This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 293

… I am going to do something different this time with the Bulletin since the murder of Alex Pretti and aftermath has justifiably dominated the news this weekend, making many of the other news I cover pretty insignificant by comparison. This entire Bulletin will cover all aspects and angles of this incident including every piece of info I could find about Alex, statements from elected officials, law enforcement and witnesses, as well as the legal and political fallout.

… Before we break down the details, first some general points that are very important. These are facts on video:

• Pretti was filming the police with his phone when they put their hands on him for the first time. He did not initiate contact with officers - they initiated it.

• At no time did Pretti ever touch, reach for, brandish or display the firearm he had holstered at his waist.

• A federal agent disarmed Pretti while he was on the ground before any shots were fired.

• After he was disarmed, he was initially shot 4 times and collapsed. 3 of those shots were in the back.

• After he was on the ground and not moving, agents fired 6 additional shots at him for a total of 10.

… AP: “Family members say the man killed by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Saturday was an intensive care nurse at a VA hospital who cared deeply about people and was upset by Trump’s immigration crackdown in his city. Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed getting in adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog who also recently died.”

… He worked for the US Dept of Veterans Affairs and had participated in protests following the killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer. Alex’s father Michael: “He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the US with ICE, as millions of other people are upset. He thought it was terrible, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.”

… "Pretti was a US citizen, born in Illinois. Like Good, court records showed he had no criminal record and his family said he had never had any interactions with law enforcement beyond a handful of traffic tickets. Michael Pretti: “We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically. And he said he knows that. He knew that.”

… Family members said Pretti owned a handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed handgun in MN. The family first learned of the shooting when they were called by an AP reporter. They watched the video and said the man killed appeared to be their son. They then tried reaching out to officials in MN. Michael: “I can’t get any information from anybody. The police, they said call Border Patrol, Border Patrol’s closed, the hospitals won’t answer any questions.”

… “Eventually, the parents called the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, who they said confirmed had a body matching the name and description of their son. As of Saturday evening, the family said they had still not heard from anyone at a federal law enforcement agency about their son’s death. After seeing videos of top Trump admin officials suggesting their son was a ‘domestic terrorist’ who attacked the officers who shot him, they issued a written statement describing themselves as both heartbroken and angry.”

… Pretti family: “The sickening lies told about our son by the admin are reprehensible and disgusting. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”

… “Alex Pretti grew up in Green Bay, WI, where he played football, baseball and ran track for Preble High School. He was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir. After graduation, he went to the Univ of MN, graduating in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, society and the environment. He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a registered nurse.”

… Dr. Aasma Shaukat: “One of my former research assistants was killed by ICE in Minneapolis today. Alex was the kindest, sweetest human and a ICU nurse with a bright future ahead of him. May his soul rest in peace and this senseless carnage stop.”

… Sue Gitar, who lived downstairs from Pretti: “He’s a wonderful person. He has a great heart.”

… A competitive bicycle racer, Pretti had also been deeply attached to his dog, who died about a year ago. Pretti’s mother said her son cared immensely about the direction the county was headed, especially the Trump admin’s rollback of environmental regulations. Susan Pretti: “He hated that people were just trashing the land. He was an outdoorsman. He took his dog everywhere he went. You know, he loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it.”

… Dr. Dmitri Drekonja: “Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. He became an ICU nurse - I loved working with him. He was a good, kind person who lived to help others and these fuckers executed him. Aside from our time working together while he was in nursing school, he later moved to ICU as a nurse to support critically ill veterans. He had such a great attitude. We’d chat between patients about trying to get in a mountain bike ride together. Will never happen now.”

We make the entire Weekend Bulletin available to free subscribers while about the first third of the daily Bulletins during the week are available to everyone. If you missed Friday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

I hope you don’t mind that I made this entire Bulletin about the Pretti murder. I am as furious about it as all of you and I just couldn’t bring myself to care that much about anything else going on this weekend. Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes to my work.

… NYT did a frame-by-frame analysis of the incident: “Leading up to this moment, one agent shoved two people away from a DHS vehicle and into the street. Pretti attempted to put himself between the DHS agent and the two civilians, and the agent pushed one of them to the ground. The video shows the same agent squirting pepper spray in the direction of Pretti’s face. (This agent will later fire shots at Pretti.)”

… “Pretti is holding his phone in one hand, and he holds his other hand up to protect against the spray. Several agents grab at Pretti, who is still holding his phone. Additional agents approach and attempt to pin Pretti to the ground. Pretti is surrounded by a group of 7 agents, some of whom have wrestled him to the ground. One of the agents, who wears a gray coat, begins to approach the fray and grabs at Pretti, while the other agents hold him down on his knees. At the same time, another agent strikes Pretti repeatedly with a pepper spray canister.”

… “The agent in the gray coat appears to pull a gun from near Pretti’s right hip. He then begins to move away from the skirmish with the recovered weapon. At the same time, another agent unholsters his firearm and points it at Pretti’s back. The agent in the gray coat removes the weapon from the scene. Then, while Pretti is on his knees and restrained, the agent standing directly above him appears to fire one shot at Pretti at close range. He immediately fires 3 additional shots.”

… “Several agents have moved away from Pretti, who has collapsed. Another agent - the same one who shoved the civilians into the street and pepper-sprayed Pretti - unholsters his gun and fires at Pretti. The first agent also fires additional shots. Together, they fire 6 more shots at Pretti while he lies motionless on the ground. At least 10 shots appear to have been fired within 5 seconds. By the moment of the 10th shot, the agent who had moved away with the recovered weapon has crossed the street.”

… A physician who lived nearby rushed outside to help. Her name was redacted from the affidavit she signed which was filed in court by the state: “I asked to assess the victim. At first the agents wouldn’t let me through. They repeatedly asked for my physician’s license which I didn’t have on me. None of the ICE agents were performing CPR and I could tell the victim was in critical condition. I insisted that the agents let me assess him. Finally, one agent let me assess him.”

… “Checking for a pulse and CPR are standard practices in these situations. Instead, the ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds. The victim had at least 3 bullet wounds to the back, a gunshot wound to his left chest, and another to his neck.”

… “I am not sure when I will return to my apartment. I do not feel safe in my city. In less than a month, ICE agents have killed two people for protesting. I worry that I or someone I love will be shot and killed for voice their displeasure and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

… Kristi Noem reprised her reprehensible lie-filled press conference after Renee Good’s murder by repeating the same talking points for Pretti: “This individual committed domestic terrorism. That is the facts. This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.”

… Noem: “These are not just agitators anymore. They are violent protests. Frankly, this didn’t turn violent until we uncovered the welfare fraud in Minneapolis.”

… DHS statement immediately after the incident: “An individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots.”

… “Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”

… That post from DHS received a fact-check community note: “The man can be seen holding a phone and approaching a woman who was shoved, when an officer throws him to the ground. At no point is the man seen approaching officers while holding a gun.”

… Trump posted this hours later: “The gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do! LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB!”

… Politico’s Kyle Cheney: “President Trump pardoned multiple people who carried guns to the Capitol on J6, including one who fired his gun into the air.”

… JD Vance: “When I visited Minnesota, what the ICE agents wanted more than anything was to work with local law enforcement so that situations on the ground didn’t get out of hand. The local leadership in MN has so far refused to answer those requests.”

… Gov. Tim Walz: “Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. Trump must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”

… Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey: “How many more residents, how many more Americans, need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end? How many more lives need to be lost before this admin realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values?”

… Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara: “People have had enough. This is the third shooting in less than 3 weeks. The MPD went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn’t shoot anyone. This is not sustainable.”

… Former Libertarian Party VP nominee Spike Cohen: “I’ve watched video of the shooting of Alex Pretti, from two angles. I saw no justification for this shooting. Based on what I saw, I believe the agents who killed him should be prosecuted. The Trump admin is claiming they were the victims. And far too many people will watch that video and decide whether they agree with the killing or not based on who is President.”

… Stephen Miller: “A would-be assassin tried to murder federal law enforcement and the official Democrat account sides with the terrorists.”

… Chuck Ross, investigative reporter for the right-wing Free Beacon: “If the deceased wanted to do a ‘massacre’ then you’d think he would have just start shooting agents. But that’s obviously not what happened, as the videos show. 5 agents have him on the ground when they first start shouting about him having a gun.”

… Vance retweeted this post from Stephen Miller: “An assassin tried to murder federal agents.”

… Vance also posted this: “This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis. It is the direct consequence of far left agitators, working with local authorities.”

… Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT): “Send in the National Guard.”

… Former World Champion UFC fighter, far-right commentator, and former Trump supporter Jake Shields: “How are 7 agents unable to contain one man? These men have no training on how to subdue someone. With 7 people it should be extremely easy.”

… Pete Hegseth posted: “Thank God for the patriots of ICE - we have your back 100%. You are SAVING the country. Shame on the leadership of Minnesota - and the lunatics in the street. ICE > MN.”

… But even Fox host Maria Bartiromo wasn’t defending it: “Another individual is dead at the hands of Border Patrol. We do not know if there was any push back from this individual. We do not have evidence that he was waiving a gun or doing anything to threaten BP. He had his phone and he was recording the incident. That’s what he was doing.”

… Right-wing podcaster Dave Smith: “I’m an immigration restrictionist. I believe that we have the right to remove any and all people who entered our country illegally. Also, ICE is out of fucking control. A bunch of pussies, drunk on power going around intentionally escalating violent interactions and intimidating US citizens. They create these tragic situations and after this gigantic show of force, they won’t deport a fraction of the illegals who entered under Biden. This is simply not worth it.”

… The International Assn of Chiefs of Police: “The IACP calls on the WH to use its convening authority, as soon as practicable, to bring together thoughtful federal, state and local law enforcement leaders for policy-level discussions aimed at identifying a constructive path forward. Leaders must ensure calm, lawful engagement and policies grounded in proven practice that strengthen accountability.”

… “The IACP reaffirms its commitment to the constitutional protections that safeguard individuals from unlawful or unreasonable searches and seizures, recognizing that public trust and effective policing depend on faithful adherence to these fundamental rights.”

… Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA): “The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”

… House Majority Leader Steve Scalise on CBS: Q - “Cassidy said the events in Minneapolis are not only incredibly disturbing, but the credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. He called for a joint federal and state investigation. Would you join his call? Scalise: I don’t question the credibility of ICE.”

… Sen. Thom Tillis (D-NC): “There must be a thorough and impartial investigation into yesterday’s Minneapolis shooting, which is the basic standard that law enforcement and the American people expect following any officer-involved shooting. For this specific incident, that requires cooperation and transparency between federal, state, and local law enforcement. Any admin official who rushes to judgment and tries to shut down an investigation before it begins are doing an incredible disservice to the nation and to Trump’s legacy.”

… Q - “You have been a supporter of the Second Amendment. Do you believe Americans have a right it to bear arms while they are protesting? Scalise: You are not allowed to carry a gun while you’re committing another crime. And interfering with law enforcement is a felony.”

… Kash Patel: “You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It’s that simple. You don’t have a right to break the law.”

… MN Gun Owner’s Caucus responded: “This is completely incorrect on Minnesota law. There is no prohibition on a permit holder carrying a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines at a protest or rally in Minnesota.”

… I reposted this 2018 tweet from Charlie Kirk: “The 2nd Amendment is not for hunting, it is not for self-protection. It is there to ensure that free people can defend themselves if god forbid government became tyrannical and turned against its citizens.”

… God forbid.

… CA First Asst. US Attorney Bill Essayli got destroyed for this post, and many of the people ripping him were Republican gun advocates: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don’t do it!”

… The NRA: “This sentiment from the First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of CA is dangerous and wrong. Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.”

… Gun Owners of America: “We condemn the untoward comments of US Attorney 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 govt must not infringe upon.”

… Rand Paul’s Chief Strategist Doug Stafford: “Excuse me but what the fuck border is in Minneapolis and when did it become illegal to carry a gun in America.”

… Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): “Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.”

… A new YouGov poll showed just 20% of Americans believed the shooting was justified.

… FBI Director Kash Patel was on Maria Bartiromo’s Fox show: Q - “There is outrage across the country that there is another killing. Someone is dead at the hands of Border Patrol. What can you tell us? Patel: You do not get to attack law enforcement officials in this country without any repercussions. We not messing around.”

… Bartiromo: “But how was he threatening Border Patrol? How was he using a gun to threaten? He was filming it. Patel: That’s something I’ll let DHS because they are investigating that case.”

… Yes, once again DHS is investigating itself to decide if DHS did anything wrong.

… Bartiromo: “People are protesting in the streets, pushing border patrol out. How will this end? Patel: This will end thanks to President Trump’s brilliant leadership to always back the blue.”

… Patel was asked to respond to a video of Walz telling people to film ICE agents: “I think that type of rhetoric is exactly what’s leading to violence - it should be examined thoroughly as to anyone who’s involved in inciting this type of violence.”

… Greg Bovino on CNN: Q - “It feels like we’re in the upside down where we have law enforcement and conservatives who are very pro-Second Amendment saying the problem was he had a gun legally. Bovino: No. The problem is he injected himself, he put himself where he did not need to be.”

… Q - “Where did he assault a federal officer? It looked to us from every angle that he was approached by them when he was helping another individual who was pushed down. Bovino: We don’t need a suspect’s help in an active law enforcement scene. Q - So when somebody is pushed down by law enforcement, you’re saying you just stand back and let law enforcement do what they’re doing? Bovino: Follow directions of law enforcement.”

… Q - “You said he wanted to ‘massacre law enforcement.’ What evidence do you have that he wanted to ‘massacre law enforcement’? It doesn’t look like that.
Bovino: I believe the fantastic training that our law enforcement partners have prevented any specific shootings of law enforcement. So good job by our law enforcement in taking him down before he was able to do that.”

… Bovino: “He was in the scene actively impeding and assaulting law enforcement. Host - But he wasn’t impeding. He was filming, which is a legal thing to do in the United States. Bovino: Let’s not freeze-frame adjudicate this now.”

… Host: “It feels as though you’re blaming the victim here. Bovino: The victims are the Border Patrol agents. I’m not blaming the Border Patrol agents. The victims are the Border Patrol agents.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy was on after Bovino: “This is really scary because what Bovino essentially told you is that if you just happen to be present when they are undertaking an operation, if you pull out your phone to record it, the use of force against you is justified. That is not true, it’s not what the law says.”

… Murphy on Bovino: “That was a bone-chilling interview. I was shaking while I was listening to it, in large part because it takes just an unbelievable amount of gall to lie to the American public. I mean, everybody saw that video. It should freak the American public out that the Trump admin lies this easily.”

… Deputy AG Todd Blanche was on NBC: Q - “Part of the outrage people are expressing is they feel like you’re asking them to believe something they don’t see. Is that was the admin is asking? Blanche: You shouldn’t try to gaslight the admin about what happened. That was not a peaceful protest.”

… Q - “It appears Pretti was shot 10 times. He was pummeled and sprayed with tear gas. Why shouldn’t every American be bothered by what they see in this video?
Blanche: Every American should be bothered. But they should be bothered that ICE is going to arrest a criminal and they have zero support from local law enforcement.”

… Q - “Video seems to show an officer removing a gun before Pretti was shot. Was he disarmed before those shots were fired? Blanche: I do not know and nobody else knows either, which is why we’re doing an investigation.”

… Q - “At any point did Pretti brandish a gun? Blanche: There’s obviously an investigation that’s ongoing. Q - But did he brandish a gun? Video shows he’s holding up a phone. Blanche: We don’t know what ICE saw.”

… Blanche: “He was not protesting peacefully. He was screaming in the face of ICE. He had a phone up right in ICE’s face. Is that protesting peacefully?”

… Noem on Fox: Q - “If he was disarmed, is it protocol to use deadly force? Noem: That’s all part of this investigation. They clearly feared for their lives.”

… Noem: “He came to that scene and impeded a law enforcement operation which is against federal law. It’s a felony. He became aggressive and resisted them throughout that process. That aggressive interaction, laying hands on law enforcement officers, clearly is a crime and it is something that should not be acceptable.”

… Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on ABC: “I’m sorry he is dead, but he did bring a semiautomatic weapon to what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. Host: There’s no evidence that he brandished the gun whatsoever. Bessent: But he brought a gun! Host: We do have a second amendment in this country.”

… I checked to see if VA Secretary Doug Collins posted a statement about one his nurses getting killed. The only thing he posted after the shooting was a penguin meme about taking over Greenland.

… MN AG Keith Ellison: “Tonight, on behalf of Minnesota law enforcement, I filed a lawsuit against DHS to prevent the destruction of evidence related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. DHS is not above the law, and Alex sure as hell is not beneath it.”

… Politico: “Attorneys for protesters who contend they were illegally arrested or retaliated against by ICE officers separately urged a federal appeals court late Sat to reinstate restrictions on ICE’s ability to target demonstrators with pepper spray or other munitions, arguing that a wave of further protest expected in response to Pretti’s death creates ‘an urgent need for intervention.’”

… US District Judge Kate Menendez, who is overseeing both the protesters’ lawsuit and one pitting local and state officials against the Trump admin, imposed restrictions on ICE’s tactics last week. However, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals quickly granted a Trump admin request to put her decision on hold - a move that led to a flurry of public celebration from top DOJ and DHS officials.”

… “On Friday, the chief federal judge in Minneapolis district court said the court’s docket had been inundated with ‘illegal detentions’ of many of ICE’s targets and scolded DOJ for a ‘frivolous’ attempt to ramp up arrests of anti-ICE demonstrators who disrupted a St. Paul church service last weekend.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): “Pam Bondi just sent a letter to Minnesota officials saying ICE will leave if the state turns over its voter database to Trump. Guess what? This has never been about safety or immigration. It’s a pretext for Trump to take over elections in swing states.”

… From Bondi’s letter to MN stating her conditions for ICE to leave: “Allow the Civil Rights Division of DOJ to access voter rolls to confirm that MN’s voter registration practices comply with federal law. Fulfilling this common sense request will better guarantee free and fair elections and boost confidence in the rule of law.”

… Murphy on CNN: “It has always been the fear and now I think closer to the reality that the Trump admin is creating this mayhem, particularly in cities in swing states, in order to take control of elections. They are trying to trade the presence of ICE and the murder and mayhem they are causing for control of Minnesota’s elections.”

… Steve Scalise was asked about it on CBS: Q - Voter registration logs? As a conservative, doesn’t that make you a little uncomfortable that the Trump admin is demanding MN turn over voter registration logs? Scalise: I know we’re trying in Congress to put laws on the books that make sure we will protect the integrity of the vote.”

… OK Gov. Kevin Stitt on CNN: “I think the death of Americans, what we’re seeing on TV, it’s causing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability. Americans don’t like what they’re seeing right now. Trump’s getting bad advice right now. The president needs to let the American people know - what is the solution? How do we bring this to conclusion? And I think only the president can answer that question, because it’s complicated. We have to enforce federal laws, but we need to know, what is the endgame? And I don’t think it’s to deport every single non-US citizen.”

… Meanwhile, people were lashing out at the 7 Democrats who just voted for the appropriation bill that grants additional funding to DHS for ICE and Border Patrol, while demanding that Senators who were likely going to vote for it this week stand down. One by one, they all read the room and said they will not vote for it.

… Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY), who was one of the 7 Dems to vote for more ICE funding: “Another US citizen has been killed at the hands of ICE and there must be accountability, which is why Noem must be impeached immediately. Under her leadership, ICE has targeted US citizens and children and killed Americans. She is not focused on safety or border security; she’s focused on chaos and self-promotion, undermining local law enforcement and stoking violence as a result. The American people deserve better.”

… Rep. Don Davis (D-NC), another one of the 7 House Dems: “Over the recent days, I have heard from people across the country expressing their desire for accountability and humanity. Our immigration laws can and must be enforced with respect for life and dignity. A thorough, independent investigation into this fatal shooting is essential to uncover the full facts and to ensure accountability can be determined.”

… Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman: “This ICE situation is a nightmare for the Senate. Cannot see a scenario in which Senate Dems can vote for this 6-bill package which includes DHS funding. Govt shuts down Friday. First Senate procedural vote likely not until Wed, giving them limited room to maneuver. House on recess. Any changes to the bill would require the House. Shutdown a real possibility at this point.”

… Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV): “Enough is enough. We need to rein in ICE’s out of control conduct. As a member of the Senate, I have the responsibility to hold the Trump Admin accountable when I see abuses of power - like we are seeing from ICE right now. That is why I’ll be voting against any govt funding package that contains the bill that funds this agency, until we have guardrails in place to curtail these abuses of power and ensure more accountability and transparency. I believe this is a time when we must fight back.”

… Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI): “I am voting against funding for DHS until and unless more controls are put in place to hold ICE accountable. These repeated incidents of violence across the country are unlawful, needlessly escalatory, and making all of us less safe.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): 1. ICE must leave Minneapolis. 2. Congress should not fund this version of ICE - that is seeking confirmation, chaos and dystopia.

… Sen. Adam Schiff on NBC: “I’m not giving ICE or Border Patrol another dime. Anyone who votes to give them more money to do this will share in the responsibility and see more Americans die in our cities as a result.”

… Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): “Trump and all your lieutenants who ordered this ICE surge: watch the horrific video of the killing today. The world is watching. Thousands of citizens stopped and harassed. Local police no longer able to do their work. Kids hiding. Schools closed. Get ICE out of Minnesota NOW. And Republicans in congress: Stop your silence and stop being complicit.”

… Stephen Miller responded to Klobuchar: “A domestic terrorist tried to assassinate federal law enforcement and this is your response? You and the state’s entire Democrat leadership team have been flaming the flames of insurrection for the singular purpose of stopping the deportation of illegals who invaded the country.”

… Klobuchar: “ICE and Border Patrol are violating the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, and the Fourth Amendment. I’m not voting for this funding.”

… ABC: “House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) is asking the leaders of ICE, CBP and USCIS to appear before Congress for an oversight hearing.”

… Punchbowl: “On House Dem Caucus call, Rep. Moskowitz said that House Dems should call on the removal or resignation of Noem. ‘The president for the good of the country has that opportunity. Should he embrace her we will have no other option but to begin impeachment not just what’s happening in Minnesota but FEMA and all the other issues in Homeland,’ Moskowitz told House Democrats.”

… Axios: “Rep. Robin Kelly’s office says her Articles of Impeachment against Noem are now up to 115 House Dem cosponsors - well over half the caucus - and they expect a surge in the coming days.”

… Politico’s Kyle Cheney: “Since July, I’ve tracked at least 2,300 cases in which federal judges have ruled ICE has illegally detained people without bond or due process.”

… Meanwhile, as the chaos was going on in Minnesota, Trump was hosting a private screening for Melania’s movie. Melania’s agent posted that the following were in attendance: Trump, Barron Trump, Mike Tyson, Erika Kirk, Brett Ratner, Tony Robbins, Queen Rania, Prince Bader, AMD CEO Lisa Su, General Electric CEO Larry Culp, NYSE CEO Lynn Martin, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, Designer Peter Arnell, Photographer Elllen Von Unwerth, Amazon MGM Studio head Mike Hopkins, and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

… Apple CEO Tim Cook was on the guest list but apparently chose not to attend. Maybe the shooting in MN had something to do with that.

… Melania posted: “MELANIA, the film. A Historic Moment. I am deeply humbled to have been surrounded by an inspiring room of friends, family, and cultural iconoclasts at the WH last night. Each of these individuals each brought their unique vision to the world, making a lasting impression. Our personal stories endure time and serve as a reminder of our mutual obligation to one another. It was an honor to present my new film, MELANIA, ahead of its global launch.”