Lewis emphasized the need to properly tax corporations and billionaires, stating, 'It is time, far past time, to properly tax the corporations and billionaires that have been riding a tidal wave of profits while the 99% have been suffering and struggling.'
My partner, an immigrant from Brazil, shows love through acts of service. At first, I was confused. I had been raised to see romantic love, partner love, as centered on acts of adoration, big and intense actions designed to make me, the beloved, feel exceptional. My partner, who is romantic but not in that way, finds this focus on exceptional love confusing.
A helicopter flies low across the water at night before heavily armed figures rappel to the ground, take their positions and break down a door. It's not a trailer for a movie, a video game or a recap of a Pentagon operation. Instead, it's a video from the Department of Homeland Security showcasing Border Patrol agents at work. Despite the combative visuals, it is captioned with the Bible verse, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
"Stand up for America," Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, implored on Saturday, after federal agents shot to death another one of his constituents. "Recognize that your children will ask you what side you were on. Your grandchildren will ask you what you did to act to prevent this from happening again-to make sure that the foundational elements of our democracy were rock solid. What did you do to protect your city? What did you do to protect your nation?"
The killings in Minneapolis of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have been compared to the murder of George Floyd, because they all happened within a few miles of one another, and because of the outrage they inspired. There's an important difference, though: In 2020 the United States was in turmoil, but it was still a state of law. Floyd's death was followed by investigation, trial, and verdict-by justice. The Minneapolis Police Department was held accountable and ultimately made to reform.
There is a general strike on the horizon in Minneapolis. More than 50 Minnesota labor unions, nonprofits, and other community organizations have signed onto a January 23 Day of Action, which calls for a complete "economic blackout" in the state. "No work. No school. No shopping," its posters declare. Some of Minnesota's largest labor unions are leading the way, including the Minneapolis Federation of Educators, SEIU 26, and UNITE HERE Local 17.
The corporate response to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions has been muted at best. After the killings of two U.S. citizens by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis, the CEOs of more than 60 Minnesota-based companies issued a carefully worded letter calling for "an immediate de-escalation of tensions." Target's incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke sent a video message to employees calling the events "incredibly painful."
While the details of the contemplated agreement are not clear, border czar Tom Homan's remarks on Thursday morning and reports of his negotiations with state and local leaders suggest dialing back Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is contingent on striking an agreement for increased cooperation between federal and local law enforcement: Minnesota must agree to participate in ICE roundups by turning over undocumented immigrants in its custody, ending various sanctuary city protections,
America has never seen a moment in modern history like the federal occupation of Minneapolis. Thousands of masked federal officers with uncertain authority are rampaging through the region, assaulting protesters and innocent people, abusing constitutional safeguards, staking out daycares and schools, snatching people off the streets in unmarked vans based on the color of their skin or their accent, and recklessly, relentlessly provoking violent confrontations with civilians-all against the loud, repeatedly expressed wishes of local and state officials.
Despite the stories the federal government is telling, video evidence shows neither victim was a threat to the agents at the time they were shot. Good was shot at least three times while driving away from ICE agent Jonathan Ross, and Pretti had already been beaten to the ground for helping a woman who had been shoved by an agent when he was shot 10 times. Officials claim he was holding a gun. Videos show he was not.