Midwest
Noem says Minneapolis suspect committed ‘domestic terrorism,’ accuses Walz, Frey of inciting violence
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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday labeled the alleged actions of the suspect killed in a Border Patrol-involved shooting in Minneapolis as “domestic terrorism,” accusing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of inciting violence against federal officers while stressing that President Donald Trump is prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act if deemed necessary.
“When you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and perpetuate violence, that is the definition of domestic terrorism,” Noem said during a news conference at FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism,” Noem added. “That’s the facts.”
Noem described the incident beginning while DHS officers carried out “targeted operations” in Minneapolis against an illegal alien whose criminal history included domestic assault, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license.
TODD BLANCHE WARNS AMERICANS ‘SHOULD BE WORRIED’ ABOUT MINNESOTA PROTESTS AFTER CHURCH DISRUPTION
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters, Saturday, in Washington, D.C. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“An individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun,” and agents attempted to disarm him. “The officers attempted to disarm this individual, but the armed suspect reacted violently,” Noem said. “Fearing for his life and for the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots.”
Medics attempted to render aid, Noem said, but the man, later identified as 37-year-old Alex Pretti, “was pronounced dead at the scene.”
She also claimed that Pretti had “two magazines with ammunition in them that held dozens of rounds” and no identification.
“This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,” Noem said.
TRUMP CITES ARMED SUSPECT, LACK OF POLICE SUPPORT FOLLOWING FATAL BORDER PATROL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS
Anti-ICE agitators stand behind a barricade of trash bins as they gather near the site a man was shot and killed by a federal agent, Saturday, in Minneapolis. (Roberto Schmidt / AFP via Getty Images)
The shooting was followed by unrest in the area, Noem said.
“Hundreds of protesters then showed up at the scene,” she said. “They began to obstruct and to assault law enforcement officers,” she added. “We saw objects being thrown at them, including ice and other objects, and a rampant assault began.
“A [Homeland Security Investigation] HSI agent’s finger was bitten off.”
She said crowd-control measures were deployed “to bring safety to the public and to law enforcement at the scene.”
Noem said the situation “did not have to happen,” placing blame on Minnesota’s political leadership.
“The Minnesota governor and the Minneapolis mayor need to take a long, hard look in the mirror,” she said. “They need to evaluate their rhetoric, their conversations, and their encouragement of such violence against our citizens and our law enforcement officers.”
NOEM SAYS ‘ARRESTS COMING’ AFTER ANTI-ICE MOB TARGETED MINNESOTA CHURCH
Noem claimed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has “encouraged residents and citizens and violent rioters to resist.” (Reuters/Tim Evans)
She also accused Walz of undermining federal officers. “I’ll remind you that Governor Walz, today in his press conference, said that our officers were not even law enforcement, which is a lie,” Noem said. “He’s called them the Gestapo.”
Noem further claimed Walz “encouraged residents and citizens and violent rioters to resist,” and alleged that state leaders had doxxed federal officers, “putting themselves and their families’ lives in jeopardy.”
During the briefing, Noem was asked whether Trump was closer to invoking the Insurrection Act in response to the unrest. She did not rule it out.
“The president will use every tool that he needs to follow through on his promises to the American people,” Noem said.
She added that the Trump administration would continue operating in Minneapolis despite objections from state and local leaders.
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“We’re going to treat Minneapolis exactly the way that we have treated every other city across this country,” Noem said, referring to immigration enforcement operations like Operation Metro Surge underway nationwide.
Noem said DHS is investigating the shooting “just like we do all other officer-involved shootings,” and that additional details would be released as the investigation continues.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment in response to Noem’s remarks.
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Kansas
Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.
According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.
Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.
On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
No further information has been released.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Michigan
2 Smoothie King employees fired for refusing to serve customer in Trump hoodie
Two employees who refused to serve a man and his wife because he was wearing a hoodie with President Trump’s name on it were fired after a video of the heated encounter went viral.
Erika Lindemyer and her husband, Jake, were forced out of a Smoothie King franchise location in Ann Arbor, Michigan, following a fiery clash with two young female workers on Sunday.
The employees claimed they didn’t “feel comfortable” serving the couple because of Jake’s pro-Trump hoodie, as captured by Erika in a viral video.
Jake and Erika fired back at the pair and insisted that they were being “discriminated” against based on their “political views.”
“We were just wanting a smoothie and you literally looked at us and I asked you if everything was OK and you said ‘We don’t feel comfortable serving you’ because of my husband’s hoodie. That is discrimination,” Erika spat.
“Okay, well, have a great day,” the first employee said.
“That is illegal,” Erika tried to insist again.
“I said Trump discriminates [against] us,” another employee chimed in.
“Okay, well that has nothing to do with us getting a smoothie!” Erika guffawed.
“OK, well that’s who you support though, that’s who you love,” the first employee chided.
“What’s embarrassing is that we’re American citizens and I wanted to get a smoothie,” Erika huffed.
The second employee noted that they “have a right to refuse service” and directed the couple to the exit.
“You asked a question and [the other employee] gave you an answer. Have a great day. Have a great day. The door’s right there,” the second worker said.
Trump merchandise. Leftism/X
Erika threatened to call the police while storming out, but it’s unclear if she did.
In a separate video shared Monday, one of the workers joked that she might’ve “accidentally started a race war” and called on the public to help remove Erika’s video.
“I am a minor and she recorded me without my permission. The people in the comments are all white and they’re all being hella racist, guys, please help me get this video taken down,” she implored.
Smoothie King confirmed that the girls involved in the viral confrontation “are no longer with the business” as of Monday.
“As a brand, Smoothie King is committed to ensuring our stores are a place free of discrimination of any kind, where every guest and team member is treated with care and respect,” the company wrote on X.
The owner of the Ann Arbor franchise location will also enforce “mandatory retraining for all employees that outlines our guest experience standards.”
In early December, a woman who worked at a Target in California was berated by a customer for wearing a Charlie Kirk “Freedom” T-shirt.
When the employee insisted she was allowed to wear the red shirt, the irate customer accused her of supporting “a racist.”
The medical center where the agitated customer worked was bombarded with upwards of 6,000 “profanity-laced” phone calls after online sleuths doxxed her personal information.
Minnesota
Minnesota sues to block Trump administration’s withholding of Medicaid funds
Minnesota on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration in an attempt to stop it from withholding $243 million in Medicaid spending, warning it may have to cut health care for low-income families if the funding is held back.
The lawsuit asked a U.S. court in Minneapolis to issue a temporary restraining order to block the withholding for Medicaid, which is the health care safety net for low-income Americans.
The move came after Vice President JD Vance said last week the administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office has a strong track record of fighting Medicaid fraud and has won more than 300 convictions and $80 million in judgments and restitutions during his time in office.
“Trump’s attempts to look like he’s fighting fraud only punish the people and families who most need the high-quality, affordable healthcare that all Minnesotans deserve,” Ellison said in a statement. “As long as I am attorney general, I will do everything in my power to defend our tax dollars, both from fraudsters and from the Trump administration’s cruelty.”
The lawsuit names the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as Dr. Mehmet Oz, in his official capacity as CMS administrator, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his official capacity as HHS secretary.
The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes CMS, didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment late Monday.
The threatened cuts amount to roughly 7% of Minnesota’s quarterly Medicaid funding, Ellison’s office said in a news release. Minnesota could be required to significantly cut health care services for low-income families or other government services if the cuts take effect, it said.
Medicaid, which is known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota, provides health insurance to 1.2 million Minnesotans who would otherwise be unable to afford it. A family of four may qualify for Medical Assistance with an income at or under $42,759, the attorney general’s office said.
The lawsuit said the administration violated due process procedures because it was taking hundreds of millions of dollars without proving Minnesota’s noncompliance with Medicaid regulations through discovery and an evidentiary hearing.
It alleged the administration failed to provide Minnesota with details about its decision, in violation of federal law. It cited legal precedents, including one that said Congress may impose conditions on states’ acceptance of federal funds, but “’the conditions must be set out unambiguously.’”
Minnesota’s complaint further charged the administration violated the Constitution because the withholding imposed retroactive conditions on Minnesota’s Medicaid funding.
It said withholding the funds was arbitrary, capricious and part of a pattern of political punishment of Minnesota.
The administration said it would hold off on paying $259.5 million to Minnesota for Medicaid spending in the fourth quarter of 2025. Minnesota’s lawsuit challenges the withholding of $243 million of this money.
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