Ruthless Podcast, January 9, 2026

Episode: How the Left Creates Fake Narratives - ICE Shooting
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug ("Smug"), Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook

Overview

In this episode, the Ruthless crew dives into how, in their view, the left and mainstream media manufacture and amplify fake narratives around contentious current events, focusing on the ICE-involved shooting in Minnesota. The hosts blend their signature satirical banter with pointed conservative commentary, examining media framing, Democratic messaging, protest organizing, and the alleged corruption behind recent scandals. The discussion emphasizes the ways in which narratives are constructed and weaponized—according to the hosts—to distract from Democratic failures and misconduct.

Key Themes & Segments

1. The Anatomy of a "Fake Narrative"

[00:00–00:12, 10:26–12:20]

• The episode opens by challenging what the hosts claim are longstanding, misleading narratives from the left, such as "hands up, don't shoot," which Josh Holmes and Michael Duncan claim "wasn't true."
• The hosts argue that left-wing activism and outrage are often built on foundational falsehoods, which then spiral into mass protests and political action.
• Josh Holmes [00:12]: "They are entirely castigated under the rubric that the left has now created, which begins with a lie."

2. The ICE Shooting Incident: Distorted by the Left?

[03:00–06:00, 09:19–10:26, 37:38–43:51]

• The team plays and discusses protest footage following an ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis. They critique descriptions of the protester as a "legal observer," lampooning the term’s elasticity.
• They describe the viral tweet about the shooting as intentionally misleading and accuse liberal activists of fueling outrage ("no one is illegal on stolen land") divorced from the actual issues at hand.
• Josh Holmes [10:26]: "Look at the terror in this man’s face... Enough is enough. Our government is committing war crimes abroad and murdering, terrorizing and terrorizing citizens at home. We need a revolution." [Reading viral tweet]

3. Media, Social Media, and Foreign Influence

[12:20–16:46, 26:23–29:20]

• Discussion of how protest footage and news clips are edited and spread on X (formerly Twitter), with the hosts highlighting foreign-based accounts (e.g., in Romania and China) as key spreaders of inflammatory content.
• They connect funding and organizational support for protests and left-wing social movements to international adversaries eager to sow discord.
• Michael Duncan [16:20]: "Why the hell is someone in Romania trying to get a bunch of Americans mad at each other?"

4. Protest Organization: Paid, Coordinated, and Transactional?

[21:16–22:58]

• The hosts point to reporting that protest organizers in Minneapolis used explicit goal times and AFL-CIO coordination, suggesting such events are staged and transactional rather than organic.
• Michael Duncan [21:56]: "They're on the clock."
• John Ashbrook [22:54]: "Very transactional when it comes to cash and carry government."

5. Minnesota Daycare Fraud Scandal

[07:31–09:19, 31:38–35:56, 52:15–56:11]

• Explores massive allegations of fraud involving daycare and healthcare funds in Minnesota, blaming state-level Democratic governance for oversight failures.
• The hosts single out high-profile Democrats (Gov. Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar) as uniquely entangled with both the governmental failures and the protests.
• Michael Duncan [35:30]: "Let in illegals, pay them, get the votes, rinse, repeat, do it over and over and over until we control this country coast to coast."

6. The Concept of the “Legal Observer”

[32:09–36:13]

• Mockery of Democratic and media descriptions of the shooting victim as a "legal observer."
• Josh Holmes [34:26]: "They make it seem like there’s an official rule, like you’re a UN peacekeeper...there’s no fucking legal."
• The hosts ridicule the perversion of language, tying it to a broader theme of left-wing narrative manipulation.

7. Bodycams, Policing, and Misinformation

[11:45–12:18]

• Argues that the left’s emphasis on police bodycams, intended to expose misconduct, has instead undermined anti-cop narratives.
• Michael Duncan [11:45]: "Turns out the cops are doing a great job...Turns out maybe that was all just made up."

8. Political Messaging: From Chuck Schumer to Ilhan Omar

[37:38–48:55]

• Clips and critique of statements by Democratic leaders (e.g., Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Ilhan Omar), with the hosts arguing these politicians actively mislead about ICE’s purpose, the nature of the protests, and the criminal elements involved.
• Josh Holmes [43:52]: "We have seen them terrorize so many citizens...that has tragically led to this murder that we watched on TV."

9. “Blood for Attention”: The Radicalization of Democratic Activists?

[49:40–51:39]

• A CNN clip reveals some Democratic voters urging party leaders to "be more willing to go out there and get shot" to focus the public’s attention.
• The Ruthless crew points out the media’s nonchalance in presenting these statements.
• John Ashbrook [50:54]: "We sort of just hand wave past the fact that your base is actually psychotic. So are you delivering what the base would like, sir?"

10. Debate on Immigration, Welfare Use, and Minnesota’s “Somali Problem”

[69:38–74:19]

• Discusses Brandon Gill’s Congressional questioning about rates of welfare use among Somali immigrant households, making the case that mass immigration has weakened, not strengthened, Minnesota.
• Brandon Gill [70:01]: "What percentage of Somali-headed households in Minnesota are on welfare in general? ... It’s 81%."
• The hosts argue that the Democratic Political Machine depends on immigrant welfare dependency as a "welfare industrial complex.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Michael Duncan [00:47] (on “hands up, don’t shoot”): "They've been doing this forever. Remember, hands up, don't shoot...Wasn't true."
• Josh Holmes [07:31]: "Democrats want to make it seem like this is some kind of extra judicial squad of Trump enforcement...Not at all like what they said very clearly why they were there."
• Michael Duncan [16:46]: "It is disheartening if, again, you're a well adjusted human being to look at your TV screen and see 'rise up, take a stand'...you're like, what the hell are we talking about here?"
• Josh Holmes [34:50] (on “legal observer”): "There's no fucking legal. She was a poet."
• Josh Holmes [43:51] (on ICE’s mandate): "ICE...is an agency...created post 911 for interior enforcement...have laws on the books that have been there for decades."
• Michael Duncan [47:17] (on Ilhan Omar): "Those are the people that Ilhan Omar is protecting. She doesn't care about Americans."
• Josh Holmes [50:00] (on “blood for attention”): "There needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and public."
• John Ashbrook [51:31]: "All of a sudden, they're like, the Democratic base...is like, no, we want you to kill people."
• Brandon Gill [69:38] (on MN welfare rates): "What percentage of Somali-headed households in Minnesota are on welfare? ... It’s 81%."

Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–00:12 | Opening: “Fake Narrative” framing; “hands up, don't shoot” | | 03:00–06:00 | The ICE shooting video and protest coverage | | 07:31–09:19 | Explaining the Minnesota fraud as root cause for ICE action | | 10:26–12:20 | Media narratives and viral tweets amplifying false stories | | 12:20–16:46 | Foreign actors & social media manipulation | | 21:16–22:58 | Paid protest organizing exposed, AFL-CIO involvement | | 31:38–36:13 | The “legal observer” talking point debunked | | 37:38–43:51 | Democratic politicians’ media appearances & ICE criticism | | 43:52–48:55 | Ilhan Omar, legal context, and Democratic grift | | 49:40–51:39 | CNN’s base “willing to get shot” discussion | | 69:38–74:19 | Brandon Gill segment: Somali community questions and stats |

Tone and Style

The Ruthless crew is relentlessly sarcastic and combative, with a tone alternating between comic mockery (“kids that come out all fucked up” from the “leering center” [21:16]), populist frustration, and righteous outrage. Language is informal, sharp-edged, and peppered with expletives when host emotions run high.

Concluding Points

• The hosts consistently argue that the left’s misinformation and narrative management is coordinated, sometimes foreign-funded, and increasingly dangerous.
• They frame current protest activity as both grift-driven and a cover for systemic Democratic corruption.
• The episode ends by soliciting listeners’ answers to “What is the most absurd fake narrative Democrats have ever come up with?” re-emphasizing their deep skepticism of left-of-center media, governance, and activism.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a combative, sardonic critique of left-wing narratives, presented with both current examples (ICE shooting, Minnesota fraud) and perennial grievances against the Democratic Party and mainstream media. The Ruthless hosts aim to entertain and arm their audience with skepticism toward progressive messaging and the actors (organizers, politicians, media) who disseminate it.

Key Takeaways:

• According to the hosts, many leftist protest movements and media stories are organized around foundational untruths.
• Allegations of fraud in public programs are routinely deflected by shifting the narrative to law enforcement abuse and immigration activism.
• The Ruthless crew characterizes the left’s information environment as both insular (“cooked brains”) and vulnerable to manipulation by foreign interests.
• They encourage mockery over engagement with the left, seeing debate as futile given what they consider habitual dishonesty.