BIG Admin
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n an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, hosted by Dana Bash, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who has overseen the controversial federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, defended his agents’ conduct after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse and protester Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during protests earlier this month. Pretti’s death — the second fatal shooting by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis within weeks following the death of Renee Good — has sparked widespread protests and intense scrutiny of the operation’s tactics. Bash repeatedly pressed Bovino over his characterization of Pretti as a “suspect” and challenged discrepancies between the official account and video footage showing Pretti holding only a phone before he was pepper-sprayed and subdued. Under continued questioning, Bovino asserted that his agents were “the victims,” a claim that has drawn sharp criticism from local officials and civil-rights advocates as controversy over federal use of force in the city grows.
In the same interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Dana Bash directly challenged Gregory Bovino’s framing of the killing, telling him, «It feels as though in some ways you’re blaming the victim here.» Bovino pushed back immediately, replying, «The victim?» before asserting, «The victims are the Border Patrol agents.» He went on to argue that Alex Pretti was responsible for his own death, claiming the protester had deliberately «injected» himself into a federal law enforcement operation and was «more than likely» present with the intent to assault officers. «The suspect put himself in that situation.» Bovino said, reinforcing his portrayal of Pretti as a threat rather than a victim as scrutiny over the federal agents’ use of force continues to intensify.
In the interview, Bash pressed Bovino to clarify messaging from figures aligned with the Trump administration who blamed Pretti for bringing a gun to the protest, despite the fact that he held a lawful concealed carry permit and that all publicly available videos show him holding a phone, not a firearm, at the time he was shot. Challenging the administration’s argument that Pretti posed a direct threat to federal agents, Bash asked, «Are you saying it’s not okay for him to exercise his Second Amendment right, not to mention his First Amendment right to be there in the first place, and if you do you can be shot by federal law enforcement?» Bovino rejected that interpretation of his remarks, responding simply, «No, I didn’t say that», as scrutiny continued over the justification offered by federal authorities for the use of lethal force.
In multiple videos filmed by bystanders who witnessed the fatal encounter, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, is seen holding a phone as he rushes toward a woman who had been violently pushed to the ground by a federal agent during the protest. As Pretti attempts to help her back to her feet, he is abruptly targeted by agents surrounding the scene, pepper-sprayed in the face, grabbed, and forced toward a group of officers. The footage shows Pretti being struck repeatedly as several agents converge on him, with one officer appearing to hit him with a firearm. In the seconds before he was shot multiple times, video evidence reviewed by independent news organizations shows an agent removing a gun and moving away from Pretti, while other agents are heard yelling “gun” even though the recordings show Pretti holding only a phone, images that have become central to questions surrounding the use of force by federal agents during the protest.
U.S. President Donald Trump has made a statement encouraging protesters in Iran to continue their efforts in the face of the Iranian government’s violent actions against protesters. Trump claimed that help is on the way for Iran, presumably coming from the U.S. In a post on Truth Social, Trump urged Iranians to commit an insurrection, telling the population to “Take over your institutions”. Trump went on in the statement to say that he has cancelled all his meetings with Iranian officials and is completely opposed to what he calls senseless killing. The statement comes after Trump announced that the U.S. will impose 25% tariffs on any country that trades with Iran.
The heads of all 27 European Union member states gathered in Brussels on January 22 to hold an emergency meeting regarding Trump’s continued verbal threats to annex Greenland. Trump has been continually making it known that he wants to own Greenland, a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark. With the World Economic Forum at Davos wrapping up on January 23, Donald Trump spent more than an hour addressing the summit during his time there. Trump flip-flopped between threatening multiple sovereign nations and claiming that he would not use military force to annex the country, despite what he had threatened before.
A new poll released by AP-NORC shows that more than 50% of American adults think Trump has gone ‘too far’ with his use of the U.S. military for foreign interference. It appears as though filming and bragging about the deaths of people, even if they aren’t Americans, is enough to turn away the majority of the population. AP-NORC, a centre run by the Associated Press, conducted the poll from January 8-11, shortly after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The poll found that 56% of American adults disapproved of Trump’s actions in Venezuela and thought he had overstepped on military interventions abroad, as well as how the Republican Party has handled foreign policy as a whole.
Thousands of people have now signed a petition expressing their anger towards Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland, who reportedly joked that the Nordic country should become the 52nd US state. Just hours before Denmark and Greenland were supposed to meet in the U.S. to try to deter Donald Trump’s annexation rhetoric, news site Politico released comments directed at the issue from a top U.S. official. According to Politico, Rep Billy Long, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland, joked on the floor to fellow representatives that Iceland will become the 52nd state of the U.S.
South Africa has launched an investigation into its choice to host Iranian warships off the coast of Cape Town after rumours of Donald Trump’s displeasure.
Donald Trump has triggered a fresh backlash across NATO with remarks questioning the alliance’s role in Afghanistan and its broader purpose. In a Fox News interview, he claimed the United States «did not need NATO», arguing allied troops stayed off «the front lines», comments widely condemned as dismissive of sacrifices made by partner nations. NATO members pointed to heavy losses suffered alongside US forces after Article 5 was invoked for the first time. Days later, Trump escalated tensions on Truth Social, suggesting NATO be put «to the test» by invoking Article 5 to counter «Invasions of Illegal Immigrants» at the US southern border, drawing sharp criticism from diplomats and security experts.
Donald Trump has withdrawn Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation to his proposed «Board of Peace», a loosely defined initiative presented as focused on peace efforts and the reconstruction of Gaza. The move came days after both leaders attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Carney delivered a widely acclaimed speech defending multilateral cooperation and a rules-based global order. Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, promoting the board as an elite forum with a permanent seat priced at one billion dollars. The episode highlighted a deepening divide between Trump’s transactional, nationalist approach and Carney’s call for collective action amid growing geopolitical instability.
Donald Trump has escalated tensions with Iran by announcing the deployment of a US naval «armada» toward the Middle East, describing the move as precautionary amid unrest in the country. Speaking aboard Air Force One, he said «We have a lot of ships going that direction» but stressed «I’d rather not see anything happen». The announcement came as Iran faces sustained protests and a deadly crackdown. Trump has voiced support for protesters while warning Tehran, yet stopped short of military action, having pulled back from strikes two weeks ago. Iran has since rejected as «completely false» Trump’s claim that his threats halted planned executions.
