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Barack and Michelle Obama released a strong-worded joint statement Sunday, breaking their silence on the killing of Alex Pretti, making one thing clear ... "This has to stop."

Calling Pretti's death a heartbreaking tragedy that "should be a wake-up call to every American," the former president and first lady said no matter what political party you align with, our collective core values as a nation are "increasingly under assault."

The couple stated that while federal law enforcement have a difficult job, they have a duty to work with state and local officials to carry out their work in a lawful and accountable way. But "that's not what we're seeing in Minnesota," they wrote.

The Minnesota National Guard arrived in Minneapolis Saturday night after Gov. Tim Walz mobilized troops to protect a federal building and the area connected to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.

The footage shows Guard vehicles and personnel moving into the city as tensions remain high following the shooting and the release of new video that has raised serious questions about the government’s initial account of the incident.

As we reported ... newly surfaced video of Pretti's killing captures the entire encounter between him and a large group of Department of Homeland Security officers from start to finish.

President Donald Trump says Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are to blame for the Saturday morning shooting ... claiming they don't protect ICE agents and cause situations like this to arise.

POTUS shared his thoughts about the shooting on Truth Social shortly after the incident ... posting a picture of the gun the victim allegedly had when federal agents shot him to death.

The president asked where local police were at the time of the shooting ... and why they aren't "allowed to protect ICE Officers."

A third person has been taken into custody following a controversial anti-ICE protest in Minnesota this week ... after he dared U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to arrest him.

Bondi announce William Kelly's arrest on social media Thursday, writing ... "Our nation was settled and founded by people fleeing religious persecution. Religious freedom is the bedrock of this country."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later announced -- on social media -- Kelly has been charged with conspiracy to deprive rights.

Earlier this week Kelly -- a U.S. Army veteran who's been active in challenging ICE, CBP and the Trump Administration -- called Bondi a "traitorous b****" and dared her to "come and get" him on his TikTok account, @dawokefarmer2.

In the video he claimed children are being "dragged into concentration camps."

ICYMI ... protestors entered Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, this past Sunday to confront pastor David Easterwood, who is an ICE official. Easterwood wasn't at the church at the time.

The United States has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization ... one year after President Donald Trump issued an executive order announcing his plans to pull out of the WHO.

A senior administration official spoke to reporters Thursday and claimed the United States had "not been getting much return for our value, on our money, on the personnel that we’ve given" to the WHO, CNN reports.

ICYMI ... Trump hasn't been a fan of the WHO, and he tried to separate the U.S. from the organization during his first term as president.

A former D.C. Metropolitan Police officer who defended the Capitol during the January 6th, 2021 riot got into a raucous verbal altercation with a conspiracy theorist at a Congressional hearing Thursday and accused the man of threatening his children.

Michael Fanone -- who resigned from the Metropolitan Police Department force in December 2021 -- and far-right conservative activist Ivan Raiklin were both in attendance at former DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, according to The Hill.

Raiklin reportedly tried to shake Fanone's hand during a recess in the hearing ... and the former cop apparently started cursing and denied they were on good terms.

Although several people tried to hold Fanone back, he continued to verbally accost Raiklin, yelling ... "This guy has threatened my family, threatened my children, threatened to rape my children."

Raiklin pointed out how physically composed he was during the confrontation, as Fanone called him "a traitor to this f***ing country" and a "sick bastard" as another man guided Fanone to his seat.

It's Barron Trump to the rescue!

That's right ... President Trump's son saved a woman who was getting savagely beaten by her ex-boyfriend in London, England.

Here's the scoop ... Barron received a FaceTime call from the woman, whose ex, Matvei Rumiantsev, was using her as a punching bag during the attack last January, according to the victim, who testified in court Wednesday. The victim said Rumiantsev became jealous of her friendship with Barron -- triggering the assault.

Barron's call to emergency service was played in the courtroom and you can hear him talking to a dispatcher without identifying himself.

Jimmy Fallon says J.D. Vance won't have any problems raising another baby ... because the Vice President is used to dealing with a baby ... President Trump.

The late night talk show host poked fun at POTUS in a segment Wednesday night ... highlighting all the similarities he sees between Trump and babies.

Jimmy rattled off countless examples ... screaming, sleeping during the day, speaking in baby talk and on and on ... there was even a potty joke as Jimmy played clips of some memorable Trump soundbites.

Mitt Romney's sister-in-law left a handwritten suicide note tucked inside a Book of Mormon and had Xanax in her system when she died ... according to the L.A. County Medical Examiner.

The ME's report says detectives discovered a Book of Mormon on the front passenger seat of Carrie's car. In the final pages of the book, authorities say Carrie left a handwritten suicide note. Medications were also found inside the vehicle.

The report states Carrie had 6.3 ng/mL of Xanax in her system at the time of her death. A witness told first responders Carrie was seen pacing on the top level of the parking structure, watching security cameras, and looking over the edge of the parapet. The report also states surveillance footage captured her final moments.

Donald Trump appeared to advocate for dictators at an event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

The president was speaking at the CEO reception and dinner event and reflected on his speech from earlier in the day, in which he claimed the United States wouldn't use military force to take control of Greenland.

Trump asserted his address was well-received, stating ... "I can't believe it, we got good reviews on that speech. Usually they say, 'He's a horrible dictator type person. I'm a dictator.' But sometimes you need a dictator."

Nicki Minaj has apparently done a complete 180-degree flip on her immigration stance ... according to a recently dug-up Facebook post from President Donald Trump's first term in office.

As you know ... Nicki has been very vocal in her support of the Trump administration lately. She praised Donald, despite his anti-immigration agenda ... and denigrated Don Lemon for covering an ICE protest at a Minnesota church.

But in 2018, she wrote, "I came to this country as an illegal immigrant @ 5 years old. I can’t imagine the horror of being in a strange place & having my parents stripped away from me at the age of 5. This is so scary to me. Please stop this. Can you try to imagine the terror & panic these kids feel right now?" The post is accompanied by a photo of kids on mats, some covered up with space blankets, in a large chain-link fenced-in cage.

Ted Cruz is out there searching for greener pastures ... because he was just spotted flying to sunny California while his home state of Texas braces for a winter storm.

A photo posted on X by political strategist Shea Jordan Smith Tuesday, show Cruz waiting in the aisle of a crowded commercial flight. Smith wrote the plane was heading to Laguna Beach, California.

Although the weather in Laguna Beach is forecast to stay in the low 60s throughout this week, much of Texas is preparing to deal with a massive ice and snow storm set to arrive Friday.

President Donald Trump finally confirmed he wouldn't deploy U.S. military to forcibly take over Greenland ... following weeks of speculation about his plans for the world's largest island.

POTUS spoke about Greenland during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, claiming the U.S. had controlled the island as a trustee during World War II before giving it back to Denmark, Fox News reports. The U.S. helped defend Greenland from Nazi Germany, but never held it as a formal trustee.

Trump said the United States has never "asked for anything" in its NATO membership ... and acknowledged the alliance doesn't permit any member nation to take control of Greenland from Denmark.

He added ... "We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won't do that. Okay, now everyone say, 'oh good.' That's probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force. I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force."

Trump said he holds "tremendous respect" for the citizens of Greenland and Denmark -- but reiterated he thinks the U.S. needs to own the island for national and global security.

ICYMI ... 47 first floated the idea of taking control of Greenland, an autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark, in 2019 during his first term as president ... and he's been ramping up pressure on Denmark over the past few months.

Michelle Obama didn't have to dodge any of the usual kiss-and-tell on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast this week ... Alex opted to take the high road over grilling the former First Lady about her sex life, much to her own reluctance.

Michelle appeared Wednesday on the super popular podcast ... and Alex kicked off the interview by telling Michelle there were 2 separate paths they could go down.

On one hand, Alex said their convo could center around sex and relationships -- a nod to the OG roots of the show -- while on the other, they could focus on serious topics from a woman's POV, considering Michelle's stature in the world. And Alex pre-emptively chose option 2 ... with Michelle agreeing, brushing off any potential sex talk, light-heartedly saying that might be "sad."

President Trump's potty mouth is rubbing off on other world leaders, including a European Parliament official who gave DT a dose of his own medicine.

Anders Vistisen --  a Danish member of the European Parliament -- stood up in front of his fellow politicians Tuesday and delivered a scathing speech that targeted Trump for threatening to take over Greenland, which is currently under the authority of Denmark.

Check out this video ... which captures the exact moment Vistisen torpedoes Trump with some choice words while standing at the podium. In a calm, steady voice, Vistisen says to Trump, "Let me put this in words you might understand, Mr. President, f*** off."

Local and federal authorities are investigating after a group of anti-ICE protesters crashed a Minnesota church service ... and one of the demonstrators tells TMZ she'd still do it all over again.

Here's the deal ... the DOJ and local police are investigating after protesters interrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul ... which is getting major headlines because Don Lemon was in the mix live-streaming the incident.

Chauntyll Allen, leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, who was among the group, tells TMZ … the jarring protest inside the church was necessary to make clear to the parishioners that having a pastor who is also an ICE official is unacceptable.