What are the key takeaways from this The Intelligence (Economist) episode?

Key insights include: **Immigration Enforcement Strategy:** Federal agents target Democratic-run cities like Minneapolis, which has relatively small immigrant populations compared to Texas or Florida, suggesting political motivations beyond immigration control. This approach aims to polarize voters by portraying Democratic cities as dangerous and soft on crime, potentially punishing sanctuary cities that oppose federal policy.; **Public Opinion Reversal:** YouGov polling shows 50% of Americans view the Minneapolis shooting as unjustified versus 20% justified, with disapproval rising to two-thirds among those who watched video evidence. Over 40% now support abolishing ICE compared to those favoring retention, marking a significant shift that threatens the administration's biggest policy success of closing the border.; **OpenAI Financial Burn Rate:** The company spends $17 billion in 2026, nearly double the previous year, with most costs going to computing power that grew from 200 megawatts in 2023 to 1,900 megawatts in 2025. Plans to increase capacity thirtyfold may cost over $1 trillion, with profitability not expected until decade's end despite twentyfold revenue growth.

What did Edward Carr discuss on The Intelligence (Economist)?

Federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis result in two civilian deaths within two weeks, sparking controversy over disputed shooting circumstances. Public opinion shifts against ICE as video evidence contradicts official narratives. OpenAI faces financial sustainability questions despite revenue growth, burning through $17 billion annually while seeking $100 billion in new funding. Key topics include: **Immigration Enforcement Strategy:** Federal agents target Democratic-run cities like Minneapolis, which has relatively small immigrant populations compared to Texas or Florida, suggesting political motivations beyond immigration control. This approach aims to polarize voters by portraying Democratic cities as dangerous and soft on crime, potentially punishing sanctuary cities that oppose federal policy.; **Public Opinion Reversal:** YouGov polling shows 50% of Americans view the Minneapolis shooting as unjustified versus 20% justified, with disapproval rising to two-thirds among those who watched video evidence. Over 40% now support abolishing ICE compared to those favoring retention, marking a significant shift that threatens the administration's biggest policy success of closing the border..

How long is this episode of The Intelligence (Economist)?

This episode is 26 minutes long. SignalCast provides an AI-generated summary so you can get the key insights in about 3 minutes.

The Intelligence (Economist)

Resistance is fatal: another killing in Minneapolis

January 26, 2026

26 min episode · 2 min read

Edward Carr

Episode

26 min

Read time

2 min

Topics

Health & Wellness, Fundraising & VC, Sales & Revenue

AI-Generated Summary

Published Jan 26, 2026

Key Takeaways

✓Immigration Enforcement Strategy: Federal agents target Democratic-run cities like Minneapolis, which has relatively small immigrant populations compared to Texas or Florida, suggesting political motivations beyond immigration control. This approach aims to polarize voters by portraying Democratic cities as dangerous and soft on crime, potentially punishing sanctuary cities that oppose federal policy.
✓Public Opinion Reversal: YouGov polling shows 50% of Americans view the Minneapolis shooting as unjustified versus 20% justified, with disapproval rising to two-thirds among those who watched video evidence. Over 40% now support abolishing ICE compared to those favoring retention, marking a significant shift that threatens the administration's biggest policy success of closing the border.
✓OpenAI Financial Burn Rate: The company spends $17 billion in 2026, nearly double the previous year, with most costs going to computing power that grew from 200 megawatts in 2023 to 1,900 megawatts in 2025. Plans to increase capacity thirtyfold may cost over $1 trillion, with profitability not expected until decade's end despite twentyfold revenue growth.
✓AI Competitive Landscape: Google's Gemini model now outperforms OpenAI's GPT 5.1 on benchmarks, and Google secured the Apple Siri contract. Open source models from American and Chinese companies close the gap, threatening OpenAI's ability to charge premium prices. Venture capitalists call 2025 a make-or-break year as losses comparable to national government deficits raise sustainability concerns.
✓Conservation Through Contraception: The Red Squirrel Recovery Network deploys weight-activated feeders dispensing hazelnut butter contraceptive bait to grey squirrels over 450 grams, excluding smaller red squirrels. This addresses the 39,000 red versus 2.5 million grey squirrel disparity in England, where grey squirrels spread squirrel pox virus deadly to reds and strip bark from reforestation projects.

What It Covers

Federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis result in two civilian deaths within two weeks, sparking controversy over disputed shooting circumstances. Public opinion shifts against ICE as video evidence contradicts official narratives. OpenAI faces financial sustainability questions despite revenue growth, burning through $17 billion annually while seeking $100 billion in new funding.

Key Questions Answered

•Immigration Enforcement Strategy: Federal agents target Democratic-run cities like Minneapolis, which has relatively small immigrant populations compared to Texas or Florida, suggesting political motivations beyond immigration control. This approach aims to polarize voters by portraying Democratic cities as dangerous and soft on crime, potentially punishing sanctuary cities that oppose federal policy.
•Public Opinion Reversal: YouGov polling shows 50% of Americans view the Minneapolis shooting as unjustified versus 20% justified, with disapproval rising to two-thirds among those who watched video evidence. Over 40% now support abolishing ICE compared to those favoring retention, marking a significant shift that threatens the administration's biggest policy success of closing the border.
•OpenAI Financial Burn Rate: The company spends $17 billion in 2026, nearly double the previous year, with most costs going to computing power that grew from 200 megawatts in 2023 to 1,900 megawatts in 2025. Plans to increase capacity thirtyfold may cost over $1 trillion, with profitability not expected until decade's end despite twentyfold revenue growth.
•AI Competitive Landscape: Google's Gemini model now outperforms OpenAI's GPT 5.1 on benchmarks, and Google secured the Apple Siri contract. Open source models from American and Chinese companies close the gap, threatening OpenAI's ability to charge premium prices. Venture capitalists call 2025 a make-or-break year as losses comparable to national government deficits raise sustainability concerns.
•Conservation Through Contraception: The Red Squirrel Recovery Network deploys weight-activated feeders dispensing hazelnut butter contraceptive bait to grey squirrels over 450 grams, excluding smaller red squirrels. This addresses the 39,000 red versus 2.5 million grey squirrel disparity in England, where grey squirrels spread squirrel pox virus deadly to reds and strip bark from reforestation projects.

Notable Moment

The administration claims Alex Preddy attempted to massacre law enforcement officers, yet video evidence shows him standing between agents and a woman on the ground before being pepper sprayed and shot ten times. This contradiction creates unusual tension with the National Rifle Association, which recognizes the dangerous precedent that legally carrying a concealed firearm near police could justify lethal force.

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Episode Transcript

Are you trying to seize the value from AI? Schneider Electric electrifies, automates, and digitalizes every industry, business, and home, driving efficiency and sustainability for all. Listen to their AI at Scale podcast to hear from AI experts and to get the answers and practical examples of AI for energy and industry. Search AI at Scale podcast by Schneider Electric today. Here's how to stay alive longer so you can enjoy Boost Mobile's unlimited plan with a price that never goes up. Do not mistake a wasp nest for a pinata. Stay alive and switch now at Boost Mobile. After 30 gigs, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Mobile unlimited plan. The Economist. Hello, and welcome to the intelligence from The Economist. I'm Rosie Blore. And I'm Jason Palmer. Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world. ChatGPT is the most powerful chatbot out there That's made its owner, OpenAI, remarkably powerful. But taking the lead has meant churning through a lot of money. This year could be make or break. And pity the poor red squirrel in most of Britain. They've been roundly outcompeted or given a nasty virus by their larger American gray cousins. We look at a new conservation effort to bring their numbers back up. First up though, on Saturday morning in Minneapolis, federal agents shot Alex Preddy, an intensive care nurse, 10 times. Multiple videos from the scene raced across the Internet. Greg Bovino, a border patrol commander who's become the face of the federal immigration enforcement effort delivered a statement about the killing. During this operation, an individual approached US border patrol agents with a nine millimeter semiautomatic handgun. The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a board official agent fired Much of that language was repeated in a statement from Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security. Individual, but the armed suspect reacted violently. Fearing for his life and for the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots. This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism. Like many, many other people who have watched the clips, Tim Walz, Minnesota's Democratic governor, saw things differently. Thank god we have video. Because according to DHS, these seven heroic guys took an onslaught of a battalion against them or something. It's nonsense, people. There are a lot of echoes here of another killing in the city two weeks before when federal agents shot Renee Goode point blank and then claimed she had been a threat. So now we've got two Minnesotans dead. We didn't had time to start telling Renee's story of a poet and a mother and a a a bright spirit, and now we're telling Alex's story. …

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