Minnesota’s largest fraud case is being presented to the public in a very specific way — and it raises serious questions about modern journalism. In this episode of The Elliot Omanson Show, Elliot breaks down a recent CBS News article covering Minnesota’s biggest fraud scandal and explains how media narratives are shaped, what facts are emphasized, and what details are quietly buried further down the page. While headlines focus heavily on one individual, court records and prosecution data reveal a much broader story that directly contradicts the framing most readers see first. This episode examines how selective storytelling influences public perception, why key context is often omitted upfront, and how narrative-driven reporting distorts complex issues. The goal here isn’t to defend anyone — it’s to look at the facts, read past the headline, and question how stories are being told.

We’re proud to share Backseat Ballers, a series we’ve been working on that features unscripted conversations with business owners and entrepreneurs. These discussions highlight the real lives behind business ownership — including personal struggles, life experiences, and the ways entrepreneurs overcome adversity. There’s no market commentary in this podcast — just authentic insight into the purpose behind the series and the non-profit we partner with, The I AM Foundation. If you haven’t had a chance to watch yet, we think you’ll enjoy this behind-the-scenes perspective.

Trump floated the idea of acquiring Greenland — and most Americans instantly dismissed it as absurd. But that reaction reveals a much bigger issue: we don’t understand U.S. history, geopolitics, or how America became a global power. In this episode of The Elliot Omanson Show, Elliot breaks down America’s long history of territorial acquisitions — from Alaska and the Louisiana Purchase to the U.S. Virgin Islands — and explains why leverage, tariffs, and even military pressure have always been part of serious negotiations. Whether you agree or disagree, this conversation challenges the emotional, surface-level takes dominating the media narrative.

Don Lemon claims the moral high ground as a journalist — but his actions tell a very different story. In this episode of The Elliot Omanson Show, Elliot breaks down the irony of Don Lemon interrupting a church service to confront a pastor, while ICE agents in Minnesota quietly waited until a restaurant closed before making arrests. One group showed restraint. One didn’t. The comparison is impossible to ignore. This isn’t about politics — it’s about basic human decency, respect, and boundaries, and who actually practiced them.

The shooting death of Renee Good sparked national outrage — but Part 2 of this discussion focuses on something deeper: the double standards shaping the media narrative around ICE, law enforcement, and constitutional rights. In this episode, I break down why recording public officials is celebrated as “accountability” in some cases — and suddenly labeled unethical, racist, or invasive when it doesn’t fit the preferred narrative. If public recording is a First Amendment right, it should apply consistently, not selectively. I also address the backlash over officials defending due process, the rush to discredit investigations before facts are known, and why demands for “coordination” with agencies like ICE ignore years of political hostility, leaks, and bad-faith attacks. Accountability requires trust — and trust can’t exist when principles are applied based on convenience. This isn’t about defending or condemning anyone involved in the Renee Good case. It’s about consistency, accountability, and whether we actually mean what we say when we talk about rights.

U.S. equity markets finished the week modestly higher, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq holding near record levels. A notable development was continued rotation beneath the surface, as small-caps (Russell 2000) outperformed and cyclical and value-oriented sectors gained relative strength. Mega-cap technology remained supportive, aided by ongoing AI enthusiasm and developments showcased at CES 2026, but leadership is beginning to broaden beyond the largest names. The most important macro developments came from labor market data, which suggested a resilient but gradually cooling economy. Initial jobless claims for the week ending January 3 rose modestly to 208,000, remaining low by historical standards and indicating layoffs are still contained. December’s nonfarm payrolls showed job growth of approximately 50,000, below expectations, with prior months revised lower. The unemployment rate unexpectedly dipped to 4.4%, while average hourly earnings increased 0.3% month over month, keeping wage growth steady but not accelerating. Taken together, the data continues to support a “low-hire, low-fire” environment. The labor market remains stable, but softer hiring reduces pressure on the Federal Reserve to rush toward rate cuts. Bond markets reflected this balance. Treasury yields edged modestly higher, with the 10-year yield hovering around 4.2%. Markets continue to price in a higher-for-longer rate environment, with expectations centered on only one or two cuts later in 2026 and little anticipation of near-term action. This backdrop has been supportive for financials, while remaining a headwind for more rate-sensitive assets. Early corporate commentary and earnings previews suggested steady demand in select areas, though management teams remain cautious given uneven growth and lingering cost pressures. Commodity markets were relatively calm, with industrial metals holding steady alongside global growth expectations.

I’m conservative. I’ve voted for Donald Trump three times. I support law enforcement, ICE, and strong immigration enforcement. But what happened to Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother of three who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, raises a much bigger issue that both sides are missing. This video isn’t an attack on police, and it isn’t an emotional reaction. It’s a principled argument about individual rights, government power, and why the use of deadly force against a U.S. citizen should always be an absolute last resort when alternatives exist. I explain why I oppose the death penalty, police militarization, and policy choices that allow preventable situations to escalate into lethal outcomes. Supporting law enforcement does not mean defending every action, especially when procedural decisions create unnecessary risk to human life. If we want better outcomes, the focus should be on laws, rules of engagement, and operational standards that prevent these situations from happening in the first place, not on blindly choosing sides after the fact.

People who escaped socialism don’t debate it — they lived it. In this episode of The Elliot Omanson Show, Elliot sits down with Brahian Ramon, a pastor originally from the Dominican Republic, to discuss why immigrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and across Latin America overwhelmingly reject collectivism and support Donald Trump. Drawing on firsthand experiences and stories from friends and family who lived under socialist and authoritarian regimes, Brahian explains how Venezuela collapsed after government control of industry, why Cuba never recovered under collectivism, and how the Dominican Republic’s own history with dictatorship and socialism ultimately shaped its path toward democracy and free markets. The conversation explores why immigrants place such a high value on individual freedom, personal responsibility, and capitalism, and why many are baffled by Americans embracing ideas they risked everything to escape. Rather than abstract political theory, this discussion centers on real consequences — lost opportunity, inflation, forced dependence, and elite rulers thriving while everyday people suffer. This episode offers an unfiltered immigrant perspective on socialism, capitalism, and American politics that rarely appears in mainstream media.