The Gaily Show

Representative Leigh Finke has introduced two bills to curb ICE activity and keep them accountable in Minnesota. The first bill prohibits law enforcement from wearing masks. The second bill requires that any federal vehicles be marked as law enforcement vehicles and be equipped to safely transport people.

THEN: Jake Wittich joins us to discuss his latest reporting from Chicago: 

How Jesse Jackson’s HIV and LGBTQ+ legacy reshaped coalition politics

Trans candidate Zoey Carter focuses on working class in state House bid

First look: Backbeat hotel planned for Northalsted

Windy City Times has been the voice of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community since 1985. This year marks the news outlet’s 40th anniversary of uplifting queer stories, reporting with Pride and chronicling LGBTQ+ history. Visit WindyCityTimes.com/newsletters to sign up for the publication’s weekly LGBTQ+ news updates.

Jake Wittich is managing editor of Windy City Times, where he reports in-depth stories on Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community and oversees the publication’s growing newsletter operation. And the Chicago Journalist’s Association named him Journalist of the Year 2025.

Some pretty shocking testimony yesterday in a forum organized by Congressional Democrats. Ryan Schwank is a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer who trained ICE agents. He shared that ICE training is, “deficient, defective, and broken.”

PLUS OUR ELECTION 2026 COVERAGE CONTINUES: 

Amada Marquez Simula is the Mayor of Columbia Heights, MN and is currently running for Minnesota House District 39B. We talk about Operation Metro Surge’s impacts on Columbia Heights, one of the most target cities during OMS. We also discuss Mayor Simula’s hopes for this legislative session and her campaign platform to represent District 39B. To connect with her campaign visit: https://www.voteamada.com

To talk more about the Operation Metro Surge draw down, Emilia Gonzalez Avalos joins us. She is the Executive Director of Unidos MN. They have been at the forefront of both preparing Minnesota for OMS and then on the ground work to get ICE out of Minnesota. Emilia provides her perspectives on what happens next next. Connect with Unidos MN here: https://unidos-mn.org

Then:  2026 Election Coverage

Dakarai is the son of a U.S. Army veteran, a successful entrepreneur, longtime community volunteer, lifelong Democrat, and above all a proud Alabama native, deeply committed to serving the citizens of his home state. He is the author of Don’t Flush! From a False Arrest to a Political Awakening: My Journey to Making a Difference. Connect with Dakarai here: https://dakarailarriett.com

Ahmad Saber is a medical doctor specializing in rheumatology and internal medicine. Born and raised in Pakistan, Ahmad and his family moved to Canada while he was in high school. Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions is his debut novel and based in part on his own life. Connect with Ahmad here: https://www.instagram.com/theahmadsaber/ Pre-order you copy of Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions here: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781665960694

THEN: Ilana Masad joins us on the third Fridays of the month to share books you need to be reading! Today’s books:

Ours by Phillip B. Williams

Passing by Nella Larsen

My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781250833549

The Other Wife by Jackie Thomas-Kennedy

Ilana Masad is a writer of fiction, nonfiction, and criticism whose work has been widely published. She holds a PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and is the author of the novels All My Mother’s Lovers and Beings, as well as the coeditor of the forthcoming anthology Here for All the Reasons: Why We Watch The Bachelor. Connect with Ilana here: https://www.ilanamasad.com/

Operation Metro Surge isn’t over and we look at everything happening in the past twenty-four hours: arson at Renee Nicole Good’s memorial. An ICE agent rammed the car of legal observers in Mankato. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has issued more Touhy letters to DHS and the DOJ.

Plus: White House Correspondent for the Washington Blade Joe Reberkenny joins us to discuss his latest reporting including an exclusive sit down with Senator Edward Markey (D-MA). Read it here: https://www.washingtonblade.com/2026/02/18/exclusive-markey-says-transgender-rights-fight-is-next-frontier/

Since 1969, The Washington Blade has been the nation’s independent source for fearless reporting earning the paper the moniker “the newspaper of record for the LGBTQ+ community.” Read their award-winning journalism at more than 100 locations throughout the DC region and online at washingtonblade.com.

We look at the economic impacts caused by Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota and Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. There are some eye-popping numbers and the effects have lingered for months. Then: Kjer Whiting joins us from Theatre in the Round’s upcoming production of Cake. For tickets and more information visit: https://www.theatreintheround.org/thecake/

Now that Operation Metro Surge is (ostensibly) coming to an end the work continues: economic recovery, Monarca Rapid Response, Unidos MN Day at the Capitol. Jose Alvillar from Unidos MN joins us to discuss. We have the latest updates on the numbers of agents still in Minnesota and look at the evidence that this is a deliberate campaign of terror.

Connect with Monarca here: https://monarcamn.org/about.

Stay up to date here: https://www.iceoutnowmn.com

Then, we check in on Team LGBTQ at the Olympics and Jim reviews Whoosh at History Theatre. It closes this weekend! Get your tickets here: https://www.historytheatre.com/2025-2026/whoosh

TanyaMarck and Nick from the Queer Spirit podcast and community offer us practices and energies related to self-healing and community healing. Connect with Queer Spirit, TanyaMarck, and Nick here: thequeerspirit.com

We’re talking about US National Security with Lucas Schleusener the Executive Director of Out In National Security. Did you know the Defense Department is the largest employer of LGBTQ people in the country? And that the VA is the largest provider of LGBTQ healthcare? We get into that, plus the ban on transgender service members, Lavender Scare 2.0, and how the Trump administration’s actions are damaging relationships with our international allies.

Connect with Lucas and Out in National Security at their website: https://www.outinnationalsecurity.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OutInNatSec

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/outinnationalsecurity.org

John and Jim discuss the announced end of Operation Metro Surge.