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As the White House worked to “de-escalate” tensions in Minneapolis Tuesday, a man sprayed Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with a syringe of unknown liquid at a town hall meeting, where she called for curbing the Trump administration’s anti-immigration crackdown.The White House is also evaluating whether the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who gunned down a nurse failed to follow “clear guidance” to “create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors,” deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told AFP. “We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol,” Miller said in a statement.At the town hall Tuesday night, Omar had just spoken about the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demanded that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem “resign or face impeachment,” when a man sprang up from the front row, made a remark and sprayed the lawmaker, as security leapt to grab him. Omar raised a fist and stepped toward the attacker before returning to the podium to say: “Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand: We are Minnesota strong. And we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw on us.”Omar is a frequent target of President Donald Trump — who continues to defend Noem despite her oversight of federal immigration agents who shot and killed two US citizens this month, saying Noem would not step down and was doing a “very good job.”But after days of protests following 37-year-old Alex Pretti’s death, Trump told Fox News “we’re going to de-escalate a little bit,” while adding that it was not a “pullback.”Trump also admitted that Gregory Bovino, a hardline Border Patrol commander who is now expected to leave Minneapolis, was “a pretty out-there kind of a guy” whose presence may not have helped the situation, and sent top US border security official Tom Homan to meet with officials in the city.Trump told reporters that he rejected the “assassin” label used by a top aide to describe the 37-year-old nurse, adding that he wants “a very honorable and honest investigation.” But he criticized Pretti for carrying the licensed firearm that was taken off him before he was shot.”I don’t like that he had a gun, I don’t like that he had two fully loaded magazines,” the president said.- ‘Pretty out there’ -After meeting with Homan Tuesday, Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement they discussed the “serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis,” and the city “will not enforce federal immigration laws.”Just weeks after federal immigration agents shot and killed US citizen Renee Good in Minneapolis, Pretti’s death sparked national outrage and added to a litany of complaints of abusive tactics.Good, a mother of three, was shot by an agent at point blank range in her car on January 7.The killings capped months of escalating violence in which masked, unidentified, and heavily armed ICE and border patrol agents have grabbed people they accuse of violations off the streets.Despite multiple videos showing that Pretti posed no threat, Bovino and Noem initially claimed Pretti had intent to kill federal agents, calling him a “domestic terrorist.”- ‘Incompetent’ -Republican Senator Rand Paul said Tuesday that agents involved in the shooting should be put on administrative leave, later adding that the immigration enforcement leaders would testify before the Congress next month. Centrist Democratic Senator John Fetterman said “grossly incompetent” Noem should be fired.The turmoil could even result in a fresh US government shutdown, with Democrats calling for broad reforms to federal immigration operations at DHS and threatening to block approval of it funding, as part of the spending bills that go up for votes in the Senate later this week.The judicial branch also pushed back on Trump’s actions in Minneapolis Tuesday, when a US judge blocked the deportation of a five-year-old boy and his father who were detained last week in another incident that went viral. Liam Conejo Ramos — wearing a fluffy blue hat and his school backpack — was photographed being detained by a federal agent, who school officials said was using the preschool student as “bait” to draw out his family, who are asylum seekers from Ecuador.At a protest at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday, veteran Brian Furgen, 55, told AFP that Americans need immigration and customs enforcement agents who “know how to do the job without harming the community, without killing people, without hurting people, without imprisoning people that are law abiding.””That’s what they are doing here, that’s ridiculous.”burs-dk/sms/sla/jgc

When Alex Pretti was gunned down by federal agents on an icy Minneapolis street, Fabiola listened in horror as the gunshots rang out on her block.It wasn’t long before the 30-something was poring over videos of the scene, trying to piece together events.”When I saw the images, I was disgusted,” she told AFP, declining to share her full name for fear of reprisal.”How can the government make a domestic terrorist out of him?” she said, outraged. “There is clear evidence of what happened. They are lying.”On Saturday, 37-year-old Pretti became the second Minneapolis resident to be killed by immigration enforcement officers in less than three weeks — enraging locals who are still grieving the slaying of Renee Good at the hands of federal agents.Earlier this month, the agent who shot and killed 37-year-old Good was at the driver’s side door as she was driving away when he opened fire, according to several videos.Similarly, footage of Pretti shows him approaching federal officers with his phone, not a weapon, as Trump administration officials quickly suggested after he was killed.Even after being beaten on the ground and surrounded by agents, Pretti did not appear to be trying to grab his handgun — for which he had a permit, police have confirmed.At the sidewalk memorial near where the shooting occurred two signs amid the flowers and candles capture the feelings of many visitors who braved the polar cold to pay their respects: “Believe your eyes, not the lies,” reads one. “Trump is a murderer,” declares the other.”They will never admit that they are just hunting people and killing people,” Fabiola said. “They are the criminals.” – ‘Terrorizing citizens’ -“The whole community is just sickened by all this,” said Stephen McLaughlin, who came to pay his respects.The 68-year-old retired prosecutor said US President Donald Trump “clearly thinks he’s above the law” and has militarized immigration enforcement.”Trump clearly said in 2016 that he could commit murder on Fifth Avenue (in New York) and get away with it. What we’re seeing today is just the logical conclusion of that reasoning,” McLaughlin said.”The aim of the government is to terrorize citizens, it’s really frightening,” he added. Even fellow Republicans are voicing outrage in the wake of the Trump administration’s hasty and harsh characterization of Pretti’s death, as the 79-year-old Republican appears to be shifting messaging.The president made phone calls to local Democratic leaders, and pledged to reduce the 3,000 federal agents deployed to Minneapolis in recent weeks. An unspecified number of the federal agents are expected to leave the city soon.And Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, who was seen hurling tear gas cannisters at protesters and dressed in a long coat that many compared to Nazi garb, has been reassigned away from the northern city.But local residents worry that’s not enough to keep Minneapolis safe.For starters, Trump has not disavowed the methods that federal immigration agents have relied on, and the Department of Homeland Security remains the lead agency on the investigation into Pretti’s death. “I have zero confidence in them,” McLaughlin told AFP. “To obtain an independent investigation, the people have to demand it by taking to the streets.” He’s not alone. Jay Taylor touches a whistle he wears around his neck to signal the presence of federal agents as he makes a pledge.”We’re going to kick them out of the city. We’re going to win, because we’re standing for the truth,” the 44-year-old told AFP.The recent tragedies and public outpouring of emotion reminded him of the reaction to George Floyd’s spring 2020 murder by a police officer in Minneapolis.”This time, it happened during winter, so there’s not as many people in the streets,” Taylor said. “Trump got lucky with that one.”

US immigration agents may have breached “protocol” in Minneapolis before shooting dead a nurse during protests, President Donald Trump’s senior aide Stephen Miller said Tuesday — days after falsely branding the victim an assassin.The admission comes as Trump says he wants to de-escalate the situation in Minneapolis following the killing of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti during a protest against an immigration crackdown on Saturday. Deputy Chief of Staff Miller, a powerful figure who leads Trump’s hardline immigration policy, said in a statement to AFP that the White House was now looking into the possible breach.He said the White House had provided “clear guidance” that extra personnel were sent to Minnesota to “create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.””We are evaluating why the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) team may not have been following that protocol,” Miller said.Miller also appeared to blame both the border agency and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for his comments on Saturday, which have since attracted criticism. Shortly after the killing, Miller called Pretti a “would-be assassin” and accused him of wanting to murder federal agents.But Miller said his comments were based on an initial statement by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who falsely said Pretti was brandishing a weapon when he approached federal agents.Video evidence later showed that the victim was not holding a gun at the time. Pretti had a sidearm on him, but agents had already removed it before he was shot multiple times at point-blank range.”The initial statement from DHS was based on reports from CBP on the ground,” Miller said in his statement.

US Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar was targeted during a speech late Tuesday by a man who sprayed an unidentified liquid at her from a syringe before being tackled by security guards, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.The man was led out of the premises as Omar — a frequent target of attacks by President Donald Trump — continued her speech, saying “we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw on us.” The man was taken into custody by Minneapolis police, her office said.The incident took place during a town hall in the US city of Minneapolis, where two American citizens have been killed this month in a violent anti-immigration crackdown with thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, provoking growing unrest.Omar had just finished calling for the Trump administration to reverse its current course when the attack occurred.”ICE cannot be reformed, it cannot be rehabilitated. We must abolish ICE for good,” Omar said, to applause. “And (Department of Homeland Security) Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment.”After Omar uttered those words, a man sprang up from the front row, made a remark and sprayed the congresswoman, as security leapt to grab him. Omar raised a fist and stepped toward the attacker before returning to the podium. After uttering a few expletives, and against her team’s vocal concerns that she should not continue, the congresswoman took the microphone.”Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand: We are Minnesota strong. And we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw on us,” Omar said.Earlier Tuesday, Trump blasted Omar and Somalia during a speech in Iowa, saying the Mogadishu-born congresswoman “comes from a country that’s a disaster.”Trump has ordered 143 strikes against Somalia in his second term, according to US think tank New America, and has pulled back diplomatic relations, including recently stopping humanitarian aid.

A life-threatening freeze is gripping large swaths of the United States after a monster storm caused at least 38 deaths from the Deep South to the Northeast, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands and sent air travel into chaos.Another Arctic blast expected this weekend could deliver fresh misery for more than 100 million Americans, with record low temperatures and another major storm threatening — even as municipalities are digging out from deep piles of snow and ice.Here’s what to know.- Dozens dead -The storm was linked to more than three dozen deaths, according to a compilation of state government and local media reports, with causes including hypothermia as well as accidents related to traffic, sledding, all-terrain vehicles and snowplows.Three Texas siblings age six to nine died Monday after falling through ice on a pond north of Dallas, authorities said.The storm toll is expected to climb after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday at least 10 New Yorkers who died had been found outdoors in extreme cold, though whether all the deaths were from hypothermia has yet to be determined.In Bangor, Maine, seven people were killed when a small plane crashed while attempting to take off during a snowstorm, the Federal Aviation Administration said.Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana were badly impacted by power outages, with nearly half a million homes and businesses still without electricity as of Tuesday night, according to tracking site Poweroutage.com.Air travel was also severely disrupted. More than 24,500 US flights, a staggering number, were canceled between Saturday and Tuesday as the storm paralyzed transportation across the country, according to website FlightAware.- Heavy snowfall – The heaviest snowfall of 31 inches (79 centimeters) occurred in Bonito Falls, New Mexico on the western edge of the colossal storm — followed by East Napanoch in upstate New York, where 30 inches fell, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). In Boston, residents were digging out Tuesday after the Massachusetts metropolis got walloped by more than 23 inches of snow.Many of the hardest-hit areas were in the South, where authorities are less accustomed — and often less equipped — to deal with severe winter weather.In the Gulf Coast state of Mississippi, for example, several towns were covered in thick and treacherous ice which downed power lines and trees, and made roads impassable.- More to come -The NWS warns that much of the northern half of the country will remain continuously below freezing through February 1, with another blast of Arctic air expected to bring “the coldest temperature seen in several years for some places and the longest duration of cold in decades.”It said regions as far south as Florida should prepare for “hard freezes.”At the same time, a potentially significant winter storm could spill out of Canada along the East Coast, spreading widespread precipitation as a low-pressure system collides with frigid air. Forecasters say it is still too early to determine the storm’s exact track, or whether it will fall as rain or snow.- Climate change -It may sound counterintuitive, but a growing body of research suggests climate change could be playing a role in disruptions to the polar vortex — a vast region of cold, low-pressure air that normally circulates high above the Arctic.Scientists advancing this theory argue that uneven Arctic warming across Europe and Asia can amplify large atmospheric waves, making it more likely for the polar vortex to wobble and spill south over North America.The science, however, remains contested, and researchers caution that natural climate variability also plays a role.

A branch of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help with security for the Winter Olympics in Italy, it confirmed Tuesday, sparking anger and warnings they were not welcome.Reports had been circulating for days that the agency embroiled in an often brutal immigration crackdown in the United States could be involved in US security measures for the February 6-22 Games in northern Italy.In a statement to AFP, ICE said: “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations.”All security operations remain under Italian authority.”The State Department said that the HSI has in the past taken part in other Olympics events.”As in previous Olympic events, multiple federal agencies are supporting the Diplomatic Security Service, including Homeland Security Investigations, ICE’s investigative component,” a State Department spokesperson said.  “For the Olympics, the United States is preparing an operations room at its consulate in Milan where representatives from U.S. agencies potentially interested in the event will be present,” Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said in a statement after a meeting with the US ambassador in Rome. “Experts from the Department of Homeland Security will also be in this same room,” he added.According to Piantedosi, these experts are present “in more than 50 countries and have been in Italy for years as well,” emphasising that “security operations within the country are the sole responsibility of the Italian authorities”. Piantedosi specified that approximately 6,000 law enforcement personnel would be deployed, along with the use of drones and other aerial surveillance equipment, to ensure security at the Games.According to the ICE website, the HSI investigates global threats, including the illegal movement of people, goods, money, contraband, weapons and sensitive technology into, out of, and through the United States. ICE made clear its operations in Italy were separate from the domestic immigration crackdown, which is being carried out by the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) department.”Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” it said.- Vance and Rubio in Milan -The protection of US citizens during Olympic Games overseas is led by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).Yet the outrage over ICE immigration operations in the United States is shared among many in Italy, following the deaths of two civilians during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.The leftist mayor of Milan, which is hosting several Olympic events, said ICE was “not welcome”.”This is a militia that kills. It’s clear that they are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it, Giuseppe Sala told RTL 102.5 radio.”Can’t we just say no to (US President Donald) Trump for once?”Alessandro Zan, a member of the European Parliament for the centre-left Democratic Party, condemned it as “unacceptable”.”In Italy, we don’t want those who trample on human rights and act outside of any democratic control,” he wrote on X.Italian authorities initially denied the presence of ICE and then sought to downplay any role, suggesting they would help only in security for the US delegation.US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are attending the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6.Giovanni Malago, president of the Milan-Cortina organising committee, said he believed ICE agents would be present “for the high-ranking US government officials” and have “nothing to do with the Games’ security aspects”.”It’s not about the Olympics, but about individuals,” he said.The International Olympic Committee, when contacted by AFP, replied that “security at the Olympic Games is the responsibility of the authorities of the host country, who work closely with the participating delegations”.”We kindly refer you to the USOPC (the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee)”, it said. 

Celebrities from movie stars to pop singers are speaking up with calls to action against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids after two Americans were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.From red-carpet premieres to social media, the usually politics-averse celebrity crowd have been swept up in the fray after the shooting death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, on Saturday. Below are some of the appeals for action by celebrities expressing their discontent with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown:- Pedro Pascal -The Chilean-American actor shared a series of posts on his Instagram, calling for a national strike to protest the killings and demanding more transparency from the federal government on the actions of ICE agents. “Truth is a line of demarcation between a democratic government and authoritarian regime,” Pascal wrote, as he paid tribute to Pretti and another US citizen killed in Minneapolis this month, 37-year-old Renee Good. “The American people deserve to know what happened,” he added.- Jamie Lee Curtis -Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis also joined the call for national protests against ICE raids. “THESE WERE AMERICANS! SHOT BY OUR GOVERNMENT!” she wrote in a post on Sunday accompanied by drawings of Pretti’s and Good’s faces. On Tuesday, she shared a photo of Minneapolis and captioned it: “I BELIEVE IN US!”- Martha Stewart – The businesswoman behind a domestic goods empire took to her Instagram to speak out after she was encouraged by her 14-year-old granddaughter, she said. “I am disheartened and sad each and every day… that we are told immigrants, which most of us are or descended from are unwelcome,” wrote the 84-year-old Stewart. She also expressed discontent that “we cannot show our frustration in peaceful demonstrations and that we can be attacked and even killed by Federal troops.”- Katy Perry -The “Firework” singer posted on her Instagram story to urge her American followers to call their elected representatives in the US Senate, urging them to pressure ICE through budget oversight. “Turn anger into action,” the 41-year-old singer wrote.- Kerry Washington -The “Scandal” actress posted a video to her 7.6 million Instagram followers explaining step-by-step how to call their elected representatives and demand funding be blocked for ICE. “You are not powerless over what’s happening in Minnesota,” she said. There is something you can do about it right now.” Washington then demonstrated calling her representative’s office in California on camera.- Billie Eilish -The 24-year-old singer-songwriter called out other celebrities to speak on Pretti’s death. “Hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up?” the nine-time Grammy winner wrote in an Instagram story post.Eilish has since shared posts denouncing tactics used by ICE during their immigration raids. 

The US Federal Reserve is broadly expected to pause its series of interest rate cuts Wednesday, resisting mounting attacks from President Donald Trump, while policymakers await more data on the world’s biggest economy.The US central bank lowered rates in each of its last three policy meetings — bringing them to a range between 3.50 percent and 3.75 percent — as officials fretted about the cooling jobs market.But solid GDP growth, relatively low unemployment and stubborn inflation have given them reason to shift into wait-and-see mode.The lack of urgency, however, could put the central bank again at odds with Trump, who has repeatedly called for large rate reductions.Trump has sharply escalated pressure on the Fed since returning to the White House a year ago, seeking to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations while his administration launched an investigation into chairman Jerome Powell.In a rare rebuke this month, Powell slammed the threat of criminal charges against him — over the Fed’s headquarters renovation — as a threat to central bank independence.Yet, “while the Fed has been politically pressured to cut rates, it is not pressed by the data,” said EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco.Officials appear to have converged on a near-term halt in rate reductions, with their debate now centering around what conditions justify further rate cuts — and how quickly these should take place.”The hurdle for additional near-term cuts has risen,” Daco said.Officials will be looking for “clearer, more durable evidence of disinflation” or renewed deterioration in the labor market before lowering rates again, he added.- ‘Less dissent’ -While the Fed has seen deepening divides over interest rates, Dan North of Allianz Trade North America told AFP that he expects “less dissent” in Wednesday’s decision.Fed Governor Stephen Miran, appointed by Trump last year to fill a term lasting until late January, is likely to again push for lower rates, North said.But it is unclear if others on the board of governors like Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller would join him.Financial markets generally expect the Fed to continue keeping rates unchanged until its June meeting, according to CME FedWatch.Looking ahead, all eyes are on how Trump’s nominee to succeed Powell — whose chairmanship of the bank ends in May — shapes Fed policy.”We think inflation peaks and starts to turn lower (this year) but also importantly, we think a new Fed chair would be more open to helping to navigate lower interest rates,” said Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic.- Credibility issues -One issue is whether the new chairman can corral the rest of the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee into more rate cuts, ING analysts said in a note.Outside the Fed, it could be harder for the next chairman to convince investors that the bank will continue pursuing its mandate of low and stable inflation and maximum employment, independent of political influence, said Michael Strain of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.”I think the stakes are higher,” he said.Given the way the Trump administration has targeted Powell, Strain added that “establishing credibility will be much more challenging” for Powell’s successor than it has been for previous Fed chiefs over the last few decades.Strain, who is AEI’s director of economic policy studies, also cautioned that the Fed may have gone too far in lowering rates last year.He warned that the labor market might be stronger than officials think, while there remains a risk that inflation accelerates again.”Certainly, the Fed should not continue to cut,” he said. “I’m worried the Fed’s going to have to hike in 2026.”

Donald Trump warned Tuesday of “very bad things” if Republicans lose the US midterm elections, as the US president kicked off a travel blitz under the shadow of unrest in Minneapolis and voter worries about the economy.At a rally in Iowa — one of the first stops for primary campaigns in US presidential elections — Trump said his party must win both the Senate and the House in November despite his own poor approval ratings.”I’m here because I love Iowa, but I’m here because we’re starting the campaign to win the midterms. Got to win the midterms,” second-term president Trump said in his speech.”If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about — and it would lead to very bad things.”But Trump’s economy-focused speech was largely overshadowed by events in the neighboring state of Minnesota, where two people have died this month in a deadly immigration crackdown.Trump told Fox News earlier he would “de-escalate a little bit” after federal agents shot 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis at the weekend, but he largely avoided talking about it in his speech.The White House says Trump will be making weekly trips across the country ahead of the midterms, in which voters have historically punished US presidents.Trump’s team has increasingly focused on the economy after polls showed mounting voter anger over the issue of affordability one year since the billionaire’s return to power.In his Iowa speech, the 79-year-old president repeated his claims about a “Golden Age” in the United States and insisted prices were falling for most goods.But he admitted that it may be hard to convince voters in November’s midterms, saying that in past elections “if something happens, the screw turns with the voters” no matter how good the president.- ‘Sickos’ -Trump has raged at what he calls unfair opinion polls, but numerous surveys have showed him with low approval ratings. A New York Times/Siena poll last week put the figure at 40 percent.With supporters cheering him along in Iowa, Trump, however, returned to a familiar theme of talking about running for a constitutionally barred third term as president. “Should we do it a fourth time?” he said, referring to his false claim to have won the 2020 election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, along with winning in 2016 and 2024.Protesters disrupted Trump’s speech on at least two occasions, with the Republican dismissing them as “sickos” and “paid insurrectionists.”Trump, who was accompanied by US Treasury chief Scott Bessent, earlier visited a local diner and talked to patrons.Also accompanying Trump to Iowa was deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the architect of his immigration policy, who described Pretti without evidence as a “would-be assassin.” The political row over immigration sees Trump in an unusually tight spot of one of his core campaign issues.While polls show most voters approve of his policy of mass deportations, many recent surveys show they are uncomfortable with the harsh tactics of Trump’s immigration agents.During his Iowa speech Trump veered off as he often does into talking about immigration, including renewed attacks on Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who is the first Somali-American elected to Congress.Meanwhile Trump faced a fresh blow on the economy too Tuesday as data showed US consumer confidence plunged in January to its lowest level since 2014.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would “de-escalate a little bit” in Minneapolis after the fatal shootings of two civilians fueled a storm of criticism over his signature immigration crackdown.Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan met with officials in the city as the Republican attempted damage control after the killing by immigration agents of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday.The president also admitted that Gregory Bovino, a hardline Border Patrol commander who is now expected to leave Minneapolis, was “a pretty out-there kind of a guy” whose presence may not have helped the situation.”We’re going to de-escalate a little bit,” Trump told Fox News after days of tensions following the shooting of Pretti, while adding that it was not a “pullback.”Trump said that Homan — the top US border security official, who brings a less confrontational communication style — met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Tuesday.The US president told reporters that he rejected the “assassin” label used by a top aide to describe protester Pretti. “I want a very honorable and honest investigation,” he said.Yet Trump did not hold back from criticizing Pretti for carrying a licensed firearm that was taken off him before he was shot.”I don’t like that he had a gun, I don’t like that he had two fully loaded magazines,” the president said.- ‘Pretty out there’ -Mayor Frey said in a statement after meeting Homan that he discussed the “serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis,” and that the city “will not enforce federal immigration laws.”Former Democratic vice presidential candidate Walz said he called for “impartial investigations” into shootings by federal agents in the city as well as a “significant reduction” in federal forces in the state.Pretti’s death has sparked outrage nationwide.Democratic former president Joe Biden on Tuesday said the situation “betrays our most basic values as Americans.” Ex-presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have also spoken out.Pretti, shot multiple times after being knocked to the ground, was the second US citizen killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis this month, turning the city into ground zero of national tensions over Trump’s mass deportation policies.Protester Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot by an agent at point blank range in her car on January 7.The killings capped months of escalating violence in which masked, unidentified, and heavily armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents have grabbed people suspected of violating immigration laws off the streets.Despite multiple videos showing that Pretti posed no threat, top officials initially claimed he had been intending to kill federal agents.Trump backed his under-fire Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem, who described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” saying she would not step down and was doing a “very good job.”But he was less supportive of Bovino, a Border Patrol official famed for reveling in aggressive, televised immigration crackdowns who had also played up the narrative that Pretti had posed a threat.”Bovino’s very good, but he’s a pretty out there kind of a guy. And in some cases, that’s good, maybe it wasn’t good here,” Trump told Fox.- ‘Sickened’ -Concern over the violence and the attempt to blame Pretti for his death quickly spread to Washington.Republican Senator Rand Paul said Tuesday that agents involved in the shooting should be put on administrative leave, later adding that the heads of ICE, Border Patrol and Citizenship and Immigration Services would testify before the Congress next month.Centrist Democratic Senator John Fetterman said “grossly incompetent” Noem should be fired.The turmoil could even result in a fresh US government shutdown, with Democrats threatening to block approval of routine spending bills up for votes in the Senate later this week.”The whole community is just sickened by all this,” said 68-year-old retiree Stephen McLaughlin in Minneapolis. “The aim of the government is to terrorize citizens, it’s really frightening.”burs-dk/sms