The Don Lemon Show

Tonight, we’re diving into the Trump administration’s escalating attacks on the First Amendment, including efforts to chill journalism and punish reporters covering public protests, a troubling trend that goes far beyond partisan politics. Then we pivot to the ongoing ICE crisis, following the nationwide fallout from the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, which has sparked widespread protests and calls for accountability. Joining Don to break it all down is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, bringing sharp insight into both the constitutional crisis and the human cost of federal enforcement policies. Tune in for a conversation you won't want to miss! 🍋 This episode is sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Go to https://FFRF.US/NEW YEAR or text “DON” to Five Eleven Five Eleven. And help protect a country that belongs to all of us. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. Sign up and get 10% off at https://BetterHelp.com/donlemon This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://SHOPIFY.COM/lemon This episode is brought to you Lean. Let's get you started with 20% off and free rush shipping so you can add LEAN to you healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit https://TAKELEAN.com and enter LEMON for your discount. NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 888-675-4090, for details about credit costs and terms. Or AmericanFinancing.net/Lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don sits down with author, journalist, and Pivot podcast host Kara Swisher for a candid conversation about his recent arrest and what it signals for the future of free speech and freedom of the press in America. They dig into the growing pattern of intimidation toward journalists, the chilling effect these moments can have on reporting, and why a free press is essential, especially when power is being challenged. This isn’t just about one incident; it’s about what happens when journalism itself is put on trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, Don is joined by Joy Reid for a powerful, no-holds-barred conversation about the Trump administration’s escalating attacks on free speech and the targeted intimidation of Black journalists. This isn’t random. It’s strategic. And it’s dangerous. Then we dig into the latest bombshell revelations from the Epstein files, where the political implications just keep getting darker. And yes, we’ll also break down the very pointed political messaging that showed up on the Grammy Awards stage this weekend because culture is speaking, whether politicians like it or not. This episode is sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Go to https://FFRF.US/NEW YEAR or text “DON” to Five Eleven Five Eleven. And help protect a country that belongs to all of us. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. Sign up and get 10% off at https://BetterHelp.com/donlemon This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://SHOPIFY.COM/lemon This episode is brought to you Lean. Let's get you started with 20% off and free rush shipping so you can add LEAN to you healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit https://TAKELEAN.com and enter LEMON for your discount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don is on the move this morning, so Katie Phang is guest hosting to bring you all the breaking news of the day. We’re diving into Donald Trump’s attacks on TPS protections for Haitians, the raid in Fulton County, and of course, the latest bombshells from the Epstein files that just won’t stop coming. This episode is sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Go to https://FFRF.US/NEW YEAR or text “DON” to Five Eleven Five Eleven. And help protect a country that belongs to all of us. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. Sign up and get 10% off at https://BetterHelp.com/donlemon This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://SHOPIFY.COM/lemon This episode is brought to you Lean. Let's get you started with 20% off and free rush shipping so you can add LEAN to you healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit https://TAKELEAN.com and enter LEMON for your discount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don sits down with Brian Tyler Cohen to break down everything that happened and why it should worry everyone who cares about free speech and a free press. From targeting journalists for doing their jobs to chilling signals sent to newsrooms nationwide, this isn’t just about one incident. It’s about the dangerous precedent being set, who benefits from it, and what comes next if it goes unchecked. 🍋 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Epstein files have been released, and once again, Donald Trump’s name is everywhere. As documents surface, the question isn’t if Trump is connected, it’s how deep it goes. Yet, it seems like accountability isn't going to happen. Instead, the DOJ is more interested in arresting a journalist for doing his job. Looks like they arrested the wrong Don! This morning, Don is joined by Congressman Jason Crow and journalist  @TaraPalmeri  to break down the latest bombshells, the growing cover-up concerns, and whether accountability is finally unavoidable. 🍋 This episode is sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Go to https://FFRF.US/NEW YEAR or text “DON” to Five Eleven Five Eleven. And help protect a country that belongs to all of us. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. Sign up and get 10% off at https://BetterHelp.com/donlemon This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://SHOPIFY.COM/lemon This episode is brought to you Lean. Let's get you started with 20% off and free rush shipping so you can add LEAN to you healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit https://TAKELEAN.com and enter LEMON for your discount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don Lemon Speaks Out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

STATEMENT FROM ABBE LOWELL, ATTORNEY FOR DON LEMON Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards. Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done. The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work. Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case. This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight Don is joined by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to break down the chaos consuming the nation, from the escalating ICE crisis in Minneapolis, sparked by the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents and the outrage and protests that followed, to the broader political fallout Washington is facing. Join us live as Don and Jeffries unpack the pressing questions of the moment: how did we get here, who is truly to blame, and what comes next in a nation pushed to its breaking point. 🍋 This episode is sponsored by BiOptimizers. Go to https://bioptimizers.com/donlemon and use my exclusive code DON15 to get up to 35% off select Magnesium Breakthrough ritual bundles through January 31st. And don’t worry—you can still use my code DON15 for 15% off your purchase in the coming months. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://SHOPIFY.COM/lemon This episode is sponsored by Incogni. Go to https://incogni.com/donlemon and use code donlemon for 60% off. Incogni HELPS wipe yourself from the Internet — they can’t harm you if they can’t find you. Click the link below to claim your 60% off and get your personal data off the market! Erase yourself from the internet This episode is brought to you by Lean. Let's get you started with 20% off and free rush shipping so you can add LEAN to you healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit https://TAKELEAN.com and enter LEMON for your discount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This morning we’re taking a step back to look at where we are and how we got here, and it’s looking more and more like we’re living in a police state. From unchecked federal force to escalating enforcement, civil liberties are under strain and public trust is evaporating. The ICE crisis in Minneapolis has exploded into something far bigger than one city. After the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, protesters have taken to the streets in bitter cold, and the movement has spread beyond Minnesota as people across the country demand accountability and the removal of ICE from communities. This episode is sponsored by BiOptimizers. Go to https://bioptimizers.com/donlemon and use my exclusive code DON15 to get up to 35% off select Magnesium Breakthrough ritual bundles through January 31st. And don’t worry—you can still use my code DON15 for 15% off your purchase in the coming months. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://SHOPIFY.COM/lemon This episode is sponsored by Incogni. Go to https://incogni.com/donlemon and use code donlemon for 60% off. Incogni HELPS wipe yourself from the Internet — they can’t harm you if they can’t find you. Click the link below to claim your 60% off and get your personal data off the market! Erase yourself from the internet This episode is brought to you by Lean. Let's get you started with 20% off and free rush shipping so you can add LEAN to you healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit https://TAKELEAN.com and enter LEMON for your discount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices