Watchdog Contradicts DHS Story

Plus: Stephen Miller tries to distance himself, Ilhan Omar attacked, and more...

Watchdog report: U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) internal watchdog office issued a preliminary report, per The New York Times, that contradicts the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) claims about Alex Pretti's behavior at the time of his death. It was performed by the CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility, which is in charge of compiling reports on misconduct after lethal force is used, and was sent to members of Congress yesterday.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin had initially claimed that Pretti "wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement." Kristi Noem, secretary of DHS, had said that Pretti was "brandishing" a gun, describing this as "domestic terrorism." (Pretti's parents have countered that their son was not holding a gun, but rather a phone, when he was shot by law enforcement, having been previously disarmed.)

"At approximately 9 a.m. on Saturday, a federal officer was confronted by two female civilians blowing whistles, according to the review. Although the officer ordered them to move out of the road, they did not move," reports The New York Times. "The officer then 'pushed them both away,' and one of the women ran to Mr. Pretti, the review said. After the officer attempted to move them out of the road and they did not move, the officer deployed pepper spray at them, according to the review. Mr. Pretti then resisted attempts by C.B.P. officers to take him into custody, prompting a struggle, the review said. A Border Patrol agent yelled multiple times, 'He's got a gun!' About five seconds later, a Border Patrol agent fired his Glock 19, and a C.B.P. officer also fired his Glock 47 at Mr. Pretti, according to the review."

The Times reports that officers fired 10 shots. Pretti had been disarmed prior to being shot. CBP medics then reportedly rendered aid to him, before emergency medical services came and transferred him to a hospital. He was pronounced dead shortly after 9:30 a.m.

What accountability comes from this report remains to be seen, as well as how the Trump administration will reconcile its stance with the fact that much of its base supports the Second Amendment.

"You can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns," said President Donald Trump yesterday, referring to Pretti's decision to carry at a protest. Some Second Amendment advocates would support Trump's statement, believing it's imprudent to carry if you're going to a protest and intend to interfere with law enforcement's ability to do their job. But there's a lot of distance between irresponsible and worthy of on-the-spot execution. And government agents don't get to gun people down with impunity, especially if they've been disarmed.

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Scenes from New York: I present to you the cringiest thing I can think of, started by Crooked Media employees in their off hours: "Unfortunately Not a Sound Bath," which calls itself a "right-wing podcast listening club for left-leaning people." It "meets biweekly to discuss a right-leaning podcast, analyze their messaging and themes, and brainstorm actionable ways for how the Democratic coalition can strengthen its own approach." They have thoughts on Marjorie Taylor Greene's appearance on The Tim Dillon Show; Peter Thiel (whom they call "the billionaire behind the curtain"); wellness influencers and Prager U; and gas prices and Benny Johnson.

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QUICK HITS

• Sources tell CNN that Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse who was killed by federal immigration enforcement agents over the weekend, had clashed with federal law enforcement one week prior to his death.
• "White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is distancing himself from the Department of Homeland Security amid widespread outrage over the killing of Alex Pretti by immigration agents in Minneapolis," reports Politico. 
• This seems like a problem for the administration:

The order is incredible. You have to read it. It's not even three full pages and you feel the judicial fury. He says court orders are repeatedly being ignored and people who have done nothing wrong are remaining in detention despite judicial orders requiring them to be released. https://t.co/Tjo2wk4xTn pic.twitter.com/XhPtN6Wiey

— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) January 27, 2026

• Amazon trims workforce by 16,000.
• In Minneapolis, 55-year-old Anthony J. Kazmierczak came up to Rep. Ilhan Omar at an immigration town hall and sprayed a strange, unidentified substance on her.
• "For the past 15 years, Brian Kelly has helped travelers navigate the bewildering world of credit card and airline perks. A former recruiter for Morgan Stanley, he runs the Points Guy website, which has 11 million viewers each month," reports Bloomberg. "Now, Kelly is worried. President Donald Trump is taking aim at the credit card industry. In mid-January he demanded a 10% cap on interest rates for one year. Trump also targeted the interchange fees that businesses must pay to banks when customers use credit cards at checkout.…The measure would require larger banks to let retailers bypass dominant networks operated by Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. for transactions." Kelly has a lot on how this might affect how credit card companies do business and what it all means for customers. (Upshot from Kelly: "There are estimates that almost 80% of Americans would see a drastic reduction in their credit lines. A 10% interest rate is just not profitable for banks, and they would not lend unprofitably.")
• LOVE this, by Emma Camp:

People are getting married older, and that means pricier weddings.

A couple in their 30s has more money to burn than a couple in their 20s. When elaborate weddings are the standard, younger couples can't "afford" to get married.

The solution: get married like your grandparents. pic.twitter.com/WEWZ5rM3z3

— Emma Camp (@emmma_camp_) January 27, 2026