Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Quick Hits: Volume CCCXCIV

- Tim Walz has been governor of Minnesota for just over seven years now. And in that time the state has endured multiple crises, whether it was the COVID-19 pandemic, the riots in the aftermath of George Floyd's death and now Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducting operations in the state. In each of those instances, Walz has utterly failed to meet the moment. 

On Wednesday evening, he took to live TV to once again fan the flames of escalating tensions. And he did so with unsubstantiated gossip and blatant lies

Armed, masked, undertrained ICE agents are going door to door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live.

They’re pulling over people indiscriminately, including U.S. citizens, and demanding to see their papers.

And at grocery stores, at bus stops, even at schools, they’re breaking windows, dragging pregnant women down the street, just plain grabbing Minnesotans and shoving them into unmarked vans, kidnapping innocent people with no warning and no due process.

Let’s be very, very clear: This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement.

Instead, it is a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.


But then later on in the speech, he says this. 


Donald Trump wants chaos.

He wants confusion.

And, yes, he wants more violence on our streets.

We cannot give him what he wants.

We can – we must – protest: loudly, urgently, but also peacefully.

Indeed, as hard as we will fight in the courts and at the ballot box, we cannot, and will not, let violence prevail.


As we have witnessed over the past several years, there are enough mentally fragile people out there who are going to hear those words and take them to heart. So when Walz flatly accuses ICE of racial profiling American citizens and the roughing them up and then later says he doesn't want violence, that is the equivalent of lighting the fuse of an M80 but not wanting a loud explosion. 


Like in his speech at Shiloh Temple the week of Christmas, Walz is inciting violence. So when he insists that's actually what Trump wants, you now know he's simply projecting. 



- If you're wondering why Minnesota (specifically the metropolitan area) has become such a prog cesspool, it's because this vacuous dork was the state party leader for more than a decade. 





When receiving pushback, Kenny, now the chair of the Democrat National Committee, doubled down. 


 



Check out the tweet thread of Ali Bradley, who lists the rap sheets of the many violent criminals ICE has rounded up in their operations in Minnesota. These are the people who Ken and his ilk believe are "victims."  



- Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, passed away this week after a bout with prostate cancer. He was 68 years old. 


National Review's Dan McLaughlin paid tribute to Adams' genius last year when it was announced he had metastatic prostate cancer. 


But what was so fresh about Dilbert, and helped make it a sensation with Gen Xers entering the workplace in the 1990s, was its unflinching cynicism and misanthropy, combined with how Adams drew on his own experiences and a steady stream of reader emails to flesh out his critiques of the corporate world. For previous generations, a white-collar career was supposed to be a better version of the American Dream than blue-collar factory work — the thing for which a generation of kids were sent to college — as well as a peacetime refuge from the bureaucracy-ridden military service that defined young manhood in the 1940s and 1950s. But Adams drew a new and vivid portrait that stripped away those illusions.

The world of Dilbert was one of workplaces full of unattractive, self-interested, unhappy people in which nobody knew what they were doing, meetings were endless and pointless, management spoke in buzzwords they didn’t understand, nobody cared about the customer, people socialized with coworkers only to kill time, and nothing ever really changed or improved. The strip satirized every trend in the corporate world: reorganizations, mission statements, product development and launches, outsourcing, budgeting shenanigans, you name it. Built around a doughy, bespectacled, girlfriend-less engineer, it surfed the office and personal technology trends of the decades from the golden age of the fax machine to the era of smartphones and social media. Unlike working-class hero bards of prior generations, Adams made his workers little more sympathetic than their bosses.


Adams came back into consciousness nearly ten years ago when he predicted that Donald Trump would not only be the GOP nominee for President but that he would defeat Hillary Clinton in the general. He was the first high profile name I was aware of who went out on such a limb. And because he switched his endorsement from Clinton to Trump, you can probably guess how his death was reported on. 





Regardless, I truly hope Scott accepted Jesus as his savior, which he vowed to do near the end of his life. 


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Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Not good.

As if Minnesota hasn't been wracked with enough bad news, one of the shining lights on the state's welfare fraud scandal is moving on

A majority of the leadership team at the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office resigned on Jan. 13 over the direction of the Justice Department under the Trump administration. Among those who resigned was Joe Thompson, the lead federal prosecutor and public voice on uncovering rampant fraud in Minnesota.

The departures of several prosecutors stemmed from directives from top federal officials to staff members after the killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, according to sources familiar with the decision. That included blocking the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) from the investigation into the shooting and a request from the Justice Department to investigate Good’s widow for possible federal charges. A source also said Thompson’s resignation resulted from a general frustration that a surge of immigration enforcement in Minnesota ordered by the Trump administration has “eclipsed” fraud investigations by the office.


Because Thompson et al resigned due to what appears to be an overreach by the Trump DOJ, it provided an opportunity for Nebraska Fats Gov. Tim Walz to pile on. 


 



Principled public servant, eh? Funny, Tim, but that wasn't the tone you struck a week ago when you basically said Thompson shouldn't even be on the fraud case and then flat out accused him of a crime.





He really does think we're stupid. 


Anyhow, the larger issue at hand is how this development puts the screws to the Minnesota taxpayers even worse than before. When Thompson was first addressing the fraud issues last year, he said then his office was so overwhelmed by the magnitude of the scandal. But now that there have been mass resignations, justice will be delayed that much more. For all the bluster Trump put forth is rooting out the fraud in Minnesota, his administration's latest actions effectively help blunt the investigation now that the U.S. Attorneys office is even more understaffed than when Thompson expressed how resources were being spread thin.


I'm all for enforcing our immigration laws, but denying basic investigative protocols (i.e. scrutinizing the actions of the shooter) give appearances that enforcement is selective. 


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Monday, January 12, 2026

2025 NFL Playoffs: Wildcard (Monday game)

Houston Texans (-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers: I feel as though the Texans are the most slept on team in the NFL postseason. And while third year QB CJ Stroud is the face of the franchise, it's their stout defense (#1 in total yards, #2 in points allowed) which has carried them this season. Also, Houston enters the playoffs with the longest active winning streak at nine games. 


The Steelers are only here due to Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop missing a field goal on literally the final play of the regular season. Good news for them is their otherwise pedestrian offense gets a boost as WR D.K. Metcalf returns from a two game suspension. Regardless, Pittsburgh didn't have a single running back or receiver break the 1,000-yard barrier this season. And even though he'll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years after he retires, 43-year old QB Aaron Rodgers is clearly ready to ride off into the sunset. 


Unless the Steelers come up with some big plays on defense, I believe the Texans will roll. 

Houston 20 Pittsburgh 10


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Sunday, January 11, 2026

The NARN Closer's playlist - 1/11/2026



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After my own indecision, they confused me so......

We're not even two weeks into 2026, yet it's felt like two months. I could literally conduct a 3-hour solo broadcast today but, alas, the usual two hours will have to suffice. Today's edition of my radio show The Closer will get started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 


Obviously much of the broadcast will be focused on Wednesday's incident in Minneapolis where a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent killed a woman who was blocking their path. And as has been custom for some time, leftist and righty narratives were flying before all the facts were known. Also, this past week marked the 5-year anniversary of the riots at the U.S. Capitol. I'll discuss why that incident parallels what happened in Minneapolis Wednesday. 


In what was going to be the top story on today's show got pushed aside by the ICE incident. Nevertheless, Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday he would not seek reelection for a third term next year. While this news was initially shocking, a big picture look would tell you it shouldn't be all that surprising. 


And finally, GOP members of the MN House of Representatives traveled to Washington, D.C. to give testimony regarding the state's rampant welfare fraud. 



So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
 
You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....


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Saturday, January 10, 2026

2025 NFL Playoffs: Wildcard (Sunday games)

Buffalo Bills (-1-1/2) at Jacksonville Jaguars: Over the previous five seasons, Josh Allen and the Bills have won no fewer than 11 games per year and have seemingly been a Super Bowl contender each time ---- but have nary a Super Bowl appearance in that span. The good news for Buffalo this postseason is neither of the two teams (Kansas City and Cincinnati) who have stonewalled them those five years are in this year's tournament. The bad news? They must face a resurgent quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, whose play this season was on par with the two QBs (Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow) who have been a thorn in the Bills' postseason side. 


The Jags enter the playoffs as one of the NFL's hottest teams as they finished the year with eight consecutive wins. And despite the fact head coach Liam Coen comes off as extremely goofy, he's guided the Jaguars offense to their highest scoring season since 2017, a year which saw them reach the AFC Championship Game. 


While the Bills sport the NFL's top ranked pass defense in terms of yards allowed, their run defense has been gashed all season, allowing 5.1 yards per carry. While I think Lawrence will still get his, look for a heavy dose of RB Trevor Etienne, who finished 11th in the NFL with 1,107 yards. While Buffalo's James Cook led the NFL in rush yards with 1,621, the Jaguars were the best run defense in the league. If Buffalo is to prevail, Allen once again needs to be the magic. 

Jacksonville 24 Buffalo 21 



San Francisco 49ers (+5-1/2) at Philadelphia Eagles: I don't know how, but the 49ers won 12 games this season despite WR Brandon Aiyuk being unavailable all season, QB Brock Purdy and WR Ricky Pearsall missing eight games, TE George Kittle being out for six, and stalwart defenders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner each suffering season-ending injuries. Ironically, the offense was held together by the oft injured RB Christian McCaffrey, who played in all 17 games and compiled more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage (1,202 rushing, 924 receiving and 17 total touchdowns). Expect McCaffrey to be saddled with his normally heavy workload this game.


The Eagles are a hard team to figure out. While they've looked uneven offensively all year (especially RB Saquon Barkley taking a significant downturn from a 2,000+ yard rushing season in 2024), their defense really stepped up the final five games of the regular season, allowing an average of only 235 total yards. And while QB Jalen Hurts has been underwhelming most of the year, he always seems to find an extra gear in the postseason. 


I don't really have a good feel for this game, so I'll just go with the home team. 

Philadelphia 20 San Francisco 17



Los Angeles Chargers (+3-1/2) at New England Patriots: Despite being drafted #6 overall in 2020 and putting up some really good passing numbers, Chargers QB Justin Herbert is likely feeling significant pressure this postseason. In Herbert's first five years, the Chargers have been to the playoffs only twice, going one-and-done on both occasions. The fact San Diego L.A. is even in the postseason is no small feat given starting offensive linemen Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are both on Injured Reserve. Their absence has been felt (literally) by Herbert as he was sacked 54 times in sixteen games. 


After a near two-decade dynasty, the Patriots made only one playoff appearance in the subsequent five seasons after Tom Brady departed. 


If we are to enact a re-do of the 2024 draft, QB Drake Maye, whom the Pats selected #3 overall behind quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, may have to be taken first. Maye has had an MVP caliber 2025 season and has guided New England to a 14-3 record after a 1-2 start. He led the NFL in completion percentage, quarterback rating and QBR. He also finished fourth overall in pass yards and third in TD passes. 


Despite stellar quarterback play from both teams in 2025, I see this as a grind 'em out type game given both defenses are in the top 10 in terms of yardage and points allowed. 

New England 22 Los Angeles 20 


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Friday, January 09, 2026

2025 NFL Playoffs: Wildcard (Saturday games)

Los Angeles Rams (-10) at Carolina Panthers: This is a rematch of a Week 13 game when a middling Carolina team upset a 9-2 Rams squad, 31-28. Going into that game, the Rams were on the short list of Super Bowl favorites. However, they stumbled down the stretch, going 3-3 in their final six contests. 


The Panthers had everything go right in that regular season matchup as they won the turnover battle 3-0 and went 3 for 3 on fourth down conversions, yet still needed a late TD to prevail. Even though they are the home team here, Carolina finished the season 8-9 with a minus-69 point differential. Regardless, don't expect them to catch the Rams by surprise this time. Add to that the NFL's #1 offense in terms of points and yardage getting back veteran WR Davante Adams, this could mean a long day for the Panthers. 


I like what Carolina is doing and their future certainly isn't as hopeless as it appeared two years ago, but the Rams are built for "win now" mode. 

Los Angeles 28 Carolina 17



Green Bay Packers (-1-1/2) at Chicago Bears: This is the 213th all-time matchup in what is easily pro football's most prolific rivalry. However, this is only the third meeting of these historic franchises in the postseason. The teams split their two regular season contests with the home team prevailing in each. Both games went right down to the wire, so expect this game to have at least a similar vibe now that we're in the postseason. 


The Packers were riding high in Week 15 at Denver, where they were sporting a 9-3-1 record and leading the Broncos in the second half of that game. However, Green Bay's fortunes turned late in the third quarter when stud pass rusher Micah Parsons suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Broncos would rally for the victory, which was the first of four consecutive losses the Pack would suffer to end the season. 


The 2025 Chicago Bears are certainly not your daddy's Bears (or grandfather's. or great-grandfather's) given they're sporting a top 10 offense in terms of total yards but rank near the bottom in total defense. However, the Bears led the NFL with 33 takeaways, which certainly covered the ills of a sieve-like D. 


To me, this is the key takeaway: the Bears were 9-0 in the regular season when they forced at least 2 turnovers, but only 2-6 when they didn't. Meanwhile, the Packers' offense gave away the ball only 13 times all year, which was third fewest in the NFL. But the Bears' O was actually the best with only 11 giveaways. 


Much to my chagrin as a Vikings fan, I believe the Bears got it right with head coach Ben Johnson and QB Caleb Williams. The franchise hasn't had this kind of stability in those two key areas since the 1980s. And while the Bears are certainly set up for the long haul, I maintain Green Bay is a slightly better team this year. It's hard for me to envision the Pack making a long playoff run without Parsons, but they'll have enough to emerge victorious this game. 

Green Bay 26 Chicago 23


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Thursday, January 08, 2026

He called it!

Less than 12 hours before Rep. Walter Hudson (R-Albertville) was to testify before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, he sat down with NewsNation to discuss Minnesota's rampant welfare fraud. 





If you notice the caption on the video, Walter warns us to "anticipate attempts to deviate from the facts" regarding Minnesota's fraud problem. 

Fast forward to the committee hearing the next day. 




What's hilarious is the vacuous Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL) thought he could "own" those he likely viewed as bumpkins from flyover land. 

So what's the insinuation here, Max? If Reps. Hudson and Marion Rarick don't kowtow to your demands for performative condemnations of President Donald Trump that they're not able to credibly decry welfare fraud in their home state? 

Is there any wonder why the U.S. Congress has an approval rating worse than a used car salesman? 

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