(Anthony Zurcher – BBC) The Trump administration has quickly abandoned its familiar “deny and attack” playbook after initially using it when federal agents shot dead Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday morning. Within 24 hours, as various videos of the shooting circulated online, it became clear that the White House was out of step with public opinion and what Americans could see with their own eyes. Since then, the administration – and the president himself – have changed tack, blaming Democrats for what happened and focusing less on the actions of the American nurse who was killed. Democrats, meanwhile, have increased their criticism of the president’s mass deportation policy and the aggressive tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), leaning into a political fight that could result in a new government shutdown on Friday. On Monday morning, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described the situation as a “powder keg”. While he blamed the Democrats, many on both sides of America’s political divide will agree that the current situation is fraught with peril.
Trump abandons attack mode as Minneapolis shooting backlash grows
