ICE shooting fuels protests in Minnesota; Two dead in Utah church attack

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed a woman while she was behind the wheel of an SUV, and protests quickly followed. Now, two very different accounts of the incident are colliding.

Plus, a memorial in Salt Lake City becomes a crime scene. Two individuals are dead, at least six others wounded and police are still looking for the gunman after gunfire erupted near a Mormon church during a memorial service.

And the U.S. took control of two Venezuelan oil tankers on the high seas, signaling a tougher enforcement of sanctions.

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, January 8, 2026.

Minneapolis ICE‑involved shooting kills 37‑year‑old mother

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is pulling no punches as he takes on the federal government after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in the middle of a city street. The incident has heightened tensions in Minnesota and across the country over another ICE-involved use of force.

Editor’s note: The following content includes material that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

Bystanders captured the incident on camera.

In one video, an ICE officer approaches an SUV stopped in the middle of a residential street. The vehicle begins to move forward. Another ICE officer, who was standing in front of the SUV, drew his weapon and fired at least two shots into the vehicle while jumping out of the way. It is unclear whether the vehicle actually struck the officer.

Trump administration officials said the woman was part of a group that had been “harassing” ICE agents during enforcement operations.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended the officer’s actions, saying he did exactly what he was trained to do.

“ICE officers and agents approached the vehicle of the individual in question, who was blocking the officers in with her vehicle, and she had been stalking and impeding their work all throughout the day. ICE agents repeatedly ordered her to get out of the car and to stop obstructing law enforcement, but she refused to obey their commands. She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle and attempted to run a law enforcement officer over. This appears to be an attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to agents, an act of domestic terrorism. The ICE officer, fearing for his life and the other officers around him and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.”

— Kristi Noem, Homeland Security secretary

Critics, including Minneapolis’ mayor, have argued it was an unnecessary use of force.

“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video of myself, I want to tell everybody directly. That is bullshit,” Frey said. “They want us to respond in a way that creates a military occupation in our city. They want an excuse to come in and show the kind of force that will create more chaos and more despair.”

Protests broke out almost immediately.

Eyewitnesses said the woman — identified as Renee Macklin Good, a 37‑year‑old mother — was trying to flee, not run over officers, when she was shot.

Authorities have confirmed she was not a target of immigration enforcement action.

President Donald Trump later posted a video of the incident, claiming the woman “violently, willfully and viciously ran over the ICE officer.” However, the clip he shared does not show anyone being run over. While the SUV appears to come very close to the officer, it remains unclear whether he was struck.

The administration has ramped up its immigration enforcement effort in Minnesota in recent weeks, following a viral but unfounded report alleging federal funds were being sent to a Somali terrorist group.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz strongly opposed the crackdown and called the deadly shooting a “predictable” outcome.

“We’ve been warning for weeks that the Trump administration’s dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety. That someone was going to get hurt. Just yesterday, I said exactly that,” Walz said. “Look, this was totally predictable, as I said it yesterday, and it was totally avoidable.”

Walz said he’s ordered the state to prepare the National Guard for more protests. He urged demonstrators to remain peaceful.

A Homeland Security spokesperson told NBC News that since arriving in Minneapolis in early December 2025, ICE agents have arrested about 1,400 people.

Two dead, six injured in Salt Lake City church shooting 

Utah police are searching for a gunman who killed two people and wounded six others Wednesday at a memorial service near a church in Salt Lake City. The shooting occurred in the back parking lot of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse.

Police said all victims were adults. At least three of the injured remain in critical condition. No suspect is in custody.

Investigators said they do not believe the attack was driven by religious motives and do not consider it to be random. However, they are still working to establish what elements led up to the shooting.

Neighbors said people rushed outside to help the victims as gunshots rang out, describing a chaotic, emotional scene as first responders arrived.

Police are reviewing surveillance video and license plate data as they search for the suspect. Federal agents are assisting the investigation.

US steps up oil tanker seizures as shadow‑fleet crackdown widens

Overnight, new images were released showing the seizure of the Marinara, formerly named the Bella 1. It’s the tanker the U.S. tracked for more than two weeks across the Atlantic as it changed names and flags and, at one point, claimed Russian protection.

The U.S. Coast Guard released video of one of its vessels monitoring the tanker during the operation.

Specialized capabilities. Global impact. An unstoppable joint force.
 
Alongside @DeptofWar, @USCG conducted a boarding and seizure of the Motor Tanker Bella I this morning in the North Atlantic. Following a sustained shadowing effort across the Atlantic by Coast Guard Cutter… pic.twitter.com/xEmFkh4xLO

— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) January 7, 2026

According to U.S. officials, this was not a routine interdiction. It was a court‑ordered seizure carried out in international waters after the ship was identified as transporting sanctioned oil.

The White House said the situation now falls under criminal enforcement.

“This was a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel that has transported sanctioned oil. And the United States of America, under this president, is not going to tolerate that. I would also just add the vessel had a judicial seizure order and the crew, so that means the crew is now subject to prosecution for any applicable violation of federal law, and they will be brought to the United States for such prosecution if necessary.”

— Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary

This action was part of a broader effort.

At the same time the Bella 1 was seized, U.S. forces also took control of another tanker, the Sophia, in the Caribbean, carrying two million barrels of Venezuelan crude.

In total, four vessels are now in U.S. custody, with several others being monitored.

Officials outlined the scope of the operation, which involved:

• U.S. Special Operations Forces
• Coast Guard cutters
• Fighter aircraft
• Surveillance assets
• Support from allies, including the U.K.

Russia criticized the move, accusing the U.S. of acting improperly in international waters and calling for the crew’s return.

U.S. officials said they are continuing with their strategy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the actions as part of a larger plan involving Venezuela’s oil:

“We are in the midst right now and in fact about to execute on a deal to take all the oil they have oil that is stuck in Venezuela. They can’t move it because of our quarantine, and because it’s sanctioned, we are going to take between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil. We’re going to sell it in the marketplace at market rates, not at the discounts Venezuela was getting. That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is dispersed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people, not corruption, not the regime.”

The administration said any vessel transporting sanctioned oil remains subject to enforcement, regardless of location.

Greene talks exit from Congress on ‘The View,’ stays vague on GOP future

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., walked away from Congress, and now, she’s speaking out about it. However, she wouldn’t say whether she would walk away from the Republican Party in the future.

In her first interview since leaving office earlier this week, Greene, once one of Trump’s fiercest allies, told “The View” that threats tied to her push to release the Epstein files — and being labeled a traitor by Trump — pushed her to the breaking point.

“One of MAGA’s big campaign pledges was to release the Epstein files, and then having to say, ‘Am I going to have to be the next Charlie Kirk? Is my son going to get murdered because I’m trying to continue to do this job?’ I think that’s a bar that’s too high for anyone. And it’s real,” Greene said. “People, violence is real. And it’s so sad. And the politics is so extreme and divisive, and I just don’t want to be a part of that anymore.”

Greene said that when it felt like her son’s safety was on the line, she was done. She also sharply criticized the administration’s actions in Venezuela, saying military intervention and talk of oil betray what “America First” was supposed to mean.

Politically, she’s leaving her future open — at least in terms of labels.

“I haven’t said if I’m leaving the Republican Party, but my focus is America First. Earn my vote. Earn my vote,” she said.

Greene insisted she’s not running for anything, and said she would not return to Congress, even if Trump asked.

Spencer Pratt launches Los Angeles mayoral bid after losing home in Palisades fire

One year ago, the Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles was just beginning to spread. It would grow into one of the region’s most destructive wildfires, charring nearly 7,000 homes and buildings and killing a dozen people.

One of the people who lost everything is now entering the political arena.

Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt — whose home was gutted by flames — announced he is running for mayor of Los Angeles, launching his campaign on the anniversary of the fire. He said the city’s painfully slow rebuilding process pushed him to act.

Pratt, who is married to actress Heidi Montag, documented the destruction of their Santa Monica–area home as the fire tore through the neighborhood. Since then, he’s become an outspoken critic of the response and the red tape surrounding recovery efforts, pointing blame at both California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

“Despite record-breaking cleanup by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the Army Corps of Engineers, and despite nearly $4 billion in loans approved by the SBA (Small Business Administration), most fire victims cannot rebuild due to building permits and city regulations. This isn’t just a political failure, it’s a moral one.

I have realized that the city I love is being managed into the ground by people who don’t have the courage to actually lead.”

— Spencer Pratt, Los Angeles mayoral candidate

Pratt and Montag rose to fame on reality shows, including “The Hills,” “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” and the UK version of “Celebrity Big Brother.”

The Los Angeles mayoral primary is set for June. Bass and more than a dozen other candidates are already in the race.

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Was the Minneapolis shooting justified? Experts, Trump administration disagree

Minutes after a federal immigration agent shot and killed a woman on Wednesday in Minneapolis, Trump administration officials labeled her a “violent rioter” and her actions as domestic terrorism. The agent, they said, acted in self-defense.

But an expert in police procedure says the shooting was unjustified, and neither the agent who opened fire nor the two others standing by were in danger. And videos from the scene seem to refute statements by President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other administration officials.

“The video clearly shows that the officers were not at risk of being hit by the vehicle when the shots were fired and that there were no other bystanders that could be harmed in the area,” Lauren Bonds, executive director of the National Police Accountability Project, a nonprofit that files lawsuits over alleged police abuses, told Straight Arrow News. “This shooting was not legally justified. It was a brutal and illegal use of force that ended someone’s life.”

Minneapolis officials agreed. Mayor Jacob Frey said claims of self-defense were “bulls – – t.” 

“This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed,” Frey said.

The shooting — the most violent incident to date in a yearlong crackdown on illegal immigration — took place days after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement started sending 2,000 agents into the Minneapolis area for the largest operation in the agency’s history. The operation particularly targets Somali immigrants, a handful of whom have been accused of defrauding federally subsidized social services programs, including day care centers. Trump has described Somalis as “garbage” and said he wants them removed from the United States.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who dropped his reelection campaign this week because of complaints about his handling of the fraud cases, said the violence that erupted suddenly on a south Minneapolis street Wednesday morning was inevitable.

“We’ve been warning for weeks … that someone was going to get hurt,” Walz said. He added, “This was so, so preventable.” Read the full story now>

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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief