polecat news and views

Friday, January 30, 2026

Congress was going to vote this upcoming week on a package of six funding bills, including money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to keep the government running after Friday's shutdown deadline.

But the killing of Alex Pretti on Saturday by ICE has driven the Democrats over the edge into hysteria, with many now calling for the party to oppose the DHS funding bill until reforms of ICE are included.

“Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, adding that he was going to vote “no.”

Congress has already passed funding for some agencies — including the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, and Justice — but not for the largest departments, including the Pentagon and DHS.

Republicans need at least seven Democrats to vote for the package, including the DHS funding bill that includes money for ICE operations."The Senate should reject the DHS funding bill next week until significant reforms are added to the bill. We need a complete overhaul," Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) said in a post on X.

The chances of completing a "complete overhaul" of ICE before next Friday or anytime soon, for that matter, are nil. Democrats aren't interested in reforming ICE, anyway. They wouldn't know how, for one. They believe they have found a line of attack that would put them on the side of the angels in any government shutdown fight.

Meanwhile, it's time for the Democrats to emote.

Now she wants to activate the National Guard. For what purpose, the hysterical AOC doesn't say. Does she want the Minnesota National Guard to go to war against ICE agents? I'm sure she'll think of something.

Axios:

Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), in an X thread reacting to the shooting, exclaimed: "I am doing my best to respond to this without a string of expletives."
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) urged colleagues to sign on to her articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, with Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) calling to "abolish ICE" and "impeach Kristi Noem."
Many other Democrats released statements calling for the officers involved to be prosecuted and for ICE and CBP to leave Minneapolis.
The intrigue: It's not just rank-and-file House Democrats pushing the envelope.
"The Senate must vote against funding CBP and ICE. The House must immediately take steps to impeach Kristi Noem," Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement.
Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) called for Senate Democrats to "reject funding for ICE this coming week and demand an end to this madness."

Democrats who had helped Majority Leader John Thune advance the last funding bill in March are all going to vote against the funding package that would avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the week.

“I am voting against any funding for DHS until and unless more controls are put in place to hold ICE accountable,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) in a statement Saturday. “These repeated incidents of violence across the country are unlawful, needlessly escalatory, and making all of us less safe.”

Schatz, along with Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), is pledging not to fund DHS.

“I have the responsibility to hold the Trump Administration accountable when I see abuses of power — like we are seeing from ICE right now,” Rosen said on X. “That is why I’ll be voting against any government funding package that contains the bill that funds this agency, until we have guardrails in place to curtail these abuses of power and ensure more accountability and transparency.”

"Guardrails"? "Reforms"? How are those changes to ICE going to keep anti-ICE demonstrators from threatening and obstructing law enforcement engaged in their constitutionally mandated duties?

The shootings of civilians in Minneapolis are exactly what protest organizers and the people funding these demonstrations want. They train their cadres to “provoke” a response from law enforcement. Now they’ve got it, and soon, I expect, they will achieve their goal of forcing ICE to exit Minneapolis — either because the federal courts will force them out or because Trump temporarily withdraws to fight another day.

The Democrats are talking themselves into a constitutional crisis as they ratchet up their hysterical, anti-ICE rhetoric, terrifying the public and emboldening demonstrators. The fact that they may succeed does not bode well for the future of the republic.

https://pjmedia.com/rick-moran/2026/01/25/hysterical-democrats-are-talking-themselves-into-a-government-shutdown-n4948721?utm_source=pjmediavip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_pm

You Thought the Video Was Bad: Anti-ICE Protesters Ambush of MN Cities Church Is Even Worse Than Reported

You Thought the Video Was Bad: Anti-ICE Protesters Ambush of MN Cities Church Is Even Worse Than Reported

By Jennifer Oliver O'Connell

As my colleague Brad Slager wrote on Thursday concerning the state of Minnesota, we are living in a cycle of perpetual outrage. I'll add entitlement to that equation. Thinking that the First Amendment gives you the right to harass, attack, and do harm to federal agents because you think criminal illegals need your protection, and demanding justice for activists who made poor choices that get them killed, requires some next-level deception, heavy drugs, or a combination of both. As RedState reported, one of the protests fully jumped the shark. In a coordinated attack, a group of activists stormed a St. Paul, MN church to terrorize the parishioners who simply came to church to worship.

As RedState and our sister site Townhall reported, these so-called social justice warriors stormed into the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, in the middle of their worship service, on the premise that one of the church's pastors was associated with ICE. My colleague Nick Arama revealed that former CNN anchor Don Lemon decided to join the terrorists to livestream the protest, because "journalism."
One of the activists used scripture to excuse their terrible behavior, declaring that "Judgment begins at the house of God." Hebrews 10:31 says that, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," so this person and his cohorts may be getting more than they bargained for.

And they did. Attorney General Pam Bondi filed charges against Nekima Levy Armstrong, who Bondi alleged helped to organize the coordinated ambush; Chauntyll Allen, a school board member and self-proclaimed educator and activist; and professional protester William Kelly. Armstrong and Allen were arrested on Thursday, and Kelly soon after that. As RedState further reported, on Friday they were all released pending court proceedings. Along with the damning video, the FBI Affidavit in support of the warrant revealed the depth of verbal violence and chaos these agitators caused, worse than what was originally reported or what the viral video exposed. The Affidavit witnesses attested to parents being blocked from being able to retrieve their children, agitators screaming in the faces of children, and one person who ended up breaking their arm trying to escape from the chaos.

Dive Deeper: Here We Go Again: Biden-Appointed Judge Releases MN Church Agitators Nekima Armstrong, Chauntyll Allen

Doxxing Citizens, Turning Racist, and Protesting Dogs — a Look at the Moronic Minnesota Protesters

Ahead of the DOJ charges, Armstrong attempted to downplay that her and her band of marauders caused any harm. Armstrong had the nerve to claim that her group "participated in the service."

As my colleague Nick Arama reported:

Armstrong may have suspected the hammer was about to fall when she went on CNN's Erin Burnett Outfront on Wednesday, since she gave a fascinating spin on what they did at the house of worship. Armstrong claimed that they did not "rush into the church," that they actually "sat down and participated in the service."

As Arama also noted, the video told a different tale, and the interviews documented in the affidavit make Armstrong look even worse.

Anti-ICE Agitator Who Dared Bondi to Come Get Him Finds Out That Was a Bad Idea

From Page 11 of the affidavit:

Paragraph 29. While at the church [redacted] interviewed ARMSTRONG, who stated, "I told [inaudible] that Victim 1 is a pastor here and he also serves as a Director of the Field Office for ICE in St. Paul. [redacted] asked, "Are you sure that he's...?" ARMSTRONG answered, "Yes, Cities Church, and that's why we're here. We're demanding justice for Renee Good and letting them know that this will not stand. They cannot pretend to be a house of God while harboring someone who is directing ICE agents to wreak havoc upon our community and who killed Renee Good, who almost killed a six-month-old baby. Enough is enough. I am a reverend, on top of being a lawyer and an activist."

Armstrong should have decided to just be a "reverend" that day and not try to be judge, jury, and executioner. Her cohort, William Kelly, was even worse.

27. During [redacted] broadcast, ARMSTRONG and ALLEN are observed yelling "ICE out." KELLY can also be heard yelling, "This ain't God's house. This is the house of the devil." Based on my review of KELLY's numerous social media posts, I recognize that is KELLY's voice on the video saying those words.

What is truly horrible is that the activists blocked distressed parents from being able to get to their children and yelled in children's faces, making them cry. Page 18 reads:

46. Victim 4 informed agents that members of their parish attempted to retrieve their children from the childcare area located downstairs, but the agitators were blocking the stairs, and the parents were unable to get to their children. Victim 4 recalled one agitator was threatening, aggressive, and intimidating towards parishioners. Additionally, this agitator was screaming and getting into people's faces, to include women and young children. This agitator continue to scream in the faces of young children while they were crying.

Who does this?

Victim 6 recalled his child stating to him "Daddy, I thought you were going to die." Victim 6 ended the interview and acknowledged that his children are traumatized.

Ya think?!

Perhaps these interviews should have been more closely considered in the judge's decision to allow these miscreants to be released on bail. Although with the level of TDS among the judiciary, it may not have made a difference. As the Daily Signal's Tyler O'Neill surmises, this invasion is an atrocity. Whether through the DOJ's Civil Rights Division or the lawsuit Cities Church will file against these terrorizers, justice must be served.

https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2026/01/25/deposition-proves-the-anti-ice-protesters-storming-cities-church-was-even-worse-than-reported-n2198514?utm_source=rsmorningbriefingvip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Thursday, January 29, 2026

Minneapolis: How Is This Not an Insurrection?

Minneapolis: How Is This Not an Insurrection?

Eric Florack

Here’s the preface question: For all the complaints we’ve been subjected to over the years about how Jan. 6 was an insurrection (for the record, it wasn’t), how is what we are now seeing in Minneapolis not an insurrection?

At the center of this mess right now, you have someone who showed up to the “protest” with a gun and a couple of clips, clearly intending to use that gun against federal law enforcement. True, he had been granted a carry permit, but he was not carrying either his ID or his carry permit as required by law. I’m seeing reports that the man shot by ICE, Alex Pretti, was part of a Signal group targeting ICE.

This is not about the Second Amendment as many of the supporters of those anti-ICE rioters claim. (Yes, I said rioter. It's not a protest when you are actively attacking federal officers.)

Even absent any Second Amendment discussion, rule number one here seems a purely logical point. It's one that seems to be getting ignored by many: You simply do not pull a loaded gun on a federal officer doing his duty enforcing the law and expect to survive.

Somewhat less reported was an incident mentioned by PJ Media’s Catherine Salgado.

McLaughlin explained, “In Minneapolis, these rioters attacked our law enforcement officer and one of them bit off our HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] officer’s finger. He will lose his finger.” What a proud victory for Walz and co.! They managed to ruin a brave officer’s life.

Just ponder how deranged and bestial you have to be to seek out a federal law enforcement officer for the express purpose of assaulting him, and then deliberately bite off his finger. I can't help but think of Gollum biting off Frodo's finger at the climax of The Lord of the Rings to obtain the Ring; and the fiction has a parallel to the reality. As Tolkien meant the Ring to represent sin and evil, and as Gollum is destroyed and driven mad by it, so leftist domestic terrorists seem drunk on and driven mad by their lust for violence and revenge.

And she correctly notes:

It seems long past time for President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. In the chaos and violence following the death of an armed Minneapolis would-be terrorist shot while fighting Border Patrol, another protester has bitten off the finger of a federal officer.

Over at Powerline, Scott Johnson notes:

Fifth District Rep. Ilhan Omar sits in Congress and comes to town occasionally to rouse the rabble. Former Nation of Islam hustler Keith Ellison burrows from the inside as Minnesota Attorney General. Tim Walz mouths the obligatory platitudes and shibboleths as nominal leader of the state. Amy Klobuchar — the most popular Democrat in the state — has gone along for the ride.

Every single one of these people Scott mentions swore to uphold the Constitution. That’s a promise they are clearly breaking.That alone required an enforcement response.

Matt Margolis, also here at PJ Media, calls it correctly:

This was an inevitable result of Democrat-enabled chaos and relentless demonization of federal immigration enforcement. The suspect wasn’t merely armed with a loaded handgun, but had extra magazines, clearly willing to take action against federal officials.

President Donald Trump has now reacted to the incident with a Truth Social post that framed the shooting as proof of broader lawlessness, failed leadership, and massive corruption in Minnesota, and possibly hinted that he may invoke the Insurrection Act as a result.

Unquestionably, that would be an entirely appropriate action because what we’re seeing and hearing sounds pretty insurrection-y to me.

Just think: If Kamala Harris had done her job as Border Czar during the Biden Administration, none of this would be happening.

(Okay, stop laughing.)

Trump remarked in an interview a couple of weeks ago that he didn’t think the threshold for using the Insurrection Act had been met. (A couple of weeks… Good God, has it really been that long?) I suggest that whatever threshold he was measuring by back then has certainly been met now.

Consider: we have people, including state officials, openly and violently defying the enforcement of federal laws, including violent attacks on federal officers, and have for weeks now. Even now, they’re trying to leverage that shooting against ICE. All this is the very definition of insurrection.

I'm with Catherine on this one.

Mr. President, it's time to act. Invoke the Insurrection Act. Federalize the state militias. Restore order, and do it now, before this gets further out of hand.

Maybe I'm reacting in anger, but things have reached the point where some anger is appropriate. So, I suggest that a nice touch would be treating the Minneapolis rioters in the same way the Democrats treated the J6’ers. Remember, up top I said J6 was not an insurrection? I point out that if it were, it would be the first insurrection in history where the supposed insurrectionists were unarmed. That line has now been crossed in Minneapolis. It's now time to act.

Thought of the day: “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you’re misinformed.” — commonly attributed to Mark Twain

https://pjmedia.com/eric-florack/2026/01/25/minneapolis-how-is-this-not-an-insurrection-n4948722

James O'Keefe's Trip to Minneapolis Was Insane. Here's What Caught His Attention.

James O'Keefe's Trip to Minneapolis Was Insane. Here's What Caught His Attention.

Matt Vespa

*AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File*

James O’Keefe was on the ground in Minneapolis, entering the anti-ICE autonomous zone, because that’s what these liberal cities tolerate, which is mob rule. The city was already a powder keg when Renee Good was shot and killed after ramming into an ICE agent with her car on January 7.

Now, the death of Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by Border Patrol, has the city on the verge of all-out civil war. Pretti was armed during the encounter, but that’s not a crime. The video isn’t as definitive as it was with Good’s shooting. We’ll see what the investigation yields.

In the meantime, O’Keefe ventured into the city, where he was recognized and was the target of death threats via text. He and his team were also accosted by the mob—it was a wild reporting excursion. What caught his attention was how organized these anti-ICE guerrillas were, and how we need to wake up to the threat they pose to the country:

I’ve never experienced anything quite like today in my life. I’ve interacted with the Cartel and have witnessed some crazy things in the desert in ‘24. But what strikes me is how organized these agitators in Minneapolis are. They have spotters everywhere in the city and suburbs, on street corners, even 30 minutes away from downtown. They have people at hotels that work with them and signal to them which made it making it difficult for us to lose our tail once my cover was blown. Usually I lose a tail. Not this time. We switched locations THREE times. I recorded and posted this while leaving Wayzata, while they were STILL surveilling. We all agreed we must make the threats public ASAP, even if we had people still in the field with the hidden cams.
Earlier around noon, while @camhigby released his report on the Signal threads, I was inside what appeared to be a fully autonomous Zone. No police presence. The police were told to leave. I identified myself as Press and they said they will kill Press and will not let me leave. My skin was fully covered because it was so cold. But because they couldn’t verify who I was, they screamed and started throwing ice bottles at us. One hit, @SKRUCHTENMMA, a marine who was with me. They patted him down like THEY were the authorities, attempting to confiscate any weapons. They were set to destroy our vehicle before we even got to it. I will have a full video report shortly.
But the bigger picture here is more important. I am angry. But not at the agitators. I find myself already angry at the people who don’t understand what we’re dealing with and will do nothing about it. When I got to the suburbs I felt like I was in a simulation.
I believe the American people need to wake up. This moment is a warning about where we’re headed. Fear pushes people to care only about their money and their families—I get it. But when fear turns inward, when self-preservation and greed replace moral courage, evil goes unchallenged. And history shows that what we ignore today will come for all of us tomorrow.
Ironically and incredibly, I see that these Communists do not fear death in the same way most good people seem to. The only thing the Communists fear is exposure itself. And that’s good news because it may be our only option.
I’m dead serious about investigating the prosecutors themselves if they don’t hold these Minnesota fraudsters and violent mobsters accountable for what they’re doing. Stay tuned for the videos.

O’Keefe reported the death threat to the FBI:

How Can Law Enforcement Rein in These Neo-Confederates?

How Can Law Enforcement Rein in These Neo-Confederates?

Athena Thorne

In theory, enforcement of the law is simple: Enforce the law. But what happens when half of the citizenry rejects the law itself?

The International Association of Chiefs of Police bills itself as "the world’s largest and most influential professional association for police leaders [and] is committed to advancing the safety of communities worldwide." It does an admirable job of remaining above the political fray, platforms elected officials of all bents, and updates its policies regularly to lead police through changing attitudes and new research. But all the while, this venerable law-enforcement organization assumes that we are all on the same side.

The IACP called on the White House on Sunday to convene a joint federal–state–local discussion on public safety (emphasis added):

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is concerned by the ongoing challenges affecting public safety, law enforcement professionals, and the communities they serve. Periods of heightened tension place significant strain on public safety systems and underscore the need for stability, professionalism, and respect for constitutional principles.
The IACP emphasizes that effective public safety depends on comprehensive training, investigative integrity, adherence to the rule of law, and strong coordination among federal, state, and local partners. In times of uncertainty, officials at all levels play a critical role in de-escalating tensions by using measured, responsible rhetoric that reinforces lawful processes and public trust rather than deepening division.
The IACP urges leaders and stakeholders to support calm, lawful engagement and policies grounded in proven practice that strengthen accountability while preserving the capacity of law enforcement agencies to coordinate effectively and protect communities.
The IACP reaffirms its commitment to the constitutional protections that safeguard individuals from unlawful or unreasonable searches and seizures, recognizing that public trust and effective policing depend on faithful adherence to these fundamental rights. At the same time, the IACP underscores that officer safety is inseparable from community safety and must remain a fundamental priority in all public safety decisions.
For these reasons, the IACP calls on the White House to use its convening authority, as soon as practicable, to bring together thoughtful federal, state and local law enforcement leaders for policy level discussions aimed at identifying a constructive path forward.

The IACP is 100% correct that inter-agency cooperation and coordination at all levels is the proper way to prevent the unrest we are seeing in Minnesota right now.

But the organization also seems sadly naive in its belief that everyone agrees. Certainly, if the locals respected the law and participated in enforcing it at all levels, there would be zero chaos in Minnesota and other "sanctuary" regimes this very minute. Local authorities would honor ICE detainers and hand over arrestees in an orderly fashion when they had them in custody. But instead, they release them back into the population to wreak havoc. Any cop will tell you that arrest is the most dangerous moment of an encounter, and "sanctuary" policies force federal agents into that fraught box at every turn. Leftist leaders and authorities then escalate the danger to federal enforcement officers by refusing to manage the mobs that show up to interfere. They are the masters of this tragic chaos, no matter how much they howl that "Trump's Gestapo" is the problem.

It’s the age-old question: Is this a law enforcement operation or is it a military one?

Normal Americans are predisposed to play fair. If it isn’t a foreign nation's troops and sailors dressed in tidy uniforms and bringing machine guns, fighter jets, and battleships, they don’t see a war. This is why Marxist-globalists could organize a vast system to dump the worst of the third world inside our borders (and Europe’s) to accomplish the same goals that traditional warfare has always sought — occupation of the target land, command of its resources, and ultimately, political control — all without average citizens recognizing it as warfare.

And this is why Americans today are slow to understand that these anti-ICE agitators — who come from within, seldom carry traditional arms, and whose foot soldiers do not wear uniforms or insignia or swear allegiance to a foreign power — are at war with us. But as we learned on Sept. 11, 2001, just because we aren't at war with someone, doesn't mean they aren't at war with us.

Witness this charming fellow (warning: he cusses):

In my humble opinion, we are past the point of a simple law enforcement situation, whether we want to face it or not. These are rebels, traitors, and enemies of America. But as on Sept. 11, our nation is once again wrestling with a failure of imagination. We want to believe that this is merely a valid difference of opinion and that our common citizenship will ultimately calm the situation. But the truth is that the forces behind these disruptions do not value the same things we do. They do not value life and are happy to martyr as many of their mentally ill minions as it takes to score political points. They are also perfectly happy with their unmedicated foot soldiers killing good guys. They would love the administration to collapse in defeat and cease enforcing federal immigration laws. They would be happy to go all the way and fracture the Union, because that is their ultimate goal anyway. It's a win-win-win-win to them, and they have zero interest in ending it.

We are in a precarious position, with these well-funded and organized anti-American forces pushing us to the brink of civil horrors.

So perhaps the conference proposed by the IACP is the best next step in curtailing this rebellion — because it is a rebellion, whether we want to call it that or not. Let's get these neo-Confederate locals to the capital and on the record as not only refusing to respect federal law but as committed to impeding its enforcement. This would open the door to measured consequences for their insurrection. Perhaps it can still be settled in an orderly fashion.

And if it can't be handled by federal law enforcement agencies — if we must send the military to suppress these modern-day rebels who believe themselves above the supremacy clause — then so be it. The neo-Confederates can escalate this to any level they like, and that is squarely on them. But today, just as back in 1861, they are wrong.

https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2026/01/26/link-to-walzs-administration-in-anti-ice-signal-chats-n2198511?utm_source=rsmorningbriefingvip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

'We Dodged Such a Massive Bullet': Kamala's Alex Pretti Tweet Proves That Trump Saved America From Her (DP: Lengthy post but the tag line is bumped to the top)

'We Dodged Such a Massive Bullet': Kamala's Alex Pretti Tweet Proves That Trump Saved America From Her

Gordon K

... his community. Alex and tens of thousands of Minnesotans have boldly defended their neighbors against the murderous occupation of an American city by the federal government. I am enraged and heartbroken for Alex, his family, Minneapolis, and America.

Can you believe this woman was almost President? 'Tone deaf', 'far-left', 'malicious' - none of these descriptors do justice to this depraved take.

Ah there it is, the rhetoric that creates radicals. Even in this deadly incident, they cannot stop themselves. The left side is so determined to see unstable and violent people killed in their cynical play for power.

Step aside George Floyd, Renee Good, there's a new martyr being constructed as we speak.

It turns out that Kamala Harris' word salad and room-temperature IQ were the least of her deficiencies. There were signs that she was too radical to lead the nation.

The rioter bail fund and stanning for Jussie Smollett are just two examples of her absolute unsuitability for any position of leadership. And let's not forget Harris taking a personal interest in persecuting the anti-abortion activist David Daleiden for exposing Planned Parenthood's trafficking in aborted baby organs.