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** OPINION
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** Once again, citizen videos of an ICE shooting dispute what the government is telling Americans
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The location where protester Alex Pretti was shot and killed by ICE agents on Saturday. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Believe what we tell you, not your own eyes.

Once again, that is what the Trump administration is saying after another protester was shot and killed by federal immigration agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.

It’s the second time in less than three weeks that federal agents killed a protester in Minneapolis. And for the second time, cellphone videos from bystanders on the scene appear to contradict the federal account of the killing.

On Jan. 7, Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother and poet, was shot three times in the face and died as she drove past an ICE agent. The government claimed Good tried to use her car to ram the agent, and that the agent was reacting in self-defense. But videos of that shooting showed Good trying to turn away from the agent and flee the scene.

Then came more horrific events on Saturday.

Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot at least 10 times and died while being pinned to the ground by Border Patrol agents. The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti approached agents with a “9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and was killed after they attempted to disarm him.

But just like Good’s killing, cellphone videos of the events were analyzed by news organizations, and the analysis did not line up with the government’s assessment.

The New York Times’ Devon Lum and Haley Willis wrote ([link removed]) , “Footage shows Mr. Pretti was clearly holding a phone, not a gun, before the agents took him to the ground and shot him.”

The Times later added in that same analysis, “Several agents tussle with Mr. Pretti before bringing him to his knees. He appears to resist as the agents grab his legs, push down on his back and strike him repeatedly. The footage shows an agent approaching with empty hands and grabbing at Mr. Pretti as the others hold him down. About eight seconds after he is pinned, agents yell that he has a gun, indicating that they may not have known he was armed until he was on the ground.

The Times continues, “The same agent who approached with empty hands pulls a gun from among the group that appears to match the profile of a firearm DHS said belonged to Mr. Pretti. The agents appear to have him under their control, with his arms pinned near his head. As the gun emerges from the melee, another agent aims his own firearm at Mr. Pretti’s back and appears to fire one shot at close range. He then appears to continue firing at Mr. Pretti, who collapses. A third agent unholsters a weapon. Both agents appear to fire additional shots into Mr. Pretti as he lies motionless.”

The Associated Press’ Hannah Fingerhut wrote ([link removed]) , “In the videos, Pretti is seen with only a phone in his hand. During the scuffle, ‘gun, gun’ is heard, and an officer appears to pull a handgun from Pretti’s waist area and begins moving away. As that happens, a first shot is fired by a Border Patrol officer. There’s a slight pause, and then the same officer fires several more times into Pretti’s back.”

Still, despite all the video evidence, many in the Trump administration placed the blame on Pretti.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and said he “brandished” a gun and intended to “kill law enforcement.” Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino said, “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” FBI director Kash Patel said, “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 that right to break the law and incite violence.”

The Wall Street Journal, in its detailed video analysis ([link removed]) , wrote, “Federal agents claimed Alex Pretti, 37, forced their hand, alleging he ‘violently resisted’ disarmament until the officers fired ‘defensive shots.’ Bystander footage appears to tell a different story. A frame-by-frame review by The Wall Street Journal shows a federal officer pulling a handgun away from Pretti. Less than a second later, an agent fires several rounds.”

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** Sunday morning fireworks
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The Sunday morning shows featured some testy exchanges as many in the Trump administration seemed to justify the shooting of Pretti.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” moderator Kristen Welker pressed Department of Justice official Todd Blanche ([link removed]) , who said, “This is not a peaceful protest. … He was not protesting peacefully.”

Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino tangled with CNN’s Dana Bash ([link removed]) on “State of the Union.” Bovino has previously said Pretti was on the scene to “​​inflict maximum damage on individuals and kill law enforcement.”

Bash told Bovino, “There’s no evidence that he was perpetrating violence! And there’s no evidence, unless you have it, and we’d love to see it if there is, that he was intending to massacre law enforcement, other than the fact that he was there and he had a gun lawfully.”

That led to a heated exchange with Bovino consistently insisting that Pretti was assaulting federal law enforcement.

At another point, while talking about video of the events, Bovino told Bash, “We're not going to adjudicate that here on TV in one freeze frame.”

Bash responded by saying, “It's not a freeze frame. We're showing a video of one of your agents taking the gun away. And that happened before Pretti was shot.

Then there was Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent going at it with ABC’s Jonathan Karl ([link removed]) on “This Week.” Bressent said at one point that Pretti’s mistake was bringing a gun instead of a billboard to a protest. To which Karl reminded Bessent of the Second Amendment.


** Strong words
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The editorial boards of The New York Times and The Washington Post both came out strongly against the Trump administration following the latest shooting in Minneapolis.

The Times board wrote ([link removed]) , “The federal government owes Americans a thorough investigation and a truthful accounting of the Saturday morning shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti on a Minneapolis street. When the government kills, it has an obligation to demonstrate that it has acted in the public interest. Instead, the Trump administration is once again engaged in a perversion of justice.”

The Times board continued, “The administration is urging Americans to reject the evidence of their eyes and ears.” And then later added, “Truth is a line of demarcation between a democratic government and an authoritarian regime. Mr. Pretti and Ms. Good are dead. The American people deserve to know what happened.”

Meanwhile, the Post’s editorial board called ([link removed]) Pretti’s killing “unjust” and added, “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.”

The Post also wrote, “Most Americans want a secure border, and they think violent criminals should be deported. That’s a large part of why Trump returned to the White House. The overreach of the past year, however, could consume his presidency and lead to more tragedy. If Trump won’t change course on his own, can Republicans in Congress save him from himself?”


** The Journal’s take
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Meanwhile, the usually conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote, “Time for ICE to Pause in Minneapolis.” ([link removed])

It wrote, “Pretti made a tragic mistake by interfering with ICE agents, but that warranted arrest, not a death sentence. The agents may say they felt threatened, but it’s worth noting the comments over the weekend by police around the country who say that this isn’t how they conduct law enforcement. Either many ICE agents aren’t properly trained, or they are so on edge as they face opposition in the streets that they are on a hair trigger. Either way, this calls for rethinking how ICE conducts itself, especially in Minneapolis as tensions build.”


** The latest from Trump
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Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey spoke with Trump ([link removed]) on the phone for about five minutes on Sunday. Trump told Dawsey that his administration will review “everything” about the shooting.

Trump told Dawsey, “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it. But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”

Trump also indicated that ICE agents will leave Minnesota at some point. He told Dawsey, “At some point we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done a phenomenal job.”

Trump didn’t specify when that time might come.

Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures” that Trump should consider removing ICE from Minnesota if there’s a “chance of losing more … innocent lives.”

Comer later said, “I’m like you and every other American. I’ve watched that video dozens of times in slow motion. I’ve tried to determine whether he actually pulled a gun out or not. Yeah, I don’t know. I just know that the situation’s bad there.”


** Video tells the story
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People protest against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in downtown Minneapolis on Sunday. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

The one question that keeps cropping up in my mind is: What if no one had been filming what has happened in Minneapolis the past month? Yes, it can be infuriating to listen to those in the administration insist that what we are seeing with our own eyes isn’t what happened. But the videos — and the expert analysis performed by news organizations of those videos — do give us a clear picture of what our government is doing.

CNN media reporter Brian Stelter wrote ([link removed]) , “Minnesota officials, sensing that residents feel relatively powerless amid the ICE surge in the state, have urged residents to bear witness, suggesting that the phones in their pockets are a form of power.”

Just last week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in an address. “Carry your phone with you at all times. And if you see ICE in your neighborhood, take out that phone and hit record. Help us create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans — not just to establish a record for posterity, but to bank evidence for future prosecution.”

Following Saturday’s shooting, Walz said, “Thank God, thank God we have video.”


** More notable Minneapolis coverage
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* The New York Times’ Peter Baker with “For Trump, the Truth in Minneapolis Is What He Says It Is.” ([link removed]) Baker notes, “Mr. Trump has found that putting out a story line early and repeating it often can, with the help of an ideological media and online surround-sound machine, convince a sizable share of the public that does not credit contrary evidence. Even after investigations, recounts and his own advisers and attorney general refuted Mr. Trump’s claim that he won the 2020 election, polls show that most Republicans still believe the election was stolen. And so Mr. Trump and his team have taken the same reality-bending approach to the violence in Minneapolis in evident hopes of persuading the president’s political base, at least, that the protesters were responsible for their own deaths …”
* The Minnesota Star Tribune has had superb coverage. Here’s Reid Forgrave and Sarah Ritter with “After latest Minneapolis shooting: Exhaustion, resilience and deepening fear.” ([link removed])
* Andrew M. Luger, former U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, writes in the Star Tribune: “No one in Minnesota asked for this.” ([link removed])
* The Associated Press’ Michael Biesecker, Jim Mustian and Sarah Raza with “Minneapolis mourns ICU nurse killed by a Border Patrol agent as a warmhearted neighbor and caregiver.” ([link removed])
* The Washington Post’s Naftali Bendavid and Kim Bellware with “Minnesota shooting scrambles America’s gun debate.” ([link removed])
* Also from the Post, Marianne LeVine and Brianna Sacks with “Shootings in Minneapolis underscore how Kristi Noem has transformed DHS.” ([link removed])
* Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama put out a rare (lengthy) political statement ([link removed]) regarding the Minneapolis shootings. The Guardian’s Edward Helmore and Joseph Gedeon have more: “Obama says Alex Pretti killing a ‘tragedy’ as calls mount for full investigation.” ([link removed])
* The Los Angeles Times’ Michael Wilner with “Trump’s playbook falters in crisis response to Minneapolis shooting.” ([link removed])
* Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill with “Republicans start raising concerns about Minneapolis shooting.” ([link removed])


** Post problems
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(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Stunning and grim reporting is out about the state of affairs at The Washington Post.

First, The New York Times reported ([link removed]) that the Post will not cover the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy — something that seems unfathomable for one of the most respected and legendary sports sections. Then, Puck’s Dylan Byers reported ([link removed]) that massive layoffs are coming to the Post and tweeted, “rumor inside Post is that sports desk could be shuttered entirely… foreign desk will be hit hard too.” Byers added ([link removed]) that the expectations are that “hundreds” will be affected.

First, the Olympics news.

In the past, the Post has sent 10 to 20 journalists to the Olympics. And this year, it asked for 14 credentials for the Winter Games, according to the Times. The Times’ Benjamin Mullin and Erik Wemple reported that Post managing editor Kimi Yoshino sent an email to more than a dozen of the Post’s journalists that said, “As we assess our priorities for 2026, we have decided not to send a contingent to the Winter Olympics. We realize this decision and its timing will be disappointing to many of you, so please reach out to me if you want to talk further.”

What makes this note so shocking is that it comes less than two weeks before the Feb. 6 start of the Olympics. As the Times noted, “Many had already paid for their travel arrangements, according to two people familiar with their plans.”

The Times wrote, “According to the Post employee, the newspaper has already paid the vast majority of its expenses to cover the competition. Those include flights for the journalists, housing and office space at the Olympics site. Housing alone tallies at least $80,000, the employee said. Post management approved the outlays at each step along the way, according to the employee.”

USA Today columnist Christine Brennan, who was once the Olympics writer for the Post, tweeted ([link removed]) , “This is just a stunning and awful development.”

Then there’s the Byers tweet talking about shutting down the Post sports section entirely, as well as cutting a major chunk from the foreign coverage. Sports and foreign coverage are two of the Post’s longtime staples. The Post sports section has been home to some of the most legendary sportswriters in the business: Shirley Povich, Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, Sally Jenkins, Thomas Boswell and the aforementioned Brennan, just to name a few.

The Post isn’t commenting, but it should be noted that Byers wrote that closing the sports desk is just a “rumor.” I still find it hard to believe the Post would take that step, but reports are that the layoffs will be substantial.

Meanwhile, Mullin and Wemple at the Times report ([link removed]) that foreign correspondents at the Post have sent a letter — a “collective plea” — to Post owner Jeff Bezos about the rumors. Among the points made in the letter: “Robust, powerful foreign coverage is essential to the Washington Post’s brand and its future success in whatever form the paper takes moving forward.”

The letter also said, “Cutting this deeply sourced, battle-hardened and tireless staff would hinder The Post’s ability to respond to the biggest news developments on the horizon.”

The letter concludes by saying, “Jeff, we are endlessly grateful for your investment in our newspaper and longtime belief in our shared mission. At your first town hall in 2013, you told our newsroom, ‘You can be profitable and shrinking. And that’s a survival strategy, but it ultimately leads to irrelevance, at best. And at worst, it leads to extinction.’ We urge you to consider how the proposed layoffs will certainly lead us first to irrelevance and later extinction — not the shared success that remains attainable.”

And Mullin tweeted Sunday afternoon ([link removed]) , “I have been told that employees on The Washington Post foreign staff have been told explicitly that their jobs are at risk. There was also a directive barring reporters from going to high-risk zones as of Feb. 1, which some have taken as a precursor to cuts.”

And check out this tweet from longtime New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof ([link removed]) , “In my decades as a @nytimes foreign correspondent and then columnist, I've been regularly scooped and outshone by the brilliance of @washpost rivals. The WashPost foreign correspondents are a public good, and the world benefits from their work. I hope Jeff Bezos keeps them.”


** Too far away
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We now know which teams (New England and Seattle) will be in this year’s Super Bowl, but we also know who will not be at the big game: President Donald Trump. The president told the New York Post ([link removed]) that he will not attend the Feb. 8 game in Santa Clara, California, because, “It’s just too far away.”

Now, it should be noted that U.S. presidents rarely attend the Super Bowl. In fact, a year ago, Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. But to use the excuse that it’s “too far away” seems odd. I mean, isn’t the game being played in a country where Trump is president? The game is being played in California, not on Mars.

Trump also took the opportunity to slam the halftime show selections of Bad Bunny and Green Day, saying, “I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”


** Media tidbits
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* Politico’s Brendan Bordelon, Katherine Long, Gabby Miller and Cheyenne Haslett with “How the TikTok deal could tighten Trump’s cultural grip.” ([link removed])
* The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board with “The FCC’s Late Night Comedy Show.” ([link removed])
* The Ringer’s Brian Phillips with “The Five Farcical Principles of the ‘CBS Evening News.’” ([link removed])
* Axios’ Christine Wang with “The challenges facing the Ellisons' media empire.” ([link removed])


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* Get tools to cover America’s loneliness epidemic. Sign up today ([link removed]) .
* Join a foundational career and leadership development 101 course — fully virtual for ambitious media professionals without direct reports. Apply now ([link removed]) .

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

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