“The Trump administration, being the Trump administration, immediately set about lying about what had happened, and the usual politics of gun rights were immediately flipped on their head, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insisting that [murder victim Alex] Pretti had been an armed rioter, which is — I do not suppose this even needs saying at this point — not true. Among others, the president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center affirmed: ‘I see nothing that Mr. Pretti did that was unlawful,’ at least with respect to his gun. But strangely, a great many people who sometimes call themselves libertarians began to insist that when an officer of the state gives you an order, your choices are: 1) comply meekly; 2) get gunned down. Ernest Hemingway had their number way back in 1940: ‘There are many who do not know they are Fascists, but will find it out when the time comes.'” (01/27/26)
“As the internet blackout in Iran appears to be easing after weeks of protests across the country, the scale of the Islamic Republic regime’s bloodiest crackdown in decades is now being made public, according to activist groups. More than 5,700 protesters have been killed since Jan. 8, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, an Iran-focused activist group based in the U.S. More than 17,000 other related death cases are still under review, the group said. That U.S.-based group relies on a network of activists in Iran for its reporting and has been known to be accurate during previous unrest. While ABC News cannot confirm the number independently, the true toll might be even higher, according to other sources.” (01/27/26)
“When President Trump authorized a strike to capture Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, without congressional approval, it was the latest manifestation of the increasingly common belief by presidents that they have broad unilateral authority when it comes to military operations. The Constitution’s original meaning, however, belies this notion. As I have developed at more length here, the Constitution’s ‘declare War’ clause allocates to Congress — and by implication denies to the president — the power to initiate hostile military action against foreign nations.” (01/27/26)
“Minnesota’s chief federal judge has ordered the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, to appear in his courtroom Friday and threatened to hold him in contempt for what he says has been repeated defiance of judges’ orders in the state. ‘The court’s patience is at an end,’ U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said in a three-page order issued Monday night, demanding the acting director explain himself ‘personally.’ … Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee, said the administration has been slow-walking or outright defying the directives of many Minnesota judges, including at least one of his own: The order for Lyons to appear came in the case of a man Schiltz ordered released on Jan. 15 but who remained detained as of Monday night.” (01/27/26)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Greg Lukianoff
“Governments are always tempted to blame words for violence they can’t control. If “heated rhetoric” were enough, dissent would disappear whenever officials felt threatened — which, of course, would end up being all the time. The speech that federal officials have criticized in Minnesota seems like protected political dissent, not obstruction or conspiracy. That raises the discouraging possibility that the point of the Justice investigation isn’t to bring charges that will stick. Rather, it may be to use the threat of prosecution to chill speech. That’s not law enforcement. It’s ideology enforcement, backed by mob-like bully tactics.” (01/27/26)
“Before Alex Pretti was shot and killed Saturday by federal forces, he was defending two women who were being violently shoved after challenging Border Patrol agents. The minute that agent started pushing those women with little provocation beyond whatever words were exchanged, Border Patrol relinquished control of the situation. The scrum that followed — as multiple agents pounded Pretti on the ground — was chaos. Chaos that eventually turned deadly, as agents saw that Pretti was carrying a gun. Much as they did after Good’s death, administration officials tried to control the narrative of what happened, blaming the victim.” (01/27/26)
“Americans are strongly united against people being gunned down on our streets by federal agents. … Republicans at the White House, in Congress and across the country know the voters will crush them if this continues through the fall elections. Now if voters can only unite on reform beyond merely stopping the shooting.” (01/27/26)
“Meta has started blocking its users from sharing links to ICE List, a website that has compiled the names of what it claims are Department of Homeland Security employees, a project the creators say is designed to hold those employees accountable. … As agents from Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which are under DHS, have continued to terrorize immigrant communities and kill US citizens, activists have sought to track and record their activity online in a bid to hold them accountable. But as well as threatening to prosecute those they claim are ‘doxing’ ICE agents, the Trump administration has pressured tech companies to block any efforts at crowdsourcing the location and activities of those agents.” (01/27/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Daniel J Mitchell
“For years, China’s control of the 5G and AI future seemed unstoppable. Backed by the Chinese state, Huawei — which is labeled a Chinese military company by the Department of Defense — embedded itself across global telecommunications networks, undercut competitors with pricing subsidized by China’s government, and expanded its footprint in everything from 5G infrastructure to enterprise networking equipment. Western governments warned about the security risks, but many markets ignored them. However, something unexpected is now happening, even inside China. Chinese consumers, once encouraged to buy Huawei products as a patriotic duty, are becoming increasingly skeptical of the company.” (01/27/26)
