Conservative media personality Megyn Kelly said she does not feel sympathy for Alex Pretti, the Minnesota man who was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent during a protest, arguing that his actions put him in danger.
“I know I’m supposed to feel sorry for Alex Pretti, but I don’t. I don’t. Do you know why I wasn’t shot by Border Patrol this weekend? Because I kept my …. inside and out of their operations.”
Kelly made the remarks while discussing the incident on her program, emphasizing that the situation could have been avoided.
“It’s very simple,” Kelly said during an episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show.”
She explained that even when people feel strongly about government actions, protests should not cross certain lines. “If I felt strongly enough about something the government was doing, that I would go out and protest, I would do it peacefully on the sidewalk without interfering via a whistle, via shouting, via my body, via any other way,” she added.
The shooting has drawn bipartisan concern, with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers calling for an independent review of the incident. The death marked the second fatal shooting involving a federal officer in Minneapolis this month.
Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino said Pretti approached officers while carrying a 9-millimeter handgun. However, video recorded by bystanders appears to challenge that account, showing the 37-year-old intensive care nurse holding a cellphone and assisting a woman who had been pepper-sprayed by a federal officer before Pretti himself was sprayed and forced to the ground.
None of the publicly released footage so far shows Pretti removing his legally carried firearm, for which he held a valid Minnesota permit. One video appears to show an officer removing the gun and walking away with it moments before shots were fired.
“If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a statement on the social platform X.
That assertion was criticized by the National Rifle Association, which pushed back strongly.
“This sentiment from the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California is dangerous and wrong,” the NRA wrote in a post addressing Essayli.
“Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens,” the group added.
Gun Owners of America also weighed in, saying the “Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon.”
Essayli later responded that GOA had misrepresented the intent of his remarks.
Kelly returned to the issue on Monday, cautioning protesters in Minnesota to avoid any actions that could be perceived as resistance during demonstrations against federal immigration enforcement. She warned that “if you do anything, anything that resembles resisting, you’re in serious trouble.”
{Matzav.com}
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that “many plates of poison” are coming from Iran, and that it is best to “burn the kitchen down” than simply “changing the menu,” amid the possibility of a looming US military strike on the Iranian regime.
His comments come as the United States is increasing its military presence in the region amid threats to attack Iran in the wake of the violent repression of anti-government protests there.
“Many plates of poison—Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis—are being served all out of the same kitchen, Tehran,” Huckabee said in conversation with JNS CEO Alex Traiman at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem. “You can change the menu; better to burn the kitchen down and not let them serve those plates anymore.”
He said that Christians need to understand that they will be the next target of the Islamists.
“You have been the appetizer; we are the entrée,” he said.
Trump as the ‘ultimate pragmatist’Huckabee said that he sees U.S. President Donald Trump as the “ultimate pragmatist,” who is “always thinking ‘will it work?’ ‘Will it make things better?’”
“He has been the most effective president in my lifetime and the most consequential when it comes to foreign policy,” he said.
Antisemitism on the left
The staunchly pro-Israel Baptist minister-turned ambassador said that the root of Jew hatred was spiritual at its core.
“If you don’t believe there is a God, or that you are your own God, or that the environment is your God, then your first target is naturally Jews,” said Huckabee. “When people hate God, they’re naturally going to hate the people who, throughout history, from the time on Mount Moriah right here in Jerusalem, represented those whom God first spoke to in a very personal and real way.”
“The root of Jew hatred is not political, not economic, but spiritual,” he said.
Antisemitism on the right
Huckabee, who has not shied away from denouncing antisemites on his own side of the political spectrum, such as conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, said that antisemitism on the right has “grown very rapidly because it is profitable.”
“It doesn’t make sense that a man in his 50s, whom I’ve known for years with a completely different worldview and base, suddenly flipped,” Huckabee said of Carlson. “What happened? I don’t know. Is it more profitable for him to do what he’s doing now than what he was doing when he was at Fox News? He wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t.”
Unique focus on antisemitism
No single president, either Democrat or Republican, has focused on antisemitism the way Trump has, said Huckabee, citing both Trump’s Jewish daughter and grandchildren and unflinching support for the State of Israel from his first term in office until today.
“Deep down, Trump believes if you bless Israel, you will be blessed; if you curse Israel, you will be cursed,” said Huckabee. JNS
{Matzav.com}
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani voiced approval Tuesday for demonstrators who occupied the lobby of a Hilton hotel in Manhattan to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement, applauding both the protesters’ actions and the police response.
“Mayor Mamdani commends the protestors who exercised their right to protest against ICE today. As he has said, ICE is a rogue agency that has repeatedly carried out cruel, inhumane, and lawless raids and arrests of American citizens,” his spokesperson said. “The Mayor is also pleased with the NYPD’s response to the protest and that today’s demonstration concluded without violence.”
According to a local immigration advocacy group, roughly 70 people were arrested after protesters remained inside the Hilton hotel in Tribeca for close to an hour. Activists believe the hotel is currently housing ICE agents.
Police have not yet released an official tally of arrests from the demonstration.
The protest is part of a broader wave of activism, with organizers announcing additional “No Kings” demonstrations planned for March 28, fueled by anger over recent deadly encounters involving federal immigration officers in Minneapolis.
The Department of Homeland Security has previously criticized the Hilton brand after owners of a Minneapolis hotel canceled reservations for ICE personnel. Hilton later issued a statement saying such decisions were “not reflective of Hilton values of being welcoming to all.”
Authorities have not disclosed what charges, if any, the detained protesters may face. The NYPD told Nexstar’s WPIX that officers were first determining whether any of those arrested had outstanding warrants before proceeding with formal charges.
Tuesday’s protest followed the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents over the weekend. Pretti is the second person to be shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis in recent days.
{Matzav.com}
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sharply condemned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing that her remaining in office after two deadly encounters involving immigration officers in the state is indefensible and demanding accountability at the highest levels.
Pressure on the administration has mounted from lawmakers in both parties, who have urged President Trump to remove Noem after she publicly supported immigration agents involved in the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and labeled the victims “domestic terrorist” before any investigation was completed.
Speaking during an appearance on CNN, Walz urged national attention on the situation and called for decisive action. “It‘s insane. And I appreciate all the news media here telling it and tell the rest of the country, ‘Stand with us on this.’ This is a stand we have to hold on. They have to leave here,” he said on CNN’s “AC360.”
Walz went on to argue that responsibility does not stop with the shooters themselves. “They have to bring these folks to justice. And there has to be some accountability to the top levels. Kristi Noem still having a job today is absolutely outrageous,” he added.
Despite the growing backlash, the president has stood firmly behind his homeland security secretary, praising her performance and pointing to changes at the southern border.
“I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is totally secure. You know, you forget we had a border that I inherited where millions of people were coming through. Now we have a border where no one is coming through. They come into our country only legally,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday.
He also suggested that accomplishments at the border have gone underappreciated. “As soon as you accomplish something, it goes into history and nobody ever wants to talk about it,” he continued.
Walz rejected that assessment in his interview with Anderson Cooper, saying Trump’s comments were deeply troubling. “it’s very disheartening to me to see the president say Kristi Noem is doing a great job,” he said.
He then delivered a blistering personal critique of the secretary. “I‘m not sure there’s been anybody more incompetent or cruel that’s ever served in a cabinet position than her, and this is on her,” he added.
The Minnesota governor warned that the administration’s approach is destabilizing the situation on the ground, accusing it of “undermining order” and spreading “chaos” across affected communities.
Walz said those responsible for the deaths of Good and Pretti must be identified and prosecuted. “We need to know who these people were. We need these guys brought back here,” he said.
“We have to keep order and its very difficult when they are undermining order. They create this chaos and we have to come in and clean it up.
As tensions have risen, Walz authorized the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard to assist local law enforcement in Minneapolis. He emphasized that troops are clearly identifiable, stressing the importance of soldiers wearing “uniforms on with their names and no masks,” a pointed contrast to his earlier criticism of federal immigration officers who concealed their identities.
{Matzav.com}
