Graham pushes back on Tillis’ criticism of Noem, Miller for labeling man killed by Border Patrol a ‘terrorist’
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Tuesday defended Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller after Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., criticized the pair for labeling the U.S. citizen killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis as a “domestic terrorist.” Tillis was the first Senate Republican to call for Noem to be fired after the killing of Alex Pretti, 37, who was shot by federal agents as he was recording immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis over the weekend. “What she’s done in Minnesota should be disqualifying. She should be out of a job,” Tillis told reporters earlier on Tuesday. “It’s just amateur-ish. It’s terrible. It’s making the president look bad on policy that he won on. [President Donald Trump] won on a strong message on immigration. Now, nobody’s talking about that. … They’re talking about the incompetence of the leader of Homeland Security.” Noem and Miller “told the president before they even had an incident report whatsoever that the person who died was a terrorist. That is amateur hour at its worst,” Tillis added. SENATE GOP CRITICS SAY NOEM ‘NEEDS TO GO’ AMID FALLOUT FROM MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTINGS Responding to Tillis, Graham said someone “must have a very high opinion of themselves” if they believe they can get President Donald Trump to distance himself from Miller. “I’ve known Stephen Miller for a very long time. We have our differences, but we have more in common. When the clock strikes midnight for President Trump, there will be very few by his side. One will be Stephen Miller. If you don’t get that, you’ve missed a lot. No one has helped Trump more than Stephen Miller,” Graham told Fox News’ Chad Pergram. “To convince yourself that you can get Trump to distance himself from Stephen Miller, you must have a very high opinion of themselves,” he continued. The South Carolina lawmaker added: “To my Republican colleagues, you need to understand that the President’s confidence in Stephen Miller has been rock solid and unshakable. And Miller is part of that group.” Alex Pretti, 37, was shot and killed on Saturday by Border Patrol agents while recording federal immigration operations in Minneapolis. An ICU nurse, Pretti appeared to be attempting to attend to a woman agents knocked down when he was sprayed with an irritant, pushed to the ground and beaten. An agent was seen pulling Pretti’s lawfully owned gun from his waistband before other agents fired several shots and killed him. Noem was quick to label Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” and Miller characterized him as things such as a “would-be assassin,” both of which are unsubstantiated claims that sparked bipartisan pushback. The White House has sought to distance itself from the comments by Noem and Miller, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying she has “not heard the president characterize” Pretti that way. But despite calls from Democrat and Republican lawmakers to oust Noem over her response to Pretti’s killing, Trump expressed confidence in the secretary to continue leading DHS. NY POST, WSJ, NY TIMES AND WASHINGTON POST ALIGN AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN OVER ICE OPERATION IN MINNEAPOLIS “I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is totally secure. You know, you forget we had a border that I inherited where millions of people were coming through. Now we have a border where no one is coming through. They come into our country only legally,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. Asked if he agreed with Noem and Miller labeling Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” and an “assassin,” the president said he had not heard those remarks. “Well, I haven’t heard that. He shouldn’t have been carrying a gun,” Trump said. Trump also said the shooting was a “very sad situation” and he wants a “very honorable and honest investigation” that he wants to see for himself.
Nipah Virus: AIIMS doctor says highly infectious disease has ‘severe’ outcomes, how does it spread and is it deadly
Amid the Nipah virus disease scare, the Union Ministry of Health and Welfare (MoHFW) on Tuesday clarified two confirmed cases of the deadly disease from West Bengal. An AIIMS doctor says that it is a fatal disease with a high mortality rate.
Why did Shashi Tharoor skip two Congress meetings within a week? MP cites ‘prior travel plans’
The Delhi meet was attended by several senior leaders of the Congress, including president Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh, Pramod Tiwari, and Manish Tewari. This was the second high-profile party meeting that Tharoor skipped in a matter of days.
New flyover planned to connect Dwarka expressway to Bijwasan station, aims to reduce congestion, check details
The Najafgarh-Kapashera Road, which spans approximately 15-16 km, has become increasingly congested over the past 10-12 years, particularly the 5.5-km stretch between NH-48 and Dwarka Expressway.
Massive avalanche hits Jammu and Kashmir’s Sonamarg, viral video shows snow engulfing tourist area
CCTV footage from the area shows the sheer force of the avalanche, with snow sweeping through buildings and covering the surrounding landscape.
Budget session 2026-27 to begin today; Key dates, bills, and more, here’s all you need to know
The session will span 30 sittings over 65 days, concluding on April 2. The two Houses will adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9 to enable the Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.
IndiGo cancellation: No flights to be operated to, from Tbilisi, Almaty, Tashkent and Baku till 11 February, here’s why
IndiGo on Tuesday announced the cancellation of its flights to Tbilisi, Almaty, Tashkent and Baku till 11 February. Earlier, the airline had cancelled flights to these destinations only till January 28.
Delhi-NCR Weather Update: National Capital’s AQI rises to 273, air quality remains in ‘poor’ category; Check IMD forecast here
The air quality improved slightly from Tuesday, with the AQI at 294. However, large parts of the city remained enveloped in smog, and the overall air quality continues to be in the ‘poor’ category.
Ajit Pawar’s plane crashes in Maharashtra’s Baramati, multiple injuries reported; First photo emerges
A chartered plane carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar, flying from Mumbai, Maharashtra, to Baramati crash-landed at 8.45 am on Wednesday morning. As per repport, Pawar was headed to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad Elections. Further details about the crash are awaited.
Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Deputy CM, dies in plane crash in Baramati
Indian politician Ajit Pawar, serving as the 8th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, died in a plane crash on Wednesday (January 28), as reported by PTI. The politician was travelling with six others on the aircraft, which attempted to land in Baramati during a flight from Mumbai.