Podcast Summary: The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Episode: 'The truth matters here': Minneapolis mayor rejects Trump narrative on deadly ICE shooting
Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Jen Psaki, MS NOW

Episode Overview

This episode tackles two headline stories: the deadly ICE shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Goode amid a federal surge of immigration enforcement, and the broader destabilizing actions of the Trump administration at home and abroad, including aggressive escalations in Venezuela. Jen Psaki anchors a series of interviews and analyses that focus on the reality behind official White House narratives, speaking with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and former White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The major thread throughout: resisting misinformation and upholding the factual record.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Minneapolis ICE Shooting: Facts vs. Trump Administration Narrative

Setting the Scene

• Jen Psaki opens with a stark description of the deadly shooting of Renee Nicole Goode by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, noting the timing (less than 24 hours after Trump's administration surged more federal agents into the city) and the disturbing parallels to past violence in Minneapolis, including the murder of George Floyd eight blocks away ([00:43-05:30]).
• Eyewitness accounts detail how the event began with an ICE vehicle stuck in a snowbank, citizen whistle-blowers warning the neighborhood, and a confrontation rapidly escalating to deadly violence, all captured from multiple angles due to citizen vigilance ([05:30-06:30]).

The Administration's Response

• Trump administration officials (DHS spokesperson Trisha McLaughlin and Secretary Kristi Noem) immediately frame the incident as an act of "domestic terrorism," claiming Goode attempted to kill ICE officers with her car and justifying the shooting as self-defense ([07:46-08:18]).
• President Trump echoes this with claims that the victim "violently, willfully and viciously" ran over an ICE agent, labeling her a dangerous agitator, despite video evidence casting doubt on these assertions ([08:18]).

Local & Family Response

• The victim's mother calls these claims "so stupid," suggesting that her daughter was "probably just terrified" ([08:18]).
• Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey forcefully rejects the federal narrative, calling it "bullshit" and demanding: "ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis." ([09:41])

2. Interview: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey

Timestamps: [10:21–22:30]

Community Resilience and Fear

• "Minneapolis has been through so much... but we are tough, we are strong, we are resilient... When somebody comes for one of us, they’re coming for all of us." — Jacob Frey ([10:55])
• Frey describes the surge of ICE agents as "terrorizing," not protective, and insists the community will not react in ways that provide an "excuse" for further crackdowns ([10:55–12:16]).

On Protests and Warnings

• Large, peaceful protests are underway, with local organizers pushing the message: "Don’t take the bait." Frey notes that local advocacy has long warned that such violence was likely given current federal practices ([12:34]).
• He condemns ICE's conduct as unconstitutional and discriminatory: "Dragging pregnant women through the street and then detaining people simply because they look Somali or look Latino." ([13:45])

On Video Evidence and the Truth

• "The truth matters here." — Jacob Frey ([15:18])
• Frey re-emphasizes that the "domestic terrorism" accusation is "garbage," and the video makes clear that the agent acted with reckless power.

Justice, Safety, and Accountability

• Frey calls for support of the Goode family and broader immigrant community, reiterating that ICE’s presence is about "terrorizing people," not safety, and distinguishing this action from legitimate crime prevention ([17:59]).
• On the investigation, Frey places confidence in local and state law enforcement to be "fair and righteous," but expresses distrust toward federal oversight under the Trump administration ([20:40]).
  • "You know who I don't trust? These ICE agents...with black vests, that are unmarked, that aren't taking responsibility for their own actions." ([21:13])

3. Interview: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer

Timestamps: [24:23–34:54]

On the Shooting and Federal Oversight

• Schumer reacts viscerally to the video: "You feel like a punch in the stomach. What the hell is going on here?" ([24:49])
  • "We should not have ICE agents patrolling our streets. They're not needed. They create chaos and they even create deaths...They don’t belong in our cities, plain and simple." ([25:00])
• Schumer flatly states he does not trust the FBI under Trump to oversee the investigation impartially: "No one has any faith in them. No one has any trust in them." ([25:51])

Democratic Strategy on DHS Budget & ICE Reform

• Responding to Sen. Chris Murphy's call to withhold DHS funding unless it restrains ICE lawlessness: "That will be one of the issues that will really be discussed." ([27:08])
• Schumer personally supports restrictions on ICE and underscores the gravity of the situation.

On Venezuela: Escalation and Endless War

• Schumer describes classified briefings as "extremely unsatisfying and unnerving," revealing that the administration has "no plan" for post-coup Venezuela—merely having "taken out Maduro" without a roadmap ([28:37]).
  • "I think we’re on the steps to an endless war. Trump campaigned, Jen, against endless war in Iraq. And now he is...heading full steam ahead into it." ([29:22])
• He predicts mounting public and even Republican outrage at Trump’s foreign policy: "As Americans are learning about this...the outrage...is going to grow and grow." ([30:57])

Legislative Hopes and Public Sentiment

• On the fight against Trump’s agenda: "Public sentiment is everything...the public is seeing more and more how bad Trump is for them, how he lied to them, how he betrayed them. And I think that is going to mount and help us win some more fights in 2026 elections." ([34:07])

4. Fact-checking the White House: Jen Psaki's Press Briefing Segment

Timestamps: [36:54–41:35]

• Psaki recaps the administration's rapid spread of misinformation about the Minneapolis shooting, maintaining that "multiple videos and multiple eyewitness accounts" flatly contradict DHS claims that Goode was a domestic terrorist ([36:54]).
• She fields simulated press briefing questions:
  • On Greenland: Trump is openly not ruling out military seizure, possibly as a distraction or to serve Vladimir Putin’s interests ([37:51]).
  • On NATO: Trump’s antagonism toward NATO has "skyrocketed" and is overt ([38:31]).
  • On Venezuela: The administration is supporting a state of emergency in Venezuela with sweeping repression, more concerned about oil than human rights: "Trump clearly cares more about keeping oil and power than the well-being and freedom of the Venezuelan people." ([39:21])

5. Interview: Jake Sullivan, Fmr. National Security Adviser

Timestamps: [41:35–45:32]

On Venezuela: Oil and Military Intervention

• Sullivan summarizes the takeaway: "The United States bombed another country to replace one dictator with another dictator so that that new dictator would allow multinational corporations to...extract oil." ([41:35])
  • Notes that U.S. oil companies aren't keen to drill in Venezuela, so Trump is planning to pay them with taxpayer money—"the exact opposite of America first."
• Questions the logic of U.S. military occupation or control-by-proxy as it relates to American interests: "For a president who has said he cares about the American people first and foremost, I do not see how a decision to, quote, run Venezuela as opposed to run America is really going to serve this country well." ([45:24])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jacob Frey, on ICE and the truth:

  • "Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bullshit. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying...ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis." ([09:41])
  • "The truth matters here." ([15:18])

• Chuck Schumer, on ICE and trust in institutions:

  • "We should not have ICE agents patrolling our streets...They don’t belong in our cities, plain and simple." ([25:00])
  • "Trump has changed the FBI and many of our other judicial agencies into attack dogs for him. No one has any faith in them. No one has any trust in them." ([25:51])

• Jen Psaki, on Trump administration lies about the shooting:

  • "We were reminded today that even in the face of tragedy, the Trump administration will lie like they breathe." ([36:54])

• Jake Sullivan, realpolitik on Venezuela:

  • "...an act of aggression against another country for purposes of trying to seize their oil, to absolutely no tangible benefit to the people of the United States." ([41:35])

Important Segment Timestamps

• ICE shooting context and video breakdown: [00:43–08:18]
• Mayor Jacob Frey’s statements/interview: [09:41–22:30]
• Chuck Schumer interview: [24:23–34:54]
• Psaki’s fact-check press briefing: [36:54–41:35]
• Jake Sullivan interview: [41:35–45:32]

Tone & Language

The episode is marked by Jen Psaki’s urgent, direct tone and her guests’ emotional, candid responses. Expletives are used (and left unedited) by Mayor Frey as an expression of outrage and frustration. The dialogue reflects a city and political establishment confronting federal actions they describe as destabilizing, unconstitutional, and dishonest.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode provides a comprehensive, unvarnished account of the deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis, including context, conflicting narratives, and the passionate, unfiltered responses of local leaders and national Democrats. It also exposes the Trump administration’s pattern of false public statements and contrasts that with the evidence at hand, while tying threads between domestic repression and foreign adventurism. The interviews highlight the atmosphere of mistrust, grief, and resistance in Minneapolis, and the broader concern over America’s democratic norms and international standing.

Listeners come away informed on the facts, armed with insights from the ground, and tuned to the high-stakes debate about justice, truth, and accountability in a moment of national crisis.