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MAGA Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House has abandoned Washington D.C. yet again. He has thrown the House of Representatives into recess. He shut down all work this week and now we could be heading towards another government shutdown. Also, since the cold blooded murder of Alex Jeffrey Preddy, MAGA Mike Johnson has not made any comment. He's fled Washington D.C. and it's critical that the House of Representatives be in session because in the Senate right now there is no way as of right now the Department of Homeland Security is getting any additional funding for ICE or Border Patrol after the cold blooded murder of of Alex Preddy. The Democrats have made it clear finally, and we've been talking about this over and over again at the Midas Touch Network that we believe it is disqualifying if you are a Democrat and voting to in any way give more money to ice, ICE and Border Patrol should be abolished and they should be prosecuted. But finally, Democratic leader in the Senate Chuck Schumer as well as lots of the other Democrats who were on the fence came out this weekend after the murder of Preddy and they said they will to what's being called a minibus package, this $1.2 trillion appropriations package which slips in this additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol in addition to this broader package that includes defense funding and all this other funding. They try to package it together, these MAGA Republicans do in order to kind of put pressure. Oh what, you're not going to have help defense spending and then we're going to go and campaign against you for not doing defense spending. And Democrats are like no way are we funding ICE and Border Patrol after what just went down. And here's the thing, if there is any edits or adjustments to the appropriations package which passed at the end of last week in the House, so the House voted in favor. There were seven Democrats. I'm sure you know, it's a complete betrayal by these seven Democrats in the House. But the House Republicans with those seven Democrats voted to push forward the appropriations package, this $1.2 trillion package which also includes this additional funding for Border Patrol and ice. Then it gets sent to the Senate. But MAGA Mike just said, you know what, we're not showing back up this week. The House is out. So as you may know from how a bill becomes a law, although I'm not sure they teach this in school anymore because our civic education has been utterly destroyed. The bill has to be identical in the House and the Senate. So if there's any edits or alterations in the Senate, this bill does not become a law. It gets sent back to the House. And MAGA Mike Johnson, he's disappeared. He's shut down the House of Representatives. So there's no way to even get a figure out this reconciliation or figure out how to make the legislation look the same because MAGA Mike decided to take another vacation And MAGA Mike has decided to go absolutely silent. Silent and say nothing as a result to this cold blooded murder. His last post, Mega Mike was this post from 48 Hours Ago. Kelly and I enjoyed hosting our dear friend Mrs. Erica Kirk yesterday at the Capitol. What an inspiration. She has been so many countless millions of people around the world because her faith and courage. So you do that 48 hours ago then leave Washington D.C. shut down the House, send it into vacation and make no comment about the murder of Alex Preddy. Take a look. A lot of Republicans are now even speaking up. You have Senator Lisa Murkowski. She posted the following the tragedy and chaos the country is witnessing in Minneapolis is shocking. The killing of Alex Pretty, a US Citizen by ICE agents should raise serious questions within the administration about the adequacy of immigration enforcement training and the instruction officers are given on carrying out their mission or lawfully carrying a firearm does not justify federal agents killing an American, especially as video footage appears to show after the victim had been disarmed. A comprehensive independent investigation of the shooting must be conducted in order to rebuild trust and congressional committees need to hold hearings and do their oversight work. ICE agents do not have carte blanche and carrying out their duties. But MAGA Mike took a vacation the same way MAGA Mike took a vacation and shut down the House, which then shut down the government back in the summer when he wanted to avoid a vote to release the Epstein files. I mean, aren't these people just the worst, these MAGA Republicans? You have MAGA Republican Congress member Michael Baumgartner from Washington say the following. I'm disturbed what I've seen from the video from Minnesota. It's critically important that the American people in Congress be given a better understanding of how immigration is being enforced and handled, including the methods federal law enforcement officers are using to prioritize, identify and arrest suspected targets, the training they are receiving, the implementation of body cameras, the threats they face in conducting operations. That's a MAGA Republican right there. You have Republican Senator Bill Cassidy saying the events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth. Republican Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina writes, there must be a thorough and impartial investigation into the Minneapolis shooting, which is the basic standard that law enforcement and the American people expect following any officer involved shooting for this specific incident. That requires cooperation and transparency between federal, state and local law enforcement, any administration official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to Trump's legacy. What's the legacy? The legacy of fascism, terrorism, destroying the American economy, destroying America's alliances, ripping apart people's dreams, tearing to shreds the United States Constitution. And we know that the Department of Homeland Security run by Kristi Noem is preventing even the FBI from being involved in the investigation. And they've blocked state and local officials who the state and local officials had to file a federal lawsuit trying to preserve the evidence, although they believe the evidence by Department of Homeland Security has been destroyed. There's currently an injunction order demanding that the Department of Homeland Security preserve all of the relevant evidence. But, you know, that's what's going on in the Department of Homeland Security. Also on the Hill, you had a House Republican who chose to remain anonymous telling Politico, many of us wonder if the administration has any clue as to how much this will hurt us legislatively and electorally this year. Setting aside legislative and electorally, can we just talk about the fact that there's state sponsored terrorism, a Gestapo, a paramilitary killing people. Maybe you should care that, you know, you're the don't tread on me crowd, that this regime is treading on everybody, taking away people's First Amendment rights, Second Amendment's rights, Fourth Amendment rights from unreasonable search and seizures. And they're executing Americans in the street, they're throwing people into concentration camps. Also you have Republican chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Representative Gabarino, formerly requesting testimony from ice, Border Patrol and other related entities in the Department of Homeland Security. But Maga Mike has put the house in recess and he's sent everybody home. You want to take a look at what's going on even on state regime media? I mean, you have Maria Bartiromapist when you have Maria Bartiromapist pissed, you've lost the plot. When she State regime media watch her here with James Comer. And Maria Bartiroma is saying, I watched that video. What the hell is even happening here? Watch this.
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Another individual is dead at the hands of Border Patrol. Let's be clear. We do not know if there was any pushback from this individual who was armed. We do not have evidence that he was waving a gun, doing anything to threaten Border Patrol. He had his phone and he was shooting. He, he was viewing and recording the incident. That's what he was doing, recording the incident.
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And here's Maria Bartiromo with Kash Patel. Play this clip.
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But.
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But how was he threatening border patrol? You've collected the evidence you said, right? You have the handgun in your possession.
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That's right.
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And how was he using that handgun in terms of threatening border patrol? What was the threat? He had his camera, right? He was filming it.
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That's something that I let the DHS and the prosecutors, because they are the ones investigating that case. I don't want to stylize that evidence, but I trust the men and women on the ground who are trained professionals to only use it when it's absolutely necessary. And I trust Secretary Noem's leadership. Now, I guess this is MAGA Republican Congress member James Comer trying to give Donald Trump an offer amp here to get out of Minneapolis and get out of St. Paul, get outta Minnesota proper in general. He, you know, Comer's like, well, I would just tell Donald Trump, you know, you've got all these white liberals, these white liberals going into Minnesota and these white liberals, and maybe it's just best that you get, you, you pull these tr, you pull these ice gestapo out and let the people see how much they miss you, Donald. Because all these white liberals. Watch how pathetic Comer is. But he's trying to hint to Donald Trump, get out of there. What the hell are you doing right now? Here, play this clip.
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And they've got all these white liberals coming in trying to run over ice, trying to, you know, spray them and do everything to disrupt. And if I were President Trump, I would almost think about, okay, if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm's way and there's a chance of losing more, you know, innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide, do we want to continue to have all of these illegals? Are we going to allow our governor, attorney general and mayor to get away with this? And I think the people of Minnesota would rebel against their leadership.
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And, you know, MAGA Republicans are absolutely losing it when they've heard Treasury Secretary Scott Besant over the weekend basically say the Second Amendment doesn't exist. Right. Scott Besson's like, who would show up to a protest with a handgun? I don't know, someone who has a lawful permit for concealed carrying. And under the Second Amendment, you're allowed to do that. Alex Pretty wasn't brandishing his weapon. He wasn't pointing it at officers. Watch Donald Trump's treasury secretary say the Second Amendment doesn't exist. Here, play this clip.
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I am sorry that this gentleman is dead, but he did bring a 9 millimeter semiautomatic weapon with two cartridges to what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. I think that there are a lot of paid agitators who are jetting things up and the governor has not done a good job at tamping this down. Yeah, I mean, as you know, he was an ICU nurse, worked for the Veterans Administration, and there's no evidence that he brandished the gun whatsoever. The fact that he brought a disarm before a gun. Have you ever gone to a protest, Jonathan? We do have a Second Amendment in this country that. John. Johnathan, have you ever gone to a protest? I mean, have you gone to a protest? I mean, I've. I. No, actually, as a reporter covering it. Okay, I've been to a protest. Guess what? I didn't bring a gun. I brought a billboard. Okay. Secretary Bessant, thank you.
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And then you had Kristi Noem when she was asked about all of this, Kristi Noem was asked, you know, did he brandish a gun? And here's what Kristi Noem had to say. Here, play this clip.
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Thank you so much for doing this and would welcome also any other guidance from Chief Scott. Did the 37 year old who had a license to carry, did he brandish a gun? And at what point did law enforcement retrieve the gun and also the magazines from him? Can you offer clarity on this? Individual showed up to impede a law enforcement operation and assaulted our officers. They responded according to their training and took action to defend the officer's life and those of the public around him. And I don't know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign. This is a violent riot when you have someone showing up with weapons and are using them to assault law enforcement officers.
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Really?
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She said, I don't know of any peaceful protesters that show up with the gun. It's just interesting. Take a look at what Kristi Noem said back on April 25, 2013, when she was a member of Congress. Play this clip.
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Because I wanted to talk about how the Constitution guarantees us the individual's right to keep and bear arms. And that's why I strongly support the Second Amendment. This right isn't abstract to me. It's part of my family's heritage and it's my state's culture. I'm a gun owner, a member of the Congressional Sportsman's Caucus. I'll continue to fight and defend this right for the people of South Dakota and for our way of life. You know, the Second Amendment has been described in many different ways over the years. But some of those are, such as it is there to support our natural rights of self defense. It's there for resistance of oppression. It even was described as a civic duty to act in concert in the defense of the state. These are all reasons that we need to make sure that we're continuously talking about the benefits of this right, what it means to mothers and fathers who are protecting their families, and what it means to us growing up in a country where people sacrificed, bled and died to protect the rights that we have.
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Or why don't we even look at Christine Ohm's 2023 NRA speech. Play this clip.
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And a White House that is so hell bent on grabbing power in control of your life they will do anything and stop at absolutely nothing to take it away. They will even take away your last tool of defense. The second Amendment is about deterrence. It's about ensuring the government respects the rights and the liberty of citizens. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state. The right of a people to keep and bear arms shall not be inflicted fringed.
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Well, I think a lot of Americans are feeling like this. This is Scotty K Fitness on Tik Tok. He's got a huge Tik Tok following. Watch his response to all of that. Play this clip.
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I am now seeing reports that it's even possible that they disarmed him by taking his weapon out of his holster. That was at his six o'.
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Clock.
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And then they mag dumped the guy. So if you are legally carrying a firearm and they take that that off of your person and then utilize that as a justification to put rounds in your back while you're laying face down on the pavement that it was never about following the law. The second Amendment doesn't matter anymore. And you're so where's all the don't tread on me two way gun toting, boot licking tards or is it just when it's not on your side? So I'm done playing the middle ground. I'm done making first aid videos that just might help that can be seen by both sides. So fuck it, fuck Trump, fuck ice. We are not mad enough.
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And now I got to give a shout out to Democratic Congress member Cassar. You've seen him many times here on the Midas Dutch network. And here he talks about what needs to be the Democrats non negotiables when it comes to providing any additional funding for the DHS appropriations minibus package. Here, play this clip.
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What I think we've all seen is that folks watching at home's voices have been heard. Until just recently it seemed like that ICE funding bill was going to make it through the Senate. But thankfully Senate Democrats are saying no, we cannot leave ICE and Trump's mass deportation machine in place. And so now we need to ask our senators before they send the bill back to the House. In my view, for at least five non negotiables. First pull ICE and CBP out of Minneapolis. No more of this in Minneapolis or other American cities. 2. The masks need to come off. 3 no more arresting and deporting US citizens or a full and thorough investigation of the killing of Ms. Good and Mr. Preddy. And number five, we've got to end these indiscriminate arrest quotas and warrantless arrest and searches. This is the kind of things that all Americans should be able to agree on and all senators should insist on in this bill.
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So the status right now is Senate is in session, Maga Mike goes on vacation, shuts down the House. So we'll see what the Senate does this week. Pay attention there. But if the Senate makes any alterations to the minibus, as it's called, the appropriations package that was passed in the House and has to go back to the House, the House is shut down right now. So it seems like you're heading towards a shutdown. Now, even if the Senate tries to, you know, extract or remove from its bill the Department of Homeland Security funding to try to get all the other funding through, it still has to go back to the House. And MAGA Mike has shut it down. I mean, just how pathetic is. Dude, do your job. Just show up to the House and now the American people are gonna have to deal with another shutdown. This whole MAGA Republican apparatus is just so utterly pathetic. Do you see why Donald Trump's businesses have gone bankrupt so frequently? I think you see it right here. Anyway, thanks for watching. Please hit subscribe. You may think you're subscribed to this YouTube channel, but you may not actually be subscribed. Turn your notifications on. Just double check that you're subscribed. Thanks for watching and have a good one. Love this video. Support independent media and unlock exclusive content ad free video and custom emojis. By becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today, you can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together. Everyone deserves to be connected. That's why T Mobile and US Cellular are joining forces. Switch to T Mobile and save up to 20% versus Verizon by getting built in benefits they leave out. Check the math at tmobile. Com Switch and now T Mobile is in ultra stores. Savings versus comparable Verizon plans plus the cost of optional benefits plan features in Texas and fees vary. Savings with three plus lines include third line free via monthly bill credits. Credits stop if you cancel any lines. Qualifying credit required.
Date: January 26, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett, Jordy Meiselas
Podcast Network: MeidasTouch Network
This episode centers on the political turmoil following the killing of Alex Jeffrey Preddy by ICE agents in Minneapolis, the subsequent House shutdown led by Speaker "MAGA Mike" Johnson, and the wider national debate around government funding, ICE and Border Patrol, and the Second Amendment. The Meiselas brothers break down the political maneuvering, highlight shifting Democratic stances, call out Republican hypocrisy, and spotlight the potential for a looming government shutdown due to legislative gridlock.
(02:01 - 07:00)
Quote:
“MAGA Mike Johnson...thrown the House of Representatives into recess...shut down all work...heading towards another government shutdown.”
— Ben Meiselas (02:01)
(02:45 - 07:30)
(07:01 - 10:00)
Quote:
“ICE agents do not have carte blanche...A comprehensive, independent investigation...must be conducted in order to rebuild trust.”
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (read by Ben, 05:27)
(10:00 - 15:00)
“What the hell is even happening here?” (09:50)
"Let the people of Minneapolis decide." — James Comer (14:06)
(14:43 - 17:19)
Quote:
“I don't know of any peaceful protesters that show up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign.”
— Kristi Noem (16:21)
Counterquote:
“The Second Amendment is about deterrence. It’s about ensuring the government respects the rights and liberty of citizens.”
— Kristi Noem, 2023 NRA Speech (18:19)
(18:55 - 19:49)
“If you are legally carrying a firearm and they take that off of your person and then utilize that as a justification to put rounds in your back while you're laying face down on the pavement...the Second Amendment doesn't matter anymore.”
— Scotty K Fitness (19:12)
(20:09 - 21:08)
Quote:
“These are the kind[s] of things all Americans should be able to agree on.”
— Rep. Greg Casar (20:54)
(21:08 - End)
Quote:
“Just show up to the House...the American people are gonna have to deal with another shutdown. This whole MAGA Republican apparatus is just so utterly pathetic.”
— Ben Meiselas (21:30)
This summary reflects the tone and spirited criticism characteristic of the MeidasTouch Podcast, combining humor, outrage, and policy analysis for a progressive audience.