don't have the ability to call on hearings. There is a lot of attempt to fix some of the laws that we feel have created loopholes. The fact that they are masked and are not identifying themselves creates a real danger for our communities. It doesn't make people feel safe when they're being approached by someone who is commanding them to do something that is not identifiable law enforcement. We also are trying very hard to get as much information from Kristi Noem, who has been reluctant to be accountable and transparent with Democrats lawmakers. We're also pushing for the Minnesota ag, our governor, and local law enforcement to look at what are the laws on the books and to see, you know, what kind of accountability they can provide for the residents of Minnesota.
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C
You talk about subpoena power, but what about the courts? I mean, we saw Governor Gavin Newsom having success in the courts when it came to National Guard, especially on the ground in California. What power do you gain through the courts?
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E
Possibly that's still something that we're exploring. Obviously, there is a difference between ICE agents being deployed into Minneapolis than having the National Guard that usually is under the jurisdiction of governors. And that's, I think, why he was successful in California. And so we are, you know, obviously calling for them. We're calling ICE to leave our state because their search really doesn't have an identifiable, you know, mission that they have expressed. And we want law and order restored in our city, in our state. And they're certainly not doing that. They are creating lawlessness. They're creating chaos, and they're making everybody feel very fearful and scared.
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C
Congressman, I want to talk about the identifiable mission that you talked about. Right. The Trump administration says it's about fraud. That's about alleged fraud by Somali immigrants. 21 federal, 2100, I should say. Federal agents have been sent to Minnesota because of that. Secretary Noem gave a press conference here in New York City just a few hours ago. I want to play for you what she said.
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F
Minnesota is a train wreck. It is corrupt. And it was under the leadership of Governor Walz and this mayor that they allowed it to happen. And they let criminals and illegals and people abuse programs and steal the money. And now they're allowing violence to go forward on the streets as well.
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C
So in the past week, DHS said they've arrested a thousand people. Governor Walz recently dropped his reelection bid because of those allegations, do you refute that there are immigration and fraud issues in your district?
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E
Well, they haven't been able. They keep talking about those numbers. When we look at the documentations that they show, it doesn't show those numbers. And we also know that the folks who have committed fraud have been arrested. Many of them have been tried, some of them have pled guilty, and many of them have been adjudicated. So I don't understand, what role does ICE have in addressing and investigating the fraud that has already been investigated, where people have already been charged, and many of them are sitting in prisons across Minnesota?
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C
You know, I think it's important to note this investigation into these allegations of fraud. It began under the Biden administration in 2022. Since then, 59 people have in fact been convicted, which is, I believe, what you're speaking of. But how do you address then the thousand or so that the Trump administration says has in fact been arrested either by because of fraud or violations of immigration?
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E
Yeah, I mean, again, it goes back to this transparency question that we have. If you have arrested thousand people, why don't you what their crimes are? Why don't you share what their identity is? Why don't you tell us where in Minnesota you have made those arrests? These are questions that we continue to ask. They also have their websites where they list some information. I haven't been able to find this thousand that they claim. I make phone calls anytime where people are picked up or we hear that there is a rate taking place to ask for information. It's crickets. And so if you feel confident about these numbers that you are saying that your investigation is yielding, then share that information with those of us who represent these people that you were saying you've picked up.
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C
Representative Ilhan Omar, thank you.
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Thank you.
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We reached out to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who declined our request for an interview. But after our conversation with Representative OMAR, Vice President J.D. vance announced that the administration is creating a new Assistant Attorney General position to investigate alleged fraud.
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Of course, that person's efforts will start and focus primarily in Minnesota, but it.
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Is going to be a nationwide effort.
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Because unfortunately, the American people have been defrauded in a very nationwide way.
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Vance said the administration will announce who's being tapped for that job in the coming days. All right, we are going to take a very quick break. And when we are back, why President Trump is so interested in Greenland. Stick with us.
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Welcome back to Here's a scoop from NBC News. So the Trump administration has been dealing with foreign crises across the globe, from Venezuela to Ukraine. But this week Greenland has been back on the agenda in a very big way. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. So it feels like Trump and his team have been talking about Greenland incessantly and a lot of people are asking why. So I want to bring in Otto Svensson. Otto is an associate fellow with the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the center for Strategic and International Studies. Hi Otto.
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G
Hi Esme.
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C
Great to have you. Help us understand why it is the President sees Greenland is so valuable for the United States as it pertains to to national security.
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G
The national security grounds for the US Taking a greater interest in Greenland are quite clear. And it has to do with Russia and the Russian threat to U.S. homeland security. So since the Cold War, the U.S. has had a military presence in Greenland. It had 17 bases during the Cold War. Now it has just one base in northwestern Greenland. And the reason for that presence is that the shortest route for Russian ballistic missile to reach the US Homeland is over the North Pole and over Greenland. And for that reason there is an early warning air base in northwestern Greenland. The other reason is the presence of Russian submarines in the North Atlantic. Greenland is a central node in the Greenland, Iceland, UK gap and has been crucial to monitoring the activity of Russian submarines going in and out of the North Atlantic.
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C
I want folks that are listening to really understand, kind of step by step, the strategic importance. Right. For instance, the President, the White House, the United States could feasibly have a better defensive posture if in fact they were to acquire Greenland. Is that kind of where it would be at, especially when it comes to Russia?
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G
No, this is where the President's arguments start to make somewhat less sense. You have a very staunch US Ally in Denmark, which Greenland is part of, the Kingdom of Denmark. That would be welcome, a greater US Presence on the territory. Like I said, you know, going Back to the 1950s, the US and the Kingdom of Denmark has had a defense agreement that allows the US to basically have as much of a presence on the territory as it wants. Ownership of the territory has nothing to do with, with an expanded US Military presence on the territory.
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C
Okay, so even if the United States were to own Greenland, that really has nothing to do with them being able to create a more defensive posture. They could do it without owning Greenland.
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G
Yes.
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C
So then let's move to the next thing, which is control of the waterways, the trade routes. Walk us through that.
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G
In the US Competition with China, one of the things that the Chinese are investing a whole lot in these days is expanding the Northern Sea route, which connects China with continental Europe and sort of crosses through Russian waters. And this is a big prestige project for the Chinese and it would substantially lower the economic costs of shipping routes through the Suez Canal. And so it is an economic security imperative for the US as well, to make sure that there are Arctic shipping routes that are viable for, for the west as well. Arctic shipping has increased by 37% over a 10 year period between 2013 and 2023. So there are economic interests at stake as well for the US So you.
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C
Need to own Greenland in order to have these Arctic shipping routes be viable?
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G
No, I don't believe so. There's no substantial evidence that there is a substantial Chinese or Russian presence in these two routes that straddle the territory.
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C
So then there's the third, which is the access to natural resources. Right. To the resources that seem untapped right now in Greenland. It seems like this is also a reason why the President would want ownership of Greenland.
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G
So 39 of the 50 critical minerals that are deemed crucial for US national security are present on the territory. And these are inputs that are crucial in everything from green technology to various defense technologies as well. And that will really be crucial to keeping the US economy competitive in the 21st century. Like I've said before Greenland would be more than happy to the Greenlandic government and the Danish government to expanding a US presence in the Greenlandic mining sector.
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C
So I just want to be clear here, so I understand you. Well, Otto, the United States does not need to own Greenland to do any of the things that we have just outlined.
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G
No, there have been plenty of situations in the past decade in which the Greenlandic government and the Danish government have made conditions very, very attractive for US Companies to expand their presence on the territory.
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C
And what about the European tier? Because I know that you have major European allies that have warned the United States that they would not stop defending the values of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greenland. Walk us through the relationship that Greenland has with Europe.
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G
Yeah. So Greenland is a semi autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland is covered by NATO, by the collective defense mechanism of NATO. Greenlandic citizens are members of the European Union. And Danish politicians, political leaders, diplomats have made it clear that sort of Danish sovereignty extends to Greenland as well. And any sort of incursion towards the territorial integrity of Greenland would be met with not just the Danish, but a European response as well. This week there has been a flurry of diplomatic activity across Europe as the Danish government sort of gets it stuck in a row with regards to what a European response would look like. And I think that would include economic sanctions. I think the US EU trade agreement that was struck over the summer would fall apart. I think you would see increased pressure on US Tech companies. So this is where the diplomatic conversation in Europe is headed. Sort of the Danish government rallying the troops and loading up the diplomatic bazooka in case any sort of move was made towards Greenland.
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C
I know you said rallying the troops. Is that literal? That is, what does Denmark feel like as if they can do. What does Europe feel like as if they can do if in fact the President moves on Greenland and he hasn't ruled out using military force?
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G
I think everyone in Copenhagen and across Europe are trying to avoid fanning the flames with regards to the military aspects of this conflict, of this crisis. But there is a realization that, you know, any sort of military confrontation with the United States would be detrimental to European security and to. To the transatlantic relationship writ large.
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C
Let's say the United States makes an offer, right? That is one way in which they go about this. They make a monetary offer to buy Greenland. I know that there's a vote that needs to happen domestically inside Greenland for this to happen. Is this what people want there? I know that you are in fact a Danish national and you are a security expert, what is your sense as to what Greenland wants?
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G
Greenland's future will be determined by the people of Greenland. That has been made clear by political leaders in Greenland and in Denmark. And no amount of US Pressure changes that calculus. There is a strong independent streak in Greenland. So for bust majority throughout the past decades have wanted independence. Polling from last year, however, clearly states that 85% of the people of Greenland would not want to leave the Kingdom of Denmark to become part of the United States. And even if there was, there are no mechanisms, legal or diplomatic, for Denmark to facilitate a sale of Greenland. It would be a breach of international law. It would be a Breach of the 2009 Self Government Arrangement that Greenland currently has where they have a great amount of autonomy with regards to policy and the right to issue a referendum on independence if they so choose.
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C
If in fact Greenland is open to the United States engaging with them when it comes to national security, open to the United States having access to their natural resources, open to them using the waterways that they would be able to access if they own Greenland, then why is it, in your estimation, the president wants ownership of Greenland?
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G
It's easy to conclude that this is about expanding the U.S. territory and President Trump wanting to be the first president in centuries basically to expand the territorial United States. And I think that's the conclusion that people in Greenland and in Denmark are coming to these days.
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C
Otto Svensson, thank you.
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G
Thank you.
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C
All right, let's get to some headlines. On Capitol Hill. Senate Republicans voted to advance a bipartisan war powers resolution aimed at stripping President Trump's author to launch military strikes in Venezuela without congressional consent. Five Republicans joined all Democrats in voting yes after GOP leadership tried to sink the measure. If passed, a bill would have to get the president's signature to become law, which is unlikely, but it sends a message that could impact his foreign policy moves going forward. Meanwhile, in the House, nine Republican lawmakers also broke ranks today over the extension of Affordable Care act subsidies, aiming to force consideration of a three year extension of ACA tax credit. Those credits lower monthly premiums and out of pocket costs for marketplace health insurance. The subsidies expired at year's end, causing premium spikes for roughly 22 million Americans. The House is expected to pass the measure today, though it faces an uncertain path in the Senate. And one of the lawmakers who helped shape the ACA is retiring. Maryland Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer, 86, announced he's going to step down when his term ends in 2027 after more than four decades of in Congress. The longest serving House Democrat whipped votes when he served as number two under Speaker Nancy Pelosi before stepping back from leadership in 2023. The WNBA's contract negotiation deadline is coming up on Friday and players are threatening to strike. The league and players union are deadlocked despite record growth in a new media deal. The sides are split on salary and revenue sharing. The current contract gives the WNBA players a 9% revenue share compared with the NBA, which splits 50% of the revenue with players. The impasse threatens to derail the 2026 season just as the women's league prepares for a historic expansion.
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Tonight, Traitors, you will discover each other's.
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Identities and so will we. The reality show the Traitors is returning for its fourth season with a mix of Olympians, actors, musicians and familiar faces from reality tv. Plus a few wild cards like Donna Kelce, also known as, by the Way, Taylor Swift's soon to be mother in law. That is on Peacock, which, by the way, is owned by our parent company, NBCUniversal. Also, the ER team is back in the pit tonight and Noah Wiley will continue to grace our screens as Dr. Robby Rabinovich on HBO Max every week until April. Our new McTreamy. All right, that is going to do it for us at here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugin. We'll be back tomorrow with whatever the day may bring. And if you like what you heard, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll see you tomorrow.
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