Politics

Jemele Hill says President Donald Trump's deployment of ICE is tearing the fabric of the United States apart ... and, she hopes he can do some soul-searching before it's too late.

We ran into the TV personality at LAX on Tuesday ... and, we asked her about the recent killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, as well as the ongoing unrest in the city.

Hill says Americans have witnessed two state-sanctioned executions in the streets this month alone ... and high-ranking government officials lied about at least one of them.

The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents Saturday in Minneapolis has seen an explosion of sympathy and support from across the nation over the past three days ... but not from Megyn Kelly.

The conservative commentator blasted the late ICU nurse's conduct on Monday's episode of "The Megyn Kelly Show" and flat-out said she doesn't feel sorry for Pretti.

Kelly criticized people protesting violent immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis ... she said if she had to protest publicly, she'd do so by standing on the sidewalk -- and not "interfering" with officials.

She said Pretti was part of a group of "organized agitators" who were looking to interfere with authorities ... and described him as "subversive."

Megyn added Pretti was attempting to "cause trouble" for federal agents -- and the trouble "came back on him."

Pretti, who was recording a group of federal agents, was shot and killed after he was wrestled to the ground and assaulted by several U.S. Border Patrol agents. He had a concealed weapon and a legal permit to carry it.

Trump Administration officials have claimed the shooting was self-defense, but multiple videos show Pretti did not brandish his gun, and was not attacking or resisting the agents.

Two different agents shot at Alex Pretti in the incident Saturday that left him dead ... this according to a Department of Homeland Security report to Congress.

Customs and Border Protection relayed the results of its initial investigation into the shooting of Pretti ... admitting to Congress a Border Patrol agent and a Customs and Border Protection officer both fired their guns.

According to CNN, the report reads ... "CBP personnel attempted to take Pretti into custody. Pretti resisted CBP personnel’s efforts and a struggle ensued. During the struggle, a (Border Patrol agent) yelled, ‘He’s got a gun!’ multiple times. Approximately five seconds later, a (Border Patrol agent) discharged his CBP-issued Glock 19 and a (Customs and Border Protection officer) also discharged his CBP-issued Glock 47 at Pretti.”

The Doomsday Clock hit another dreaded milestone, with scientists setting the clock just 85 seconds to midnight ... the closest we've ever been to annihilation.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced Tuesday the clock has now been placed at 85 seconds to midnight ... four seconds closer to the top of the clock than they set it last year.

Watch the video ... President Alexandra Bell of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists said at a news conference that nuclear weapons, climate change and disruptive technologies -- possibly referring to artificial intelligence -- have put the world closer to catastrophic failure than ever before. The clock is scientists' visual representation of how close the world is to potential global destruction.

Attorney and cohost of "The MeidasTouch" podcast Ben Meiselas is weighing in on a question on the back of all of our minds ahead of Super Bowl LX ... will ICE enter the stadium and potentially make the event about them?

Ben -- who represented former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick -- stopped by "TMZ Live" Tuesday, and he started by sharing his hopes for the big day, saying ... "I hope we don't have masked agents running around in California and running around the Super Bowl ... I certainly hope that."

But the reality could be different.

Ben said, "I know by now -- and I think the American people should realize by now -- that kind of blind hope that this regime, as I call it, will do the right thing ... I'm not there yet."

U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino is leaving Minneapolis as soon as Tuesday, Jan. 27 ... after weeks of unrest across the Twin Cities in response to harsh immigration enforcement activity at the hands of federal agents under Bovino's authority.

Trump Administration officials told CNN Bovino is set to return to El Centro, California, where he formerly served as the chief of the Border Patrol's sector in that Southern California region -- about 100 miles east of San Diego, and 18 miles north of the Mexican border -- on Tuesday. An unspecified number of agents are also set to depart Minneapolis as well.

Administration officials were upset about the way Bovino and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem handled the fallout from the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti Saturday. A senior official said discussions about having Bovino leave Minneapolis began that afternoon.

The Atlantic reported Monday evening Bovino would lose his title as commander-at-large and was expected to retire in the near future, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Bovino hadn't been "relieved of his duties" on X ... and described him as "a key part of the President's team and a great American."

President Donald Trump will still be keeping an eye on the situation in Minnesota ... and he announced he was sending Border Czar Tom Homan to the state yesterday.

Bovino's tenure in Minneapolis has been marked by tension ... three people in the Minneapolis area have been shot -- two fatally -- by federal agents since the first week of January.

Notable figures from across the sports world continue to speak out on the Alex Pretti shooting ... with several NBA superstars condemning what happened in Minnesota over the weekend.

Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton, and Karl-Anthony Towns – as well as the NBA Players Association as a whole -- have let their thoughts be known in the aftermath of a pair of U.S. citizens being shot by officers.

"I don’t know the whole situation of the people that got murdered, but I do know this is BS," Mitchell told reporters after Cleveland’s win over Orlando on Monday. "It’s BS. That's just been my standpoint on it."

Anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota became unwilling astronomers Monday night ... taking in the full moon when a man dropped his pants and slapped his butt cheeks up against a hotel window.

The impromptu peep show took place at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Maple Grove, Minnesota, where demonstrators -- who believed outgoing United States Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino and other federal agents were inside -- protested from the curb outside.

Their message wasn't well-received by one guy in the hotel standing near a window with a group of his pals ... who decided to lodge a counter-protest of his own -- by mooning the crowd.

Jimmy Kimmel and his late-night colleague Stephen Colbert ain't backin' down against the Trump admin ... ripping into the Department of Homeland Security and ICE following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti over the weekend.

Jimmy gave an emotional plea to Americans to watch the video of Pretti's demise in Minneapolis ... describing the federal agents who killed Pretti as a "gang of poorly-trained, shamefully-led, mask-wearing goons." It's all in the clip -- he says Americans must agree that the chaotic video of Pretti's shooting death is not the "law and order" Trump supporters voted for ... and the proof is all there.

He then chokes up as he lets the city of Minneapolis and Pretti's family know they're not alone.

Melania Trump is urging demonstrators in Minneapolis to keep things peaceful as outrage over federal agents' fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday continues strong in city streets.

The First Lady appeared on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday morning to share her message, noting she's "against violence" and "calling for unity." Notably, she did not address the DHS agents Donald Trump deployed in the city ... solely the protestors.

Melania also said her husband had a "great call" with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey about de-escalating the protests in the city. The prez said in a Truth Social post Monday that he had a productive call with Walz, claiming they "seemed to be on a similar wavelength."

Chris Madel is ending his run for the governor's seat in Minnesota ... because of his own Republican Party's "retribution" on the citizens of his home state.

The attorney, who was running as a Republican, posted a video on X Monday declaring he's dropping out ... he says he still supports deporting "the worst of the worst" from Minnesota -- the original stated goal in the ongoing Operation Metro Surge undertaken by ICE and CBP agents in the Twin Cities.

But Madel thinks President Donald Trump's approach to immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and St. Paul is an "unmitigated disaster." He stated plainly ... "I cannot support the national Republicans' stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so."

He said winning a statewide election in Minnesota is "nearly impossible" in the current political climate.

The video comes two days after Alex Pretti was shot to death by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis. That's the third time federal agents have shot a civilian in the city since the start of the year -- Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent on January 7, and an unidentified man was shot in the leg by a federal agent a week afterward.

Several Republicans in Congress have called for a full investigation into Pretti's death in the days since he was shot, reports NPR.

A doctor who claims he witnessed the Alex Pretti killing says the Border Patrol agents who shot him were more interested in counting bullet holes than performing life-saving measures.

The Minneapolis pediatrician gave sworn testimony saying he did not see Pretti attack Border Patrol agents or "brandish a weapon of any kind" ... and he says "there was absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers."

In his testimony, which is part of a lawsuit against DHS, the doctor -- whose identity is redacted -- says ... "At first, the ICE agents wouldn't let me through. But none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, and I could tell that the victim was in critical condition. I insisted that the ICE agents let me assess him."

A GoFundMe campaign launched to help the family of Alex Pretti has blown past the $20,000 goal ... currently at an astonishing $1.2 million as of Monday morning -- and climbing.

As you know ... Alex was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent Saturday morning while protesting the agency's presence in Minnesota. His slaying has sparked massive backlash, with many saying that he was killed in cold blood. The Trump Administration disagrees.

Titled "Alex Pretti is an American Hero," the GoFundMe was started by YouTuber Keith Edwards ... and he says Alex’s father, Michael, is the beneficiary and already has access to funds.

Border Czar Tom Homan's going to get hands-on with the tense situation in Minnesota ... because he's being sent there by President Donald Trump.

POTUS announced his plans for Homan on Truth Social Monday morning, saying Homan "knows and likes many of the people" in Minnesota ... without specifying whom he was referring to.

Trump described Homan as "tough but fair" and said he would directly report to him during his time in Minnesota. Trump did not indicate what Homan will do in his capacity there.

Billie Eilish isn’t sitting this one out -- she’s calling out fellow celebs for staying silent about ICE and CBP in the wake of Alex Pretti’s shooting death ... and resharing a clip of her brother Finneas to show how easy it is to speak up.

In an IG post Sunday, Billie posted a selfie with a baffled look and the caption, "Hey my fellow celebrities, u gonna speak up? Or..." -- clearly putting quiet A-listers on notice.

Billie’s been loud on plenty of political fronts before ... so it’s no shock she posted to rally support and to judge the silence surrounding Saturday's shooting.

President Trump is chiming in again on the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal Border Patrol agent in Minnesota, saying his administration is looking into the matter while also criticizing Pretti for carrying a "very powerful, fully loaded" gun.

On Sunday, Trump phoned Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey, telling him federal investigators are "reviewing everything" regarding Pretti's killing before they make a final determination. When Dawsey asked Trump if the Border Patrol agent who shot Pretti was in the right, the president dodged the question.

Trump then took a swipe at Pretti, saying, “I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest, and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”