In short
The episode claims Minneapolis and St. Paul are being turned into a “war zone” by Donald Trump’s ICE and Border Patrol, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. The host cites reports and “exclusive footage” from Status Coup and partners, describing tactics including tear gas/“chemical weapons,” pepper balls and spray, flashbangs, ramming vehicles, mass detentions, and alleged torture of migrants. Key examples shown include: ICE agents firing flashbangs and gassing protesters outside a federal building; ICE kidnapping a “teenage boy”; agents detaining U.S. citizens for refusing to show ID; alleged groping and violent detention of a woman; assaults on a teacher at a special education school; and similar incidents referenced in Santa Ana (a man shot in the eye) and West Virginia (roofers detained).
Guests
none named in the transcript.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOTrump's Actions Create a War Zone
1:20 to 2:17
Discussion on the state of Minnesota as it faces turmoil under Trump.
“Paul as Donald Trump turns these peaceful cities, these inclusive cities, into an absolute war zone.”
Partnering with Status Coup
2:17 to 2:40
Introduction of Status Coup's role in reporting on the situation.
“And folks, you know, we've been working with the fine folks over at Status Coup.”
Protests and Police Aggression
2:40 to 4:19
Detailed accounts of protests and the aggressive responses from law enforcement.
“Remember, don't just subscribe to our YouTube channel and help us get to 6 million subscribers, but make sure you subscribe to the Status Coup YouTube channel.”
Witness Accounts of Violence
4:19 to 6:16
Personal testimonies from protesters experiencing violence.
“Yeah, we got somebody, at least one person down on the ground.”
Border Patrol's Aggressive Tactics
6:16 to 10:00
Examination of the tactics used by border patrol against protesters.
“But here you'll see peaceful protesters, peaceful people on the street, and then ICE throws gas weapons at them.”
Interviews with Protesters
10:00 to 12:12
Interviews reveal the confrontational and threatening behavior of law enforcement.
“Then they throw gas on the people and pepper spray.”
ICE Assaults and Detentions
15:58 to 22:22
A shocking overview of ICE's violent actions against U.S. citizens.
“ICE and Border Patrol agents are assaulting U.S.”
Community Response and Resistance
22:22 to 28:01
How the community is reacting to ICE's aggressive tactics and standing up for their rights.
“And I think the most important thing right now is to use your eyes, use your ears, like believe what you see, believe your neighbors.”
ICE Detains Teacher: A Disturbing Incident
28:01 to 29:55
Learn about the alarming incident of ICE detaining a teacher at a school in Minnesota.
“What made you get into this fucking profession?”
Exposing ICE Operations: Roofers in West Virginia
29:55 to 30:25
Discover the troubling collaboration between local authorities and ICE in West Virginia.
“Hit subscribe and let's get to 6 million subscribers.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Ben Meiselas:For everyone who solves crime from their couch, knows more about forensics than their own job, and has trust issues with small-town sheriffs, Amazon Music's millions of podcast episodes are calling. Just download the Amazon Music app and start listening to your favorite true crime podcasts ad-free. Included with Prime. This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. Last year, I went through many different life changes. I needed to take a pause and examine how I was feeling in the inside to better show up for the ones who need me to be my best version of myself. When you're navigating life's changes, Talkspace can help.
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1:19Ben Meiselas:All hell continues to break loose in Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as Donald Trump turns these peaceful cities, these inclusive cities, into an absolute war zone. It looks like you're in Fallujah during the height of the Iraq war. And here there are war crimes being committed against the people of Minneapolis and against the people of St. Paul. And we're seeing this across the country as well. I mean, the people are being gassed. There's chemical weapons of unknown origin in addition to pepper balls and pepper spray, flash grenades and other artillery being deployed on the people.
2:02Ben Meiselas:People being disappeared to concentration camps, detention centers where the Trump regime is still blocking members of Congress from access even after court orders require members of Congress to be able to see what's going on. And likely the Trump regime is covering up the torture that they are inflicting on migrants. And folks, you know, we've been working with the fine folks over at Status Coup. There are partners on the ground who are bringing you exclusive footage that you're not seeing anywhere else. I want to show you what has happened to Minneapolis and St. Paul, which has become an absolute war zone.
2:40Ben Meiselas:Remember, don't just subscribe to our YouTube channel and help us get to 6 million subscribers, but make sure you subscribe to the Status Coup YouTube channel. subscribe to their sub stack become a member of their sub stack it's like five bucks a month they've got reporters on the ground and they partner with the Midas Touch Network let me show you what's going down most of this footage is from status coup some of it isn't this right here is from status coup they were there at the evening hours yesterday and you'll see ICE agents launching flash bang grenades and shooting other gaseous, noxious agents at protesters in front of the federal building in Minneapolis, causing massive explosions.
3:23Ben Meiselas:It's terrorizing. This isn't the America I served for 20 years, a U.S. Navy vet says, amongst other tearful, peaceful protesters who come under assault, terrorizing, assault by the Trump regime. Watch what takes place. Here, play this clip. Whoa. Shooting serious munitions at us. Whoa. Yep, I'm right behind you.
3:59That really just came out of the blue. No one was really doing anything here. You think?
4:10There is some serious tear gas already in the air. You see, are they arresting someone there? Yeah, we got somebody, at least one person down on the ground. No one likes you! No one is proud of you! All of the federal officers are wearing gas masks prepared for, I guess, more tear gas and pepper pellets. They have the guns in their hands. What is this like? I just can't believe it. Scared. It's frightening. It's terrorizing. We were just standing here. We were just standing here talking. I mean, we were just standing here peacefully protesting. Nothing. I mean, no one was going near, you know, crossing the street.
5:05No, we're standing on the sidewalk. Everybody was. Everybody. Get the fuck back!
5:13If you, uh, you're, uh, are you a veteran, ma 'am? Yes. Are you okay? I had the flashbangs really hurt. Yeah, no, no, yeah. My ears are still ringing. I wasn't expecting that. Yeah. That they were doing to do that for no reason. This is in America. It is in America, I know. This is America I served for 20 years. And then you're a snake.
5:38Ben Meiselas:And then there are thousands of Trump Gestapo ice agents and border patrol dressed like this with their weapons, their automatic weapons, their semis, pointed at people as well. Take a look at this photo. Here's another photo. Just imagine thousands of people going through your neighborhood, pointing weapons at your face and then launching gas attacks at you, chemical attacks at you. I'll show you what happened here as Trump's ICE agents randomly gassed a residential Minneapolis neighborhood filled with people after taking another young, potentially teenage boy. We'll show you the teenage boy who they kidnapped, who ICE and Border Patrol kidnapped.
6:21Ben Meiselas:But here you'll see peaceful protesters, peaceful people on the street, and then ICE throws gas weapons at them. They throw these, just watch for yourself what takes place. Play this clip.
6:58Get the f*** out of here girl. Get the f*** out of here. There the gun EUAtext.
7:31No, I don't look in my car. I cannot see.
7:44They don't care about safety. What are they doing? Did they want to miss someone? Yeah, yeah. They hit them. Yeah.
7:56And then they come here and they're trying to fucking arrest them and make the scene out of it. That car to your left, hit that car, the silver car right there. Yeah, they hit that one. Okay, thanks.
8:15Cagues Montgomery
8:21C Itu Now,
8:34Peg traz Adakahffen ffen
8:40Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! Gas! Gas! Fuck you! Get on! Get on! Get on!
8:57Why? Why? Why?
9:03Come on! Knock it out, please. All done. All done. All done.
9:18Ben Meiselas:And then there's more of that that was captured by our partners at Status Quo. You'll see these Minnesota residents basically get swarmed by the Border Patrol agents who launch tear gas, pepper balls, pepper spray, and other unknown chemical agents at them. The residents came to the aid of someone after. So one of the things that border patrol is doing, they're taking their cars and they're ramming into vehicles. They're hitting you with their car. They're causing people to like be angry because your car is getting kicked. They're injuring your neck. And then they come out, they swarm you, the border patrol, and people like you're crashing into all of our vehicles.
10:01Ben Meiselas:what the hell are you doing? Then they gas the people. Then they throw gas on the people and pepper spray. And then they beat people and they try to kill them. Just watch for yourself what's taking place. Let's play it.
10:42Red Team
11:18Fuck you, motherfuckers! Get the fuck out of here!
11:58And then
12:00Ben Meiselas:the border patrol age. It's why you have to document this stuff. You need the receipts because there are war crimes, crimes against humanity, as Trump is using this Gestapo, this SS, this paramilitary to attack blue states and blue cities. Watch what's happening right here. You have JT Sestowski, the reporter, and he's interviewing like, what are ICE and border patrol saying to the people on the ground in Minneapolis? Here's what they're saying. You guys need to stop obstructing us. That's why that lesbian bitch is dead. That's why she's dead. You don't learn your lessons. That's what border patrol and ICE are saying to the people of Minneapolis and Minnesota.
12:42Ben Meiselas:Watch this. And then the driver of the car, the same one that sprayed the pepper spray in, proceeded to say, you guys need to stop obstructing us. That's why that lesbian bitch is dead. And they were talking about Renee Nicole Good. And let me show you how well these ICE Gestapo are terrorizing people over the intercom. Someone has like a flashlight. They say, we've identified you. We will come and arrest you. We are coming for you. Just watch what the ICE Gestapo do here. Play this clip. They don't have, sorry, my bad. Okay. Okay. In violation of federal law to interfere with officers by blinding them with intense strobe lights.
13:33You're going to fucking shoot us? You have been identified and we will come get you and arrest you. I'm not quite sure if they're responding to the woman with the flashlight again or not. But there was a woman who got arrested. She had a small, maybe five-inch flashlight. And that's possibly what they did.
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15:32Ben Meiselas:Head to Manukura.com slash Midas to save up to 31 % plus$25 worth of free gifts with the starter kit, which comes with an MGO 850 plus Manuka honey jar, five honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook. That's monocora.com slash Midas, M-E-I-D-A-S, to save 31 % plus$25 worth of free gifts. Now, this one's not taken from Status Coup, but watch right here as ICE and Border Patrol agents are assaulting U.S. citizens on public sidewalks in Minneapolis. So if you're just standing on the sidewalk, these ice and these border patrol, they just throw you on the ground. If you're not even doing anything, they take you and they body slam you and they throw you and they want a reaction so they can shoot you and kill you.
16:22Ben Meiselas:That's what they're doing. Here, play this clip.
16:36Ben Meiselas:Now, remember I said that there was a young boy who was kidnapped as Congress member, Jimmy Gomez writes new footage from Minnesota of ice kidnapping a child in the freezing cold. Imagine if this was your child. Play this clip.
17:20Ben Meiselas:Now in this next video, masked armed border patrol agents illegally detain US citizens attempting to open their doors and then threaten them for simply driving in their own Minneapolis neighborhood. Hat tip to the account at the Jesus freaking Congress for aggregating this stuff. Let's take a look at what goes down and play this clip. They never went into the grocery store. They did. Jumping in. We got agents out of the car coming over to us. This is Mama Bear. We're on West Side on Charlton. Doors are locked. Okay. Hi. Not going to roll down my window. Can I help you? Can I help you? We're just driving around.
18:04This is our neighborhood.
18:12just commuting
Read the full transcript
18:26are we under arrest are we free to leave are we free to leave
18:35So are we under arrest?
18:41Thanks, hope you have a good day.
18:51Ben Meiselas:In this next video, you'll see four male ICE agents pile on top of a woman who's a United States citizen, lift her off the ground with no concern over groping her breasts and exposing her midriff. Help me, help me, she cries. Check my ID as they're groping her breasts and exposing her midriff. The agents then shove her into the back of an SUV, hitting her head. They run away from the scene of the crime like they know what they're doing is wrong. The community's volunteer's car was left abandoned on the busy multi-lane road with glass shattered everywhere in St. Paul, Minnesota. Play this clip.
19:37You're not a traffic cop. You're not a traffic cop.
19:56Mass police, fuck you. Fuck you, mass police. Take your fucking mask off.
20:07oh you almost hit your own guy you motherfuckers yep and look at that let me get out of dodge fuck y 'all fuck you yep and then just leave the carnage fucking assholes
20:23Ben Meiselas:now just so you see this isn't just taking place in minneapolis andst paul it's happening across the country. But the worst where it's happening right now is Minneapolis and St. Paul, which has 3 ,000 of these Gestapo, these SS, these Nazis who are involved in this invasion. But take a look at what just happened in Santa Ana, where these ICE Nazis brutalized this 21-year-old. They shot him in the eye with the, they're called non-lethal, but they can kill you. And this person basically went blind based on what the ICE Gestapo did. Here, play this clip.
21:05Leave him alone! Leave him alone!
21:14Leave him alone!
21:27Ben Meiselas:Here's another injury. This one captured by our partners at Status Quo. A protester shows her leg oozing blood from shrapnel after being injured by flashbang grenades that ICE fired at unarmed protesters. She says they're cowards. Cowards use weapons when they're hurt by words. This is what the power of the people looks like. Here, play this clip. You're getting a little retributed. You're bleeding down the leg. You show this. I would never ask somebody to show their legs. Mr. Trump, take a look at this. Yeah, I hope the ICE officers like what they see. modeling my leg a little bit for them. Okay, well, why don't you go get some medical attention, please?
22:13Final words is they are cowards. Cowards use weapons. Cowards use weapons when they are hurt by words. There's power in the people. And I think the most important thing right now is to use your eyes, use your ears, like believe what you see, believe your neighbors. And catch what's your name? Zoe. Yeah.
22:33Ben Meiselas:Thank you so much, Zoe. Thank you. Nice to meet you. And here's a U.S. veteran going absolutely nuclear on ice. This is so powerful. Play this clip. Come here and take a fucking oath to defend a country from foreign domestic terrorism and to fight for the Constitution. And these guys are coming here and distressing this fucking building. I'm a veteran of seven years. I've bled for this country. I've fought for this country, for these people here of Minnesota. to come and fight these motherfuckers. They're disguising this fucking country and what it fucking means. They hide behind their fucking masks like fucking pushies.
23:14We're out here in the middle of everything showing ourselves, showing our Minnesota and our freedom. And they're here, bullshit. So take that. I'm sorry. And they sprayed his daughter yesterday after twice. They sprayed your daughter? Yes. They were following ISIS down the highway and they sprayed my daughter and my wife and they almost ran them off the fucking road. So that's another thing. Fuck them. Get them out of here. Our state representatives need to step up and fight for their fucking people. Like we are fighting. But they're two cowards. They stay in their mansions and don't give a shit about us.
23:57And all they want is these fuckers just come in here and destroy this fucking state. So fuck it. Protest, fuck ICE.
24:09Ben Meiselas:Now, in this next video, you're going to see ICE agents in Minneapolis violently detain, threaten, and arrest a US citizen because he refused to show his citizenship. ICE is doing citizen checks like the Nazis did. Show us your papers if you have brown skin. In the video, agents immediately escalate to physical force. A man stands with his hands up, repeatedly saying, I'm not doing anything. Well, agents shove him, force him against his car, and begin an illegal search. No crime, no warrant, no probable cause, as the J Frequency account explains. An agent falsely claims that's assault while they are actively assaulting a US citizen who is complying and not resisting.
24:51Ben Meiselas:Moments later, the agent admits the truth, saying that all we needed was your ID, openly acknowledging this was an unlawful detention based solely on a refusal to produce identification. The short agent then threatens, don't move or you will be fucking tased. The man calmly responds, I'm not moving. The short agent escalates again, snarling, you're a fucking bitch and you're going to learn the hard way. A direct threat of violence against a US citizen. They dig through his pockets anyway, repeating, I just asked you for an ID, as if that excuses their constitutional violations. Then in a moment that exposes the entire operation, the short agent announces he has a gun on him.
25:31Ben Meiselas:Wouldn't you look at that? As if Minnesota is not a concealed carry state. The man immediately responds, a fully registered firearm because I'm a US citizen. The short agent then tosses the firearm onto the car after removing the magazine, demonstrating reckless handling of a legally owned weapon. By this point, they had removed his wallet yet still do not check his ID and still continue the arrest. The man states the obvious unlawful arrest. The short agent then says, we'll see about that. When asked what crime he committed, the short agent deflects, we're going to talk about that when you get in the car.
26:06Ben Meiselas:Only then do the agents begin changing their stories, claiming that the man reached for something. The man immediately corrects them. He reached for his whistle. ICE agents already admitted the detention was because he refused to show ID. This is what they're doing. It's why it's important to documenting. That was a great description there by the G's in freaking C. Here, play this clip.
26:44Cause you wanna be a fucking idiot. You're a fucking pussy. You're a fucking bitch. And you're gonna learn the fucking hard way.
26:58I just asked you for an ID. That would be - I don't give a fuck what you asked me for, bitch. Shut up. You shut up, bitch. Shut up. Fuck around with you. Fuck is wrong with you. He has a gun on him. Look at that. A fully registered firearm. Cause I'm a US citizen. What's wrong with you? Wow. Wow. Let's go. Get him in the fucking car.
27:34That's a back.
27:45You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. Y 'all are some real fucking scumbags. You know that, right? I'm a scumbag? You're just acting like that. You're a fucking scumbag. You're a fucking US citizen. You shouldn't have done that. What made you get into this fucking profession? Why are you so mad at immigrants? What did they do to you?
28:13Ben Meiselas:Next ICE detains a US citizen teacher at a special education school, deploying tear gas at a student drop-off. This happened right in front of a students at a special education school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Play this clip. There are children here.
28:36This is a school. This is a school. You are at a school on school property. There are children at school arresting a teacher at a school. Yes. Christina, we'll call your mom. Christina, we got, we'll call your mom. This has all been documented. Christina.
29:05not after not just going after brown people now white people they hate everyone this is ice they hate everyone they hate freedom and as i showed you something that happened in
29:20Ben Meiselas:santa anna in california i'll show you right here what's going down in west virginia we're there the West Virginia Fire Department was working with ICE to detain roofers. The homeowner says they had work permits, but ICE pulled eight workers down from a multi-story house roof using a tower ladder truck reverse for emergency rescue and doing this to people who were working to build a freaking roof. Here, play this clip.
29:55Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey. Hey. See? You over it up? Yeah, hold on. Oh, yeah. We done it. We done it. We done it, but I got it. Hey. Okay.
30:11Ben Meiselas:Well, there you have it, folks. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe and let's get to 6 million subscribers. And make sure you subscribe to Status Coup. Subscribe to their YouTube page. Subscribe to Status Coup Substack. They do the most incredible work.
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From the publisher
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s invasion of Minneapolis and St. Paul getting even worse as ICE and Border Patrol deploy chemical weapons and engage in other brutal tactics against the peaceful people of the Twin Cities and Meiselas shares the exclusive footage from our partners at Status Coup who are on the frontlines of Trump’s invasion.
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