NSS Weekly: Minnesota’s Reactions to Operations in Venezuela

Transcript

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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.

ANCHOR: This week, North Star Stories is launching a new 30-minute weekly newscast. After feedback from listeners and the reporters and producers who put these newscasts together, we determined that we need more time to dive deeper into some of the stories. So, starting today, the new format will include a look at headlines from around the state from the past week, and then in-depth stories, some of which will be followed by a question-and-answer segment to provide you with even more information.

I'm Gracie J.

First off, let's catch you up on the week's headlines, and there are a lot of them as Minnesota is suddenly thrust not just into the nation's spotlight, but the world's headlines.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent…or ICE, shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis. ICE called their actions self-defense in response to what they called an act of domestic terrorism: the woman driving her car into an agent. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded by saying the federal government is trying to spin the narrative, saying the agent was recklessly using power, resulting in someone dying. Mayor Frey went on to say that ICE is causing chaos and demanded that federal agents leave the state immediately.
He also called on residents to respond through legal civil channels, saying resorting to violence and riots is exactly what the federal government is trying to provoke to justify a stronger presence here. We'll have much more on this story next week.

Governor Tim Walz announced he is dropping out of the race for Governor and will not seek a historic third term for the state's top office.

Governor Tim Walz: I came to the conclusion that I can't give a political campaign my all. Every minute that I spend defending my own political interest would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who want to prey on our differences. So I've decided to step out of this race.

ANCHOR: While Governor Walz is not running for another term, despite calls from Republicans for his resignation, he says instead of focusing on an election, he'll be focusing on Minnesota.

Governor Tim Walz: I'm not going anywhere, and you can make all your requests for me to resign over my dead body.

ANCHOR: The Department of Homeland Security has launched the largest immigration crackdown in the nation's history right here in Minnesota. The White House says around 2-thousand federal agents will be on the streets of Minnesota. Todd Lyons, the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, says the agents are looking for fraud, human trafficking, and violent criminals. He says Minnesota laws and city ordinances designed to protect immigrants end up protecting criminals.

Todd Lyons: But one thing we should really know too is the fact that states like Minnesota that have a strong sanctuary city policy and sanctuary protections…that's just a magnet that brings that criminal element that can hide in plain sight.

ICE has already made more than one-thousand arrests in Minnesota.

ANCHOR: The White House and other federal agencies are pointing to what they are calling widespread fraud as the justification for sending thousands of federal agents to our state. Fraud, they say, social media influencer Nick Shirley brought to the world's attention in a 42-minute online video in which he appears to knock on the doors of daycare centers he says are scamming the state and federal government out of millions of dollars.

NAT SOUND: Nick Shirley video

ANCHOR: While Shirley's video alleging fraud has attracted more than 130-million views, there's been little national attention on the state of Minnesota's follow-up investigation. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families conducted on-site compliance checks on the nine child-care facilities referenced in Shirley's video and found all but one were operating as expected. The exception was one that had not yet opened for the day when the inspectors arrived.

NAT SOUND: ICE protesters play music

ANCHOR: That's how some protestors are trying to force ICE agents out of our state. They've resorted to playing loud music outside of the hotels where agents are staying. Controversy surrounding ICE agents staying at Minnesota hotels came to a head in Lakeville, just south of the metro, recently when the Hampton Inn there refused to allow ICE agents to rent rooms. The Department of Homeland Security took to social media to accuse the Hilton chain of discrimination. Hilton released a statement to North Star Stories stating the Hampton Inn in Lakeville is independently owned and is no longer affiliated with Hilton.

The assassination of the former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives earlier this year is putting our state back in the nation's spotlight again. President Trump recently posted a video on Truth Social, a social media platform, claiming without any proof to back it up, that Former Speaker Hortman was killed because she was the only Democrat to vote against a bill providing healthcare for undocumented immigrants. Hortman's son released a statement asking the president to remove the conspiracy theory video and apologize to the family for posting misinformation that dishonors his mother's memory. Governor Walz had even harsher words about the post.

Governor Tim Walz: For those legislators who went and shed crocodile tears at her funeral. Shame on you. Her children are asking you to do one thing in her name. It's to tell the president to stop doing this. That shouldn't be that difficult.

ANCHOR: In other news, the Olmsted County Sheriff says he will not seek a fourth term. Olmstead County is home to Rochester in Southern Minnesota. Sheriff Kevin Torgerson says it's been an absolute pleasure and honor to serve the citizens of Olmsted County since he arrived there in 1986. Torgerson has been the Sheriff since 2014. His term will end in January of 2027.

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In today's main story, the US recently invaded Venezuela and captured the nation's president and his wife. President Trump says it was necessary to stop illegal drugs from entering the US. Critics say the president is using drugs as an excuse to take over Venezuela's oil supply. North Star Stories' Director of News, Victor Palomino, talks with Minnesotans about the decision to capture the leader of another nation and what it means for different communities within our state.

President Trump: Late last night and early today, at my direction, the United States Armed Forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela

Victor Palomino: That's President Trump announcing the operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The operation sparked strong reactions around the world. Here in Minnesota, opinions vary greatly.

Neliza Schartz [English translation read by Emily Krumberger]: It was incredible. I remember it was around 8:30 in the morning, and I saw that I had hundreds of messages on my phone, on WhatsApp, because that's how I communicate with my family, text messages, about 130 notifications, plus Facebook and Instagram. And I thought, what happened?

Victor Palomino: Neliza Schartz is from Puerto Cabello in the Venezuela state. She moved to Minnesota nine years ago, and for her, the news opened a new perspective.

Neliza Schartz: When I saw the news, the first thing I felt was truly relief, hope, happiness and joy. And I said, God, this is finally what we've been waiting for, for such a long time. I'm honestly very, very happy about the possibility of returning to Venezuela and hugging my family again.

Victor Palomino: According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, nearly 7.9 million Venezuelans have left their country since early 2000. The Migration Policy Institute reports that about 80%, roughly 6.7 million people, settle in Latin America and the Caribbean. And now it's estimated that about 770,000 Venezuelan immigrants live in the United States.

Neliza Schartz: For us, what happened this weekend represents the end of a very long and painful chapter. Venezuela has lived for more than 26 years under a system that limited freedoms, separated families and pushed millions of people to emigrate.

Francisco Segovia: So when we look at what happened, we cannot, we shouldn't ignore the history of the United States in Latin America specifically and the impact of that influence, which, at the end, impacts many of us, because many people get displaced, and some of us become some of the refugees, some the immigrants, as a result of those policies.

Victor Palomino: That's Francisco Segovia, Executive Director of COPAL, Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina, a member-based organization working to improve the quality of life of Latine families. Segovia, who is from El Salvador and came to the United States in the 1990s during his country's civil war, says that the US actions in Latin America can have negative consequences.

Francisco Segovia: So when I look at that, I look at here is history once again and impacting locals, as well as promoting more migration, which is something that the United States doesn't want to see, as well as we have immigration raids happening here in the streets of Minnesota or Minneapolis.

Victor Palomino: He notes that Minnesota is home to a sizable Venezuelan community, many of them recent arrivals with temporary protection status.

Francisco Segovia: The Trump administration ended that protection, which basically left thousands of Venezuelans without the work permit that would allow them to do work in the United States. So that is one huge impact in the Venezuelan community alone.

Victor Palomino: At a White House press conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the operations in Venezuela.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio: He is not the legitimate president of Venezuela. That's not just us saying it. The first Trump administration, the Biden administration, the second Trump administration. None of those three recognized him. He's not recognized by the European Union and multiple countries around the world.

Victor Palomino: For some Minnesotans, these actions align with what they want to see from the administration. Patrick Garofalo, a former Republican state representative in Minnesota, says that the operations could strengthen administration's immigration policies.

Patrick Garofalo: Well, many of the people from Venezuela who have fled to America did so because of the humanitarian crisis in their home country. And now with new leadership, market reforms and getting Venezuela back on track, this will allow many of these individuals to return home.

Victor Palomino: Garofalo believed these actions will not damage US relationships in the region, and argues that there was justifications for removing Venezuelan's President Maduro.

Patrick Garofalo: They stole elections. They've ignored election results. They've put a tremendous amount of pressure on not only the United States, but also the migrations that are taking place in the neighboring countries. So in this situation, I think, it's appropriate. I believe that's going to put Venezuela on the right track, and ultimately it'll be, it'll be good for the entire western hemisphere.

Victor Palomino: But Segovia offers a different perspective.

Francisco Segovia: The United States is basically destroying any relationships they can have with the continent, and that is going to last for very long, lack of trust, because that has been so many years of US interventions.

Victor Palomino: And for Neliza and many Venezuelans in Minnesota, this moment represents both hope and uncertainty.

Neliza Schartz: Many Venezuelans are grateful for the international support. We know that there are different opinions, of course, and we respect them greatly. But for those of us who have lived these realities up close, that is Venezuelans, this moment represents something we have dreamed of for many decades, the possibility of rebuilding our country in freedom.

Victor Palomino: For North Star Stories, I'm Victor Palomino.

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ANCHOR: Invading another country and capturing its president has many implications that can stretch worldwide, even here in Minnesota. I'm now joined by Professor John Porten, a PhD in international relations from the University of California - San Diego. He also has 10 years of experience researching and teaching about civil war and political instability and a law degree from the University of Minnesota. Professor Porten, welcome to North Star Stories.

John: Thank you for having me.

ANCHOR: Yes. Thank you for being here. Let's just jump right in. What happens next in Venezuela?

John Porten: I think there are a lot of individuals in Venezuela who will be interested in using the shake-up to emerge into a new place for their own power. And a lot of what's going to happen will depend upon what it is that the United States decides to do next in terms of its own demands of Venezuela, or intention to support social or civil society change in Venezuela in the wake of this.

ANCHOR: This is someone that's been in power for a while. Is there fear? Is there relief?

John Porten: I think that it's important to say right out of the gate that the vast majority of the international community, most people in the United States agree that Maduro's regime, the rule of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, is repressive. They've mismanaged the economy. There are criminal implications for the way that they've run the country. Cooperations across criminal organizations that are bad. But of course, there is also fear, and there's also concern that very little will change. No president in an authoritarian regime is ever the full power. There's always a selectorate, a group of people who prefer to have the system that exists, and they are capable of mobilizing very quickly behind a new figurehead. Then very little is going to change in Venezuela over time. Really only if something about having deposed Maduro leads to a real shift in who is in power in Venezuela are we going to see a change.

ANCHOR: Would you say it's not only like a political shift, but also a cultural shift?

John Porten: The fact that the Vice President has been sworn in, even if she remains and she's known as something of a more liberal reformer than Maduro was, it's not clear how any of the incentives for any of the actors who are interested in opposing the Venezuelan Socialist Party have changed what opening this provides to them, and some of that is going to be cultural. You're going to have to have people recognize that maybe Maduro and Chavez before him mismanaged the economy and haven't really been in it for average Venezuelans. You're going to have to force people to admit that the support they showed in public was maybe not wise and not constructive for the country, but you're also going to have to have a culture shift in the sense that people trust that opposition politics is safer, that it is constructive in the sense that you can build a future for your family and your community by opposing the Socialist Party's policies. And you have to have the Socialist Party start to accept that these challenges to their power are legitimate and need to be respected, and the authority of the state can pass between parties.

ANCHOR: So then why should we as Minnesotans care? Help us understand.

John Porten: I don't know that we have a specific reason other than the fact that we have a sizable Venezuelan community that includes a number of refugees from the Chavez and Maduro governments that live with us, but I think that what we want to be asking ourselves is whether the policy argument that we're seeing from our government is compelling to us, morally or empirically. Do we think that what our government seems to be after here – and I think there's a lot of confusion about what that is right now, and it will only solidify what we're attempting to accomplish over the course of several weeks – is that something that we think we want for ourselves and for the world? And then secondly, have we embarked upon a policy program that's likely to deliver those results? And I've been skeptical in the interview so far, and I would highlight that I'm not sure what the plan is, and that's where my concern – I don't want to stamp on the hopes of the people from the first part of the segment who are just excited that a criminal is gone from their political system. But now comes the major question of what's next, and that's, I think, the harder question to answer by some distance.

ANCHOR: For sure. Well, thank you so much, Professor Porton, for your time and your insights on this story. Really do appreciate it.

John Porten: Thank you for having me.

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ANCHOR: Coming up after the break, what you need to do to protect your livestock and other animals when we face dangerously cold temperatures this winter.

You are listening to North Star Stories…produced by AMPERS, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota.

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ANCHOR: While things are a little warmer at the moment, we've already seen dangerously cold temperatures this winter. When that happens, we need to protect more than just ourselves.
Britt Aamodt finds out how to protect outdoor animals when winter's at its worst.

Britt Aamodt: When cold weather hits, pet owners trot out the dog coats and booties and make sure the indoor-outdoor cats aren't out too long. But Minnesotans also take care of a wide variety of animals that live entirely outside—horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens—and they need special winter care too. Kathy Friedrich is the owner of Gateway Meadows in Dayton, where she uses equine-assisted therapy to help veterans dealing with trauma. Even on the coldest mornings, she gets up early to take care of her horses.

Kathy Friedrich: The good news is that horses start preparing themselves. As the weather changes, they really increase their coat. The hair comes in so thick, and as it starts getting colder, if they start shivering, we'll put coats on them.

Britt Aamodt: She's had horses for many years, but boarded them elsewhere. Only recently has she begun keeping the horses on her land.

Kathy Friedrich: And it's very different when you have full accountability to take care of the horses. And I've learned a ton. But it's really a fair amount of work to make sure that you're not keeping a coat on and having them get too hot and start sweating, and then they could be cold at night.

Britt Aamodt: Karen Johnson is an educator with the University of Minnesota Extension. She works with people like Kathy, as well as hobby farm owners up to large dairy beef operations, to help them prepare for the long cold months.

Karen Johnson: Step number one is really thinking about where your animals are going to live throughout winter. Do I have a place where they can get out of the wind? So that could be a shelter, barn, a wind break. If you can figure out a way to get them a really deep, clean, dry place where they can bed down and nestle down into, especially when it gets cold.

Britt Aamodt: Equally important is clean water and food.

Karen Johnson: Nutrition in general. We want to make sure that it has adequate body condition to be able to kind of weather winter, but also be able to maintain normal functions, right? And perhaps increasing that energy requirement that that animal needs ahead of winter could really be beneficial.

Britt Aamodt: She says outdoor animals are very hardy, if given the time to acclimate to the changing weather. But sometimes, for some animals, it just gets too cold.

Karen Johnson: So when the body gets stressed, we call that cold stress. The ones that get challenged the most tend to be your older animals, your younger animals, and the ones that may have been through a sickness. And in those cases, you need to spend more time with them, moving them inside an enclosed barn, really working with your nutritionist to maybe increase that energy available, and just getting them out of that cold weather.

Britt Aamodt: Another popular outdoor animal is the chicken. Having your own backyard flock can make a huge difference with egg shortages and increasing egg prices. Colleen Carlson, also an Extension educator, is a fifth-generation poultry keeper.

Colleen Carlson: And we have a long line of small flock backyard chickens, and my grandmother kept up to a thousand chickens in the 1930s and the 1940s. So I like to bring that knowledge forward.

Britt Aamodt: She helps new chicken owners get their coops ready for winter.

Colleen Carlson: Prepare that coop for warmth. If you've got an 8 X 10 chicken coop, I suggest using the deep litter method, which is six to 10 inches of wood shavings on the bottom of the coop. And that provides that excellent insulation. It's nice if your coop has a south- or east-facing exposure, so when you open that door, they don't get a blast of cold weather.

Britt Aamodt: Enough roosting space is also key

Colleen Carlson: So they have ample space that they can fluff up their feathers. Chickens are just like wild birds. They can poof up their feathers, and that creates warmth in their bodies.

Britt Aamodt: Like with larger animals, a change in diet can help them better regulate their body temperature.

Colleen Carlson: I would add some supplemental scratch grains, which is corn, oats, a mixture of different grains. Feed that to them about four o'clock in the afternoon. That fills up their gizzard so they generate heat in the night by grinding up that feed and digesting that food.

Britt Aamodt: And most importantly, if you want eggs in winter, make sure the chickens get enough light.

Colleen Carlson: There are some theories about to add supplemental light or to not add supplemental light. The purpose of the extended daylight is chickens typically will need 14 hours of daylight to enact their pituitary gland so that they release the egg. And a chicken will lay an egg, on average, every 26 hours. So chickens do keep very well in Minnesota, and they lay eggs year round.

Britt Aamodt: You can find out more about your outdoor animal care at extension.umn.edu This is Britt Aamodt for North Star Stories.

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ANCHOR: Well, joining us now to talk a little more about this topic is Colleen Carlson from the University of Minnesota Extension and a fifth generation poultry keeper. Colleen, welcome to North Star stories, and thank you so much for joining us.

Colleen Carlson: Well, thank you for having me.

ANCHOR: Yes, so you're a fifth generation poultry keeper, which is incredible. What winter Care lessons have been passed down in your family that still hold true today?

Colleen Carlson: So the most important thing about keeping chickens over winter, we start with the breed. We want, breeds that are standard breeds that are dual purpose. They do better in the winter. And then if you have some fancier breeds, like the Polish chicken, you want to take some extra steps to make sure that they're comfortable in the winter and probably up their housing, making sure that you have an insulated coop. Make sure that you can provide additional heat when the temperatures get below 32 degrees, and make sure that they have a good nutrition program moving into the winter.

ANCHOR: Talk to me a little bit about yourself. Why did you you're the fifth generation poultry keeper. Why continue, why continue this generational tradition, if you will?

Colleen Carlson: Well, so some of the things are, you know, the family tradition, but also the things that we've learned. And a couple of years ago, I did some work on one of our founders within the University of Minnesota Extension, Dr Cora Cook. In the 1930s and 40s, she did a lot of work with poultry. And prior to that time, a lot of people just kept chickens because they wanted eggs, and it was part of the diversification of a farm. You had sheep, chickens, beef animals and pigs, you had everything. Well, now we specialize. But the other thing that we've learned is that the breeds of chickens do better when we manage them better. And so she talked about a better nutrition program the housing that if we bring them in from the outside from time to time, and give them a formulated feed that includes all the components, the amino acids, the protein, the fiber, and also (for egg laying chickens) oyster shells. And we have increased the number of eggs that chickens can lay. In addition to that is better housing. We when I teach poultry, we talk about how many square foot a chicken needs in the run and in the coop, how much space do they need in the roosting area? And prior to that, I mean, they might be in the back of the barn. They're laying their eggs all over the farm, wherever they find their little hidey-hole, and so it makes it easier to find the eggs when they have a coop to go to in the winter. Specifically, they're able to come inside. They have a nesting box. Chickens do share nesting boxes, but making sure that you have one nesting box per five chickens, so there's not that competition.

ANCHOR: So then what's the most common mistake you see new or backyard chicken owners make during a Minnesota winter?

Colleen Carlson: Placement of their chicken coop and run. It's best to keep the chicken coop with a south or east facing exposure that gets the most sunlight, but also keeping the wind away from the coop and the run. So instead of putting the chicken coop out in the middle of the backyard, maybe think about how you can have a windbreak towards the north and protect some of those north northwest winds from bearing down on your chicken coop. And the other thing [is] keeping the chickens at a comfortable temperature. They don't spend their energy staying warm. They can spend their energy producing eggs.

ANCHOR: Well, Colleen, thank you for your time and your expertise.

Colleen Carlson: Well, thank you!

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Before we go, we want to tell you about some of the state's top attractions this month. The St. Paul Winter Carnival is coming up January 21st through February 1st. The World Snow Sculpting Championships will take place in Stillwater between January 13th and the 25th. The Sleigh and Cutter Festival in Waseca, in Southern Minnesota, is going on all month. And, don't miss Ice Box Days and Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run in International Falls, that's January 16th through the 25th.

That will do it for this week's edition of North Star Stories, produced by AMPERS with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. If you missed any part of today's newscast, you can find this show and past episodes at AMPERS dot org or wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks for listening and be sure to join us next week when we'll have more stories and voices from the North Star State.

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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.