American Sunrise Early Edition – September 9, 2025

Podcast: Real America’s Voice (iHeartPodcasts)
Host: Jake Novak
Main Guests: Congressman Randy Fine, Emily Finn, Sierra Claire, David Brody
Theme: Unfiltered news and analysis on current events, politics, immigration, crime, capitalism, redistricting, and media bias through a conservative lens.

Episode Overview

On this edition of American Sunrise Early Edition, host Jake Novak dives into the major headlines and undercurrents shaping America’s political landscape. The episode features in-depth discussions on ICE’s expanding operations (Operation Midway Blitz), high-profile crimes with alleged immigration connections, debates over capitalism vs. socialism among young Americans, California’s controversial redistricting, workplace immigration scandals, and efforts to reform mainstream media bias at CBS. Throughout, Novak and his guests emphasize themes of law and order, American values, and skepticism toward progressive policies.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Operation Midway Blitz: ICE Takes Action in Chicago

[01:06–04:00]

• ICE launches "Operation Midway Blitz" targeting illegal immigrants in Chicago. The city is discussed as a potential site for National Guard intervention due to ongoing crime.
• Novak frames the ICE operation as broadly popular among “real people,” despite opposition from local leaders and mainstream polls.
• Quote:
  “I haven't seen too much pushback from real people about ICE going after illegal aliens anywhere.” — Jake Novak [03:54]

Guest: Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL)

[04:00–04:32]

• Asserts that illegal immigrants are a “huge drain on our economy,” claiming they don’t pay taxes and overburden schools and hospitals.
• Quote:
  “They're a massive trillion dollar drain... Americans realize that. They want to round them up and get them out.” — Rep. Randy Fine [04:05]

2. Crime, Justice, and Judicial Accountability

[04:32–09:12]

• Jake Novak discusses the murder of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, NC, emphasizing the alleged failings of the justice system—specifically, judges repeatedly releasing violent offenders.
• Rep. Fine is championing a bill to hold judges accountable when they repeatedly release violent criminals.
• Both Novak and Fine criticize North Carolina Governor Josh Stein for blaming lack of police resources, insisting the “real problem” is lenient prosecutors and judges.
• Notable Exchange:
  • Fine likens judge irresponsibility to bartenders held liable for over-serving.
    Quote: “Judges should be no different. When judges knowingly release incredibly violent criminals onto the streets... the judge should be held accountable.” — Rep. Fine [05:44]
  • Novak: “Going soft on crime is actually a declaration of war, mostly on the poor.” [08:13]

3. Israeli Security and the Value of Armed Civilians

[09:12–09:58]

• Discussion of a deadly terror attack in Jerusalem, in which a civilian with a firearm (a yeshiva student) stopped further bloodshed.
• Fine emphasizes the axiom: “the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
• Quote:
  “Law enforcement... can show up in two or three or four or five minutes... a lot of death can happen. People need to protect themselves.” — Rep. Fine [09:30]

4. Workplace Immigration Scandal: Hyundai Plant in Georgia

[09:58–13:39]

• ICE raids a Hyundai plant, finds hundreds of illegal immigrant workers from South Korea; they’re allowed to return to South Korea without prosecution.
• Fine is critical of both the company for violating their promises to hire Americans and the incentives given by the state.
• Both host and guest condemn poor working/living conditions for illegal immigrant labor and criticize the narrative that supporting illegal immigrants is “compassionate.”
• Quote:
  “The compassionate thing is to discourage folks from doing this, not to reward it.” — Jake Novak [12:35]
  “They're bringing them in because they can pay them less, because they can treat them badly, and... they can't complain.” — Rep. Fine [13:02]

5. Capitalism vs. Socialism: Youth Attitudes Shift

[15:27–20:31]

• New Gallup poll: Only 54% of Americans now prefer capitalism; numbers even lower among young people.
• Segment features a deleted scene from The Godfather Part II — “Contempt for money is just another trick of the rich to keep the poor without it.”
• Emily Finn (RAV contributor) asserts that support for socialism among art majors/graduates is linked to lack of marketable skills.
• Jake Novak claims that socialism perpetuates poverty, whereas “capitalism is the greatest anti-poverty program in the history of the world.”
• Discussion of how left-wing politicians touting socialism tend to be wealthier themselves.
• Quote:
  “Capitalism with law and order... anti-crime efforts along with the capitalist system are the best thing that can ever happen to our poor communities.” — Jake Novak [18:10]
  “Certainly the teachers in the schools today, Jake, are not teaching the right things. This is something that you're gonna have to learn for yourself in the real world.” — Emily Finn [19:51]

6. California Politics: Newsom’s “Revenge Redistricting” and Property Rights

[33:47–45:03]

Guest: Sierra Claire (Editorial Columnist, Professor)

• Newsom attempts to redraw districts to further disenfranchise Republicans; attendees at GOP convention in CA rally around the issue.
• Claire: Republican voters risk losing fair representation—“California is the battleground.”
• Debate over a proposal to take farmland and give it to minorities; guests call it a violation of property rights and impractical for agriculture.
• Discussion of ICE raids in California, recent Supreme Court win for Trump admin allowing “roving raids,” and lingering impacts of illegal immigration and voting.
• Talk of the Biden “auto pen pardon” scandal—pardoning violent offenders using questionable methods.
• Quote:
  “These maps being put forth by Gavin Newsom are so ridiculously drawn... it disenfranchises the voters, and all voters.” — Sierra Claire [38:29]
  “This was intentional lying to the American people.” — Sierra Claire [44:42]

7. Media Bias and CBS: Can an Ombudsman Fix Legacy News?

[46:23–50:34]

Guest: David Brody (RAV Senior Political Analyst)

• CBS parent Skydance hires a conservative ombudsman; talks of recruiting Bari Weiss, known for criticizing the New York Times from within.
• Novak and Brody opine that appointing a lone ombudsman is “smoke and mirrors,” not real reform—“just a money-making opportunity if they actually make CBS centrist and factual.”
• Brody notes that Weiss is still a liberal, not a conservative, so her hiring will not balance coverage as some claim.
• Both criticize mainstream media for deliberately misleading headlines (ex: “ICE launches Operation Midway targeting immigrants [not ‘illegal’ immigrants]”—The Washington Post).
• Quotes:
  “Until they get rid of some of the key core people and do a complete makeover, this is just smoke and mirrors.” — David Brody [48:56]
  “We know it’s illegal immigrants. They know it’s illegal immigrants. They’re lying to us, and they know we know they’re lying to us.” — Jake Novak [49:24]

Other Noteworthy Covered Topics

• Florida’s new tax holiday on firearms/ammunition through end of 2025 [23:03–24:30]
• StubHub’s $9.2B IPO and the business of ticket brokerage [24:50–25:55]
• U.S. auto industry updates: Japanese pickup trucks (built in U.S.) being sold in Japan, Stellantis executive shakeup, Ford’s off-road EVs, Chinese flying car prototypes [26:00–32:40]

Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• On ICE’s popularity: “Regular Americans get it. They get the problem and they want it solved. And President Trump is doing that.” — Rep. Fine [04:23]
• On the criminal justice revolving door: “We don’t have that many terribly violent criminals in America, but if we don’t jail them, there might as well be a million.” — Jake Novak [04:54]
• On arming civilians: “The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun... People need to protect themselves.” — Rep. Fine [09:35]
• On socialism’s appeal among the young: “If you’re gonna go to college for an art degree...you’re of course gonna be the type of person that supports socialism because you need other people to support you.” — Emily Finn [17:22]
• On Newsom’s redistricting: “California is the battleground. There are Republicans, there are 5.7 million Republicans in California. It’s not a lost state.” — Sierra Claire [36:36]
• On legacy media ‘reforms’: “CBS could potentially be that true centrist network, but until they get rid of the key core people and do a complete makeover, this is just smoke and mirrors.” — David Brody [48:56]

Segment Timestamps

• Operation Midway Blitz & ICE in Chicago — [01:06–04:32]
• Justice, Crime, and “Revolving Door” Judges — [04:32–09:12]
• Terror Attack in Jerusalem & Second Amendment Advocacy — [09:12–09:58]
• Hyundai Plant Immigration Raid — [09:58–13:39]
• Capitalism vs. Socialism: Gallup Poll & Cultural Trends — [15:27–20:31]
• California Redistricting Fight & Property Rights — [33:47–45:03]
• CBS Media Bias & Bari Weiss/Skydance — [46:23–50:34]

Episode Tone & Style

• The discussion is fast-paced, combative, often sardonic, with a clear conservative perspective.
• Frequent jabs at Democrats, progressive prosecutors, the mainstream media, and “soft on crime” policies.
• Eschews “panic” and “meltdowns,” but leans into passionate advocacy for law and order, free-market economics, and “American values.”

Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a sweeping, unapologetically conservative commentary on America’s political battlegrounds—from immigration and criminal justice reform to economic debates and the culture war. Through interviews and analysis, Novak and his guests cast their arguments as not just policy disagreements but as existential struggles over the country’s foundational values, calling their audience to “stay informed, engaged, and inspired.”