Wednesday, January 7, 2026
■ Today's Top News
The US Department of Homeland Security accused the slain woman of committing "an act of domestic terrorism" by "attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them."
By Brad Reed
WARNING: This post includes graphic footage of the shooting which some people may find disturbing...
The US Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday defended a federal immigration enforcement agent for fatally shooting a woman in Minneapolis by claiming that the slain woman was committing “an act of domestic terrorism” by “attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”
However, footage of the incident taken by eyewitnesses shows that the driver was slowly trying to pull away from the scene shortly before an officer fired four shots at her vehicle.
The start of one video shows the woman sitting in her car, which was stationed perpendicular to the street. Several officers are then seen approaching the car with at least one of them telling her to exit. It’s unclear what directions other officers may have been giving simultaneously.
When one of the officers tries to open the car door, the vehicle moves slowly backward as the wheels turn, before starting to move forward.
As the vehicle moves forward, an agent standing near the driver-side bumper—who the driver may not have even seen, given her attention to the other agent at her door—draws his gun and fires multiple shots at the driver.
Only after the gunfire does the vehicle accelerate before crashing into an electric pole and another parked car.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said during a press conference on Wednesday that the video footage, in his mind, shows that DHS claims about the woman engaging in “domestic terrorism” is complete “garbage.”
“So, they are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense,” he said. “Having seen the video of myself, I want to tell everybody directly: That is bullshit. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz echoed Frey’s comments in a social media post.
“I’ve seen the video,” said Walz. “Don’t believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice.”
"Somebody is dead," said Mayor Jacob Frey. "That's on you. And it's also on you to leave."
By Jessica Corbett\
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had a message for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a federal agent fatally shot a woman in his city on Wednesday: “To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis!”
“We do not want you here,” the Democratic mayor said at a press conference. “Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt. Families are being ripped apart.”
“Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy, are being terrorized and now, somebody is dead,” Frey continued. “That’s on you. And it’s also on you to leave.”
The woman killed has not been identified, but US Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said she was a US citizen. The senator also joined Frey and other elected officials, including Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), in calling on ICE to leave Minnesota’s largest city.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that “the largest DHS operation ever is happening right now in Minnesota,” with 2,000 federal agents expected in the Twin Cities amid a fraud scandal involving some Somali residents.
Since President Donald Trump returned to office last year after campaigning on a promise of mass deportations, he has also sent large groups of immigration agents to other major Democrat-led cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago. In September, a federal agent fatally shot Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, a Mexican immigrant, while he was in a vehicle just outside the Illinois city.
As with the shooting in Minneapolis, video footage of the killing in Illinois undermined DHS claims. The department said Wednesday that the woman in Minnesota tried “to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism.”
One witness told Minnesota Public Radio that she saw a federal agent confronting the woman, who “was trying to turn around, and the ICE agent was in front of her car, and he pulled out a gun and put it right in—like, his midriff was on her bumper—and he reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times.”
Frey also challenged the DHS narrative on Wednesday: “What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust. They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets. And in this case, quite literally killing people.”
“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video... myself, I want to tell everybody directly, that is bullshit,” Frey added. “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying—getting killed.”
"No state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states," said the Russian Transport Ministry
By Jake Johnson
Russian officials on Wednesday condemned the US military’s seizure of a Venezuela-linked, Russia-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic as a brazen violation of international law.
One Russian lawmaker, Andrei Klishas, said in response to the US military’s takeover of the oil tanker Marinera that the Trump administration “has engaged in outright piracy on the high seas.” Klishas noted that the operation followed “a ‘law enforcement operation’ that killed several dozen people in Venezuela.”
Russia’s Ministry of Transport said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that it lost contact with the oil vessel, which the US Coast Guard had been pursuing for weeks. Russia sent a submarine to escort the ship, which was reportedly en route to Venezuela to pick up oil.
“In accordance with the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the high seas are governed by the principle of freedom of navigation, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states,” said the Russian Transport Ministry. (The US has not ratified the 1982 treaty.)
Citing unnamed US officials, Reuters reported that “Russian military vessels, including a submarine, were in the general vicinity” of the Marinera when US forces boarded and took it over on Wednesday. The Marinera was reportedly not carrying any cargo when US forces seized it.
“There were no indications of any confrontation between US and Russian military forces,” the outlet added.
The Marinera was one of two tankers seized by US forces in international waters on Wednesday as the Trump administration looks to exert total control over Venezuela’s oil industry. The other vessel, the M/T Sophia, was reportedly carrying around 2 million barrels of Venezuelan crude.
Unclassified footage posted to social media by the US Southern Command—and overlaid with dramatic music—shows American forces descending from a helicopter and boarding the M/T Sophia:
“This is America first at sea,” US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declared.
Rep. Ilhan Omar demanded that ICE agents "stop terrorizing our communities."
By Brad Reed
This a developing story... Please check back for possible updates... WARNING: This post includes graphic footage of the shooting which some people may find disturbing...
Residents of Minneapolis reacted with fury on Wednesday after a woman was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent.
Emily Heller, a Minneapolis resident who witnessed the shooting, told Minnesota Public Radio that she saw a federal agent confronting a woman who was sitting in her car and telling her to leave the area during an immigration enforcement operation in the neighborhood.
“She was trying to turn around, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was in front of her car, and he pulled out a gun and put it right in,” Heller told MPR. “And he reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times.”
The identity of the woman shot by the agent has not yet been released, but US Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) wrote in a social media post that the woman was a US citizen.
The senator also said that “ICE should leave now for everyone’s safety.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is also demanding that ICE leave the city, according to a post from the city’s official X account.
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) echoed Smith and Frey’s calls for ICE to get out of Minneapolis.
“ICE must stop terrorizing our communities and leave our city,” she wrote in a social media post.
Others condemned the shooting as a clear case of criminal excessive force that should be treated as murder.
“This is an execution plain and simple,” said journalist Krystal Ball in reaction to footage of the killing. “If your Trump love or immigrant hatred has you justifying murder, please seek help.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz released a statement saying that his public safety team “is working to gather information on an ICE related shooting this morning,” while vowing to “share information as we learn more.”
“In the meantime, I ask folks to remain calm,” Walz added.
One witness, who was in the neighborhood to act as a legal observer, described horrifying scenes to local reporters:
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, put out a statement acknowledging that an ICE officer had fatally shot the woman and accused her of engaging in “domestic terrorism.”
“ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism,” the agency claimed, without providing any evidence. “An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement, and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.”
Video footage from scene as well as testimony from witnesses, however, betrayed the agency’s version of events. As one social media user said, posting the following video, “Does this look like what you’re claiming?”
A separate video from a different angle (Warning: graphic footage), also shows that the individual in the car was trying to turn the vehicle away from officers, not harm anyone:
Federal officials in the past have made statements about incidents involving protesters that have been flatly contradicted by officers’ own body camera footage.
In November, federal prosecutors dropped assault charges against Marimar Martinez, a woman who was shot multiple times by a US Border Patrol agent in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood, weeks after her attorney claimed to have seen body camera footage that completely undercut officers’ claims.
Longtime US allies, including France and Germany, are reportedly meeting to discuss options should President Donald Trump move to annex Greenland.
By Brad Reed
A Republican congressman on Wednesday made the case for seizing Greenland while describing the US as “the dominant predator” in the Western hemisphere.
During an interview with Fox Business, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) claimed that taking control of Greenland from Denmark was a vital strategic US interest, saying it should be seized regardless of the opinions of its residents.
“It’s important that we have a stake in Greenland, that they are, quite frankly, a protectorate of the United States,” said Ogles, who is the lead sponsor of legislation backing Trump’s Greenland takeover bid. “You know, they’ve been in... a relationship with Denmark, that needs to end... When you look at the Monroe Doctrine, you look at the Western hemisphere, we are the dominant predator, quite frankly, force in the Western hemisphere.”
Ogles’ belligerent remarks came as Reuters reported that longtime US allies, including France and Germany, are making plans for how to respond should Trump go through with trying to annex Greenland.
It is not clear what shape this response would take, though a senior European official told Reuters that “the Danes have yet to communicate to their European allies what kind of concrete support they wish to receive,” even while insisting that Denmark take the lead in pushing back against Trump’s threats.
The report noted that Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Finland’s parliament, has called on NATO members to “address whether something needs to be done and whether the United States should be brought into line in the sense that it cannot disregard jointly agreed plans in order to pursue its own power ambitions.”
While much of the Republican Party has largely been in lockstep in supporting Trump’s Greenland threats, not every GOP lawmaker is on board.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said during a Tuesday interview with CNN that he hoped to rally other Republicans against any plans to seize the country.
“This is appalling,” Bacon said. “Greenland is a NATO ally. We have a base on Greenland, we could put four or five bases on Greenland. They wouldn’t mind that, they would make agreements with us on mining.”
Bacon also emphasized the infeasibility of Trump’s plans.
“We’re not going to acquire Greenland,” he said. “Most people in Greenland want to remain independent... with Denmark providing some protection... So this is one of the silliest things I’ve heard come out of the White House in the last year. It’s unacceptable and I hope other Republicans line up behind me and make it clear to the White House that it’s wrong.”
Trump and his allies have been making more aggressive statements in recent days about taking Greenland, which Trump has called essential to US national security.
Top Trump aide Stephen Miller on Monday night refused to rule out using military force to take Greenland during a Monday interview with CNN, and further claimed that “the future of the free world depends on America to be able to assert ourselves and our interests without an apology.”
US President Donald Trump declared that Venezuela will hand over up to 50 million barrels of oil—which could be sold for around $3 billion.
By Jake Johnson
US President Donald Trump claimed late Tuesday that Venezuela’s interim leadership will turn over to the United States as many as 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to be sold at market price, part of a broader, unlawful administration effort to seize the South American nation’s natural resources.
Trump, who authorized the illegal US bombing of Venezuela and abduction of its president this past weekend, said he would control the proceeds of the sale—which could amount to $3 billion.
“Just straight-up piracy and extortion from the US president,” journalist Mehdi Hasan wrote in response.
Consistent with his administration’s conduct since the weekend attack that killed at least 75 people in Venezuela, Trump provided few details on how his scheme would work or how it would comply with domestic and international law, both of which the president has repeatedly disregarded and treated with contempt.
It’s also not clear that Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president and an ally of Nicolás Maduro, has agreed to Trump’s plan, which he announced on social media as his administration worked to entice US oil giants to take part in its effort to exploit the South American nation’s vast reserves.
Ahead of the US attack on Venezuela, the Trump administration imposed a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers approaching or leaving Venezuela, pushing the country closer to economic collapse. The New York Times noted Tuesday that Trump’s decision to “begin targeting tankers carrying Venezuelan crude to Asian markets had paralyzed the state oil company’s exports.”
“To keep the wells pumping, the state oil company, known as PDVSA, had been redirecting crude oil into storage tanks and turning tankers idling in ports into floating storage facilities,” the Times reported. During Trump’s first White House term, he banned US companies from working with PDVSA.
Trump wrote in his social media post Tuesday that the tens of millions of barrels of oil “will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States.”
“I have asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute this plan, immediately,” Trump wrote.
The Trump administration is also pushing Venezuela’s interim leadership to meet a series of US demands before it can pump more oil, ABC News reported late Tuesday. Trump has illegally threatened to launch another attack on Venezuela, and target more of its politicians, if the country’s leadership doesn’t follow his administration’s orders.
According to ABC, the Trump administration has instructed Venezuela to “kick out China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba and sever economic ties.”
“Second, Venezuela must agree to partner exclusively with the US on oil production and favor America when selling heavy crude oil,” ABC added, citing unnamed sources. “According to one person, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers in a private briefing on Monday that he believes the US can force Venezuela’s hand because its existing oil tankers are full. Rubio also told lawmakers that the US estimates that Caracas has only a couple of weeks before it will become financially insolvent without the sale of its oil reserves.”
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