Daily News — January 10, 2026
The Training
While others stenograph, grift, or chase the next distraction—this is the news that matters and how it’s connected.
(Late edition—spent the afternoon at ER making sure my heart wasn’t trying to quit before the country did. All clear. Let’s go.)
Jonathan Ross is a firearms instructor. A field intelligence officer. An FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force member. He spent eight years with Border Patrol and another decade with ICE. He’s an Iraq War combat veteran—a machine gunner on combat patrols.1
He knows exactly what he was trained to do.
According to a senior DHS official, ICE officers are trained to never approach a vehicle from the front—they use a “tactical L” 90-degree angle to prevent injury. They are instructed not to shoot at a moving vehicle. And they are explicitly taught: firing at a vehicle will not make it stop moving.2
Now walk through what Ross actually did.
He watched other agents escalate the encounter—one screaming “Get out of the fucking car,” another reaching into Good’s window. He saw the situation turn hostile. Then he violated his training by positioning himself in front of the vehicle. Then, if he believed the vehicle was a danger to him, he violated his training again by firing into it—and violated basic common sense by deciding it was better to take the time to draw his weapon, aim, and fire three shots towards Renee rather than simply stepping out of the way.
And afterwards? “Fucking bitch.”
This was moments after Good looked at him and said, with a smile: ”That’s fine dude. I’m not mad at you.”3
Are these the actions of a firearms instructor with nearly two decades of federal law enforcement and combat experience, afraid for his life? Or the actions of an enraged animal lusting to kill?
Twenty years ago, I was hit by a car in a hit-and-run. No training. My instinct was to jump out of the way—which might be the only reason I’m writing this today. Ask yourself: what would a reasonable person do? How about a reasonable person with over a decade of training that specifically says “don’t shoot, move out of the way”?
This wasn’t fear. This was hatred. And “fucking bitch” speaks for itself.
The Occupation Continues
Minneapolis is now under sustained federal occupation. More than 2,000 federal agents flooded the Twin Cities this week.4 Schools have switched to virtual learning through February 12—over a month of children learning from home because armed federal agents made their city unsafe.⁴
The resistance is spreading. Protests erupted Friday in Denver, where roughly a thousand people marched from the State Capitol.5 More followed in Buffalo, Chapel Hill, Durham, Kansas City, and Los Angeles. Good was from Colorado Springs. Her community isn’t staying silent.
Meanwhile…
Venezuela: The State Department is now urging Americans to leave ”immediately.”6 Armed militias are searching vehicles at roadblocks, hunting for U.S. citizens. The country Trump promised to liberate has become so dangerous that our own government is telling Americans to flee. Delcy Rodriguez—Maduro’s vice president—has been sworn in as interim leader.
Greenland: Trump said Friday he’ll “do something on Greenland whether they like it or not”—taking it “the hard way” if necessary.7 Greenland’s party leaders responded with a joint statement: “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders.” A sitting president threatening force against a NATO ally. That’s where we are.
Epstein files: Still less than 1% released. Now Epstein survivors, members of Congress, and watchdog groups are formally requesting an Inspector General investigation into whether DOJ is deliberately obstructing.8 Schumer called it a “cover-up.” Eight years at the current pace. That’s not incompetence. That’s protection.
The numbers are moving. RealClearPolitics shows Trump’s approval at 44.1% with disapproval at 52.7% (-8.6). Watch the trendline—the gap is starting to widen since Venezuela and Minneapolis.
His peak unpopularity was -13.1 towards the end of the shutdown in November. Will he drop below that after invading Venezuela, killing Renee Good, threatening to attack a NATO ally, and breaking the law to protect pedophiles as polls continue to come in? That’ll tell us how badly the country’s lost its mind.
There's more below, but first: If work like this—connecting the dots others miss—feels worth having in the world, please consider supporting The American Manifesto. Paid subscriptions make it possible to keep digging when others look away.
The Pattern
We’ve been mapping this administration against the fascism syndrome—ten indicators that a democracy is backsliding into fascism. Today:
Normalization of political violence: A trained firearms instructor shoots a woman whose last words to him were “I’m not mad at you.” His training said move. He chose to kill.
War on reality: Administration still claiming self-defense despite video evidence, frame-by-frame analysis, and now the training protocols themselves.
Aggression as virtue: Trump threatens to take Greenland “the hard way.” State Dept admits Venezuela is too dangerous for Americans. The “liberation” created a warzone.
Weaponized justice: Epstein files still buried. IG investigation now requested. Eight years at the current pace.
“That’s fine dude. I’m not mad at you.”
She smiled at him. He killed her anyway. If you want to understand the machine—and how to dismantle it—start here: The Freedom Illusion.
NBC News, “ICE officer Jonathan Ross is a veteran who spent over a decade at DHS“, NBC News, January 9, 2026.
Background on Jonathan Ross identifying him as 43 years old with more than 10 years at ICE. Documents his previous service in Border Patrol (2007-2015), deployment during the Iraq War, and December 2025 testimony where he described himself as “a firearms instructor... a field intelligence officer, and... a member of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.”
Julia Ainsley, “ICE officers trained never to approach a vehicle from the front, DHS official says“, NBC News, January 7, 2026.
Senior DHS official confirms ICE training protocols: officers are trained to never approach a vehicle from the front, to use a “tactical L” 90-degree angle, to not shoot at a moving vehicle, and that “firing at a vehicle will not make it stop moving in the direction of the officer.” Establishes that Ross’s actions violated his own training.
CNN, “ICE agent’s cellphone captures fatal confrontation in Minneapolis“, CNN, January 9, 2026.
Video obtained by Alpha News from ICE agent Jonathan Ross’s cellphone captures the moments before and after the shooting. Shows Good saying “That’s fine dude. I’m not mad at you” to Ross. After the shooting, “someone can be heard uttering ‘fucking bitch.’” Documents Ross walking in front of the vehicle before the confrontation escalated.
Star Tribune, “Walz tells ICE to ‘stay away’ from Minnesota schools“, Star Tribune, January 9, 2026.
Documents more than 2,000 federal agents arriving in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis schools offering virtual learning through February 12, and Governor Walz urging elected officials to “tell them to stay out of our schools.”
CPR News, “Groups gather against ICE fatal shooting across Colorado, more protests planned this weekend“, CPR, January 9, 2026.
Reports approximately 1,000 people gathering at the Colorado State Capitol and marching through downtown Denver to protest Good’s killing. Notes Good was from Colorado Springs and attended Coronado High School. Documents protests also occurring in Buffalo, Chapel Hill, Durham, Kansas City, and Los Angeles.
ABC News, “Venezuela live updates: State Department warns US citizens to leave“, ABC News, January 10, 2026.
State Department urging Americans in Venezuela to leave “immediately” due to armed militias searching vehicles for US citizens at roadblocks. Reports Delcy Rodriguez sworn in as interim leader after Venezuelan Supreme Court described Maduro’s capture as a “kidnapping.”
CNN, “US will take Greenland the ‘hard way’ if it can’t do it the ‘easy way,’ Trump says“, CNN, January 10, 2026.
Trump told reporters “I would like to make a deal the easy way but if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.” Also stated the US will act “whether they like it or not.” Greenland’s party leaders responded with a joint statement: “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders.”
Scott MacFarlane, “Delayed release of Epstein files triggers calls for internal watchdog review“, CBS News, January 8, 2026.
Epstein survivors, members of Congress, and watchdog groups formally requesting Inspector General investigation into whether DOJ is mishandling Epstein file releases. Notes less than 1% of files released, approximately 400 lawyers supposedly working on review, and Schumer’s accusation of a “cover-up.”
Thank you for continuing to report the facts in your clear eyed fashion. I only wish it wasn’t needed.
Was it hatred or was it a deliberate, cold blodded attempt to create a scenario to "justify" a killing and perhaps set in play events "justifying" imposing the Insurrection Act?