Weekly Roundup: Minnesota vs. ICE: Neighbors, Authoritarianism, and the Future of Democracy

Straight White American Jesus

Axis Mundi Media: Bradley Onishi + Daniel Miller

News, Politics

4.7 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 30 January 2026

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi—author of American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy —is joined by co-host Dan Miller, Professor of Religion and Social Thought at Landmark College. They begin by unpacking the ongoing ICE operations in Minnesota, framing the federal crackdown as a clash between authoritarian state power and a deeply organized, nonviolent response by ordinary Minnesotans. Drawing on political theory and on-the-ground reporting, Brad and Dan argue that what’s unfolding in the Twin Cities is not a partisan skirmish but a vivid example of democracy in action: neighbors mobilizing to protect one another against coercion, violence, and the erosion of basic rights. The conversation then turns to two deeply troubling developments with national implications. First, they examine the killing of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse and legal gun owner, and the Trump administration’s sudden hostility to Second Amendment arguments—revealing how rights are selectively applied depending on political loyalty. Finally, they analyze the FBI raid on a Georgia election office, tracing its roots to Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results and warning of the chilling precedent this sets for future elections. Taken together, these stories reveal a pattern: the criminalization of dissent, the dehumanization of political opponents, and an accelerating effort to use state power to intimidate, suppress, and control. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza Subscribe to American Exceptionalism Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	AXIS Mundi Welcome to Straight White American Jesus. I'm Brad Onishi, author of American Caesar,
0:19.4	how theocrats and tech lords are turning America into a monarchy, founder of Access Moody Media here today with my co-host.
0:26.6	I am Dan Miller, professor of religion and social thought at Landmark College.
0:31.6	Glad to be with you, Brad.
0:33.6	You too. Lots to talk about, as always, want to return, I think, as many of you are, daily to
0:41.6	Minnesota. And the occupation of the Twin Cities, want to frame that in terms that I may be
0:48.2	helpful in regard to the Trump administration's approach to the ICE operation there. And they're overwhelming, organized, and inspiring
0:57.0	a response of ordinary Minnesotans to the violence in their cities.
1:01.6	I want to then go to issues surrounding the Second Amendment and the ways that Trump and
1:06.5	people in his administration have framed Alex Freddie, the ICU nurse who was killed by ICE agents
1:13.6	last week. Finally, we will talk about the raid on the Georgia election office and what that
1:20.3	portends for our elections this year, the dangers in that move, and what they mean. Lots to cover. Let's go. All right, Dan, I have been reading, as I like to do.
1:49.0	Reading still my favorite thing to do.
1:52.6	And I want to start today by framing something that I think might help us understand in very clear and basic terms what's happening in Minnesota. So I'm
2:02.8	reading from a book called The Narrow Corridor by Darren Asimoglu and James Robinson, and
2:08.5	they argue this. Our argument in this book is that for liberty to emerge and flourish, both
2:14.1	state and society must be strong. So you have to have a strong state to control
2:19.6	violence and force laws and provide public services. That makes sense. If your state can't do that,
2:25.3	they can't enforce the laws. If there's rogue agents or pirates or mercenaries or warlords or
2:30.2	anyone else who can override the state, then you're out of luck. You're not going to have a great country, government, et cetera.
2:37.2	However, a strong mobilized society is needed to control and shackle the strong state.
2:43.7	So you need a society that is built on the ground culturally in terms of norms,
	...

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