The Execution of an American Citizen. Again.

On a frigid Saturday morning in Minneapolis, 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents – on a street less than two miles from where he lived.

Pretti – who grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin – was an ICU nurse at the local VA, where he cared for veterans.

Pretti's parents say the last time they spoke to their son, he told them about having his garage door repaired by a Latino man. Painfully aware of how his neighbors were being treated in his new hometown since federal agents arrived weeks ago, Pretti gave the man a $100 tip.

"He loved this country," his mother Susan said. "But he hated what people were doing to it."

His parents warned him to be careful at protests. "Go ahead and protest," his father Michael told him, "but do not engage, do not do anything stupid."

Alex agreed.

“Alex was the sweetest, kindest, gentlest soul you ever met... He wanted to serve the veterans, just had a high sense of duty and thought they were a vulnerable group in the country who needed our help." – Aasma Shaukat, former colleague and boss

"Pretti had another physical encounter with immigration officers recently, according to a colleague, Joshua Green, who recalled him coming to work with a bandage on his eye. Pretti said he got a small cut after being struck by an immigration agent, Green recalled." [Washington Post, 1/25/26]

What the Video Shows

First, the facts:

The government claims agents were conducting a "targeted operation" in Minneapolis against Jose Huerta-Chuma, an undocumented immigrant wanted for domestic assault, whom DHS says they arrested Saturday. They claim Pretti interfered in that operation.

Eyewitness footage—verified by The New York Times🎁, The Associated Press, The Washington Post 🎁, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune – shows the following sequence:

Pretti stands in the street recording federal agents with his phone while directing traffic around himself.

Nearby, two women are talking to an agent. The agent pushes one of them. Pretti approaches to help, guiding the woman away.

The agent pushes the second woman, who falls. Pretti positions his body between the women and the agent, who then sprays all three with a chemical irritant. Pretti holds a phone in one hand while shielding himself from the spray.

Within seconds, multiple agents tackle Pretti. Video shows him curl into a ball as agents beat him. One agent reaches in, takes what appears to be a gun from Pretti's waistband, and runs off with it. As that agent moves away, a shot is fired. It's unclear who fired the first shot—but the first shot comes after Pretti is disarmed.

Surrounded by agents, more shots are fired into Pretti's body. According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, Pretti was shot multiple times, possibly by more than one agent. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A pediatrician who arrived on the scene told the Star Tribune that "Pretti had three bullet wounds in his back, another wound on his upper left chest and a possible wound to his neck."

According to local police, Pretti had a legal permit for the firearm pulled from his body before he was shot. Minnesota is an open-carry state. It's unclear whether Pretti informed officers he was armed before they killed him.

But, none of that matters. The gun wasn't in his hands when they killed him. Pretti never drew it. The only thing in his hands was his phone.

What the Government Claims

At 12:31 pm, DHS issued this statement: "At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, 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… 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."

The claim that Pretti "approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun" is demonstrably false. Numerous eyewitness videos from multiple angles show he was not holding a gun, never reached for it, and never approached officers aggressively.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—who repeatedly and falsely claimed Pretti "brandished" a gun—doubled down: "I don't know of any peaceful protester that shows up with a gun and ammunition rather than a sign."

Hours after the shooting, before any investigation had begun, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called Pretti a "would-be assassin" who "tried to murder" federal agents.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth implied his loyalty is to his comrades in government, not the people of Minnesota.

The Pattern

Presented with evidence of their lies, the government doubles down and lies more.

We saw this same playbook with Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three that ICE agents shot and killed in her car on January 7. The administration claimed she tried to run over an agent. Trump said the agent nearly died and was recovering in the hospital. The video shows she did no such thing—she was turning away from the agent when he fired.

Now, the government claims that because Pretti had a gun and ammunition, he was planning a "massacre."

This is the same party willing to sacrifice dozens of schoolchildren to mass shootings to protect the Second Amendment.

The same party that labeled Kyle Rittenhouse—who, in 2020, shot three protesters, killing two, with an AR-15—a hero.

The same president who pardoned everyone charged for January 6, many of whom had weapons and committed grave acts of violence to overturn a free and fair election.

The same party that says the Second Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy to protect us against a tyrannical government is now characterizing a licensed, law-abiding gun owner as a terrorist for simply possessing a firearm he never took out of its holster.

Governor Tim Walz put it plainly: Pretti was "a lawful firearm, concealed permit carrier. Something that I've been lectured to by Republicans for decades."

The federal government's hypocrisy is staggering.

The Standoff

What happened after the shooting is almost as alarming as the shooting itself.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension obtained a judge's signed search warrant to investigate the scene. DHS blocked them. Minneapolis Police Chief O'Hara said federal officials refused to let local police process the scene. Three FBI armored vehicles arrived hours later.

Governor Walz has called the White House twice, demanding federal agents leave the state. "Minnesota has had it," he said. "This is sickening."

Mayor Jacob Frey is filing for a temporary restraining order Monday to halt Operation Metro Surge. He's also requested the National Guard—not to help federal agents, but to support local police as protests continue.

Senate Democrats are vowing to block DHS funding in the appropriations bill coming to a vote this week—which could trigger a partial government shutdown.

Minnesota officials have asked a court to order federal agencies not to destroy or conceal evidence related to the investigation. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison: "If this Court does not provide immediate emergency relief, recent events suggest Defendants may fail to properly preserve evidence, and the State may permanently lose access to information gathered on the scene." [🎁 WSJ, 1/25/26]

How We Got Here

This operation began with a conspiracy theory about Somali daycare fraud—fraud that isn't connected to the centers targeted.

The government claims federal agents are there to keep America safe from dangerous immigrants here illegally.

But Minnesota's undocumented population is 2.2%, half the national average. More than 90% of the state's Somali population have permanent legal status.

Alex Pretti was a U.S. citizen. A nurse. A veteran caregiver. A licensed gun owner. His only record was traffic tickets.

He's dead anyway.

What Now?

We do not expect our government to be perfect. We do expect it to be honest.

We expect our leaders willing to work toward a common good.

But, those controlling the levers of power have made their position clear: Are you with us or against us?

So, what can we do?

So what do you do when you can't shame people who have no shame?

How do you present facts to people who deny reality?

How do you appeal to someone's humanity when they don't see everyone as human?

You remove them from power.

That opportunity doesn't just present itself in November—it presents itself now.

The first primaries are weeks away.

This is the time to examine those who want power over your communities, your children, your government. Not just their stances on policy. Who are they? What do they stand for? What principles will they fight for? Are they honest? Do they have integrity, morals, respect for the law and the Constitution and truth?

Are they applying for a job as a public servant—or auditioning to be a ruler?

You can jail a revolutionary, but you can't jail the revolution... You might murder a freedom fighter... but you can't murder freedom fightin'." - Fred Hampton

Just as he promised his parents, Pretti didn’t do anything “stupid.”

He did something brave.

He wasn’t the first, and he won’t be the last.

Humanity has always endured.

It didn’t die with Fred Hampton, shot in his bed by police.

It didn’t die with the students at Kent State or the marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

It didn’t die with Breonna Taylor or George Floyd.

It didn’t die with Renee Good.

And it will not die with Alex Pretti.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK:

• Here We Go Again: Trump threatened military force to take Greenland and threatened to impose tariffs on eight EU countries if they didn’t back him. Greenland (a Danish territory) said—again—it’s not for sale, and Denmark began sending troops as a precaution. Europe pushed back by discussing retaliatory tariffs while Greenlanders protested in red hats with a different MAGA: “Make America Go Away.” Trump escalated online, then abruptly cooled it: after meeting NATO chief Mark Rutte, he announced a “framework of a deal”—no takeover, no tariffs—reportedly in exchange for expanded U.S. access, bases, and rare earths while limiting Chinese and Russian influence. But the damage is done: “Blackmail between friends is obviously unacceptable," said French Finance Minister Roland Lescure.
• Then at Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a blunt diagnosis: the old international order is over. “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” Carney said—arguing the world has long operated on rules that were selectively enforced, but the bargain is now collapsing.

More this week (abridged)

• Child Bait: ICE detained a five year old boy, Liam Ramos, and his father, claiming they were here illegally—even though their lawyer says they have a pending asylum case. After the boy came home from preschool, officials reportedly used him to ring the doorbell at his home to see if anyone else would answer. School officials said another adult pleaded with agents to let them take the child somewhere safe, and was denied. The boy and father are now being held in an immigration detention facility. [The Guardian, 1/21/26]
• In Contempt: Republicans on House Oversight voted to hold Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in contempt for refusing subpoenas in the Epstein investigation. “In a rare departure from party lines, some Democrats supported the contempt measures against the Clintons, with several progressive lawmakers emphasizing the need for full transparency in the Epstein investigation.” The vote goes to the full House next month. [AP, 1/21/26]
  • Coming up: House Oversight will virtually depose Ghislaine Maxwell on February 9.
  • Still missing: One month after DOJ missed the Dec. 19 deadline to release all the documents, records show they've released less than 1% of more than 2 million files.
• Good Autopsy: An autopsy of Renee Nicole Good found she was shot three times—in the arm, breast, and head. APM Reports says ICE agents trained in CPR didn’t give it and waited three minutes to call 911. [🎁 NYT, 1/21/26]
• Jerry Springer Vibes: Lindsey Halligan left DOJ after a Trump-appointed judge “issued a withering ruling calling out Halligan’s decision to use unusually sharp language earlier this month as she pushed back on the judge’s questioning of her authority, saying the 'unnecessary rhetoric' had 'a level of vitriol more appropriate for a cable news talk show,'” per CNN.
• Loyalty Test: FBI Director Kash Patel fired six agents who worked on investigations into Trump—including his retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. “That kind of turnover is unheard of at the FBI, which has a long tradition of being an independent law enforcement agency staffed by non-political civil servants.” [MS NOW, 1/23/26]
• Duh: Politico reports Elon Musk’s DOGE may have misused Americans’ Social Security data. [Politico, 1/20/26]
• For Real?: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants an IndyCar race around the Mall. “Several Democrats told us that it seems absurd for Congress to OK an IndyCar race in D.C. when lawmakers won’t even extend health care subsidies for millions of Americans.” [Punchbowl News, 1/23/26]
• Out of Touch: Scott Bessent suggested some Americans’ parents buy “five, 10, 12 homes” for retirement.
• Trump's Money Train: The NYT editorial board estimates Trump has made more than $1.4 billion since becoming president—and even that may be low. “He has poured his energy and creativity into the exploitation of the presidency — into finding out just how much money people, corporations and other nations are willing to put into his pockets in hopes of bending the power of the government to the service of their interests…Mr. Trump’s hunger for wealth is brazen.” [🎁 NYT, 1/20/26]
• Make Lemon-ade: DOJ tried to charge Don Lemon over reporting from a Minneapolis church protest; a judge refused to allow the charges. [Politico, 1/22/26]
• Unholy: This headline says it all: Catholic cardinals question morality of American foreign policy. [Reuters, 1/19/26]
• I'm sorry, What?: The EPA stopped estimating the value of lives saved when setting air-pollution limits, focusing only on compliance costs. [NYT, 1/21/26]
• Unqualified: Major health organizations (including the AAP) are suing HHS for allegedly packing a key committee with unqualified anti-vaccine voices; the panel is no longer recommending routine vaccines for flu, hepatitis A, and more. [🎁 Washington Post, 1/19/26]
• Figures: A federal appeals court suspended a lower-court order restricting federal officers from using pepper spray and force on peaceful protesters.CBP chief Greg Bovino then responded by tossing chemical gas at people in a public park. [AP, 1/21/26]
• Death in Detention: A coroner ruled the death of a detained immigrant at Camp Montana—the country’s largest immigration detention facility—a homicide. DHS claims guards were trying to stop him from taking his own life. But two eyewitnesses say guards strangled him to death—and DHS is now trying to deport both of them. [AP, 1/21/26 | 🎁 The Washington Post, 1/17/16]
• ICE expands: DHS launched “Operation Catch of the Day,” expanding enforcement around Lewiston and Portland. [NYT, 1/21/26]
• Incompetence: DHS launched a site listing “dangerous criminals” they claim to have arrested—except multiple reports suggest many are already incarcerated or already handed to ICE – especially in Minnesota as confirmed by the state's Department of Corrections, which shared video proof.
• Fourth Amendment Assault:  Two whistleblowers say ICE issued a secret memo authorizing agents to enter homes without consent and without a judge-signed warrant to arrest people with final deportation orders—using force if needed—based on an internal form ICE can approve itself. The disclosure says the memo was tightly controlled and dissent was met with retaliation. In Minnesota, a U.S. citizen says agents forced entry, detained him at gunpoint, left him outside in his underwear in subfreezing weather—then admitted they had the wrong person. [Whistleblower Aid]

• Bored of Peace: Israel accepted Trump’s invite to his so-called “Board of Peace”—as Israeli forces reportedly killed at least five Palestinians in Gaza, including two children, the same day. [Reuters, 1/21/26]
• BTW: It costs $1 billion to join the board and no one, including President Trump, will say what that's money is for. [NYT, 1/18/26]
• Bone Chilling: Shaza Abu Jarad became the ninth child in Gaza to die from hypothermia as Israel continues to restrict critical aid. [Al Jazeera, 1/20/26]
• In Ruins: Israel demolished UNRWA’s office in East Jerusalem—an apparent violation of international law. [UNRWA, 1/20/26]
• What ceasefire? Israel killed more than a dozen Palestinians this week, including three journalists—one of whom worked for CBS News. Israel has killed hundreds during this so-called ceasefire. [Reuters, 1/21/26]

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