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GoFundMe benefiting Alex Pretti’s family raises over $1 million
Who's accountable for the results?

A GoFundMe campaign for the family of Alex Pretti has swiftly surpassed its $20,000 fundraising goal and reached over $1 million. 

The campaign, titled, “Alex Pretti is an American Hero,” was launched shortly after he was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents to help cover funeral, legal, and family expenses. 

“This fundraiser is intended to support the loved ones he leaves behind with immediate and ongoing needs,” the fundraiser page said. 

The fundraiser was started without having a next-of-kin identified, but an update said organizers had reached Pretti’s father and made him the beneficiary of the donations. 

“Thank you to everyone who has been so generous either donating or sharing the fundraiser — you are what America can look like at our best,” Keith Edwards, the organizer, said. 

The 37-year-old ICU nurse was killed by Border Patrol agents on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis. Pretti encountered federal agents while they were detaining another individual and approached the agents while recording them on his phone. Pretti got involved when agents pushed a woman near the scene, according to video footage. Government officials said he was impeding immigration operations.

According to Department of Homeland Security officials, Pretti was armed with a “9 mm semi-automic handgun,” and when agents tried to disarm him, he “violently resisted.” An agent “fearing for his life” fired a defensive shot, and more were heard thereafter, and killed Pretti. 

Pretti’s death marked the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration enforcement personnel in Minneapolis in recent weeks, coming soon after the killing of Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7. 

Pretti’s family and supporters have rejected DHS claims that he posed a threat, pointing to video evidence suggesting he was only holding a cellphone and trying to help others when agents moved in. 

HOMELAND INSECURITY: MELTDOWN IN MINNESOTA

The incident has flamed existing tensions in Minneapolis, where protests have continued in response to what critics call an overreach by the federal government.

President Donald Trump said he spoke with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) to devise a plan to work together “with respect to Minnesota.” He added that both the governor and himself want to make the crime drop in the state even greater.

(What’s Left of) Our Economy: So You Think Trump Tariffs are Undermining U.S. Manufacturing? Part 2
This deserves loud pushback.

Wait!  So productivity growth is suddenly bupkis?  At least when it comes to U.S. manufacturing and assessing its health?  

That would be awfully strange, given that, generally speaking, economists seem to agree on its outsized importance for national economic success.  Indeed, according to the Congressional Research Service, “Economists believe productivity growth to be a primary driver of long-term economic and income growth and improvements in living standards. As productivity increases, society can produce more goods and services with the same level of resources, which, all else equal, increases incomes and access to goods and services, including access to additional leisure time.”

And Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman has stated, “Productivity isn’t everything. But in the long run, it is almost everything.” (See this link for both of the above quotes.) 

Yet none of the recent claims that U.S. based manufacturing is on the ropes due largely (at least) to the Trump 2.0 tariffs (see yesterday’s post for some examples) has mentioned the sector’s outstanding labor productivity performance during that period.

As reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, labor productivity during the first three quarters of 2025 (the latest available data) has advanced by a total of 1.54 percent.  That represents nothing less than a turnaround from its performance during the same pre-tariff-y quarters of 2024, when it fell by 0.18 percent. 

Even better:  Except for the Covid recovery-distorted increase in 2021, that 2025 manufacturing labor productivity rise represented the sector’s best three quarter-long stretch since the second through the fourth quarters of 2010.  

And that improvement came early during the recovery from the major slump in both the economy overall and in industry’s labor productivity during the Great Recession.  By contrast, 2025’s small surge is an acceleration within the same period of economic expansion.  So it doesn’t benefit from “easy comps.”*

And about all those claims that the Trump 2.0 tariffs, and their frequent  fluctuations, have so paralyzed domestic manufacturers with uncertainty that they’ve frozen new investments solid?  Well, the data say, “You can’t be serious.”  

The best measure of such actual investments is core capital spending (“core capex” for short).  It covers new orders by business for assets used to maintain or expand or maintain operations – including machinery and computers.  This gauge is called “core” because it leaves out spending in the defense and civilian aircraft sectors, since they’re considered volatile for reasons having little to do with the underlying condition of industry or the broader economy. 

Core capex is thought to speak volumes about the state of domestic manufacturing because it’s seen as a prime indicator of future confidence by companies in general and by manufacturers in particular.  For if these firms keep buying more and more of these products, they’re clearly expecting good times ahead. The reverse is true as well.  

Final numbers are available from the Census Bureau through last November, and they reveal that since last February, core capex is up 3.23 percent.  Other …

Former NBA player Chris Dudley launches another bid for Oregon governor

Chris Dudley, a former basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers, is taking another shot at a run to be Oregon‘s next governor.

The 16-season NBA center announced on Monday that he is entering the 2026 gubernatorial race as a Republican, marking his second time running to lead the Beaver State.

“I love Oregon, and even though we have some serious problems, there are solutions, and I believe our best days are ahead of us. However, in order to solve these challenges, the empty promises, the name calling, finger pointing and fear mongering that has solved nothing must stop,” Dudley said in his announcement video.

In his campaign announcement, Dudley said he aims to create a “better Oregon for all” and has a plan to address the most commonly voiced concerns of Oregonians.

“I have traveled around the state and met with people who’ve shared a variety of opinions, stories, and challenges,” Dudley said. “What they all have in common is a love of our great state and a desire for these same things — quality education, safety, affordability, and a good job. These are achievable. There are real solutions, and I have a plan.”

The Yale University graduate first ran for governor in the blue state in 2010, posing a significant threat to former Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber in the general election. Polls were close in 2010, with several showing Dudley leading Kitzhaber, but Dudley lost by just over 22,000 votes, with Kitzhaber besting him 49.3% to 47.8%.

Though Dudley came close, no Republican has been elected Oregon’s governor since former Gov. Victor Atiyeh won reelection in 1982.

Dudley played in the NBA from the late 1980s to the early 2000s for five teams, mainly for Oregon’s home state team in Portland. Dudley was famously the first NBA player to play with Type 1 diabetes. Since leaving the league, he has worked as a businessman and investor, as well as running for governor.

Whoever wins the GOP nomination in Oregon will likely face off against Gov. Tina Kotek (D-OR), who is running for a second term.

LARRY HOGAN BIDS FAREWELL TO ELECTED POLITICS AFTER DECLINING CHALLENGE TO WES MOORE

Dudley will be hopping into the Republican primary alongside Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan, who lost to Kotek in 2022 by a 3.4 percentage-point margin, with Kotek besting her by over 66,000 votes to win 47% to 43.6%. Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell is also running for the Republican nomination.

The primaries will be held on May 19, and the …

Congress is preparing for a partial government shutdown. How is it different from the last one?  
Same show, different day.

Congress is careening toward the second government shutdown in four months due to disagreements over federal funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The shutdown Washington is preparing for this weekend has several key differences from the government funding battle last fall.

That 43-day shutdown became the longest in U.S. history, ending in November 2025. It centered on Democrats’ concerns that legislation to keep the government open did not contain a provision to extend Obamacare subsidies. And before the shutdown was triggered on Oct. 1, it was widely expected due to the known deadline for renewing the expiring Obamacare subsidies.

Unlike last fall’s controversy, the latest looming government shutdown would be only partial and stem from unexpected unrest in Minnesota. And key Senate Democrats who proved critical to ending the last shutdown have announced that they will not aid the Trump administration this time around in backing the Department of Homeland Security funding bill for ICE.

Congress has already passed six of the 12 annual funding bills necessary to keep critical federal agencies running. ​​The Senate is planning a vote this week on final six-bill legislation to avoid a shutdown on Jan. 31. The DHS bill is tied in with five others that fund the departments of Defense, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education. 

In the wake of sweeping controversy over ICE operations in Minnesota, Senate Democratic leadership has vowed to block the appropriations legislation from passing, as the DHS provision contains billions in funding for ICE. If Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is unable to reach a bipartisan consensus in the upper chamber by Saturday, which appears fairly likely, the government will enter a partial shutdown.

Under a partial shutdown, most government operations would remain intact, likely including ICE, given billions in new funding that the agency was allocated under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed into law last summer.

That marks a sweeping difference from the full shutdown last year. Over the fall, at least 670,000 federal employees were furloughed, while about 730,000 others worked without pay, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Thousands were also laid off during the period, though many were later asked to return to their government jobs.

The latest shutdown threats come after Alex Pretti, 37, died in a shooting …

Milwaukee police chief responds to anti-Israel critics after attending overseas security program
How is this acceptable?

A Milwaukee police chief responded to heated criticism for attending a counterterrorism training seminar in Israel last month.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman attended the seminar in the first week of December. He faced opposition at a public meeting for the city's Fire and Police Commission, with residents accusing him of learning how to "oppress our communities."
"For this police chief in this political climate when there’s a genocide happening right now, to go learn tactics to further oppress our communities, is shameful," said Angela Lang, who represented Black Leaders Organizing for Communities.
"I called this trip unconscionable and I believe that with my chest," said Krissie Fung, a local resident. "I think that for many Milwaukeeans this is not something they will ever forgive."
NETANYAHU AGREES TO JOIN TRUMP’S GAZA BOARD OF PEACE AFTER INITIAL PUSHBACK
Norman released a statement explaining his trip to Israel, but he made no apology for the decision.
"At last night’s Fire and Police Commission meeting, members of the community and various organizations shared their concerns regarding my recent training trip to Israel. I want to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to express their thoughts and experiences," he said.
"In 2025, I was invited to participate in the Homeland Security Program in Israel, sponsored by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) and the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA). This program, established after 9/11, facilitates the exchange of best practices between U.S. law enforcement and leading counterterrorism experts," he explained.
TRUMP AND WORLD LEADERS SIGN GAZA BOARD OF PEACE CHARTER
"Given today’s global security challenges, I viewed this as an important opportunity to learn strategies for preventing and responding to terrorism—knowledge that ultimately enhances the safety of the entire community I serve," he said.
"As a leader, I believe in lifelong learning. Every experience, including the feedback I received last night, is part of that journey. I want to assure you that your comments were heard and taken seriously," he added.
The training in Israel was run by former FBI Assistant Director Steven Pomerantz, who said the seminar was not political in nature. He added that Israeli police have more experience than anyone in handling counterterrorism.
"The Israel national police had more experience than any other police agency in the world dealing with terrorism and a lot of lessons they had learned over the years that they were willing to share with American law enforcement," …

White House backs Noem, Border Patrol as Homan takes point in Minneapolis after fatal shooting
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday publicly backed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and federal law enforcement leaders operating in Minnesota as tensions flare following Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. 
Trump announced Monday that he would deploy border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, prompting questions about whether the move reflected any frustration with the officials already overseeing the response on the ground.
"Secretary Noem still has the utmost confidence and trust of the president of the United States, and she's continuing to oversee the entire Department of Homeland Security and all of the immigration enforcement that's taking place across the whole entire country," Leavitt said during a press briefing Monday when asked if the president was dissatisfied with how the officials on the ground handled the shooting. 
The Department of Homeland Security oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), meaning Noem was juggling the immigration crackdown as well as a massive snow storm that rocked a large portion of the U.S. Sunday. 
FORMER ICE AGENT CALLS POLICE NON-COOPERATION 'FORMULA FOR DISASTER' AFTER SECOND MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING DEATH
"Of course, Secretary Noem is also in charge of FEMA, and we are in the wake of a brutal winter storm where hundreds of thousands of Americans have been impacted by that," Leavitt continued. "So border czar Homan is in a unique position to drop everything and go to Minnesota to continue having these productive conversations with state and local officials. And I know that he's catching a plane in just a few hours to do just that." 
Leavitt also defended senior United States Border Patrol Commander Gregor Bovino during the press conference, calling him a "wonderful man, and he's a great professional."
"He is going to have very much continue to lead Customs and Border Patrol, throughout and across the country," Leavitt said. "Mr. Homan will be the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis to follow up." 
President Donald Trump said earlier Monday that he was deploying the border czar to Minnesota and that he would report directly to the president, sparking questions over whether Trump's confidence in his federal immigration law enforcement officials was slipping. 
"I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to …

Noem has called victims of ICE shootings domestic terrorists. Do they fit the definition?
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is one of many Trump administration officials who have called the victims of recent officer-involved shootings in Minnesota domestic terrorists, but the jury is still out on whether Renee Good and Alex Pretti fit that definition.

The two high-profile shootings have come amid heightened tensions between immigration enforcement and local protesters, whose actions often provoke federal officers into taking lethal action. Whether their actions were justified remains up for debate pending investigations into the incidents, but the Trump administration is doubling down on its immigration operation in the blue state.

After being asked if President Donald Trump agrees with Noem’s description of 37-year-old Pretti, killed by Border Patrol agents Saturday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I have not heard the President characterize Mr. Pretti in that way.”

Joining Noem in labeling Good and Pretti “domestic terrorists” is White House official Stephen Miller, who caught flak from lawmakers for ascribing malicious intent to Pretti’s actions prior to his death.

Alex Pretti was an American hero, and Stephen Miller is a domestic terrorist.
— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) January 26, 2026

Pretti, an ICU nurse, carried a registered handgun during the incident and “violently resisted” law enforcement, according to the Department of Homeland Security. A Border Patrol agent, who allegedly feared for his own life and the lives of his fellow officers, then fatally shot the man.

The DHS chief is using the anti-government violent extremist definition for domestic terrorism, according to University of New Haven criminal justice professor Kenneth Gray.

“This threat encompasses the potentially unlawful use or threat of force or violence in furtherance of ideological agendas, derived from anti-government or anti-authority sentiment, including opposition to perceived economic, social, or racial hierarchies, or perceived government overreach, negligence, or illegitimacy,” the department says in a 2020 document on the definition of anti-government violent extremism, which qualifies as one of the many types of domestic terrorism.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche bluntly disagreed with Noem and Miller, refusing to make a judgment about whether Pretti was a domestic terrorist so as not to “prejudice the fact.”

“I don’t think anybody thinks that they were comparing what happened on Saturday …

Will the next Democratic president prosecute Trump officials?
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.

A hallmark of President Trump's second term has been the greatly expanded scope of the Department of Justice aimed towards investigating perceived crimes committed by his political enemies. Famous examples of this tactic include the investigation of former FBI Director James Comey, members of the Federal Reserve such as Lisa Cook, Jack Smith, and President Biden himself.
Though it has been only a year into Trump's second term, Democrats have alleged illegalities committed by his own administration. Many sitting Democrats excoriated the capture of Nicolas Maduro as a violation of checks and balances. The behavior of the Department of Homeland Security has been under constant criticism for alleged Constitutional violations and other illegal activities by agencies like ICE. The Department of Defense has experienced several leaks at the highest levels to include top officials using unauthorized communication platforms like Signal to exchange protected information. While President Trump himself may be immune to prosecution due to recent Supreme Court decisions that protect most presidential decisions, this does not mean that all his officials enjoy the same shield. Prosecutions could theoretically be lodged against Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, Pete Hegseth, etc.
Should Democrats regain the White House in 2028 (which is looking increasingly likely as it is very rare for a second-term president's party to keep the Oval Office for a third term unless the economy is particularly good or the incumbent has been a particularly well liked incumbent like FDR or Ronald Reagan), should and will the Democratic president formally prosecute high ranking members of the Trump administration on federal charges? Why or why not?

Trump Talks With Key Democrat Politician Following Second Deadly Shooting in Minnesota  
Every delay has consequences.

President Donald Trump said he had a “good call” with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday, just two days after a second fatal shooting in Minneapolis by a federal immigration officer.  

“Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump posted on Truth Social.  

Trump said that he was going to have border czar Tom Homan call Walz, adding, “what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession,” noting that Walz understands.  


— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 26, 2026

Walz also acknowledged the call with Trump, calling it “a productive conversation,” adding, “I explained to him that his staff doesn’t have their facts straight about Minnesota.”  

On Saturday, Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.  

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and DHS claimed the man “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”   

Video of the incident appears to conflict with the initial accounts of Noem and DHS, leading Democrats and some Republicans to criticize the Trump administration’s characterization of the incident.  

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R- La., called the latest event in Minneapolis “incredibly disturbing,” adding that 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.”  

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the shooting “should raise serious questions within the administration about the adequacy of immigration-enforcement training and the instructions officers are given on carrying out their mission.”  

Following the criticism of ICE and DHS, Trump announced Monday morning that he is sending Homan to Minnesota. 

Walz “was happy that Tom Homan was going to Minnesota, and so am I,” Trump said. “We have had such tremendous SUCCESS in Washington, D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and virtually every other place that we have ‘touched’ and, even in Minnesota, Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!”  

The tone of Trump’s statement on Monday is in stark contrast to his social media posts from over the weekend, accusing Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of “inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric!”  

Walz and Frey have been critical of the Trump administration’s large immigration enforcement operation that began in the Twin Cities in December and has since been expanded to the rest of the state. Walz and Frey, both Democrats, have asked the Trump administration to end the operation, repeating their demands after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement-involved shooting in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 that killed 37-year-old Renee Good. 

“Minnesota believes in law and order. We believe in peace. And we believe that Trump needs to pull his 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another American in the street,” Walz wrote …

Senate Dems Could Freeze ICE Funding, Trigger Shutdown
What's the endgame here?

Amid debate over border patrol and Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota, it appears Congress is frozen in a standoff that could lead to another government shutdown.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed on Saturday to “vote no” on an upcoming funding package if a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not given a separate vote.

Schumer’s remarks came after death by shooting of Alex Pretti, 37, in Minneapolis, Minnesota following an interaction with federal officers.

The House has sent the Senate a package of six appropriations bills which the president must sign into law in order to avert a partial government shutdown. These six bills cover the last of the 12 areas that Congress funds each year.

Since Schumer’s announcement, scores of Democrat senators have joined Schumer in expressing their opposition to the funding package, raising the likelihood of a partial government shutdown.

This is the strength of response we need.

People’s calls and organizing worked. Thank you to all who mobilized.

No action is ever too small. This is why we never give up. Thank you @SenateDems
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 25, 2026

“I’m not voting for the ICE funding bill,” wrote Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., on social media. Klobuchar was one of the eight Democratic caucus members who voted with Republicans in November to reopen the government.

“I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances—what they’re doing in my state, what we saw yesterday in Minneapolis,” Sen. Angus King, I-Vt., said in an interview Saturday. King was also one of the Senate Democratic Caucus members who voted to end the last shutdown.

What’s more, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat appropriator in the Senate, is sending out mixed messages regarding whether Democrats should support the bill.

The homeland security bill, as well as the five others coming to the Senate, was negotiated by a bicameral and bipartisan conference that included Murray.

On Saturday, Murray demanded the DHS bill “be split off from the larger funding package before the Senate,” but on Sunday she said, “Americans must be eyes wide open that blocking the DHS funding bill will not shut down ICE. ICE is now sitting on a massive slush fund it can tap, whether or not we pass a funding bill.”

Murray’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment clarifying her position.

Americans must be eyes wide open that blocking the DHS funding bill will not shut down ICE. ICE is now sitting on a massive slush fund it can tap, whether or not we pass a funding bill.

But we all saw another American shot and killed in broad daylight.

There must be…
— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) January 25, 2026

Failure to pass the six-bill minibus by the Jan. 30 deadline would dry up funding for the State Department and financial regulators, as well as the departments dealing with war, education, labor, health, and housing.

So far, it appears Senate Republicans are not interested in budging.

“The Republican objective is to fully fund the government this …