Flotsam and Jetsam - Is Trump Softening on the Minnesota Insurrection?

The cold weather continues, but I hear there's a break coming. For one or two hours tomorrow, it's supposed to break 32 F!

Clandestine @WarClandestine, "Trump said he is not going to use federal DHS/ICE agents to police local rioting in Democrat cities unless they ask for help. He is however, going to use DHS/ICE and, if necessary, the US MIL to protect federal property. It sounds like Trump knows something is coming. It sounds like the Dems want DHS/ICE to get caught up in policing these riots, hoping more of their deranged followers take it too far and get shot. Trump is instead going to hold and force local Democrat politicians to police their own riots, or agree to work with him. And if the Dems choose to not police these riots, they will force Trump to use the US MIL to suppress the chaos." Sundance at CTH, Strategic Retreat? – President Trump Announces Instructions to DHS to Pull Back from ICE Operations in Democrat States/Regions. At NYPo, Ben Domenech says GOP can’t go soft on immigration with midterms looming — it’s why voters picked Trump. From Breitbart, Trump Administration Begins Suing Illegal Migrants Who Have Not Self-Deported. Mickey Kaus @kausmickey, "Good Lord -- it also says they [the Democrats] wanted to "lower the overall number of legal immigrants."" Quote National Immigration Center for Enforcement @NICEnforcement, "Bill Clinton’s 1996 immigration platform makes Trump look like the president of @USChamber x.com/dmichaeltripi/…" That was before they realized they could be used to vote, and for the great grifting game.

From Fox, GREGG JARRETT: Don Lemon left his press pass at the door when he joined church-storming mob, "Federal prosecutors allege former CNN podcaster participated in disrupting religious service rather than just reporting on," and Don Lemon taps Hunter Biden's attorney to fight Trump DOJ charges. 357 Magnum, Don Lemon Charged with Violating Civil Rights. Jon Gabriel @exjon, "Don Lemon wasn’t arrested for exercising his first-amendment rights. He was arrested for preventing other Americans from exercising their first-amendment rights." Quote Andrew Yang @AndrewYang, "Arresting journalists is a terrible line to cross." Jennifer Holliday @Jenhollidayx, "And conspiring with other people to deprive them of their right to worship freely. That part is key. He didn’t have to be the one preventing the exercise of rights. For a more thorough explanation and case law, check out the model jury instructions." Natalia Mittelstadt at JTN reports Independent Minnesota journalist Georgia Fort arrested in connection with church protest, ""This is all stemming from the fact that I filmed a protest as a member of the media," Georgia Fort said." Let's review the tapes and find out what she really did.

NYPo reports Anti-ICE protesters clash with fed agents outside DTLA federal building. At PM, Antifa trans militant pleads guilty in attempted arson attack at Portland ICE facility, "Alistair Macfarlane Sidener, 20, of Portland, attempted to set the ICE facility ablaze." KOLD News 13, Sister of man shot by Border Patrol says he’s no victim, calls him violent. Arthur MacWaters @ArthurMacwaters, "This is utterly insane: > sanctuary cities overlap nearly perfectly with riot locations, which overlap nearly perfectly with deep blue vote > the riots are highly-organized, increasingly violent, and obviously partisan, not humanitarian (no one rioted when biden deported millions) > if roles were reversed, headlines would read "civil war, red states revolt" Politicians and the media are encouraging riots, then framing this as a moral struggle between helpless illegal immigrants and valiant freedom fighters against the gestapo Just craziness. The legacy media spin is so predictable, yet so many people just believe it." Daniel McCarthy at Rod Martin, The Unspoken Logic of the Anti-ICE Mob "Federal law makes it a crime to engage in a conspiracy to impede federal officers from performing their duties. That includes street violence. It also includes officials running "Sanctuary Cities"." Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "When criminal gangs start working for Leftist government, you've just made @KurtSchlichter into a modern day Nostradamus." Quote American AF @iAnonPatriot, "Long Beach mayoral candidate Rogelio Martinez has called on all 55 gang leaders in the city to team up and REMOVE ICE agents… This is absurd!!" Josh Monnington at Da Fed agrees You Can’t Have A Secure Border Without Deportations. The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Am Great, Slouching Towards Fort Sumter? "Minnesota’s defiance of federal immigration law echoes pre–Fort Sumter nullification, forcing Trump to choose between enforcement and letting blue states slide toward open rebellion." ZitoSalena @ZitoSalena, "The most basic role of journalism and military experts; Follow the Money," Quote John Schindler @20committee, "January’s Minneapolis Mess: Some Counterintelligence Questions Who’s really behind Minnesota’s acrimonious confrontation with the Feds over deportations?" The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Bruce Springsteen Threatens To Keep Releasing Songs Until Deportations Stop."

It has indeed somehow become even worse https://t.co/oTiJlVombp

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 31, 2026

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears a Federal Judge Tosses Minnesota Lawsuit to Stop Immigration Enforcement Surge. Sundance, Federal Judge Refuses to Block Minnesota DHS Operation ‘Metro Surge’ "U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Menendez admitted the ongoing operation “will likely continue to have profound and even heartbreaking, consequences on the State of Minnesota, the Twin Cities, and Minnesotans,” however, there is no grounds for the state’s case using the 10th amendment." Hat Hair's Dave Strom thinks Ellison Wasn't Trying to Win the TRO Case; He Was Helping Build the Narrative for the #Resistance. Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley. "I previously wrote about the frivolous lawsuit by Gov. Walz and Minn. Attorney General Keith Ellison to enjoin immigration enforcement operations in the state. https://jonathanturley.org/2026/01/13/minnesota-files-meritless-lawsuit-to-stop-increase-in-fraud-investigation-and-immigration-enforcement/ As expected, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez, a Biden appointee, just ruled against them."jonathanturley.org" Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley, "...This is only the latest meritless challenge filed by Democratic governors and mayors to suggest that these operations are unlawful. It is a pandering to the mob to fulfill a false narrative about these arrests. The mob tactics targeting ICE are obstructing lawful operations..." ET reportsa Judge Blocks Parts of Trump Order on Verifying Citizenship for Voter Registration. "The May 2025 order directed officials to enforce policies on voting and voter registration. The judge said the president lacks the authority to do that." That may hold up. At News Wax, Judge Temporarily Blocks End of Ethiopians' Deportation Protections "to provide more time for a legal challenge to be heard." Sunny @sunnyright, "And there it is. The effort has now begun to delegitimize appeals. Once Democrats get their way with one magistrate judge (whose authorities are limited by nature because they're not Senate-confirmed district judges) you now have to accept that as the final ruling. Insane." Quote Ronan Farrow @RonanFarrow Replying to @RonanFarrow, "In a functioning system, that ends it. Instead, the DOJ appealed to a higher court to override the magistrate’s ruling and force the warrants through. That procedural move—seeking arrests after a judge said the evidence didn’t support them—is the anomaly."

Driscoll at Insty says THANKS FOR THE CONFIRMATION, REP. GILLEN: Haiti Is Hell—Don’t Import it Into America. Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre, "May I humbly suggest that if sending Haitians to Haiti is a death sentence because it’s full of Haitians then bring Haitians here is a death sentence for our country." Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness "Rep. Laura Gillen (D): "Sending Haitians to Haiti is a death sentence""

At TownHall, Mike Barone sees Big Surprises in the 2030 Census Estimates, mostly favorable to the GOP. The Free Bacon, Trump States Gaining Population As High-Tax States Lose People, New Census Data Show. Hopefully the refugees know better that to create the same problems in a new state, but the example of Oregon visa vie California isn't a good one. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn in her best Yoda voice, Begun the Census Wars Have

At Althouse, "The [Epstein] files appeared to contain at least 4,500 documents that mentioned Mr. Trump." ""One was a summary that officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation assembled last summer of more than a dozen tips from the public involving Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein, according to emails released by the Department of Justice on Friday. It is unclear why the investigators put together the summary, which includes accusations of sexual abuse by Mr. Epstein and Mr. Trump. The emails did not include any corroborating evidence, and The New York Times is not describing the details of the unverified claims. . . From "Powerful Men Who Turn Up in the New Batch of Epstein Files/Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Sergey Brin were among those who exchanged messages or visited with Jeffrey Epstein, according to the newly released documents" (NYT)(gift link)." One suspects a lot of them are late additions, like the 2000 women who accused Bret Kavanagh of assaulting them. The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee. "Damning Photos Surface Of Clippy On Epstein Island." I never trusted him/her.

In misc. Trumpiania, News Wax has a Trump Op-Ed: Tariffs Revived Economy, Defied Experts. Leslie Eastman at LI, Beyond the ‘Discombobulator’: America’s Laser‑Focused Push Into the Future of Warfare "Trump’s branding can blur the technical details, but he undeniably spotlighted the fact that our nation’s military has now entered an era of accelerated defense innovation." Maybe they should use the discombobulator in Minnesota. And Althouse says Oh, no!, "It's just cruel. Please. This hurts my heart: NYT, Trump favors 250-foot arch that would tower over other monuments, because we all know it would come be known as Trump's Victory Arch. Also, "Can I ask a question I have been dying to ask? You all might think it is a weird question but I've always been curious. What is your favorite time of day?" "That's the utterly inane question Dana Perino asked Melania Trump on "The Five":" Commenter Phaedrus adds, "With no context about Dana Perino, I could see that being inane. The is not a novel topic for her. She is known for getting up early (she has her own show before The Five, much earlier) and this wasn’t the first conversation where time of day peak/ebb has been discussed around the table.And she has written several books where productive habits are woven throughout (as implied when she’s discussed content with the hosts from the same standpoint Melania is doing so about her movie). I watched that particular segment when it aired and as with book/movie all the questions were softballs but Dana’s question was pretty on brand for her."

Fox, Government shuts down again after Democrats revolt over DHS funding "The Senate passed the spending deal to the House hours before the midnight deadline." A Hat Hair video asserts Democrats Playing With Dynamite on Another Shutdown. Will anyone other than government drones notice?

ET hears Gov. Walz, Minnesota AG Will Give Sworn Testimony About Fraud to Oversight Committee. "Congressmen will question both leaders in a public session focusing on ‘rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars,’ the committee says, estimated at $9 billion." Land of 10,000 Frauds presents Your one-stop clearinghouse for everything related to state government fraud in Minnesota. Elon Musk @elonmusk, "They tried to hide their crimes." Quote Luke Rosiak @lukerosiak "When DOGE went to audit the African Development Foundation, its CFO locked them out. The move was heralded by Democrats and the media as heroic. Turns out, when people resist audits, it's because they have something to hide. Today the agency's CFO admitted taking bribes."

Sundance hosts FBI Director Kash Patel Outlines “Probable Cause” in Georgia Election Data Warrant. From News Wax, Clinton Contempt Vote Set for Next Wednesday. I already hold them in contempt. 

Betsy McCaughey at Hat Hair, Mamdani's Cruel Homeless Policy: Frozen Corpses and Blighted Neighborhoods. At RCI, Poll Finds New England Women Feel Misled About Climate Policies. They were told it wasn't going to snow any more, and wind and solar would keep them warm in winter. Christine Rose @AIChristineRose "Today in “we are governed by people who failed 8th grade science”: two #Memphis City Council members posted videos claiming the recent snow was… fake. As in “this ain’t snow, y’all,” because it didn’t melt the way they expected when they held a lighter to a snowball. Local coverage here, in case you think I’m exaggerating: https://memphisflyer.com/the-snow-is-fake-claim-two-memphis-city-council-members/ We’ve all seen random TikToks and Facebook uncles doing the “burn the snow, it doesn’t drip, therefore it’s plastic from the government” routine. What’s different here is who is doing it. These are people voting on budgets, infrastructure, and policy, publicly treating basic physics like a psyop. Once you see that, the rest of our policy mess starts to make more sense. The same epistemic failure that produces “fake snow” conspiracies is exactly what gives you bills like Tennessee’s SB 1493 — the one that tries to turn “AI emotional support” into a Class A felony. (start here for my 6-part series in progress on that one: https://crispyrose.com/tennessee-ai-bill-economic-impact/) The pattern is identical: I don’t understand this ➜ it doesn’t match my intuition ➜ therefore it’s probably fake, dangerous, or being used against us." At ET, Man Accused of Spraying Apple Cider Vinegar on Ilhan Omar Charged With Assault. "Anthony James Kamierczak was charged with forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with the representative."

From NRO, Jury Awards Detransitioner $2 Million in Historic Medical-Malpractice Lawsuit. Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Plaintiff’s lawyers are going to end “gender change” surgeries on minors. This was a New York jury. Can you imagine when some of these cases get to red state jurors? Someone is going to get hit with nine figures in damages. Doctors who did these surgeries should lose licenses too," Quote Stacy Robinson @stacepochalypse "A jury has awarded Fox Varian a total of $2 million after it found her psychologist and surgeon liable for medical malpractice related to a mastectomy at age 16." Don Surber thinks Lawsuits will end the trans fad, "A New York jury said butchering a confused 16-year-old girl was malpractice." At Althouse, "A jury on Jan. 30 found a psychologist and surgeon liable for malpractice after they supported and performed breast removal surgery..." Gail Heriot at Insty says OUR CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL IS CRAZY: "“California Attorney General Sues Rady Children’s Hospital for Curtailing Gender-Affirming Care.” Meanwhile a jury just awarded $2 million to detransitioner in win against gender surgeons."

At the Free Bacon, Mamdani Voter Ezra Klein Tries, Fails To Achieve Solidarity With Student Activists Who Called Him a 'Zionist Pig' "The liberal NYT columnist has denounced Israel and defended student protests. They blasted him as a 'Nazi normalizer' who 'set Palestine on fire.'" Charles Murray @charlesmurray, "But perhaps you can understand my guilty pleasure at seeing Ezra wrongly accused of the same sort of thing he wrongly accuses me of." Quote Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias, "I don't think @ezraklein is an apologist of white supremacist views and an accessory to genocidal state violence." From Stacy McCain's substack, Born Lucky, Two Flavors of the Same Poison, "Matt Yglesias notices totalitarian foxes inside the 'progressive' henhouse."

The College Fix reports Audit demanded after claims that MIT faculty hiring sidesteps DEI ban. Da Caller, Trump DOJ Joins Legal Fight Against Major Med School’s ‘Race-Based’ Admissions. Da Wire explains Why Governors Are Opting-In To School Choice At Record Speed "Nineteen states are now set to participate in the federal tax credit scholarship with more on the way."