Anne Applebaum and Jacob Frey: Using Lies to Justify Violence

What It Covers

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Anne Applebaum discuss the ICE shooting of citizen Renee Goode, federal overreach in immigration enforcement, autocratic trends domestically and internationally, and geopolitical shifts in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Iran.

Key Questions Answered

• •Federal Immigration Enforcement Overreach: ICE deployed 270+ agents to Minneapolis without clear objectives, outnumbering local police while conducting operations that resulted in 50% of the city's two shootings this year. The agents operate with masked faces, unmarked vehicles, and minimal training standards compared to local law enforcement.
• •Investigation Legitimacy Concerns: Federal officials blocked Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from accessing evidence and materials in the Renee Goode shooting investigation, despite BCA's established expertise investigating officer-involved shootings. Vice President Vance claimed absolute immunity for the agent, though qualified immunity requires lawful conduct during official duties.
• •Community Safety Impact: Minneapolis residents, including US citizens, report fear of attending work or allowing children to walk to school due to ICE presence. Local police face exhaustion responding to calls about perceived kidnappings and excessive force while trying to maintain community trust built since George Floyd's murder.
• •Geopolitical Sphere Strategy Risks: Trump administration's proposed division of world influence into US, Russian, and Chinese spheres ignores European agency and misunderstands power dynamics. Russia remains economically weak as China's client state, while the approach abandons seventy years of alliance-building and international institutions designed to prevent conflict through cooperation.
• •Ukraine War Sustainability Crisis: Russia loses approximately 1,000 soldiers daily, totaling losses equivalent to the entire Vietnam War every two months. Putin has never publicly stated desire to end the war, undermining negotiation efforts, while hypersonic nuclear-capable missile strikes signal escalation threats despite lacking genuine military justification.