Science

We'll start with the anti-science from RFK Jr (as reported by the Beeb): 

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to cancel $500m (£376m) in funding for mRNA vaccines being developed to counter viruses that cause diseases such as the flu and Covid-19.

That will impact 22 projects being led by major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, for vaccines against bird flu and other viruses, HHS said.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic, announced he was pulling the funding over claims that "mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses".

This was published August 5, 2025. 

And now the science from a few months later (as published by JAMA): 

In this national cohort study of 28 million individuals, the results found no increased risk of 4-year all-cause mortality in individuals aged 18 to 59 years vaccinated against COVID-19, further supporting the safety of the mRNA vaccines that are widely used worldwide.

Specifically, the study was to answer this question:

Are COVID-19 mRNA vaccines associated with the long-term risk of all-cause mortality?

So it seems that science has an answer and, simply put, that answer is "No."   

Science. 

 

ICE Mistreats Women

Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick is on the record regarding ICE, saying:

I support ICE officers and other federal law enforcement personnel who risk their lives daily to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law.   

I'm wondering if this "devoted husband and father of six bright young women" is fully aware of what ICE officers are doing to some women in this country - particularly in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

From The Minneapolis Star Tribune: 

The young Muslim woman was shackled at the ankles. For 24 hours, she was locked inside a bathroom with three men at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, she said. They were given no bedding or pillows. Meals consisted of one sandwich a day.

The sink faucet did not work, but the single toilet did. When the men pulled down their pants to use it, the woman hid her face.

For context, this unnamed woman is a legal refugee waiting on a green card.

There's more:

After the young Muslim woman spent nearly 24 hours locked in the bathroom with the three men, agents moved her to a different locked bathroom in the building’s basement, she said.

When she had her period, agents told her to use toilet paper. When she felt dizzy and vomited twice, agents did not grant her request for medical care. When they gave her a sandwich, she didn’t eat it, fearing it contained pork.

And then after all that, this is what happened:

On the fifth day, agents drove her and two other recently released detainees to a light-rail station near Whipple. They took off her handcuffs and told her to call an Uber, even though she didn’t have a phone. She borrowed one from another detainee.

As they released her into the cold, she recalls their simple words: “You are good to go.”

The Star Tribune also reports about two other women:

The lead plaintiff in an ACLU lawsuit said she was knocked into a snowbank by ICE in December while observing ICE arrests from a sidewalk in her neighborhood. The woman, Susan Tincher, a longtime resident of Minneapolis’ Near North neighborhood, was detained at Whipple, where she said federal agents cut off her wedding ring and parts of her clothes. She believes her treatment was retaliation for protesting ICE activity.

She was released without charges.

One detainee described to the Star Tribune seeing a Somali grandmother be denied access to her diabetes medication. A 24-year-old Somali American woman, a U.S. citizen born in Hennepin County who asked her name not be used, described agents ignoring requests for medical help from a fellow detainee with a broken finger.

The Fifth Amendment states:

No person shall...be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.

I'll note (again) that it does not say "no citizen." It says "no person." 

Senator McCormick, explain to me how any of this falls under an appropriate definition of "due process." 

And more importantly, Senator, how can you possibly be OK with any of this?

 

 

 

ICE OUT

From Huffpost:

 

Some text:

Italian street artist Laika has taken aim at the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement staffers at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with a new artwork in the host country's capital, Rome.

The Cover-up Continues - More Details Emerge

I am not sure if yinz missed it (what with all the Epstein file deflection and all) but The New York Times reported something quite chilling this weekend.

After point out that hours after the shooting of Renee Good, FBI agents sought a warrant as part of a "standard civil rights investigation" into the shooting, the paper reported this:

But later that week, as F.B.I. agents equipped with a signed warrant prepared to document blood spatter and bullet holes in Ms. Good’s S.U.V., they received orders to stop, according to several people with knowledge of the events who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The orders, they said, came from senior officials, including Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, several of whom worried that pursuing a civil rights investigation — by using a warrant obtained on that basis — would contradict President Trump’s claim that Ms. Good “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer” who fired at her as she drove her vehicle.

So after they obtained a signed warrant to document blood spatter and bullet holes (did you catch that?) they were told to stand down. After they'd already obtained the warrant.

Renee Good was killed on January 7, 2026 - which was a Wednesday. ABC has the time at about 9:37am (local time). So that's 10:37am Eastern. Trump set the limits for the investigation about 3:30pm (Eastern) that day with this. That's only about 5 hours later.

The Times noted that the investigators were told to stop "later that week."

Good to surmise that that's sometime before the following Monday, January 12. 

The Times also reported that, after investigators were ordered to stand down, DOJ  "officials presented alternative approaches" including:

• Getting a new warrant for the vehicle - as part of a criminal investigation into Renee Good and whether her killer was assaulted by her, and then
• Opening an investigation into Becca Good, Renee's partner, about their confrontation with ICE agents that day.

On the 10th, The Times reported:

The Trump administration blocked Minnesota officials from investigating the death of the woman shot on Wednesday by a federal agent, then quietly offered this explanation: Local investigators simply could not be trusted to conduct a fair inquiry.

The investigation into the killing of Renee Nicole Good, 37, federal officials said, would be the exclusive province of the F.B.I., which is overseen by a director, Kash Patel, who has described President Trump as an unerring boss, and even a king.

On January 13, Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick has emailed me that while he supports ICE he's also believed that the "tragic events in Minnesota are deeply concerning and warrant a full and transparent investigation to ensure the facts are clearly established and public confidence is maintained."

Considering what we've just learned, it's seems highly unlikely that there's a "full and transparent investigation" into Good's killing.

I'm wondering if Dave still thinks so. 

Feel free to contact Senator McCormick's office and ask him.

I know I will. 

 

Senator McCormick Responds!

He's responding (I am guessing) to this blog post from late January.

In that post, I reposted how The New York Times described the killing of Alex Pretti. At the bottom, I asked:

Have our two US Senators (Senator John Fetterman and Senator Dave McCormick) denounced the government's killing of Alex Pretti yet? 

Ask them if they will be making such a statement and if they won't, ask them why not. 

I sent the link to that blog post to both senators for their comments.

Nothing yet from Senator Fetterman.

This is how Senator McCormick responded:

As you know, on January 24, 2026, Mr. Pretti was fatally shot by U.S. federal agents during an immigration operation in Minneapolis. The incident is currently under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to preliminary reports, two federal agents discharged their weapons, and both have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death.  
 
I stand with the ICE and Border Patrol officers who risk their lives daily to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law. Law enforcement officers face extraordinary challenges, which are often compounded by inflammatory rhetoric in this case by Minnesota’s elected officials that escalates tensions and endangers both officers and the public, as we have seen in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Mr. Pretti. 
 
With regard to the Alex Pretti shooting, I have called for a full and transparent investigation into these tragic events to ensure facts are uncovered and made public. It is essential that these operations are conducted in a way that protects public safety and maintains trust and that we learn and get better from such tragic events. I also agree with the National Rifle Association (NRA) that simply exercising one’s Second Amendment rights does not in itself justify the shooting.  

Take a look at that second paragraph - how it's the "inflammatory rhetoric" that "escalates tensions and endangers" both the officers and the public.

But (as is obvious to anyone who watched the killing of Alex Pretti) that it's the ICE/DHS officers who have actually killed US citizens.  To divert any of the blame to "Minnesota's elected officials" is simply irresponsible.  

He's posted this before: 

As I have often said, I support the Border Patrol, ICE, and the critical work they do to enforce our laws. Irresponsible rhetoric and a lack of cooperation from Minnesota’s politicians are fueling a dangerous situation.

I also agree with the NRA and others — we need a full…

— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) January 25, 2026

But there are also issues with the investigation that the senator omits.

He states that the killing is "currently under investigation" by DHS (so in this instance DHS is investigating itself - a huge conflict of interest) and that "the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) [has] opened a civil rights investigation" as well.

And let's remember what the Trump administration has done to that division of DOJ:

Since President Trump was inaugurated, the Justice Department has driven out approximately 75% of attorneys from the Civil Rights Division. It’s also radically scaled back enforcement of the nation’s civil rights laws and constitutional protections.

 So, there's that...

The Senator's email to me:

 

In Case You Missed It

I saw this on FB.

It leads to this story at TribLive:

Harriett Flores, 38, said her husband took Lily outside and was warming up the car when he was approached by two Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents.

“The ICE agents came up to him, showed no warrant. They just shackled him,” Flores said through an interpreter. “They said he was getting arrested because he was illegal in the country.”

When she tried to ask questions, one of the agents told her to shut up because her daughter was present, Harriett Flores said.

A video Harriett Flores took of the incident shows, Jose, 47, being shuttled to an unmarked vehicle by the agents shortly after 10 a.m.

Some important context: 

Flores said her husband has no criminal record. A TribLive search of state and federal court databases showed no criminal record nor pending charges against Jose.

State Rep. Joe McAndrew, D-Penn Hills, said in a social media post Friday that Jose’s immigration status is legal. He called the incident an abduction.

Harriett Flores said she and Jose each have five-year work visas. Both are employed, making the visas valid. They also both have Real IDs, valid driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers.

And so on.

This is the social media post from State Rep McAndrew:

 Last time I checked, the Fourth Amendment: 

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. 

And the Fifth Amendment:

No person shall...be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. 

And the Fourteenth Amendment: 

...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. 

Are still the law of the land.

Perhaps our friends in ICE should read (can they read?) this posted at Congress.gov: 

ICE was established following the creation of DHS in 2003. The authority for ICE officers to arrest and detain aliens believed to have committed immigration violations derives primarily from 8 U.S.C. §§ 1226 and 1357.

Section 1226(a) provides that, upon issuance of an administrative warrant (otherwise known as an ICE warrant), an immigration officer may arrest and detain an alien pending a decision as to whether the alien is subject to removal. An ICE warrant is issued by certain immigration officials who have been authorized or delegated such authority and is exclusively for use by immigration officers who have successfully completed immigration law enforcement training. Unlike judicial warrants issued in criminal cases, ICE warrants do not require a detached and neutral magistrate; instead, ICE warrants require the officer to establish that "there is probable cause to believe" that the individual named in the warrant is subject to removal. 

What was the "probable cause to believe" that he was subject to removal? 

The man's skin tone and name are not enough. 

And Now, The Boss

Lyrics:

Through the winter's ice and cold
Down Nicollet Avenue
A city aflame fought fire and ice
'Neath an occupier's boots
King Trump's private army from the DHS
Guns belted to their coats
Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law
Or so their story goes

Against smoke and rubber bullets
In the dawn's early light
Citizens stood for justice
Their voices ringing through the night
And there were bloody footprints
Where mercy should have stood
And two dead, left to die on snow-filled streets
Alex Pretti and Renee Good

Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
We'll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
Here in our home, they killed and roamed
In the winter of '26
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis

 
Trump's federal thugs beat up on
His face and his chest
Then we heard the gunshots
And Alex Pretti lay in the snow dead
Their claim was self-defense, sir
Just don't believe your eyes
It's our blood and bones
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem's dirty lies

Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Crying through the bloody mist
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis

Now they say they're here to uphold the law
But they trample on our rights
If your skin is black or brown, my friend
You can be questioned or deported on sight
In our chants of "ICE out now"
Our city's heart and soul persists
Through broken glass and bloody tears
On the streets of Minneapolis

Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
Here in our home, they killed and roamed
In the winter of '26
We'll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis

ICE out (ICE out)
ICE out (ICE out)
ICE out (ICE out)

The names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis:

 

Renee Good
Alex Pretti 

 

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Herr Mozart!

 

Note: Peter Schickele passed away in 2024.

What Colbert Said

 

On January 24, 2026, members of Donald Trump's ICE/DHS occupying force killed Alex Pretti, a US citizen, after disarming him.

The agents involved in the shooting have been transferred out of Minneapolis and are still working for ICE/DHS - moved out of the area for their safety. 

Watch How Trump's DHS Lies About Killing Alex Pretti - US Citizen

She's head of Trump's DHS.  If she didn't know the facts, she should not speak as if she did. If she did know the facts and yet said what she said, she's lying. 

BTW, while he's seemingly calling for a full investigation into the shooting, Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick points the blame elsewhere (he also does not even bother to mention Alex Pretti's name or the manner of his death):

As I have often said, I support the Border Patrol, ICE, and the critical work they do to enforce our laws. Irresponsible rhetoric and a lack of cooperation from Minnesota’s politicians are fueling a dangerous situation.

I also agree with the NRA and others — we need a full…

— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) January 25, 2026

Donald Trump's ICE/DHS shot and killed a US citizen - a man with a permit to carry a weapon in an open carry state and who had no criminal record. 

This Happened To Alex Pretti, A US Citizen With No Criminal Record

From The New York Times:

Videos on social media that were verified by The New York Times appear to contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.

The Department of Homeland Security said the episode began after a man “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and they tried to disarm him. The statement did not specify whether the gun was in the man’s hands or merely on his body.

Footage shows Mr. Pretti was clearly holding a phone, not a gun, before the agents took him to the ground and shot him. 

Specifically: 

A small group of protesters stands in the street, speaking to a federal agent as whistles sound. Mr. Pretti appears to be filming the scene with his phone and directing traffic.

An agent begins shoving the demonstrators, and squirts pepper spray at their faces.

At this moment, Mr. Pretti has both hands clearly visible. One is holding his phone, while he holds the other up to protect himself from pepper spray. He moves to help one of the protesters who was sprayed, as other agents approach and pull him from behind.

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 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.

In total, at least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds.

ICU nurse Alex Pretti, a US Citizen who had no criminal record was shot at least 10 times after he was disarmed and after he was beaten by Trump's ICE/DHS ground troops currently occupying a US city.

Have our two US Senators (Senator John Fetterman and Senator Dave McCormick) denounced the government's killing of Alex Pretti yet? 

Ask them if they will be making such a statement and if they won't, ask them why not. 

 

 

 

Senator McCormick Responds!

I think it's to this blog post.

I frame my criticism of recent ICE incidents in contrast to The Fourth Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. 

And I will continue to do so as the amendments are part of the constitution of the United States is the law of the land. 

In that blog post I referenced an incident where agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "bashed open a door" without a warrant - in seeming violation of The Fourth Amendment.

After reminding US Senator Dave McCormick of his oath of office, I ask if The Fourth Amendment still applies.

And this is how he responded (image of the full email response at the end of this blogpost).

He wrote:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a component of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for enforcing the nation’s immigration laws. Within ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) identifies, arrests, and detains noncitizens who violate the Immigration and Nationality Act (P.L. 82-414). Under federal law (8 U.S.C. §§ 1226 and 1357), immigration officers have the authority to apprehend and detain individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States. 

And:

The federal government has a responsibility to enforce immigration laws. I support President Trump’s efforts to restore order at the southern border, uphold the rule of law, and protect American communities. This includes detaining and removing inadmissible individuals who pose a threat to public safety and national security. My office remains committed to ensuring that established standards and appropriate due process are upheld through careful oversight and ongoing engagement with DHS.

You'll note that there's no mention of The Fourth Amendment - a part of the constitution that the federal government also has a responsibility to respect. 

I was in the middle of writing this when I learned about this:

 

Ok, Senator - how does this fit into your office's efforts to ensure established standards and appropriate due process regarding ICE/DHS.

DHS posted this:

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, seen here.

The officers attempted to… pic.twitter.com/5Y50mYONGH

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 24, 2026

Explain something to me, Senator. It's obvious from the video that the soon-to-be bulletted man was already on the ground and was in the midst of taking a taking a serious beating.  Hadn't the ICE-trained officers disarmed him by the time they were beating him?

Why kill him, then?

How much more of this do you have to see before you stand up for the people of the country and for the constitution and for the rule of law, Senator? 

The Fourth Amendment still applies, doesn't it?

We'll head back to The Fourth Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

And yet, this happened:  

Federal immigration agents bashed open a door and detained a U.S. citizen in his Minnesota home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him out onto the streets in his underwear in subfreezing conditions, according to his family and videos reviewed by The Associated Press.

ChongLy “Scott” Thao told the AP that his daughter-in-law alerted him on Sunday afternoon that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were banging at the door of his residence in St. Paul. He told her not to open it. Masked agents then forced their way in and pointed guns at the family, yelling at them, Thao recalled.

“I was shaking,” he said. “They didn’t show any warrant; they just broke down the door.”

There's even an ICE memo to back this up:

Federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press, marking a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches.

The Fourth Amendment still applies, doesn't it?

Every Senator in the US Senate takes an oath that starts with this:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same...

In an email response to me, Senator Dave McCormick once wrote: 

I support ICE officers and other federal law enforcement personnel who risk their lives daily to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law. 

I am wondering if he still supports ICE in light of this assault on The Fourth Amendment. 

I suppose I'll have to go to his contact page and ask him.

I suggest you do, too, 

 

 

 

The World's Gone Wrong - Everybody Knows It

Truth - From Lawyer Oyer

Watch this.

The text.

It starts with this:

One of the most contradictory areas of U.S. policy this past year has been drug enforcement. I’ve put together a timeline — which I’ve also shared in video form on my socials — which I think will help to explain why many of us are so confused. Check it out.

January 20, 2025. Donald Trump signs an Executive Order designating drug cartels terrorist organizations, and declaring that “it is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of [their] presence in the United States.”

Then goes through lots of contradictory stuff and then ends with this:

January 2026. Trump sends troops into Venezuela to capture their president, Nicolas Maduro, and try him in the United States on charges of drug trafficking. The charges against Maduro are almost identical to the ones that Trump pardoned Hernandez for.

So how can we reconcile this totally contradictory timeline? That’s exactly what we should be asking our elected officials. It’s not our job to make it make sense—it’s theirs. My focus in 2026 will be seeking accountability from those entrusted to run our country. I invite you to join me. You can be part of my accountability circle by subscribing to my channels, sharing this information, asking questions, and demanding answers. It’s what we deserve from our elected leaders.

Pass it on. 

 

 

 

 

 

If I Could Get A Follow-up Over To Senator McCormick

Remember this?

That was my blog post regarding Senator Dave McCormick's response to this blog post. 

In that first blog post, I wrote about how the DOJ's Civil Rights Division would not play a role in the investigation into the killing of Renee Good.

At the end of it I asked if the senator was OK with the Civil Rights Division being part of that investigation.

As part of his answer, McCormick wrote:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently conducting an independent investigation to determine the full facts and circumstances surrounding this loss of life. 

And this weekend, we learned that's not necessarily the case.

From The Washington Post: 

In the immediate aftermath of the death of Renée Good in Minneapolis, FBI agents launched a civil rights investigation into the actions of the immigration officer who shot her, according to three people familiar with the investigation.

An agent in Minnesota conducted an initial review of the shooting and determined that sufficient grounds existed to open a civil rights probe into the actions of Jonathan Ross, the officer who shot Good, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The existence of the civil rights investigation stands in sharp contrast to public statements made by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said on “Fox News Sunday” that the shooting of Good does not warrant a federal investigation.

Deputy AG Blanche said the shooting does not warrant a federal investigation. 

The Guardian has more:

“Is the FBI conducting an investigation into that agent, into the shooting?” Blanche was asked, in response to criticism from Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz.

“Look, what happened that day has been reviewed by millions and millions of Americans because it was recorded on phones,” Blanche said. “The department of justice, our civil rights unit, we don’t just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody putting his life in danger. We never do.”

“The department of justice doesn’t just stand up and investigate because some congressman thinks we should, because some governor thinks that we should,” Blanche said. “We investigate when it’s appropriate to investigate and that is not the case here.

“We are not going to bow to pressure from the media, bow to pressure from politicians, and do something that we never do – not under this administration, not under the last administration. So no, we are not investigating.”

There it is again.

So I'll ask again, Senator. Are you OK with this? And if so, why?

 

A Reminder -

 After pointing out (again) that I am not an attorney, let's start right here:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

That's the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution. 

So can they just stop you to to ask you for your papers?

Generally, no.

Brown v. Texas, 443 U.S. 47 (1979)

The application of the Texas statute to detain appellant and require him to identify himself violated the Fourth Amendment because the officers lacked any reasonable suspicion to believe that appellant was engaged or had engaged in criminal conduct. Detaining appellant to require him to identify himself constituted a seizure of his person subject to the requirement of the Fourth Amendment that the seizure be "reasonable." 

So you unless there's any "reasonable suspicion" that you're doing something criminal, they simply can't just ask you for your papers.

 

 

Pedophile Protector

From Reuters:

Donald Trump raised his middle finger and appeared to direct profanity toward a Michigan auto plant worker who criticized the U.S. president's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein controversy during a visit on Tuesday, video circulating online showed. 

The entertainment site TMZ first published video of the exchange, and the White House did not dispute its authenticity.

You can read the TMZ reporting here.

An interesting dichotomy in all this. From the Detroit Free Press:

When asked about a video clip of the incident, Ford spokesman Dave Tovar emailed a statement saying the company had a great event and is proud of how employees represented Ford. 

"We’ve seen the clip you’re referring to," Tovar said. "One of our core values is respect and we don’t condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities. When that happens, we have a process to deal with it, but we don’t get into specific personnel matters."

On the other hand from USAToday:

"A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to USA TODAY.

So the the guy exercising his First Amendment rights by shouting the truth at Trump gets suspended and the White House responds by saying that he's a lunatic.

Where are the rest of the Epstein files, by the way? 

 

 

 

All of us

There is now video after video after video of ICE snatching people off the streets and out of cars, assaulting them, disappearing them for hours or all together. Many times these are US citizens...even minor US citizens. They're actually going door to door now. No warrants. No cause. 

Report after report of detainees being denied medical care and worse still, over 30 people died in ICE custody last year -- the most in over two decades. It should be noted that no ICE agents have died despite how many times we are told they are in terrible danger.

And now of course, a 37 year old mother of three, Renee Good, shot in the head three times and killed by ICE in broad daylight. The shooter fleeing the scene with his gun and any bodily evidence. There are now resignations from the DOJ's Civil Rights Division and federal prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office based in Minneapolis over the way the shooting is being handled or should we say mishandled. The FBI has refused to cooperate in any way with local and State officials.

The President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of Homeland Security all labeling Good as a domestic terrorist and her killer innocent minutes after the shooting. The Secretary of Homeland Security doing so behind a podium labeled with an actual Nazi/fascist slogan.

And despite the bot comments in every news story on the subject claiming that all she had to do was comply (the way they have any time any Black person has been wrongly hurt by police), the majority of the American public does not agree. Poll after poll shows that the majority believe the shooter was in the wrong, the majority believe that ICE is acting unlawfully, and 47% want ICE abolished -- an opinion that would have been considered wildly radical mere months ago.

What is happening in Minneapolis is insanity. It is the government declaring war on the city and everyone in it including US citizens. 

Anything that you can do at this moment, whether protesting, or contacting your elected officials, or writing letters to the editor, or speaking to your friends and family about this.-- literally anything -- needs to be done and needs to be done right now. We are all of us at war.

Senator McCormick Responds

Today is January 14.

On January 12, I posted this and sent the link to Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick's office.

Yesterday, January 13, I got an email response.

It's notable for what it says and what it doesn't say.

After thanking me for "sharing" my thoughts on the "recent fatal shooting in Minneapolis" the Senator writes:

I support ICE officers and other federal law enforcement personnel who risk their lives daily to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law. The tragic events in Minnesota are deeply concerning and warrant a full and transparent investigation to ensure the facts are clearly established and public confidence is maintained. 

Senator McCormick leaves out the part that the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, the part of the DOJ that usually takes the lead in such high profile investigations, will not be participating in this investigation - as per the orders of the Trump DOJ.

In his next paragraph, there's this sentence:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently conducting an independent investigation to determine the full facts and circumstances surrounding this loss of life. 

He leaves out how senior Justice Department officials overruled the decision to have the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension - a state agency that reviews police shootings - cooperate in the investigation.

And take a look at the other sentence in that paragraph:

On January 7, 2026, Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot during a federal immigration enforcement operation in south Minneapolis.  

Note the passive voice there. How "Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot..." and how there's no mention of who fatally shot Renee Good (not even with the necessary "alleged").

Then there's the next paragraph:

I also believe that we must all work to lower the temperature of our public discourse. While strong disagreements are a part of our democratic system and should be debated vigorously, inflammatory rhetoric and violent protests, led by paid activists, have put law enforcement officers and others at risk. The statistics are troubling: assaults on ICE officers have increased by 1,347 percent, and reported death threats have risen by more than 8,000 percent compared to this time last year. Dehumanizing rhetoric distorts reality and creates a dangerous climate where violence becomes the inevitable next step.  

Senator McCormick leaves out how, even before the investigation started, Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Noem were asserting "facts" that were either not supported by evidence or completely untrue (that Good was a domestic terrorist or how she "ran over" the officer).

But sure, let's "lower the temperature of our public discourse."

Then there's the statistics.  They come directly from the aforementioned Secretary Noem's DHS, released January 8 - the day after Renee Good's killing by an ICE officer.

Have these statistics been independently verified? How much trust should we put in them, given the context?

Bottom line, Senator: One of Donald Trump's ICE agents killed Renee Good and it looks an awful lot like Donald Trump's DOJ is doing its weaponized best to cover it up. 

Here's the letter from Sen McCormick:

 

 

And Now...War Crimes

From The New York Times:

The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first attack on a boat that the Trump administration said was smuggling drugs, killing 11 people last September, according to officials briefed on the matter. The aircraft also carried its munitions inside the fuselage, rather than visibly under its wings, they said.

And:

Retired Maj. Gen. Steven J. Lepper, a former deputy judge advocate general for the United States Air Force, said that if the aircraft had been painted in a way that disguised its military nature and got close enough for the people on the boat to see it — tricking them into failing to realize they should take evasive action or surrender to survive — that was a war crime under armed-conflict standards.

“Shielding your identity is an element of perfidy,” he said. “If the aircraft flying above is not identifiable as a combatant aircraft, it should not be engaged in combatant activity.”

Perfidy.

Let's look at that.

From the Geneva Convention

Article 37 - Prohibition of perfidy

 

  1. It is prohibited to kill, injure or capture an adversary by resort to perfidy. Acts inviting the confidence of an adversary to lead him to believe that he is entitled to, or is obliged to accord, protection under the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, with intent to betray that confidence, shall constitute perfidy. The following acts are examples of perfidy: 

 

  (c) the feigning of civilian, non-combatant status        

From the DOD Law of War Manual: 

5.22.2 Perfidy - “Kill or Wound”. It is prohibited to use perfidy to kill or wound the enemy. 

And the US Navy/Marines/Coast Guard Handbook on Naval Operations:

Honor prohibits perfidy, the misuse of certain signs, fighting in the enemy’s uniform, feigning nonhostile relations in order to seek a military advantage...

And so on.

Perfidy. Prohibited. War crime. 

 

 

The Cover-up Of Renee Good's Killing

H/t to Liz Oyer.

From CBS:

Prosecutors in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division were told they will not play a role in the ongoing investigation into a fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by a federal immigration officer, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Leadership in the Civil Rights Division, overseen by Harmeet Dhillon, informed staff in the division's criminal section that there would not be an investigation, two sources said. Normally, after a high-profile incident involving a fatal shooting by an officer, attorneys from the criminal section fly out to the scene. Multiple career prosecutors offered to do so in this case, but they were told not to do so, one of the sources added. 

While investigations into the excessive use of force can be pursued solely by a U.S. Attorney's office without direct involvement from the Civil Rights Division, it is customary for the division's federal prosecutors to take the lead on high-profile investigations like the one in Minnesota.

From the Civil Rights Division website:

Congress created the Civil Rights Division in 1957 to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status, military status and national origin.

Except, apparently, Renee Good - who was killed by an ICE agent a few days ago. 

From another section of that same website, we learn that the Civil Rights Division, under 18 U.S.C. § 242 is tasked to investigate "Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law" specifically:

This provision makes it a crime for someone acting under color of law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. It is not necessary that the offense be motivated by racial bias or by any other animus.

Defendants act under color of law when they wield power vested by a government entity.  Those prosecuted under the statute typically include police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and prison guards.  However other government actors, such as judges, district attorneys, other public officials, and public school employees can also act under color of law and can be prosecuted under this statute.

This apparently doesn't apply to Renee Good, who was killed by one of Trump's ICE agents a few days ago.

Interesting part of the story, Harmeet Dhillon is in fact an immigrant herself - born in India and grew up in The Bronx and then North Carolina and became a US citizen when she was 12. She's the one who, I suppose, decided against using the Civil Rights Division to investigate an ICE agent who killed a US citizen.

Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick also voted to confirm Dhillon as head of that division. 

Senator McCormick, are you OK with the Civil Rights Division not investigating the killing of Renee Good?

 

 

 

 

Another Reminder (After Trump's ICE Killed A US Citizen)

Remember, I am not a lawyer, just a concerned citizen.

Let's start (as we should always start) with the Constitution.  Specifically the Amendments.

This one:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause...

And this one:

No person shall be ... compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law...

Note that it says "The right the people" and "No person" and not "The right of the citizens"  and "No citizen." 

That means they apply to everybody. 

8 U.S. Code § 1357 says:  

Any officer or employee of the Service authorized under regulations prescribed by the Attorney General shall have power without warrant—

(1) to interrogate any alien or person believed to be an alien as to his right to be or to remain in the United States;

(2) to arrest any alien who in his presence or view is entering or attempting to enter the United States in violation of any law or regulation made in pursuance of law regulating the admission, exclusion, expulsion, or removal of aliens, or to arrest any alien in the United States, if he has reason to believe that the alien so arrested is in the United States in violation of any such law or regulation and is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest, but the alien arrested shall be taken without unnecessary delay for examination before an officer of the Service having authority to examine aliens as to their right to enter or remain in the United States;

Note that it only applies to "any alien" or any "person believed to be an alien" - and only within the limits of asking about his "right to be or remain in the United States."

ICE has no legal authority to interrogate any US citizen and certainly no authority to demand entry into that citizen's house/apartment or make a demand for that citizen to exit their vehicle.  

Trump's ICE agent killed a US Citizen.

 

A Reminder (About DHS After Trump's ICE Killed An American Citizen)

H/T to Huffpost:

The explicit, publicly available policies of the Department of Homeland Security for use of force and deadly force and the 1989 and 1985 Supreme Court cases Graham v. Connor and Tennessee v. Garner, support that reality — along with the locally relevant Minnesota State Statute 609.066.

Let's go dig a little deeper the DHS Department Policy Use of Force document, shall we?

It contains this: 

Unless further restricted by DHS Component policy, DHS LEOs are permitted to use force to control subjects in the course of their official duties as authorized by law, and in defense of themselves and others. In doing so, a LEO shall use only the force that is objectively reasonable in light of the facts and circumstances confronting him or her at the time force is applied. [Bolding in original]

And this:

DHS LEOs should seek to employ tactics and techniques that effectively bring an incident under control while promoting the safety of LEOs and the public, and that minimize the risk of unintended injury or serious property damage. DHS LEOs should also avoid intentionally and unreasonably placing themselves in positions in which they have no alternative to using deadly force.

And this:

As soon as practicable following a use of force and the end of any perceived public safety threat, DHS LEOs shall obtain appropriate medical assistance for any subject who has visible or apparent injuries, complains of being injured, or requests medical attention. This may include rendering first aid if properly trained and equipped to do so, requesting emergency medical services, and/or arranging transportation to an appropriate medical facility.

And this:

A DHS LEO may use deadly force only when the LEO has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the LEO or to another person.

And this:

Fleeing Subjects: Deadly force shall not be used solely to prevent the escape of a fleeing subject. However, deadly force is authorized to prevent the escape of a fleeing subject where the LEO has a reasonable belief that the subject poses a significant threat of death or serious physical harm to the LEO or others and such force is necessary to prevent escape. [Underline in original]

And this:

DHS LEOs are prohibited from discharging firearms at the operator of a moving vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or other conveyance unless the use of deadly force against the operator is justified under the standards articulated elsewhere in this policy. Before using deadly force under these circumstances, the LEO must take into consideration the hazards that may be posed to law enforcement and innocent bystanders by an out-of- control conveyance.

So the shooter should not have put himself in a position where he might have to use deadly force and Trump's ICE crew should have rendered medical care to the woman one of them just shot. They should not have shot at the car if they thought shooting it would stop the woman from fleeing.

Trump's ICE killed an American citizen. 

Orwell Still Matters

The Frame from Orwell

The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.

Our reality right now.

Trump: 

The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer...

JD Vance: 

“I’m not happy that this woman lost her life,” he said of Renee Nicole Good, 37, who was fatally shot during a confrontation with ICE officers Wednesday. President Donald Trump has said that Good was "resisting" orders and "viciously ran over the ICE Officer" during an immigration-related operation in the city.  

Noem:

Today, in an act of domestic terrorism, an anti-ICE rioter weaponized her vehicle against law enforcement.

None of any of that was, in fact true.

The CBC:

Good turns her front wheels to the right and her vehicle starts to move forward. At that point, the third officer appears to be less a metre in front of the driver's side edge of the SUV's hood.

The officer then pulls his gun and fires what appears to be three shots into the vehicle. Even as he fires the first shot, the front of the vehicle has clearly passed him as it turns right and he is shooting as he stands beside it.

Trump's ICE agents kill an American citizen and then blame her for it. 

In doing so they're telling you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.

 

 

Trump's ICE Kills American Citizen

This was inevitable.  Still is.

From The Guardian:

Federal agents shot and killed a woman during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on Wednesday. 

Ilhan Omar, the Democratic Minnesota congresswoman, said the victim was “a legal observer” of action by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which had sent a surge of agents into the city in recent days tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. 

A witness to the incident, Emily Heller, told local media that the victim was shot in the face multiple times. Heller said she saw a car blocking traffic that appeared to be part of a protest against the ICE operation, and heard an agent telling the driver, a woman, to “get out of here”. 

“She was trying to turn around, and the ICE agent was in front of her car, and he pulled out a gun and put it right in – like his midriff was on her bumper – and he reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times,” Heller told MPR News, a Minneapolis public radio station. 

The woman has been identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a US citizen and mother of three who had recently moved to Minnesota.

More from NPR: 

NPR and MPR have reviewed multiple videos of the shooting taken from different vantage points and posted to social media. The footage shows multiple officers near an SUV stopped in the middle of the road. One officer demands the driver exit the vehicle and grabs the car handle. The SUV reverses, then begins to drive forward, which is when a different officer near the front of the car pulls his weapon and fires into the vehicle. Three gunshots are heard, as the firing officer backs away from the SUV. Moments later, the vehicle crashes.

You can see it here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MPR News (@mprnews)

 

She was not blocking the road.  She was trying to drive away.

Trump's ICE killed her and then tried to say she was at fault because this was an act of domestic terrorism.

It was. The ICE shooters are the terrorists. 

President Gaslight Spins A Tall Tale

From The New York Times:

On the fifth anniversary of the pro-Trump mob attack on the Capitol, the Trump administration created a new page on the official White House website that represented the president’s most brazen bid yet to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 riot with false claims aimed at absolving him of responsibility.

You can find it here. 

Axios has some much needed corrections:

The page, which is headed by sprawling images of House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and members of the select committee that probed Jan. 6, reads that Democrats "staged the real insurrection by certifying a fraud-ridden election."

• Election officials have maintained a lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud.

As does CNN:

The website champions Trump’s controversial claim that then-Vice President Mike Pence “had the opportunity to return disputed electoral slates to state legislatures for review and decertification,” during the joint session of Congress that day, but chose not to “in an act of cowardice and sabotage.”

Pence himself, legal scholars from across the political spectrum, and many of Trump’s aides and advisers, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have said it would be would have been blatantly unconstitutional for the then-vice president to refuse to certify the 2020 election.

Casting Pelosi, then the Democratic House speaker, as a primary villain of January 6, the White House site seized on comments she made in an HBO documentary, where she said, of security at the Capitol: “I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more.”

“They clearly didn’t know, and I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more,” Pelosi said in the clip. 

That remark doesn’t prove Trump’s oft-repeated claim, which he said again in a speech Tuesday, that Pelosi turned down his supposed offer for an advance deployment of 10,000 National Guard troops. Pelosi has always denied having received such an offer, and the president – not the House speaker – is in charge of the DC National Guard.

And now some truth:

The first is the evidence here made clear that President Trump was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy. These crimes were committed for his benefit.

The attack that happened at the Capitol, part of this case, does not happen without him. The other co-conspirators were doing this for his benefit. 

Anything else is a lie.