Truth in the Barrel – "This Week Unfiltered" | 01.08.26 (January 9, 2026)

Hosts: Amy McGrath & Denver Riggleman

Episode Overview

In this New Year’s edition of Truth in the Barrel, Amy and Denver deliver a candid, emotionally charged deep dive into the week's biggest political upheavals: the police shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis; the U.S. military incursion into Venezuela and the kidnapping of its leader; attacks on veteran Mark Kelly and women in the military; stark evidence of strategic drift and corruption in U.S. arms procurement; and the normalization of radical conspiracy thinking at the federal level. With military-honed clarity and sharp wit, they challenge political power and grift on both sides of the aisle, exposing the costs to democracy, rule of law, and basic decency.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Tragedy in Minneapolis: ICE Shooting of Renee Nicole Good

• Amy’s Breaking News: Amy recounts the tragic shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, poet, and mother of three, by a federal ICE agent. The DHS immediately labeled her a "domestic terrorist" without evidence, and federal officials echoed these claims (01:14–02:56).

  • Amy: “She was a U.S. citizen. She was not the target of the raid... Her name was Renee Nicole Good. She was a mother of three kids... and after driving somewhat near one of the ICE agents, she was shot in the head by an ICE agent.” (01:39)
  • Amy: “Our president posted a lie. I mean, imagine if there was no video here.” (02:58)

• Denver’s Analysis: Denver links the event to a broader trend of official disinformation, noting how leaders rapidly resorted to conspiracy rhetoric, labeling critics as "paid agitators" or "domestic terrorists" without evidence (03:20–06:55).

  • Denver: “When you radicalize people by othering … you're saying that they aren't even worth rule of law or any type of grace for an investigation to happen.” (04:24)
  • Denver: “Violence as policy has become normalized since J6. Sadly, she was a victim of the long line of J6 radicalization and violence as policy.” (05:39)

• Breakdown of Failure & Radicalization: Both hosts express horror at the administration’s rapid pivot to false narratives and open agitation, as well as the lack of congressional or agency accountability.

  • Amy: “In a functioning agency ... when something really bad happens ... we stop all operations. We do this thing called a safety stand down ... to try to figure out what just happened. Instead, that organization led by the woman in the cowboy hat starts lying and ramping things up.” (06:55)

2. Escalation: Federal vs. State Authority

• War Gaming the Future: Denver and Amy revisit a scenario they once war-gamed—what happens if federal and state troops come into conflict? With the Minnesota governor mobilizing the National Guard, they’re alarmed to see this now playing out (09:02–13:09).

  • Denver: “We war gamed this back in 2024 ... We didn't think even then ... it would happen so fast.” (09:22)
  • Denver: “It's now. ... We did not ... imagine the incompetence and ... insanity of the people in positions of power.” (09:32)
  • Amy: “This is almost exactly the scenario that we went through ... it all stems from leaders who are, as you sort of said, either inept or they want it to happen.” (13:09)

• Reciprocal Violence: Denver warns this unchecked narrative of violence is likely to provoke further violence against both civilians and federal agents, a dangerous feedback loop.

  • Denver: “This increased the propensity of violence against civilians if there's no accountability... It's increased the possibility of violence against ICE agents.” (11:23)

3. Venezuela Incursion: Regime Change and Oil

• Reactions to War: Amy’s disbelief at the overnight U.S. strike on Venezuela and the abduction of its leader marks a somber pivot. They're appalled at the “regime change” justification and the evident imperial ambitions (14:28–21:23).

  • Amy: “We just attacked Venezuela and ... kidnapped the ... dictator leader of Venezuela and we're now at war.” (14:28)
  • Denver: “When I saw it ... the first messaging ... was we were going after a drug dealer ... then literally the next morning, Trump's like, well, we're just stealing oil.” (15:07)
  • Amy: “Congress has not declared war. Congress has not authorized the use of force ... who should decide who runs Venezuela? I mean, I think the Venezuelans.” (17:42)
  • Amy: “Donald Trump has said American dominance in the western hemisphere will never be questioned again. Well, really, that's what this is all about.” (18:31)

• Moral and Strategic Fallout: Denver stresses how America’s stated motives have moved from democracy to naked self-interest, directly paralleling authoritarian regimes (19:52–21:23).

  • Denver: “There is an idea that me and you fought for ... people should be able to self-determine ... Now ... we're a hegemonic power and we're going to destroy anybody who doesn't give us what we want. That's exactly what Trump said.” (19:52)

• Costs of Empire: They highlight regional instability, corporate windfalls for oil companies, and the total bypassing of congressional oversight.

  • Denver: “Exxon and Chevron is happy today because they have a full military behind them ... Well done, Exxon and Chevron.” (25:17)
  • Amy: “Our president now has declared that he will personally control the proceeds from the oil produced in Venezuela.” (25:26)

4. American Institutions: Corruption, Grift, and Anti-Democratic Trends

• Collapse of Norms: Denver and Amy express repeated outrage at the subversion of the U.S. Constitution, the absence of congressional oversight, and the weaponization of law enforcement and military power for personal gain (25:39–27:28).

  • Amy: “We have this thing called the Constitution, right?” (25:40)
  • Denver: “It's gone. It's gone.” (25:42)

• Veterans and Free Speech Under Attack: Amy points to attacks on Senator Mark Kelly, a decorated veteran and astronaut, who is facing retaliation for mild calls to "follow the law."

  • Amy: “He didn't like that and so he's going after the one retiree ... trying to take away his retirement benefits, trying to demote him from his retirement rank ... Mark Kelly ... is a goddamn American hero. What are we doing?” (27:38)

• Women in the Military: The hosts are incensed at revived “studies” on women’s effectiveness in combat—long-settled issues now used to stoke misogyny and reassert white male dominance.

  • Amy: “It's almost like these guys like Hegseth come out and they're like, hey, you didn't do or can't do, Amy, what you already did. That's what they're saying to women in the military right now.” (29:43)
  • Denver: “It's like white dude summer every day in the White House ... I just find it astounding that we seem to have normalized misogyny, racism, and white nationalism in a way that I never thought.” (33:12)

5. Rapid Fire Hot Takes

• USPS Rule Change & Voting Rights (35:48–36:48)

  • Amy: "Now [mail is] not going to be postmarked until the postal system processes it ... there could be problems there."
  • Denver: “It’s simply suppressing votes to manipulate elections.”

• Trump Super PAC’s $100 Million Haul (37:51–39:38)

  • Amy: “Why does this matter?”
  • Denver: “This money will not just be used for candidates to control the Trump empire after he's gone. This is also payoff monies ... and side income to the amount of money he's using for the United States to create business empires around the world.”

• U.S. Failing on Drone Warfare (41:03–45:53)

  • Wired Magazine exposes that U.S. drone procurement is inefficient and riddled with corruption, while adversaries rapidly advance.
  • Denver: “We are so far behind. … The Russians are learning from the Ukrainians at a clip that is absolutely frightening. … It would happen so fast. … There's no way. … There’s no warning system, a drone warning system in Washington, D.C.”
  • Amy: “Our military installations cannot reliably repel a complex drone attack like that. ... our civilian infrastructure is even less protected.”

• Homeland Security's Lost Mission (45:53)

  • Amy: “The real protection of our homeland is being ignored in my belief … it's a bunch of, of masked agents going and harassing Americans right now ... with a leader running around with a cowboy hat.”

6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Denver's Rant on Radicalization: “I'm tired of stochastic terrorism being dressed in conspiracy theories, and I'm tired of radicalization being pushed by people wearing cowboy hats.” (06:39)
• Denver’s Sarcasm on U.S. Invulnerability: “We're America. Who would dare attack us? ... I'm being very glib by the way, very sarcastic.” (46:54)

7. Positive Close: Therapy Dogs at Denver Airport (47:06–49:30)

• Amy highlights a feel-good story about therapy dogs providing comfort to travelers at Denver Airport.
  • Amy: “It’s a group of 90 dogs ... an airport therapy program ... you can hug them, you can take pictures with them. ... that’s just really cool.” (48:19)
  • Amy also shares a personal anecdote about her own therapy dog, Monk.

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• ICE Shooting & Disinformation: 01:14 – 06:55
• Federal vs. State Conflict & War Gaming: 09:02 – 13:43
• Venezuela Regime Change: 14:28 – 25:26
• Attacks on Veterans & Women in Military: 26:14 – 35:12
• Quick Takes (Voting, PACs, Drones): 35:46 – 46:54
• Pet Therapy Story & Closing: 47:06 – 50:03

Tone & Style

The tone is sharp, irreverent, sometimes darkly humorous, but deeply patriotic and fact-first, reminiscent of two seasoned military officers “off the clock” but never off-mission. Both hosts are passionate, angry at times, and unafraid to call out hypocrisy and corruption—regardless of party.

Final Thought

Truth in the Barrel continues to live up to its name: this is an unfiltered, often urgent analysis of the week’s news, grounded in a commitment to country and truth above all party, institution, or ideology.

Listen to the full episode or get more at: truthinthebarrel.com