How America’s Red-Blue Divide Plays Into the ICE Shooting in MN, and Trump’s Global Power Plays Explained

10 snips

Jan 8, 2026

Guest

Jeff Roe, a Republican strategist and founder of Axiom Strategies, and Hyma Moore, a Democratic strategist from Cornerstone Government Affairs, engage in a heated discussion about the Minnesota shooting and its implications for immigration politics. They explore how each party is strategizing for midterms amid major national tragedies. Meanwhile, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin reveals the Trump administration's major deregulatory changes and their impact on environmental policy, while sharing insights on effective governance and personal experiences in working with Trump.

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INSIGHT

Partisan Lenses Shape Tragedy Meaning

The Minnesota shooting split public reaction sharply along partisan lines, with interpretations tracking voters' loyalties.
Mark Halperin emphasizes that polarization shapes who sees blame and who demands immediate judgment.

ADVICE

Pause, Then Prioritize A Fast, Cooperative Probe

Halperin urges patience and a full fact-gathering process before assigning criminal labels or policy verdicts.
He recommends expedited, cooperative federal-state investigations and more transparency about operations and aftermath care.

INSIGHT

ICE Is A Symbol, Not Just An Agency

Red and blue Americans view ICE's presence as symbolically opposite things: law-and-order rescue versus occupying force.
That symbolic framing intensifies conflict beyond the specific incident to broader debates on sovereignty and enforcement.

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Mark Halperin opens the episode with his reported monologue examining what the Minnesota shooting reveals about America’s deep Red–Blue divide — and why the national reaction to the tragedy says as much about our political culture as the violence itself. From the language used by leaders to the moral certitude on both sides, Mark breaks down how polarization is shaping conversations about grief, blame, and accountability.

He then turns to the immigration debate, explaining why the left’s anger at ICE misses the larger forces driving the conflict — and how the Minnesota tragedy fits into a broader national struggle over enforcement, sovereignty, and political responsibility.

Mark is then joined by Democratic strategist Hyma Moore and Republican Strategist Jeff Roe for a wide-angle discussion of where the immigration fight goes next, how both parties are positioning themselves, and what this moment reveals about the limits of political messaging in the face of real-world consequences.

The conversation then shifts abroad, as Mark, Hyma, and Jeff break down why Europe is misreading Donald Trump’s strategy on Greenland — and what the confusion says about transatlantic assumptions, power, and negotiation under Trump.

Finally, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin joins Mark to explain how the Trump EPA is rewriting the rules on deregulation and enforcement, detailing the administration’s governing philosophy, the tools it’s using, and how environmental policy is being reshaped in real time.

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