Monday, January 26, 2026
Conservatives, liberals shift gun rights arguments after shooting
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/25/alex-pretti-gun-debate-second-amendment/
The killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has scrambled America’s gun debate, another reflection of the bitterness and polarization that have engulfed the dispute over the national crackdown on immigration by federal agents.
With Americans split between those supporting the Trump administration and those backing anti-ICE protesters, multiple conservatives — including those strongly supportive of gun rights in the past — have justified Pretti’s shooting on the grounds that his carrying of a holstered gun showed he had violent intentions.
Those positions are at odds with the usual stance of many gun rights supporters, who often defend the rights of Americans to carry firearms in almost all situations.
NRA Makes Rare Statement Against Trump Admin Over Alex Pretti Shooting
The National Rifle Association (NRA) criticized comments by a senior federal prosecutor warning that approaching law enforcement with a gun could justify a fatal police response, saying such statements risk "demonizing law‑abiding citizens" as the nation reels from the killing of a man in Minneapolis by a U.S. border agent.
The NRA was responding to remarks by Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, who said that "if you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you," adding, "Don’t do it." In a statement, the gun‑rights group called that view "dangerous and wrong," urging public officials to refrain from broad generalizations and to wait for the outcome of a full investigation into Alex Pretti’s death.
"Furthermore, we condemn the untoward comments of Bill Essayli. Federal agents are not ‘highly likely’ to be ‘legally justified’ in ‘shooting’ concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm. The Second Amendment protects Americans' right to bear arms while protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon.
Assisted-Suicide Chapter Amendments coming to a vote in Albany this week, by Wed
BS"D
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Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,
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The unjust killing of Alex Pretti marks a turning point in Trump’s second term
The unjust killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse in Minneapolis, marks a turning point in President Donald Trump’s second term. His mass deportation campaign has been a moral and political failure, leaving American citizens feeling outraged and unsafe.
The outrageous refusal by the feds to allow local authorities to properly secure the crime scene or gather evidence further inflames tensions with state and city police. The lack of accountability for federal officers has undermined the administration’s claims that this is about law and order. The local population clearly wants the roughly 3,000 immigration officers now deployed around the Twin Cities to leave.
It’s essential that federal immigration officers don’t think they can act with impunity, because that will only encourage more fatal encounters. An independent probe of this shooting is an important step. On Saturday night, a federal judge ordered DHS not to destroy evidence related to Pretti’s killing in response to a lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D).
Trump Says Administration Is ‘Reviewing Everything’ About Minneapolis Shooting
President Trump declined to say whether the federal officer who fatally shot a man in Minnesota this weekend had acted appropriately and said the administration was reviewing the incident.
In a five-minute telephone interview with The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Trump didn’t directly answer when asked twice whether the officer who shot Alex Pretti had done the right thing. Pressed further, the president said, “We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.” Administration officials have publicly defended the officer
Sunday, January 25, 2026
Federal agent secured gun from Minn. man before fatal shooting, videos show
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/01/25/minneapolis-shooting-video-gun/
Federal agents who were wrestling a man to the ground in Minneapolis early Saturday secured a handgun he was carrying moments before shooting him multiple times, according to a Washington Post analysis of videos that captured the incident from several angles.
As many as eight agents were attempting to detain Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, videos show. One emerged from the scrum holding Pretti’s gun, and less than a second later, the first of what appear to be 10 shots was fired. It is not clear from the video whether the other agents realized Pretti — who local authorities believe had a permit to carry the weapon — had been disarmed
US immigration officers kill man in Minnesota, apparently falsely saying he brandished a gun
Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said during a news conference that federal officers blocked his agency from the shooting scene, and when they returned with a signed judicial warrant, they were still blocked.
Anger in Israel at US special envoy Steve Witkoff
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421404
Israeli official claims: “Witkoff pushed to bring our major rival Turkey to the border. The clock is ticking backward toward a confrontation with Turkey."
AGUDACOLYPSE: Timing is not everything, but it is a statement about how unimportant Assisted Suicide in NY is on the Aguda Totem pole.
Rabbosai,
Minnesota officials at odds with DHS over account of man killed by federal agent as new videos emerge
https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/ice-minneapolis-shooting-01-24-26
• Deadly shooting: Video appears to show a federal officer had taken a gun away from a Minneapolis man prior to a Border Patrol agent fatally shooting him today. The man has been identified as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old who sources say worked as an ICU nurse. Police said he’s believed to have been a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.
• Clashing narratives: The Department of Homeland Security has said the agent killed Pretti in self-defense — a narrative Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called “nonsense” and “lies.” Minnesota authorities also sued the Trump administration, claiming its officials “took from the scene” of the shooting and prevented state officials from inspecting.
US immigration officers kill man in Minnesota, apparently falsely saying he brandished a gun
Video shows ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, was holding a phone, not a firearm, when officers accosted him and then shot him dead; local cops describe him as a lawful gun owner
State, federal officials offer starkly different accounts of Minneapolis shooting
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/01/24/federal-agents-minneapolis-shooting-investigation/
One of the officers pushes a person who appears to be a bystander or protester down onto the sidewalk. Pretti steps between them, and the officer pepper sprays him in the face.
Pretti begins to interact with the person who was pushed, but the exchange cannot be heard. An officer appears to try to pull him away, leading to the scuffle in which Pretti is fatally shot.
An unnamed witness to the shooting said in a sworn affidavit that they did not see Pretti with a gun.
Saturday, January 24, 2026
Trump rages at NYT survey, says ‘fake’ polling should be criminal offense?
https://thehill.com/homenews/5703471-trump-attacks-poll-voter-disapproval/?tbref=hp
This week, The New York Times and Siena University released a poll showing a majority of Americans disapprove of how President Trump is handling the economy, immigration, foreign policy and affordability. A full 51 percent say his policies have made life less affordable. Nearly half of voters — 49 percent — believe the country is worse off than a year ago.
But instead of addressing the substance of the concerns, Trump took to Truth Social to attack the poll itself.
Trump argues Republicans are fixing an economy damaged by President Biden. But Americans don’t live in talking points, they live in monthly bills. Inflation is up 2.7 percent year-over-year. The typical household is spending $184 more per month than last year, and $590 more each month than they did three years ago, according to Moody’s Analytics. Grocery prices haven’t meaningfully come down. Energy, medical care, coffee and ground beef all cost more.
Suing pollsters and attacking the press won’t lower grocery prices, won’t stabilize energy costs, and won’t make life more affordable. Governing will. And right now, voters are saying — clearly — they want less outrage and more results
Friday, January 23, 2026
Trump sparks anger over claim Nato troops avoided Afghanistan front line
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr444j671vo
Donald Trump has sparked fresh outrage in the UK after saying Nato troops stayed "a little off the front lines" during the war in Afghanistan.
Labour MP Emily Thornberry, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, called it an "absolute insult" to the 457 British service personnel killed in the conflict, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "How dare he question their sacrifice?"
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who served in Afghanistan, said it was "sad to see our nation's sacrifice, and that of our Nato partners, held so cheaply".
The US president told Fox News on Thursday that he was "not sure" the military alliance would be there for America "if we ever needed them".
"We've never needed them," he said, adding: "We have never really asked anything of them."
"They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan," he said, "and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines".
He said the US had "been very good to Europe and to many other countries", adding: "It has to be a two-way street."
What’s Going on With the Epstein Files? A Month After Deadline, the Vast Majority of Materials Remain Unreleased
https://time.com/7355932/epstein-files-release-doj-independent-monitor-house-investigation/
More than a month has passed since the deadline for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all its files related to the investigations into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And while the department has publicly shared thousands of documents since that date, those releases account for only a fraction of the materials it has in its possession—leaving the vast majority of the so-called “Epstein files” still unreleased.
In a letter to Comer, the Clintons’ lawyers said that the subpoenas they received “are invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a valid legislative purpose, unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers.” Their lawyers said that the couple has “already provided the limited information they possess about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the committee.”