Honoring Alex Pretti YouTube video by Unite 4 Veterans

We salute these VA workers for honoring #AlexPretti.

As they say, "We are healthcare workers for veterans. We know what heroes look like."

youtube.com/shorts/bgCcE...

Minnesotans know the difference between ICE and the National Guard. We proud of our @NationalGuardMn troops supporting their neighbors and protecting their rights as Americans. @governorwalz.mn.gov, thank you for making sure troops are doing right

Minnesotans know the difference between ICE and the National Guard. We proud of our @nationalguardmn.bsky.social troops supporting their neighbors and protecting their rights as Americans. @governorwalz.mn.gov, thank you for making sure troops are doing right

Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.

Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."

Reports of the Trump admin sending TWO BATTALIONS of infantry are a big 🚨🚨. The use of the Insurrection Act to give troops policing power after federal agents have instigated a chaotic situation is wrong.

I'm proud of veterans from The Chamberlain Network who are standing up and speaking out

Justice Dept. launches criminal investigation of Minnesota governor The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation into impeding law enforcement.

The Justice Dept. targeting Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey for demanding transparency after Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent is unprecedented, and unAmerican.

This sends a chilling message to any official who dares to speak up for their community.

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Sen. Durbin quotes @itsapurdy.bsky.social

"Tragedy should not be used to flatten complex realities, erase years of life saving work, or cast suspicion on an entire community that stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States in our longest war."

www.chamberlainnetwork.us/the-report/t...

Veterans served shoulder-to-shoulder with Afghans who saved American lives. America promised to protect them. Our promise is a moral obligation, a national security imperative, & essential to the veterans who served with them.

We must reaffirm our commitment to all who served.

They fought for our freedom, but now some of those same veterans are being torn from their families and deported.

This is not how we honor their service. On #VeteransDay, we demand justice for our heroes. 🇺🇸

Democrats need to come home with their shield or upon it

Americans know the National Guard. The National Guard are your neighbors. They are members of your community. When deployed, they are there to help the community, not harm them.

VICTORY: Today, after tireless advocacy by @momsdemand.bsky.social and @studentsdemand.bsky.social volunteers and survivors, Governor Newsom signed first-in-the-nation legislation to stop the spread of DIY machine guns.

The National Guard and ICE: Know the Difference YouTube video by Unite 4 Veterans

PSA: The National Guard is not ICE. They don't hide. They serve their communities. They have honor.

#KnowTheDifference

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjo_...

The Rising Pattern of Political Violence and the Cost to Our Democracy Political violence knows no party, and it must end.

Over the last 18 months, political violence has become a disturbing pattern: lawmakers murdered in their homes, arson at Gov. Shapiro’s house, two attempts on Trump’s life, and now Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

We must all commit to ending political violence

open.substack.com/pub/itsapurd...

This misuse has been building for decades under leaders of both parties. But politicizing the National Guard in this way is uniquely dangerous: it erodes trust, weakens readiness, and pulls citizen-soldiers away from the real emergencies only they can handle.

Today, troops are being sent to Los Angeles for immigration enforcement and to Washington, D.C. for an imagined crime crisis, with other cities (Chicago?) likely to follow.

In 2006, my first Guard activation came after a snowstorm knocked out power to 300,000 homes in New York. We cleared streets so utilities could restore power. That’s what the National Guard is meant to do.

What We Lose by Distorting the Mission of the National Guard A compact that has defined the National Guard’s legitimacy for generations is being shattered.

The National Guard was built for disasters and emergencies. Now it’s being turned into a domestic police force. I wrote about it in The Atlantic:

www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

How to stop Trump’s National Guard weaponization State and local leaders hold the keys

State and local leaders can stop President Trump’s militarized intimidation tactic from expanding into more communities — but they need to hear from you. Here are 5 ways to start. Read and share: www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/how-to-stop-trumps-nat...

Pentagon Fires the Defense Intelligence Agency Chief

Allies gauge U.S. reliability not only by capabilities, but by process integrity. If U.S. intelligence appears politicized, partners will hedge, withhold, or “second-source” U.S. assessments, complicating combined operations and sanctions regimes.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/u...

Military officers shifted to prosecute local D.C. crimes amid Trump takeover Members of the Judge Advocate General Corps are set to join the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

US citizens to be prosecuted by the military should be on everyone’s red line bingo card

www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...

West Virginia’s National Guard has been ordered to police D.C.—pulling them away from their core mission of protecting our communities. From floods to winter storms, we count on our Guard on in a crisis. They should be home, ready to respond—not on a political policing mission

The National Guard’s job is to protect and support our communities—fighting floods, battling wildfires, and helping neighbors after disasters. Sending Guard units to police D.C. takes them away from the work they’re trained for and the people who count on them #KeepTheGuardAtHome

“Are we the baddies?”

We Stand With The People Of Ukraine 🇺🇦

📹: @thekenharbaughshow.bsky.social

For years, groups like Evacuate Our Allies and AfghanEvac worked hard to get politicians to honor our promise to the Afghan people. Republicans and Democrats alike have failed in their own way. But using the same military bases from the evacuation to now remove migrants is a special kind of betryal.

After Kabul fell, @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social and I worked w/ U.S. military and civil society to evacuate thousands of Afghan allies. Today, that system is inverted, and bases have been turned into detention sites. This puts at risk the life-saving work civil society has done over the last 4 years.

For the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, our CEO & Founder @itsapurdy.bsky.social shares the story of his first meeting with civil rights giant John Lewis.

They talked about how the fight for freedom abroad connects to the fight for civil rights here at home, a fight that isn't over.

US lawmakers balance security and openness as threats of political violence rise Elected officials and law enforcement are starting to take threats more seriously in wake of political assassinations

Elected officials across the country are facing a rising tide of threats and intimidation.

These aren't just attacks on individuals—they're attacks on us. On our shared democracy.

This from @theguardian.com lays out the danger:

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...