They’re defending Insurrection Act as chaos hits the streets
The David Pakman Show - January 16, 2026
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What we saw in Minneapolis was deeply disturbing. Footage from Jesse Dollemore and Brittany Page shows masked ICE agents flooding the streets, dragging protesters away, and spraying chemicals into a chaotic crowd. A woman in a wheelchair was reportedly hit, people were coughing and panicking, and sirens filled the air. Instead of restraint after recent deadly incidents, ICE appears more aggressive and more confident that it will face no consequences.
That escalation is already being used to justify extreme measures. When Maria Bartiromo asked Congressman Andrew Garbarino whether Trump should invoke the Insurrection Act, his answer was evasive but telling. He called it a last resort while repeatedly suggesting Trump might be forced to use it. That framing normalizes deploying troops against civilians, while ignoring that the disorder being cited is largely driven by Trump’s own ICE raids.
Outside the United States, alarm is growing. A major European columnist is now arguing that Europe should prepare to distance itself from America altogether under Trump. From authoritarian rhetoric to NATO skepticism and talk of territorial grabs, Europe is questioning whether the US is still a reliable democratic partner. This fracture benefits Russia and weakens the democratic world.
Meanwhile, Republicans continue to blame Joe Biden for everything. House Speaker Mike Johnson went on Fox News and claimed ICE actions, inflation, and economic pain are all Biden’s fault, while any positive indicators belong to Trump. Voters appear increasingly unconvinced, but the scapegoating continues.
The international criticism is no longer subtle. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said plainly that the United States under Trump is destroying the post-World War II world order. Polling shows Germans now trust France and the UK far more than the US and doubt America would honor NATO commitments.
Finally, one of the world’s leading experts on fascism is leaving. Yale professor Jason Stanley has moved to Canada, saying the Trump administration has carried out a coup and no longer needs public support to rule. He warns that universities are being pressured into self-censorship and normalization. When a global scholar of fascism decides it is unsafe or dishonest to stay, that is not hysteria. It is a warning.
On today’s bonus show:
Maria Machado gives Trump her Nobel Peace Prize, Kristi Noem backs up the "show me your papers" policy, Karoline Leavitt gets angry with a reporter instead of answering a basic question, and much more...
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There is more backbone in a bowl of chicken noodle soup than can be found in Congress or the Supreme Court as they stand on the sidelines and watch Trump and his regime destroy the things that have made America great. At the J6 hearing Liz Cheney said that Trump would be gone but Republican dishonor would remain. That is true, but sadly it's also true that so much of the damage Trump has created will remain.
Watching from afar - Scotland - this is playing exactly into Trumps hands so he can justify bringing the troops onto the street, but he is getting away with it, he should be challenged by Congress at least.