A future Democratic-controlled Congress should take up the job that Obama and the party’s old guard abandoned: put strict limits on the use of drones that won’t simply be alternately loosened and tightened by whichever president comes to power, explicitly outlawing “targeted killing” and any other attempt at finding a loophole for the already existing ban on assassinations; finally repeal the 2001 Authorization of the Use of Military Force that has been serially abused by presidents to fight often secret wars all over the world; end mass surveillance, whether in the form of the National Security Agency’s warrantless backdoor searches that Democrats actually expanded under Joe Biden, or in the warrantless spying that the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies now do through private data brokers; close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp that Trump is now trying to send migrants to; and embark on a twenty-first-century version of the Church Committee to investigate and lay bare national security abuses.
Archiv: 07-01-2025 during raids in Minneapolis ICE agents kill Renee Good in her car / raid a High School
Senate unanimously moves to fund most of DHS, except ICE and border patrol, in rare overnight session
The agreement would fund other DHS components, such as the Transportation Security Administration and US Coast Guard, but the House will still need to act before funded agencies within the department can reopen.
(…)
However, asked whether he believes the House will adopt the same measure to fund most of the department, Thune said, “I don’t know what the House will do.”
‘I just want to go home’: Despair settles over the Capitol as DHS deal hopes evaporate
“It looks like everybody is going to stare at each other for a little while,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday, before nodding at lawmakers’ best hope for getting a deal — their overwhelming desire to leave town.
“You know how it is around here, it’s not Thursday yet,” he said.
(…)
One GOP senator, granted anonymity to speak candidly, summed up their feelings: “I just want to go home.”
DHS Insiders Spill What Really Got ICE Barbie Fired
The axe fell on the 54-year-old Homeland Security secretary almost immediately after her humiliating performance on Capitol Hill. Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. They were her first congressional appearances since federal agents under her command killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis in January.
Already facing backlash for Good’s killing when Pretti was shot dead just a few days later, Noem sparked outrage by falsely describing Pretti as a domestic terrorist—and then privately trying to pin the blame for the fiasco on White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
“She was blaming Miller for a lot. No way Trump lets her stay after that,” the DHS insider said.
US-Heimatschutzministerin entlassen: Umstrittener Werbefilm war offenbar ein Fehler zu viel
Das politische Genick brach Noem eine Anhörung vorgestern im Senat. Es ging um eine TV-Werbekampagne für die Arbeit ihres Ministeriums, bei der vor allem Noem zu sehen war, auf einem Pferd, zu Füßen des Mount Rushmore. Kostenpunkt der Werbung: 220 Millionen Dollar.
Trump fires Homeland Security Secretary Noem after mounting criticism over her leadership
Noem has faced waves of criticism as she’s overseen Trump’s immigration crackdown, especially since the shooting deaths of the two protesters in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration enforcement officers. In the immediate aftermath of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Noem portrayed both of them as aggressors, contradicting widely viewed videos and descriptions of their deaths from bystanders. She declined to apologize for her description over two days of Congressional testimony.
The former South Dakota governor was also criticized over the way her department has spent billions of dollars allocated to it by Congress.
As Federal Surge Ends, Governor Walz Proposes $10 Million Relief Package for Minnesota Small Businesses Impacted by Federal Surge
“The campaign of retribution by the federal administration has been more than a short-term disruption; it has inflicted long-term damage on Minnesota communities,” said Governor Walz. “Recovery will not happen overnight. Families, workers, and business owners are feeling the effects, and our responsibility is clear: we will help rebuild, stabilize these businesses, protect jobs, and ensure Minnesota’s economy can recover and thrive.”
Under the proposal, one-time funding would be distributed in forgivable loans ranging from $2,500 to $25,000. Eligible businesses must be able to demonstrate substantial revenue loss during specified dates tied to the surge.
Border czar says Minnesota ICE surge is ending: „I don‘t want to see any more bloodshed“
Border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday that Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota is concluding, with a drawdown of federal immigration officers set to occur over the course of next week.
„I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,“ Homan said in a news conference held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling in Minneapolis.
Watch Live: Bondi testifies at House hearing amid scrutiny over Epstein files
What to know about the Bondi hearing today:
– Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday as the Justice Department continues to face questions about its handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
– The department has published millions of pages of documents related to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019. But extensive redactions and the delayed nature of the release have fueled allegations that the department has failed to fulfill its obligations under the new law requiring the disclosures.
– The hearing also comes after the Justice Department tried and failed to indict six Democratic members of Congress over a video they filmed in November telling members of the military and intelligence community that they must disobey illegal orders. A grand jury declined to sign off on charges against the lawmakers on Tuesday, multiple sources told CBS News.
– Bondi is likely to face questions about investigations by the Justice Department and FBI into the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration officers in Minnesota last month.
– The hearing can be live-streamed in the video player at the top of this page. Follow live updates below.
Rep. Thompson kicks off Homeland Security hearing by saying federal officers acted like „goons“
In his opening statement at the House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson heavily criticized the Department of Homeland Security for “running roughshod over Americans’ rights.”
Thompson, who focused on the killings of two US citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota last month, accused DHS of “threatening our very democracy,” adding that the federal government’s refusal to investigate Good’s shooting was akin to an admission of guilt.
Watch Live: ICE chief, immigration officials testify at House hearing
What to know about the ICE hearing today:
– The leaders of three major immigration agencies are testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday for the first time since the administration‘s recent crackdown in Minneapolis.
– The witnesses at the hearing are Todd Lyons, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Rodney Scott, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection; and Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Democrats unify behind a hardball strategy on DHS funding
And even with a DHS shutdown on the horizon — or what’s supposed to be a shutdown, anyway — Democrats are holding the line.
“Our position has been clear: Dramatic changes are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before a DHS funding bill moves forward,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Monday when asked if he’d support a short-term funding patch for DHS. “Period. Full stop.”
The Interview – ‘A Terrifying Line Is Being Crossed’: Mayor Jacob Frey on the Turmoil in Minneapolis
We’ve got 600 police officers. They have between 3,000 and 4,000 federal agents. They are saying, and I’m hopeful that they are being honest and candid, that those numbers will be significantly drawn down. They are saying that the way that ICE and Border Patrol have been conducting themselves will change dramatically. So not these marauding gangs of guys just walking down the street indiscriminately picking people up, but having more of a targeted operation. This is not about ICE doing regular ICE stuff. What we have seen feels like an invasion.
Leaked DHS Memo Reveals ICE Claiming Expansive New Warrantless Arrest Powers
Stanford University political scientist Tom Clark questioned the validity of the memo, which appears to directly conflict with the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution, which requires search warrants as a protection against “unreasonable searches and seizures.”
“So, here’s how the law works,” he wrote. “People on whom it imposes constraints don’t get to just write themselves a memo saying they don’t have to follow the law. Maybe I’ll write myself a memo saying that I don’t have to pay my taxes this year.”
Mike Johnson told not to count on Dems‘ votes to end shutdown
Democrats are hesitant to vote for the package because it contains a two-week stopgap funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that lacks reform measures for ICE or Customs and Border Protection.
Senate Democrats were split almost evenly on the measure in a Friday night vote, with the 23 Democrats who voted for it facing swift backlash from progressive groups who accused them of essentially voting to fund ICE.
50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement.
Join us in the fight to uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach.
More Than 300 Anti-ICE Protests Planned Across US This Weekend
More than 300 demonstrations are expected to take place across all 50 states and Washington DC, today, in what organizers are calling “ICE Out of Everywhere”.
Organizers, led by the national grassroots organization 50501, say today’s protests are a response to a series of recent deaths involving federal immigration agents, including the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month, the homicide of Geraldo Campos in an immigration detention facility in Texas and the shooting of Keith Porter Jr by an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Los Angeles.
The Polls Are Clear. Americans Don’t Want This.
(January 29, 2026)
Driving this is Americans’ belief that Mr. Trump’s policies are not delivering on the safety and security he promised — in fact, now quite the opposite. On one side of the ledger, there is a decreasing sense that roundups and deportations by federal agents are focused on true security threats. On the other, there is rising anxiety that the presence of an armed federal force in cities is actively making daily life less safe for people who live there.
Fox News Poll: 59% of voters say ICE is too aggressive, up 10 points since July
(January 28, 2026)
Fifty-nine percent of voters characterize ICE as „too aggressive,“ a 10-point increase since July 2025. This sentiment is increasingly defined by a shift in the center: the perception of ICE as too aggressive is up 14 points among Whites without a college degree, 19 points among moderates, and 22 points among independents. A similar shift is seen among right-leaning groups, including Trump voters (+9 more aggressive), Republican women (+14), and non-MAGA Republicans (+23).
Fox News Analyst Delivers Damning Verdict on Trump’s ICE Crusade After Devastating Network Poll
(January 29, 2026)
The survey followed Trump’s decision to deploy thousands of federal immigration agents to Minneapolis as part of what he described as a crackdown on the “worst of the worst.”
Instead, the operation has become mired in controversy after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by federal agents in separate incidents within weeks of each other.
National ‘blackout’ planned over DHS funding, Minnesota shootings
Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement are spilling out of Minneapolis on Friday, with a nationwide shutdown planned as organizers ask people to stay home ahead of votes to fund the agency.
Large demonstrations were expected in Minneapolis and other major cities, including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. More than 250 actions were planned across 46 states for those participating in a “blackout day” of no work, no school and no shopping in an effort to “shut down the economy.”
Protesters Call for National Shutdown Today to Protest ICE
On Capitol Hill, more than 60 faith leaders were arrested inside the Hart Senate Office Building to protest Trump’s immigration policies. They carried banners reading “Do Justice, Love kindness, Abolish ICE.” Meanwhile, a coalition of groups have called for a national shutdown today, a week after a general strike was held in Minnesota. Organizers are calling for “No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE.”
US Senate, Do the Right Thing and Refuse to Fund ICE
More Americans now support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, than keeping it.
Trump and Schumer Move Toward Possible Deal to Avert a Shutdown
The Senate would pass those bills before a Friday midnight deadline, and Congress also would consider a short-term extension for homeland security operations, which would prevent an interruption of services by the Transportation Security Agency, Coast Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
That stopgap bill would provide time for talks between lawmakers and the White House to draft a new homeland security spending bill that would include new restrictions that Democrats have demanded on the tactics of immigration enforcement officers and more accountability for those accused of using excessive force.
Trump administration considers new guidelines for immigration officials in Minnesota
The Trump administration circulated a draft memo this week regarding potential new guidelines for federal immigration officers on the ground in Minnesota, including plans to avoid engaging with “agitators” and only targeting immigrants facing criminal charges or convictions, officials familiar with the talks told CNN.
The draft memo comes as the White House and Department of Homeland Security have had multiple behind-the-scenes discussions this week about how to best conduct immigration operations in the state moving forward.
Man sprays unknown substance at Rep. Ilhan Omar during town hall
A man attacked Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar tonight, spraying an unknown substance with a strong odor toward her, just seconds after the Democratic congresswoman called for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to resign and urged the abolishment of ICE.
Audience members of the town hall meeting with local and state officials started to clap as she made her remarks. Then the man rushed her podium, yelling at the congresswoman and appearing to spray the substance through a syringe at her.
Politics Senate GOP critics say Noem ‘needs to go’ amid fallout from Minneapolis shootings
A pair of Senate Republicans are demanding that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem lose her job in the wake of a pair of fatal shootings in the midst of the agency‘s immigration operations in Minnesota.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., are no strangers to being critical of the Trump administration, and have again broken from their party in calling for Noem to either step aside or be fired by President Donald Trump.