END OF THE FIRST CRAZY WEEK OF 2026

Yesterday, Minnesota leaders announced an investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the investigation after the FBI took sole ownership of investigating the shooting, which renewed tensions in the Twin Cities amid increased federal immigration enforcement. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday that Minnesota leaders “have not been cut out. They don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation.” Minnesota. New video apparently filmed by Ross appeared to show the deadly confrontation from the ICE agent’s perspective.

Thursday afternoon, 17 House Republicans joined with all Democrats to pass legislation to extend the ACA subsidies for three years. This puts action by the Senate squarely in the electoral sights heading up to the mid-terms.

Renee Good wasn’t a protester or a “legal observer”: The father of Renee Good’s late husband has provided more information about who she was. He said she was no activist and that he had never known her to participate in a protest of any kind. He described her as a devoted Christian who took part in youth mission trips to Northern Ireland when she was younger. “She loved to sing, participating in a chorus in high school and studying vocal performance in college.” He also said Good had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school Wednesday and was driving home with her current partner when they encountered a group of ICE agents on a snowy street in Minneapolis, where they had moved last year from Kansas City, Missouri. As her wife said, they paused to “express support for our neighbors.”

The NYT reports that in a Dec. 12 email, the head of Enforcement and Removal Operations for ICE warned agents to be “prepared to take appropriate and decisive action should you be faced with an imminent threat” from protestors. No wonder the murder happened - they’ve all been granted a free pass. At least 100 more federal agents are being deployed to Minnesota. During Trump’s mass deportation operations, federal agents have fired at vehicles at least ten times.

It happened again: Yesterday, the street thug violence of CBP and ICE continued after the Wednesday murder of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Two people were wounded in a shooting involving CBP thugs in Portland, Oregon, Thursday afternoon.The Oregonian reported that agents shot and injured a man and a woman in east Portland. Reports indicated that protests were growing in the city following the Minneapolis murder. The man and the woman are still alive and have been taken to a local hospital. The shooting caused the Portland City Council to suspend its meeting. “We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Police Chief Bob Day said. “We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.” DHS stated that Federal agents attempted to stop a vehicle, which the agency states was used as a “weapon,” allegedly attempting to strike agents. At least one thug agent his weapon. Two occupants - a man and a woman - were struck by gunfire. The vehicle did not stop after the shooting. It drove away from the initial location, carrying both injured occupants. It is unclear whether the CBP pursued or not. At 2:24 p.m., six minutes after the initial police response, Portland Police received another call. A man who had been shot was calling for help, this time from the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside, several blocks from the initial location. Officers responded and found a male and female, both with apparent gunshot wounds. Portland Police officers applied a tourniquet. Emergency medical personnel were summoned. Both patients were transported to a hospital. Their conditions have not been publicly disclosed. Portland officials have called for federal operations to pause. Federal authorities maintain that agents acted in self-defense. The investigation is ongoing - Oregon officials are launching their own investigation. No video has yet emerged of the incident.

Continuing the policy of stacking lies on top of lies, Maladministration II has identified the two people as as suspected associates of the Tren de Aragua gang in a post on X. The driver was identified as Luis David Nico Moncada and the passenger as Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano- Contreras, alleging that Moncada entered the U.S. in 2022 while Contreras entered the U.S. in 2023. They were both identified as a “criminal illegal alien from Venezuela,” with DHS blaming the Biden administration for allowing the pair entry into the U.S. The post further alleged that Moncada was previously arrested for a DUI and “unauthorized use of a vehicle,” while Contreras “played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved with a prior shooting in Portland.” This morning, DHS posted on X that the shooting occurred when a driver “weaponized their vehicle against Border Patrol in Portland,” prompting the CBP agent to take “immediate action to defend himself and others, shooting them.” Baghdad Trisha, speaking on Fux Snooze today said: “Our agent, he practiced and followed his training, as he should have.”At least we now know what their Standard Lie is.

Keystone K$H Patel has reportedly launched a probe of “the organizers and funders” of anti-ICE protests after a federal agent shot an unarmed mother in Minneapolis Wednesday. “The FBI is investigating paid protest campaigns throughout the country including organizers, protesters, and funding sources that drive illicit activities,” he said on far right website Just The News, which added, without supporting evidence, “the protests appear to be organized by a Chinese Communist Party-linked financial network in the United States.” Wannabe Nazi John Solomon described Patel’s statement as, “the most strong statement” from anyone in the MAGA administration thus far that “not only are the people that ICE is rounding up doing unlawful activities, but these left-wing anarchist protesters are also potentially going to face criminal sanctions soon.”

Zeteo interviewed a Trump official and reports this morning that Maladministration II has been planning from the outset of their national pogrom on how to deal with state prosecution of a federal officer involved in an event like the murder of Renee Nicole Good. The final decision, which reportedly included White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, was: “Don’t give an inch, and protect the accused agents ‘no matter what’”. Maladministration II has already squeezed out state investigators and prevented them from independently probing the shooting. That move was reportedly driven by Trump-appointed Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, who had no prior experience as a prosecutor. Defending the firewall, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said that Minnesota “had not been cut out,” declaring that it “doesn’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation.” (As with everything else she says, this is a LIE.) State prosecutors are now unlikely to have access to any further evidence - body-worn camera footage, if it exists, interviews with the officer and witnesses, medical reports - and any other investigative material that could be part of a case. Governor Walz said, “By not allowing Minnesota to participate, and the prejudgment that’s already been made by leadership, creates a very, very dangerous situation.” Rep. Dan Goldman said, “If the FBI is the only investigative agency and you have Kash Patel, who is basically an extension of Donald Trump’s right arm, doing this investigation, we all know it’s going nowhere.” Jonathan Ross’s father saidthis morning that his son “will not be charged with anything.” If this doesn’t wake people up to how far down the shithole we are, I don’t know what will.

Corporal Couchfucker made his contribution to the squid ink, claiming that an ICE agent who murdered Renee Good has “absolute immunity” to do their job, suggesting this is a federal issue that prevents local prosecution. This statement echoes a position related to the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, but legal experts state that federal agents do not have the same broad immunity as a president. Vance stated the agent has “absolute immunity” from prosecution in the conduct of his duties, and that it would be unprecedented for a local official to prosecute a federal official with such immunity. Federal agents, like other law enforcement officers, have broad protections when performing their official duties. Under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, states are limited in when they can prosecute federal agents for breaking state law, particularly if the agent was acting within the reasonable confines of their federal authority. These protections are not absolute. Federal agents can be and have been prosecuted by both state and federal authorities if they act outside their official authority or violate federal criminal statutes.

Vance also showed that Maladministrtion II is no longer even trying to hide that it’s running the Justice Department directly. He announced in a press conference that a new assistant attorney general - ostensibly tasked with investigating fraud - will be “run out of the White House” and report directly to him and President Trump. As the NYT’s Alan Feuer put it: “The assertion by Mr. Vance that he and Mr. Trump intended to exercise direct supervision over a senior Justice Department official was one of the administration’s most brazen efforts to date to toss out the traditional boundaries that have long existed between the White House and investigations conducted by federal law enforcement.”

Kristi Noem said “that’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” spouting her tale of a “domestic terrorist” who “stalked our officers all day” before she attacked them with her car as they were trying to push their vehicle out of a snowbank in a Washington press conference on Thursday. “This was an act of domestic terrorism,” Noem claimed. “So this is standard operating procedure after every use of force situation is that we followed these procedures and protocols.”

The ICE Thug who gunned down Renee Nicole Good in her car has been identified. His name is Jonathan Ross. Federal authorities have been quick to point out he was dragged by a car in an incident in Minneapolis this past summer that resulted in him getting 30 stitches. Apparently this is why he was “easily triggered” by Good trying to remove herself and her car from the scene of the crime. His online resume also says he was a “firearms instructor” for ICE training. That’s chilling.

YouTuber Nick Shirley - the MAGA “influencer” whose lie-filled, widely-debunked “report” gave Trump, MAGA and the GOP toadstools in the House the go-ahead for the assault on Minneapolis that led to the ICE thug murdering a protester - is poised to receive the Congressional Gold Medal under a new bill introduced by Republican Representative Eli Crane of Arizona. The legislation seeks to recognize Shirley’s role in exposing large-scale social services fraud in Minnesota, which rocked state politics and ultimately led to Governor Tim Walz exiting the race. Kyle Rittenhouse, known for murdering two men during unrest in 2020, sparked backlash Wednesday as he floated whether to travel to Minnesota after federal immigration agents gunned down an American citizen. Chris Manzo, host of Fantasy Life on Sirius XM, wrote on X, “Rarely political, but someone needs to beat the shit out of him.”

Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield ruled that Trump loyalist John Sarcone has been unlawfully serving as interim U.S. attorney for the Northern District of N.Y. and disqualified him from handling Letitia James’ investigation and another case. The decision marks the latest instance in recent months that a judge has ruled that a Trump-appointed prosecutor is serving unlawfully. Schofield wrote in her ruling that all subpoenas that Sarcone issued are “quashed,” since the federal prosecutor overstayed his legal 120 day appointment. “When the Executive branch of government skirts restraints put in place by Congress and then uses that power to subject political adversaries to criminal investigations, it acts without lawful authority,” the judge said in her decision.

On Thursday, five Senate Republicans (Susan Collins, Josh Hawley, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, and Todd Young) voted with every Democrat, including John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, to pass a War Powers Act resolution that would limit Trump’s ability to take any further action in Venezuela without the consent of Congress. Trump melted down and offered the most inaccurate and warped view of the Constitution that you will ever read. Trump posted on Lies Anti-Social after the vote: “Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again. This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief. In any event, and despite their “stupidity,” the War Powers Act is Unconstitutional, totally violating Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me. Nevertheless, a more important Senate Vote will be taking place next week on this very subject.”

The president, as Commander in Chief, directs the military and carries out the orders of Congress. Presidents have been abusing their power for decades with unilateral actions, but Trump is wrong. No president has the sole authority to declare war. Sen. Susan Collins responded to Trump’s post by telling reporters, “The president, obviously, is unhappy with the vote. I guess this means that he would prefer to have Governor Mills or somebody else with whom he’s not had a great relationship.”

Corporal Couchfucker called the War Powers Act “fundamentally fake” and unconstitutional, ridiculing the law passed in 1973 shortly after senators on Capitol Hill voted to advance a bipartisan measure to block President Trump from using military force against Venezuela. “Second of all, as the president, I believe himself, has already said every president, Democrat or Republican, believes the War Powers Act is fundamentally a fake and unconstitutional law,” Vance said during a White House press briefing. It’s not going to change anything about how we conduct foreign policy over the next couple of weeks, the next couple of months and that will continue to be how we approach things,” he told reporters.

As Trump desperately tries to lure major oil companies into rebuilding Venezuela’s devastated petroleum industry, the giants who could actually do the job are hitting the pause button, according to a new report. Industry insiders are mocking the president behind his back, predicting companies will string him along to get on his “good side” and never follow through.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted Thursday that mega corporations aren’t biting, but smaller players are practically camping out on the White House lawn. “The big oil companies who move slowly, who have corporate boards are not interested. I can tell you that independent oil companies and individuals, wildcatters, our phones are ringing off the hook. They want to get to Venezuela yesterday,” he told a crowd at the Economic Club of Minnesota. “The most enthusiastic are among the least prepared and least sophisticated,” said one industry official with knowledge of the general response from the businesses. “Anyone with a degree of international sophistication is taking a more measured approach.”Oil prices hover near five-year lows at $57 a barrel, making massive Venezuelan investments a dubious proposition. One business lobbyist delivered a blunt assessment that companies may simply promise Trump they’re interested in investing in Venezuela merely to stay in his good graces, with no intention of moving forward. The person described the phenomenon with a mocking acronym: “Everyone Makes Promises And Never Actually Does Anything.”“My impression is it’s EMPANADA all over again,” he said.

This one truly shocks me: Martin Peterson, a philosophy professor at Texas A&M University, was thunderstruck when he was told on Tuesday that he needed to excise some teachings of Plato from his syllabus. It was one way, his department head wrote in an email, that Dr. Peterson’s philosophy class could comply with new policies limiting discussion of race and gender. University officials flagged passages from Plato’s Socratic dialogue, the Symposium, because they discuss patriarchy, masculinity, and gender identity. Specifically, the “Myth of the Androgyne” features the Greek playwright Aristophanes describing a “third kind” of human being that was a “combination of both genders.” The university targeted Diotima’s “Ladder of Love,” another section of the Symposium, because it has been interpreted as defending homosexuality. As the professor said, “How can we possibly teach philosophy without being allowed to discuss Plato, even if some of Plato’s ideas are a little bit controversial?”

They’re going to continue destroying all good things: Trump this week issued an executive order that unilaterally continued his retrograde approach to climate change by purporting to withdraw the United States from the Senate-ratified 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore for its work studying climate change. Not only that, but he “withdrew” the U.S. from 64 other UN treaties and agreements. The targets are primarily U.N.-related groups that focus on climate, labor and other issues that Maladministration II has criticized for catering to “woke” initiatives. The order follows Trump’s instruction for Maladministration II to review participation in and funding for all international organizations, including those affiliated with the United Nations.

Garrett Graff gets the last word: “There are so many aspects of our daily life that we’d never had to weigh before; so many new possible horrors that we have to carry in our minds each day. We forget how much of the basic fabric of our country has been altered in the space of just a year, how many of our freedoms have been impinged, and how many things we took for granted that now we can’t.”

You are not the crazy ones. These are truly the times that try men’s (and women’s) souls. This is the fight of our lifetimes, and the challenge of our generation. I realize times are getting harder, which is why some readers understandably didn’t renew their subscriptions. If you happen to be in a position to help make up the gap, please consider joining the other paid subscribers here at That’s Another Fine Mess to keep things going. It’s only 21 cents a day. I am deeply thankful to those who have done so.

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