The Jim Acosta Show: Holding the Line on Truth, Justice, and Democracy

Episode Date: January 15, 2026
Guests: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Michigan Secretary of State & Gubernatorial Candidate Jocelyn Benson, Democratic Strategist Mike Nellis
Host: Jim Acosta

Overview

This episode dives headlong into the ongoing crisis in Minneapolis, where President Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests over ICE's aggressive crackdowns—protests that intensified after the killing of Renee Good. Jim Acosta speaks with key officials leading resistance to federal overreach: Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison, Michigan's Secretary of State (and gubernatorial candidate) Jocelyn Benson, and Democratic strategist Mike Nellis. The theme: do not yield to fear or lies; hold fast to truth and hope, and defend democracy—especially in dark times.

Keith Ellison on Trump, the Insurrection Act, and Minnesota's Stand

[01:10–20:16]

Federal Crackdown & Insurrection Act Threats

• Acosta opens with Trump’s escalation: Trump threatens the Insurrection Act to suppress protests in Minneapolis after ICE's crackdown ([00:06]).
• Keith Ellison’s unequivocal response: “If Trump tries to invoke the Insurrection act, we’ll be in court with him right away, just as we are right now for the metro surge.” ([03:37])
  • Ellison asserts protests were peaceful; the federal crackdown itself is disrupting communities and causing economic harm ([01:45]).
  • Trump’s invocation is “completely unsupportable by the facts because there is no public disorder that would allow such an invocation” ([01:45]).

The Lawsuit Against Trump's ICE Surge

• “We filed a lawsuit … We will be arguing it out with him on the 23rd of January for a preliminary injunction.” ([03:37])
• Purpose: Challenge ICE's excessive presence and federal interference, especially after they blocked state investigation into ICE’s killing of Renee Good ([04:18], [04:50]).

The Killing of Renee Good & Accountability

• Federal stonewalling: ICE killed Renee Good but claims "absolute immunity" and withholds evidence from state investigators ([04:18–06:28]).

  • Ellison calls this “the most bizarre thing I've ever seen,” as DOJ refuses to investigate or let Minnesota authorities do so.
  • "They're holding on to things like the gun, the bullet casings, the window, the car—things that are essential to an investigation" ([06:28]).

• On the ICE officer’s injuries: Ellison disputes DHS reports of serious injury; video shows the officer “walking pretty well … a little hop in his step, even” ([08:05]).

  • Demands a transparent investigation: "The answer is not my opinion, yours, or theirs. Let's have an investigation" ([09:11]).

Pushback Against Extremist Rhetoric

• Admin and Fox News ratchet up language: Acosta and Ellison discuss coordinated messaging describing protesters as "insurgents" and "domestic terrorists" ([09:18], [10:26]).
  • Ellison: “That is a pretext and a false statement. We’ll be in court with them if they try it. We've met him in court over 50 times, and we've beat them just about every time.” ([10:41])

Defending Protest Rights and the Press

• Acosta plays field audio of ICE threatening journalists ([13:10]).
• Ellison’s defense: “This is part of the problem. I've seen so many people who represent the press, bullied, attacked, insulted, sprayed with chemical irritants. … It's all First Amendment stuff.” ([13:53])
• Memorable: “The right of the press is not the press’s right. It's the people's right to know.” ([13:53])

Minnesota Values—Why the State is a Target

• “It seems like he's coming after us because of who we are and what we stand for. ... We don't bow to him and we're never going to.” ([15:25])
  • Cites Minnesota’s civic spirit, diverse communities, and repeated rejection of Trump at the ballot box.

Challenging Federal Impunity

• Ellison debunks White House claim of “absolute immunity” for ICE: “I've been a lawyer 35 years … that is a wrong statement of the law. … There is no absolute immunity. That is wrong.” ([17:27])
• On the lack of statute of limitations for murder: “Justice is not gonna go to sleep or go away. We will pursue this to its logical, factual [end].” ([19:08])

The Crucial Role of Independent Media

• Ellison: “The free, independent press is part of what this fight is all about. ... The institution of the press must be protected to have a free, fair, and open society.” ([19:34])

Jocelyn Benson: Elections, Democracy, and the Threat of Authoritarianism

[22:03–38:17]

Trump’s Hints at Cancelling Elections

• Acosta highlights Trump’s comments about possibly cancelling midterms, in both a Reuters interview and at the Kennedy Center ([22:03]).

• Benson’s response:

  • “First, the president does not have the authority to cancel an election, period. … He can only make us doubt our own faith in them and he'll only succeed in that if we let him.” ([23:05])

• Emphasizes Trump’s voter suppression tactics: “This is a tried and true voter suppression tactic ... trying to deter people from believing in democracy, believing we need an election.” ([23:05])

On “Joking” About Cancelling Democracy

• White House claims Trump was joking ([24:50]), but Benson calls this “no joking matter”: “It’s simply a reaffirmation that the threats and the challenges to democracy that we fought through in 2020 have not gone away.” ([25:22])

Authoritarian Overreach & State Resistance

• On ICE’s actions in Minneapolis: “This intrusion on Americans’ freedoms and trampling on free speech is not making anyone safe. … It is only generating fear and disruption and worse and tragedies.” ([26:45])
• Calls for state leadership: “Governors … are the guardrails against this abuse of authority, against this federal overreach, and against this misuse of many of our service members.” ([28:24])

Bread-and-Butter Issues: Healthcare & Economic Security

• “The job of governors right now is to make life more affordable and to protect our rights and freedoms. … I've traveled Michigan throughout the last year … every place I go, Michiganders have these heart-wrenching stories as premiums are on the rise … rural hospitals closing because they can't stay open with all of the cuts to Medicaid.” ([30:19])

• “This is a moment where it feels like government is kind of showing up everywhere we don't want it and nowhere where we actually need it.” ([31:47])

Free Speech and the Cost of Dissent

• Acosta recounts autoworker TJ Sabula's confrontation with Trump and subsequent suspension ([32:38–34:17]):
  • Benson: “There's a pattern … of trying to silence people and trying to make people afraid to speak. … It's up to us to redefine who we are as Americans in this democracy. … This is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue.” ([34:33])

Confidence and Vigilance for 2026

• On election security: “We've gone through this in 2020. We're prepared to go through it again successfully in 2026. … But make no mistake, these statements, these quote unquote jokes the president is making, should be a signal to all of us of the importance of voting … and standing firm in defense of our democracy.” ([36:03])

Notable Personal Moment

• Benson shares she adopted a puppy, Lily, at the auto show: “It’s nice to have a nice puppy to keep us happy and safe and peaceful even in the midst of a rigorous election season.” ([37:42])

Mike Nellis: Political Strategy, Media, and the Battle for Truth

[39:41–55:37]

On Democrats' Response to Federal Overreach

• “How many times have we thought Donald Trump was joking about something? And then it suddenly becomes real.” ([40:16])

• Discusses polling trends: "46% of Americans said they would abolish ICE. … It's really hard to get the American people to be against something that has to do with law enforcement, but that's how insane what the Trump administration is doing is." ([41:23])

• On GOP extreme dehumanization: “The response has been disgusting. They've called her [Renee Good] a domestic terrorist. They've tried to other her, made fun of her marriage, her kids, her pronouns…” ([41:50])

Strategic Advice & Civil Liberties

• Admits Democrats need to navigate “abolish ICE” rhetoric carefully, but the tide is shifting due to public outrage over ICE's conduct ([41:23]).
• On remaining vigilant: “Keep your head on a swivel … Move forward, but know what's to your left, know what's to your right, know what's behind you.” ([47:00])

Concerns over Masked, Poorly Trained ICE Officers

• “They're not even 47 days [of training], because he's the 47th president. … How else are you supposed to interpret that other than him building a private army for himself?” ([48:02])
• ICE hiring via AI, with many unqualified recruits: "They've got people who are proud boys. My guess is they have former Jan. 6 insurrectionists … so they don't even know who they've hired." ([49:00])

The Power of Independent Media

• Nellis on Substack and new channels: “We've got so many people out there doing it … I was frustrated the party was not responding … Independent media is the work that needs to be done.” ([49:47])
• Criticizes CBS and legacy outlets for running government-sourced, unskeptical claims: "If it was even remotely true, they would have been talking about that for the last 10 days since the shooting. So it just suddenly appears like it's crazy.” ([50:35])
• Acosta: "That's bullshit. If they're willing to go on the record, fine, put your name out there and tell us who is giving CBS this information." ([51:09])

Media Responsibility in a Disinformation Age

• Acosta underscores the importance of skepticism toward background official sources:
  • “The press needs to hold firm. You can't buy this kind of, you know, headline access Potomac bullshit.” ([53:08])
  • “CBS, my former employer … that kind of story would not have passed the smell test with Dan Rather … It needs to be called out.” ([55:37])

Notable Quotes

• Keith Ellison:

  • “All I can say is that if they do that, we’ll be in court right away … We’ve beat them just about every time, by the way.” ([10:41])
  • "The right of the press is not the press's right. It's the people's right, the people's right to know." ([13:53])

• Jocelyn Benson:

  • “He cannot cancel the election. He can only make us doubt our own faith in them and he'll only succeed in that if we let him. So it's on us to not allow that to happen, to stand firm in furtherance of our democracy.” ([23:05])
  • “It's up to us to redefine who we are as Americans in this democracy. And to me, this is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue.” ([34:33])

• Mike Nellis:

  • “They lie about the things you can see. They lie about the things you can feel. They lie about the things you experience and hear. They lie about everything.” ([51:27])
  • “Independent media is the work that needs to be done.” ([49:47])

• Jim Acosta:

  • “The press just has to be more responsible in all of this … We need to know the liars by their names. If you're going to go out there and say that this agent suffered internal bleeding, we need to hear that information on the record, ladies and gentlemen.” ([53:08])
  • “This is why independent media is so important in this country right now.” ([54:47])

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:10] – Ellison joins, confronts Trump’s Insurrection Act threat
• [03:37] – Lawsuit against the Trump administration and ICE surge
• [06:28] – DOJ refusal to allow state investigation into Renee Good killing
• [09:18] – Discussion of Fox/White House language branding protesters as terrorists
• [13:53] – First Amendment rights under threat; defense of press/public’s right to know
• [15:25] – Why Trump targets Minnesota: values, demographics, and pride
• [17:27] – Ellison on “absolute immunity” claims debunked
• [23:05] – Benson on election cancellation rhetoric as voter suppression
• [28:24] – Governors, state officials as democracy’s last line of defense
• [30:19] – Healthcare, affordability, and state solutions
• [41:23] – Nellis on polling and public response to ICE/Trump’s rhetoric
• [48:02] – Dangers of federal forces hiring/training, use as political enforcers
• [49:47] – Importance of independent media
• [51:09] – Acosta & Nellis on CBS, media responsibility, and misinformation

Takeaway

Throughout the episode, Jim Acosta and guests paint a stark picture of a nation at a crossroads: besieged by federal overreach, propaganda, and ongoing threats to foundational rights to protest and vote. Yet, the message is clear—civic leaders, local officials, and especially the press and the public must not waver. Ellison, Benson, and Nellis offer a blueprint for these times: challenge lies, use every legal tool, maintain hope—and defend democracy’s core institutions at all costs.

Listen if you want:

• An inside look at state leaders’ resistance to authoritarian tactics
• Clear explanation of the legal and constitutional landscape amid Trump’s threats
• Hard-hitting discussion of media responsibility and independent journalism’s growing role