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SELF DEFENSE? ‘BULLSHIT’
An ICE agent fatally shot a protester in Minneapolis today, sparking unprecedented uproar amid the Trump administration’s surge of agents to the blue city.
Just days ago,President Donald Trump’s team began surging 2,000 ICE agents [ [link removed] ] to Minneapolis. Today, disaster struck. An officer gunned down a 37-year-old woman in her car in broad daylight on a street in the south of the city, prompting a furious response from local residents and politicians over the agency’s use of deadly force.
A video shows [ [link removed] ] the tragic scene: Four ICE agents surrounded an SUV on a snowy neighborhood street. The car appeared to have been blocking the agents’ vehicles from driving down the road. “Get out of the fucking car,” an agent yelled. Another agent attempted to open the driver’s door.
The driver tried to flee, but an officer standing near the front of the car drew his gun. He fired three shots, and the car sped down the road before hitting a parked vehicle and a telephone pole. In the video, the driver’s body can be seen covered in blood. A witness told local media that the agent [ [link removed] ] shot the victim in the face multiple times. One photo depicts [ [link removed] ] a bloody airbag and stuffed animals above the glove compartment.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), whose district includes the scene of the shooting, called the incident “unconscionable and reprehensible.” She described the woman as a “legal observer” of ICE activities.
The Department of Homeland Security is spinning its own narrative of what happened, claiming that the driver attempted to run down the agents. “An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots,” the department said in a statement. “He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers. The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased.”
Trump aide Stephen Miller’s comment [ [link removed] ] on the situation, seemingly referring to the driver: “Domestic terrorism.” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the woman “weaponized her vehicle.”
On Truth Social, Trump described the video as a “horrible thing to watch.” He described the victim as a “professional agitator,” and blamed the left for “threatening, assaulting, and targeting” law enforcement agents. He claimed the officer “seems” to have fired in “self defense.”
Democrats responded with fury, as MAGAworld attempted to put the blame for the incident on a woman who was shot and killed.
“I have a message for ICE,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said during a press conference [ [link removed] ] this afternoon. “Get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here…. They are sowing chaos on our streets, and in this case, quite literally killing people.”
Frey added: “They are already trying to spin this as an action of self defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bullshit. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying.”
Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) called for any protests in response to be peaceful. “They want a show. We can’t give it to them,” he told reporters.
Scores of politicians and commentators bashed ICE. “Trump threatened to launch a war against Iran if they treat protesters in this fashion,” former MSNBC host Krystal Ball tweeted [ [link removed] ]. “Congress must investigate this, end qualified immunity for ICE agents, and hold the Administration accountable for terrorizing our communities,” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) wrote [ [link removed] ].
The incident isn’t the first fatal ICE shooting [ [link removed] ] of Trump’s second term. But it’s likely to prompt a new level of uproar: There’s video of the shooting, debate about whether the agent was in danger, and a very real possibility of protests in response.
What happens next is crucial. Will the agent be held accountable? Will Trump deploy more ICE agents to the city? Will tensions between ICE and protestors escalate into more violence?
WHAT ELSE? 👀
Look out for something new in your inbox tomorrow from Pod Save America’s lead producer, Reid Cherlin. It’s called Open Tabs, a new, weekly newsletter dropping Thursday mornings about what the PSA team is covering each week. It’s a great window into how we do news here at Crooked. (And, of course, you’ll be able to opt out if you want to.)
The U.S. will control Venezuelan [ [link removed] ] oil sales “indefinitely,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed today. His announcement came shortly after the Trump administration seized two oil tankers off the Venezuelan coast. So now Donald Trump wants to be… an oil pirate?
Trump proposed increasing the U.S. military [ [link removed] ] budget from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion next year to build the “dream military.” “Because of Tariffs, and the tremendous Income that they bring … we are able to easily hit the $1.5 Trillion Dollar number,” he wrote on social media. This will help him win that Nobel Peace Prize!
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. literally flipped [ [link removed] ] the food pyramid upside down. The new standards call on Americans to eat more meat and whole milk, as well as fruits and veggies. If we’re flipping this thing... shouldn’t dessert be on top? I really need an excuse to justify the number of Christmas cookies I keep eating.
CBS is coming under fire after Tony Dokoupil [ [link removed] ], [ [link removed] ] the brand-new evening news anchor, glazed [ [link removed] ] Secretary of State Marco Rubio for holding multiple jobs. “For Rubio’s hometown fans, which are many around here in Miami, it is a sign of how Florida, once an American punchline, has become a leader on the world stage,” Dokoupil said during last night’s show. “Marco Rubio, we salute you. You’re the ultimate Florida man.” Trump’s team enjoyed the segment so much that they tweeted it out, with the caption: “WE LOVE @SecRubio!” Real talk: This is just embarrassing, for everyone involved.
More details about Stephen Miller’s ruthless rule [ [link removed] ] in Trump 2.0 are leaking. During Miller’s daily staff meetings, “he pushes everybody to the absolute limit because he knows that the clock is ticking,” one person told The Atlantic. “He gets on the phone and he yells at everybody. Nobody is spared from his wrath.” Another added: “If you say something stupid, he’ll tell you to your face.” Really? Then I’ve got something I’d like to say to Mr. Miller’s face....
Do you love national parks but hate Trump? [ [link removed] ] Unfortunately, you may be fined if you cover up his portrait appearing on this year’s national park pass. “Covering up important information on the pass would be fraud,” one environmental advocate said. “Covering Donald Trump’s face, however, is not fraud. Trump is once again trying to make it illegal for people to make a public statement against him.” I think Trump’s portrait is a great place for a Yogi Bear sticker, but that’s just me.
LIGHT AT THE END… ☀️
Donald Trump’s grip on young men is slipping [ [link removed] ], [ [link removed] ] according to a new poll. Only 22 percent of bros say that Trump is “fighting for them,” while another 27 percent say that he “hasn’t delivered.” Even more embarrassing, Vice President JD Vance’s favorability rating is even lower than manosphere incel Andrew Tate, who has denied accusations of rape and human trafficking. Behold JD Vance, the MAGA heir apparent!
The Wyoming Supreme Court struck down [ [link removed] ] an abortion ban, a major win for pro-choice advocates in a state that Trump won by 46 points.
A [ [link removed] ]Wall Street Journal [ [link removed] ]reporter detailed her stay [ [link removed] ] at The Great Wolf Lodge in Arizona, an indoor water-park-resort chain known for its kid-oriented features, with her twin granddaughters. “It was exhausting and expensive, but we’re already plotting a return,” she wrote. “One family I met called it Las Vegas for children. This Las Vegas doesn’t come with a hangover unless you spend too much time at The Watering Hole inside the water park.” It looks like total chaos, but a great time for the kiddos.
On that note, a rare mountain gorilla [ [link removed] ] in the Democratic Republic of Congo gave birth to twins, in what a national park described as a “major event” for the endangered animal. The mother, a 22-year-old gorilla named Mafuko, was photographed holding her babies while huddled behind green leaves and is receiving support from the park.
How does the National Zoo in D.C. feed its more than 2,200 residents? [ [link removed] ] Teams of workers create individualized diets for each animal, going through more than 350 pounds of produce a week and more than 1,500 pounds of hay per day. The pandas are offered more than 130 pounds of bamboo every day — twice the amount they can eat, but they get to choose which pieces they wanna munch on. Talk about the royal treatment!
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