CRACKS IN THE ICE

Donald Trump pulled his top commander from the field in Minnesota, after shocking deadly violence prompted rage from Democrats and talk of a new government shutdown.

• President Donald Trump’s radical anti-immigration policy produced visions of carnage and horror in Minneapolis over the weekend, and sent Washington into a fresh political crisis. The brutal killing of Alexander Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse for veterans, prompted further protests and shook politicians in Washington D.C. Suddenly, Democrats are vowing they won’t pay to keep Trump’s government open without new guardrails on ICE. Even many Republicans are queasy about the wave of unchecked violence. And after vocally defending the feds, Trump’s team is now scrambling to manage the fallout.

• The blowback is getting real. Nearly half of Americans think Trump’s mass deportation campaign has gone too far, including many people who voted for him. A GOP candidate for Minnesota governor dropped out of the race today — citing the “unmitigated disaster” caused by federal agents in the state. Republicans on Capitol Hill also are starting to break with MAGA. Former Vice President Mike Pence called for “a full and transparent investigation of this officer involved shooting.” Even right-wing nutjob Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) suggested that ICE needs to chill out.

• The Trump administration seemed to blanche at its own bungled mismanagement of the crisis — after first attempting to blame the shooting victim. The White House is pulling Customs and Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, as well as some CBP agents, from the state, multiple outlets reported. Trump touted a “very good” call with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) this morning on social media. Trump’s major shift in tone comes a day after he wouldn’t say whether federal agents were in the right for shooting Pretti.

• The shocking videos of the slaying unified Democrats. They’re vowing to block additional funding for ICE — even if it leads to another shutdown. Here’s the state of play: The Senate has until midnight Friday to approve a spending package that includes DHS funding, or else pause 75 percent of federal discretionary spending. The Senate could theoretically vote to strip DHS funding from the package, but that would need House approval. Senate Republicans don’t want to do that, and the House is out until next week anyway. So a shutdown seems highly likely.

• Just last week, Dems appeared shy about another shutdown. Saturday’s shooting stiffened their spines. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), one of few moderate Democrats who voted to end the last shutdown, says she’s now eager for a political brawl. “ICE is absolutely 100% out of control,” she told What A Day in a phone call from Nevada, where her flight to D.C. was delayed due to the weekend snowstorm. “We cannot give ICE any blank checks.”

• “This is different” from the last shutdown, Rosen told me, citing “the brutal, brutal killing of Alex Pretti.”

What happens if the government shuts down?

• Democrats have minimal power in Congress, but they have a new advantage: Some Republicans are open to their ideas. Dems want guardrails for federal agents, more training, a ban on masks, requirements for IDs and body cams, and cooperation from DHS on state and local investigations, Rosen explained.

• Americans increasingly think ICE should be abolished entirely. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, however, told lawmakers to push a more moderate message: “Restrain, reform and restrict ICE.”

• Rosen defended that position. The problem with ICE “is the people running the agency. Under President Biden, you didn’t see this. Under President Obama, you didn’t see this,” she said. “It is clearly Donald Trump’s unqualified, out of control cabinet that is creating this chaos.”

Rosen also wants to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “This is a cabinet of incompetence,” the Nevada lawmaker said, “and she is right at the top.”

Are you attending Minnesota protests? Do you work in an immigration-related field? I’d love to chat. Reach out to me on Signal at mattberg.33, I’ll protect your anonymity.

ON THE GROUND

Crooked’s Jon Lovett is in Minneapolis this week, talking with people pushing back against Trump’s federal agents. Check out this interview with one protestor:

WHAT ELSE? 👀

How nervous are global investors about Donald Trump’s stewardship of the U.S. economy? Well, gold and silver surged to all-time highs today as the dollar sank to its lowest point in four months. Reminder: Precious metals are rising partly over anxiety about the U.S. economy and global political instability. Some folks are buying gold because they think it will be a safe haven, even if Trump screws up everything else. Thanks, business genius Donald Trump!

New York Magazine published a bizarre interview with Trump about his health, full of surreal anecdotes. Trump, 79, said he feels “the same as I did 40 years ago.” Trump added that his father “‘started getting, what do they call it?’ He pointed to his forehead and looked to his press secretary for the word that escaped him. ‘Alzheimer’s,’ Leavitt said. ‘Like an Alzheimer’s thing,’ Trump said. ‘Well, I don’t have it.’”

The Department of Transportation is planning to use artificial intelligence, including Google’s Gemini, to draft new federal regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” DOT’s top lawyer said in a meeting, according to ProPublica. “We want good enough.” That’s concerning, because the agency is in charge of transportation safety, including “regulations that keep airplanes in the sky, prevent gas pipelines from exploding and stop freight trains carrying toxic chemicals from skidding off the rails,” the outlet notes. What if it just hallucinates stuff? Well, good enough!

The Trump administration deported the suspect behind the largest jewelry heist in American history, leaving the victims “in disbelief,” according to their lawyer. It’ll be much harder to prosecute the suspect now. “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. Lol.

Kanye West, who goes by Ye, bought a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal to apologize for his track record of anti-Semitic remarks. He blamed an undiagnosed brain injury and mental health issues. “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change,” Ye wrote. “It does not excuse what I did though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.” This seems like a promising step toward accountability. But remember, this is the same dude who released a song titled “Heil Hitler” less than a year ago. Not to mention he has an album coming out on Friday….

LIGHT AT THE END… ☀️

Israel recovered the body of the last remaining hostage in the Gaza Strip. It’s the first time since 2014 that no Israeli hostages have been held in the territory. Now, there’s more hope that Israel and Hamas can move forward with the current ceasefire.

The Department of Justice dropped charges against a man they had accused of ramming his car into federal agents in Minnesota earlier this month. The decision came after a five-minute hearing, during which federal prosecutors didn’t present any witness to back up their claims.

Children should still receive the 18 vaccines that have been recommended in recent years, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The guidance flies in the face of the CDC’s recent pivot, declaring that children should only receive 11 vaccines.

The Philadelphia Inquirer was profitable last year for the first time since 2004, with contributions from readers making up 70 percent of the paper’s revenue. Support local journalism!!!

Michael O’Reilley, a 77-year-old California man with dementia, doesn’t remember much these days — but he knows he loves his wife. So much, in fact, that he asked her to marry him again. “There are all kinds of crises that happen in life,” his wife of nearly four decades said. “This is one story of how love can endure … He just knows he loves me. That’s a constant.”

Remember our super cool colleagues, Nina and Jordan, who started a listening club to stay in tune with right-wing media? The New York Times wrote up this awesome piece about their efforts. “Humor is encouraged; messy emotions are to be kept in check. The point, the founders say, is to analyze what makes the conservative voices so effective at captivating and persuading their audiences,” the Times writes. Go check out the club!

I asked readers how they planned to handle the massive snowstorm that swept through much of the U.S. over the weekend. Several of you made soup. Some imbibed with bourbon and wine, while another used ChatGPT to come up with a Courvoisier cocktail. Others cozied up with a book by the fire. My favorite response, however, has to be this: “I’m going to talk on the phone with a 79-year-old cousin in England whom I’ve never met.”