Evening news coverage of the continuing unrest in Minnesota focused nearly exclusively on the death of Alex Pretti and subsequent fallout, including personnel changes as far as who is in charge of immigration enforcement operations. But two out of the three major broadcast networks neglected to cover the destruction of the lobby of a hotel suspected of harboring government personnel. This act of vandalism was only mentioned on the NBC Nightly News, leading into a spotlight report on Pretti. Watch: WATCH: @NBCNightlyNews is the sole legacy evening newscast to cover the ransacking of the lobby of a hotel suspected of harboring ICE personnel. pic.twitter.com/oXl8c3Z5Ra — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) January 27, 2026 TOM LLAMAS: The reaction to the shooting in Minneapolis has been fierce, with anti-ICE Protesters rushing a hotel lobby where they believed federal law enforcement officers were staying. Here’s Morgan Chesky. MORGAN CHESKY: New images tonight of anti-ICE protesters trying to storm the lobby of a hotel where they thought ICE agents were housed. Multiple cars in the parking lot damaged. One federal officer heard asking for Minneapolis police. BORDER PATROL OFFICER: Where is the local PD? CHESKY: That clash with authorities in temperatures well below zero left this behind today: shattered glass and graffiti up and down this hotel, because the group believed it was housing dozens of federal agents. These 40 seconds by NBC are the sole mention of one of the more disturbing aspects of the ongoing Minnesota unrest. And yet, because it is so compressed due to its being sandwiched into a longform obituary of Alex Pretti, it is vague and nonspecific, almost purposely so. Morgan Chesky’s report mentions vague, nondescript “anti-ICE protesters.” But they are part of a well-organized, well-funded destabilization movement with multiple command and control nodes. As The Free Beacon’s own Jessica Costescu notes, the hotel in question was on a target list created by the local chapter of the Soros-funded Sunrise Movement: NEW @FreeBeacon: The Minneapolis hotel smashed up overnight by anti-ICE rioters was on a target list created by the Twin Cities chapter of Sunrise Movement, a radical group funded by George Soros’s Open Society Foundations. ? pic.twitter.com/paY8bgfyEl — Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) January 26, 2026 There is a lot of leftwing dark money both behind these protests and behind the low and mid-level violence currently gripping the Twin Cities. But our incurious media has no interest in delving into these thorny issues.  Credit to NBC for mentioning the hotel vandalism. ABC ignored that but made time for the arraignment of Canadian Olympic snowboarder/drug kingpin Ryan Wedding and a car chase. CBS ran with a vaccine schedule spat and a robotic hand that looks like Thing from the Addams Family. We are once again reminded that if it weren’t for double standards, there’d be none at all. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on the NBC Nightly News on Monday, January 26th, 2026: TOM LLAMAS: The reaction to the shooting in Minneapolis has been fierce, with anti-ICE Protesters rushing a hotel lobby where they believed federal law enforcement officers were staying. Here’s Morgan Chesky. MORGAN CHESKY: New images tonight of anti-ICE protesters trying to storm the lobby of a hotel where they thought ICE agents were housed. Multiple cars in the parking lot damaged. One federal officer heard asking for Minneapolis police. BORDER PATROL OFFICER: Where is the local PD? CHESKY: That clash with authorities in temperatures well below zero left this behind today: shattered glass and graffiti up and down this hotel, because the group believed it was housing dozens of federal agents. All after another shooting involving federal law enforcement in Minneapolis. How would you describe the last almost three weeks here in your city? MINNEAPOLIS RESIDENT: Hell. CHESKY: As we're learning more about 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the city's VA hospital, here he is speaking after the passing of a soldier who was one of his patients. ALEX PRETTI: Freedom is not free. We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it. CHESKY: What was your initial reaction? ASMA CHAUKAT: It was of shock and horror. CHESKY: Dr. Asma Chaukat in 2014 when she hired him for his first job, later recommending him for nursing school. CHAUKAT: Alex was a kind, helpful, and gentle soul. He wanted to protect his community the same ways that we would want to protect our families or our communities. CHESKY: In a statement tonight, Pretti's parents writing in part,”the sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun.” Adam Martinez, one of the hundreds converging on a growing memorial where Pretti was shot: ADAM MARTINEZ: He stood up for someone that got pushed, and for that he took I don't know how many bullets. And I mean that's the sad thing, that -- I mean who's next? CHESKY: Now, as for the chaos that happened at this hotel, tonight Minneapolis Police tell us that one officer was here and did provide assistance to an injured federal officer. Tom. LLAMAS: Okay, Morgan. Thank you.  

You can tell that liberal networks bring on liberal religious leaders to sound off on Trump and ICE, but only to address what's "helpful" to the left-wing narrative. Catholic Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and Episcopal Bishop Rob Hirschfeld were never bothered with the question of whether they approved of the anti-ICE church invasion in Minneapolis that abruptly ended a Sunday service in mid-sermon. What would Jesus do during a church invasion? No one asked. Bash interviewed Cardinal Cupich on Friday's Inside Politics:  CNN's Dana Bash offered softballs to liberal Cardinal Cupich, setting him up on what he would tell Catholic VP JD Vance on foreign policy. Bash never asked this church leader about the church-invading protest in Minneapolis. Like it's irrelevant to his role? pic.twitter.com/TwcNKw77mQ — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) January 23, 2026 Here are Bash's carefully tailored softballs:  It really is a remarkable -- and historic statement. Why did you feel it was so needed right now? His [Pope Leo's] framework talked about the worry about weakness of multilateralism and a zeal for war is spreading. Look, you don't say President Trump's name in this, but your three U.S. Cardinals clearly issuing a warning about his policies. It's pretty thinly veiled. The President of the United States is not a Catholic, but the Vice President is, as you well know. I'm wondering if you got any response from either the Vice President's office or really anybody else in the administration. [He said no.] If you could give a message directly to the Vice President, who obviously is a man of deep faith, what would it be? How do you sort of see the way that he [Pope Leo]  is navigating, not just being the leader of Catholics around the world, but as an American in this particular time, given what is happening in the country of his birth?  What's your message to Americans who may be struggling with their faith during some pretty turbulent and divisive times right now? Cardinal Cupich was also spared a church-invasion question in a Monday puffball presentation with MS NOW star Rachel Maddow (but at least the commercials told you how MS NOW fans feel about organized religion).  On the Amanpour show on CNN International (which doubles as Amanpour & Co. on PBS stations), co-host Michel Martin (a moonlighting NPR morning host) interviewed Hirschfeld for 17 minutes and never touched the church invasion. For the most part, it was more of the "what would you like to preach" interview style. So, as you talk to your congregants, what are they telling you? Well, you came to national attention after remarks you made at a vigil for Renee Macklin Good, who's the American woman, you know, wife, mom, mom of three, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent earlier this month. So, the first thing I wanted to ask is, what brought you to that vigil? Here's what you said. You said, ‘I have told the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire to get their affairs in order, to make sure they have their wills written, because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.’ I have a couple questions, which is, had you gone there prepared to make the statement? Had this been in your mind and on your heart at that time, what was it that brought that forward? CNN/PBS anchor interviews the N.H. Episcopal bishop who called for "martyrdom" against ICE for 17 minutes. NEVER asks about church-invading protests. Both host and guest confuse free speech with interfering with law-enforcement actions. @abigailmarone quoted. pic.twitter.com/bVCWCeYdtc — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) January 23, 2026 Martin's other question was about why he mentioned "martyrdom," which clearly suggests the willingness to be killed in a protest. At least Martin offered a Team Trump counterpoint, unlike Bash:  So, Bishop, I know you're aware that among the reactions are there are those who say that your words inflamed tensions or have the possibility of inflaming tensions rather than calming them. I mean, to that end, the spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, called your remarks absurd and said that if you really want to take a stand for the vulnerable, you should stand by ICE agents who are increasingly under attack. Like, what do you say to that?.... The White House, as -- is their wont, has doubled down. They issued a statement saying, no one should follow advice encouraging them to commit crimes. Anyone who interferes with federal law enforcement operations is committing a crime and will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. That comes from Abigail Jackson, who's a White House spokesperson. What do you respond to that?

In the face of an 8,000% increase in death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) law enforcement officers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is asking the public to report activities that are endangering its agents. “The public can report doxing and harassment against ICE officers by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or by completing ICE’s online tip form,” DHS said Monday in a news release reporting the surge in death threats and a 1,300% spike in assaults against ICE officers: “Our law enforcement officers are now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them while they put their lives on the line to remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists from American neighborhoods.” “Secretary Noem’s message is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down” and those who attack or threaten them will be prosecuted, DHS warns: “ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. Assaulting and obstructing law enforcement is not only dangerous but is a federal crime and a felony. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer or dox our officers, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Sanctuary politicians dehumanizing and vilifying ICE law enforcement are fueling the skyrocketing threats and attacks, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin noted in a statement: “Make no mistake, threatening rhetoric and this unprecedented violence against our law enforcement is incited by sanctuary politicians through their repeated vilification and demonization of law enforcement.” The DHS release includes a transcript of one threatening, vulgarity-laced voicemail left for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minnesota on January 24.

Journalist Meghan Daum interviewed former New York Times opinion columnist Pamela Paul on the Friday episode of her podcast, “The Unspeakeasy,” the conversation appearing under the provocative rubric “How To Get Fired from the New York Times.” Paul became a New York Times opinion columnist after nearly a decade running the paper’s Book Review. She was fired by Opinion editor Kathleen Kingsbury in January 2025 and now writes for The Wall Street Journal.  While her opinion pieces trended liberal, she voiced skepticism on issues like cancel culture, cultural appropriation, and especially transgenderism. Such iconoclasm made her a reviled figure on the left and in the Times newsroom (but I repeat myself). The fate of former Times opinion editor James Bennet may have affected how badly Paul was treated by Kingsbury. Bennet was forced out by the paper’s internal left-wing “child mob” for platforming a piece by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas who argued federal forces should be sent to (deja vu) Minneapolis during the George Floyd riots of 2020. Pamela Paul: The crime that James had committed was not writing the column or the op-ed. It was platforming it. And so, if I was writing things that were upsetting the, you know, the, the Little Red Guards or whatever, then that person in charge of the section would be guilty of platforming me.... Paul also got into the under-covered issue of online reader comments and what makes conservative posts mysteriously disappear: The paper's leftist comment editors would do the bidding of leftist readers, who would accuse other commenters of being offensive or using the wrong pronouns, and the editors would dutifully delete those "offensive" comments – a practice that will sound familiar to conservatives. She explained that her columns on gender issues received “overwhelmingly positive response” from readers but not from “magazines and newspapers that I felt like once would never have bothered to write stories that were essentially regurgitations and summations of a few angry tweets from activists and sort of invested parties.” The New Republic even called her a fascist. Her February 2023 column defending author J.K. Rowling from vicious attacks by trans activists was the beginning of the end for Paul at the paper. She was caught off guard in January 2025 when the news of her firing leaked (her last NYT column appeared in April 2025). She pointed the finger at a cowardly Kingsbury and an unnamed New York Magazine writer, apparently media reporter Charlotte Klein: Paul: And she had also taken the time to give a quote to the reporter at New York Magazine who had leaked it. I'm going to actually need to use the word reporter in quotes here because I don't think she is actually deserves that, that job title. I think she thinks of herself as a reporter. But she had, Katie had given her a quote saying, I would, we would never push anyone out for political, solely for political reasons. Which is a pretty telling quote. Part of it, I think, probably inartful and unintentional, and part of it probably a wink to, you know, hey, I'm on the side of you activists. I'm getting rid of her for the reasons you want me to. Paul claimed the most frightening thing about journalism today is “not that there are factual inaccuracies in a lot of reporting. It's just, there's a lot left out and it's really hard to prove a negative. And so people feel like they're not getting the full story, but they can't quite pinpoint it….” That’s what we at NewsBusters call “bias by omission.”

During Monday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rhetorically asked a relatively simple question of the mostly libera, elite media gathered before her concerning what’s transpired in Minneapolis this month: How would you like it if people followed you everywhere you went, screamed, blew whistles, and recorded your every move? Of course, to be clear, no one should be harassed in public and we have seen dangerous consequences (e.g. the mail bombs to CNN and elected/unelected Democrats). Even partisans like the White House press should be allowed to live in peace with their families. BOOM: @PressSec @KarolineLeavitt asks the White House press corps to consider what it would be like to be harassed, followed, whistled at, and doxed like federal law enforcement in Minneapolis… Reporter: “How serious is the administration taking allegations at local and state… pic.twitter.com/C4Kx9mHAKD — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 26, 2026 The comments came in light of a reporter asking about reports from James O’Keefe and others that “local and state Minnesota officials are communicating with demonstrators to – to basically impede immigration officials.” Leavitt first made clear it’s a concern and something “the FBI and the Department of Justice are looking into” because “it is illegal to unlawfully obstruct lawful immigration enforcement in this country” and oppose even “the worst of the worst” being removed from the country. Then Leavitt deployed her thought exercise: I would just encourage everyone to please imagine in this room, all of you come to the White House every day to report on the President of the United States and the administration. You come into this Briefing Room. You walk through the gates of the White House. Just imagine if there were left-wing agitators or agitators of any kind who were in your face, who were doxing you, who were harassing you, who were physically threatening you, who were biting off your fingers. In the case of a two Border Patrol agents we saw this past weekend in Minneapolis, that would make it very difficult for you to show up and do your job here at the White House every single day. That's what these officers in Minneapolis are facing. A few minutes later, USA Today’s Francesca Chambers predictably pushed back on this with the left’s vapid assertion that those out on the streets of Minneapolis are merely exercising their First Amendment rights. Of course, Leavitt wasn’t having it: .@USAToday’s @Fran_Chambers: “Is it the White House's position that Americans have the right to show up to these ICE operations and film, document, or protest the law enforcement actions?”@PressSec @KarolineLeavitt: “All Americans have a First Amendment constitutional right. Of… pic.twitter.com/Sr89LUcRuA — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 26, 2026 Elsewhere, the briefing began with a question about the double standard between the left’s sympathies for Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but not Ashli Babbitt: .@GatewayPundit’s @ConradsonJordan was today’s “new media seat” recipient at today’s White House press briefing… Conradson: “[W]ith respect to the shooting in Minneapolis, we're seeing massive outrage from the mainstream media and the left. But I'm just wondering, where was… pic.twitter.com/HhuuTuC8NP — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 26, 2026 NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer later questioned whether the President believes the actions of Border Patrol on Saturday were a mistake and, regardless of that sentiment, whether he supports outfitting all federal law enforcement with body cameras: .@NewsNation’s @KellieMeyerNews: “Does the President believe that the killing [of Alex Pretti] was a mistake? Has he expressed that at all?”@PressSec @KarolineLeavitt: “Again, the President has said, you know, we have to review it. And there – this investigation needs to… pic.twitter.com/BIaXJSQ4Ir — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 26, 2026 Following her brief schooling of journalists about personal space, she also dropped this reality about other cities in which federal law enforcement has conducted immigration operations: .@PressSec @KarolineLeavitt: “Seven of the top ten safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE and we've seen a historic turnaround in safety and cities that have chosen to cooperate with ICE that are not just led by Republicans, but also look right here in Washington,… pic.twitter.com/KU3afi2mLI — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 26, 2026 And, in one final highlight for the good of the order, Real Clear Politics’s Philip Wegmann pressed Leavitt from the right about the Second Amendment: RCP’s @PhilipWegmann: “FBI Director Kash Patel said in a Sunday interview, ‘you cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest.’ Does the President believe the Second Amendment rights remain in effect even when protesting?”@PressSec… pic.twitter.com/W60H3vld4v — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 26, 2026