Texas Weekly Online

Vance calls Minneapolis unrest ‘engineered chaos’ after deadly shooting

Vance calls Minneapolis unrest ‘engineered chaos’ after deadly shooting

Vice President JD Vance called the unrest in Minnesota “engineered chaos” in the wake of another fatal, federal agent-involved shooting over the weekend.  On Saturday, 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse who was carrying a licensed handgun while protesting a federal immigration enforcement operation, was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Authorities say Pretti resisted arrest after trying to intervene in the operation. In response to the shooting, Vance accused “far-left agitators working with local authorities” of creating the conditions that led to the confrontation between Pretti and the border patrol agents.  SENATE DEMS REVOLT AGAINST DHS FUNDING BILL AMID MINNEAPOLIS CHAOS, HIKING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN RISK “This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis,” Vance said in a post on X. “It is the direct consequence of far left agitators, working with local authorities.” His remarks come as a familiar network of far-left groups mobilize nationwide, often coalescing around disparate causes. FAMILIAR GROUPS MOBILIZE IMMEDIATELY AFTER ICE SHOOTING OF MINNESOTA PROTESTER In Minneapolis, the unrest intensified after the shooting, leading several local officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, to call on the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration to pull Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from the city. Walz said in a post on X that he spoke with the White House “after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning.”  “Minnesota has had it,” Walz said. “This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.” On Sunday, Walz said: “Minnesota believes in law and order. We believe in peace,” and called on Trump to pull “untrained agents” out of the state. But the White House wasn’t keen on budging.  White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to local leadership calling for the withdrawal of federal law enforcement from Minnesota, writing on X that the focus should not be on removing officers but on removing “dangerous criminal illegal aliens” from the state. “The Democrats have their priorities completely upside down. They will not keep the American people safe,” Leavitt wrote.  ICE OFFICERS INJURED AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STRIKES AGENTS Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said Pretti approached agents while armed with a 9 mm pistol and two magazines and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him, prompting one agent to fire. Local video footage and eyewitness accounts, however, appear to show Pretti holding only his phone before he was pepper-sprayed and pinned to the ground, raising questions about the government’s account of the encounter. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that she grieves for Pretti’s family and vowed a thorough investigation. “We can’t have individuals that are impeding law enforcement operations and then showing up with guns and weapons and no ID and confronting law enforcement like that,” Noem said. “It is one of the reasons that we see situations like this unfold.” He was shot several times and pronounced dead at the scene. State officials later said Pretti had a lawful permit to carry the firearm.  Minnesota Democrats pushed back on the White House’s characterization, arguing the federal operation escalated tensions and endangered residents, including those not targeted by immigration enforcement.

Trump hails ‘great and very brave’ UK soldiers after slamming NATO allies’ Afghanistan service

Trump hails ‘great and very brave’ UK soldiers after slamming NATO allies’ Afghanistan service

President Donald Trump praised the soldiers of the United Kingdom who served alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan on Saturday, clarifying his previous criticism of NATO allies. Trump had earlier criticized NATO troops who served in Afghanistan, arguing they had stayed “a little bit back” from the frontlines during the conflict. His statement was met with outrage in the U.K., however, where Prime Minister Kier Starmer called it “insulting and frankly, appalling.” “The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will!” he continued. THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S UK VISIT SHOULDN’T BE UNDERESTIMATED The social media post partially walks back his previous criticism of NATO, made during an interview on Fox Business. “We have never really asked anything of them,” he said. “You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that, and they did. They stayed a little back, little off the front lines.” Starmer’s office says the prime minister raised the issue with Trump during a phone call this weekend. UK READY TO SEND TROOPS, JETS, SHIPS IF TRUMP CLINCHES UKRAINE CEASEFIRE, DEFENSE CHIEF SAYS “The Prime Minister raised the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home,” a spokesperson said. “We must never forget their sacrifice.” Trump’s initial remarks also drew a direct rebuke from Prince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan. “I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,” Harry said. “Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defense of diplomacy and peace,” he added.