The Joy Reid Show

Episode Title: No One Is Safe In Trump’s America | The Joy Reid Show LIVE!
Date: January 10, 2026
Host: Joy-Ann Reid
Featured Guests: Jill Garvey, David Corn, Ellie Mystal, Wajahat Ali, Lev Parnas, Jesse Ventura
Theme: The killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent—its meaning, political fallout, and what it reveals about law enforcement and democracy in the Trump era.

Overview

This powerful episode, broadcasting live from New York, dives into the fatal shooting of Renee Good—a white, U.S.-born mother of three—by ICE Agent Jonathan Ross in suburban Minneapolis. The conversation explores the event’s implications, connecting it to America's history of police violence, state-sanctioned intimidation, and the ongoing erosion of civil and human rights under the Trump administration. Joy anchors the urgent discussion with political analysis, survivor stories, protest footage, and roundtable insights on what this moment means for the future of American democracy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Shooting of Renee Good: Setting the Scene

• Who was Renee Good?
  • U.S. citizen, 37, mother of three (children approximately 6, 12, and 15).
  • Poet and writer; no criminal record beyond a traffic ticket.
  • “Far from the domestic terrorist that Kristi Noem described.” – Joy Reid [05:55]
• What happened?
  • After dropping her son at school, Renee and her partner encountered ICE agents 100 feet from her Minneapolis home.
  • Renee was shot three times in the face by ICE Agent Jonathan Ross.
  • Her last words, caught on video: “I’m not mad at you.” – [09:10]
• Officer Reaction:
  • The agent walked away uninjured, calling her an “effing bitch”. [09:54]

2. Video Evidence & Competing Narratives

• Multiple videos contradict the official narrative (that the agent was being rammed or attacked).
  • Stephen Miller: “This appears to conflict with allegations that the SUV was ramming or about to ram the officer.” [11:01]
  • All video angles show the wheels were turned away, agent was never run over or endangered as claimed.
• Conservative media, including Kristi Noem, JD Vance, and Alpha News, have tried to justify the killing through misrepresentation.

3. Nationwide Outrage and Protests

• Protests have erupted coast-to-coast—especially significant in Minnesota, near the George Floyd memorial.
• Demonstrators chant for liberty, with widespread solidarity (“Libertad means liberty, of course….” – Joy [12:47])

4. ICE and Border Patrol Overreach

• ICE and CBP are operating as interior paramilitaries, targeting anyone “who doesn’t sound like an American” [14:56].
  • “This is not 1980s South Africa. But what's happening is that customs and border patrol are operating far from the border... That's some white South Africa.” – Joy Reid [15:13]
• The right is moving the rhetorical and physical goalposts to target activists and “race traitors,” even white allies, just as readily as communities of color (see: history of Viola Liuzzo, James Reeb, George Floyd).
  • “She's an inflection moment... as George Floyd was to BLM.” – Joy Reid [19:45]

5. ICE's Deadliest Year and Policy Escalation

• 2025: ICE killed 32 people, more than the previous three years combined.
  • “Let me show you... The bar chart is wild.” – Joy Reid [21:52]
• J.D. Vance and Trump administration promise more aggressive mass deportations and “door to door” removals, citing Eisenhower’s “Operation Wetback” as a precedent.
  • “We’re going to see those deportation numbers ramp up… going door to door.” – J.D. Vance [38:31]

6. Community Resistance and Training

• Featured interview with Jill Garvey (States at the Core) on ICE Watch and bystander resistance.
  • Key tactics: Blow whistles, document everything, support targeted people, de-escalate when possible.
  • “Trying to learn who they are, get them support. That’s part of what we train on.” – Jill Garvey [30:02]
• Increasing aggression from federal agents makes resistance riskier—even for trained allies. “What happened to Renee is, is next level.” – Jill Garvey [36:23]

7. Media, Messaging, and Dehumanization

• Cycle of smears against Renee Good after her death:
  • “A tragedy of her own making” – J.D. Vance [22:42]
  • “The right seized on Lake and Riley to say white women are in jeopardy and must be protected…
    But when a white woman gets shot in the face and called a [slur] by her killer, it’s an inflection moment.” – Joy Reid [20:20]

8. Legal Reality: Federal Immunity Myth

• “Do ICE agents have absolute immunity?”
  • Ellie Mystal: “No, federal officers do not have absolute immunity to commit crimes. They can still be punished under state law. And that’s exactly what needs to happen…” [76:53]

9. The Authoritarian Rubicon: What This Moment Means

• David Corn:
  • “What we’re seeing… is it’s a profound change in American society.” [51:28]
  • “As things get closer to us, to our own set of experiences, they just register more. So… this one event is inescapable.” [47:28]
• Joy, Lev, Ellie:
  • “This is a white woman who was murdered in broad daylight… If the Democratic side does not pick this up and never let it go… I don’t know what to do with them.” – Joy Reid [107:16]
  • “White rage is paid attention to. White grievance is heard. White blood has a bigger price to it… If this doesn’t wake up white America, I don’t know what will.” – Wajahat Ali [108:02]

10. Calls to Action

• Organize and demand abolition of ICE; make it a centerpiece of the Democratic primary season.
  • “Now is the time to ask those questions. Because by the time you get to November then you are kind of locked into a binary choice…” – Ellie Mystal [97:52]
• “If you’re not willing to fight for the rest of us… get out. You are complicit.” – Wajahat Ali [82:27]
• “We are all Renee Good. And they’re telling us this is the price you could pay for that.” – David Corn [62:54]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Her last words were, ‘I’m not mad at you.’” – Joy Reid [09:10]
• “When killers step out of pocket, whether they are agents of the state or extremists within the racist system of the state, those are pinpoint moments that actually make changes.” – Joy Reid [18:03]
• “The American people have a right to observe law enforcement. Filming law enforcement, parking your car near them, beeping your horn... that’s not illegal. That’s not interfering with law enforcement.” – Joy Reid [54:00]
• “You don’t have extrajudicial killings in the United States. …Violence is us. Violence is ours to use. If you get in the way... we can kill you and not feel bad about it.” – David Corn [55:28]
• “They want that race war vibe. And the only thing they would love more than that is to get your people, the Muslims, Waj.” – Joy Reid [93:05]
• “ICE is functionally a paramilitary organization... brutalize opposition, and murder people who get in their way.” – Ellie Mustal [96:30]
• “We need Democrats to actually act like this is a war. When someone declares war on you, you are at war.” – Joy Reid [115:01]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:55]–[08:00]: Introduction of Renee Good; her background, family, and the shooting.
• [09:10]: Renee’s last words on video are revealed.
• [10:39]–[11:32]: Review of video evidence—debunking official ICE/White House narrative.
• [12:47]–[14:24]: Protests erupt nationwide; scene footage and language tensions.
• [15:13]–[19:45]: Joy’s “pinpoint moments” in civil rights history; the whiteness of the victim and its political meaning.
• [21:52]: Graphic on ICE’s deadly year—“The bar chart is wild.”
• [22:42]: J.D. Vance blames victim, doubles down on ICE narrative.
• [24:01]–[35:47]: Interview with Jill Garvey—organizing, resistance strategies, community trauma.
• [38:31]: J.D. Vance on door-to-door deportations.
• [43:14]: David Corn joins—storytelling, proximity, and the “concentric circles” of outrage.
• [54:52]: Corn on lack of compassion, decline of democratic norms.
• [62:54]–[64:03]: “We are all Renee Good;” pushback on "sanctuary city" attacks.
• [76:53]: Ellie Mystal on ICE, “absolute immunity,” and prosecution.
• [82:27]: Wajahat Ali’s Rage Against the Machine–inspired broadside: “Abolish ICE. Prosecute ICE. Fuck ICE.”
• [107:16]: Joy on the need for the left/pro-democracy side to seize this moment like the right did with Lake and Riley.
• [112:12]: Ellie Mystal’s concluding hope—that authoritarian overreach contains the seeds of backlash.
• [119:52]: Jesse Ventura’s rebuke of Trump and Republican betrayal of Constitution.

Actionable Takeaways

• Abolish ICE: Make it a non-negotiable demand for any Democratic candidate; wield primary power to shift the party agenda.
• Document Abuse: Record, witness, and support those targeted by paramilitary law enforcement.
• Community Solidarity: Organize locally and nationally; connect with rapid response/ICE watch programs.
• Never Forget Renee Good: Elevate her story as a symbol of organizing across race lines and the dangers—even for “privileged” Americans.

Tone and Style

This episode is urgent, frank, and unapologetic. Joy channels righteous anger and incisive analysis, alternating between historical context, personal experience, and calls for strategic organizing. The roundtable and interviews are charged, radical, and sometimes explicit—but always focused on truth-telling in the fight against authoritarianism.

For Listeners New and Old

If you didn’t catch this live, this summary provides a roadmap for understanding a flashpoint moment in American resistance. The hosts and guests make clear: no one is safe in Trump’s America, and only community, vigilance, and courage can meet the threat.

“Say her name: Renee Nicole Good.”

– Wajahat Ali, David Corn, Joy Reid [110:00]