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- [00:05]
Shemitah Basu
Good morning. After a second fatal shooting in Minnesota, local and national opposition to ICE intensifies.
- [00:12]
Various Interviewees and Officials
They are making us less safe, not more safe. Law enforcement is based on trust and we have had a total breakdown of trust.
- [00:20]
Shemitah Basu
The Wall Street Journal speaks to us from the ground in Minneapolis and we'll look at how political resistance to more ICE funding could lead to another government shutdown. And after a day of historic winter stor, there could be more disruption in the days ahead.
- [00:34]
Various Interviewees and Officials
We're subject to mother Nature. We're doing all we can, but Mother Nature's pretty tough, unforgiving. So we're just encouraging people to stay home.
- [00:42]
Shemitah Basu
It's Monday, January 26th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News Today. By now, many, if not most Americans have seen for themselves the video that captures the fatal shooting of 37 year old Alex Preddy, shot by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis over the week. The people the is wrong with you, honestly. In the footage, Preddy is wrestled to the ground by a group of officers. The Department of Homeland Security says he had a handgun which he had a permit to carry. Officers can be heard shouting that he has a gun and they pull what appears to be a firearm from his waist area. Video analysis from multiple news outlets suggests he never unholstered a weapon. And just after one agent seemed to disarm him, at least one other officer fired multiple sh. His death comes just a couple of weeks after that of another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good. As with good, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Preddy's behavior as, quote, domestic terrorism. She said this without providing evidence and before any formal investigation had taken place. Minneapolis's police chief, Brian o' Hara said Preddy appeared to be exercising his Second Amendment rights. The city's mayor, Jacob Fry, condemned the Trump administration and again urged enforcement agents to leave the city.
- [02:10]
Various Interviewees and Officials
How many more lives need to be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values? How many times must local and national leaders must plead with you, Donald Trump, to end this operation and recognize that this is not creating safety in our city?
- [02:36]
Shemitah Basu
On cnn, Border Patrol commander at large Gregory Bevino agreed with Noem that Preddy had been, quote, brandishing a weapon. But that isn't clear from the video. He described Preddy as the suspect.
- [02:48]
Various Interviewees and Officials
Border Patrol agents and law enforcement were conducting a targeted law enforcement effort against a violent illegal alien that was nearby. And that suspect injected himself into that law enforcement situation with a weapon.
- [03:06]
Shemitah Basu
Mariah Timms is a national legal affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and was in Minneapolis over the weekend. Tims told us about Preddy, an ICU nurse at a Veterans affairs hospital with no criminal record.
- [03:19]
Mariah Timms
He was out there filming with his neighbors, as lots of people in Minneapolis are doing these days, out there with whistles and camera and observing what these federal immigration officers are doing. Everyone that my colleagues have talked to describe him as a good guy, someone who cared for veterans and his patients, someone who was kind to his neighbors and was part of the community where he worked and lived.
- [03:43]
Shemitah Basu
Tim's reports that Preddy put himself between an immigration officer and another individual who that agent shoved to the ground and was pepper spraying. Friends, colleagues and those who knew him well told the Journal that standing up for others was indicative of who Preddy was.
- [03:59]
Mariah Timms
Person, they say he's someone who would do something like that, who would help others, and no one has any sense that he would be the type of person who would have gone out there that day to try and cause chaos or violence or harm.
- [04:12]
Shemitah Basu
On Friday, thousands had braved the brutal cold, shutting down streets as hundreds of businesses closed to demand ICE leave the city.
- [04:20]
Mariah Timms
The crowds I saw were still a wide mix of people. There were people out there in fancy fur coats that I saw, some people who had just popped out of their houses and were not super dressed and some people who clearly were prepared in case things escalated. This was people who were in the neighborhood and showed up. People were leaning out of their balconies to chant down at agents or observe what was happening. It was not just committed demonstrators at that point. And I think it speaks to how much the general residents of Minneapolis have in many ways become involved in this response.
- [04:54]
Shemitah Basu
Minneapolis Commissioner o' Hara called for federal agencies to operate in the city with discipline and humanity and urged illegal crowds to disperse and remain peaceful. He told CBS the dynamic between federal agents and protesters is straining the local police force.
- [05:11]
Various Interviewees and Officials
This police department has only 600 police officers. We are stretched incredibly thin. This is taking an enormous toll trying to manage all of this chaos. On top of having to be the police department for a major city. It's too much.
- [05:26]
Shemitah Basu
On Sunday, a judge granted a temporary restraining order against the Department of Homeland Security, barring the department from altering or destroying evidence connected to Preddy's killing. Minnesota state and local law enforcement were blocked by federal agents from accessing the crime scene despite having a signed judicial warrant. Minnesota's attorney general plans to argue before a judge today that ICE's operations are unconstitutional and need to end. The city of Minneapolis is asking for a restraining order To Paus ICE operations, The second fatal shooting in four weeks by immigration agents has drawn condemnation and calls for transparency from lawmakers, including a growing number of Republicans. Multiple Republican senators said it had raised questions about the integrity of ice, and several called for an independent investigation after federal officials blamed the victim without evidence and within hours of the incident. Their attacks on Preddy provoked a rare rebuke from the nra, the National Rifle association, which accused the administration of demonizing law abiding citizens. And Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt told CNN that Americans didn't like what they were seeing.
- [06:49]
Various Interviewees and Officials
We believe in federalism and state rights and nobody likes feds coming into their state. And so what's the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non US Citizen? I don't think that's what Americans want.
- [07:03]
Shemitah Basu
Still, many other Republicans continued to back ice, joining Secretary Noem in criticizing protesters for aggressive tactics toward agents. In a five minute phone interview last night, President Trump told the Wall Street Journal they would be, quote, reviewing everything and refused to say whether the officer in this case had done the right thing. He also said when asked about the future of ICE presence in Minneapol, quote, at some point we will leave. Meanwhile, a major decision arrives for Democrats before January 30th. So this Friday, the Senate will consider a funding package that includes billions more for ICE. It needs 60 votes to pass, and if it doesn't, there could be a partial government shutdown. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar was unequivocal about where she stands on NBC's Meet the Press.
- [07:53]
Various Interviewees and Officials
They're now bigger than the FBI. And when they're killing two constituents in my state and they're taking two year olds out of the arms of their mom and they are taking an elder.
- [08:06]
Shemitah Basu
Hmong men out of his house and.
- [08:08]
Various Interviewees and Officials
Putting them out there in his underwear and then figuring out they have the wrong man. No, I am not voting for this funding.
- [08:16]
Shemitah Basu
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed in a statement they wouldn't support the package if the funding for DHS was included. And on cnn, his colle Senator Chris Murphy agreed.
- [08:26]
Various Interviewees and Officials
We cannot fund a Department of Homeland Security that is murdering American citizens, that is traumatizing little boys and girls all across the country in violation of the law. Listen, I'm not endeavoring to fix every single problem that exists in the Department of Homeland Security. But we should only vote for a bill that puts constraints on this lawlessness, that reforms the way that they are endangering our citizens in our cities.
- [08:54]
Shemitah Basu
Independent Senator Angus King, meanwhile, saw a route to avoiding a shutdown. He was one of the key figures in negotiating a deal to end the last one, and over the weekend he told CBS's Face the Nation that Republicans could separate the DHS funding bill from the other areas of government.
- [09:11]
Various Interviewees and Officials
If those bills pass, 96% of the federal government is funded. Take up DHS by itself. Let's have an honest negotiation, put some guardrails on what's going on, some accountability, and that would solve this problem. We don't have to have a shutdown.
- [09:25]
Shemitah Basu
The size and scale of ICE has changed dramatically in Trump's second term. Ten years ago, its yearly budget was less than $6 billion. But thanks to the GOP tax and spending bill passed last year, the agency now has around $85 billion at its disposal. That makes it the highest funded law enforcement agency in the country. In fact, according to the Atlantic, the overall amount of money appropriated for immigration enforcement last year was amounted to more than recent annual military budgets of any country besides China and the United States. Over a million without power, thousands of flights canceled and a state of emergency in 23 states. The massive winter storm pummeled eastern and southern parts of the country yesterday. With wind chills as low as minus 20s and 30s, The snowplows are hard at work. But millions of Americans across states from Texas to Massachusetts woke up yesterday greeted by at least several inches of snow, and officials are warning of days of freezing temperatures and disruption ahead. Southern states, which are less accustomed to extreme winter weather, were hit particularly hard. In Mississippi, about 10% of customers were without power by Sunday afternoon. Governor Tate Reeves warned that restoring power could take several days.
- [10:58]
Various Interviewees and Officials
Things are bad in a lot of areas across our state, and with the temperatures not likely to get above freezing, it's more likely that things are going to get worse before they get better.
- [11:08]
Shemitah Basu
Similar warnings were heard in states like Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. In Nashville, where over 200,000 lost power, trees were pictured collapsing under the weight of the ice and affecting electricity lines. One woman described the moment she realized a tree had landed in her backyard to the local station wkrn.
- [11:28]
Various Interviewees and Officials
I heard it cracking and I was.
- [11:30]
Shemitah Basu
In my bedroom and I thought, oh, that sounds like my house.
- [11:34]
Various Interviewees and Officials
And I came out and it wasn't my carport or my car. It was this straight it split. Part of it's in my backyard, it's.
- [11:42]
Shemitah Basu
In my front yard. Some of the country's busiest streets were nearly empty, and many retail and hospitality businesses opted to remain shut. Yesterday in New York City, the mayor, Sohran Mamdani, announced that public school kids would be remote learning today, opting against a snow day off.
- [11:59]
Various Interviewees and Officials
We have stress tested to learn virtually and are working with vendors to ensure that our systems have the capacity that they need. And I know that this may disappoint some students. So if you do see me, feel free to throw a snowball at me.
- [12:13]
Shemitah Basu
At airports, more than 11,000 flights were canceled, the worst single day since the start of the COVID pandemic, according to one flight tracker. CBS reports that at least another two and a half thousand are scheduled to be canceled today. The number one message from local officials across this huge area of impact was this Stay at home. Here's Delaware Governor Matt Meyer speaking to an NBC affiliate.
- [12:39]
Various Interviewees and Officials
This is kind of a pajamas all day kind of day. You help save emergency responders lives when you stay home so they can get out, do their work. We don't want anyone hurt for a preventable situation. It's just not worth it.
- [12:50]
Shemitah Basu
In the coming days, ice could become the biggest danger. People are being warned against driving unless absolutely necessary. Zach Taylor from the government agency NOAA told Fox that places where the ice gets to half an inch will see the most devastating impacts.
- [13:06]
Various Interviewees and Officials
That's when the weight of the ice will really bring down trees and likely result in further power outages. And so that really hampers the ability for folks. And with the cold temperatures likely to continue into next week, it's unfortunate that it'll be a long recover recovery for some folks given some of the ice accumulations.
- [13:24]
Shemitah Basu
The National Weather Service has warned people to brace for frigid days ahead as the snow and ice will be slow to melt. And finally, a few other stories we're following. China is investigating its top general for leaking nuclear secrets to the U.S. according to an exclusive in the Wall Street Journal. On Saturday, the Chinese defense minist announced it was looking into Zhang Yoshia, once a close ally of President Xi Jinping. People familiar with a briefing of high ranking officers told the Journal that he was accused of forming political cliques to undermine the leadership and abusing his authority. An expert at a Chinese political risk consulting firm said the move was unprecedented and represented a total annihilation of the high command. Venezuela released at least 80 political prisoners over the weekend following pressure from the United States. One Venezuelan human rights organization says they are working on identifying those who were released as they wait for more to be let go. This is the latest round of prisoners to be freed since the US Detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who's currently in custody in New York. Venezuela has long been criticized of using detentions to silence critics of the government, which its government has denied. Venezuela's interim government says so far more than 600 prisoners have been let go, though the same human rights group says that figure is inflated. And finally, the matchup for Super Bowl 60 is set. The New England Patriots will face off against the Seattle Seahawks for a chance to lift the Lombardi trophy. In the AFC, the Patriots outlasted the Denver Broncos 10 to 7 in a snowy, low scoring affair. This will be the 12th time the Patriots will compete for a championship. And in the NFC, see the Seahawks beat out the Rams 31 27. That means the Patriots and Seahawks are set for a rematch of Super Bowl 49, a game that lives large in super bowl lore. The Patriots won that game after a last second interception at the goal line. Seattle will get their shot at redemption on February 8th. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. The New Yorker reports on the diplomatic relations between Alaska and Russia and how things have changed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News plus Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.