Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were reportedly pelted with snowballs as they were accused of holding a pregnant woman "face down on the ground."
On Monday, WCCO's Esme Murphy reported that the agents were seen taking the woman from Karmel Mall in Minneapolis.
"People were screaming to let her go," Murphy said.
"We kept yelling, she's pregnant, she's pregnant, she's pregnant," one witness recalled, "they put their knees in her, and we kept telling them she can't breathe, let her up, let her up."
According to Murphy, the woman "who was handcuffed was suddenly being dragged by one arm as the angry crowd threw snowballs and screamed at the federal agents."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shed light on an announcement President Donald Trump was expected to give on Wednesday night.
After Trump revealed that he would give a speech from the White House, Fox News asked Leavitt to detail "what it's all about."
"We greatly look forward to President Trump addressing the nation tomorrow night, 9 o'clock Eastern," the press secretary replied during a Tuesday interview. "I hope your audience will tune in, and Americans across the country will tune in to hear from their president as well about the historic accomplishments that he has garnered for our country over the past year. If you look at the security of our border, if you look at stopping Joe Biden's inflation right in its tracks, bringing down gas prices to the lowest level in five years."
"President Trump will be talking about what's to come," she continued. "The best is truly yet to come, as he often says."
"And so he'll be addressing the country about all of his historic accomplishments over the past year and maybe teasing some policy that will be coming in the new year, as we head into this Christmas season."
"Quite the tease," Fox News host Sandra Smith remarked.
It was not immediately clear that all broadcast networks would air Trump's remarks live.
Vice President J.D. Vance fired back at White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles after she called him a "conspiracy theorist" in an interview with Vanity Fair.
While speaking in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, a reporter from The Washington Post asked Vance about Wiles's remarks.
"Unfortunately, I have to ask a bit of an off-topic question from affordability," the reporter said. "And that is the interviews that White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, gave to Vanity Fair, in which she's quoted as referring to you as, excuse me, and again, not my words, sir, but a conspiracy theorist of a decade, and described your transformation from someone who once opposed President Trump to now his vice president as an act of political expediency."
"Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist, but I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true," Vance replied. "For example, I believed in the crazy conspiracy theory back in 2020 that it was stupid to mask three-year-olds at the height of the COVID pandemic, that we should actually let them develop some language skills."
"And I believed in the conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was trying to throw his political opponents in jail rather than win an argument against his political opponents," he continued. "So, at least on some of these conspiracy theories, it turns out that a conspiracy theory is just something that was true six months before the media admitted it."
Vance went on to downplay Wiles as a mere "staffer" to the president.
"I've never seen Susie Wiles say something to the president and then go and counteract him or subvert his will behind the scenes," he explained. "And that's what you wanted from a staffer. Because as much as I love Susie, the American people didn't elect any staffer. They elected the President of the United States."
As Vance was speaking, a person in the audience shouted that Democrats were "traitors."
"They are!" the vice president agreed. "And the last thing I'll say is if any of us have learned a lesson from that Vanity Fair article, I hope that the lesson is we should be giving fewer interviews to mainstream media outlets."
The White House had a meltdown on Tuesday after CNN reported on its reaction to President Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles' bombshell Vanity Fair interview.
White House insiders were reportedly managing a clean-up operation over the information Wiles revealed about the reality inside Trump world when a Trump insider texted CNN anchor Dana Bash, who was live on air, telling her to correct a chyron that said "White House aides reeling over Susie Wiles interview."
CNN analyst David Chalian and Bash were discussing how the interview had rocked Washington, D.C..
"There are sort of earthquakes in politics and then there are moments like this. And it is because Susie Wiles is so restrained, so strategic, so well respected and what this is, is Susie Wiles unfiltered, on politics, on personality and on real-time policy decisions," Bash said. "And I would add, so loyal, and I'm not sure this changes here."
Chalian said CNN's phones were exploding early Tuesday.
"This electrified everyone because it was so unexpected and I don't think, and I think we have no reporting to indicate that she went into these interviews in any way to try and be anything but strategic and loyal to the president that she serves and serves with such a grip on power and flow of information inside this second Trump term," Chalian said.
"What is astounding, as you said, is the unfiltered nature of it. The other thing that I would note in her pushback, Dana, nowhere does Susie Wiles say she didn't say these things..."
Wiles has called the story "a hit piece" and said her words were taken out of context. But Chalian argued it revealed even more about the current state of the Republican party and MAGA movement.
"Policy point after policy point, she pulls back the curtain and gives the reader a real sense of what is going on inside the chief of staff's thinking on those things," Chalian said.
Bash then added that Trump insiders were texting her during the broadcast.
"What they are doing is circling the wagons and sort of cleaning this up in defense of Susie Wiles," Chalian said.
Inside the White House, people see her as "a straight shooter" and "solid," Bash added.
Bash pointed to an "intriguing" topic, including the Epstein files and the new Trump followers — not the MAGA base — that Wiles described.
"This is so telling, David, because this is all about where the GOP is right now and Susie Wiles is already there, looking ahead. How do we get from what is the Trump party right now, beyond that, and keep those people in the fold for when he is no longer on the ballot."
Chalian described how Wiles is considering the future.
"We've seen the fraying of the coalition that got him to where he is in a second term, and that is precisely the folks that Susie Wiles is talking about here, about the larger Republican project, about how to keep that coalition together for beyond Donald Trump's tenure," he added.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) lashed out Tuesday after reporters asked him if Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should release a controversial video of the U.S. military's strike on a small boat near Venezuela that critics say could show war crimes.
Following a meeting with Hegseth, Graham complained that the Trump administration did not have a clear plan for removing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
"If he's still standing when this is over, this is a fatal, major mistake to our standing in the world," Graham said. "And I did not get a very good answer as to what happens next."
As he spoke, reporters peppered the senator with questions about the boat strike video.
"I think it should be [released]," Graham insisted. "I think the video should be given to everybody in Congress."
"Do you buy the explanation that it's sensitive information?" one reporter asked.
"You know, the least of my concerns is this friggin' video!" Graham hit back. "Release it, make your own decisions. This is lawful."
"No, the video, I don't think most Americans give a damn about the video!" he continued. "I'd like all of us to see it! Most Americans are going to want to know what's going to happen next. I want to know what's going to happen next!"
Republicans are on the wrong track for holding onto their congressional majorities, according to a new data analysis.
CNN's Harry Enten crunched the numbers on a series of new polling that found Americans are concerned about the direction the country is headed, and the data analyst said they seem to be in the mood for a change in leadership heading into next year's midterm elections.
"I like going traveling, we all do," Enten said. "Look, you knowwhat it was, the NBC News pollcame out this weekend, and I sawthis wrong track number, and itjust kind of jumped out to mebecause it was 66 percent, and one ofthe things I always like to lookat is, you know, Donald Trumphistorically has done betterthan his polling suggested. Butthese right track-wrong tracknumbers have generally trackedwith what actually the countryis feeling. We see 66 percent there, more than three in five Americans whosay the country is on the wrongtrack. Ipsos, 61 percent, MU, Marquette University Law School, 64 percent,Gallup, 74 percent of Americans say theyare dissatisfied with the stateof the nation."
"You see it onyour screen right there, and allof these numbers, all of thesenumbers that I could find werethe highest percentage who saidthat the country was on thewrong track since Donald Trumptook office," Enten added. "It's not just Trump's poll numbers, it'sdisapproval that's going higherand higher and higher. It's thewrong track numbers that aregoing higher and higher, as well."
That's quite a turnaround from the start of Trump's second term, Enten said.
"Yeah, it's a huge change – it's a huge change," he said. "Think thatthe country is on the wrongtrack or the right track, you goback to April, May – look, theclear majority of Americansthought that the country was onthe wrong track, at 58 percent, but yousee 38 percent, a 20-point differencehere. Look at that: What we'veseen is a ballooning of this, aballooning. Now you take theaverage of the polls, right, andnow we're talking well north onaverage."
"Two and three Americans say thatthe country is on the wrongtrack now," Enten added. "Less than three in 10 Americans say that the countryis on the right track, and whenwe look at this back in thegoing into the 2024 election,right, the election in which the Democratic Party was pushed outof power, this number looks awhole heck of a lot. This righttrack number looks a whole heckof a lot what it looked likegoing into 2024 election. This66 percent looks a whole heck of a lotlike that number going into the2024 election."
That's an ominous sign for Republicans heading into next year's election, he said.
"President's party didn't lose House seats, midterms since 1978, percentagesaid the country was on thewrong track, 46 percent in 2002, 38 percent in1998," Enten said. "The 66 percent now, the 66 percent, a lotof numbers on the screen rightnow who say the country is onthe wrong track? This doesn'tlook anything like thosemidterms where the president'sparty didn't lose. The Republican Party is on track tolose the House of Representatives if the wrongtrack numbers look anything likethey do right now."
Pro-MAGA host Terrance Bates literally walked off camera when his co-host, David Brody, floated Stephen A. Smith's name as a presidential candidate.
During a Tuesday discussion on Real America's Voice, co-host Emily Finn argued that California Gov. Gavin Newsom "has a shot" to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
"I don't think he's going to run, but I would love to see, just for kicks, if nothing else, Stephen A. Smith," Brody argued, referencing the ESPN host who has been politically outspoken, particularly about social justice issues.
Following that suggestion, Bates got up and left.
"Why? Where are you going?" Brody remarked. "Once again, a rapture live on the show. What's happening?"
"We lost Terrance," Finn noted.
"Why are you doing that?" Brody wondered. "You're confusing me."
"I can't even face you," Bates said after returning with his back to the camera. "I can't even face you with that."
"Well, he does not have Terrance's endorsement," Brody said of Smith.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, predicted that Colorado election-denier Tina Peters would be freed from prison by arguing that President Donald Trump could pardon state charges.
Lindell made the claim during an interview with Alex Jones this week, soon after Trump issued a pardon for Peters despite not having the power to grant clemency for state crimes.
"He came out, and he put the federal pardon out," the pillow executive said. "Remember, I had said, hey, everyone said, well, you can't pardon at the federal level because this is state."
"But what they're doing, everybody, by this federal pardon," he continued. "Now, I don't know if it's ever been done before, Alex, but according to the Constitution, the way you can interpret it, that would override, and he would be able to get Tina out."
"Now, this has never, probably maybe never come up before, where you have a governor arguing with the president of the United States over a person to pardon them or not. Maybe it's never come up before. So this, I believe, is going to have to come together. Maybe it'll have to go to court or whatever and say, this is the way we read it, make a ruling, and let's get her out."
Colorado Attorney General Phill Weiser declared that Peters would remain in state custody despite the pardon.
"The idea that a president could pardon someone tried and convicted in state court has no precedent in American law, would be an outrageous departure from what our constitution requires, and will not hold up," he said in a statement.
On MSNOW's "Morning Joe," multiple panelists referenced Vance's earlier insistence that anyone who criticized conservative commentator Charlie Kirk after his fatal shooting on a Utah college campus in September should face employment consequences.
In the aftermath of Kirk's death, Vance declared, "Call them out, and hell, call their employer. We don't believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility," during a guest appearance hosting Kirk's podcast.
But on Monday, hours after Reiner's death was reported, Trump took to Truth Social to write, “A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS."
Conservative columnist Matt Lewis raised the inconsistency during a Tuesday appearance on MS NOW, questioning who would hold Trump accountable for his attacks on Reiner following the deaths of the Hollywood icon and his wife — with their son accused of being the killer.
So I go back to the Charlie Kirk murder,” he told the hosts. “And I think people being rightly outraged, you shouldn't be celebrating this, this is a national tragedy. It was horrific. And just where is the compassion? Where is the decency?”
“And JD Vance said, if you see someone celebrating, call their boss,” he added. “And do you know there were, according to Reuters, there were like 600 Americans who were punished for saying something untoward about Charlie Kirk. In one case, there was a teacher from South Carolina, and all she did was post Charlie Kirk's own words, what he had to say about school shootings — she was fired. Now we have — those are our expectations for a kindergarten teacher, that they should be fired if they say something untoward about a tragedy. This is the president of the United States. What should our standards be for that office, for the dignity of that office, for calling us to our better angels?”
“And I'm sorry, this whole thing about like, well, you know, this is Trump, this is who Trump is. And the voters, the voters can separate his policies from — no! As a conservative, our character is destiny.”
Early mistakes in the investigation of the fatal shooting at Brown University has left the FBI reliant on another bailout like the tip that led to an arrest in the Charlie Kirk assassination, according to a law enforcement analyst.
Police have released new photo and video evidence of an individual believed to be the suspect but have asked for public assistance in identifying the alleged killer, and former Homeland Security official Juliette Kayyem told "CNN News Central" anchor John Berman that FBI Director Kash Patel had bungled the case within hours of the shooting.
It started with the announcement that a person of interest was talking to authorities. That person was later released Sunday.
"The personof interest, I think the FBI wassort of saying, 'we've got ourguy,' and disclosures by Director [Kash] Patel delayed this 18 hours," Kayyem said. "Iwill tell you, I saw pictures ofthem looking through thesnow and everything. It snowed, you and I were standing here inthe snow on Sunday. Mostevidence is now gone, right, soif he drops something, if therewere fingerprints or whatever,most of it will be gone.
"Sothere, I mean, and they admitit, they're delayed about 18 to24 hours. Also, students aregone. You know, memories lapse,people are all aroundthe country, around the worldnow who may have been in thatbuilding. So it's just going tobe harder for them."
"Look, they are committed todoing a restart," but this is unfortunate," Kayyem added. "Andthe public does not want to seelaw enforcement agencies sort ofthrowing each other under thebus."
The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, but Kayyem said that shows they've failed to produce enough evidence to solve the case themselves.
"It's money, but it's notlike a huge reward," she said. "This moneyand those videos are – someone isrecognizing him. He hasfriends, he has colleagues, hehas a girlfriend, boyfriend,whatever. Someone will recognizethis, and the $50,000 isessentially, we're going to makethis, you know, we need youto come forward. A stranger is not going to recognize himfrom that [video]. So unlike, say,the UnitedHealthCare manhunt,this is really not a manhunt inthat sense. This is a 'weneed someone near him tocome forward.'"
That's what happened in Kirk's assassination in September, when Patel prematurely announced the arrest of a person of interest who was released hours later – just like what he did Sunday in the Brown case – and the FBI ultimately made an arrest after the Kirk suspect's family member turned him in.
"That's what happened in Utahwith the Charlie Kirk shooting,because people who knew thatperson, even though they wereunrecognizable to most people inthe video," Berman said.
According to Politico, indicators suggest the TrumpWhite House anticipates an unfavorable decision — and is taking steps to retain tariff revenues already collected, potentially creating a complicated aftermath to any adverse ruling.
Politico legal analyst Ankush Khardori noted that the administration's apparent indifference to a potential loss obscures new legal and political challenges it would face. He wrote, "Their seeming indifference, however, also obscures the new legal and political obstacles that the Trump administration would confront.
"The fallback effort would not be as simple or straightforward a matter as they have claimed. It is true that the administration could use other statutes to replicate (largely, though probably not entirely) the current tariff regime in the short term. But a new set of questions would immediately emerge."
Khardori points to the lawsuit filed by wholesale retailer Costco as evidence that businesses recognize the administration's position and are positioning themselves for refunds from a government reluctant to provide them.
Trade lawyer Timothy Meyer warned that actions taken by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warrant scrutiny. Meyer noted, "Bessent and other members of the administration have spent months telling the public and the courts that refunding the IEEPA tariffs would lead to a fiscal calamity." He characterized efforts to use refunds as leverage in litigation as "ham-handed," stating that such tactics have "really just eviscerated any confidence that anyone would have that the administrative process would be administered efficiently, quickly and in good faith."
Meyer added, "People increasingly suspect the Justice Department will drag this out for as long as possible."
A Supreme Court defeat could have broader political consequences for the Republican Party. While Trump's congressional allies might be expected to encourage the president to abandon his tariff strategy to protect their political interests, Trump remains firmly committed to the policy. By continuing to pursue tariffs despite a major court setback, he risks damaging his party's standing and could face intensified Democratic scrutiny if they regain House control.
According to Khardori, "Trump is a true believer on tariffs, and he appears poised to plow forward even if he suffers a major setback at the Supreme Court. In the process, he could end up dragging his own party down with him."
FBI Director Kash Patel sparked outrage Tuesday after being featured in a preview for an upcoming podcast with his girlfriend as a fullscale manhunt for the Brown University shooter goes on.
“Doing podcast fluff while the Brown shooter is still at large?” wrote Blakeley Bartley, a New York songwriter and political commentator who’s amassed more than 70,000 followers on X.
Patel, 45, was featured Tuesday evening in a video with his girlfriend, 26-year-old country music singer Alexis Wilkins, to promote an upcoming podcast with Katie Miller, the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, scheduled to release Tuesday evening. It’s unknown when the podcast was recorded, but the optics of a lighthearted discussion about when Patel may propose to his girlfriend, promoted while a mass shooter remains at large, drew the ire of many.
“As FBI Director, shouldn’t Kash be focused on finding the mass killer still on the loose rather than discussing his private life on a podcast?” wrote Pekka Kallioniemi, a Finnish researcher and political commentator who’s amassed more than 206,000 followers on X.
Patel has drawn scrutiny over his relationship with Wilkins following reports that he used an FBI Gulfstream luxury jet to attend one of her performances, and then fired an FBI veteran who he accused of leaking details about the controversial trip to the media. Patel’s also been accused of ordering FBI agents to drive his girlfriend’s “inebriated” friend home and assigning an FBI swat team to provide security for her.
“Personally, I’d rather see the director of the FBI catching criminals and putting them behind bars vs going on podcasts with his girlfriend,” wrote Michael Zimmermann, a political commentator from Texas who’s amassed nearly 4,000 followers on X.
Hey no rush on solving the at large killer in my hometown — Hayden (@the_transit_guy) December 16, 2025
A prominent GOP strategist called out President Donald Trump's "indefensible" statements about a slain director on Monday during an interview on CNN.
On Sunday night, director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead in their Hollywood, California, home. Authorities have said the Reiners' son, Nick, is "responsible" for his parents' death, and he faces murder charges in their killings.
In response to the news, Trump posted on Truth Social that Reiner, a frequent Trump critic, suffered from "Trump Derangement Syndrome," and that might have contributed to his death. The post was widely condemned by Republicans and Democrats.
David Urban, managing director at BGR Group and a staunch Trump defender on the network, discussed the president's remarks on CNN's "The Source" on Monday night.
"First of all, you know, my condolences go out to the family," Urban said. "It's a terrible tragedy. They suffered here. And the president's Truth Social post is indefensible by anybody — I don't know how anyone could defend it."
Trump had the opportunity to clean up his statement during a press conference on Monday afternoon when a CNN reporter asked him about the criticism he received. Instead, Trump doubled down on his criticism of Reiner and said he "wasn't a fan' of the director.
