Good evening. This is a longer update because I’m walking through all the Minnesota news and the major national stories you may have missed over the weekend. And there was a lot.
First, I break down and debunk the Trump administration’s narrative surrounding the killing of Alex Pretti. Then I cover the growing push to impeach Kristi Noem and the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard. We also get into Trump officials openly encouraging the secession of a Canadian province, along with several other developments.
Meanwhile, TikTok has been down for nearly 24 hours, which makes it more important than ever to spread the word and follow my work here and on Apple Podcasts. You can find that by clicking here.
On a personal note, thank you for your support over the past several days. I know I’ve sent a lot of updates, but I’ve seen so many of your messages and words of encouragement. A special thank you to everyone who has subscribed to support this work. I truly could not do this without you. Subscribe today if you can:
It got to the point today that I was even trending on Threads because I challenged Trump’s so-called “official narrative” about Alex Pretti. And yes, I did challenge it. Because that narrative was, in simple terms, bullshit.
News from Minnesota:
The Trump Administration is beginning to throw Kristi Noem under the bus this evening. Multiple federal immigration enforcement sources, including senior officials, told Fox News that DHS has damaged its credibility and internal morale by publicly exaggerating claims that Alex Pretti intended a “massacre,” despite video evidence showing he never drew his weapon.
Those same sources told Fox there is no indication he meant to kill agents and believe the shooting will likely be deemed a “bad shoot” driven by split-second decisions in a chaotic moment. Several described DHS’s messaging as a disaster for crisis management that has worsened the situation, eroded trust, and cost the agency support, even as they continue to back the administration’s broader immigration agenda.
The narrative that Alex Pretti was trying to assault the ICE officers has completely fallen apart this afternoon. Watch this video showing, slowed down by the Washington Post, showing officers disarming Pretti before the shooting:
Sworn witness testimony and video evidence say Alex Pretti was unarmed and trying to help another person when federal agents shot him, directly contradicting Trump administration claims that he was a “gunman” threatening officers. This is from a physician on the scene:
The Trump administration’s justification of Alex Pretti’s killing—arguing he was dangerous because he legally carried a gun—sparked backlash from pro-gun conservatives and gun-rights groups, exposing a rift on the right over whether immigration enforcement is being used to erode Second Amendment protections.
President Trump told the Wall Street Journal that his administration is “reviewing everything” about the Minneapolis shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents — defended the agents’ presence, linked them to broader enforcement goals, and indicated that immigration enforcement officials could eventually be withdrawn from the area “at some point.”
Democrats are intensifying calls for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or be impeached after two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis, boosting impeachment co-sponsors to 120 and threatening to block DHS funding amid disputes over immigration enforcement practices.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon rejected U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s demand to access the state’s voter rolls, calling it unlawful coercion tied to the federal immigration crackdown and vowing to protect voters’ private data under state and federal law.
Yes it’s Phil Scott. But a Republican governor used the word “murder” to describe ICE’s murder of Americans:
Trump blamed Democratic leaders and “sanctuary cities” for the Minneapolis unrest and deaths, urged Democratic governors and mayors to cooperate with his deportation effort, and called on Congress to pass legislation ending sanctuary city policies.
The Minnesota National Guard has been deployed to Minneapolis, and is currently on the ground providing coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts to residents in an effort to assure them that the Guard is meant to protect them from the federal agents on the streets:
The NBA Players Association says it can no longer stay silent, and has issued the following statement as more NBA players speak out:
A moment of silence was held before today's New York Sirens vs. Minnesota Frost game. Afterwards you can hear people yell "fuck ICE."
More than 60 Minnesota business executives issued a joint statement via the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce urging state, local, and federal officials to work together to de-escalate tensions and find real solutions following the unrest and two fatal shootings by federal agents.
The Target Center crowd observed a moment of silence for Alex Pretti before the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA basketball game. They immediately begin chanting “F—k ICE!” after the moment of silence.
Other news:
A federal appeals court rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to expand charges against protesters at a Minnesota church, dealing a setback to the Trump administration’s aggressive prosecution strategy tied to its immigration crackdown.
According to Le Monde, the Trump administration and MAGA-linked figures are openly courting Alberta—Canada’s oil-rich conservative province—as a geopolitical pressure point, praising it as a “natural partner” for the U.S. while amplifying rhetoric around a nascent separatist movement seeking an independence referendum, a strategy seen as an effort to destabilize Canada rather than a realistic path to secession.
Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost said he was punched in a racially motivated attack at the Sundance Film Festival after an assailant invoked Trump and deportation, with police arresting the suspect and Democratic leaders condemning the violence.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will not pursue a free trade deal with China, pushing back on Trump’s tariff threats and saying recent moves only eased limited sector tariffs while complying with North American trade rules.
The Associated Press has confirmed that China has placed its top military leader, Central Military Commission vice chair Zhang Youxia, under investigation in the latest high-level purge aimed at rooting out corruption and reinforcing loyalty to President Xi Jinping, as scrutiny also widens to another senior general.
Trump said the U.S. used a classified pulsed-energy weapon he dubbed “the Discombobulator” to disable Venezuelan and foreign-supplied military equipment during the raid that captured Nicolás Maduro, claimed the operation shut down systems across Caracas, and warned that similar military strikes against drug cartels could expand beyond South America, including into Mexico.
A massive winter storm is battering much of the U.S., putting ~185 million people under alerts, leaving over 1 million without power, causing multiple suspected hypothermia deaths, triggering emergencies in 23 states, and canceling nearly 12,000 flights as dangerous snow/ice and extreme cold disrupt travel and infrastructure.
The U.K. government plans to create a centralized National Police Service—dubbed a “British FBI”—to handle counterterrorism and other complex national crimes, consolidating existing agencies and easing the burden on local police forces.
Israeli fire killed two Palestinians in northern Gaza and wounded others as sporadic violence continues despite a “ceasefire,” while U.S. envoys pressed Israel and Hamas to advance the next phase of a U.S.-backed peace plan.
Mikaela Shiffrin won the final pre-Olympic slalom to secure a record ninth World Cup slalom season title and extend her all-time records to 71 slalom wins and 108 overall victories ahead of the Milan Cortina Games.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
