Dear press, it's long past time to stop calling this an immigration crackdown. It's a Federal Government directed terror campaign.

#USPol #Minneapolis #Fascism #DHS #ICE #CBP #AlexPretti #ReneeNicoleGood #FederalTerrorism

"The Department of Homeland Security is now walking back a Saturday statement that described Pretti as having 'violently resisted' Customs and Border Protection agents and suggested he intended to 'massacre law enforcement.' A DHS spokesperson told NBC News that the initial account was based on chaotic and incomplete reports from CBP personnel on the scene."

~ Aaron Parnas

#AlexPretti #ReneeGood #Trump #StephenMiller #KristiNoem #murder #execution #lies #truth
/8

aaronparnas.substack.com/p/maj…

Major Update: White House Officials Throw Each Other Under the Bus as FBI Raids Georgia Election Office and DHS Walks Back Pretti Claims

The knives are out in the Trump Administration this afternoon.

^{Aaron Parnas (The Parnas Perspective)}

"It’s hard to know the truth when everyone is so biased [the grandmother says]. The college student near me, who spends most of his time in the events center — and, based on the evidence, a lot of his other time as well, chewing the skin off his fingers — tells me, 'People need to comply with the police.'

That’s it. The subject is changed."

#AlexPretti #ReneeGood #Trump #StephenMiller #KristiNoem #murder #execution #lies #truth #Iowa
/7

Liz Dye reports on what she experienced at Trump's rally yesterday in Clive, Iowa:

"When everything is always a lie, the truth eventually escapes. What does it do out there in the open?

When I gently bring up Minneapolis and what’s happening there to the people around me, the grandmother two chairs down frowns and says she doesn’t believe most of what the media reports."

#AlexPretti #ReneeGood #Trump #StephenMiller #KristiNoem #murder #execution #lies #truth #Iowa
/6

patreon.com/posts/reality-tv-i…

The big question: Why would a highly placed US general be tweeting it out repeatedly?

And who would so many armchair warriors immediately glom onto it to declare that it vindicates the Trump regime when it claims that Pretti's execution was caused by his pulling a gun?

The bigger question: how to build a sane society when many of us are so addicted to toxic lies that we refuse to see truth in front of our eyes?

#AlexPretti #ReneeGood #Trump #StephenMiller #KristiNoem #murder #execution
/5

As PolitiFact notes,

"A viral image of Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti was manipulated with Google’s artificial intelligence tool, Gemini.

Clues it’s not an authentic photo: One officer is missing his head, and the hands and fingers of Pretti and the agents are distorted."

With all the actual footage available for us to see, many of us knew, of course, immediately that this was a bogus image.

#AlexPretti #ReneeGood #Trump #StephenMiller #KristiNoem #murder #execution
/4

Stoehr notes that the doctored, false AI image was tweeted repeatedly by General Tony Thomas, once head of Special Operations Command. It then went viral on social media.

Yesterday, PolitiFact released a statement:

"We rate claims the image shared on X is a real photo of Pretti False."

#AlexPretti #ReneeGood #Trump #StephenMiller #KristiNoem #murder #execution
/3

politifact.com/factchecks/2026…

This is an AI-manipulated image of Alex Pretti

This isn’t a real photo of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti pinned down by federal immigration agents. The image has a digital watermark that shows it was generated using Google’s artificial intelligence tool, Gemini.

^@politifact

Stoehr features a doctored AI-produced image of Pretti immediately before Trump's masked thugs shot him repeatedly in the back. The image appears to show Pretti pulling his gun — though actual footage of what happened, from repeated angles, shows that this did not ever happen and his gun was taken away before he was murdered. He never touched the gun.

#AlexPretti #ReneeGood #Trump #StephenMiller #KristiNoem #murder #execution #AI
/2

"Renee Good was shot in the face. Alex Pretti was shot in the back. Their deaths were not accidental. They were not the result of poor or insufficient training. They were the result of intent.

Why are moderates worried about seeming extreme when the context is murder by the state? In that setting, there’s no such thing as an overreaction."

~ John Stoehr

#AlexPretti #ReneeGood #Trump #StephenMiller #KristiNoem #murder #execution
/1

editorialboard.com/moderate-de…

Moderate Democrats worry about overreacting. The real danger is underreacting

Murder by the state is the breaking point, says Jill Lawrence.

^{John Stoehr (Editorial Board)}

They have moved slowly, encumbered by a belief that a reversion to the old ways of #federal - #state cooperation might still be possible. The killings of #ReneeGood & #AlexPretti — & the federal response to those killings — ought to put this lingering nostalgia to rest. A return to the days of state-federal cooperation will not happen unless the #states reassert themselves to protect their citizens & punish federal #lawlessness.

#law #Trump #CivilRights #UseOfForce #ICE #CBP #Sturmabteilung

To be clear, a public-nuisance suit would face daunting odds. It might seem implausible on its face to say #ICE is a “nuisance,” especially before one accounts for the #ReneeGood & #AlexPretti killings. But #states need to reach for every possible tool to meet the moment. And the legal theory behind a public-nuisance ICE injunction stands on firmer ground than the #TenthAmendment suits filed in recent weeks by #Minnesota & #Illinois.

#law

#Minnesota, & other #BlueStates, should also enact new laws that make #federal #obstruction harder. The #AlexPretti case shows that #ICE officials were willing to ignore a #state-court #warrant. Perhaps anticipating that, Minnesota officials went to federal court on Saturday, potentially after the scene of Pretti’s #shooting had been compromised, & obtained a temporary restraining order about #evidence preservation. The legal basis for such orders, however, may be fragile.

#law

You don’t get much more official than executing a #judicial #warrant. Concealing #evidence after the fact is a separate offense that also fits what is publicly known about both the #ReneeGood & #AlexPretti cases. The resulting #criminal penalties would attach to anyone who conspired in that concealment. This could reach more senior figures in the #Trump admin who acted to hinder #justice by using #lies & #slander to deflect responsibility &—worse—to score political points from the deaths.

#law

When a #shooting victim then dies, penalties in #Minnesota for failing to aid the injured person can involve up to 2 yrs imprisonment.

In l #AlexPretti’s case, the #obstruction of key #evidence-gathering steps gives #state #prosecutors another potent opening, especially because #ICE agents acted in overt defiance of a #judicial #warrant. Minnesota has a #criminal #ObstructionOfJustice statute that applies to situations in which someone prevents officers from carrying out official duties.

#law

American citizens have been brutalized, pepper-sprayed, & killed on the streets of #Minneapolis. For many, one particular breakdown is a final, damning cause for despair: Minnesota’s apparent inability to investigate & potentially prosecute the #FederalAgents responsible. The #DHS on Saturday reportedly blocked #Minnesota officials from examining the scene of #AlexPretti’s #shooting. Access was refused even after #state officials got a #judicial search #warrant.

#law

"Worry more about being called biased than about being accurate. Do all of this, consistently, for years, and you will be surprised when the things people warned you about come to pass. The surprise is built into the methodology.

There’s a cost to this."

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #BothSides #media #journalists
/16

"Political journalism has developed a set of practices that make surprise the default response to predictable events. Treat every denial as meaningful. Frame every warning from advocacy groups as partisan overreach. Insist on a both-sides structure even when one side is lying."

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #BothSides #media #journalists
/15

"We are now one year into Donald Trump’s second term, and something strange is happening in political media. A lot of people who spent years insisting that the so-called 'alarmists' were being hysterical have started, tentatively, to admit that maybe they got it wrong. …

At a certain point, you have to ask what it would take to not be surprised."

~ Parker Molloy

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #BothSides #media #journalists
/14

readtpa.com/p/this-is-literall…

This is Literally the Job

Political journalists need to stop pretending they don't know what Republicans are going to do.

^{Parker Molloy (The Present Age)}

"Trump’s cowardly enablers are largely responsible for the abyss America has plunged into."

~ Paul Krugman

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #BothSides #media #journalists #Democrats #Republicans
/13

paulkrugman.substack.com/p/how…

How Canada Became an Enemy

It’s not about trade, it’s about ego

^{Paul Krugman}

"By focusing exclusively on congressional Democrats, we are letting Republicans off the hook. They are the ones with the power to actually stop the killings and the terror. The real question is whether they will use it."

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #BothSides #Democrats #Republicans
/12

"In my circles and group chats, the conversation immediately turned to Democrats. What can they do to stop Trump and protect the people of Minnesota, Maine, and whatever community Stephen Miller decides to terrorize next? Which Democrat will grab the nation’s attention and give voice to the anger and fear pulsing through the country?"

~ Dan Pfeiffer

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #BothSides #Democrats #Republicans
/11

messageboxnews.com/p/why-repub…

Stop Letting Republicans Off the Hook for the ICE Killings

The GOP has a choice: use their power to force change or own the chaos and the killings.

^{Dan Pfeiffer (The Message Box)}

"They were chastised by a mushy mainstream that prized decorum over diagnosis and tone over truth."

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #journalists #BothSides
/10

(continued from /8)

"not only by MAGA true believers, but by those in positions of power in media, politics, and business who congratulated themselves on being sober-minded and pragmatic. Too many who understood what was coming were labeled hysterical. Alarmist. Radical. Unserious. They were told to calm down. To respect norms that were already being shredded."

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #journalists #BothSides
/9

"When the history of this age is written, there will be no shortage of evidence about what went wrong. There will be no plausible claim of ignorance. ...

Looking more closely, those who look back will find something else that demands explanation. They will see that the people who most clearly recognized the danger were often dismissed and ignored —" (continued)

~ Elliot Kirschner

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #journalists #BothSides
/8

elliotkirschner.substack.com/p…

We Knew This Would Happen

But those warnings were ignored

^{Elliot Kirschner (Through the Fog, by Elliot Kirschner)}

"As journalists, we must remember that our responsibility is not to present both sides evenly; it is to make a determination about the facts that helps audiences understand a chaotic world."

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #journalists #BothSides
/7

"The administration’s gross misrepresentation of 'the facts' poses a particular test for newsrooms. If journalists uncritically repeat baseless claims about domestic terrorism in their coverage, they risk laundering, and spreading, the often ludicrous statements of MAGA officeholders. But the press is still squeamish about directly calling out the administration’s lies."

~ Jem Bartholomew

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #BothSides
/6

cjr.org/the_media_today/ice-te…

‘Terrorist! Terrorist! Terrorist!’

From Minneapolis to Gaza, how does the press responsibly report killings when officials act in obvious bad faith? By looking out the window. 

^{Columbia Journalism Review}

"I argued after the shooting of Renee Good that nothing makes people lose trust in news organizations as much as when they’ve seen something with their own eyes — and then see news coverage that doesn’t comport with what they themselves experienced.

And I think that will be even more true with the Pretti killing."

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #NewYorkTimes #journalists #BothSides
/5

"And then you could sense a countervailing tide, presumably directed by more senior leaders, of coverage mired in both-sidesism and weasel words, carefully measured so as to not 'take sides' even when one side was the truth and the other was lies."

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #NewYorkTimes #journalists #BothSides
/4

"It was particularly fascinating to watch the New York Times, where you could see bursts of bold, direct, honest coverage of what reporters had seen with their own eyes.

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #NewYorkTimes #journalists #BothSides
/3

"All you have to do is watch the videos to know that’s true. There is no good-faith debate about the facts. ...

If you were watching the news coverage in real time, like I was, you could see the lies working. Some news organizations simply resorted to stenography. Some contrasted the administration account with the videos, but left it at that."

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #journalists #BothSides
/2

"It’s been incredibly sad to see my beloved news industry struggle so publicly with whether and how to tell the truth about the wanton, brutal killing of Alex Pretti -- someone who did absolutely nothing wrong –- at the hands of the masked federal agents terrorizing his city."

~ Dan Froomkin

#AlexPretti #Trump #MaskedThugs #murder #execution #media #journalists #BothSides
/1

criticalread.substack.com/p/mo…

Moments of bravery and cowardice in the news coverage of Alex Pretti’s killing

Truth-telling is hard when your bosses are bootlickers

^{Dan Froomkin (Press Watch)}

"Trump got Second Amendment fans on the right riled up again with this comment today about Pretti: 'You can’t have guns. It’s a very unfortunate thing. You can’t have guns. Q - What about the Second Amendment? You can’t walk in with guns.'

I guess Democrats just found a new ally for gun control legislation."

~ Ron Filipkowski

#AlexPretti #Trump #execution #murder #guns #2ndAmendment
/14

meidasplus.com/p/today-in-poli…

Today in Politics, Bulletin 295. 1/27/26

… Trump said today that the killing of Renee Good was worse to him than the Alex Pretti killing because her parents were Trump supporters: “I’m not sure about his parents, but I know her parents were big Trump fans.

^{Ron Filipkowski (Meidas+)}

"Donald Trump has started a firestorm within the Republican Party today suggesting that Alex Pretti should not have carried a firearm, despite him being legally able to do so. Gun rights activists have now come out in droves to condemn the President over the remarks exposing a major internal rift."

~ Aaron Parnas

#AlexPretti #Trump #execution #murder #guns #2ndAmendment
/13

aaronparnas.substack.com/p/imp…

Important Update: Knives are Out as Kristi Noem Tries to Throw Stephen Miller Under the Bus and Trump Ignites Republican Rift

Good evening everyone.

^{Aaron Parnas (The Parnas Perspective)}

"As Trump left the White House earlier today, he made a stunning remark. After years of demagoguery around guns and the Second Amendment, Trump said, 'You can’t just walk into places or be in public and have a gun or a concealed carry.' Where are all those Second Amendment People now?"

~ Ben Meiselas

#AlexPretti #Trump #execution #murder #guns #2ndAmendment
/12

meidasplus.com/p/i-just-spoke-…

I Just Spoke with Gov. Walz about Trump's Attacks on Minnesota

Watch my exclusive interview now

^{Ben Meiselas (Meidas+)}

"And now, looking across the American landscape, those far-right white nationalists feel comfortable flipping their rhetoric because they recognize the Trump administration is doing their business for them. The government is their kind of extremist now."

#AlexPretti #Trump #execution #murder #guns
/11

"At first the series of rhetorical flip-flops may seem nonsensical — as if the world is upside down — but all of them are consistent with decades of evolution of white nationalist ideology and the far-right movement, which isn’t against tyranny per se, just tyranny by the 'wrong people': Democrats, women, or minorities."

~ Garrett Graff

#AlexPretti #Trump #execution #murder #guns
/10

doomsdayscenario.co/p/minneapo…

Minneapolis Proves the Far-Right Isn’t Anti-Tyranny

They’re Anti-the *Wrong* Kind of Tyranny

^{Garrett Graff (Doomsday Scenario)}

"Much more tragic are the ordinary-folks footsoldiers dutifully coming out to defend the ICE shooting. I can barely think of anything more beaten than spending the day typing variations on the theme of 'it is good that law enforcement officers in my country shoot civilians who are no threat'. What a bunch of bootlickers. They might be too far gone to see it, but much of the rest of the world can."

~ Marina Hyde

#AlexPretti #Trump #execution #murder #guns
/9

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Masked thugs, sneering elites and terrified citizens: a picture of the US today. We used to have a name for this

Truly, I am the country’s biggest fan. But in the spirit of free speech its leaders apparently love, here’s a few things the rest of the world needs them to know, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

^{Marina Hyde (The Guardian)}

"For MAGA, authoritarianism is clearly the highest value, and even earlier commitments to gun rights can fall by the wayside. Mixed in with the authoritarianism is tribalism. The right believes in gun rights, but only for the right sort of people."

~ Jeet Heer

#AlexPretti #Trump #KashPatel #KristiNoem #ScottBessent #execution #murder #guns #2ndAmendment #KyleRittenhouse
/8

thenation.com/article/politics…

MAGA Is Proving How Little It Actually Cares About Gun Rights | The Nation

The ability to kill dissidents at will is more important to Trump and his supporters than the Second Amendment.

^{smccroskey (The Nation)}

"The coordinated messages indicate that the administration believes that attacking Pretti’s gun carry is its best chance of justifying his killing to the public, but those talking points have already sparked backlash from some of Trump’s closest allies: gun-rights activists."

#AlexPretti #Trump #KashPatel #KristiNoem #ScottBessent #execution #murder #guns #2ndAmendment #KyleRittenhouse
/7

"In social media posts and interviews, officials including FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and even Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett have falsely argued that Pretti’s mere possession of a gun or an extra magazine was illegal or evidence of his nefarious intent."

~ Stephen Gutowski

#AlexPretti #Trump #KashPatel #KristiNoem #ScottBessent #execution #murder #guns #2ndAmendment #KyleRittenhouse
/6

ms.now/opinion/trump-alex-pret…

The Trump administration wants to have it both ways on gun rights

After immigration agents killed Alex Pretti Saturday, the Trump administration cast aspersions on common gun-carry practices and upset gun-rights groups.

^{Stephen Gutowski (MS NOW)}