Daily News — January 8, 2026

Occupation

Occupation

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

Twenty-four hours after ICE agents killed Nicole Good on a Minneapolis street, federal agents raided a high school, pepper sprayed students, and the FBI blocked Minnesota from investigating the shooting. The administration isn’t just defending this violence—they’re escalating it while ensuring no independent authority can examine what happened.

Start with what the video shows. After Good was shot in the head, a bystander approached with his hands raised. “Can I check a pulse?” he asked. An agent told him to back up. “I’m a physician,” he said. The agent's response: "I don't care." A trained physician stood feet away, begging to help. They refused him. Fifteen minutes. When EMTs finally arrived, ICE blocked them too—first responders had to walk to the body.¹

Hours later, Border Patrol agents descended on Roosevelt High School during dismissal. They threw people to the ground, handcuffed two staff members, and pepper sprayed students who protested their presence. A school official described the agents as “animals.” Minneapolis Public Schools canceled classes for the rest of the week.²

Then the FBI shut down the investigation. Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had agreed to a joint inquiry—standard procedure when federal agents kill civilians. Thursday afternoon, the FBI reversed course and kicked state investigators out entirely. Governor Walz pointed out the obvious problem: the president, vice president, and DHS Secretary had already declared the killing justified. Vice President Vance’s response? “I don’t care what Tim Walz says.”³

This is what occupation looks like. Federal agents execute a citizen. They refuse medical aid from a physician. They call her a terrorist. They raid schools and attack children. They block the state from investigating. And when the governor objects, the Vice President says he doesn’t care. Minneapolis isn’t being policed—it’s being subjugated.

---

The Constitution Is “Fake”

Vance declared the War Powers Act “fundamentally fake” and unconstitutional—hours after the Senate voted 52-47 to advance a bipartisan resolution blocking further military action in Venezuela.⁴

This isn’t a fringe legal theory. It’s a rejection of constitutional basics. Article I, Section 8 gives Congress—not the President—the power to declare war. The 1973 War Powers Resolution requires the president to consult Congress “in every possible instance” before launching military action. Trump didn’t—he said Congress has “a tendency to leak.” He did, however, consult with oil companies before and after the attack.⁵

Don’t mistake the Senate vote for victory, either. Trump will veto it. A similar resolution already failed the House. Without a veto-proof supermajority, this changes nothing—and the White House knows it. What the vote reveals is that exactly five Republican senators are willing to go on record as mostly complicit rather than absolutely complicit. The other 47 watched the Vice President declare the Constitution optional and said nothing.

---

Meanwhile...

Venezuela: We noted yesterday the US seized a Russian-flagged tanker. It was actually two: the Bella 1 and Motor Tanker Sophia. Moscow deployed a submarine escort that failed.⁶ The war remains unpopular overall—33% support versus 72% for Iraq⁷—but support is rising: up 7 points overall, 10 points among Republicans.⁸ That’s the only constituency this administration answers to, and they’re cheering.

Greenland: Secretary of State Rubio will meet Danish officials next week. Several GOP senators pushed back on the military threats—McConnell called them “counterproductive,” Tillis said “I’m sick of stupid”—but the White House hasn’t backed down.⁹

Epstein files: The DOJ says 2+ million documents remain under review. At the current pace, the full release would take eight years. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress after Trump repeatedly attacked her for pushing the release.

---

There’s more below, but first: If work like this—connecting federal occupation in Minneapolis to constitutional collapse in Washington—feels worth having in the world, please consider supporting The American Manifesto. Paid subscriptions make it possible to keep watching when the pattern gets this dark.

---

The Pattern

We documented the fascism syndrome—ten indicators that separate authoritarianism from something darker. In 48 hours:

• Normalization of political violence: Executing a citizen, blocking medical aid, raiding a school, pepper spraying children

• Identity-based scapegoating: Labeling Good a “terrorist”

• Weaponized justice: FBI blocks state investigation of federal agents

• War on reality: Trump claims Good “viciously ran over” the agent; NYT video analysis shows he was standing to the left of the SUV while wheels pointed right—away from him.¹⁰ Vance declares the Constitution “fake”

• Aggression as virtue: Continued military threats against a NATO ally

“I don’t care” isn’t cruelty. It’s doctrine. When power answers only to itself, physicians, governors, and constitutions are just noise to be ignored.

That’s not dysfunction. That’s the system working exactly as redesigned. If you want to understand the machine—and how to break it—start here: The Freedom Illusion.

The Freedom Illusion — Part I

1. Addy Bink, “‘Can I check a pulse?’: Video shows ICE preventing doctor from tending to Minneapolis shooting victim“, The Hill, January 8, 2026.

Documents video showing a physician asking to check Nicole Good’s pulse after she was shot and being told “I don’t care” by ICE agents. No medical aid was provided for approximately fifteen minutes. When emergency medical services arrived, ICE vehicles blocked access and first responders had to walk to the victim. Also documents Trump’s Truth Social claim that Good “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer”—contradicted by video showing the agent stepped back and walked away unharmed.

2. Common Dreams, “More Shocking Footage Shows Federal Agents Raiding Minneapolis High School, Handcuffing Staff“, Common Dreams, January 8, 2026.

Documents Border Patrol raid on Roosevelt High School during dismissal, hours after Nicole Good’s killing. Federal agents tackled individuals on school grounds, handcuffed two staff members, and deployed pepper spray at students protesting their presence. A school official described the agents as “animals.” Minneapolis Public Schools canceled all classes for the remainder of the week.

3. Dan Mangan, “ICE shooting: State officials say FBI is blocking evidence in Minneapolis investigation“, CNBC, January 8, 2026.

Documents the FBI reversing its agreement for a joint investigation with Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and blocking state access to evidence. Also reports Vice President Vance responding “I don’t care what Tim Walz says” when confronted with the Governor’s concerns about federal officials prejudging the investigation.

4. Filip Timotija, “Vance calls War Powers Act ‘fundamentally fake’ and unconstitutional“, The Hill, January 8, 2026.

Reports Vice President Vance declaring the War Powers Act “fundamentally fake” and unconstitutional, stating it won’t “change anything about how we conduct foreign policy.” Documents the 52-47 Senate vote to advance a bipartisan war powers resolution, with five Republicans—Paul, Murkowski, Collins, Hawley, and Young—joining Democrats.

5. Max Zahn, “Trump spoke to oil companies before Venezuela attack but didn’t brief lawmakers, he says“, ABC News, January 4, 2026.

Documents Trump’s admission that he consulted with oil companies before and after the Venezuela attack but did not brief members of Congress beforehand. Trump said Congress has “a tendency to leak.” The War Powers Resolution requires the president to consult with Congress “in every possible instance” before launching military action—a requirement the administration openly flouted while prioritizing coordination with energy industry executives.

6. Max Rego, “Moscow pushes back on tanker seizure, says it had ‘temporary permission’ to use Russian flag“, The Hill, January 7, 2026.

Documents Russia’s response to US seizure of two Venezuela-linked oil tankers: the Bella 1 (North Atlantic) and Motor Tanker Sophia (Caribbean). Russia deployed a submarine to escort the Bella 1 across the Atlantic but failed to prevent its seizure. UK Defense Secretary confirmed British forces assisted the operation.

7. The Intercept, “Congrats to Donald Trump on Starting the Least Popular War in Recent Memory“, The Intercept, January 7, 2026.

Analysis comparing polling on Trump’s Venezuela war to historical precedents. Notes that Iraq had 72% support in March 2003 (Gallup), while Venezuela has only about a third of Americans in support across three flash polls—making it the least popular war at launch in recent memory. Attributes the lack of “rally ‘round the flag” effect to polarization and Trump’s hyper-partisan governing style.

8. Taylor Orth, “U.S. military action in Venezuela remains unpopular but Republican support has risen“, YouGov, January 6, 2026.

Economist/YouGov poll documenting that overall support for invasion rose 7 points (from 19% to 26%) while Republican support rose 10 points (from 43% to 53%). Despite remaining unpopular overall, the trend shows increasing support for military action after Trump acted unilaterally—particularly among Republicans, whose support for Congressional authorization simultaneously dropped 19 points.

9. Noah Robertson and Theodoric Meyer, “Republicans push back on White House military threat toward Greenland“, Washington Post, January 8, 2026.

Documents Republican pushback on Greenland military threats: Senator McConnell called the administration’s comments “unseemly” and “counterproductive.” Senator Tillis said “I’m sick of stupid.” Rand Paul said he’s unaware of a single Senate Republican who supports military action against Greenland.

10. New York Times, “Videos Contradict Trump Administration Account of ICE Shooting in Minneapolis“, New York Times, January 8, 2026.

Video analysis synchronizing footage from three camera angles showing that the ICE agent was standing to the left of Good’s SUV while the wheels were pointed right—away from him—at the moment he opened fire. Directly contradicts Trump administration claims that the shooting was defensive because the officer was “being run over.” Also documents that agents on scene did not rush to provide medical care, and that the agent who fired got in his vehicle and drove away, “apparently altering the active crime scene.”