National
Minneapolis, Minnesota, descends into chaos as another fatality is reported amid protests against federal law enforcement.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the V.A., was shot and killed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. The shooting occurred amidst protests after the fatal shooting of Renee Good following an altercation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 7.
Video footage shows Pretti shouting at officers to not push fellow protestors into the street. Officers are then seen approaching Pretti, after which several other officers descend on him. One officer sprays Pretti in the face with a chemical irritant, after which Pretti kneels on the side of the road. An officer can be seen removing Pretti’s handgun from his waistband as Pretti is surrounded by officers, his back to the agent who removes his handgun.
Shots then ring out, videos show, with the final five shots delivered into a motionless Pretti.
Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) activated the Minnesota National Guard, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) requested the National Guard to support local law enforcement.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem (R-SD) has asserted that Pretti violated the law by failing to carry identification while carrying a firearm, which would have made him guilty of a petty misdemeanor. Other analysts have posited that a possible discharge of a weapon, possibly Pretti’s once it was apprehended by law enforcement, could have prompted the shooting.
President Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he had a productive phone call with Governor Walz on immigration policy going forward in the North Star State. Trump is also sending in “border czar” Tom Homan (R-AZ) in the wake of the shooting.
The shooting has also apparently delayed Senator Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) announcement that she will be running for governor of Minnesota this year. Walz, able to seek a third, four-year term, opted to not do so following the Somali fraud scandal. Klobuchar has filed paperwork and a formal announcement is expected on February 3.
Minnesota also saw a special election on Tuesday, which affirmed what was more or less expected: the State House will proceed in a deadlock with both parties each having 67 seats.
State House District 64A, located entirely within solidly-blue St. Paul, was retained by Democrats, but the recent uprisings might have lent themselves to a strong overperformance. In 2024, Democrats won this seat 83%-17%. On Tuesday night, they prevailed in the special election by a lopsided 95.6%-4.4% margin. The Minnesota State House remains evenly divided and the power-sharing agreement between the DFL and the GOP remains intact.
In other electoral news, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is retiring this term and will not seek re-election in November.
Norton has represented the District of Columbia’s at-large district as a delegate to the House. Delegates for D.C. and the five overseas territories are permitted to sit on committees and sponsor legislation but cannot participate in final floor votes. Norton was first elected in 1990 and was re-elected in 2024 with about 80% of the vote in a four-way race that featured an Independent, a Republican, and a member of the D.C. Statehood party.
Norton’s 2024 margin, despite being a landslide in sapphire-blue D.C., was the smallest of her wins going back to 1990, behind only her initial election, in which she won a five-way race with 61% of the vote.
The Democratic nominee for this seat is all but certain to be the next delegate from the nation’s capital.
In other news on the Hill, Congressman Steny Hoyer (D, MD-05) has also announced his intention to retire ahead of this cycle.
First elected in a 1981 special election, Hoyer is the most senior House Democrat and the dean of the Maryland congressional delegation. He has served as House Minority Whip twice (2003 to 2007 and 2011 to 2019), alongside Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D, CA-11) as Minority Leader or Speaker of the House. Pelosi is also ending her historic congressional tenure this year as well.
MD-05 contains Southern Maryland, a safely-Democratic seat that has been in the Party of Jackson’s hands since 1975. The district backed Hoyer for re-election in 2024, giving him almost 68% of the vote.
In Senate news, Congresswoman Julia Letlow (R, LA-05) has announced a primary challenge against Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
Letlow was first elected in a 2021 special election following the passing of her husband, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow (R), due to COVID-19 just five days before he was set to take office.
Julia Letlow is the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in the House.
President Trump has endorsed Letlow in the Republican primary. Trump has encouraged Letlow to run due to his growing frustration with Senator Cassidy, one of the few Republicans who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial following January 6. Cassidy has also been an unpredictable maverick on some key agenda items, including his opposition for the 2017 repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
“My mission is clear: to ensure the nation our children inherit is safer and stronger. This United States Senate seat belongs to the people of Louisiana, and we deserve conservative leadership that will not waver,” said Letlow in a statement on her campaign website.
Cassidy has been censured by the Louisiana Republican Party for his occasional votes against his party. He was first elected in the 2014 red wave, in which he ousted then-Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), a scion of the Landrieu political dynasty that had been a well-known name in Louisiana politics for decades. Cassidy became the first Republican to hold that seat since 1883.
In other news, this weekend’s winter storm, unofficially named Winter Storm Fern by The Weather Channel, was one of historic proportions. Highest sustained winds were clocked at 60mph, with the highest gusts recorded at 71mph in Montgomery, Alabama. The lowest temperature recorded was -43F in Seagull, Minnesota. The maximum snowfall recorded was thirty-one inches that landed near Bonito Lake, New Mexico. Little Rock, Arkansas, saw 6.7 inches of sleet. The 6 inches of snowfall Little Rock received broke its daily snowfall record dating back to 1899.
At one point, the storm covered nearly 2,000 miles in length from the Mexico-U.S. border to well past the Canadian border. 10,000 flights nationwide were cancelled or postponed.
As of Monday, 50 fatalities have been confirmed.
State
Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg) has called for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (R-SD) to be removed from office following the second fatal shooting this month in Minneapolis as protestors clash with immigration law enforcement.
“Donald Trump’s leader of the Department of Homeland Security has proven to be unable and unwilling to follow the law to stop these killings,” said Hochul. “Kristi Noem has referred to these peaceful protestors as ‘domestic terrorists,’ and lied about the shooting victims being the aggressors. She has shown a profound disregard for human life.”
Hochul then called on Noem to resign and if not, be removed or impeached. She also called for the firing of Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino.
“And make no mistake, when these people who have abused the power entrusted to them by their offices are finally out of power, states including New York, will hold them accountable,” said Hochul.
However, Hochul is under fire herself for refusing DHS help in response to the snowstorm that brought frigid temperatures and at least a foot of snow across the state.
“Secretary Noem offered assistance to New York ahead of the impending snowstorm,” said Hochul over the weekend. “I shared that the fastest way to help is for ICE to back off so people feel safe accessing warming centers, shelters, hospitals, and houses of worship.”
White House spokesman Kush Desai said in response to three confirmed fatalities in New York due to the temperatures, “What a surprise – while President Trump and his entire Administration have taken steps to ensure all Americans have the resources they need to recover from this historic winter storm, Democrats instead are, once again, prioritizing the well-being of criminal illegal aliens.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R-Atlantic Beach), who is running for governor, said in a statement, “When lives are at risk, you don’t turn down help,” adding that Hochul “actually rejected federal assistance that was offered to help keep people safe.”
Other sources, however, have stated that Hochul never rejected such assistance.
Local
In response to the winter storm, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) signed a declaration of emergency on Saturday afternoon, creating the flexibility in response measures and the ability to recuperate funds expended.
Snow totals across the Island rack up to on or near one foot, with Brightwaters taking first place with 14.5 inches. Setauket comes in second with 13.5 inches, followed by Islip with 13.0. Commack comes right behind with 12.8 inches. Unfortunately, the death toll continues to rise, with The New York Post reporting seven fatalities in New York City, as well as a man who died while shoveling snow outside a Floral Park church.
