First Thing: Border Patrol commander to leave Minneapolis after shooting of Alex Pretti

Administration signals it could scale back federal presence after backlash to fatal shooting. Plus, widespread disruption from winter storm continuesGood morning.Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander who has become the public face of the Trump administration’s on-the-ground immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, is expected to leave the city today. The move is part of the Trump administration’s reshuffling of the leadership of its immigration enforcement operation, and the scaling back of the federal presence in the city after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, 37.Are administration officials rowing back? After Pretti was killed, administration officials were quick to label him a “domestic terrorist”. But during a White House press briefing yesterday, Karoline Leavitt struck a more conciliatory tone, calling Pretti’s death a “tragedy” – though she was careful not to directly contradict Stephen Miller, who called Pretti a “would-be assassin”, and she blamed the shooting on Democrats.What about the president? Trump said he held “a very good call” with Walz and the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey.What has Pretti’s family said? The family of the intensive care nurse – who had no criminal record and held a legal permit to carry a firearm – said after his killing: “The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting.” Continue reading...