Feds Eye Minnesota Leadership & Trump’s Greenland Tariffs | 1.19.26

Summary

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Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Feds Eye Minnesota Leadership & Trump’s Greenland Tariffs
Date: January 19, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley, Georgia Howe
Guests: Cabot Phillips, Tim Pierce, Luke Rosiak

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Overview

This episode dives into three major stories:

1. The DOJ’s investigation of Minnesota Democrats over alleged obstruction of federal law enforcement during escalating protests in Minneapolis.
2. President Trump’s renewed trade war threats with Europe to press for U.S. control of Greenland.
3. The U.S. permanently halting foreign aid to Somalia following a massive food aid scandal.

The tone is urgent and candid, focusing on political accountability, rising international tensions, and consequences for foreign corruption.

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1. Minneapolis Protests, ICE, and Federal Crackdown

Timestamps: 02:59–07:17

• Background: Protests in Minneapolis have intensified following the police-involved shooting of Renee Good. Violence has escalated with confrontations outside federal buildings and attacks on conservative demonstrators.

• Notable Incident:

  • "In one instance, right wing activist Jake Lang was physically dragged from the front steps of a government building by a large mob... They proceeded to beat him with fists, rocks and flag poles as some of the crowd could be heard yelling, 'kill him all.'" (Cabot Phillips, 03:41)
  • Some protesters forced a man to remove his American flag hoodie, telling him "take it off and you won't get hurt." (Cabot Phillips, 04:16)

• Official Responses:

  • Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blamed the Trump administration, stating:

    "The second these ICE Agents leave the city. I'm telling you, you're going to have calm in Minneapolis and you will continue to see the great comeback..." (Frey, 05:12)

  • Trump administration has readied 1,500 troops for possible deployment, contemplating the Insurrection Act. ICE Director Todd Lyons criticized Minnesota leadership:

    “I never thought we would have to send law enforcement to protect law enforcement...” (Lyons, 06:10)

• DOJ Investigation:

  • The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey for potential conspiracy to impede federal immigration enforcement.
  • Walz called the investigation "a dangerous authoritarian tactic" and accused Trump of "weaponizing the justice system." (John Bickley, 06:31)
  • Attorney General Pam Bondi countered:

    "No one is above the law." (Bondi, cited by Bickley, 07:12)

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2. Trump’s Greenland Tariffs and Trade Wars

Timestamps: 07:52–12:03

• Tariff Threats:

  • President Trump has threatened up to 25% tariffs on eight European countries unless Denmark agrees to sell Greenland to the U.S.
  • The EU plans to freeze a major trade agreement in response, with further escalation possible.

• International Fallout:

  • Former Vice President Mike Pence warned:

    “I do think that the current posture… does threaten to fracture that strong relationship not just with Denmark but with all of our NATO allies.” (Pence, 09:01)

  • French President Emmanuel Macron responded:

    "No intimidation or threat will influence us neither in Ukraine nor in Greenland nor anywhere else in the world..." (Macron, 09:37)

  • Treasury Secretary Scott Besson insisted U.S. ownership was about security:

    "President Trump strongly believes that we cannot outsource our security because this fight for the Arctic is real..." (Besson, 10:11)

• Critique & Context:

  • Critics point out the U.S. already has rights to establish military bases in Greenland.

• Iranian Tensions:

  • Trump told Politico:

    "It's time to look for new leadership in Iran." (Trump, 10:58)

  • Senator Ted Cruz added:

    “President Trump… came out unequivocally and said it is time for new leadership in Iran. It is time for the Ayatollah Khamenei, his religious dictatorship, to end.” (Cruz, 11:22)

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3. Cutting Foreign Aid to Somalia After Corruption Scandal

Timestamps: 12:42–17:14

• Scandal Details:

  • U.S. Embassy in Somalia recommended ending aid after President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed’s government demolished a food warehouse without notifying the U.S. or the UN.
  • "76 metric tons of food went missing even as another 1650 tons of commodities was on its way." (Luke Rosiak, 13:07)

• Systemic Corruption:

  • Turkey’s involvement via corrupt contracts was highlighted, with Somali ministers benefiting personally from stolen or diverted aid.
  • Parliament member Abdullahi Hashi Abib exposed:

    "Up to 90% of Somalia's humanitarian assistance comes from America, but...the money isn't distributed to the most needy but rather hoarded by relatives of officials and their clans..." (Rosiak, quoting Abib, 15:14)

  • Fake donation photos, inflated invoices, and government nepotism are rampant in the aid pipeline.

• Official U.S. Response:

  • Aid is not paused but permanently ended:

    "...it's too late for Somalia to say they're sorry and that it not only has aid been paused, but it's gonna be permanently turned off." (Rosiak, 14:51)

  • The Trump administration’s decision to abolish USAID is contextualized as a response to endemic corruption.

• Broader Implications:

  • Draws parallels between corruption in Somalia and fraud cases involving Somali refugees in Minnesota:

    "Suddenly Minneapolis's Quality Leering center doesn't seem like a fluke. It seems like part of a pattern. Right?" (Rosiak, 16:41)

  • Raises questions about U.S. refugee screening processes.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cabot Phillips on violence in Minneapolis:

  "They should be cooperating with ICE, and if they did, we probably wouldn't have a lot of these incidents that we're seeing now. It's inviting tragedy." (00:42)

• Georgia Howe summarizing aid waste:

  "All right, so we're giving food for peace, but not even getting the peace part of it at this point." (14:43)

• Senator Ted Cruz on Iran:

  "It is time for new leadership in Iran. It is time for the Ayatollah Khamenei, his religious dictatorship, to end." (11:22)

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Key Takeaways

• The federal government is actively investigating state-level resistance to federal immigration law in an unprecedented move targeting top Minnesota officials.
• President Trump’s push for U.S. sovereignty in Greenland is straining transatlantic alliances and could reignite trade wars.
• The U.S. is cracking down on foreign aid corruption, with Somalia serving as a high-profile example of aid withdrawal due to systemic fraud.
• Recurring themes include political polarization, the tension between federal and local authority, concerns about international security, and a new era of less tolerant U.S. foreign aid policies.

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Transcript

[John Bickley]

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[Georgia Howe]

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[Georgia Howe]

As the Pentagon prepares to send troops to Minnesota, the DOJ investigates whether state leaders impeded federal law enforcement.

[Cabot Phillips]

They should be cooperating with ice, and if they did, we probably wouldn't have a lot of these incidents that we're seeing now. It's inviting tragedy.

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, January 19th. This is Morning Wire.

[Tim Pierce]

President Trump ratchets up the pressure on Europe over Greenland, threatening new tariffs unless allies support U.S. control of the island.

[Georgia Howe]

What President Trump is trying to do is prevent a taking or Russian Chinese action in Greenland in the future. So why not be strategic and the US Cuts off the aid spigot to Somalia after its government destroys a warehouse full of food donated by Americans.

[Luke Rosiak]

Limited amount of money that we can dedicate to foreign aid and humanitarian assistance and that has to be applied in a way that furthers our national interest.

[Tim Pierce]

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[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips joins us now with more. Hey, Cabot. So nearly two weeks since the shooting of Renee Good, the rioting across Minneapolis is not slowing down. If anything seems to be picking up steam. First, what is the latest from the well, the front lines there.

[John Bickley]

So last week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz urged President Trump to turn down the temperature. But over the weekend, violent left wing agitators in his state did anything. But they continued to riot. Large groups of protesters clashed with law enforcement outside of federal buildings and ICE facilities. And a number of conservative demonstrators were brutally attacked in broad daylight. In one instance, right wing activist Jake Lang was physically dragged from the front steps of a government building by a large mob of leftist agitators. They proceeded to beat him with fists, rocks and flag poles as some of the crowd could be heard yelling, kill him all it's worth pointing out, with police nowhere to be seen, the video is pretty disturbing. We're going to warn folks, but we're going to play some of it here for our audience watching on the Daily Wire website. Now, thankfully, Lang was eventually able to make it to a car which sped to safety, but not before he was left with severe gashes to his face and head, which left him hospitalized. Other footage from the scene showed a different man wearing an American flag hoodie. That man was surrounded by another mob who demanded, quote, take it off and you won't get hurt. Seconds later, as the mob surrounds him, they force him to remove that hoodie, which they rip from his hands and run off with. And then elsewhere, footage showed protesters surrounding innocent people who were driving SUVs because they were suspected of being ICE agents because of the cars they were driving. Masked rioters demanded they open their doors and trunks to prove they were not ice. Other videos showed rioters surrounding random white men in the city who they said, quote, looked like ice. And they were told to yell F word, ice. You get the idea. To supposedly prove they were not with the agency. And in a remarkable moment Sunday morning, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey essentially blamed the violence across this city on the Trump administration, saying that if ICE agents left Minneapolis, there would be peace.

[Cabot Phillips]

The second these ICE Agents, leave the city. I'm telling you, you're going to have calm in Minneapolis and you will continue to see the great comeback that we had been experiencing. Let us get back to that comeback. Let us live in peace.

[Georgia Howe]

Yeah. Stunning statement there from Frey and as you said, pretty shocking footage that we're seeing streaming out of Minneapolis. What is Trump doing now in response?

[John Bickley]

Well, as we mentioned last week, President Trump, in response to the violence, did consider invoking the Insurrection act, which would allow him to deploy the military to Minneapolis and grant them the authority to perform law enforcement duties. The Pentagon has ordered 1500 troops to be ready for a possible deployment. A spokesman said they would be, quote, prepared to execute the orders of the Commander in chief chief if called upon. Now, Mayor Frey said the threat of mobilization was an example of the Trump administration trying to, quote, intimidate Minneapolis. But ICE Director Todd Lyons said it was only necessary because Frey and other Democrats were not doing their jobs.

[Georgia Howe]

In my 30 years of law enforcement.

[Cabot Phillips]

I never thought we would have to.

[Georgia Howe]

Send law enforcement to protect law enforcement. You would not see this many ICE.

[Cabot Phillips]

Agents and special agents on the street.

[Georgia Howe]

If they would just turn people over to us. And now, finally, the White House has opened an investigation into Governor Walz and Mayor Frey. This has really set off a political firestorm. Tell us about that.

[John Bickley]

Right. In response to their refusal to cooperate with ICE officials and also their apparent unwillingness to combat these violent demonstrators, the DOJ has now opened a criminal investigation into both Walls and Fray to determine whether they had conspired to impede federal immigration enforcement. We're still waiting to see the subpoenas for ourselves, but the investigation will center on whether the men's actions constituted criminal interference of legitimate law enforcement operations. Now, in response, Wallace called the investigation a, quote, dangerous authoritarian tactic. He blamed Trump for, quote, weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents. The White House, though, says they are simply enforcing the law and also the will of voters. As Attorney General Pam Bondi put it this weekend, quote, no one is above the law.

[Georgia Howe]

Yeah. Phrase Democrats have long directed at Trump. Now the tables have turned here. Kevin, thanks for reporting.

[John Bickley]

Absolutely.

[Cabot Phillips]

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Some European leaders want to escalate a trade war with the United States after President Trump threatened to impose up to 25% tariffs on eight countries. Trump has said he will back off the tariffs only when Denmark agrees to sell Greenland.

[Tim Pierce]

Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about Trump's Greenland gamble and the latest on US Foreign policy. So, Tim, President Trump's tariff threats have ruffled feathers in Europe. How are they now responding?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, it looks like it could be a return of the trade wars that exploded last year. Trump's threats have angered quite a few in the European Union who now want to freeze the trade agreement that the block struck with the US Last year, a deal that Trump had called at the time the biggest ever made. Under that agreement, the EU would lift all levies on U. S goods and in exchange, the U. S would drop its tariffs on EU imports to 15%. The European Parliament was supposed to move forward on that next week, but instead the block is now expected to vote Wednesday to put the deal on hold and may even take additional steps as well. Some think this fracture could threaten not just trade relationships with Europe, but the NATO military alliance as well. Here was former Vice President Mike Pence on CNN yesterday.

[Georgia Howe]

I do think that the current posture.

[John Bickley]

Which, which I hope will change and abate, does threaten to fracture that strong relationship not just with Denmark but with all of our NATO allies.

[Cabot Phillips]

Now, this massive turnabout happened because on Saturday, Trump threatened to put up to 25% tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland because Denmark has refused U S offers to buy Greenland. Now, European leaders have begun to not openly but implicitly compare President Trump's desire for Greenland to Putin's desire for Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement, quote, no intimidation or threat will influence us neither in Ukraine nor in Greenland nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations.

[Tim Pierce]

So a lot of resistance from Europe so far. How is President Trump responding to that?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, it appears that military action has been ruled out, but administration officials are just as stubborn on this. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson appeared on NBC News on Sunday and said that it's actually continued Danish ownership of Greenland that is the real threat to NATO.

[Georgia Howe]

President Trump strongly believes that we cannot outsource our security because this fight for the Arctic is real, we would keep our NATO guarantees and if there were an attack on Greenland from Russia, from some other, other area, we would get dragged in. So better now, peace through strength. Make it part of the United States and there will not be a conflict.

[Cabot Phillips]

Meanwhile, critics have pointed out that the United States and Denmark already have a treaty in place in which the US May build whatever military installations it wants in Greenland already.

[Tim Pierce]

Interesting. Now, shifting gears to Iran. President Trump made some comments over the weekend that reignited some of the speculation that he might be planning a strike. What did he say?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, it appears that Trump is not quite through with Iran yet. Trump told Politico, quote, it's time to look for new leadership in Iran. And he said that as reports suggest more U.S. military assets are headed toward the Middle East. And this has kicked off more speculation that Trump may move forward with an attack on Iran after all. The protests that Trump had earlier voiced support for have died down in recent days. But reports suggest that that's only because the Iranian military has moved into cities to crack down on the protests. Here's Senator Ted Cruz who has repeatedly called for regime change in Iran. Yesterday on Fox News, on Trump's latest statement, President Trump, I think, has been very strong in telling the regime, number one, we stand with the people. Do not target, do not murder the protesters. Telling the protesters, America stands with you. And I gotta say, just in the last two days, a really important step occurred where President Trump came out unequivocally and said it is time for new leadership in Iran. It is time for the Ayatollah Khamenei, his religious dictatorship, to end.

[Tim Pierce]

Well, what we saw in Venezuela shows President Trump's not exactly afraid to do it. Tim, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

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[Tim Pierce]

The State Department will permanently end foreign aid to Somalia after a warehouse full of US Funded food disappeared.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak obtained diplomatic cables showing corruption in the African nation that mirrors the fraud perpetrated by refugees in Minnesota. He joins us now. Hey, Luke. So what exactly did from the embassy in Mogadishu say, hey, John, thanks for having me.

[Luke Rosiak]

So the US Embassy in Somalia recommended that the State Department stop foreign aid after on January 3, quote, at the direction of President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed and the federal government of Somalia, authorities at Mogadishu port demolished the World Food Program emergency response warehouse with no prior notification or coordination with international donors, including the United States. So 76 metric tons of food went missing even as another 1650 tons of commodities was on its way.

[Georgia Howe]

All right, so what we have here is US Tax dollars being used to feed poor people in Somalia, but their government is wasting that aid.

[Luke Rosiak]

Exactly. So the cable said that the country of Turkey has actually taken over large sectors of the economy in Somalia, which it runs using corrupt contracts with Somalian ministers who are on the take. The Mogadishu port is actually owned by a Turkish company, and the Somali Ports minister is viewed as being Turkey's primary agent in the country. Turkey wanted to expand its port facilities, so the Somalis let it take over a warehouse that was used by the World Food Program, which is a United nations group.

[Georgia Howe]

And to be clear, this food is gone, correct?

[Luke Rosiak]

Well, the Somalis claimed the food is still accessible, but the World Food Program said that isn't true, and the demolition constitutes a breach of UN Diplomatic protocols. It said the food has to be carefully stored, so it's hard to see how it's not destroyed at this point. And as you said, this is taxpayer money funneled through actually the title 2 Food for Peace program and the International Disaster Assistance. So this is taxpayer money from Americans, and then it's administered by this UN Group.

[Georgia Howe]

All right, so we're giving food for peace, but not even getting the peace part of it at this point. Is there any chance for Somalia to make amends here?

[Luke Rosiak]

Well, it doesn't look like it. You know, the. The embassy said maybe we could see. But a US Official told me it's too late for Somalia to say they're sorry and that it not only has aid been paused, but it's gonna be permanently turned off. And that'll be official by at least, maybe.

[Georgia Howe]

So, stepping back a little bit here, why has this been happening? What is the motive for Somalia's government to fail to distribute food intended for its people?

[Luke Rosiak]

Well, a member of Somalia's parliament and its Foreign Affairs Committee has been warning about this. Abdullahi Hashi Abib said up to 90% of Somalia's humanitarian assistance comes from America, but that the money isn't distributed to the most needy, but rather hoarded by relatives of officials and their clans, who don't seem to care very much about rival clans, he said. The agency that receives most of this, the Somali Disaster Management Agency, is run by relatives of the president. Three brothers of the agency's chairman each receive about $15,000 a month in salaries, sort of laundered through their wives. And the finance department and training unit are both run by different uncles of his. And they actually supposedly pay Somalis who are hungry or starving $5 each to take photos pretending to be receiving these meals as a donation. And then after the pictures are taken, they yank and they sell it at the markets for a profit. And so by diverting aid for up to 12,000 families, the Klan generates about half a million dollars each month for itself. The member of parliament said foreign aid money has also been wasted as Somalis inflate the cost of items, charging, for example, $300,000 for ambulances and fire trucks that really only cost $100,000, he said.

[Georgia Howe]

All right, so for those saying the US is now contributing to the starvation in Somalia, the money we were spending may never have been used to address to begin with.

[Luke Rosiak]

Yeah, I think that's right. And by the way, suddenly Minneapolis's Quality Leering center doesn't seem like a fluke. It seems like part of a pattern. Right? I mean, Somalia's problems are due to endemic corruption. And what we've got to consider is when we're asked to take in refugees as a result of that corruption, I think it's fair to ask how are we actually differentiating those who morally reject that whole culture from those who are simply part of it?

[Georgia Howe]

Certainly this gives some insight into why the Trump administration decided to abolish USAID altogether. Luke, thanks so much for reporting.

[Luke Rosiak]

Thank you.

[Tim Pierce]

Thanks for waking up with us. And to those of you listening to the show now, you can watch for free on Daily Wire. We'll be back later this evening with more news. You need to know.