Pivot Podcast — Emergency Episode Summary

Episode Title: Is Alex Pretti Shooting a Turning Point?
Hosts: Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway
Release Date: January 26, 2026

Overview

In this urgent "emergency pod," Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway respond to the controversial fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents (ICE) in Minnesota. The episode examines the political, social, and institutional fallout, analyzes the administration’s response, explores media responsibility, and debates effective paths for protesting and generating change. The episode's mood is raw and impassioned, both hosts expressing outrage and a sense of historical gravity around this moment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Timeline and Facts of the Shooting

• The killing of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, by ICE agents in Minneapolis sets off national outrage.
• This is the second such fatality by federal agents in Minnesota this month.
• Multiple video angles clearly show Pretti documenting the scene on his phone and helping a woman pushed down by police before being shot.
• Federal officials and the Trump administration attempt to blame the victim and local authorities.
• Attorney General Pam Bonnie issues demands to the state, notably for access to voter rolls, linking the incident to the upcoming midterms.

Quote - Kara Swisher:

"He was peaceful. He was leaning down to help a woman who was shoved down by police who was doing nothing but exercising her right... And everyone can see it."
[[10:42]]

2. Constitutional Rights and Institutional Distrust

• Scott breaks down the violations of Pretti’s First and Second Amendment rights, noting his legal right to film and to carry a licensed firearm, which he did not brandish.
• Distrust is expressed in the fairness of institutional investigations:

  "The institutions conducting these investigations now are no longer trusted and with good reason."
  [[05:35]]

• Analogies are drawn to military conduct, critiquing the recklessness of the agents compared to wartime rules of engagement.

Quote - Scott Galloway:

"The rules of engagement are now more reckless and more violent in the suburbs of Minneapolis than they are in Mogadishu during a war."
[[06:52]]

3. Characterizing The Administration’s Response

• The administration shifts blame, citing ICE officer victimization and calling citizen documentation “impeding.”
• Kara uses direct language, labeling key federal actors as both "evil and incompetent," and draws historical comparisons to Nazi figures.
• Critique of business leaders' silence (e.g., presence of tech CEOs at the White House event immediately after the shooting).
• Calls out tech figures for failing to speak up, with Kara specifically referencing Tim Cook.

Quote - Kara Swisher:

"Could they just beg off, like to go to the Melania screening, which nobody wants to see? Could they say something publicly? ... The silence from our business people, especially the tech people."
[[11:42]]

4. Grassroots Leadership, Protest, and Economic Power

• Scott cites Timothy Snyder; real change comes not from politcal parties but from citizens and collective action.
• Discusses traditional protests versus economic withdrawal as levers of power.
• Advocates for national, coordinated spending strikes—"quiet, unsettling to the system"—to tangibly affect the economy and thus pressure political actors.

Quote - Scott Galloway:

"Trump does not respond to outrage, he responds to markets... It’s not protest, it’s non-participation. The most radical act in capitalism... is non-participation."
[[15:22]]

• Kara disagrees that protest is ineffective, highlighting the power of media and public demonstration:

"We can see you. We see you. Is a really powerful thing."
[[18:43]]

5. Media’s Role and Moral Clarity

• Both hosts criticize attempts at journalistic neutrality and urge media to be "truthful, not neutral."
• Kara shares the perspective that media and comics get to the core moral question: legality versus morality.

"If we get into arguments with these people about what we can see with our eyes, we lose."
[[19:33]]

6. Political Inaction and Republican Complicity

• Call for 20 Republican Senators to demand an end to violence, warning that legislative and generational legacies are at stake.
• Discuss the political calculus behind Republican inaction in the face of disastrous polling for Trump.

Quote - Scott Galloway:

"The disappointing thing is... they have done the calculus and have decided they have enough support in their districts, the silent majority, that they don’t feel they need to do it."
[[25:57]]

7. Notable Reflections & Historical Context

• Kara places blame on Trump but also on figures like Stephen Miller, comparing his influence to that of Nazi enforcers.
• Both note the historical weight and point out mainstream attention now that white Americans are among the victims, connecting to longstanding conversations about police brutality in minority communities.
• Tribute is paid to the press—e.g., the Minnesota Star Tribune—and ordinary Minnesotans for their courage and documentation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Regarding documentation and surveillance:
  "The power of digital is really strong... I don't understand why these people don't think cell phones exist in this world."
  — Kara Swisher [[11:12]]

• On economic boycotts:
  "If all of a sudden you took all your money out of any JP Morgan affiliated bank... if you canceled OpenAI... if you said, I am not upgrading my Apple phone... this shit would come to an end pronto."
  — Scott Galloway [[22:04]]

• Direct call-out to tech leaders:
  "Tim, I like you very much, but Steve Jobs would be ashamed of you... The Apple brand stands for more."
  — Kara Swisher [[20:37]]

• On the limitations of protest:
  "Protesting is powerful... But it's the boring shit that moves the needle."
  — Scott Galloway [[21:23]]

• On Republican Senate responsibility:
  "All you would need is 20 of them to go to the White House and [say], if this isn't handled in 72 hours... we're gonna be a yes [on impeachment]."
  — Scott Galloway [[25:21]]

Important Timestamps

• [02:20] — Kara introduces the emergency pod and outlines the shooting and fallout.
• [05:33] — Scott discusses lack of trust in institutions and breakdown of constitutional protections.
• [10:42] — Kara's impassioned breakdown of the evidence and police conduct.
• [13:03] — Scott introduces economic withdrawal as a method of protest.
• [15:22] — Scott quantifies the power of a consumer economic strike.
• [18:43] — Kara and Scott debate the effectiveness of traditional protest versus economic action.
• [22:04] — Scott proposes targeted economic actions against tech companies.
• [24:25] — Kara references disastrous Trump polling and Republican silence.
• [25:21] — Scott details how Republican Senators could end the violence.
• [27:39] — Audio tribute: Alex Pretti speaks as an ICU nurse, honoring veterans.
• [28:10] — Scott reflects on historical turning points and future accountability.

Conclusion

This episode of Pivot issues a searing critique of government violence, failed leadership, and business complicity in the wake of Alex Pretti’s killing. Swisher and Galloway blend fact, moral outrage, and strategic debate—over protest, the media's role, and economic resistance—to underscore what they believe is a historical inflection point. The episode ends with a heartfelt tribute to Pretti, a call for continued citizen action in Minnesota, and a reminder that, in their view, only collective, courageous disruption—whether economic or public—will shift a system spiraling into deeper injustice.