Brandon Maughan, MD

Swalwell: ICE agents shot Alex Pretti and Renee Good. And the only person in the world who has been held accountable by DHS is the pilot who somehow forgot to move Kristi Noem’s blankie.

lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · 49m I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated. Quote lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · Jan 25 Waking up without power, heat, or running water. (Again.) But the work here in Kyiv continues. Warming up in the car, writing in pencil — pen ink freezes — by headlamp.

INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.

Quite the closing words from the judge too:

Just experienced the most intense tear gassing of my life by federal officers outside the ICE facility in Portland where marchers gathered. There was no fast exit as they indiscriminately threw loads of gas and flash bangs. Children were in the crowd screaming. @oregoncapitalchronicle.com

“Imagine how they lie when there’s no evidence to contradict them.”

Watch this powerful message from Jon Stewart.

It's now against the TikTok tos / community guidelines to use the word “Epstein”

Alex Pretti’s coworkers take a moment of silence this morning

I know it's hard to track all the threats to democracy out there right now, but this is at the top of the list.

Seen in Los Angeles

(Credit: Zurita Carpio)

VA nurse Alex Pretti gave a veteran his final salute. The veteran’s last words to his son: “keep fighting the good fight.” 🇺🇸 In their honor, we must all fight the good fight to get ICE out of our communities. #BlueSky #ICE #PoliSky #MedSky #LawSky

this is it. this is the level. this is the standard for democratic officials. anything less is intolerable.

Conservatives: We need to bring back civics education
Minneapolis Guy: I'm speaking as an american this is about the 2nd amendment, the fourth amendment, the sixth amendment
Conservatives: Not like that

[but seriously this guy is on it]

Man shot in Minneapolis by federal agents identified as VA nurse: ‘He wanted to help people’ Alex Pretti, 37, worked in the ICU at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and had assisted on scientific research

The NYT clearly states in its reporting that the federal government's version of events is contradicted by videos of the shooting today. Here is @melodyschreiber.com piece on the victim, a VA nurse who worked in the ICU www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

This is so emblematic of Schumer being useless. Where does he think ICE will go next? Are we going to play hot potato with blue cities? Does anyone doubt that on this trajectory ICE will happily kidnap and murder people at polling places by November? The only possible plan is defund ICE.

YouTube video by Seth Moulton ICE is full of COWARDS. They are all absolute, pathetic, untrained COWARDS. DEFUND AND PROSECUTE.

holy crap youtube.com/shorts/hyqtA...

This is courage. Looking a masked, government fascist dead in the eye, face to face, knowing full well that your life is on the line.

If elected officials had 1/10th of Alex Pretti's resolve, we would have far fewer troubles.

Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.

White. Hot. Rage.

Alex Pretti from his early days working at the VA

Alex from our time working together, while he was in nursing school. Later, he moved to ICU, working as a nurse to support critically ill Veterans. He had such a great attitude. We’d chat between patients about trying to get in a mountain bike ride together. Will never happen now

ACIP: “Polio vaccine should be optional.”

This is the stupidest timeline.

Heartbreaking cruelty visited upon children in our name

A profile in courage it is not.

Screenshot of a post by Nick Schifrin (@nickschifrin) on X/Twitter. The post reads: “NEW: @potus letter to @jonasgahrstore links @NobelPrize to Greenland, reiterates threats, and is forwarded by the NSC staff to multiple European ambassadors in Washington. I obtained the text from multiple officials: Dear Ambassador: President Trump has asked that the following message, shared with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, be forwarded to your [named head of government/state] ‘Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT’” At the bottom of the screenshot: “8:31 PM · Jan 18, 2026 · 25.6K Views.”

This is utterly deranged.

NEW: @potus letter to @jonasgahrstore links @NobelPrize to Greenland, reiterates threats, and is forwarded by the NSC staff to multiple European ambassadors in Washington. I obtained the text from multiple officials: Dear Ambassador: President Trump has asked that the following message, shared with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, be forwarded to your [named head of government/state] “Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT”

mad king moment

from the PBS Newshour correspondent

Reminds me of one of my favorite memes:

=9 THE HILL Kamala's newest lie: Trump will send the army after you BY DEREK HUNTER, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 10/16/24 8:00 AM ET GE FOLLOW ON Google News f EDOM HARR THE HILL PERISTIVANIA DAILY DEBRIEF

© Reuters My News Q Pentagon readies 1,500 troops for potential Minnesota deployment, US officials say By Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Chandni Shah January 18, 2026 8:33 AM CST • Updated 33 mins ago 贝 Aa NO TROOPS IN OUR CITIES!

How it started/how it's going

Oh

And also wut

"It’s not just the bright lights. It’s the way they come into a house. They don't just knock; they invade...all under the guise of 'the greater good.'" Fahrenheit 451

We evacuated our kids out of Minneapolis this weekend and my spouse reports that as she drove them out of town she saw "multiple freeway exits where people are being pulled over." It feels like the Twin Cities is being subjugated by a hostile occupying force.

@chrislhayes.bsky.social: “A 37-year-old American citizen, the mother of a young child is dead tonight. She was shot in the face by an agent of the federal government, and that government has spent the day telling despicable lies about her.”

Exactly.