ABC, CBS REFUSE to Cover Anti-ICE Mob Harassing Christians at Minneapolis Church

On Sunday, a violent anti-Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) mob stormed City Church — a church affiliate with the Southern Baptist Church (SBC) denomination — and disrupted Lord’s Day services out of a false assumption that the pastor there was an ICE agent and demand accountability for Renee Good’s January 7 death. Thus far, ABC and CBS have yet to say a word about this ugly scene on their flagship morning or evening newscasts.

Of the five tentpole newscasts that aired Sunday night and Monday morning, only one brought it up as NBC’s Today offered a footnote in the final 35 seconds of its segment on the Minneapolis unrest. Even in that brief nod, NBC couldn’t even mention the fact that the mob had teamed up with disgraced former CNN anchor Don Lemon.

ABC’s Good Morning America had other priorities on Monday when covering Minneapolis:

As opposed to highlighting this case of their side going too far, fill-in co-host Rebecca Jarvis and correspondent Matt Rivers emphasized the possible deployment of U.S. troops and FBI agents to the city.

Rivers leaned into wanting us to feel bad for illegal aliens and the Justice Department probes of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), and Good’s partner (click “expand”): 

RIVERS: After more than 10 days of protests throughout the city over the deadly shooting of 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good by officer Jonathan Ross, anger is growing between state and local officials and the federal government. As the Justice Department insists that Ross’s shooting of Good was justified and no further review of his actions is warranted.

DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE [on Fox News Sunday, 01/18/26]: We are not investigating, and if, if there comes a time when we need to, we will, but it’s not now. 

RIVERS: Sources telling ABC News the federal investigation is focused less on the shooter Ross and more on Good, her conduct, and possible ties to activist groups. Also facing scrutiny, the city and state’s top Democratic leaders, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz under investigation, sources say, for allegedly obstructing law enforcement activities in the state. Frey telling ABC News that he and Walz have done nothing wrong, but suspects they are being targeted for speaking out against the administration.

MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR JACOB FREY (D) [on ABC’s This Week, 01/18/26]: There are other countries where you get put away for the things that you say. There are other countries where you get investigated for saying something that runs counter to what the federal government states, but in this country, it’s not that way.

RIVERS: And new this morning, as the government cracks down in Minneapolis, attorneys for some of those detained tell us they’re being denied their constitutional right to legal counsel. Four separate attorneys telling ABC News ICE denied their request to meet their clients inside the federal building after they were arrested. One lawyer saying ICE told them, “if we let, you see your clients, we would have to let all the attorneys see their clients and imagine the chaos.” Attorney Robert Sicoli says he was denied access to his client as well.

    ROBERT SICOLI: It is a violation of the constitutional rights. You have a right to an attorney and just because they have a system set up that doesn’t accommodate that. There’s nothing in the Constitution that talks about accommodating the government.

    RIVERS: Now, DHS denied those claims, saying that all detainees received due process and access to counsel, but all four attorneys that we spoke to said that that denial is an outright lie, citing their own personal experiences as proof.

Sunday on ABC’s World News Tonight with Linsey Davis (which only primarily aired in the west due to the NFL playoff game), Rivers also emphasized the possible call-up of soldiers, “tensions mounting in the city,” and fretted “residents and business owners” — like a local bar he visited — “[are] feeling the impact of ICE operations.”

Monday’s CBS Mornings didn’t care either about a house of worship being derailed and that a fellow “journalist” helped egg them on.

Incredibly, CBS correspondent Ian Lee covered a far-right provocateur stirring the pot as well as a new group of protesters which seemingly have nothing to do with claims of law enforcement misconduct (aside from being a heavily liberal, unionized workforce):

Sunday’s CBS Weekend News didn’t mention the church storming either. Instead, anchor Jericka Duncan fretted ICE’s actions have “turn[ed] the Twin Cities into a tinderbox” and Lee hyping “tensions are intensifying” because of the administration.

The piece was a farce as it included a ride-along with an affluent, white, female liberal (AWFL, or AWFUL, if you add urban in there) organizing what they probably think is an Underground Railroad grocery store for illegals.

In essence, Lee’s segment served as further proof CBS News hasn’t really changed on a wholesale level:

A few minutes later, Duncan brought in correspondent Willie James Inman to further contribute to the pile on, painting ICE as strongly despised and the protesters supported (click “expand”):

INMAN: Americans are also growing increasingly critical of the actions of federal agents and protesters in cities like Minneapolis. Sixty-one percent of respondents believe ICE is being too tough when they detain people, up from 56 percent in November. The poll also found 82 percent of Republicans believe protesters against ICE have gone too far, while 48 percent of Democrats say they have not gone far enough. Today on Face the Nation, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blamed Minnesota leaders, including Mayor Jacob Frey for the violence.

HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM [on CBS’s Face the Nation, 01/18/26]: If you could set up a peaceful protest zone so that these individuals can exercise their First Amendment rights and do so peacefully, we would love that because then we can work together to make sure we are getting criminals to justice and letting people still express their First Amendment rights.

INMAN: Moments later, Frey rejected that idea, saying free speech should not be limited, adding ICE agents are not making the city safer.

FREY [on CBS’s Face the Nation, 01/18/26]: We are doing everything possible to keep the peace, notwithstanding this occupying force that has quite literally invaded our city.

Without a Sunday NBC Nightly News due to the Rams-Bears NFL playoff game, Monday’s Today was the first time the peacock network could comment on a major newscast:

Notice, however, that her piece included this snotty shot at the beginning:

Defense officials stressing to NBC News the readying of troops does not mean a deployment is definite. Still, people on the ground seeing that as a massive escalation and comes as we learned the Justice Department has opened investigations into multiple local officials. One person seemingly not under investigation? The ICE officer who fatally shot a woman here. 

Also, she did not verbally attach a party ID to Frey or Walz: “Meanwhile, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey under growing pressure with the Justice Department investigating whether he and Minneapolis Governor Tim Walz have been impeding immigration enforcement, according to a senior law enforcement official and a person familiar with the matter.”

To see the relevant transcripts from January 19, click here (for ABC), here (for CBS), and here (for NBC). To see the relevant transcript from January 18, click here (for CBS).