Overview of Evening Wire: Homan Promises Change & Southwest Ends Open Seating | 1.29.26
This Daily Wire Evening Wire edition (host Georgia Howe) covers immigration enforcement changes in Minneapolis, political moves in Minnesota, legal and tech developments, local and national incidents, and major corporate policy shifts (notably Southwest ending open seating). The episode provides quick updates and context on each story and points listeners to DailyWire.com for full coverage.
Top stories (quick list)
- Former acting ICE chief Tom Homan sent to Minneapolis to overhaul ICE/Border Patrol operations amid anti-ICE protests and controversy.
- Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced a bid for Minnesota governor after the reported withdrawal of Gov. Tim Walz (transcript spells name as “Tim Wall”).
- Google won a court order to take down domains tied to Chinese firm IP Idea, disrupting a massive alleged residential-proxy/hacking network.
- Southwest Airlines ended its 53-year open seating policy (and earlier dropped its Bags Fly Free program).
- Miscellaneous incidents: Waymo AV struck a child in Santa Monica (NHTSA investigation), large power outages in Nashville after an ice storm, and a Virginia nurse fired over TikTok posts urging sabotage of ICE officers.
- Education Dept. put San Jose State University on notice over transgender/Title IX issues involving a male athlete on the women’s volleyball team.
- Ongoing immigration-related protests and legal actions involving detained migrants, including a 5-year-old boy.
Detailed summaries
Minneapolis: Tom Homan replaces local commander; promises changes
- Tom Homan (former acting ICE chief) was dispatched to Minneapolis Monday and went public Thursday.
- Purpose: overhaul the local operation to make it "safer, more efficient, by the book."
- Homan has reportedly opposed previous tactics led by Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who were accused of emphasizing quotas and show-of-force tactics.
- On the fatal shooting of Alex Preddy, Homan declined to comment until investigations conclude and warned that agents not meeting standards of conduct "will be dealt with."
Minnesota politics: Amy Klobuchar enters governor’s race
- Following the withdrawal (transcript: “Tim Wall”) from the governor’s race, Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced a run for Minnesota governor, calling for bipartisan support.
- Cook Political Report currently rates the race as “likely Democrat.”
- If elected, Klobuchar could appoint an interim replacement until a special election.
- Separate: Minnesota’s other Senate seat is open after Sen. Tina Smith’s retirement; NRSC is reportedly backing Michelle Tafoya in that contest.
Legal/Crime: Attempted jailbreak impersonation
- Minnesota native Mark Anderson allegedly tried to free accused murderer Luigi Mangione at a NYC jail by impersonating an FBI agent and presenting a fake judge-signed order.
- Anderson was found carrying weapons (a barbecue fork and a circular blade resembling a pizza cutter) and has been charged federally with impersonating an FBI agent.
Protests and migrant child case
- Protests outside an ICE facility in Texas followed viral images of a 5-year-old boy detained with his father; police used tear gas and made arrests.
- DHS said the child had been abandoned by his father during apprehension and that one officer stayed with the child; the child’s mother reportedly refused custody.
- A federal judge blocked the administration’s attempt to deport the boy and his father.
Google vs. IP Idea (Chinese-linked proxy network)
- A federal court allowed Google to take down domains owned by IP Idea, a Chinese company accused of using millions of consumer devices as residential proxies and marketing services to illicit actors.
- Evidence suggests these networks were used by hackers/smugglers; Google’s action aims to disrupt that capability.
Nashville ice storm: historic outage
- Winter storm Fern caused the largest outage in Nashville Electric Service history: ~109,000 customers remained without power at the time of reporting, with heavy storm damage and iced roads slowing restoration efforts.
Waymo autonomous vehicle incident
- A Waymo self-driving car struck a child in Santa Monica after the child ran out from behind a double-parked SUV. The AV slowed to 6 mph before impact; the child then walked to the sidewalk.
- NHTSA opened a probe to determine if the vehicle exercised appropriate caution given proximity to an elementary school during drop-off hours. Waymo said it will cooperate.
Nurse fired for TikTok calls to sabotage ICE
- A Virginia nurse posting as “Redhead Redemption” on TikTok encouraged medical sabotage and spiking ICE officers’ food; Virginia Commonwealth University Health investigated and terminated her employment.
San Jose State and Title IX notice
- The Department of Education gave San Jose State 10 days to comply or face enforcement action after investigation into transgender policies connected to a male player on the women’s volleyball team.
- Allegations include Title IX violations, unfairness, and retaliation against women who filed complaints; several teams had forfeited games rather than play the team.
TikTok transaction and VP involvement
- The episode reports that Vice President J. Vance (transcript: “Vance”) led negotiations to restructure TikTok into a U.S.-based entity majority-owned by American/allied investors, reducing ByteDance to minority ownership—a deal the administration touts as preserving the app while protecting U.S. security.
Southwest ends open seating
- Southwest Airlines will move to assigned seating categories (standard, preferred, extra legroom), aligning with competitors and aiming for an orderly boarding process. The airline has also ended its Bags Fly Free program.
Notable quotes
- Tom Homan: "I come here looking for solutions. I do not want to hear that everything that's been done here has been perfect. Nothing's ever perfect."
- Homan on misconduct: agents "will be dealt with" if not adhering to standards.
- Kristi Noem (earlier messaging, per transcript) labeled Alex Preddy a "domestic terrorist"—Homan declined to echo those claims pending investigation.
Key takeaways & implications
- The federal move to replace Minneapolis leadership signals a shift toward tighter oversight and a focus on procedural compliance rather than public shows of force.
- High-profile political jockeying in Minnesota could reshape state leadership and have downstream effects on Senate races.
- Tech and cybersecurity: Google’s domain takedown highlights growing legal tools to combat large-scale proxy/residential botnet abuses tied to foreign companies.
- Autonomous vehicle safety remains under scrutiny after Waymo incident—NHTSA oversight continues to expand.
- Higher education and Title IX enforcement are active flashpoints around transgender athletes and campus policy.
- Major consumer-facing policy shifts (Southwest seating, end of free bags) reflect airline industry realignment post-pandemic.
Where to read/watch more
- DailyWire.com for full articles and follow-ups on each story (episode directs listeners to the site for extended coverage).