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Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Where things stand
• Leader sidelined: Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are expected to leave Minneapolis today, sources said, as President Donald Trump is sending border czar Tom Homan to manage the immigration crackdown in the state. Trump also met with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for nearly two hours last night, according to sources.
• President shifts tone: Trump said he had “great conversations” with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey yesterday, indicating that a compromise could be reached. Meanwhile, first lady Melania Trump called on Americans to “unify” in the wake of the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good and the subsequent protests.
• Judge’s order: Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has been ordered to appear in federal court on Friday by a Minnesota judge to explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating an order in the case of a man challenging his detention.
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Trump says he does not believe Alex Pretti was an ‘assassin,’ contradicting top aide
From Xenix News
President Donald Trump said today that he does not believe Alex Pretti was acting as an “assassin” in Minneapolis, the most direct contradiction he’s made yet of how some members of his administration described Pretti in the immediate aftermath of his killing.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump was asked about the “assassin” description, which was used on Saturday by deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
“No,” Trump said, “not as an — no.”
He turned back after a moment to offer an addendum to his answer.
“With that being said, you can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with guns. You just can’t. You can’t walk in with guns, you can’t do that. But it’s a very unfortunate incident,” he said.
After Pretti was shot to death on Saturday, Miller referred to him as “a would-be assassin” who “tried to murder federal agents,” a claim Vice President JD Vance reposted on social media.
At the White House on Monday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to put distance between those comments and Trump’s feelings. She said she hadn’t heard Trump “characterize Mr. Pretti in that way.”
Trump says he’s “going to be watching over” investigation into Pretti shooting
From Xenix News
President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for an “honorable and honest” investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and said he’d be “watching over it.”
Asked Tuesday whether he believed Pretti’s death was justified, the president indicated that he would be involved with the investigation.
“Well you know, we’re doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself,” he told reporters while departing the White House for a trip to Iowa.
The president struck a more moderate tone than many of his top lieutenants, some of whom have cast Pretti as a “domestic terrorist.” There has been a shift in tone and strategy from the White House over the past day, with Trump announcing on Monday that he was sending border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to replace Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino on the ground.
Walz meets with White House border czar Tom Homan as two agree to “ongoing dialogue”
From Xenix News
White House Border Czar Tom Homan, left, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. AP
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s office said he met with White House border czar Tom Homan today and the two “agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue.”
The Democratic governor said he reiterated Minnesota’s priorities, including “impartial investigations into the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, a swift, significant reduction in the number of federal forces in Minnesota, and an end to the campaign of retribution against Minnesota.”
Walz and Homan “will continue working toward those goals, which the President also agreed to yesterday,” the governor’s office said.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety will be the primary liaison with Homan in ensuring those goals are met, Walz’s office noted.
Some background: President Donald Trump and Walz spoke by phone yesterday in what they both described as a productive conversation. “It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, striking a notably conciliatory tone.
In a separate statement, Walz said Trump agreed to consider reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and pledged to talk to his Department of Homeland Security about ensuring that state officials can investigate Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
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