Week 64 — The Return – The Weekly List

What happened to Greenland? What happened to the Epstein files? That’s the story within the story this week: how effective Trump has become in driving the media, and hence the narrative, until he is not.

What it took this week was another tragedy: federal immigration agents in Minneapolis murdered another U.S. citizen as part of their so-called immigration sweep or fraud sweep — the rationale for the occupation seems ever-changing. The murder came as half the country was facing a severe winter storm, and hence at home watching television, and on a weekend when Trump was at the White House for the launch of the documentary “Melania,” and, according to the NYT, also watching the news coverage obsessively. Immigration, once Trump’s strongest issue, has now become an albatross, of which he has many. Polling shows not only record low approval on his handling of immigration, but also growing support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement altogether, as Trump and his regime’s tactics have become increasingly lawless and cruel.

Notable this week is a continuing trend of our allies moving on without us, and expressing grave concern about Trump and his state of mind. Republicans have started to speak out, but only at the edges and meekly. Trump has intimidated corporate America from publicly opposing him and his agenda, filing a lawsuit against JP Morgan Chase and its chief executive, shortly after Jamie Dimon made comments at Davos in support of NATO. But by the end of the week, even corporate titans were speaking out against immigration tactics, and called for de-escalation.

The country feels as if it’s in non-stop chaos. Consumer confidence is plunging, and Americans are expressing broad disapproval of Trump and his handling of key issues. All the while, many of the broken norms this week illustrate changes to the fabric of our country, and decay at federal agencies meant to serve and protect us.

On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked the Justice Department from accessing devices seized from WAPO reporter Hannah Natanson, saying the extraordinary search “flouts the First Amendment and ignores federal statutory safeguards for journalists.”
On Wednesday, AP reported an internal ICE memo authorized federal agents to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance, which advocates claimed violated Fourth Amendment protections.
A Reuters analysis found that in six violent encounters with ICE, senior immigration officials invented narratives of what occurred, which were later contradicted by video or other evidence, raising questions about the credibility of senior officials and their willingness to investigate.
On Wednesday, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump did a complete reversal, backing down from his threat to take Greenland by force, and claiming he had “formed the framework of a future deal,” without providing any details.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a press conference that he did not know what was in the “framework” Trump mentioned. His comments make clear that Trump had sought an off ramp with the reference.
Politico reported Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico, a Trump ally, told European leaders that he was shocked after a conversation with Trump, expressing concern about the Trump’s “psychological state,” and using the term “dangerous” to describe how Trump came across.
Trump hosted a signing ceremony for his Board of Peace in Davos on Thursday, after being snubbed by European leaders and others. Just 20 countries of 50 invited accepted Trump’s invitation, including 11 of which were banned by the regime from obtaining immigrant visas.
On Thursday, Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO, Jamie Dimon, for closing accounts belonging to Trump and related entities in early 2021, shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection. The lawsuit came the day after Dimon said the world needed a stronger NATO at Davos.
Bloomberg reported that Wall Street leaders, including Europeans, largely stayed quiet on Trump and his policies at Davos, a form of self-censorship seen in authoritarian regimes to avoid having their companies or themselves targeted.
Also at Davos, Trump said in an interview with Fox News about NATO, “Will they be there, if we ever needed them? And that’s really the ultimate test,” adding, “I know that we would have been there…but will they be there?” The U.S. invoked Article 5 after 9/11, the only country to do so.
On Friday, Trump baselessly claimed about NATO on Truth Social, “We’ve never needed them,” adding, “You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did — they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharply criticized Trump’s comments, calling them “insulting and frankly appalling,” and called on him to apologize, saying, “If I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologize.”
On Thursday, WSJ reported that Trump was livid after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney resolved a trade dispute with China and delivered a strong speech at Davos. Trump posted on Truth Social that he had revoked Canada’s invitation to his Board of Peace.
Regime members also attacked Carney, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick accusing Carney of “an arrogant kind of thought,” and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying Carney “should say ‘thank you’ [to the U.S.], rather than giving this value-signaling speech.”
Bessent also put his support behind a separatist movement for Albertan independence from Canada, telling right-wing media the province is a “natural partner for the U.S.,” citing its “wealth of natural resources.” CBC reported Bessent’s comments made separatism less popular.
On Saturday, Trump threatened Canada with tariffs for striking a deal with China, posting on Truth Social, “If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”
Bloomberg reported far fewer Canadian skiers are coming to U.S. destinations this winter, with 78% of Canadian travel agencies reporting a decline in travel to U.S. resorts in states from Vermont to Montana to Maine, citing upset with Trump’s treatment of the country.
Bloomberg reported that some European investors are considering diversifying away from the U.S. due to Trump’s threats and insults. Given that European investors own $10.4 trillion in U.S. equities, bonds, and U.S. dollars, sales could weigh on markets.
On Thursday, former special counsel Jack Smith testified before Congress, saying their investigation found that Trump “caused Jan. 6, that it was foreseeable to him and that he sought to exploit the violence,” saying Trump was “looking for ways to stay in power.”
Smith added, “I have seen how the rule of law can erode. My fear is that we have seen the rule of law function in this country for so long that many of us have come to take it for granted.” The hearing broke little new ground, with Republicans using it to attack Smith’s credibility.
Trump baselessly posted on Truth Social that Smith was being “DECIMATED,” adding, “If he were a Republican, his license would be taken away from him, and far worse!” and “Hopefully the Attorney General is looking at what he’s done…in his cases against me.”
On Friday, in a letter to Trump appointee, federal judge Aileen Cannon, who presided over the classified documents case, AG Pam Bondi said Smith’s report is “an internal deliberative communication” that should never be released outside DOJ, adding it “belongs in the dustbin of history.”
An NYT/Siena poll found 32% of Americans say the country is better off than a year ago under Trump, 49% said the country is worse off, and 19% the same. Trump’s approval on issues went from a high of 50% on the Southern border to low of 22% on the Epstein files.
The poll also found that 61% of Americans said ICE tactics had gone too far, including 19% of Republicans. Overall, just 36% said they approved of the way ICE was handling its job, while 63% disapproved.
Trump posted on Truth Social that he was suing the NYT over the poll, posting the pollster “is always tremendously negative to me, especially just before the Election of 2024,” lying, “where I won in a Landslide.”
On Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was backing a possible challenger to a top Indiana state senator who had voted against redistricting, calling state Sen. Travis Holdman a “RINO,” and calling the potential challenger “a True America First Patriot.”
On Thursday, a federal judge questioned whether Trump is legally allowed to build his White House ballroom, asking DOJ lawyers to cite a law that gave him the power to do so. Historic preservationists asked the judge to halt the project until it undergoes reviews.
On Thursday, the Trump regime’s National Park Service removed a memorial in Philadelphia honoring people enslaved by George Washington, an exhibit that opened in 2010. The removal came after a Department of Interior order to remove “disparaging” materials.
On Friday, the city of Philadelphia sued the Trump regime’s NPS and Department of Interior, saying the exhibit was removed “without notice,” and that “Defendants violated the agreements with the City and have not provided any rationale for their abrupt change in course.”
NYT reported the Trump regime has removed other exhibits, including films about the grueling conditions at mills in the early 19th century in Lowell, Mass. because of Trump’s idealized version of the Gilded Age, and an explanation of climate change at a park in California.
Forbes reported TikTok users reported anti-Trump content was being hidden by the platform since the transfer of ownership to a group handpicked by Trump. Multiple users documented that searches for terms critical of Trump produced a “No results found” result.
NYT reported TikTok users said the platform was blocking them from posting video content about ICE, or limiting its reach. Some prominent users said their videos showed zero views. The company blamed technical problems, and claimed it had not changed the algorithm.
On Friday, Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming canceled her scheduled appearance at the Kennedy Center, the latest in a wave of cancellations since Trump renamed the center for himself.
On Tuesday, composer Philip Glass notified the Kennedy Center that he did not want his symphony performed there, saying, “Symphony №15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the symphony.”
On Friday, the Trump regime completed the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization. Experts say the exit will harm the global response to new outbreaks and the ability to develop new vaccines and medicines. WHO said the U.S. owes the agency $280 million.
NYT reported Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist picked by Health and Human Services Sec. Robert Kennedy to lead the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said polio, measles, and other vaccines should be optional, rejecting decades of science.
The measles outbreak in South Carolina reached 789 cases, the largest outbreak since measles was declared eradicated in 2000. At least 18 people had been hospitalized.
On Friday, Vice President JD Vance announced the Trump regime would expand the “Mexico City rule,” which bars recipients of U.S. foreign aid from promoting abortion, to also include a ban on DEI policies or “radical gender ideologies.”
On Friday, U.S. Southern Command posted a video on X of the military striking an alleged drug vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing two, and bringing the known death toll to 125 since September.
On Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission dismissed a 2023 lawsuit against Gemini Trust Co. that had accused the company of raising billions through an unregistered crypto program. Gemini was founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, big donors to Trump.
On Wednesday, an autopsy of Geraldo Lunas Campos released by El Paso County showed he died in a homicide. ICE claimed the father of four died by suicide, but witnesses said at least five guards held him down, while one put an arm around his neck until he was unconscious.
The Oregonian reported ICE detained a family outside a Portland hospital, as the parents sought emergency medical care for their 7 year-old daughter.
Newly unsealed court documents on the regime’s arrest of Tufts University PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk, during which her visa was revoked, revealed the regime detained her based solely on her op-ed that contained criticism of Israel.
On Thursday, NYT reported that residents of Minneapolis are living on high alert and fear, as ICE agents are everywhere around the city. Public schools went remote, and business at restaurants and grocery stores plummeted. Volunteers are bringing goods to those afraid to go out.
WSJ reported that some corporations based in Minneapolis, while remaining quiet, have changed operations to deal with ICE tactics. Retailer Target pulled Hispanic employees off “drive-up duty” after ICE arrested two of its Hispanic employees who were both U.S. citizens.
On Thursday, school officials at the Columbia Heights Public School District said a 5 year-old boy was used by ICE as “bait” to knock on the door of his home and ask to be let in, as ICE sought to detain his father.
On Thursday, a 2-year-old girl and her father were taken into custody by ICE on their way home from a grocery store, according to a Minneapolis council member, who posted, “A suspicious vehicle followed her father’s vehicle home, broke his window and kidnapped them.”
Later Thursday, Vance visited Minneapolis, lying, “Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?” The school district said, “When an adult known to the family offered to take the boy, ICE agents refused and instead led the boy to his front door.”
Reuters reported ICE has detained at least four children in Minneapolis, including the five year-old boy. The boy and his father, both in the country legally as asylum applicants according to their attorney, were whisked off to a family detention facility in Texas.
On Thursday, the DOJ said it had arrested three of the demonstrators who interrupted a church service in Week 63: Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney; Chauntyll Louisa Allen, a member of St. Paul’s school board; and William Kelly.
The White House posted an altered image of one of the protestors, Armstrong, a Black woman, showing her crying as she was arrested.
A magistrate judge in Minnesota refused to sign off on the DOJ’s attempt to charge Don Lemon, an independent journalist who followed the demonstrators into the church, with a misdemeanor complaint, an exceedingly rare occurrence.
On Friday, a federal judge and a magistrate judge separately denied the DOJ’s motion to detain the three protestors, saying the regime failed to “demonstrate that a detention hearing is warranted” or “appropriate.”
On Friday, William Vermie, 39, an Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, told ABC News he was detained by ICE while standing on a sidewalk observing ICE detain two people in his neighborhood, was kept in a cell for eight hours, and was not allowed to call an attorney.
On Friday, Tracee Mergen resigned from her job as a supervisor in the FBI’s Minneapolis field office, after bureau leadership pressured her to discontinue a civil rights inquiry into Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good, which would have been typical in such situations.
On Friday, hundreds of businesses in Minneapolis closed as part of a strike in protest of ICE. Tens of thousands of protesters shut down parts of Minneapolis and St. Paul in subzero temperatures, in the largest protest since federal agents arrived six weeks prior.
Thousands of protestors also marched in the frigid weather in New York City to protest ICE and the detention of a 5 year-old boy. Protestors also stopped at the offices of data collection company Palantir whose technology aides ICE and chanted, “Palantir out of New York.”
During the demonstrations, roughly 100 members of the clergy were arrested at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, while there protesting planes that were flying detained migrants out of the state.
On Saturday, Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37 year-old I.C.U nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital and a U.S. citizen, at a protest. Pretti had a firearm permit, no criminal record, and was carrying a gun.
Minnesota officials were unable to secure the crime scene. Federal agents blocked Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators from the scene, despite officials having a search warrant. Department of Homeland Security said it would lead the investigation.
WSJ reported in Minnesota and other places where ICE has had large deployments, police who once been supportive of federal agents are losing faith due to the agency’s tactics, which have strayed from the Trump regime’s stated focus on apprehending public-safety threats.
Border Control Commander Greg Bovino baselessly claimed at a brief news conference, “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” Asked by reporters if Pretti brandished a firearm, Bovino declined to answer.
DHS Sec. Kristi Noem also labelled Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” as she did with Renee Good, and baselessly claimed, “This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller posted on X that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to assassinate federal law enforcement.”
Trump posted on Truth Social, blaming Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey for “inciting Insurrection” to divert attention from a fraud scandal. Trump called ICE agents “patriots,” adding, “If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!”
Walz called on Trump to halt ICE operations, telling reporters, “Thank God we have video!” adding “it’s nonsense and it’s lies,” and added, “They killed a man, created chaos, pushed down protesters, threw gas indiscriminately and then we’re left to clean up.”
Videos contradicted the Trump regime’s account of the killing. Pretti is seen stepping between a woman and an agent who is pepper spraying her, then holds up a phone, not a gun. CBP agents restrained and punched him, before two agents shot him 10 times in five seconds.
On Saturday, Bondi sent a letter to Walz outlining conditions for federal agents to leave the city, including turning over records on Medicaid and SNAP programs, repealing sanctuary city policies, and allowing the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ to access the state’s voter rolls.
Democrats expressed alarm about the condition to turn over voter rolls, citing Trump’s own statement on upcoming elections. Bondi also blamed Democratic officials in Minnesota for the shooting, and called on Walz to “restore the rule of law.”
Later Saturday, five Twin Cities suburbs filed a legal brief, asking a federal judge to impose limits on how federal agents carried out their work. The filing was part of a state and city lawsuit challenging the legality of the ICE surge and federal agents’ tactics.
Later Saturday, in a court filing, in witness testimony, a doctor said they were initially turned down by agents, but eventually got to Pretti. They said after “I was sobbing and shaking uncontrollably,” but when they got home tear gas was in their apartment, “I do not feel safe in my city.”
Another witness said “the statement from DHS about what happened and it is wrong,” adding, “The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground.”
Pretti’s parents called out the regime’s “sickening lies,” saying he was “not holding a gun when attacked. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed.”
John Mitnick, who helped establish DHS, and served as general counsel for DHS during the first Trump regime, posted on X, “I am enraged and embarrassed by DHS’s lawlessness, fascism, and cruelty,” adding, “Impeach and remove Trump — now.”
Later Saturday, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy was the first Republican to speak out, posting on X, “The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation.” In Week 63, Trump had backed a primary challenger to Cassidy.
On Saturday, Minnesota officials said in a new lawsuit that DHS seized cell phones and mishandled evidence from the crime scene, and made “astonishing” law enforcement decisions.
Later Saturday, a federal judge, who was a Trump appointee, granted a restraining order against DHS, barring the department from “altering or destroying” evidence related to Pretti’s killing, after Minnesota officials filed a lawsuit.
Later Saturday, Maine Gov. Janet Mills requested a meeting with Trump to ask him to remove ICE agents, who started to arrive this week, from her state, citing the second fatal shooting.
On Saturday, Democrat Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost posted on X that he was punched in the face at the Sundance Film Festival, saying the attacker “told me that Trump was going to deport me before he punched me in the face,” and “was heard screaming racist remarks.”
On Sunday, WAPO reported an analysis of multiple videos found agents had secured Pretti’s handgun before shooting him multiple times. As many as eight agents attempted to detain him. One emerged with his gun.
WSJ reported an analysis of videos contradicted the Trump regime’s account of the shooting, finding immigration officers escalated the incident, and videos showed a federal officer pulled a handgun away from Pretti less than a second before an agent fired several rounds.
On Sunday, Bovino said the names of the agents involved in the shooting would not be made public to avoid “doxxing,” adding that “all agents that were involved in that scene are working, not in Minneapolis, but in other locations.”
On Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel faced backlash, after he told Fox News, “You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines, to any sort of protest that you want. It’s that simple.” Gun advocates called his statement “completely incorrect” and “dangerous and wrong.”
On Sunday, Walz called on Trump to withdraw ICE, saying, “Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Somebody’s going to write that children’s story about Minnesota, and there’s one person who can end this now,” adding, “Please show some decency, pull these folks out.”
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt told CNN that Trump is “getting bad advice” and that Americans “don’t like what they’re seeing right now” in Minnesota. Sen Lisa Murkowski called for a full investigation, saying, “ICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties.”
On Sunday, in a 450 word rant on Truth Social, in the midst of the national reckoning with Pretti’s killing and a dangerous storm, Trump complained that stopping the construction of his ballroom would be “devastating to the White House, our Country, and all concerned.”
Politico’s legal reporter tracked over 2,300 cases in which federal judges ruled ICE had illegally detained people without bond or due process. Judges in Minnesota worked Sunday, ordering releases, including a Kenyan woman picked up while picking up medication at CVS.
On Sunday, the mayor of St. Paul blasted ICE for arresting ChongLy Thao, pulling him from his home in handcuffs while wearing only his underwear and Crocs, after it was reported that ICE had arrested the wrong man, and the actual suspect had been in prison for a year.
On Sunday, former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle said in a statement that the shooting was a “heartbreaking tragedy” and a “wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.”
On Sunday, the WSJ Editorial Board called on Trump to pause ICE operations in Minneapolis, saying Pretti’s shooting, “as he lay on the ground surrounded by ICE agents, is the worst incident to date in what is becoming a moral and political debacle for the Trump Presidency.”
On Sunday, Trump blamed Democrats, posting on Truth Social, “Democrat run Sanctuary Cities and States are REFUSING to cooperate with ICE,” and “encouraging Leftwing Agitators” to obstruct, and “putting Illegal Alien Criminals over Taxpaying, Law-Abiding Citizens.”
On Sunday, in a rare instance of corporations speaking out against Trump’s agenda, CEOs of 60 Minnesota-based companies urged for an “immediate deescalation” of tensions in Minnesota, and called for “state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.”
Coverage on Fox News, with few exceptions, followed the Trump regime’s version of events, rather than what was visible in videos, blaming Democrats, baselessly claiming protestors were paid agitators, and making false statements about Pretti’s actions as an aggressor.
Later Sunday, in an interview with the WSJ, Trump declined twice to answer whether the officers who shot Pretti had done the right thing. Pressed further, he said, “We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.”
On Monday, Trump again attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar, posting on Truth Social “the DOJ and Congress are looking at ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan Omar,” claiming she left Somalia “with NOTHING,” and is now worth $44 million. Omar said Trump was “deflecting.”
On Monday, Republican Chris Madel said he would end his bid for governor of Minnesota, citing the ICE crackdown, and saying he can’t support the GOP’s “stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.”
On Monday, Trump announced that his so-called border czar, Tom Homan, would serve as ICE director in Minnesota and report directly to him. Greg Bovino was removed from his post in Minnesota, and later in the day had his access to official social media accounts revoked.
The White House sought to distance Trump from the initial responses from regime officials. WH press secretary Karoline Leavitt called it a “very fluid and fast-moving situation,” and said that Trump “wants to let the investigation continue and let the facts lead in this case.”
Leavitt continued to blame Democrats, saying, “This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders,” while Trump changed his tone, saying he had spoken to Walz and later Frey, and claimed they had good conversations.
On Monday, a federal judge ordered the Trump regime to reply by Wednesday to Minnesota’s argument that “Operation Metro Surge” was created to “punish” the state for its sanctuary laws.
On Monday, the regime acknowledged in court that their investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, part of DHS, was limited to “use of force” and whether federal employees had violated training standards, not a criminal inquiry. Notably, the FBI was not investigating.
On Monday, FBI Director Patel said the bureau would investigate claims by a far-right personality about Signal chats used by Pretti and other protestors. Patel baselessly claimed on another far-right show, “This is clearly a coordinated infrastructure.”
On Monday, the regime filed a motion opposing a judge’s order preventing them from destroying evidence.
On Monday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump regime from deporting a 5-year-old boy and his father, who were arrested in Minneapolis, while they challenge their detention. A teacher at his school said, “Children ask, ‘Can they take us?’”
Later Monday, NYT reported that Noem and her top aide Corey Lewandowski met with Trump for nearly two hours, amid the backlash. Notably, Miller, who oversees immigration, and had pushed for a continued hard line, was not present at the meeting.
NYT reported that more than 100 refugees from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East have been arrested by ICE in Minnesota and sent to a detention center in Texas, even after, in some cases, showing paperwork saying they were in the U.S. legally.
The arrests came as Trump said earlier in the month that his regime would re-examine refugee cases through new background checks, even though all had already been thoroughly vetted. Some refugees were released in Texas, and forced to find their way back to Minnesota.
Among those arrested was Selamawit Mehari, an Eritrean single mother of three who worked at the airport. Even as her 13-year-old son wailed and her older daughter showed paperwork proving her mother was in the U.S. lawfully, ICE put her in shackles and took her away.
On Tuesday, the chief judge in Minnesota ordered acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to appear Friday in court and explain “why he should not be held in contempt of Court,” noting the request was “extraordinary,” but “the extent of ICE’s violation” of court orders was also “extraordinary.”
On Tuesday, ICE tried to enter Ecuador’s consulate in Minneapolis, but were blocked by staffers. The Foreign Ministry sent a “note of protest” to the U.S. Embassy in Quito. Under international law, diplomatic compounds are regarded as sovereign territory of that nation.
On Tuesday, the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, of which Pretti was a member, called on Noem and Miller to resign, saying their actions, “both before and after Alex’s killing, make clear they are unfit to serve.”
On Tuesday, Trump blamed Pretti for getting murdered, saying, “You can’t walk in with guns. You just can’t.” The president of the National Rifle Association criticized Trump’s statement, saying his comments were “clearly mistaken” and “wrong.”
On Tuesday, at a rally in Des Moines, Trump claimed that immigrants might “blow up our shopping centers, blow up our farms, kill people,” and baselessly claimed his regime was arresting “hardened, vicious, horrible criminals,” when very few of those arrested were criminals.
Trump claimed he was focused on “affordability,” which he claimed was a fake issue invented by the Democrats. Trump repeated his litany of false claims, including that the price of food had gone down.
Trump was heckled throughout the rally. One woman inside screamed, “Release the files.” Outside the event, Trump and his motorcade was greeted by blocks of protestors blowing whistles, beating drums, and chanting “ICE out now!” Trump called them “lunatics.”
Speaking to The Will Cain Show after his rally, Trump said he feels “terribly” about Pretti, but that he feels “even worse” about Renee Good’s death because her parents were “tremendous Trump fans.”
On Tuesday, an initial DHS review of the shooting found that Pretti was shot by two agents, but made no mention of him brandishing a gun, contradicting Noem, the leader of the agency.
On Tuesday, Miller claimed on X that his comment that Pretti “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement” was based on CBP reports, and claimed “the White House provided clear guidance to DHS” and “the CBP team may not have been following that protocol.”
On Tuesday, Rep. Omar, a frequent target of Trump, was attacked as she was speaking during a monthly town hall. A man seated near the front suddenly jumped up and ran toward her, using a syringe to spray her shirt with a liquid that smelled like vinegar.
Hours before the attack, Trump had criticized Omar at his rally in Iowa, saying for people to come into our country, “They have to show that they love our country, not like Ilhan Omar,” and mocked her citing the Constitution, while the crowd booed her.
Later, asked about the attack, Trump told ABC News, “I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that,” then baselessly claimed, “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
On Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Frey was “PLAYING WITH FIRE,” after Frey said he told Homan that the city “does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws” and will focus on keeping residents safe.
On Tuesday, The Portland Press Herald reported volunteer ICE watchers in Portland, Maine say ICE agents, some masked and wearing tactical gear, have showed up at their homes to intimidate them or threaten them with arrest, and issued stark warnings not to follow them.
On Tuesday, Maher Tarabishi, who had permission for decades to live in the U.S. to care for his 30-year-old son Wael, who had a rare genetic condition, asked to be released to attend his son’s funeral. Wael died alone while his father was detained by ICE.
On Sunday, the Trump regime deported nearly 40 Iranians from the U.S. to Iran, the third deportation flight since September, and first since the Iran government’s brutal crackdown. Human rights groups said the deportations amounted to death sentences.
NYT reported social media accounts for the White House, DHS, and the Department of Labor have referenced neo-Nazi literature, ethnic cleansing, and QAnon conspiracies, as well as referencing lyrics from an anthem used by far-right extremists the Proud Boys, in their posts.
On Sunday, Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez told a group of oil workers that she has had “Enough already of Washington’s orders,” adding, “Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and our internal conflicts.”
On Tuesday, Italian officials protested ICE agents accompanying Vance and Marco Rubio as part of their security detail at the Winter Olympics. ICE being part of such details had previously been routine.
On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would hike tariffs on South Korea from 15% to 25%, with no time frame given, saying the country was not living up to their side of the trade deal fast enough. South Korean officials said they had not been contacted.
An analysis by Bloomberg found that Trump had followed through with just one in four of his tariff threats. About 43% of his threats were withdrawn, or have not been imposed yet.
On Tuesday, the EU and India concluded a trade deal that was two decades in the making, that had gained momentum due to Trump’s aggressive tariff policies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X, “We have concluded the mother of all deals.”
On Tuesday, the U.S. dollar had its worst one-day rout since April 2025, touching its lowest level since 2022. Asked about the weaker dollar, Trump said, “I think it’s great.”
On Tuesday, the Conference Board reading for U.S. consumer confidence plummeted to 84.5, from an upwardly revised 94.2 in December, the lowest level since 2014.
NYT reported that builders say work on the Gateway project, a rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey, will come to a halt on Feb. 6 unless the Trump regime unfreezes $12 million of federal funding, that has been withheld since the October government shutdown.
The regime’s Department of Transportation claimed funding would remain suspended until contracts could be reviewed for “compliance with new rules about businesses owned by women and minorities.” Trump put blame on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
NYT reported that Andrea Lucas, the new EEOC Chair, has refocused the agency on so-called discrimination against white men. Lucas has solicited complaints from white men, while dismissing complaints by marginalized communities meant to be protected by the agency.
Census data revealed U.S. population growth dramatically slowed during Trump’s first year, as birthrates continued to decline following a two decade trend, but also amid a plunge in immigration, with both an increase in deportations and far fewer people seeking to enter the U.S.

A makeshift vigil for Alex Pretti is seen in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 27, 2026. Alex Pretti, 37 years old, is shot and killed by federal officers on January 24 in South Minneapolis while officers conduct operations in the area. (Photo by Steven Garcia/NurPhoto via AP)