Joe Sonka 😐
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joesonka.lpm.org
Joe Sonka 😐
@joesonka.lpm.org
13K followers 870 following 5.5K posts
State government reporter for @kentuckypublicradio.org — @lpm.org, @weku.bsky.social, WKYU/Bowling Green, @wkmsfm.bsky.social. Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe/BBN. Did a Pulitzer many years ago.

DM me news/apocalypse tips! https://www.lpm.org/people/joe-sonka
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joesonka.lpm.org
I wasn’t sure if Congressman Thomas Massie was going to be ideologically consistent on Alex Pretti, but… appears so.
January 25, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
gelliottmorris.com
people called me a brainwashed liberal for predicting this would happen two weeks ago www.gelliottmorris.com/p/support-fo...
Support for abolishing ICE hits a new high
Americans have turned sharply against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and say it too often resorts to violence
www.gelliottmorris.com
January 25, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
gelliottmorris.com
YouGov is out with a new poll after ICE killed another person in Minnesota today. Abolishing ICE is now +5 among all adults, and **+12 among independents**

substack.com/@gelliottmor...
January 25, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
"I insisted that the agents let me assess him. Normally, I would not have been so persistent, but as a physician, I felt a professional and moral obligation to help this man, especially since none of the agents were helping him."
chrisgeidner.bsky.social Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 14h
BREAKING: A young doctor who lives near where Alex Pretti, a nurse, was killed by ICE says in a declaration he saw the shooting, went out to help, was not let through at first then patted down before being let by, and was apparently the first to try and provide any medical assistance to Pretti.
1. 1 am a 29-year-old resident of the lin Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have lived in Minneapolis since 2024, when I moved to the city to begin my medical residency. I am a licensed pediatrician, and I have been practicing pediatric medicine in the city since I moved here. 2. On January 24, 2026, at approximately 9:00 am CST, I was awoken by the sound of cars honking and whistles blowing. Shortly after I awoke, I heard screaming from outside my window. I saw several ICE agents and civilians yelling at each other. 3. One civilian was standing in front of a parked car on the side of the road. I saw him yelling at the ICE agents, but I did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind 4. Suddenly, an ICE agent shoved him to the ground. My view of the altercation was partially obstructed, but after a few seconds, I saw at least four ICE agents point guns at the man. I then saw the agents shoot the man at least six or seven times. 5. Initially, I was stunned. From what I could see from my apartment, there was absolutely no need for any violence, let alone lethal force by multiple officers. I immediately put on my boots and coat, ran outside, and approached ICE agents who were near the victim. 6. The scene was chaotic. Many civilians were screaming and honking. Over the noise, I informed the ICE agents that I am a physician, and I asked to assess the victim. 7. At first, the ICE agents wouldn't let me through. They repeatedly asked me for my physician's license, which I obviously didn't have. But none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, and I could tell that the victim was in critical condition. I insisted that the agents let me assess him. Normally, I would not have been so persistent, but as a physician, I felt a professional and moral obligation to help this man, especially since none of the agents were helping him. 8. Finally, one agent agreed to let me assess the victim. He patted me down to "make sure I didn't have a weapon" and then let me approach the victim. 9. As I approached, I saw that the victim was lying on his side and was surrounded by several ICE agents. I was confused as to why the victim was on his side, because that is not standard practice when a victim has been shot. Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is standard practice. Instead of doing either of those things, the ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds. 10.1 asked the ICE agents if the victim had a pulse, and they said they did not know. I then asked the agents to make space so I could assess the victim. 11. The victim had at least three bullet wounds in his back. I asked the ICE agents to turn the victim from his side to his back. From that position, I saw an additional gunshot wound on the victim's upper left chest and another possible gunshot wound on his neck. 12. I checked for a pulse, but I did not feel one. I immediately began CPR. Shortly after I started compressions, EMS personnel arrived and took over. 13.1 remained at the scene for about five more minutes, but protesters began to gather and the situation seemed to be escalating, so I left and returned to my apartment. 14. When I returned to my apartment, I was extremely distraught. I was sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. Eventually, I called my sister, who lives in a nearby suburb. I called her for comfort and because I did not feel safe in my apartment; I wanted to see if I could stay with her for the day and maybe even a few days. 15.1 also sought advice from a friend who works for the City of Minneapolis. He recommended that I shelter in place because the situation outside my apartment was so dangerous. I was going to follow his advice, but then ICE agents deployed tear gas on the crowd that had gathered below, and the tear gas began seeping into my apartment.
January 25, 2026 at 2:01 AM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
jvagle.me
“I feel afraid. Only hours have passed since they shot a man right in front me and I
don't feel like I can go home because I heard agents were looking for me.”
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 15h
You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.
January 25, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
badideas.bsky.social
A video of Alex Pretti reading out the final salute of an unnamed veteran he cared for until the end of his life in the ICU, posted to Facebook by his son.
January 25, 2026 at 1:18 AM
joesonka.lpm.org
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton
January 25, 2026 at 1:13 AM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Beyond helping establish DHS itself in 2003, Mr. Mitnick was a senate-confirmed Trump choice for General Counsel for DHS in his first term. I've talked with him a few times, and he's not a man for hyperbole. So bear that in mind when you see him calling out DHS's "lawlessness, fascism, and cruelty."
John Mitnick @JohnMitnick I helped to establish DHS in 2002 and 2003 and later had the homeland security portfolio as a White House Counsel and served as General Counsel of the Department. I am enraged and embarrassed by DHS’s lawlessness, fascism, and cruelty. Impeach and remove Trump—now. George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway3d The deadly shooting in Minneapolis today was a straight-up execution of a protester by Trump's federal brownshirts. The thugs wrestled him to the ground. They pistol-whipped him, then shot him multiple times. They murdered him.
January 25, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
jeffrueter.bsky.social
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."
Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.
January 25, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
esqueer.net
Screenshot of a post on X (Twitter) in dark mode. The verified Democrats account (@TheDemocrats) posts the text, “You’re a fucking liar with blood on your hands.” The post quotes a tweet from Stephen Miller (@StephenM), also verified, saying: “A would-be assassin tried to murder federal law enforcement and the official Democrat account sides with the terrorists,” followed by a truncated link. The post shows a timestamp of 4:31 PM on Jan 24, 2026, and 599.4K views.
January 24, 2026 at 11:21 PM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
jamellebouie.net
wrote about the camps for my newsletter this weekend www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/o...
January 25, 2026 at 12:01 AM
joesonka.lpm.org
Somebody with a lot of followers is spreading a Fetterman quote that is 6 months old and implying that he just said it, just fyi
January 25, 2026 at 12:35 AM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
pbump.com
“They will lie about you and then kill you and they will kill you and then lie about you.” www.pbump.net/o/the-killin...
The killing in Minnesota
They will lie about you and then kill you and they will kill you and then lie about you.  And I don’t mean some ambiguous, imaginary “they” like the one the right invented and blamed for trying to kil...
www.pbump.net
January 25, 2026 at 12:27 AM
joesonka.lpm.org
Withstanding a vicious dusting today ❄️
January 24, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
adamserwer.bsky.social
Imagine how much they’d be lying about what happened without all the videos showing it from multiple angles.
January 24, 2026 at 10:24 PM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
dimitridrekonja.bsky.social
Alex from our time working together, while he was in nursing school. Later, he moved to ICU, working as a nurse to support critically ill Veterans. He had such a great attitude. We’d chat between patients about trying to get in a mountain bike ride together. Will never happen now
Alex Pretti from his early days working at the VA
January 24, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
startribune.com
Some details of federal government’s account of the shooting aren’t supported by footage captured by bystanders.
Videos show federal agents killing Minneapolis man
Some details of federal government’s account of the shooting aren’t supported by footage captured by bystanders.
bit.ly
January 24, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
eliasisquith.blog
rosen was one of the Ds who decided to break ranks and vote reopen the gov't last time.

folks, hold on to your butts. i think it's all but guaranteed we're shutting it down until we can figure out what the hell is going on.
@SenJackyRosen: The abuses of power we are seeing from ICE in Minneapolis and across the country are un-American and cannot be normalized. No one wants criminals in our country, but that’s not who this administration is going after. They’re targeting law-abiding immigrants who just want to support their families and live the American Dream. They’re going after immigrants who have asylum or other forms of legal protections to be in our country. They’re going after U.S. citizens who disagree with their tactics — and in less than a month, two of our fellow Americans in Minneapolis have been killed as a result. Enough is enough. We need to rein in ICE’s out of control conduct. As a member of the U.S. Senate, I have the responsibility to hold the Trump Administration accountable when I see abuses of power — like we are seeing from ICE right now. That is why I’ll be voting against any government funding package that contains the bill that funds this agency, until we have guardrails in place to curtail these abuses of power and ensure more accountability and transparency. My personal guiding principle has always been “agree where you can and fight where you must.” And I believe this is a time when we must fight back.
January 24, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
brandyzadrozny.bsky.social
Alex Pretti "used to tell people off when they made sexist comments to female physicians. He bought me coffee when I had a really bad day as an intern...I laughed alongside him daily. He made a point to teach medical residents without judgement, but with a smile on his face and a joke."
January 24, 2026 at 9:41 PM
joesonka.lpm.org
Three different reactions from Democratic elected officials in Kentucky:
From Rep. Nima Kulkarni: Today's deadly shooting is yet another escalation of violence by militarized federal agencies who are all part of the Trump regime's state sanctioned violence. This administration has been brutalizing citizens and noncitizens all across the country, in Minnesota, in Kentucky, and right here Louisville. People are being shot in the street. Children are being kidnapped. Families are being terrorized. I again call on our Mayor to change course and stop his complicity with ICE. I call on our Governor to be prepared to call in the National Guard to protect Kentuckians. I call on our university leaders to stop aiding and abetting ICE. I call on all our public officials to stop empowering the brutality of this administration. This is not about a political talking point. This is about people's lives. Now is not the time to stay silent. Now is the time for our elected leaders to take action to protect their communities. In the next 48 hours, I will be organizing a call to action for our electeds and advocates to address how we stop this violence and destruction from tearing apart our communities. Stay tuned.
January 24, 2026 at 9:27 PM
joesonka.lpm.org
I wonder what happened
January 24, 2026 at 9:15 PM
joesonka.lpm.org
Kentucky’s lone Democratic member of Congress 👇
repmcgarvey.bsky.social Rep. Morgan McGarvey @repmcgarvey.bsky.social · 19h
ICE has murdered another American. Again.

Don’t let it be normal. Trump’s personal police force is kidnapping children, gassing neighborhoods, terrorizing families, murdering our fellow citizens with impunity. (1/3)
January 24, 2026 at 9:13 PM
joesonka.lpm.org
Statement from Kentucky state Rep. Nima Kulkarni of Louisville on the killing by ICE agents this morning in Minneapolis. Includes another call out of Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.
January 24, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Reposted by Joe Sonka 😐
nycsouthpaw.bsky.social
years and years of avoiding plain language and the active voice do make the choice to use it more impactful, I suppose
NYT: Federal Agents Kill a 37-Year-Old Minneapolis Man The victim was an American citizen with no criminal record who had a firearms permit, the city police chief said. Videos of the encounter contradict the federal government's description of the shooting, a New York Times analysis found.
January 24, 2026 at 8:31 PM
joesonka.lpm.org
The loud SecondAmendment open/concealed carry advocates are very silent so far.
January 24, 2026 at 8:18 PM