Just a few hours after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement that said, without evidence, that the 37-year-old registered nurse "wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would later imply Pretti had been "asked to show up and to continue to resist" by Minnesota's governor. Multiple videos from the scene immediately undercut those claims, and there has been no indication in the days since that Pretti threatened or planned to hurt law enforcement.
Trump's pronouncement is about much more than deterring killings, though. With speed and brazenness, Trump seems intent on creating a new, federal arrest and detention system outside of existing norms, aimed at everyday citizens and controlled by his whims. The death penalty is part of it, but stomping on civil rights is at the heart of it - ruthlessly exploiting anxiety about crime to aim repression at whatever displeases him, from immigration protesters to murderers.
I can't stop listening to: Cody Summit, " All People." "Freedom as a weapon in the land of liberty" is a lyric that resonates with me this morning. Summit, a Baltimore-based guitarist and singer, plays Rhizome tonight with Taylor Hollingsworth. Take Washingtonian Today with you! I've made a playlist on Spotify and on Apple Music of my daily music recommendations this year.