Tag Archives: Deep state

Jan 19 2026

Sunday Talks – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent -vs- NBC Kristen Welker, Topics: Greenland and The FED


Posted originally on CTH on January 18, 2026 | Sundance

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appears on NBC to discuss the national security issues surrounding Greenland and the Trump administration’s face off against Europe and NATO. Additionally, Welker wants to protect Fed Chairman Jerome Powell against mounting evidence of his political bias and mismanagement of the Federal Reserve. Video and Transcript Below.

[Transcript] – KRISTEN WELKER:

Joining me now is Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Secretary Bessent, welcome back to Meet the Press.

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Good morning, Kristen. Good to be with you.

KRISTEN WELKER:

It’s great to have you here, thank you for being here in person. Let’s start right there. President Trump threatening to impose steep tariffs against some of America’s closest European and NATO allies. The leaders of Denmark and Greenland say bluntly, “Greenland is not for sale.” What makes President Trump think it is?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Kristen, if we look for years, for over a century, American presidents have wanted to acquire Greenland. And what we can see is that Greenland is essential to the U.S. national security — we’re building the golden dome, the missile system. And look, President Trump is being strategic. He is looking beyond this year. He’s looking beyond next year to what could happen for a battle in the Arctic. We are not going to outsource our national security. We are not going to outsource our hemispheric security to other countries. In Trump 1.0, President Trump told the Europeans, “Do not build Nord Stream 2. Do not rely on Russian oil.” And guess what, Kristen? Guess what is funding Russia’s efforts against Ukraine? European purchases of Russian oil. So America has to be in control here.

KRISTEN WELKER:

I want to delve into everything that you said. But I just want to ask you big picture: Is this a negotiating tactic, Mr. Secretary? Or is President Trump serious about annexing Greenland?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

President Trump strongly believes that we cannot outsource our security. Because, Kristen, let me tell you what will happen, and it might not be next year, might not be in five years. But down the road, this fight for the Arctic is real. We would keep our NATO guarantees. And if there were an attack on Greenland from Russia, from some other area, we would get dragged in. So better now, peace through strength, make it part of the United States, and there will not be a conflict because the United States right now, we are the hottest country in the world. We are the strongest country in the world. Europeans project weakness. U.S. projects strength.

KRISTEN WELKER:

But just very quickly, is this a negotiating tactic, Mr. Secretary? Is the goal to get a deal to have enhanced security in Greenland, for example?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

The president believes that enhanced security is not possible without Greenland being part of the U.S.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Okay. Let me press you on what you have said are national security concerns, particularly as it relates to Russia and China. Senior Democrats say there are no pressing threats on Greenland’s security from Russia or China. The Danish foreign minister says there hasn’t been a Chinese warship in Greenland for a decade. What evidence do you have that this is a pressing threat?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Well, first of all, Kristen, we have asymmetric information. And again, President Trump is being strategic here. What evidence was there that the Russians were going into Crimea? Well, actually there was a lot of evidence that the Russians were going to go into Ukraine. And Joe Biden said, “Well, just take a little bit of it.” But what we know is that the U.S., that Greenland can only be defended it if is part of the U.S. And it will not need to be defended if it is part of the U.S. The president is trying to avoid a conflict.

KRISTEN WELKER:

You bring up Crimea. The president, as far as I have heard, has not taken military force off the table. If the United States were to take Greenland by force, how would that be different than Russia’s annexation of Crimea?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Look, I believe that Europeans will understand that this is best for Greenland, best for Europe, and best for the United States.

KRISTEN WELKER:

But military action is still on the table?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

I haven’t spoken with the president on that. And again, I believe that the Europeans will understand that the best outcome is for the U.S. to maintain or to receive control of Greenland.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Well, so far what we’ve heard and seen from the Europeans is alarm and outrage. In fact they’re, as you know, holding an emergency meeting today. And part of the issue, the president has already reached a trade deal with the EU. How can countries have confidence in trade deals moving forward if President Trump is prepared to blow them up?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Well, first of all, the trade deal hasn’t been finalized. And an emergency action can be very different from another trade deal. So we’re in a very good equilibrium right now with China. But if China did something to upset that balance, I think the president would be willing to act. You know, same thing with India. We were working on a trade deal with India. But the president, unlike the Europeans, started charging the Europeans 25% for buying Russian oil. So the president leverages his emergency powers to do this.

KRISTEN WELKER:

I hear you saying that the deal hasn’t been finalized. And yet it was moving towards finalization. Doesn’t it undercut the United States’ word by threatening these steep new tariffs?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

I think it does not. What it does is it enhances United States security. And again, we have seen that Europeans are unable to push back against Russia. The U.S. — this war that never would have started in Ukraine, Kristen, we are going to settle it. But it wouldn’t have started. And what President Trump is trying to do is prevent a taking or the Russian, Chinese action in Greenland in the future. So why not be strategic? Why? Always live in the moment.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Okay, let’s talk about being strategic. The United States has a base in Greenland. I’ve been talking to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Denmark has given the United States a green light to beef up its security as much as is needed in Greenland. Why not take that route? Why is it necessary to take over and annex all of Greenland, something that 85% of people living in Greenland oppose?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Well, again let’s look back. Denmark has a terrible history with Greenlanders. There were forced sterilizations up until the ‘80s or the ‘90s. So all of a sudden, now that the U.S. has expressed an interest, there is, you know, this new interest. And again, the United States needs to be in control to prevent a war. And we do not want to get dragged into someone else’s war.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Well, but this is about the United States relationship with its allies, NATO allies, again reacting with alarm. They are warning that this move to annex Greenland could in fact destroy NATO. So let me just put this to you bluntly. Is Greenland or NATO more essential to the United States national security?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Both. Kristen, that’s obviously a false choice. You know, that’s an absolute —

KRISTEN WELKER:

Not from the perspective of European leaders.

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

The European leaders will come around. And they will understand that they need to be under the U.S. security umbrella. What would happen in Ukraine if the U.S. pulled its support out? The whole thing would collapse. The U.S., Kristen, to be clear, since 1980 the U.S. military spending versus NATO military spending, we have spent $22 trillion more than the Europeans have, that we are peace through strength, and the Europeans now are only trying to play catch-up. And that is only through President Trump. President Trump believes in NATO. But he does not believe in the American people being dragged in.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Well, in terms of the cost that has been paid, Denmark has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States including after 9/11. In fact, it lost more soldiers per capita in Afghanistan than any other NATO nation apart from the United States itself, Mr. Secretary. Does President Trump want the United States to remain a part of NATO?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Of course, we are going to remain a part of NATO. But what President Trump does not want is for a war to start and the U.S. gets dragged in. Again, we are not going to outsource our Western Hemisphere security to others.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Let me ask you, broadly speaking, about the tariff portion of this. The president, as you well know, has justified his authority to impose previous tariffs without going to Congress by declaring national emergencies. It’s an issue before the Supreme Court right now. We’re all awaiting the high court’s decision. What is the national emergency that justifies these new slate of tariffs?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

The national emergency is avoiding a national emergency. It is a strategic decision by the president. This is a geopolitical decision. And he is able to use the economic might of the U.S. to avoid a hot war. So why wouldn’t we do that? You know, same thing that what if we had a national emergency coming with these gigantic trade balances that we had with the rest of the world — I’ve been in financial markets for 30, 45 years — much better to be strategic, avoid the emergency.

KRISTEN WELKER:

You’re saying it’s a national emergency. But you’re also saying it’s a threat. It’s years away. How can both be true, Mr. Secretary?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Because you are avoiding creating the emergency, Kristen. What if during the great financial crisis, someone had raised their hand in 2005, 2006 and said, “Stop the sub-prime mortgages?” But no one did. President Trump is raising his hand. And that is preventing the emergency.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Do you think the Supreme Court will agree with that rationale, Mr. Secretary?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

I believe that it is very unlikely that the Supreme Court will overrule a president’s signature economic policy. They did not overrule Obamacare. I believe that the Supreme Court does not want to create chaos. As you said earlier, we have set these trade deals. And it is very good for the United States if we are balancing our trade deficit. If you look, Europe is being overrun with Chinese goods. There is now an emergency in Europe. There is going to be an economic emergency. The Europeans will follow us. So President Trump is pre-empting this if we go back to emergencies, he put a fentanyl tariff, Mexico, Canada, China. Guess what’s happened to fentanyl deaths? If that’s an emergency, I don’t know what is. October 8th, when the Chinese threatened to put rare Earth export controls on the entire world, President Trump threatened 100% tariff. And the Chinese came to the table. And we negotiated on behalf of the whole world.

KRISTEN WELKER:

All right. Let me move to the Federal Reserve. I want to ask you about the revelations this week that the Department of Justice is investigating Jerome Powell and the Fed for allegedly going over budget in the Fed building renovations. Chairman Powell responded. He fired back at this. I want to play a little bit and get your reaction on the other side.

[BEGIN TAPE]

JEROME POWELL:

This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions, or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.

[END TAPE]

KRISTEN WELKER:

Is President Trump committed to the independence of the Federal Reserve, Mr. Secretary?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

Of course, he’s committed to the independence of the Federal Reserve. But independence does not mean no oversight.

KRISTEN WELKER:

But doesn’t this undercut the independence of the Federal Reserve if the Justice Department is investigating renovations? There are renovations at the White House.

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

The renovations at the White House are not $700 million, more than $1 billion or $1.5 billion over budget, Kristen. And the White House, that is being paid for with private funds. If I want to buy a new chair for my office at Treasury, that is an appropriation. Just to understand, the Federal Reserve has magic money. They print their own money. So when you have no oversight, why not have a little sunlight? Kristen, I have called since last summer for the Fed to do its own internal investigation. And that has not been heeded, not been heeded. And again, I don’t know about you. If I were to receive inquiries from the Justice Department, I would answer them. They went unanswered.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Well, let me ask you because Axios reported that you were not happy about DOJ’s investigation, that you told President Trump as much. Axios writes, “a perturbed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told President Trump late Sunday that the federal investigation into the Federal Reserve Chair made a mess and could be bad for financial markets.” That’s according to two sources familiar with the call. Is that accurate?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

You know what, Kristen? I’m not going to discuss my conversations with the president. But if I said that, I was wrong. Financial markets, stock market went up, bond yields went down. So the markets are the ultimate arbiter of over whether the Fed’s independence is being impugned. And bond yields went down. I can tell you we had two of the best bond auctions that we have had in months for U.S. treasuries. So the market is looking beyond this. And again, maybe the market wants some transparency from the Fed.

KRISTEN WELKER:

One final question for you, Mr. Secretary. Some Republican senators, as you know, are threatening to block the president’s nominees over the Justice Department’s investigation. Do you think the investigation needs to be dropped in order for the Senate to confirm the president’s next pick to run the Fed?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

I think that that will be up to the senators. I think —

KRISTEN WELKER:

But are you worried that they’ll block the president’s pick for the Fed?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT:

I am not. I think we have four great candidates. I think that they will be quite happy with either of the four. I think we will move forward. I believe that we will probably be hearing from the banking committee soon on what they would like to see. And again, the supervision and bringing in some sunlight does not mean coercion.

KRISTEN WELKER:

All right. Thank you so much, Secretary Bessent, for being here to respond to all of the breaking

[End Transcript]

Jan 19 2026

Sunday Talks – DHS Secretary Kristi Noem -vs Margaret Brennan Discussing Minneapolis Violence


Posted originally on CTH on January 18, 2026 | Sundance 

To understand just how important it is for leftists to drive a narrative in support of violence and chaos, one only needs to review the behavior of CBS pundit Margaret Brennan in her conversation with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

The combative interview, promoted and advanced by CBS, is ridiculous in the extreme as the news outlet attempts to protect the behavior of Democrat officials in the city of Minneapolis and state of Minnesota. The video and transcript are below.

[Transcript] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Castlewood, South Dakota and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Good morning to you, Madam Secretary.

SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY KRISTI NOEM: Good morning.

MARGARET BRENNAN: DHS calls this the largest operation in its history, nearly 3,000 federal agents out there. Is this an open-ended deployment, or is there a metric for success that ends it?

SEC. NOEM: Well, I think every day we get a murderer off the streets of Minneapolis, the public is safer, and President Trump is keeping his promise to the American people. And we literally have arrested and detained thousands of illegal criminals in Minnesota since President Trump came back into the White House. And I’ve never met a family that ever said, “Oh, I wish you would have left that rapist free. I wish you would have left that murderer on the street.” So we’re just so thankful that we have a president that’s upholding the law and is determined to make sure that the laws are applied equally to everyone.

MARGARET BRENNAN: According to Pew, Minnesota’s population of immigrants here illegally stands at 2.2%. So, how do you judge when you’ve gotten everyone off the streets, that you say is, you know, requiring your federal agents be there? How do you say we’ve had mission accomplished?

SEC. NOEM: Well, we won’t stop until we are sure that all the dangerous people are picked up, brought to justice and then deported back to their home countries–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –You don’t have a number or a date?–

SEC. NOEM: –We wouldn’t be in this situation- We wouldn’t be in this situation if Joe Biden hadn’t allowed our open-border policies to be in place and allowed up to 20 million people unvetted into this country. We have no idea how many dangerous people are here. When you have millions of people coming in that are terrorists, suspected terrorists, criminals, come from countries in the mass migration that the Biden administration facilitated, I can’t tell the people of Minnesota exactly how many dangerous criminals they have. I do know that they’re extremely grateful every time we get a pedophile off the street. We end- arrested an individual this week that was raping children. I think those parents in Minnesota can sleep better at night knowing that that person isn’t free.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Sure, but you just said millions. What’s the breakdown of the percentage of those who you have in custody who have actually committed a criminal offense versus just the civil infraction?

SEC. NOEM: Every single individual has committed a crime, but 70% of them have committed or have charges against them on violent crimes, and crimes that they are charged with or have been convicted of, that have come from other countries–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –that’s–

SEC. NOEM: –that are here illegally, first of all. And then they have committed a criminal act while they’ve been here or in their home countries as well.

MARGARET BRENNAN: It’s not 70%.

SEC. NOEM: Yes, it is. It absolutely is, Margaret–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –70% of everyone that–

SEC. NOEM: –You guys keep changing your percentage, you pick and choose what numbers you think work, but that is the facts, is that 70% of the people that we have detained have charges against them or have been convicted of charges. And they need to be brought to justice, and we’re going to keep doing that, no matter how much you guys keep lying and don’t tell the public the truth. It absolutely is that these law enforcement officers are out there every day doing the work to protect the American people, and they will keep doing that because they believe in enforcing the law, which is exactly what President Trump has charged them with.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, well, our reporting is that 47% based on your agency’s own numbers, 47% have criminal convictions against them*. But let’s talk about the other numbers–

SEC. NOEM: –Which means you’re wrong again. Absolutely. We’ll get you the correct numbers–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Okay–

SEC. NOEM: –so you can use them in the future.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, that’s from your agency. Let’s talk about our numbers here at CBS. 54% of Americans think the ICE agent shooting of Renee Good was not justified. 60% say the Trump administration responded to the ICE agent’s actions unfairly. These numbers show you do not have the American public on your side. Does that concern you?

SEC. NOEM: Well, the facts are that this individual weaponized her car and threatened the life of the law enforcement officer and those around him. And that is what the media needs to cover, people understand it’s the truth when they have the chance to hear the facts around the case. And this individual was impeding law enforcement operations for quite some time before this incident happened. It’s a tragedy that this situation has happened in this country, and we hope there’s never another situation like this before. But this officer relied on his training to, to defend his life and to defend those around him, and we’re, we’re grateful that we’re in a situation where we hope that more people don’t weaponize their vehicles like this. We’re seeing it happen over and over again. We’ve seen over 100 different vehicle weaponized and attacking law enforcement officers. I would hope that Mayor Frey, when he’s on here, that he’ll announce that he’s going to start working with us to bring safety to the streets. If he would set up a peaceful protest zone so that these individuals can exercise their First Amendment rights and do so peacefully, we would love that, because then we could work together to make sure we’re getting criminals to justice and letting people still express their First Amendment rights.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you know that it is in dispute about weaponizing a car versus driving forward, but I’ll put that aside–

SEC. NOEM: –No it’s really not. Everybody can watch the videos and see that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, let me talk to you about the officer, Jonathan Ross. He was struck. He was hospitalized–

SEC. NOEM: –Don’t say his name. I mean, for heaven’s sakes, we- we don’t- we shouldn’t have people continue to dox law enforcement when they have an 8,000%–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –his name is public–

SEC. NOEM: –increase in death threats against them–

MARGARET BRENNAN: — he was struck and hospitalized–

SEC. NOEM: –I know, but that doesn’t mean it should continue to be said. His life- he got attacked with a car that was trying to take his life, and then people have attacked him and his family, and they are in jeopardy. And we have law enforcement officers every day who are getting death threats and getting attacked at their hotels and they are–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Well, can you tell me about his status right now–

SEC. NOEM: –getting ice thrown at them.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, of course, no one condones–

SEC. NOEM: –I can tell you that he’s healing–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –against anyone, but here, CBS reported that he did have internal bleeding in the torso, but he was released that same day. So is he back at work?

SEC. NOEM: I’m not going to share – I’m not going to–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Did you give him the required three days of suspension?

SEC. NOEM: We followed the exact same protocols that we always have for years as to investigations into these situations–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Three days of administrative leave?

SEC. NOEM: –But I’m not going to talk about his medical records. I know that you know that in itself is his prerogative to discuss his health. But we’re- we’re hopeful that all of our law enforcement officers know that they can go out and do their job–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Yeah–

SEC. NOEM: –apply the law equally to everyone and that they can do so safely and that the media and people aren’t going to attack them for standing up for what’s right.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I’m asking you about your policies. I asked you if you had put him on administrative leave. This is in question because the governor of Minnesota said the only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her. Is he correct that the federal agent is not being investigated in any way? Is there any review of protocol here?

SEC. NOEM: We are following the exact same investigative and review process that we always have under ICE and under the Department of Homeland Security and within the administration. The exact same policy that the Biden administration used–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –So his actions are being reviewed?

SEC. NOEM: –the exact same review, so we haven’t changed any of that. I would not- I would not listen to Governor Walz. He has a very bad track record. He- all this billions of dollars of fraud was stolen from people under his watch. He allowed it to happen, and he also ignored the law and allowed the city of Minneapolis to burn down in 2020. He certainly isn’t- have good judgment in these types of situations, and I’m not going to be taking any advice from him and how we implement the law and protect people.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So do I understand you saying that the Office of Professional Responsibility is doing its own probe to determine that the ICE agent violated protocol and that he was on three days of administrative leave because that is what is in the handbook.

SEC. NOEM: The protocol and the advice and the guidance within that handbook and within our policies is being followed exactly like it has been for years.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, so there is some review of his actions is what I understand you saying there.

SEC. NOEM: Margaret, there always is. Every law enforcement officer knows that when they take the oath to step up and to protect the public and put their lives on the line, they absolutely know that everything that they do will be analyzed and investigated, but also, what they don’t- I don’t think they realized until just recently is how the liberals and the Democrats and the media would attack them and try to ruin their lives for doing what’s right, and we’re seeing in Minneapolis an unprecedented fraud history going on by elected leaders and individuals in that state, but also criminal activity, and it’s being allowed to happen. When we did these operations in other cities across the country, we didn’t see this kind of violence. We didn’t see organized, funded protesters come in to conduct acts of violence against our law enforcement officers–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, let’s talk about that–

SEC. NOEM: –like we’re seeing in Minneapolis. The elected leaders and Mayor Frey is allowing that to happen and allowing this kind of violence to happen when we didn’t see it in Louisiana, we didn’t see it in Florida, we didn’t see it in other cities–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –We will talk to Frey about what is happening in his city–

SEC. NOEM –And we shouldn’t have to be watching it here in Minneapolis,

MARGARET BRENNAN: But we have heard and I’m asking you here about the security of your agents that you say you are concerned about. The local police chief said your agents are being forced into situations out in Minneapolis that they’re not prepared to deal with. And we looked and the Government Accountability Office said, back in 2021, most ICE agents are not trained to handle crowd control. So are you looking at expanding the training for the agents that you are putting in this situation that you describe as dangerous out in Minneapolis?

SEC. NOEM: They are absolutely trained for the situations that they’re put in. We would never put an officer in a situation that they would be beyond their training and skill set. And so these are highly trained individuals that are here and in Minneapolis doing operations, they are and frankly–

MARAGRET BRENNAN: On crowd control and de-escalation?

SEC. NOEM: The Minneapolis chief of police is not an expert– absolutely. They are trained at that. Their specialized skill set is being utilized for where they are located and the jobs that they are doing in Minneapolis and across other cities across the country. We, we do- they have an incredible amount of training that is ongoing throughout their careers–

(CROSSTALK STARTS)

MARAGRET BRENNAN: –Do you want to expand that?

SEC. NOEM: — in crowd control, in handling enforcement operations that they have- Do I want to expand it based on the Minneapolis police chief’s advice? Not on his advice.

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Well, some Republican–

SEC. NOEM: –I will continue to use–

MARGARET BRENNAN: No, but some Republican lawmakers have called for it.

(CROSSTALK ENDS)

SEC. NOEM: If you remember- well, Republican lawmakers and Democrat lawmakers, they absolutely can continue to debate. That’s what they’re supposed to do, is work on policy and pass laws. What I know is that under the Department of Homeland Security has always been entrusted with training our federal law enforcement officers. We do it for many different agencies. We train those within the ATF, the DEA. We train those that are established across the country. We are the largest law enforcement operation and department in the government beyond the Department of War, and we’re proud of that, and we’ve done it with excellence for years and are continuing to put the resources–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –But these–

SEC. NOEM: –and people into our law enforcement officers. They need to change and to challenge these, these situations they’re facing on the ground.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, but you’ve described this situation as unique. You’ve acknowledged that. I want to talk to you about some of the instance- incidents that the public has seen. There was a U.S. citizen, Aliya Rahman, on her way to a medical appointment out in Minneapolis. She was dragged out of her car and detained. Video of her arrest was spreading on social media. There were allegations there of aggressive tactics. You’ve seen other incidents. For example, out in Minneapolis, this family with six children, with one as young as six months old, got kind of caught in the incident as they were driving to basketball practice. The mother Destiny Jackson told CBS, ICE agents stopped the car, told them to leave, but the agents were in the way, and they feared that they would have happened to them what happened to Renee Good. They didn’t drive off. ICE released a canister of tear gas, and the mother described giving her infant CPR. We’re showing that video there. Do any of these tactics seem to you heavy handed?

SEC. NOEM: That family was caught up in that situation because of violent protesters that were impeding law enforcement operations, and that family would have never been in that situation if those protesters had been acting peacefully and law enforcement was able to do their job without being threatened. And, so, it’s a terrible situation that that family had to go through, and I hope it never happens again. But we need to remember that because the mayor and the governor have allowed this kind of violence to be perpetuated across Minneapolis is why there’s other innocent people that are impacted throughout the city but throughout their state as well. And it doesn’t have to be this way–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –But this doesn’t seem targeted.

SEC. NOEM: –They could establish a peaceful protest zone, they could enforce their or their laws. And if Governor Walz didn’t recognize that, that what he is doing there is poor leadership, he wouldn’t have put his National Guard on standby in order to respond. And I’m hopeful that he does recognize that he needs to start working with us–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Are your agents going to comply–

SEC. NOEM: –I have asked him to. I know the White House has asked him to.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Sorry with the federal order on Friday to not use chemical agents.

SEC. NOEM: That federal order was a little ridiculous because that federal judge came down and told us we couldn’t do what we already aren’t doing. We, we are- have not engaged–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Well we just video of chemical agents being used–

SEC. NOEM: in any- We only use those chemical agents when there’s violence happening and perpetuating and you need to be able to establish law in order to keep people safe. That’s the only situation, so that judge’s order didn’t change anything for how we’re operating on the ground because it’s basically telling us to do what we’ve already been doing.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Madam Secretary, thank you for your time this morning. Face the Nation will be back in a minute. Stay with us.

[END TRANSCRIPT]

Jan 19 2026

Minnesota Governor Activates National Guard


Posted originally on CTH on January 18, 2026 | Sundance

According to the Minnesota Dept of Public Safety, Governor Tim Walz has activated the national guard. However, in a statement on their X account the officials note, the guard “are not deployed to city streets at this time, but are ready to help support public safety, including protection of life, preservation of property and supporting the rights of all who assemble peacefully.”

This is likely a proactive move to block President Trump from invoking the ‘insurrection act’ to stop the chaos being fueled by the governor himself as well as professional leftists in the region.

[SOURCE]

As federal efforts led by the Dept of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) together with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continue, the governor and local municipal leaders throughout Minneapolis have continued to call for activists in the street to maintain operations against immigration enforcement and criminal illegal alien arrests.

Underneath all of the state opposition is a matrix of financial fraud purposefully being hidden by the officials throughout the state of Minnesota including Governor Walz himself. In essence, the state government is trying to protect themselves from criminal investigations of fraud by creating chaos as a defense mechanism.

The Minnesota national guard are being called to duty as a chaos management operation.  They are not being called up to stop the violence, merely facilitate the ongoing violent street protests.  The national noticing, along with the riots and violence, continues….

Jan 17 2026

Homan on Minnesota Unrest: “Justice is Coming” … “You Should Hear Something, Real Soon”


Posted originally on CTH on January 16, 2026 | Sundance

During an interview with Fox News, Border Czar Tom Homan notes the Trump administration is looking carefully at who is funding the organized anti-ICE protests throughout the Minneapolis, Minnesota region. Homan’s remarks are seemingly in alignment with what Treasury Secretary and IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent has noted about his investigative group, further stating that investigations will likely reveal who is funding the street protests against ICE and Border Patrol officials.

Specific to the ongoing investigations, Homan notes, “justice is coming” against those who are coordinating the violence, and information about that activity is likely to be revealed “real soon.” WATCH:

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The overwhelming majority of Americans are understandably frustrated with the lack of forceful arrests and prosecution of those who are antagonizing officials and creating civil unrest.

Homan says during the interview, DHS is currently processing the identities of those who have stepped beyond protesting and are now involved in violence against law enforcement officials.  According to Homan the names, faces and identities of those who are participating will be uploaded to a website for sharing with the larger American public.

Jan 16 2026

President Trump Identifies the Roadblock to a Ceasefire Between Ukraine and Russia


Posted originally on CTH on January 15, 2026 | Sundance


In an interview with Reuters, President Trump was asked why the Russia/Ukraine negotiations appear to have stalled.  President Trump responded with one word, “Zelenskyy.”

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that Ukraine – not Russia – is holding up a potential peace deal, rhetoric that stands in marked contrast to that of European allies, who have consistently argued Moscow has little interest in ending its war in Ukraine.

In an exclusive interview in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to wrap up his nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskiy, the U.S. president said, was more reticent.

“I think he’s ready to make a deal,” Trump said of the Russian president. “I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.”

Asked why U.S.-led negotiations had not yet resolved Europe’s largest land conflict since World War Two, Trump responded: “Zelenskiy.”

[…] Trump told Reuters he was not aware of a potential upcoming trip to Moscow by Witkoff and Kushner, which Bloomberg reported earlier on Wednesday.

Asked if he would meet Zelenskiy at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week, Trump said he would but implied no plans were set. “I would – if he’s there,” Trump said. “I’m going to be there.”

Asked why he believed Zelenskiy was holding back on negotiations, Trump did not elaborate, saying only: “I just think he’s, you know, having a hard time getting there.” (read more)

Well folks, there’s the confirmation.

What President Trump indicates in that direct response is exactly the sense that has been visible for several months.

The U.K, Germany, France and European Union have established their zero-sum position against Russia using the proxy that Zelenskyy represents.  At the same time these same EU leaders are demanding that President Trump guarantee the security structures the EU is putting together.  It is a ridiculous situation. {GO DEEP}

Keep in mind this is happening at the same time Zelenskyy has selected former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland as the lead on his economic development team.  If there was one signal Zelenskyy could send that would trigger President Trump to reevaluate everything, the appointment of Freeland was it.  Donald Trump knows Chrystia Freeland.

The economic development recovery and reinvestment plan for Ukraine was in the portfolio of Jared Kushner.  Kushner was also a big part of the USMCA negotiations with Mexico.  Chrystia Freeland was a major antagonist in the USMCA trade deal.  Both Donald Trump and Jared Kushner know the globalist and corrupt Freeland very well.

The U.K, France and Germany support Zelenskyy’s position that he is not going to concede any territory to the Russian Federation, specifically the 30% of the Donbas area in Eastern Ukraine currently at the heart of the physical conflict.

The 30% issue surrounds the Donetsk region in Ukraine, which includes the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Russia is currently pushing deep into fortified Ukraine resistance in this region with a population of around 100,000. Zelenskyy claims losing this area would allow Putin to invade the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions.

Historically, this Donbas area was part of a brutal long-term Ukraine civil war between the pro-Russia eastern Ukrainian citizens and the pro-EU western aligned Ukrainian army. Russia’s current position is for Ukraine to cede the entire Donbas to Russia as part of the ceasefire agreement, or Russia will continue forward conflict military operations until successful.

Seeing things through the pragmatic prism of inevitability, President Trump’s view appears to be that this Donbas area will be lost to Russia one way or the other. So, the best scenario to stop the killing is for Ukraine to give up this territory as part of the ceasefire terms. Zelenskyy, with support of the EU, France, Germany and U.K says a firm “no.”

That’s where things stand.

Jan 15 2026

Detailed Consumer Price Index Shows No Substantive Inflation from Tariffs


Posted originally on CTH on January 14, 2026 | Sundance 

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) released the December price information on Tuesday 1/13/26 [DATA HERE].  Overall, the topline inflation number is moderate at 2.7% much lower than economists projected.

However, that’s not the only important element.  To get an understanding of the impact from tariffs to imported consumer goods, you can look at TABLE-2 [DATA HERE].  As you skim the categories we import the most, electronics, television, sporting goods, apparel, shoes, tools, furniture, etc. what you will note is that the prices are stable with negligible inflation impact noted.

What this means is that tariffs are not creating any upward price pressure on the imported good.  The December ’25 imported good prices are stable despite massive tariffs applied in the second and third quarter of 2025.  As expected, based on history from 2018/2019, the exporting nation (and company) are absorbing most of the wholesale price increased due to tariffs.

The imported goods are reaching the consumer with no substantively changed price.  Some domestically generated goods (food and housing) are still driving the overall inflation number, particularly in the year-over-year calculation, but no substantive price pressure is coming from the import sector.

Export dependent nations are squeezing their own productivity, their governments are subsidizing the critical industries, and the tariffs are being absorbed before the products leave the docks.   This is the USA “rust belt” in reverse.  The same scenario played out in the USA for decades as domestic manufacturers tried to retain U.S. industry.  Now the foreign countries are experiencing their own economic squeeze.

President Trump has been cutting waste, fraud and abuse in runaway government spending; slashing costly regulations across all sectors of the economy and ending Green New Scam energy policy in favor of drill, baby, drill.  As noted by NEC Chairman Kevin Hasset, Trump has reduced deficit spending overall.

There’s still a long way to go, but significant MAGAnomic progress is being made.

That skyrocketing “tariff inflation” the same shocked pundits proclaimed was sure to happen this time, well, that has not surfaced; just like it didn’t surface in 2018 or 2019 when the tariffs were applied the first time.

It was Joe Biden’s economic, monetary and energy policies that created two years of massive inflation.  That inflation skyrocketed the cost for goods and services.  Those high prices became the baseline and were then handed to the entering Trump administration, under the narrative of the “affordability crisis.”

Having gaslit the American electorate over the issues of Joe Biden’s economic/energy policy which created record inflation, the same media who ran cover for Joe Biden then switched during the Trump administration to calling the subsequent high costs an “affordability” crisis.

In essence, Biden’s economic, energy and monetary policies drove 2021/2022 inflation to record levels, this made all prices rise massively.  Those high prices are now the “affordability problem” all U.S. consumers are dealing with.

Jan 15 2026

DC U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro Gives Full Context to DOJ Investigation of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell


Posted originally on CTH on January 14, 2026 | Sundance

U.S. Attorney for the District of Washington DC, Jeanine Pirro, goes public explaining the backstory of the DOJ reviewing the Federal Reserve Board and Chairman Jerome Powell.

As noted by USAO Pirro, Chairman Powell refused to respond to questions for two months despite three repeated requests.  The DOJ was then forced to issue a subpoena to get a response. Again, Powell never responded; instead, he went to the media to claim he was being politically targeted.  WATCH:

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Jan 15 2026

President Trump Responds to Criticism He Is Not Focused Enough at Home


Posted originally on CTH on January 14, 2026 | Sundance

During an interview in Detroit with “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil, President Trump responded to the accusation that his success in foreign policy is distracting the administration from focusing on domestic policy objectives.

To be clear, I do not assess any reasonable credibility to this type of claim. Factually, the closed border, growth in real wages, containment of inflation, use of tariffs to change corporate behavior to benefit Main Street, expanded growth in GPD and American manufacturing, the shrinking of the trade deficit, a smaller budget deficit, ongoing ICE operations and deportation goals, etc. are all happening at the same time President Trump is delivering on foreign policy issues that tie into all the above.  Economic Security is National Security.

Yes, the Dept of Justice under Pam Bondi, and the FBI under Kash Patel, is not performing at the same level of skill and urgency as other cabinet heads.  This is frustrating.  That said, Bondi and Patel also took over these two agencies following a decade of work by Barack Obama, Eric Holder and their allied Lawfare operation, and they never forcefully took the public position to emphasize the corrupt nature of the institutions they lead. On the domestic agenda DOJ and FBI are the weakest links; they are also the institutions closest to the DC UniParty operation.

That said, nothing about this issue will change as long as Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is setting the day-to-day agenda.  However, I have been told this message has penetrated the membrane constructed around the Oval Office.  Approximately ten days ago, President Trump became aware of scale and scope of the MAGA frustration.  This background is most likely the reason Wiles was unable to block Tucker Carlson’s White House visit on the day of the oil executive roundtable.

President Trump responds to Dokoupil, asking the question about Susie Wiles foreign policy creating a lack of focus on the domestic agenda at 02:11 of the video below (prompted):

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Jan 13 2026

FED Chairman Jerome Powell Attempts to Evade Legal Accountability by Hiding Behind His Office


Posted originally on CTH on January 12, 2026 | Sundance

Regardless of how you feel about the Federal Reserve Board, I think we would all agree the construct of an autonomous central bank is outside the boundaries of our constitutional framework.  Factually, the Sea Island financial group set up the Federal Reserve as a system of control over the U.S. economy that was completely unnecessary.

That same ultra-constitutional mindset of omnipotent power permeates the recent statements by FED Chair Jerome Powell, who now attempts to evade a Dept of Justice investigation by hiding behind the ruse of his non-elected office.

Last year, facing ridiculous cost overruns, Congress questioned Powell over the insane spending proposal by Powell for a new office building.  Chairman Powell characterized the construction changes, that escalated the cost of the project from $1.9 billion to $2.5 billion, as ‘minor modifications.’  That’s $2.5 billions of taxpayer money.

A referral to the Dept of Justice was made [SEE HERE] following Powell’s testimony.  Things got ugly quickly when President Trump, a builder and renovator himself, took exception with the scale and scope of the ridiculous spending plan.

In an effort to both use his office as a defense, and simultaneously weaponize the power of his position, Jerome Powell waits until Sunday evening to announce he is being investigated by the DOJ [SEE HERE], and then he claims it is political targeting.

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[Transcript] – “Good evening.

On Friday, the Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas, threatening a criminal indictment related to my testimony before the Senate Banking Committee last June. That testimony concerned in part a multi-year project to renovate historic Federal Reserve office buildings.

I have deep respect for the rule of law and for accountability in our democracy. No one—certainly not the chair of the Federal Reserve—is above the law. But this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing pressure.

This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings. It is not about Congress’s oversight role; the Fed through testimony and other public disclosures made every effort to keep Congress informed about the renovation project. Those are pretexts. The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President.

This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions—or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.

I have served at the Federal Reserve under four administrations, Republicans and Democrats alike. In every case, I have carried out my duties without political fear or favor, focused solely on our mandate of price stability and maximum employment. Public service sometimes requires standing firm in the face of threats. I will continue to do the job the Senate confirmed me to do, with integrity and a commitment to serving the American people.

Thank you.”

Most Americans do not understand what the Federal Reserve Bank does, let alone grasp the concept of how the Federal Reserve construct has been weaponized against their economic interests.

Ultimately, at the core of the issues with the FED is the need for power and control by those who exist in the strata of high finance and banking; essentially, the originating assembly we call the Sea Island group.  This group, in synergy with the Federal Reserve, operates to control the U.S. government through monetary policy.  There is no other reason for the group to exist.

There’s no reason why banking (interest) rates cannot be localized, determined by each financial institution according to their specific area of focus, and the control of capital outflows determined at a level closest to the Main Street enterprise.

For decades a growing number of voices have been against the FED control over U.S. monetary policy.  However, the independent fiat of the FED is defended by all the beneficiaries of the controlled financial system.

Jerome Powell has consistently been politicizing his office through the use of policy. Now, he is claiming to be the victim of politicization, because he is being subjected to the same investigative rules that would apply to any other financial institution head who was guilty of fraud and/or mismanagement.

Jan 12 2026

U.K Asks Germany and France, EU NATO, to Support Expanded Presence in Greenland


Posted originally on CTH on January 11, 2026 | Sundance

Seriously folks, you would think that after all this time the Europeans would finally understand how President Trump manipulates the media cycle and gets them to do exactly what he wants – while they and the majority of their constituents think it’s exactly the opposite.  This stuff is just too funny now.

According to European media outlets, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in discussions with Germany and France to send a NATO alliance to Greenland to establish a stronger NATO military footprint. {LINK}

The media present this, hilariously, as if European NATO is going to defend Greenland against President Trump and the USA military. {{INSERT SEVERAL LAUGHING EMOJIS HERE}} I mean, think about it rationally.

The U.K, France and Germany are unwilling to send troops into Ukraine without the protection of the U.S. military.  But somehow, for some reason, the U.K, France and Germany are going to send troops to Greenland to defend against the U.S. military.

The narrative sounds silly when put into context, right?

The reality is, for several years President Trump has been telling NATO they need to take the Arctic (Greenland) seriously and position more strongly against encroachment by China and Russia.   European NATO has not responded with urgency to the requests of President Trump… because orange man bad.

So, President Trump starts talking about the U.S. taking aggressive unilateral action to secure Greenland as a strategic national security matter.  Suddenly, ‘Voila!’ European NATO, under the auspices of defending their Denmark democracy, wakes up and says, ‘No, wait, you can’t just take Greenland, that’s bad.’  Then they assemble urgent talks to send EU NATO military resources to Greenland.  Exactly what President Trump has been requesting to formerly deaf ears.

See how that works?

The entire dynamic is so funny, it is difficult not to laugh.  It’s like being the only observer in a Candid Camera scenario when you know the entire group is being spoofed.

The former Dutch Chief of Defense, General Berlijn, even warns annexation of Greenland will cost the US its military bases in Europe. “Forget about Ramstein, Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Aviano, Alconbury, Lajes, Móron and Zaragoza,” he said.

As if forcing U.S. troops out of Germany is a threat.

Oh dear, you mean U.S. military can pull back from German bases? Cool.  And the EU will step up their own military to defend their own continent?  Again, super cool. Punish us with a good time, General Berlijn; please!

President Trump has pulled off the impossible

The current EU plan, and keep in mind – this is NOW the EU plan, is to increase NATO defense forces in/around Greenland and then expand their own military in Europe so they can kick out the USA.

Perfect.

Now, we all know that Europe will never do the last part of that; especially when these same voices are demanding that President Trump protect and defend their troops in Ukraine.  However, just reading about how they are talking about it is beyond funny.

Only President Donald J. Trump could achieve this masterstroke of geopolitical maneuvering, ending with him getting exactly what he wants and exactly what the EU previously didn’t want, while the EU proclaim it is their intention to give Trump what he wants by fighting against him.

You couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried.

EUROPE – […] In a joint statement, the leaders of the European nations stressed that it was for Denmark and Greenland to decide on the future of the vast, frozen territory. and that they would defend its borders.

They spoke out after Trump said he wants to gain control of the autonomous Danish territory now.

[…] They emphasised that security in the Arctic must be achieved “collectively”, in conjunction with Nato allies including the US, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, “including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”.

They added: “These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.

“The United States is an essential partner in this endeavor, as a Nato ally and through the defense agreement between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States of 1951.”

The statement was signed by Sir Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain, and Prime Minister Frederiksen of Denmark. (Source)

“We’ve got him this time, fellas!”