Daily News — February 11, 2026

"5 shots, 7 holes. Put that in your book boys." He shot a Montessori teacher driving to church. His boss called it "excellent service."

While others stenograph, grift, or chase the next distraction
this is the news that matters and how it’s connected.

“I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys.”¹

That’s Border Patrol agent Charles Exum — texting his buddies after shooting Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen, a Montessori school teaching assistant with zero criminal record, who was driving to donate clothes to a church.¹ His commander Gregory Bovino emailed him hours later praising his “excellent service” and urging him to delay retirement.¹ According to Exum, support came from “Chief Bovino, Chief Banks, Sec Noem and El Jefe himself” — Trump.¹

Body camera footage released Tuesday — from another agent, because Exum wasn’t wearing his — shows agents with weapons drawn inside their vehicle. One says: “It’s time to get aggressive.”¹ Then Exum steers into Martinez’s car. Then he exits. Then five gunshots.

On Friday, Marimar was singing and dancing with Montessori kids, getting ready for spooky season. On Saturday, her own government was calling her a “domestic terrorist” and she was in federal detention with bullet holes all over her body.¹

That’s her congressional testimony from last week. The woman DHS labeled a terrorist was a teaching assistant who honked her horn to warn her neighbors that immigration vehicles were in the area.¹ Her legal concealed-carry handgun sat untouched in a pink holster at the bottom of her purse.² She never reached for it. She was driving to a church.

Then they lied. DHS said Martinez rammed the agents — the video shows the agent steered into her.² They accused her of “doxxing federal agents” — zero evidence.² An agent drew a diagram of the scene showing Martinez had “boxed in” the agents — the diagram included vehicles that, according to her attorney, “don’t exist.”² They charged her with a felony. When the video proved they fabricated the entire encounter, prosecutors dismissed their own case.²

The government fought to keep all of this secret. Federal prosecutors argued that releasing the evidence could “further sully” the shooter’s reputation.³ Judge Georgia Alexakis wasn’t having it: “I don’t know why the United States government has expressed zero concern for the sullying of Ms. Martinez’s reputation.”³

This isn’t a rogue agent. This is the system. Shoot first, brag second, lie third. The chain of command didn’t investigate — they congratulated. Fellow agents called Exum “a legend among agents.”³ The same commander who praised his “excellent service” — Gregory Bovino — was later removed after being caught lying about another person his agents killed, VA nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.³ A federal judge also concluded Bovino had lied to her about being struck by a rock during a confrontation with protesters.³ Lying isn’t a failure of the system. It’s how the system operates.

Martinez, who is scheduled to attend Trump’s State of the Union as a guest of Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, named the dead: “I am Renee Good. I am Alex Pretti. I am Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez. I am Keith Porter. They should all be here today.”¹

Her attorney Antonio Parente put it plainly: “This man, after shooting a woman who did nothing, is going to text his friends and joke about it, brag about it, ‘put it in your book.’ That’s not what this country stands for.”¹

It’s what this administration stands for. Five shots. Seven holes. A legend among agents.³

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Bondi Brought a Burn Book to an Epstein Hearing. Survivors Watched From Behind Her.

Attorney General Pam Bondi turned a House Judiciary hearing on the Epstein files into what Axios called “one of the most combative congressional hearings in recent memory.”⁴ The nation’s top law enforcement officer came prepared — not with answers about 1,000+ sex trafficking victims and zero prosecutions, but with a binder of opposition research on Democratic lawmakers.⁵

We’ve been tracking this cover-up — the DOJ released only 3 million of 6 million ordered pages, exposed the identities of at least 31 child survivors while redacting names of powerful men, and appears to have omitted its own internal communications. Wednesday’s hearing made the cover-up personal.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal asked Bondi to turn around and apologize to the survivors sitting directly behind her — all wearing white, all raising their hands when asked if DOJ had met with any of them. None had. Bondi refused, calling it “theatrics.”⁵ Rep. Ted Lieu delivered the verdict the room needed: “Epstein should rot in hell. So should the men who patronized this operation. As we sit here today, there are over 1,000 sex-trafficking victims and you have not held a single man accountable. Shame on you.”⁵

When ranking member Jamie Raskin accused her of “running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice,” Bondi called him a “washed-up, loser lawyer.”⁵ When Republican Thomas Massie — who co-authored the transparency law — caught her redacting co-conspirator Les Wexner’s name and she claimed it was unredacted “within 40 minutes,” Massie fired back: “Within 40 minutes of me catching you red-handed.”⁵ Bondi called him a “failed politician” with “Trump derangement syndrome.”⁵ Every attack was a deflection. Every insult was an answer she refused to give.

Rep. Becca Balint asked whether DOJ had questioned three Trump administration officials with documented Epstein ties — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (visited the island), Navy Secretary John Phelan (on flight manifests), Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg (in 20+ Epstein documents).⁵ Bondi refused to answer. Balint: “This is pathetic. I am not asking trick questions here.”⁵ Then Bondi attacked Balint’s antisemitism stance — to a woman whose grandfather died in the Holocaust. Balint stormed out.⁵

Meanwhile, outside the hearing room: Bondi contradicted her own deputy by claiming there are “pending investigations” after Todd Blanche told reporters the review was “over.”⁵ DOJ hired Jared Wise — a Jan. 6 rioter caught on video shouting “kill” at police — as an adviser.⁵ And a grand jury rejected DOJ’s attempt to indict six Democratic lawmakers for a video telling the military to refuse illegal orders — an extraordinary rebuke of prosecutors.⁶

Raskin said: “Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza and you deliver every time.”⁵

One thousand victims. Zero men held accountable. Thirty-one children exposed. And the attorney general brought a burn book.

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The Call

Every story in today’s news serves the same project. We track them using the fascism syndrome—ten indicators that a democracy is sliding into fascism—so you don’t lose the thread in the daily chaos:

• Normalization of political violence: A Border Patrol agent shoots a Montessori teacher five times, brags about putting “7 holes” in her body, and gets called a “legend.” The chain of command — up to “El Jefe” — praised him. This isn’t rogue violence. It’s institutional culture.

• War on reality: DHS labeled a teaching assistant driving to church a “domestic terrorist.” Agents fabricated a scene diagram with vehicles that don’t exist. The government fought to suppress the evidence that proved they lied.

• Weaponized justice: DOJ tried to indict six Democrats for a video. A grand jury said no. The attorney general calls a Republican co-sponsor of transparency legislation mentally ill. 1,000+ trafficking victims, zero prosecutions.

• Capture of the state and elimination of accountability: Bondi brings opposition research instead of answers. Child survivors exposed, powerful men redacted. A Jan. 6 rioter hired at DOJ. The anti-corruption unit gutted.

Shoot a citizen. Brag about it. Lie about it. Reward the shooter. Cover up the files. Attack the questioners. Protect the powerful. That’s not law enforcement. That’s not justice. That’s fascism.

But naming the disease is only half the job.

We built this publication to equip you with the tools to fight back—the frameworks, the messaging, the strategies that actually work. See the links below. But we can only keep doing this with your help. If this matters to you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. You keep the fight alive.

• Fighting Fascism: How We Push Back and Win — The strategic playbook for reclaiming power

• The Trump Regime Messaging Guide — How to talk to people who’ve been captured by the machine

• The Freedom Illusion — How we got here, and the counter-ideology that gets us out

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Article Sources:

1. Daniella Silva, Natasha Korecki, and Selina Guevara, “Body camera video and texts reveal details of Border Patrol agent’s shooting of U.S. citizen in Chicago“, NBC News, February 11, 2026.

Most detailed account of the newly released body camera footage, text messages, and emails documenting Border Patrol agent Charles Exum’s shooting of Marimar Martinez. Includes Exum’s bragging texts (”5 rounds and she had 7 holes”), the chain of support from Bovino through Noem to “El Jefe,” Bovino’s email praising “excellent service,” Martinez’s congressional testimony about singing with Montessori kids on Friday and being labeled a “domestic terrorist” on Saturday, and her statement naming every person killed by immigration agents. Confirms Martinez had a legal concealed-carry handgun in a pink holster that she never touched, was driving to donate clothes to a church, and that prosecutors dismissed their own felony case after video disproved their claims.

2. Sophia Tareen, “Lawyers of Chicago woman shot by federal agents say documents show how DHS lies“, Associated Press, February 11, 2026.

Documents specific instances of DHS lying about Martinez, including the “domestic terrorist” label and “doxxing” accusation with zero evidence. Reports the agent’s hand-drawn diagram of the scene included vehicles that attorney says “don’t exist.” Includes Judge Georgia Alexakis lifting the protective order despite government arguments that documents could damage Exum’s reputation, with the judge noting the government showed “zero concern” for Martinez’s reputation. Confirms Martinez is pursuing a Federal Tort Claims Act complaint and is scheduled to attend Trump’s State of the Union.

3. Robert Mackey, “Border patrol chief praised federal agent who shot US citizen in Chicago“, The Guardian, February 11, 2026.

Provides critical context on Gregory Bovino’s pattern of lying — removed after being caught lying about Alex Pretti’s death in Minneapolis, and separately found by a federal judge to have lied about being struck by a rock during a protest confrontation. Documents Bovino’s “made-for-TV crackdown” propaganda role with frequent Fox News appearances. Includes fellow agent calling Exum “a legend among agents” and Exum’s reply “Lmao, a legend in my own mind.” Reports federal prosecutors argued releasing documents could “further sully” Exum’s reputation, which the judge rejected.

4. Andrew Solender, “Pam Bondi hearing goes nuclear: ‘Loser lawyer!’“, Axios, February 11, 2026.

Describes the House Judiciary Committee hearing as “one of the most combative congressional hearings in recent memory,” with Bondi clashing with “nearly every Democrat on the panel with growing hostility.” Notes that explosive hearings have “become increasingly routine” and that “displays of anger have arguably become more valuable currency than legislative wins.” Includes Balint accidentally calling Bondi “secretary” and quipping “My apologies, I couldn’t tell” when corrected.

5. Melissa Quinn and Jacob Rosen, “Bondi faces heated questions on handling of Epstein files at House hearing“, CBS News, February 11, 2026.

Comprehensive live blog documenting the full hearing, including Raskin’s accusation of a “massive Epstein cover-up,” Bondi’s “burn book” of opposition research, the Jayapal-survivor confrontation where all survivors raised hands confirming zero DOJ contact, Massie catching the Wexner redaction (”within 40 minutes of me catching you red-handed”), Balint’s Holocaust-grandfather exchange, Lieu’s “shame on you” verdict, and the Moskowitz poster board moment. Reports Bondi contradicted Deputy AG Blanche on pending investigations, DOJ hired Jan. 6 rioter Jared Wise as adviser, and Trump is suing the government for $10 billion while asking DOJ to pay him $230 million.

6. Alanna Durkin Richer, Eric Tucker, and Stephen Groves, “Bondi clashes with Democrats as she struggles to turn the page on Epstein files“, Associated Press, February 11, 2026.

Reports the grand jury’s rejection of DOJ’s attempt to indict six Democratic lawmakers as “an extraordinary rebuke of prosecutors.” Notes Bondi “postured herself as the Republican president’s chief protector” and delivered “an extraordinary speech in which she mocked her Democratic questioners, praised Trump over the performance of the stock market and openly aligned herself as in sync with a president whom she painted as a victim.” Documents that it was Republicans who initiated the furor over the Epstein files and Bondi herself distributed binders to conservative influencers at the White House — binders that contained no new revelations, leading to more calls from Trump’s base for full release.