Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.
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How to deal with ICE goons
Under orders from the Trump administration, ICE agents conducting warrantless raids in Minnesota shot and killed an unarmed mother as she attempted to drive to safety. The Trump administration — including the president himself — has since defended the shooter and attacked the murdered victim.
But instead of instilling fear, as the administration intends, a wave of defiance is spreading across the country. People who have been pushed to the limits by Trump’s national police force are pushing back.
Protests are taking place almost every hour in every state. but still, a lot of people don’t know what to do. And the fear is still there.
I was sent this video that provides an excellent blueprint for people who are unsure how to respond – and how to expose these cowardly bullies for what they are.
The video shows a Somali Uber driver in Minneapolis being surrounded by ICE on the same day these officers’ colleagues killed Renee Good. I found a few different angles of the encounter to get a better look at what he does and how the agents react.
The first thing he does is start recording — and this is crucial. As much as the administration posts propaganda videos trying to make their agents look tough while they beat, abduct, and kill people without cause, the actual boots on the ground only see the negative consequences when these videos take off. That’s why they wear masks.
Watch the video above (or check it out here on YouTube) for the full breakdown.
Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of their own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.
It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.
What Happened
While President Donald Trump loudly proclaims his intentions to invade European allies, his administration has quietly worked to transform the US-Mexico border into a heavily-fortified militarized zone.
The most recent escalation took place in December, when American oligarch and US Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum gifted over 750 acres of public land in Southern California to the US Navy to create a military base. The announcement came on the heels of a series of waivers, issued by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, allowing environmental laws to be ignored in order to expedite border wall construction.
“If someone crosses into our country and steps on that, they’re stepping on a military installation,” said Burgum. “That gives our troops that are down there working to secure that border more authorities about detaining people if they step on that land.”
US Customs and Border Protection held a brief, private public comment period for the proposed construction before breaking ground, but contrary to the nature of public comment, the agency has refused to release any of the feedback it received. As of publication, Border Patrol has not responded to COURIER’s Freedom of Information Act request for those records.
Border Patrol also failed to consult surrounding municipalities, and, as a result,was sued by the city of San Diego for trespassing and causing “irreparable harm” to city-owned land. The lawsuit claims that the land gifted by Burgum wasn’t his to give and remains under the sole jurisdiction of the city. San Diego has since designated the military zone a public nuisance, as construction began without permission and left the city unable to access its own property.
“The City of San Diego will not allow federal agencies to disregard the law and damage city property,” said City Attorney Heather Ferbert. “We are taking decisive action to protect sensitive habitats, uphold environmental commitments, and ensure that the rights and resources of our community are respected.”
This coordinated effort to militarize Southern California is only the latest example of the Trump administration deploying troops on US soil. In fact, hundreds of acres of land in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas have been stripped of local control and turned into military installations. More than 12,000 troops are now stationed in these so-called National Defense Areas — a new designation created by Trump — where they are tasked with arresting immigrants and erecting small stretches of the border wall, an expensive, ineffective, and symbolically xenophobic vanity project carried over from Trump’s first term.
“This is just one more piece of Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda that’s more about a show than actual fixes,” said Democratic US Rep. Juan Vargas, who represents the area. “This Administration has shown that it is out of control, violent in many cases, and totally willing to ignore the rules. San Diego is standing up for the law, and I support their efforts.”
Much of the military’s work has proven to be poorly thought out and quickly undone. In addition to the lawsuit seeking an immediate injunction to pause fence construction, the federal judge who oversees the region has thrown out their trespassing charges en masse, describing the charge as an “absurdity.”
“In many circumstances, public roads surrounding a military reservation pass through and are within the formal boundaries of the military property,” Magistrate Judge Gregory Wormuth explained in his ruling. “If a person were driving along such a road intending to commit a crime in the next town, they would be guilty of a… crime by the government’s logic. In fact, they would be guilty even if they never committed the crime when they arrived at the next town and thus had never engaged in any knowingly culpable conduct.”
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But the buildup at the border appears to be less about defense than it is about preparing for a potential offensive into Mexico. The Trump administration has repeatedly requested permission from its southern neighbor to conduct strikes in Mexico, allegedly to take out drug cartels that produce and distribute fentanyl. In December, Trump designated the drug a weapon of mass destruction, and the New York Times reports that Mexican officials are worried this could be used to justify unilateral US military action — in violation of international law — similar to the messy raid in Venezuela that left at least 75 dead and resulted in the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro.
In a statement to the New York Times regarding military action in Mexico, the Defense Department said that it “stands ready to execute the orders of the commander-in-chief at any time and in any place.” The Department gave an almost identical response this week when asked about potential military action in Greenland and Iran.
The massive influx of soldiers at the border performing the role of Border Patrol agents has, in turn, freed up thousands of actual Border Patrol agents to be deployed to US cities. Thousands have been reassigned to Trump’s national police force, where they work with ICE agents and factions of the National Guard to abduct residents from regions the president believes to be inhabited by his political opponents.
The national police force has been sent to Baltimore, Chicago, Charlotte, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Minneapolis, and the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In each instance, the enforcement coalition descends like a frenzied battalion into a war zone, wreaking havoc on civilians and laying waste to the once-peaceful communities disrupted by their president’s campaign promise of retribution. The aggression has grown in ferocity in recent days, as agents — emboldened by the Trump-approved killing of a Minnesota protestor by an ICE agent — have continued to shoot, beat, and kill with impunity.
“Donald Trump intends for it to get worse. This week, he went online to promise that quote, ‘the day of retribution and reckoning is coming,’” said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “That’s a direct threat against the people of this state who dared to vote against him three times and who continue to stand up for freedom with courage and empathy and profound grace.”
Attempts to Sanewash
The U.S. Is Pressing Mexico to Allow U.S. Forces to Fight Cartels
Trump Wants Mexico to ‘eliminate the Cartels.’ Here’s Why tThat’s So Difficult
Trump promises the US will soon start attacking drug cartels on land - but offers few details
Far-Right Spin
Mexican President Says No to U.S. Troops, Despite Mounting Pressure to Stop Cartels
President Trump Says the U.S. Will Launch Land Strikes in Mexico Against the Cartels
It’s easy for individual members of Congress to get overlooked by national outlets as they quietly skate to reelection again, and again, and again. The following is an overview of different congressional representatives you may not have heard of, with fun facts about their origin stories they’ve tried to keep out of the public narrative.
US Rep. Michelle Fischbach, Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District
Since taking office in 2021, Rep. Fischbach has:
Seen her net worth increase from $140,000 to $737,000
Sponsored 62 bills
Authored 4 bills that have been signed into law – all of them to rename post offices
Tried to block the ethics investigation into former US Rep. Matt Gaetz from being released to the public
Received over $40,000 in campaign donations from billionaires after refusing to certify the 2020 election
Shielded Elon Musk and Signalgate participants from congressional oversight
Fun Facts
In 2018, Rep. Fischbach was serving as Minnesota’s Senate President. A string of resignations and appointments that ensued after former US Sen. Al Franken stepped down led to her becoming the state’s lieutenant governor. Republicans had just a one-seat majority in the Minnesota Senate, however, so Fischbach came up with a simple solution to save the day: she’d do both jobs at the same time!
But that was (probably) illegal, and her announcement was met with several legal threats. After months of trying to convince people her promotion was “purely ceremonial,” she eventually resigned from the state Senate.
Fischbach’s statement on the murder of Renee Good: “Today’s targeted assault on ICE agents in Minneapolis is the direct result of the dangerous rhetoric from sanctuary policies and the politicians who back them. No officer should have to face a weaponized vehicle while performing their duties, yet our officers are facing a 1,300% surge in assaults and an 8,000% spike in death threats. I stand with the officer who acted in self-defense to save lives, and I will continue to fight for the men and women who keep our communities safe.
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