Joaquin Castro visits five year old, Liam Conejo Ramos in ICE detention, and writer Don Winslow on America's slide into authoritarianism

Summary

The Jim Acosta Show — Episode Summary

Episode Title: Joaquin Castro visits five year old, Liam Conejo Ramos in ICE detention, and writer Don Winslow on America's slide into authoritarianism
Date: January 29, 2026
Host: Jim Acosta
Guests: Rep. Joaquin Castro (Texas), Author Don Winslow

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Overview

This episode confronts the grim realities of the Trump administration’s renewed mass deportation initiatives, focusing on the detention of children like five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos. Jim Acosta speaks with Congressman Joaquin Castro, who recently visited Liam in ICE detention, and then pivots to a discussion with author Don Winslow about the pervasive rise of authoritarianism in America, centering on the Trump administration's punitive actions and election interference. The episode is urgent, outraged, hopeful—and unwavering in its message: Hold on to truth and hope, and fight for democracy.

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Segment 1: Congressman Joaquin Castro on Liam Ramos and ICE Detention

Timestamps: 00:06 – 15:53

Liam’s Story and Conditions in Detention

• Acosta opens by highlighting the tragic story of Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old arrested in Minnesota and detained in a Texas ICE facility.
• Rep. Joaquin Castro describes his visit:
  • Sat in a makeshift courtroom with Liam and his father, also joined by Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
  • Expresses deep concern for Liam's well-being, describing him as depressed, not eating, often asking about his mother and school, and missing his hat and backpack.
  • States:

    "I’m very concerned about his well being. I didn’t think he looked well… It’s just a tragedy all around and he needs to be released immediately." (01:00)

• Castro notes that other children, including a two-month-old, are detained and exhibiting signs of trauma. Parents are equally traumatized.

Policy Failures and Expansion of Detention

• Castro points out the family used the "proper" legal pathway (CBP1 app) and were admitted into the U.S. before being swept up in mass deportation efforts:

  "This was a family that had come the right way… And then Donald Trump goes in there with his mass deportation dragnet…and dumps him in the middle of rural Texas." (02:42)

• There is an expansion of detention centers planned nationwide despite local opposition.

Conditions in ICE Facilities

• Acosta:

  "It’s a jail. Little Liam is in jail, these other kids are in jail. What is going on in this country…?" (03:44)

• Castro:
  • Asserts no one at Dilley facility is a criminal, confirmed by ICE officials themselves.
  • Describes the medical unit as empty despite numerous health complaints from detainees.
  • ICE/ DHS are accused of "operating behind closed doors" and not taking medical concerns seriously.

Constitutional Rights, Accountability & Protest

• Worries about the erosion of First and Second Amendment rights:

  "They don’t want to respect Americans’ fundamental and constitutional rights, the First Amendment…[and are] even going after the Second Amendment." (05:56)

• On lack of government accountability, Castro encourages documentation for future legal action and prosecution, both federally and at the state level.

The Political Context

• Criticism of Trump administration removing officials (Greg Bovino, replaced by Tom Homan) after controversial killings (e.g., Alex Preddy), but without admitting fault.
• Worries about the chilling effect on protest and the dangerous expansion of state power.
• Growing secrecy from DHS/ICE makes Congressional oversight difficult.

Notable Quote

• Castro (regarding Stephen Miller):

  "If he’s going to be the architect of this kind of vicious and brutal system, then he ought to go into the Dilley Detention Center and sit down face to face with those kids and tell them why he believes they belong there…" (11:50)

Voting, Surveillance, and Election Integrity

• Discussion briefly touches on the federal government’s direct involvement in state-level election infrastructure, including a recent FBI raid in Fulton County, Georgia, and growing concerns over the impartiality and security of upcoming midterms.

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Segment 2: Don Winslow on Authoritarianism and Truth in America

Timestamps: 15:53 – 28:49

Motivation and Historical Context

• Don Winslow explains his activism is motivated by the last decade of democratic erosion:

  "This is a man who launched an insurrection, an armed insurrection against the legitimately elected government of this country January 6th...I have not forgotten about that." (17:26)

The ‘Big Lie’ and Authoritarianism

• The recent FBI raid on Fulton County’s election office, with DNI Tulsi Gabbard present, signals the normalization of authoritarian tactics:

  "Having Tulsi Gabbard and intelligence in the same sentence is a bit difficult, isn’t it? But listen, it’s all part of the Big Lie. And the Big Lie is the classic authoritarian technique to control population..." (18:53)

• Acosta frames it as an existential threat in the critical run-up to midterms.

Suppression of Free Speech

• Winslow canceled his book tour due to credible death threats, illustrating direct attempts to silence government critics.
• Parallels drawn between present-day U.S. and footage from cartel-ruled Juarez, Mexico:

  "Masked men shooting people down in the streets. That’s not America. That’s not the America I think that you and I grew up in..." (22:53)

Messaging and Memory

• Both lament Americans’ "short memory" regarding recent political violence and suppression.
• Winslow’s new video campaign aims for bipartisan remembrance and unity, recalling post-9/11 solidarity:

  "We did come together after 9/11. We’ve come together…after so many historical events...particularly young people don’t have a sense of that. We’re not really teaching it anymore and…it’s a message that needs to get out there." (22:06)

Imperatives for Action

• Acosta and Winslow agree that combating authoritarianism and defending democracy requires cross-partisan action.
• Winslow calls out lack of Republican backbone, contrasting today’s party to that of John McCain and Ronald Reagan:

  "We need more Republicans to stand up. So far, this has been a collective of invertebrates, you know, and we need to see far more spine in Congress from both sides of the aisle." (26:49)

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Final Segment: Acosta’s Closing Commentary

Timestamps: 28:52 – End

The Stakes for Democracy

• Acosta returns to the FBI raid in Georgia, denouncing the normalization of intelligence agencies’ direct involvement in election operations under Trump's orders.
• Emphasizes the danger:

  "The only world in which this is normal is in an authoritarian regime...It isn’t normal. It isn’t how we do things in this country. This is not America. It is Donald Trump’s America." (29:56)

• Urges vigilance for the upcoming midterms:

  "If Tulsi fucking Gabbard can show up at the front door at any given moment, when Cash Patel can send in his fucking goons…because Donald Trump, the mad king, is still obsessed over an election he lost six fucking years ago? In what world is that normal?" (31:51)

Call to Action

• Warns that loss of free and fair elections signals loss of American democracy:

  "If we are not allowed to...hold free and fair elections in this country, then we are lost." (32:54)

• Reiterates imperative for every American, not just "pro-democracy forces," to act—Republicans, Democrats, independents alike.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Castro on ICE’s brutality:

  "You shouldn’t be able to be the architect of this kind of viciousness without having to face the music." (11:50)

• Winslow on rising danger:

  "We have a traitor, a man who tried to overthrow the government, now in charge of that government and attempting to destroy our systems from within." (24:26)

  "So far this has been a collective of invertebrates…we need to see far more spine in Congress." (26:49)

• Acosta on the stakes:

  "If we are not allowed to stage…free and fair elections in this country, then we are lost." (32:54)

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Key Takeaways

• The current administration’s mass deportation policy is sweeping up children and families who followed legal procedures.
• Detention centers are operating with secrecy and negligence; transparency and congressional access are limited.
• Constitutional rights—freedom of speech, right to protest, due process—are openly threatened; accountability measures are being debated, with hopes for future prosecutions.
• The normalization of federal agency intervention in election infrastructure is an alarming escalation toward authoritarian control.
• Suppression of dissent now includes threats to writers and critics, with chilling effects on public discourse.
• The erosion of memory of recent political violence and democratic norms is a risk—vigilance and truth-telling are vital.
• The burden falls on all Americans to safeguard the right to free and fair elections.

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For Further Updates and Independent Journalism: jimacosta.substack.com

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Transcript

[A]

The Jim Acosta Show. It's another day that ends in Y and Donald Trump's assault on American democracy. Across the country, there are signs of the horrors of Trump's mass deportation policy. That includes the jailing of children. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the jailing of children like 5 year old Liam Ramos, who is being held at an ICE processing center in Dilly, Texas. And after he was arrested by federal agents in Minnesota. I'm joined now by Joaquin Castro, Congressman from Texas, serves on the Intelligence Committee. And Congressman, you just visited with little Liam and his father in that detention facility in that processing center in Texas. How did that go? It must have been extraordinary.

[B]

We sat in the makeshift courtroom which you see in that picture. We sat there for about 30 minutes, Jasmine Crockett and I and several members of our staff and talked to he and his dad. And really, I'll be honest with you, Jim, I'm very concerned about his well being. I didn't think he looked well. His dad said that he'd been sleeping a lot, that it was not like him, that he'd been very depressed there, that he wasn't eating well and kept asking about his mom and, you know, his going to school and everything. And you know, they, they even took his backpack and his hat. So, you know, he'd been asking about his hat and his backpack. But, you know, it's just a tragedy all around and he needs to be released immediately.

[A]

Yeah. And Congressman, I saw a report that backs up what you're saying. Apparently Huffington Post spoke with the superintendent of Liam's schools and, and that superintendent said that Liam, that his health is not good. I'm really worried about this congressman. It seems as though, I mean, he's been traumatized to the point where his, his health is at risk.

[B]

And I think that's right. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's right. And you know, the, the sad thing is, you know, I don't even know that he understands why he's there. Just like the other kids, there's a two month old baby who's being held in detention there in Dilley, who's been there for several days, and other kids that I met while I was there, you know, and they're just, a lot of them are despondent. Some of them are just stone faced. Some of them, you know, there was one that was sobbing. And the parents are so traumatized as well because, you know, as a parent, you're trying to protect your kids and, and trying to heal them of whatever pain and hurt they have. And the parents themselves are going through real trauma. And this was a family that had come the right way. Like they had used the CBP1 app. So remember, Jim, when all this, they had a lot of people coming up to the border and the argument was, hey, everybody's got to do it the right way. They should do it in an orderly way, in an efficient way. So the Biden administration set up that app where somebody could apply it was to encourage people not to rush to the southern border. So that's what this family did. They used that tool to do it in an orderly way, and they were admitted into the country. And then Donald Trump goes in there with his mass deportation dragnet that's even killed US Citizens and takes his five year old and, and dumps him in the middle of rural Texas.

[A]

Yeah. And what are the conditions like inside this facility? I mean, it's a jail. I mean, we should just. That's basically what it is. Little Liam is in jail, these other kids are in jail. What is going on in this country, Congressman, when something like this can go on? To me, it is absolutely heartbreaking. This is not. 5 year old Liam is not a criminal. He's not in a gang.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It's heartbreaking.

[B]

You know, that's the thing. You know, Donald Trump, of course, started this whole thing his whole term by saying, we're going to go after the quote, unquote criminal illegal aliens at the Dilley facility. There isn't a single criminal there. And the reason I know that is because ICE told me that they said if somebody has a criminal conviction and they're, they're with their child, then that parent is separated from the child. So if you're sent over to Dilley, you've committed no crime at all. So you've got 1100 people there, men, women and kids who were members of their community, many who are hard working, you know, mothers, fathers, just, you know, people in everyday life across the country. There was one couple with their, with their kids who was. Yes. Detained in Austin, Texas on New Year's Eve. You know, they spent the New Year's getting processed at Dilly and again, the kids were, you know, were despondent.

[A]

Yeah. And I mean, it seems like this is not stopping. I mean, you know, after the killing of Alex Preddy, I mean, the, the White House, they were back on their heels a little bit in part because they lied so much about Alex Brady and called him a terrorist and an assassin and so on that, that they pulled, you know, Greg Bovino out of there and they've put in Tom Homan, who, I mean, obviously, I mean, he has a. A checkered past. I'm not sure how that really fixes the problem. But Tom Homan was indicating today, well, they may be drawing down their, their forces there, but he also indicated that they're not going to tolerate any, you know, they see, they sound like they're not going to tolerate protesters, which to me is a sign of more trouble to come.

[B]

They don't want to respect Americans fundamental and constitutional rights, the First Amendment. And then I think to the surprise of a lot of us, they even started going after the Second Amendment. Donald Trump doing that press conference saying, you can't have guns, you can't have the guns. So going after people's constitutional rights. But as you know, this administration never admits when it's wrong. It doesn't say, hey, we made a mistake or we apologize. But they'll often admit mistake by action. Right. So Greg Mavino getting demoted to me is admission by action that they know they screwed up. And Coleman in that press conference saying, we're going to pull some ICE agents out and we're going to change the operation to be more narrowly focused and all that. That, to me, even though there's no apology for killing to American citizens, including clearly executing one of them, as the whole country saw by their own actions now, I think they realize they've committed crimes. I think they realize that they have been vicious and brutal in this mass deportation dragnet and that it has even, you know, trampled on American citizens. Constitutional rights.

[A]

Yeah. And I mean, what can be done about that? It seems to me, you know, the DHS funding bill is over in the Senate. We may have a government shutdown. Chuck Schumer seems to be indicating that they're just not going to pass that. To me, that's the least that should happen. You know, I mean, this is. They're out of. These guys are out of control. And I think there has to be some accountability, and there's no accountability. There's no way to hold anybody accountable, it seems.

[B]

Well, that's why, you know, I have asked citizens and in Minnesota, they're doing an incredible job and have gotten very well organized in doing it. But to record everything and report everything. I was glad to hear Governor Pritzker in Illinois talk about setting up an accountability commission for later because the crimes that are being committed can be prosecuted in state courts. You know, they could start prosecuting them now, but they can also prosecute some of them when Donald Trump is long gone. Same thing with the federal government. You know, is these crimes can be prosecuted. Some of them, at least, if the statute of limitations hasn't run, can be prosecuted when Donald Trump is gone. But we need a, we need a strong record of exactly what's happened.

[A]

And, you know, getting back to Liam, it seems to me, I mean, there, according to the reports that I've seen, there are plans to open many more of these detention and processing facilities all over the country. There are public hearings taking place in various municipalities. You know, town halls are being held by, by public officials to announce, hey, we're, we, we're going to try to open one of these in your community. And people are saying, we don't want one of these in our backyard. Yeah, but that says, that all says to me that the administration is planning to expand this in a dramatic way that is going to result in many more cases like Liam, to the point where it'll be, it'll be tougher members of Congress to, to check on all these kids or even have come close to doing that.

[B]

Yeah, no, it's, it's a vicious and brutal operation. And you're right, people don't want it expanded. San Antonio was on the list of put a warehouse or a center here. And so we're actively looking into that. But, you know, the DHS and ICE have gotten so secretive under Donald Trump. We ask him for basic information sometimes. We asked him about the plans for the warehouse in my hometown, San Antonio, that I represent. And they said, well, you know, basically like when, when we have something to announce to the public, you know, we'll send it to you, too. Yeah, you know, it's so. They don't deserve another dime in this appropriations bill. And members of Congress should be able to go in and inspect those centers at will.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Like you shouldn't. I went into the medical unit gym. 1,100 people are being held there at Dilly. I go into the medical unit. All the rooms, the exam rooms, everything is empty. You're telling me, like, with all the medical issues that people have, you know, from allergies to heart conditions to diabetes and all that, and people were complaining to us that they're not getting their medicine or they're not getting it on time and so forth. So you're telling me that nobody is going to be there in the medical room, in the exam rooms, going to see the doctor. You know, they said they have 17 mental health professionals. And I met one of them who was a child psychiatrist. And, you know, and again, I didn't see any kids, you know, with the doctors, you know, so it's. It's kind of like, because these things operate behind closed doors, there's certain services that are set up, but it seems to me that they're not really trying to get the offer, the people, the ability to use them. I'm not saying they never use them and so forth, you know, but it's like, I don't. They don't take the people there seriously. They don't. They don't take their. Even their medical concerns seriously enough. That's why you have emergencies pop up.

[A]

Right. And. And you're seeing detainees die in custody. I mean, that has happened on. On numerous occasions. Numerous occasions. And the other thing is, is that, you know, you could put somebody in place like Tom Homan in Minneapolis, it's not going to change things. It's. Or you could even replace the Homeland Security Secretary. It's not going to change things. Stephen Miller is still in charge of much of this. You and I have talked about Stephen Miller dozens of times, but if he's in charge of all of this, it seems to me not much is going to change in terms of how they handle these mass deportation operations. And, I mean, he won't even take down tweets where he's calling people, you know, calling Alex Preddy an assassin and a domestic terrorist.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, to me, it strikes as some kind of mental illness that Stephen Miller has literally some kind of mental illness where he's consumed by hate. And if that's not the case, then I would issue a challenge to him. You know, I have three young kids, and my wife and I have three young kids, and I know that he and his wife have young kids as well, and I'm sure that he loves his kids. If he's going to be the architect of this kind of vicious and brutal system, then he ought to go into the Dilly Detention center and sit down face to face with those kids and tell them why he believes they belong there, why he considers them criminals and listen to their stories. And, you know, if he comes out the same way, believing the same thing, as inhumane as he's been, then so be it. But, you know, you shouldn't be able to be the architect of this kind of viciousness without having to face the music.

[A]

Yeah. No, he should see, and Trump should see what he's done. I mean, Trump wouldn't even go to Minneapolis after he had this political event in Iowa. You know, Minnesota's basically right next door. He could have easily done that. And the other thing we should talk about, because your work on the Intelligence Committee, and it flows out of the conversation about the upcoming midterms is, you know, I think folks really ought to take a hard look at this story. I know we're all talking about Minnesota these days, but the, the FBI conducted a search in Fulton county of their election facility there seeking ballots from the 2020 election. I mean, this sounds like bizarre world, but this actually happened. And apparently the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was there, according to Reuters. They have a Reuters photo of Tulsi Gabbard, the dni, at this raid. In what world is that normal, Congressman?

[B]

It's extremely unusual. And the Intelligence Committee should bring Tulsi Gabbard in and ask her and question her about it and exercise its oversight authority, which the committee has not done enough of with the Trump administration, given everything that's going on. But, you know, Donald Trump has been, he has been obsessed with this idea for six years now that in Georgia, the election was stolen from him. And, you know, and he just has just been obsessed with it and hasn't let it go. And so now I guess he's got the FBI and Tulsi Gabbard out on this chase to go find the votes that he couldn't find six years ago or something. But I'll tell you, these people, they are, they're certainly violating rules, but may in fact be violating laws every single day that we go.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, and it also makes you wonder about the upcoming midterms. It seems to me, you know, if they're willing to insert the intelligence community, the US Intelligence community, into this kind of stuff, I mean, it's just wild. It doesn't make any sense.

[B]

And then governors like Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who, you know, willingly, very willingly, anxiously handed over all of the Texas voter file to Donald Trump, even even though Donald Trump has dismantled the, the commission and the mechanics for protecting voting in this country. I mean, it's. So, yeah, I think we should absolutely be concerned about the midterms and the safety of our vote.

[A]

Yeah. And Pam Bondi apparently was asking for the voter rolls in Minnesota, and that was a letter that she sent off to the governor after the, the killing of Alex Preddy. And it just goes on and on. Well, Congressman, great to talk to you as always. I don't want to take up too, just want to say I'm glad that members of Congress are getting access to these facilities and checking in on kids like Liam. I mean, you know, I have a, I have Ramos in my family, and it Just breaks my heart. What is taking place right now with. With little Liam just really breaks my heart.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

Thanks, Congressman. Good to see you.

[B]

Appreciate it.

[A]

It's Congressman Joaquin Castro and with an update on Liam Ramos, who should not be in jail. And yet he is. Yet he is. All right, folks, one of the other stories that I think we really have to stay on top of and. And, yes, ice and. And what's happening in Minneapolis is extremely important and vital, but I don't want to lose sight of a story that has just flared up this week. The FBI has executed a search at the election headquarters in Atlanta and Fulton County. This is obviously in pursuit of Trump's fantasies about the 2020 election and his claims that the election was stolen from him. I definitely want to stay on top of that story. I want to talk about this now and other things with the author, Don Winslow. Don is the author of several bestsellers, and he's out with a new book. We can show the COVID of that, the Final Score. Don is also known for his viral video clips that he puts up on social media. I just reposted one last night if folks want to go and check that out. His clips are very much about the authoritarian rise of Donald Trump in this country. Don, great to see you. Thanks so much for joining me.

[C]

Thanks for having me, man. I appreciate it. Yeah.

[A]

And this is long overdue. We've been meaning to do this for a long time. I guess. What motivates you? What drives you? Why is this such a passion for you? What has been taking place in this country over the last several years?

[C]

Well, it's about what's been taking place in this country over the past several years. It's about the last 10 years since that man came down the escalator to announce that he was running for president. Look where it's brought our country over the past 10 years. You know, we could do a laundry list of it. I don't know that we need to go through that right now, but this is a man who launched an insurrection, an armed insurrection against the legitimately elected government of this country January 6th. And we tend to have short memories and forget about these things. I have not forgotten about that. One of the most disgraceful days in American history. And so, sure, I think I'm motivated, and I think we need to stay motivated.

[A]

Yeah. And, Don, I mean, in that vein, I mean, you're talking about what Trump did in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. I mean, I feel like that effort is still ongoing, which is so strange to Think about. I mean, the FBI raided the Fulton county election office, it says here in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, seeking ballots from Trump's 2020 laws. He is the president right now. And apparently Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, was there on the ground. There's a. Reuters has a video or picture of that. Somebody tell me why the DNI is there in Atlanta during this operation. Makes no sense. But your thoughts on this, Don?

[C]

Well, it makes absolutely no sense. I mean, first of all, having Tulsi Gabbard and intelligence in the same sentence is a bit difficult, isn't it? But listen, it's. It's all part of the big lie. And the big lie is the classic authoritarian technique to control population and to control government. I sound a little crazy there, but it's right out of 1984, isn't it? We were never at war with East Asia. We've always been at war with Eurasia. No, we've always been at war with East Asia, not at Eurasia. This has been the authoritarian technique for time immemorial. And these guys are just going to play it out and play it out and play it out eventually. Doesn't matter what they'll find or probably not find. The headline is the FBI is raiding, and then people are going to see the headline and think, oh, there must be something behind it.

[A]

Yeah. And it's easy to say, well, I mean, this is probably a distraction to throw people off of what's happening in Minneapolis. But I think it's. I think it's an existential thing. I mean, this is happening in the run up to a midterm election cycle that I think is crucial for this country. I mean, what happens this fall really could alter the course of history in this country by stopping Trump in his tracks. Because, I mean, if we don't see this authoritarianism rise halted to some degree, who knows what could happen next?

[C]

No, exactly. These elections are so critical, as was the last general election. You know, I think the most important election in America since maybe 1860. But again, this is an ongoing program to shut people down, to distract, you know, Americans, I think, were again, cursed with sort of a short memory. You know, in some ways, it's a blessing in the sense that we move on. But. But in a lot of ways, it's a curse because we forget about what happened. But it's an ongoing effort to. To suppress the opposition. I'm experiencing it myself right now. You know, we just canceled our book tour because of. Of unfortunately very credible death threats. And that's a way of. Of trying to shut down these videos because we. We fund these videos completely ourselves. We've never taken a penny. And that. That money comes from the sale of books. And so when you shut down a book tour like that, that, you know, suppresses the sale of books, and therefore they think, I guess, that they're going to suppress the videos. Guess it hasn't worked because we. We dropped a big one yesterday.

[A]

Yeah. No, I looked at your latest video. It's about, you know, what this country used to be. And I think it's so important as a message for young people in this country because they. They have no. I mean, a lot of young people have no recollection of how the country came together after 9 11, when George W. Bush stood on the pile at ground zero with the bullhorn, and this entire country came together, Democrat and Republican. And it can. I personally believe it can be that way again. And I'm really glad that you put that message out there. It's. It's a bipartisan message.

[C]

Thank you very much. I think it's an important message. You know, we did come together after 9 11. We've come together, you know, after so many historical events. And I think that, yeah, particularly young people don't have a sense of that. We're not really teaching it anymore. And. And it's a message that needs to get out there.

[A]

Yeah. And your thoughts on what's been taking place in Minneapolis, Don, because I know you've written about the border, you've written about these kinds of issues. It's just absolutely heartbreaking. What's taking place in Minneapolis right now, the killing of Alex Preddy. You know, it makes you wonder, how is this going to stop? How does this. How does this end? You know?

[C]

Yeah, listen. I mean, the footage has. Has been horrific. It reminds me of footage that I. That I saw from Juarez, Mex, in 2010. Masked men shooting people down in the streets. That's not America. That's not the America I think that you and I grew up in. You know, it's not who we should be. I think we have a moment here where we can stop and ask ourselves, who are we now and who are we going to be? Who do we want to be? What version of America do we want to be? And perhaps this is a moment where we can take a look at ourselves in the mirror and think, where are we going from here? How do we stop this momentum that we're headed toward, this, frankly, fascist state?

[A]

Yeah. And, you know, to me, it is. It is so much about truth telling. It is so much about the government going after people that they see as a threat, trying to suppress free speech. I think what's happening in Minneapolis is an attempt to suppress free speech. Tom Homan, who took over for Greg Bevino, apparently said at the press conference, he basically issued a warning to the protesters out there that you better knock it off. And you know, when you mentioned a few moments ago that you received death threats and had to cancel part of your book tour, I mean, it just seems to be at every level, Trump, his people, their forces online, they are trying to suppress speech in this country.

[C]

It's always the default position of authoritarian governments, isn't it? Always. It's, it's the first thing that they need to do because they're afraid of the truth, they're afraid of the facts. They are always telling us, you didn't see what you saw. And we have to stand up and say, no, no, no, we, we saw what we saw. We'll show you the tape if you want to take a look at it again. And, and we need to act on it. Yeah, but we live right now in this sort of cloud cuckoo land, you know, where, where people are accepting things. It's simply. Or not the case. Simply not the facts. We need a reality check again. We have a traitor, a man who tried to overthrow the government, now in charge of that government and attempting to destroy our systems from within.

[A]

Yeah, And I think that's why it's important you do these videos, because, you know, the right is credited, and I think, I think rightly so, with being just a little ahead of the curve in terms of social media strategy, driving engagement online in, in, you know, some pretty critical parts of social media. Places like X, it's, it's pretty dominated by right wing voices. And you need sort of sanity based messaging out there, it seems to me.

[C]

Yeah, it seems to me too. Which is why we put that video. Video out yesterday.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Oh, which, which I think is a measured kind of video. I mean, I think you, you called it bipartisan and I, and I think, you know, in a lot of senses it is. And it's just saying, let's try to remember who we are as a people and get back to that.

[A]

Yeah. And you're seeing, I mean, and speaking of bipartisan, you are seeing some Republican voices start to make some noise. Thom Tillis, the senator from North Carolina, he's retiring. Yes, of course. But he's saying things about Stephen Miller and calling for Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem to be Hauled out of their jobs. I think Lisa Murkowski is as well. I think some of this, Don, I think, rests on whether or not the Republican Party can come back to where it once was. You know, the party of Reagan is gone. It's just gone. It's not there anymore.

[C]

Well, the party of Reagan. The party of John McCain.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. That's right. I'm so glad you had that. You had that in your video, too, John. I mean.

[C]

Yeah, you know, tremendous respect. Listen, I disagreed with Senator McCain on just about every issue down the line, but. But had tremendous respect for him. And, and by the way, Mr. Trump, John McCain was a war hero. But, you know, we need more Republicans to stand up. I mean, so far, this has been a collective of invertebrates, you know, and we need to see far more spine in Congress from both sides of the aisle.

[A]

Well, that's true.

[C]

To get back to where we need to be.

[A]

Yeah. And. And Democrats are, you know, they're. They're saying that they're. They're willing to shut down the government in order to block funding to ice. And I think it's a critical moment for the Democratic Party.

[C]

We need. We need to stand up. Yeah.

[A]

And finally, on the book, the new book that you have out. Tell us about it. You know, I think this is. This is another hit you've got on your hands here. Obviously, the final score. You're still writing. You're still at it.

[C]

I know. I told you I was retiring, didn't I?

[A]

That's what I thought. I thought you were retiring. Yeah.

[C]

Listen, I didn't just lie to you. I lied to myself. I really thought that I had, you know, and I. I stopped for a while to focus on political issues which did not turn out the way we had hoped, obviously, but, you know, I was retired and. And then the. The story in. In this book just coming back to me and back to me and back to me wouldn't leave me alone. And so I. I finally sat down and wrote it. I'm very glad I did. I'm pleased with this book. I think it's some of my best work. The. The critics seem to agree with that. It's the. The best reviews of my career. So here we are.

[A]

I see a nice quote from Stephen King on the COVID That. That ain't too bad.

[C]

That ain't too shabby, huh? Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Well, Don, great to talk to you. I'm glad we finally did this. Let's do it again. Anytime you folks want to reach out, we should absolutely make it happen.

[C]

But anytime Love, Love to have another conversation with you.

[A]

Thanks for what you do.

[C]

Really appreciate it, Don, and you as well.

[A]

We should show this headline to the viewers one more time. We should show this headline to the viewers one more time. FBI raids Fulton county election office seeking ballots from Trump's 2020 loss. Folks, this is news from 1984, not the year the book. Donald Trump is out of his mind. He's just out of his mind. There's just no other way to explain it. He's lost it. And it needs to be mentioned on this show that our friend Carol Lennig over at Ms. Now, she reported that before this occurred, the FBI special Agent in charge in the Atlanta office of the FBI was, was booted out of his position by the FBI director, Cash Patel. And you know, this is on top of just the other day, Donald Trump was talking about how he won the election in Minnesota three times when that was not the case. That is not the case. That obviously did not happen. But he remains particularly obsessed about what took place in Georgia in 2020 when he lost the election there. Remember, he went to Brad Raffensperger, the Secretary of State of Georgia at that time, and said he needs to find the votes, the 11,780 some odd votes in order to win the 2020 election. And here we are six years later. He's the President of the United States, ladies and gentlemen. What in the world is the President of the United States doing fixating on the 2020 election, on an election that he lost by 7 million votes, an election I covered thoroughly. I was out on the campaign trail with Donald Trump. He lost that election fair and square in part because he totally botched Covid. Does anybody remember that? How he completely fucked up Covid in this country. He stood in front of the American people and said that you can, you can inject disinfectants into your body, that you can bring light into your body. Does anybody. Am I the only person who remembers this? That is the reason why he lost the 2020 election. And he can't get over it. He can't get over it. And you know, to me, yes, we, we should be very concerned about what took place in Minnesota and we should stay on top of it. And I will stay on top of it. And those of us in independent media will absolutely stay on top of it. But we've got to be looking ahead to these upcoming midterms in this country, folks. This is, this is, this is the kind of the whole ball game here. If the American people are allowed to have and conduct A free and fair election in this country in these upcoming midterms. And when you have the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. Now, yes, she's a fraud. She should not be in that position. There's no question about it. It's an absolute joke. But she is the top intelligence official in this country. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created to oversee the CIA and the entire US Intelligence community. Am I the only person here who finds this to be troubling? May we show that picture again? What on earth is Tulsi Gabbard doing? At an FBI raid at the Georgia election office? There she is right there. This is a photographer with Reuters. This is a picture obtained by Reuters. What is Tulsi Gabbard doing? She's speaking on the phone while standing inside a vehicle loaded with boxes outside the Fulton County Election Hub and Operations center after the FBI executed a search warrant there. Can somebody tell me what in the hell is Tulsi Gabbard doing there? What in the hell is going on in this country? In what world is that normal? The only world in which that is normal is Vladimir Putin's world. The only world in which this is normal is in an authoritarian regime when the instruments of the federal government, when the. When the people who are in charge of the intelligence community, the people who are in charge of the state, are rummaging around in our election offices. In what world is that normal? It isn't normal. It isn't how we do things in this country. This is not America. It is Donald Trump's America. I can hear the folks saying this right now. It is Donald Trump's America. There's no question about it. But I think it is becoming clear to me, and it should be coming clear to a lot of people across this country, not just the pro democracy forces, but every American. Every American should be concerned that these midterms are being meddled with right under our noses in real time right now. How are our election officials expected to feel confident going into this midterm cycle, presiding over the elections in this country? If Tulsi fucking Gabbard can show up at the front door at any given moment, when Cash Patel can send in his fucking goons into an election center at any given moment? Because Donald Trump, the mad king, is still obsessed over an election he lost six fucking years ago? In what world is that normal? And it seems to me, I mean, the Democrats right now are talking about a government shutdown because of what's happening over at ICE and what's happening over at dhs. And, you know, I think that that is the correct course of action. But it seems to me the Democrats should be thinking about whether this whole goddamn thing should be shut down until we can get our arms around what in the world Donald Trump is doing with this country. Yes, it is an absolute atrocity what is taking place with these mass deportation rates. But Donald Trump, you are not allowed. He cannot be allowed to interfere with these upcoming elections. He cannot be allowed to interfere with these upcoming elections, ladies and gentlemen, or we are in big trouble. If we are not allowed to stage and conduct and hold free and fair elections in this country, then we are lost. We are lost. And it is going to be up to all of us, all good Americans, all patriotic Americans, right, left or center, to make damn sure that these elections are held fair and square. That Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel and their goons are not allowed to meddle with these upcoming elections. I know it's a bit lazy on my part to say this, but what would the outcry be if Barack Obama had his intelligence officials at election centers? The people on the right would lose their fucking minds. People like Ted Cruz and the rest of them would lose their fucking minds. And Donald Trump is doing it right now. Marco Rubio, where are you, Susan Collins? Are you concerned? Lisa Murkowski, Will you finally vote on something instead of just saying things? It can't just be the folks in the pro democracy corner raising a stink about this. It's your country, too. It's on all of us to make sure that these elections are free and fair and safe and secure. And the sight of the top intelligence official in this country roaming around an election facility 10 months, nine months, 10 months before the upcoming midterms should send a chill down all of our spines. All of our spines. My thanks to Joaquin Castro. My thanks to Don Winslow. My thanks to all of you for watching. Really appreciate it. I'll say it once, I'll say it again. It helps when you support independent journalism. It helps when you support independent media in this country. Let's keep the heat on. Let's stay on top of this. We're counting on you to help make that happen. Support. Subscribe Like Share it makes a huge difference. It makes a huge difference for all of us. Thanks again for watching. Still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you next time.