Weekly Roundup: Minnesota vs. ICE: Neighbors, Authoritarianism, and the Future of Democracy (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

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.
Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-minnesota-vs.-ice-neighbors-authoritarianism-and-the-future-of-democracy?hsLang=en

The end of a cult (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)

Peruvian journalist Paola Ugaz tells us how her investigation (with colleague Pedro Salinas) led to the downfall of the Sodalitium, a Catholic cult that was sexually, physically and psychologically abusing young people.

Interview: 

https://ffrf.org/news/freethought-radio/freethought-today-january-29-2026/

History Minute (082): KKK calls Catholicism a political and cultural threat

• “At the height of the Jim Crow and disfranchisement era, the Klan viciously maintained the sexual and social colour line, but treated Catholicism as a more immediate political and cultural threat, claiming that Catholics sought to take over the political and public school systems.” 

•  “[William Lloyd] Clarke argues [in anti-Catholic The Devil’s Prayer Book] that Catholicism by nature is incompatible with white Protestant social order and that the papacy embodies impurity. Furthermore, he claims that Catholicism seeks to damage traditional family norms and that Catholics seek to replace the President and the American Constitution with the Pope and Catholic tenets.”

Excerpts from:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21567689.2020.1809384