The Tony Kinnett Cast Ep. 493 - Don Lemon Arrested, Media & Protests Ballistic over Indictment, Iran Strike "Imminent"

Date: January 31, 2026
Host: Tony Kinnett (The Daily Signal)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on three main topics:

• The arrest of Don Lemon and explosive media reactions
• Ballistic protests and media spin surrounding the indictment, focusing heavily on events in Minneapolis and Los Angeles
• Growing expectation of U.S.-led military action against Iran

Tony Kinnett delivers his analysis with his usual biting wit and no-nonsense, “middle-of-the-country” perspective. He’s joined by Tyler O’Neill (Senior Editor, The Daily Signal) to break down the legal aspects of Lemon’s arrest, and intersperses commentary with vivid descriptions of current events, sharp critiques of the media, and pointed political humor.

Major Sections & Key Discussion Points

1. Don Lemon’s Arrest and Media Uproar

[00:00–14:00]

• News Break: Don Lemon was arrested, sending shockwaves across the political and journalistic spectrum. Kinnett finds amusement in the theatricality of the media’s response.

  • “It was really funny watching everyone…just type the statement on social media…‘Don Lemon has been arrested’ and then…all of the insane craziness you would expect.” (Tony Kinnett, [00:16])

• Minneapolis Protests: Coverage of ICE-related protests intertwined with responses to Lemon’s arrest, including awkward National Guard withdrawals and angry, freezing crowds.

  • Offers sharp, comedic summaries of local reporting: “My journalistic pedigree, looking as though I have been wrapped and sponsored by Hefty, that they really want ice out completely.” (Kinnett, [02:05])
  • Protesters shout “ICE OUT!” in subzero temps; little policy impact, per Kinnett: “They marched…yelled…National Guard…hightails it at the crowd’s largest point, which is not…what you’re supposed to do.” ([03:00])

• Los Angeles Response: Planned protests shift rapidly from ICE to Lemon, showing the media’s tendency to fixate on narrative over substance.

• Politician Soundbites: Elected officials, including Minneapolis City Councilwoman Robin Wansley and Gov. Tim Walz, are condemned by Kinnett for inflammatory speech and legal ignorance.

  • Wansley: “We are trying to obstruct federal law enforcement.” ([05:49])
  • Walz (per The Atlantic): Likens events to Fort Sumter: "Is this a Fort Sumter?" — “That’s a wild thing to say.” (Kinnett, [06:09])
  • President’s response: Calls Walz’s history claim “insane”; reiterates law and order credentials.

2. “Journalists Under Threat” Narrative & Left-Wing Reactions

[14:00–36:00]

• Georgia Fort’s Arrest: Another independent journalist, livestreaming her own arrest, tries to recast legal consequences as community persecution.

  • Fort: “This is really scary…there’s kids in the house.”
  • Kinnett: “You have kids in the house, yet you should have thought of that. You violated federal law and they have a warrant for your arrest.” ([12:08])

• Media Meltdown: Lemon’s arrest overshadows other news; Kinnett lampoons narrative-shifting and the emergence of celebrity allies (Jane Fonda, Brian Stelter, etc.).

  • “Don Lemon was the perfect springboard. Also, other famous lesbians…George Conway…Brian Stelter…everyone came out in full force to yell and complain that the end of democracy was at hand.” ([16:19])

• Notable Satire Segment: Kinnett mocks Jane Fonda’s “internal lesbian anger,” lampoons hyperbolic leftist reactions, and frames it as performance art.

  • Jane Fonda (as quoted/skewered): “I’m Jane Fonda’s internal lesbian anger. Dana, I’m…” [17:18]
  • Kinnett: “Normally my outrage is the price of a Subaru Outback…” ([17:20])

• Notable Quotes & Moments:

  • Jane Fonda: “Don Lemon is a professional journalist. He and his producer were doing their job, nothing more, nothing less.” ([18:46])
  • Brian Stelter: “Many First Amendment groups, many press freedom advocates are going to say this has a real chill… because a chill walked in.” ([19:30])
  • Ellie Mystal: “When I look for constitutional justification for these arrests, it’s obviously not in the Constitution anymore. There was something in the original Constitution…called the fugitive slave clause…” ([20:15])
  • Kinnett sharply rejects these: “There has never been a clause in the United States Constitution which says that if you’re a journalist, you can break the law and do whatever you want…” ([21:07])

3. Legal Reality: The Charges Against Don Lemon (With Tyler O’Neill)

[29:20–36:20]

• The Charges: Lemon is indicted under:

  • The FACE Act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances), which extends to churches, not just abortion clinics
  • The KKK Act, relating to deprivation of civil rights
  • Allegation: Prevented worshipers’ free exercise of religion by participating in a church invasion/protest

• What Actually Happened:

  • Protesters disrupted a church service, blocked aisles, berated children.
  • Lemon’s defense is that he was “just journalisming,” but video and deleted footage reportedly demonstrate coordination and intent. Kinnett: “He’s journalisming all over the place…he’s so proud of himself. But…additional footage shows Don Lemon before the protest, starting…admitting he knows where they’re going…” ([32:50])
  • Tyler O’Neill: “Being a journalist doesn’t give you a press pass to invade a church service…you don’t have a press pass to disrupt a service.” ([33:49])

• Victim Impact:

  • Children separated from parents, parishioners unable to leave; “effectively kidnapping,” per online reactions.

4. The Broader Narrative: Law, Order, and the “Journalist Exception”

[36:20–42:00]

• Media and Leftist Claims:

  • Lemon’s defenders equate his arrest to attacks on democracy, journalistic chill, and even historical slavery and white supremacy.
  • Kinnett ridicules the “blanket exemption” theory: “If you’re a journalist in the United States, you can break the law, do whatever you want, ride along with Hamas, throw a couple of grenades…no one will say boo.” ([37:51])

• Culture War Context:

  • Accusations that the Trump admin seeks a “police state”; Kinnett sees this as narrative overreach.
  • Example: Tapper claims the grand jury was misled; Kinnett refutes with details about evidence phases.

5. Other Major Stories & Highlights

a. Media Hysteria and Political Hyperbole

• Griffin, Conway, and others launch into apocalyptic rhetoric.
  • Kathy Griffin: “Those of you that are awake, that see what’s going on, what do you think the solution is? I think…putting children on planes and taking them to detention centers, which are really concentration camps, call it what it is…” ([42:34])
  • Kinnett: “If you really believed that…there are real concentration camps…and all you’re doing is tweeting about it or marching, you’re a coward.” ([43:09])

b. Policy and Protest Escalation

• Demonstrators ignore law enforcement, storm businesses, and openly challenge federal officers.
  • “Once you give people the key, they’re going to take it and run.” ([44:30])

c. Gov’t & Senate Updates

• Bernie Sanders proposes disbanding ICE and full healthcare socialization; his amendment promptly fails.
  • “The Sanders amendment…uh, nope, that’s a 51 to 50. How about no?” ([45:55])

d. Epstein File Dump

• DOJ releases massive cache of Epstein files; most content unsubstantiated, some too salacious or dubious for serious investigation.
  • “We did not move forward with this because…individual had been admitted into a psychiatric ward three times over the last two years.” ([54:42])

e. California Fraud & Political Spin

• Dr. Oz spotlights hospice fraud linked to Russian/Armenian mob influence; Newsom bristles, calling accusations “racist,” while simultaneously admitting fraud exists.
  • “You have states…where the Democrat administrations…just, oh, there’s fraud in these programs. I better give them more money.” ([60:40])
  • Newsom: “Open hand, not a closed fist…prefer scissors before rock…” (paraphrased, [62:30])
  • Kinnett: “Technocrats on the left and the right believe…let’s not be too hasty, because this status quo is really nice…” ([63:33])

f. Iran on the Brink

• U.S. and allies (Five Eyes + Israel + Sunni partners) appear ready for imminent strike on Iran.
  • “The question…is not when, it is how much they are going to strike Iran.” ([71:10])
  • Kinnett warns against turkey’s threats as essentially irrelevant, given Ankara’s instability ([72:30])

6. Listener Q&A and Closing Thoughts

[85:00–End]

• Legal Recourse for Church Victims:

  • Unlikely that Lemon himself faces personal civil suits for “emotional pain”; primary liability with identified harassers.

• Don Lemon’s Bail:

  • Release on no bail isn’t unusual for comparable federal charges, especially without risk of flight or evidence destruction.

• Positive Republican News:

  • Praises for:
    • President's executive order bringing IndyCar racing to DC (“should have been done ages ago”)
    • The Trump Admin's “accounts for children” investment program (“truly an amazing thing”)
    • Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh

• On “Paid Protesters” Fallacy:

  • Kinnett notes most protesters are “true believers”—not paid shills.
  • “Do not discount those who make it rather clear what they are willing to do to you and against you.” ([92:59])

• Insurrection Act Possibility:

  • Invoking the Act is more likely if vigilante protest violence escalates to outright murder of law enforcement or civilians.

Notable and Memorable Quotes

• Kinnett, on the media:
  “All the insane craziness you would expect…My personal submission was that Jennifer Welch's Botox was likely to curdle right off of her face.” ([00:20])

• On Lemon’s defense:
  “[He’s] journalisming all over the place…He’s so proud of himself.” ([32:50])

• Tyler O’Neill, on journalists and the law:
  “Being a journalist doesn’t give you a press pass to invade a church service.” ([33:49])

• Jane Fonda (quoted):
  “Don Lemon is a professional journalist. He and his producer were doing their job, nothing more, nothing less.” ([18:46])

• Kinnett, on protest disruption:
  “Children were terrified and hurt. Damages have been done in the legal definitions. Go after him.” ([36:21])

• On the social/political climate:
  “If you discount…[their conviction], Minneapolis burnt down because people did it, not because they were paid to.” ([93:00])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00–03:05] – Overview, Don Lemon arrest announcement, Minneapolis protests
• [05:49] – Councilwoman Wansley’s admission of obstructing law enforcement
• [06:09] – Gov. Walz’s “Fort Sumter” analogy critiqued
• [11:43] – Georgia Fort’s arrest & livestream
• [14:00–19:09] – Satirical takes on celebrity/media reaction (Jane Fonda skit, liberal hysteria)
• [20:15] – Ellie Mystal’s ‘slave clause’ comparison
• [29:20–36:20] – Legal deep-dive, interview with Tyler O’Neill
• [42:34] – Kathy Griffin, “concentration camps” rhetoric
• [45:55] – Bernie Sanders' amendment defeated
• [54:42] – Epstein file dump explained
• [60:40] – California fraud and state response (Dr. Oz & Gavin Newsom)
• [71:10] – Analysis of imminent US strike on Iran
• [85:00–End] – Extended mailbag, advice, Q&A, closing commentary

Final Takeaways

• This episode balances national political drama, legal process, and culture war skirmishes with humor and sharp insights.
• Kinnett lambasts media and activist hyperbole about the Lemon arrest, exposes flaws in “journalist immunity” logic, and connects the dots between local unrest, global events, and the broader political climate.
• The episode ends with community Q&A, some levity, and shout-outs to audience members and Hoosier culture.

Recommended for listeners seeking in-depth, irreverent analysis of politics, protest, and media spin, through a staunchly conservative lens.