American Sunrise Early Edition - January 28th, 2026

Summary

Podcast Summary: "American Sunrise Early Edition" – Real America’s Voice

Episode Date: January 28, 2026
Host: Brian Glenn (with guests Terence Bates, Daraja Dispontande, Senator Ron Johnson, and David Brody)
Platform: iHeartPodcasts

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Overview

This episode of "American Sunrise Early Edition" focuses on heightened political and social tensions in Minnesota following recent unrest, deep dives into government fraud exposure, the lingering impacts of pandemic schooling, inflammatory media rhetoric comparing Trump supporters to Nazis, and key legislative battles in Washington. The show takes a distinctly populist, America First perspective, consistently framing discussions around American values, faith, and skepticism of current government leadership, especially within Blue states or Democrat-controlled institutions.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Minnesota Unrest & Political Violence

• Recent Events:

  • Chaos and violence continue in Minnesota, especially after an incident involving Rep. Ilhan Omar being attacked during a public speech ([03:39]).
  • Brian Glenn expresses concern for public safety, drawing parallels between threats faced by both Democratic and Republican figures like Trump.
  • The discussion highlights societal volatility and lack of "cooler heads," with increased hostility in public forums.

• Media Rhetoric and Escalation:

  • Glenn suggests media personalities inflame tensions, referencing talk of "demaga-fication" and Nazi-era analogies in US political dialogue.
  • Host calls for spiritual reflection: "It's a moment of perspective to think about God's word in this troubling time." – Brian Glenn ([05:05])

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2. Minnesota Fraud Scandal & Systemic Corruption

• Fraud Allegations:

  • Ongoing investigation into billions allegedly misused in Minnesota's state and federal welfare programs.
  • Senate Republicans forming a task force to "follow the money and shut down fraud across federal programs" after "an estimated $9 billion in taxpayer money" was reportedly misused ([07:27]).

• DOGE Initiative:

  • Glenn references the Trump-era "DOGE" (Department of Government Oversight and Efficiency) as a model for fighting government fraud, claiming bipartisan culpability in perpetuating these issues ([08:10]).
  • Quotes:
    “People would run for a political position and say, I’m going to go to Washington and I’m going to get rid of all the waste and fraud and abuse. Well, we finally created DOGE that did that.” – Brian Glenn ([08:41])

• Media and Partisan Accountability:

  • Glenn criticizes local Minnesota media for not adequately investigating fraud, hinting at complicity or ideological bias ([09:35]).
  • Asserts that both Democrats and some Republicans financially benefited from these schemes and links this to their reluctance to address fraud post-2020 election.

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3. Pandemic Schooling’s "Lost Generation"

• Interview Segment w/ Daraja Dispontande, Independent Women’s Forum

  • Dispontande argues that it wasn’t COVID-19 itself, but “lockdowns and school closures… and mandates that made normal impossible,” causing long-term academic and social harm ([14:10]).

  • Highlights extended mask use impeding speech and social development, especially in "blue states" which maintained mandates longer.

  • Suggests children who missed key developmental milestones due to closures may “never catch up” ([17:08]):

    “When you lose that learning time, when you lose that socialization time… that mark is always going to be there. The fact that you weren’t socialized, that you didn’t learn these really, really basic things in school is always going to be there…” – Daraja Dispontande ([17:39])

• Contrast with Red States:

  • Glenn and Dispontande claim students in states with fewer restrictions have fared better, fueling ongoing culture war dynamics around education policy.

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4. Organized Crime & Immigration

• ATM "Jackpotting" Operation:

  • News of a federal bust charging 87 individuals—linked to a Venezuelan gang—with draining ATMs to fund more serious crimes such as child trafficking and murder ([21:14]).

  • Terence Bates argues such incidents validate President Trump’s crackdown on illegal gangs and immigration enforcement.

    “When you find out that Trinidad, this major Venezuelan gang is coming into this country and draining these ATMs…and then using that money in order to support…crimes including kidnapping and murder and child sex trafficking…at that point, I think Americans say, okay, I get it.” – Terence Bates ([22:57])

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5. Escalating "Nazi" Analogies & Media Rhetoric

• Charlamagne the God's Comments:

  • The radio host is cited for calling for a future “demagification” of America, comparing the movement to Nazi denazification and prosecution of regime leaders ([23:23]).
  • Clip played:

    “The Nazis ultimately lost. Nazi ideology was outlawed through denazification. One day we will see the demagification of this country. It will come. And you know what else happened? Leaders of the Nazi regime were prosecuted…” ([23:52])

• Hosts’ Reactions:

  • Glenn and Bates condemn what they call “anti-Trump rhetoric,” debating whether it’s driven by fear or an intent to incite fear among voters ([25:08]).
  • Glenn warns of political retribution if Democrats regain power:

    “If and when Democrats do regain control...they are going to take that DOJ and that FBI and they’re going to go after every single MAGA…They are going to go hardcore…it’s a dangerous predicament…” – Brian Glenn ([25:34])

• Discussion on Political Division:

  • Both agree political and social division is at unprecedented levels; Bates suggests only a national tragedy historically rebalances American unity, as after 9/11 ([27:48]).

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6. Government Shutdown & Voter Laws – Interview with Senator Ron Johnson

• Election Security:

  • Johnson claims Democrats oppose voter ID and secure elections to “make it easy to cheat,” and that 80% of Americans support such measures ([31:21]).
  • Criticizes government fraud, calling for reforms to “secure our elections, secure our border, secure taxpayer money” ([32:24]).

• Open Borders as a Political Strategy:

  • Johnson alleges open border policies are long-standing Democrat strategies to boost their voting base and maintain political control, specifically referencing Somali communities in Minnesota ([32:43]).

    “They’re the party, big government. And that gives them votes, that keeps them in power…This is just the latest example…” – Sen. Johnson ([32:52])

• Filibuster and Legislation:

  • Citing Democrat intentions to end the filibuster, Johnson now supports Republicans ending it first to enact conservative reforms ([34:48]):

    “They will make states out of D.C. and Puerto Rico, probably assuring four more Democrat senators. They’ll pack the Supreme Court…if Democrats do it again, we’ll be schmucks if we don’t do it before they do.” – Sen. Johnson ([35:24])

• Minnesota Violence Response:

  • Johnson blames “awful governance” for unrest, citing sanctuary policies and leadership refusal to cooperate with immigration enforcement ([37:44]):

    “We are cleaning up the streets. We are making these cities and states safer. But in Minnesota, we have the governor and the mayor incentivizing violence and obstruction of justice against federal law enforcement.” – Sen. Johnson ([37:44])

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7. Closing Reflections and Ongoing Coverage

• Debate on Sanctuary Cities:

  • Glenn and David Brody discuss fallout from the Ilhan Omar incident, noting differences between sanctuary and non-sanctuary cities concerning unrest ([43:04]).
  • Brody emphasizes the need for clear public messaging:

    “They have to message on why they’re in these neighborhoods going after a sexual predator, going after someone wanted for murder. It’s got to be a reason…” ([46:16])

• Cultural Segment:

  • The satirical song “Somali Waltz” is promoted as a way to draw attention to Minnesota’s fraud headlines ([29:07], [29:35]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Social Volatility:
  “I wish I could tell you that [civility] was happening, but it’s not… it is very, very hypersensitive is what I like to describe our time right now.”
  – Brian Glenn ([03:39])

• On Pandemic Schooling:
  “It’s ridiculous to think, in retrospect… a lot of red states actually did just return to normal, and their kids are doing a lot better…”
  – Daraja Dispontande ([16:38])

• On Political Rhetoric:
  “Once, if and when Democrats do regain control…they are going to…go after every single MAGA…They are going to go hardcore…That’s a dangerous predicament…”
  – Brian Glenn ([25:34])

• On Political Division:
  “We are so separated, and we’re fueled by the media, we’re fueled by influencers online that want you to be outraged about everything…”
  – Brian Glenn ([26:57])

• On Unity After National Tragedy:
  “I tend to think that it takes some sort of massive tragedy, some sort of major event that gets us all focused on one thing and unity to kind of rebalance the scales.”
  – Terence Bates ([27:48])

• On Sanctuary Cities and Messaging:
  “You don’t see this in red states…because we’re not sanctuary cities…They have to message on why they’re in these neighborhoods going after a sexual predator…”
  – David Brody ([43:59], [46:16])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:07] — Headlines overview: Minnesota unrest, fraud scandal, “demaga-fication” rhetoric.
• [03:39] — Analysis of Minnesota incident with Rep. Ilhan Omar; host’s concern about volatility.
• [07:27] — Minnesota fraud update; Senate Republican task force announced.
• [09:35] — Media criticism for alleged lack of fraud coverage.
• [14:10] — Daraja Dispontande segment: Covid school closures’ effects on a generation.
• [17:08] — Lasting damage of pandemic schooling on learning and social skills.
• [21:14] — ATM ‘jackpotting’ bust; foreign gang activity.
• [23:23] — Discussion of escalating “Nazi” rhetoric in political media.
• [25:08] — Brian Glenn’s warning about political retribution if Democrats regain power.
• [31:21] — Sen. Ron Johnson interview: voter ID, border policy, filibuster, and fraud.
• [37:44] — Minnesota unrest: Johnson's assessment of sanctuary policy failures.
• [43:04] — Glenn and Brody react to Ilhan Omar incident and discussion on sanctuary cities.

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Tone and Style

The language is conversational, impassioned, and often combative, with the hosts and guests taking clear positions that challenge mainstream or left-leaning narratives. Religious references and appeals to faith and traditional values recur throughout. Segments are structured to punctuate news analysis with personal anecdotes and moral reflections.

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Conclusion

This episode is a rapid-fire, opinion-driven survey of current events (particularly in Minnesota), focusing on issues of political unrest, government transparency, and the culture wars around immigration and education. Notable for its overt criticism of Democratic leadership, the show ties national news to broader themes of American sovereignty, government accountability, and perceived threats to traditional American values.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.

[Brian Glenn]

This is American Sunrise Early Edition. Here are the headlines that matter. First, I'm Brian Glenn. A lot unfolding right now. Here's what's driving the day in Minneapolis, the next phase, federal and state leaders testing whether calm holds Operation Shift Tension Simmer. What comes next? That's ahead. Plus, in Washington, the fraud that fueled Minnesota's chaos is now front and center. Billions vanished. No oversight, no accountability. Now a sweeping fraud offensive coming up. And later, the language turns extreme. Nazi era comparison. Trump's agenda branded is tyranny, calls for a demaga vacation at a moment of national strain. Who's saying it and why? That's straight ahead right now on america's Sunrise. EARLY EDITION starts right now.

[American Sunrise Announcer]

Welcome to American Sunrise EARLY edition, the show where faith, freedom and the values that built this nation take center stage.

[Brian Glenn]

You people and others like you built this country.

[American Sunrise Announcer]

Join us as we break down the stories that matter.

[Brian Glenn]

F A F o.

[David Brody]

If you don't know now, you know.

[American Sunrise Announcer]

American Sunrise EARLY EDITION on Real America's VOICE starts now.

[Brian Glenn]

All right. Welcome. Good morning, Brian Glenn here. EARLY Edition, American Sunrise. So much in the news. You might be waking up each morning thinking, well, things in perhaps in Minnesota are getting a little better. Perhaps civility is coming to that state and that community. Perhaps leaders on the ground are joining together and we're having some impactful dialogue on how we can end all of the violence, the chaos and the mayhem that is assuing on the streets there. Well, I wish I could tell you that it was happening, but it's not. And it seems like we'll get to some video here in a little bit. Ilhan Omar, who is a congresswoman from that state, obviously was attacked last night at a speech. One of her, I guess someone who attended this particular event stormed up front, apparently sprayed something at her. We haven't got confirmation yet. I don't think what that substance was, but it did provide kind of a chaotic moment, if you will, and give you an idea of just of what is happening and how volatile even these social gatherings, these public forums, if you will, can be. And what does that look like coming back on our side? You know, President Trump was just in Cleave, Iowa, yesterday delivering a speech and even visited a restaurant before that. And of course, as soon as I saw the Ilhan Omar video, I quickly kind of reflected back on, well, Trump was at a restaurant. Maybe someone could have done something to him there. So it is very, very hypersensitive is what I like to describe our time right now, plus you've got some radio personalities that are now fueling a little bit of attention as far as maybe what could happen with this demaga fication of the U.S. in fact, if and when Democrats were to regain power, would they retaliate? Very much like what we saw in the Nuremberg trials and, and post Nazi era. So let me tell you something, the language is not calming down at all. We think cooler heads would prevail here, but I don't think that's the case. Which now calls for, well, a Bible verse before we go any further. It's a moment of perspective to think about God's word in this troubling time. I know a lot of people turn to the Bible. I say a prayer each and every morning before I come on the show. And when I get up, this one comes from Ephesians 1:3 and it reads just this. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in heavenly realms and with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Now, I think it's so important that we try and look at everything. God's in control of everything. We like to think that we can control and yes, we can control laws, we can pass laws, we can, we can control our immediate environment. But as far as the world, he is the alpha and he is the omega and all the stuff happened in between, we just got to lean on him with that. So with that perspective, a new development in Washington. Check this out. We've been reporting on massive fraud cases coming out of Minnesota. Now a major development. Senate Republicans are launching a task force. The goal, follow the money and shut down fraud across federal programs after this estimated $9 billion in taxpayer money was allegedly misused. No surprise there. A clear escalation in how these cases are being handled. Now, when you think back last year when Trump started his administration, they put together the DOGE that was hugely successful. People loved it. Getting rid of the waste, fraud and abuse our government is something that people have longed to do, it seems for 30, 40 years. People would run for a political position and say, I'm going to go to Washington and I'm going to get rid of all the waste and fraud and abuse. Well, we finally created DOGE that did that. And we had different subcommittees on DOGE that looked at everything from defunding, basically pbs, NPR and all of the corrupt news organizations that were extremely biased, extremely left driven, and then even to Department of Education. Every department was under the microscope. So this became hugely popular amongst the American people. Now if you fast forward, you drill it down now bring in Minnesota. Now we find out all the fraud that's happening there. And then we even saw after the billions were exposed in Minnesota, people saying, well wait a minute, why am I even paying taxes? And if you remember for a couple of days on X, tons of posts going, I'm not paying my taxes until our government has a better idea of where our money's going. So you know, you've got that element of it, but you know, it's one of these things that when it comes down to paying taxes and depending on where you live, you pay a lot of taxes. People do not want to see this fraud happening, especially as we sit back and, and we see people in Congress and people in the Senate just allow it to happen and not drill down on it. So before we go to break, you know, I want another headline and a possible one. We'll talk about oh Glory bank here in a second. But I want to go back to Minnesota and how all this started. When you think about the, the riots, the, the chaos before the Renee Goode incident was the fact that we were mad that Somalia, the daycare centers, that, the childless daycare centers, if you will, and Nick Shirley uncovering that. And we talked about this a few days ago. Where was the local media in Minnesota? Why didn't some local journalists uncover all of this massive fraud? And maybe they covered it once so it just went away, but because it leans so much into what, what would you describe as a kind of a Democrat led fraud? In other words, a lot of this money that was been going into this, you know, the Somalian daycare, quite honestly was either going back to Somalia to families or it was going back into the government's pockets. If you look at the Lieutenant governor who was on that signal chat with, with, with the organized protests and things like that, there is, I think good evidence that a lot of this fraud went back into the pockets of Democrats in that state. They knew about it. That's why they didn't necessarily want to break it up. But if you want to go to a wider fraud, when you look at USAID and some other organizations that were absolutely being funded and millions were being poured into there going into these NGOs, well, those NGOs end up going back into, into a Democrat pocket. That's why the fraud, the fraud never gets rooted out. Because ultimately that money that goes into these organizations goes back to the pockets of Democrats. And I'll go as far as to say I think it goes back to the pockets of some Republicans as well. You Know, it reminds me that after the 2020 election when everyone wanted to find out with all the fraud in the election and let's root it out, let's either be the way we vote electronically, paper mail in ball, absentee balance, whatever the case may be, when you saw Republicans stand up and say, wait a minute, I don't think there's anything to see here. Let's move on. You guys are just an election denier. We lost. Get over it. Well, come to find out, a lot of those Republicans that did not stand up after the 2020 election quite in fact, were guilty themselves from benefiting from some of the fraud that was, that went on during that election cycle. And that is proof as well. So that always threw up a red flag. So I go back to the fraud situation in Minnesota. If there's any elected official that is not standing up and fighting back on this fraud and wanting to get to the bottom of it, wanting perhaps even legal terms on it, maybe someone needs to go to jail, which I think that needs to happen, then you have to find out and say why. Why aren't our elected officials, Republican or Democrats, screaming from the rooftop in that state to get hold people accountable? And until that happens, you know, I'm a fan of our attorney General Pam Bondi. I am. I think she has a lot on her plate as far as when she took over that, when she took over that position or assumed that position, I should say, in this term, there was so much to do from day one. So I think in a way I'm giving her a little bit of a pass to, to get down to this. But I think she will indeed get down to the bottom of all this fraud, because I know the American people are sick and tired of seeing stories every day about a fraud and abuse in our government. And not only that, but going to illegal immigrants and I guess immigrants to this country. I always said when this, when this story first broke, there had to be a reason why a group of people from the warmest part of the world, average temperature of 82 degrees, goes to a state with one of the coldest average temperatures in the wintertime just in the single digits. Why are they doing that? It does. Logistically, it doesn't make sense unless you follow the money. And that's exactly what they have done. We're going to find that happening in Maine as well. It's been described as a little Mogadishu, if you will, in Maine. We're going to find that's happening. When I find that's happening in North Texas in regards to the HB1 visa program that's been abused. We'll talk about all of that. But first, let's take a positive one. I love this company right here. Old Glory bank is expected to go public in just a few months. That's right. Old Glory bank expects to be listed on the Nasdaq. And that means that everyday Americans who love this country, that would be you watch this right now. Will be able to own stock in a bank that actually stands for the them, the freedom economy, the defi economy, traditional values. This is a win for all of us. Now, Old Old Glory bank offers everything you need, but more importantly, they are run by patriots who share your values. And that matters. Go to the website oldglorybank.com rav to learn more. That's oldglorybank.com rav rav for more on that. All right. Coming up, a generation damaged by pandemic schooling. Well, this is an alarming data that's out. And later, Senator Ron Johnson joins us as we edge closer, perhaps to a government shutdown. We'll keep it right here. But coming up next, we're talking Covid. We're talking school. We're talking what happened to our kids. That's all. America SUNRISE EARLY EDITION continues after the break. All right. Welcome back to AMERICA SUNRISE EARLY edition. That is looking at Manhattan from the New Jersey point of view. Different point of view, but hey, beautiful shot all together. All right. Welcome back. I am Brian Glenn. There's a new warning about this morning about Covid's long shadow. Educators say that a generation of students, the COVID court, is entering colleges with serious issues academically and socially. Joining us now is Daraja Dispontande. I probably mispronounce your name, and I certainly apologize for that. You're a poly analyst with the Independent Women's Forum. Nirja. Did pandemic schooling fail this generation? And and what has to change immediately? I think we were talking in the break and I was explaining that I felt like we went through a whole generation of kids, at least four years, if you will, that didn't quite get the level of education that they needed or that they should have gotten.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, I mean, absolutely. The, you know, looking at looking at where kids are and where they should be, it's obvious that Covid, you know, has really, really had a terrible impact. Not Covid, actually, it should be said, lockdowns and school closures. Right. And mandates that made normal impossible. So when you have mask mandates for years on end, when you have constant Booster mandates. And the boosters are kind of, you know, just questionable. Of questionable benefit to children at this point. They're not even recommended by the FDA for children. What's really happening is that, I mean, there's just no excuse using this. There's no way that. That Covid schooling has done these kids. Right.

[Brian Glenn]

Yeah. Okay. In terms of education, there's nothing like being in a classroom with the teacher getting that interaction and getting interaction with your. With your friends in school as well, like your classmates. How did that put us back in terms of the. The level of learning that we see in test scores continually to drop immediately after those Covid years?

[Podcast Host]

I mean, it's a lot of really basic things. Right. So if you consider how masks impact speech development, for instance. Right. The impact of masks on speech development is not going to be good. The impact of masks on socialization is not going to be good. So that's. Even after schools reopened, a lot of them did have mask mandates into. I'm from Massachusetts. We had mask mandates into 2022. So at my. I was in college at the time, and we had mask mandate, official mask mandates into the entire spring semester of 2022. That was common throughout the state. And then by 2023, we were technically unmasked, but it wasn't actual unmasking. So there was still a social impetus to mask. And so I think in blue states, what. What's really happened in particular is just a complete crash of socialization. There's really no. No one knows what to do anymore. And Covid is. I mean, really, really, we could have just prevented all of this. It's ridiculous to think, in retrospect, and it's ridiculous especially because, you know, a lot of red states actually did just return to normal, and their kids are doing a lot better than.

[Brian Glenn]

Than fits.

[Podcast Host]

And blue states.

[Brian Glenn]

You know, some would say that this was the. The largest gross overreaction of any type of problem in human history. But can you imagine the insanity that happened after Covid where you go to the grocery store and you couldn't walk down one aisle this way. You had to go around and walk down the aisle in a different direction. And the way we handle that to our kids is just a gross miscalculation of any problem. Would you agree with that?

[Podcast Host]

I mean, of course, Yeah. I mean, there's just. There's no way that the cost was worth. You know, we didn't get a benefit. We got. We just got costs. So we. And we're seeing these costs years on end. And ultimately, what's going to happen is, you know, that time, it's not like these kids are necessarily going to regain the competence that they would have gained. When you lose that learning time, when you lose that socialization time in those critical developmental years, it's not the case that you're going to necessarily catch up in less critical developmental years. You're just not, you're gonna have to figure it out. But that mark is always going to be there. The fact that you weren't socialized, that you didn't learn these really, really basic things in school is always going to be there. And so what that really means in terms of American society is, is very concerning. Right. Like there, there's, there's literally no way of, there, there's basically no way of knowing what, what the downstream impact is going to be. We just know that it's not going to be good. Right. There's no way that, that kids are really going to be able to recover that and they're going to turn into adults who didn't get those critical years.

[Brian Glenn]

Yeah. Well, I would imagine that translates into the job market. So hopefully these, these individuals can, well, they can get their life back and be responsible for productive, you know, employees of a company. That's what hopefully they all have a great future. Niraja, thank you for so much for joining us today. I appreciate it.

[Podcast Host]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Brian Glenn]

All right, coming up, more of America's Sunrise edition after the break. Stick around. 1, 2, 3, 4. All right. Welcome back. America Sunrise early edition. I am Brian Glenn and live look at New Orleans. Fun place to go especially as with, well, we get into more Mardi Gras season. It's a nice place to go. All right, before we get started, a quick word for one of our sponsors. I love these guys. I say it every time. Artillery Tea Company. That's the veteran owned patriotic tea brand delivering premium tea, whole leaf tea in these biodegradable sachets that brew twice as strong. Patriots, if you love great tea on your terms and check out the Patriots Brew Club for automatic shipments that you control. You can cancel, you can swap flavors anytime. No commitments. You'll just get free shipping as well on every order and tiered discounts up to 20% now in a free milestone rewards along the way. Now if that's not good enough, it's Bruce Strong. Stay patriotic. Head to artillerytco.com right now and click join Patriots Brew Club to get started. Love that. Something else I love. Well, a major federal bust is putting a spotlight on the Trump administration's crackdown on Trende Aragua and other foreign gangs. This Fox News headline says it Feds charge 87 individuals in massive ATM jackpotting operation linked to Trende Aragua. That's along the short of the permeation. 87 people charged in massive ATM jackpotting scheme Malware used to drain ATMs nationwide. Millions stolen. Federals proxies saying the money was used to fund other criminal operations like human sex trafficking of children, kidnapping and murder. Let's bring in Terence Bates, if I could real quickly, Terence, we'll talk about that. So, Terrence, does that make you think twice before you go to an atm?

[Terence Bates]

Well, I think twice either way, because as I always say, Brian, not only am I cheap, but I just like to call myself a fiscal conservative. And so I think, you know what, if it stays in the bank, at least maybe I can get a couple of pennies in interest as opposed to me pulling it out. But I think, Brian, the bigger picture here on this headline that you just read, and I'm glad you did, is that this Homeland Security task force that's leading the charge in making the arrest that you just laid out is really, I think, show and giving people an example of why President Trump's crackdown on illegal gangs and on illegal operations in this country in general, brought by people who aren't necessarily from here, are so important. Because think about it, most of us probably thought that an ATM was a pretty safe thing. But when you find out that Trinidad, this major Venezuelan gang is coming into this country and draining these ATMs of money and then using that money in order to, as you said, support these other sorts of crimes that include kidnapping and murder, murder and child sex trafficking. That's a headline. That's the sort of narrative, Brian, that really catches people's attention. And we've been talking, you and I, Brian, really, for the past several months, but this week and particularly following some of the events in Minneapolis, that it is a narrative battle and that the Trump administration has to find a way to explain to the American people why the sorts of things that they're seeing are happening. And this sort of headline, Brian, I think does it when you hear again that trend Aragua, this massive Venezuelan gang is draining ATMs, that in and of it itself gets your attention. But then when you also find out that that money is being funneled into other illegal operations, including murder and child sex trafficking, at that point, I think Americans say, okay, I get it.

[Brian Glenn]

Yeah, yeah, I think it's a messaging. If they just tell People why they're in these neighborhoods because they just think they're walk. Well, a lot of them, the narratives that they're just walking around, just rounding people up and of course, even shooting people is what they're kind of alluding to as well. Taris, take this next story about now we're going into some very kind of questionable language used by a media personality. Take this next one.

[Terence Bates]

No, absolutely. So look, you and I have seen it, Brian. Rhetoric comparing President Trump to Hitler. Unfortunately, it's continuing to escalate. Radio host Charlamagne the God predicts a demagification. I'm not even so sure I understand what that means, but I think contextually we have an idea. He also compares Trump supporters to Nazi ideology, suggesting that Trump allies could, could one day be prosecuted. In fact, here's a clip, Brian, that gives you a better perspective of what he's arguing.

[Brian Glenn]

The Nazis ultimately lost. Nazi ideology was outlawed through denazification. One day we will see the demagification of this country. It will come. And you know what else happened? Leaders of the Nazi regime were prosecuted and tried as war criminals.

[Terence Bates]

All right, Brian, hold your horses. I know you got plenty of plenty to say, but want to add some more context here. So look, this sort of rhetoric really goes along with Minnesota Governor Tim Walls comparing ICE enforcement to Nazi occupation. He, of course, even last week invoked Anne Frank, saying that children are hiding in their homes. And to kind of continue this story to flesh it out, Tom Holman now turning up the pressure in Minnesota. Homan was on the ground in Minneapolis yesterday as Operation Metro surge expands there. He's also suggesting a new database of anti ICE agitators that would include their names, their faces on identities. Homan going on to say that it should be broadcast so their employers know exactly who they are as they try to harass and stalk ICE agents. So, look, Ryan, bigger picture here. The question is, is this anti Trump rhetoric, of this rhetoric comparing President Trump, is it born of fear or is it meant to incite fear in the public?

[Brian Glenn]

I think it's meant to incite fear in the public. I really do. And I think Charlemagne the God. And I don't listen to the Breakfast Club. I know it's hugely successful, it's nationwide, so. And I think he may be on to something. And bear with me here for a second.

[Terence Bates]

Okay. I was about to reach through the screen and choke you, but I'm curious about your thoughts.

[Senator Ron Johnson]

Go ahead.

[Brian Glenn]

Well, what I'm saying is once, if and when Democrats do regain control, there is no doubt that they are going to take that DOJ and that FBI and they're going to go after every single maga, elected or unelected official that had anything to do with the last four years of this administration. They are going to go hardcore. You saw what they did for the January 6th. I think that looks like child's play. If they regain control, they will flip this thing on us. So. And that's a dangerous predicament for all of us to be in. Do they turn it against you and I because we talk about President Trump and we, we tend to, you know, maybe follow his, you know, his, his campaigns like I did. Am I going to be brought on trial for basically, you know, supporting or covering President Trump? So he brings up an interesting question. Yeah.

[Terence Bates]

So, Brian, I'm curious, is this really kind of a unique environment that we're in politically? I'm not so sure. And I'm asking you this question, so I don't want to guide you or lead you too much as I'm asking it. I'm not so sure I've ever seen an environment where the opposition has been so fervent and has gone to the lengths that it is right now relative to President Trump, even in comparing him to a Nazi and comparing the regime to Nazism. Have you seen this sort of environment? Do you remember this sort of environment?

[Brian Glenn]

No.

[Terence Bates]

No.

[Brian Glenn]

I don't see how we get it back, Terrence. I don't see how we come back to normalcy. I don't know how we do it because the two sides are so separate. And that's why I think, Terrence, our viewers and the American people are having fatigue on this stuff. It's conflict fatigue. It's chaos fatigue. It's violence fatigue. It's. We are so separated, and we're. We're fueled by the media, we're fueled by influencers online that want you to be outraged about everything. And that's a whole nother discussion. But, Terence, there's people that are paid to go on X and create chaos, create division. They want you mad at someone, and they want people mad at you, and they're mad at me. I don't know how it. I don't know how it comes back to a level that's that you would consider normal. I don't know how it happens.

[Terence Bates]

You know. You know what, Brian? And I hate to say this, I feel bad for saying this, but in my experience, the only sort of kind of. It's taken a natural disaster, some sort of major tragedy that always kind of rebalances the scale and brings us back, I think back to 9 11. Remember how unified we were, how in response to 911 and rebuilding the country and rebuilding kind of this patriotism, Americans came together. It didn't matter who you were, didn't matter where you came from. I couldn't care less about your politics. It was all about this country. It was all about regaining that sort of patriotism. And obviously, I don't wish this on our country, but unfortunately, in my experience, I tend to think that it takes some sort of massive tragedy, some sort of major event that gets us all focused on one thing and unity to kind of rebalance the scales. I hope it doesn't happen. I hope it doesn't take that. But I'm sorry, that's just my assessment. That's in my experience when I've seen us really kind of come back from times of division, bro Ryan on ter.

[Brian Glenn]

On that note, Terence, I agree with you. All right. Well, we certainly appreciate you coming in and doing these news headlines and we get to see you on the other side on the top of the hour. I appreciate it.

[Terence Bates]

Good to see you, Brian.

[Brian Glenn]

All right, man. As we go to break, Real America's music has partnered with Natasha Owens on the Somali Waltz. It's a satirical take on the Somali fraud story. We need your help to keep it climbing. Let's make it to number one. Download it on itunes. Take a listen.

[American Sunrise Announcer]

Minnesota's headlines are getting wild. Tim Walls and Ilhan Omar are being accused of massive fraud and it's so bad, all you can do is laugh at this point. So from Real America's music, the label that brought you the number one hit, anthem of the free, comes a brand new song from singer songwriter Natasha Owens, the Somali Waltz. Let's make the music industry mad and run this to number one. Scan the QR code or search the Somali Waltz on itunes and buy it right now. The Somali Waltz available everywhere.

[Brian Glenn]

And coming soon to a state near you.

[David Brody]

New name, same to the Somali Wall.

[American Sunrise Announcer]

Welcome to American Sunrise EARLY edition, the show where faith, freedom and the values that built this nation take center stage.

[Brian Glenn]

All right. Welcome back, America Sunrise EARLY edition. I am Brian Glenn. Thanks so much for joining us this morning. Now Washington is on the brink of a partial shutdown. Democrats threatening to block DHS funding as Republicans push an America first agenda. Ready to break the filibuster to force a vote on the important save act now that requires proof of citizenship to register to vote. Sounds like a no brainer. Joining us now is Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson. Senator, first of all welcome to the show. So what's at stake if this doesn't happen right now? Good morning.

[Senator Ron Johnson]

Well, I hate to tell you, break the news, but it won't happen because Democrats, they don't want election security. They want to make it easy to cheat. And so this is something, voter ID is something supported by poll after poll, 80% of the American public, because, you know, let's face it, people who vote legitimately don't want their legitimate vote canceled by an illegitimate vote. But Democrats don't have a problem with that, apparently. So again, it's unfortunate, you know, from my standpoint, I think we ought to be putting together a package of bills I would call something like Securing America. Secure our elections, secure our border, secure taxpayer money. Let's eliminate all the fraud in these programs. We're approaching $39 trillion in debt that we can't afford to be shoveling out billions and billions of dollars to fraudulent players here. So there are things we have to do. The Democrats simply won't join with us cooperatively to make sure that we can stamp out the fraud in both our elections as well as our welfare systems.

[Brian Glenn]

Senator, do you think that Biden's open border policy during his administration was meant to flood our nation with immigrants and then later perhaps convert them or encourage them to obviously vote Democrat? You think that was one of their, the kind of their end game there with that open border?

[Senator Ron Johnson]

I think that's always been the game plan. The Democrats going back to fdr, it's make more people dependent on government. They're the party, big government. And that gives them votes, that keeps them in power. For the Democrats, it's all about power. So this is just the latest example that is open up the borders, flood illegal immigrants into sanctuary cities and states where their numbers will plump up the census, they'll get more members of Congress. These people will be dependent on them. Take a look at Minnesota with the Somali population. They were probably a pretty solid voting bloc for Democrats. I think that's always been their game plan. It's worked marvelously well. We better stop it before it's too late.

[Brian Glenn]

Yeah, I know that there was a push to do a new census that would actually count American citizens only. And if that was to take place, then I guess there would be a reallocation of some states might lose some spots. If we just count American citizens, as far as how we draw congressional maps and how many, you know, representatives you get, I think that's in the House. Make America elections safe again. I think that's what it Is, but that's something. Do you support kind of a new census that we could do to find out exactly how many Americans we have here?

[Senator Ron Johnson]

Well, I think we'll have probably a constitutional issue with that. Our founders never envisioned a major political party flooding America with a bunch of illegal immigrants to pump up the census. So, again, that'll be a constitutional issue, as will birthright citizenship. I think it is insane that America is one of the very few of almost 200 nations on Earth that allows birthright citizenship that also is being taken advantage of by Chinese nationals, as well as folks from the Middle East. So it's a very dangerous situation. If you don't have secure borders, you really don't have a sovereign nation.

[Brian Glenn]

Okay, let's talk about the filibuster. I know that President Trump has called on the Senate numerous times to get rid of it. What are the pros on that? And perhaps devil's advocate, what is the cons on getting rid of the filibuster?

[Senator Ron Johnson]

Well, there's no doubt that the filibuster has prevented America from tilting to a socialist nation for decades. It's prevented a lot of really bad radical left legislation. But the problem is Democrats have now shown us their hand. They've purged the last two Democrat senators who voted against ending the filibuster. I think everyone currently serving in the Senate, Democrat senators, has vowed to end it. I can't imagine a Democrat candidate for the Senate not also vowing to end it. So they're going to end it. As soon as the Democrats have power, they will end it. So, you know, I reluctantly agree with President it's time for Republicans to do it before the Democrats do. And again, when we would do it, we would do it for the benefit of America, not for about. It wouldn't be about power for us. So if we would end the filibuster, we would pass something like the Secure America Act. You know, secure elections, secure our borders, secure taxpayer money. We'd be doing it to provide prosperity to Americans as opposed to just entrench us in power, which is what the Democrats will use it for. They will make states out of D.C. and Puerto Rico, probably assuring four more Democrat senators. They'll pack the Supreme Court. They'll probably allow automatic registration for elections, mail in balloting. It'd be, Katie, bar the door if Democrats do it again. We'll be schmucks if we don't do it before they do.

[Brian Glenn]

I agree, and I appreciate your commitment to doing that. And I think that President Trump has called so why. Why doesn't more Republicans feel the way you do, Senator?

[Senator Ron Johnson]

Because people do recognize. I mean, the filibuster has protected the rights of the minority in the Senate. It has blocked some pretty bad legislation. It's probably blocked some pretty good legislation. That's what's happening right now. So this is. It's not in the Constitution. I don't think there's a state in the Union possibly that has a similar type of system. So this isn't Sankrosanc. And right now, it's, I think, creating some huge roadblocks in terms of providing and allowing us to pass some legislation. For example, let's see if Democrats try and shut down the government over DHS funding. This is a mess they've created. Now they want to defund the very agency that's tasked with cleaning up their mess. So, again, we'll just see how this plays out. But let's face it, Republicans didn't want to change the rules with a mere 51 votes to get President Trump's nominees confirmed. But Democrats were so obstructionist, they were so obnoxious, that in the end, we had, I think, every Republican senator voted to. To change the rules. Senate to allow those nominees. Nominee. Nominees to be confirmed.

[Brian Glenn]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Let's turn our attention, if we could, to a state that's right next to you, Minnesota. The chaos that's on the street right now. Tom Holman, been sent by President Trump to kind straighten things out, perhaps lead a new direction. Your thoughts on what you're seeing nightly play out in Minnesota, on the streets in Minneapolis.

[Senator Ron Johnson]

I'm originally from Minnesota. I still have siblings who live there. They're astounded by what's happening in their state. This is just bad leadership, awful governance. You've got Democrats again, Governor Waltz, Mayor Fry, who have declared their state and city sanctuaries. They refused to cooperate with ice, you know, ICE and Border Patrol that they are operating really throughout the country, really fulfilling the mandate of President Trump, which was to secure the border and deport, you know, starting with the illegal criminals that have raped and murdered and trafficked drugs and humans, get those folks apprehended and deported. And in most states, in most cities that cooperate with ice, you really have no problems. I mean, we are cleaning up the streets. We are making these cities and states safer. But in Minnesota, we have the governor and the mayor incentivizing violence and obstruction of justice against federal law enforcement. And now it's resulted in two tragic deaths. But Democrats, they'll never even consider the tragic deaths like Lake and Riley and the many, many, many, many others who have been victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Don't look at that at all. They just focus on they were tragic deaths. I feel horrible for the families of the people that were killed. Didn't have to happen. It shouldn't have happened. And had it not been incentivized by Democrat leadership or some other radical left group that's organizing these protests, creating these martyrs, there wouldn't be these martyrs. They wouldn't have had those two deaths.

[Brian Glenn]

Let's turn our attention back to your state of Wisconsin. What are some of the biggest concerns that you're focusing on in that state in particular and also going into the midterms, what can you perhaps forecast for us of how the midterms might affect your state?

[Senator Ron Johnson]

Well, we're both an agricultural state, but we're a big manufacturing state. And as much as people in Wisconsin understand what President Trump is trying to do to level the playing field to make free trade fair trade, it's really hurting Wisconsin. We have different supply chain disruptions. People who manufacture goods in Wisconsin also export them or they're competing against folks that don't have these tariffs applied to goods. So it's very disruptive. So, again, the sooner President Trump can conclude these trade deals and bring some stability and certainty would be a big, big win for Wisconsin.

[Brian Glenn]

Yeah. Well, always talk about the, the good ones and the bad ones. And Senator, you're definitely one of the good ones. We appreciate your time on that. Thank you so much for joining us today.

[Senator Ron Johnson]

Have a great day.

[Brian Glenn]

Yes, sir.

[Senator Ron Johnson]

You, too.

[Brian Glenn]

All right. One of the final stress of American Sunrise Early Edition, you know, senators like Ron Johnson is what we need more of in the Senate that are willing to speak out. And course, getting rid of the filibuster is something President Trump has often said as soon as he took over the second term. We need to get rid of it and get these America First Trump agenda items pushed through and get them into law. We've got more of American Sunrise EARLY EDITION coming up after the break.

[Senator Ron Johnson]

Stick around.

[Brian Glenn]

All right. I love it. A live shot of Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, while we listen to this Caribbean queen. I can't remember the artist's name on that. Billy Ocean. That's it. All right. Welcome back, American sunrise. I'm Brian Glenn. On this EARLY Edition, I want to bring in my counterpart from a brother from another mother, David Brody coming in. You like that?

[David Brody]

That sounds like a complicated family tree, Brian.

[Brian Glenn]

Yeah, boy. If now can you imagine if our family tree crossed somewhere? It'd be. It'd be some maga. Be some America first people, wouldn't it?

[David Brody]

That's right.

[Brian Glenn]

All right, well, here we are once again talking about Minnesota and Ilhan Omar. My goodness, did you see that video last night at that little town hall meeting, I guess you could call it, where someone from the front row came up and charged her, Said a few things, she said a few things, and apparently he squirted some type of substance or sprayed some type of substance to order. What a crazy video.

[David Brody]

Yeah, I mean, they're saying it could be ammonium. I don't know. That's what people in the town hall were saying. That's what it smelled like. Who knows? Exactly. But obviously this type of stuff is insane and ridiculous. I mean, she just should not be happy. I mean, we have to do that disclaimer, right? I mean, it doesn't matter left or right. I mean, let's just stop the nonsense.

[Brian Glenn]

Right?

[David Brody]

That's for sure. I will say I like the I say. I shouldn't say I like. I don't know about I like, but you see Ilhan Omar right after the video, like, come on, you want a piece of me? And she's like ready to go full. Well, I better stop. There's a seven second delay here. Maybe not. She's about to. Yeah. Give a few punishments to that guy. I just thought that was kind of interesting. Like the inner, inner Ilhan Omar coming out there in the moment, which I thought was kind of interesting. Anyhow, bottom line is this type of stuff obviously shouldn't be happening, but you know what? Why are we here today? And a lot of people are gonna say, oh, it's Trump and they're escalating that. Time out. You know what? Not escalating in Alabama, it's not escalating. In Texas, it's not escalating. And just go down all the cities. Go down all the states where the sanctuary city policies aren't in effect. That's the common denominator. Brian.

[Brian Glenn]

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of Ilhan Omar at all, but I agree with you. I don't think anything like that has any place. But I was impressed that she's pretty aggressive. She didn't back down from this guy. And of course she had some security guards on the side, but I'll give her credit for getting mad and charging that guy. But, you know, there is no place for it. And in terms of what I agree with you. You don't see this in red states. You don't, you don't see this in the Deep south, people go into the streets right now protesting ICE raids and because we're not sanctuary cities. And so that kind of leads me to a bigger question, like, how do you think this. When does this end? When does David Brody and Brian Glenn stop talking about Minnesota?

[David Brody]

Well, first of all, David Brody and Brian Glenn will never stop talking in the third person. So let's be clear about that, because that would not be on brand if we didn't stop talking about ourselves. Well, at least I'll just speak for myself, not you, Brian. But having said that, look, I think ultimately this is gonna be a kind of a slow process. I mean, look at Jacob Fry yesterday, the Minneapolis mayor, who said, yeah, I spoke to Homan. We're not doing anything with him on local jails. We're not gonna give the local. You know, he's not coming into local jails to get the criminals, you know, so really, that's your starting position? Well, I guess I, to a degree, understand it from a bargaining position. But look, if this is how it's gonna go, then this is gonna be a very slow process. You know, I do think that Tim said some stuff about Homan yesterday. Basically, he dissed Kristi Noem and he dissed Bovino there. But he did say that Homan was trying to kind of de escalate and figure it out. So I think there'll be some sort of loose agreement, if you will, but it's gotta come with some sort of protected protest zone of some sort. In other words, if ICE is gonna go out and do their job, if CPB is gonna go out and do their job, you can't have these protesters coming up and just getting in the way and all that. First of all, it's not safe for them. But maybe they should take their own advice. The liberal Covid advice. Six feet away. How about 60ft away, 600ft away, stay away and let ICE do their job. Because I think that has to be part of the equation here, Brian, and the messaging.

[Brian Glenn]

We've talked about this before, David. They have to message on why they're in these neighborhoods going after a sexual predator, going after someone wanted for murder. It's got to be a reason, because these people think you're just rounding up their, you know, their community, people amongst their community. Hey, David, thank you always for your time. I appreciate. If you want more David Brody, you can just hang on about five minutes. You'll be on the other side of the break. Thank you, David.

[David Brody]

Oh, gosh, that's scary.

[Brian Glenn]

All right. Thank you so much for joining us on this special edition of America Sunrise early edition all. You can always follow me on social media at Brian Glenn tv. Until next time. Goodbye. God bless. We'll see you. Have a great day.

[Podcast Host]

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