President Donald Trump on Sunday blamed the deaths of two Americans by federal agents on Democratic “chaos,” as his administration faced intensifying pressure over its mass immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.Federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, early Saturday while scuffling with him on an icy roadway in the Midwestern city, less than three weeks after an immigration officer fired on Renee Good, also 37, killing her in her car.Trump administration officials quickly claimed that Pretti had intended to harm the federal agents — as it did after Good’s death — pointing to a pistol it said was discovered on him.However, video shared widely on social media and verified by US media showed Pretti never drawing a weapon, with agents firing around 10 shots at him seconds after he was sprayed in the face with chemical irritant and thrown to the ground.Trump provocatively attributed the deaths to Minnesota’s Democratic elected officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, writing on his Truth Social platform: “Democrat run Sanctuary Cities and States are REFUSING to cooperate with ICE.” “Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos,” he added.After top officials described Pretti as an “assassin” who had assaulted the agents, Pretti’s parents issued a statement Saturday condemning the administration’s “sickening lies” about their son.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, asked on Fox News show “The Sunday Briefing” what she would say to Pretti’s parents, responded: “Just that I’m grieved for them.”US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaking to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said an investigation was necessary to get a full understanding of the killing.Asked if agents had already removed the pistol from Pretti when they fired on him, Blanche said: “I do not know. And nobody else knows, either. That’s why we’re doing an investigation.”- ‘Joint’ probe -Their comments came after multiple senators from Trump’s Republican Party called for a thorough probe into the killing, and for cooperation with local authorities.The Trump administration controversially excluded local investigators from a probe into Good’s killing.Walz posed a question directly to the president during a press briefing Sunday, asking: “What’s the plan, Donald Trump?” “What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state?”On Sunday, business leaders from 60 corporations headquartered in Minnesota — including retailer Target, food giant General Mills and several professional sports franchises — signed an open letter “calling for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.”Thousands of federal immigration agents have been deployed to heavily Democratic Minneapolis for weeks, after conservative media reported on alleged fraud by Somali immigrants, which Trump has repeatedly amplified.The city, known for its bitterly cold winters, has one of the country’s highest concentrations of Somali immigrants.Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison pushed back against Trump’s claim, telling reporters “it’s not about fraud, because if he sent people who understand forensic accounting, we’d be having a different conversation. But he’s sending armed masked men.”- Court order -Since “Operation Metro Surge” began, many residents have carried whistles to notify others of the presence of immigration agents, while sometimes violent skirmishes have broken out between the officers and protesters.Local authorities have sued the federal government seeking a court order to suspend the operation, with a first hearing set for Monday.Recent polling has shown voters increasingly upset with Trump’s domestic immigration operations, as videos of masked agents seizing people off sidewalks — including children — proliferate.Barack and Michelle Obama on Sunday forcefully condemned Pretti’s killing, saying in a statement it should be a “wake-up call” that core US values “are increasingly under assault.”The former president and first lady blasted Trump and his government as seeming “eager to escalate the situation.”

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said the NBA team was “heartbroken” by events unfolding in Minneapolis, where federal agents shot dead a second US citizen amid the Trump administration’s mass immigration crackdown.An emotional Finch spoke to reporters shortly before the Timberwolves took on the Golden State Warriors in Minneapolis on Sunday, a game postponed from Saturday when the city was sent reeling by the shooting death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, less than three weeks after an immigration officer fired on Renee Good, also 37, killing her in her car.”As an organization, we are heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch,” Finch said. “We just want to extend our thoughts, prayers and concern for Mr. Pretti’s family, all the loved ones, and everyone involved in in such an unconscionable situation in a community that we really love.”The Timberwolves observed a moment of silence honoring Pretti before the game that ended amid expletive-laced chants against ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement).Warriors coach Steve Kerr, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump who had called the shooting of Good “shameful,” said it was time for Americans to appeal to their “better angels” in a time of extremism.”People are so angry. There should be an appeal to our better angels to look after one another and to recognize what’s happening,” Kerr said. “We’re being divided by media for profit, by misinformation. There’s so much out there that is really difficult for all of us to reconcile.”That’s what’s so sad about all this — we’re at each other’s throats right now. You can’t just say ‘I’m right and the other person’s wrong.'”It’s hard to decipher what’s real and what’s not, what’s true and what’s not true — people arguing over the exact same video and saying ‘this happened, no, that happened.'”Kerr said the loss of life is “the number one concern.”When all the unrest settles down, whenever that is, those family members won’t be returning home and that’s devastating,” said Kerr, whose university president father was shot dead in Beirut by Islamic militants in 1984.Both coaches praised the decision to postpone the game.”Playing basketball just didn’t feel like the right thing to do,” Finch said.The NBA’s Players Association issued a statement on Sunday saying players “stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice.””The fraternity of NBA players, like the United States itself, is a community enriched by its global citizens, and we refuse to let the flames of division threaten the civil liberties that are meant to protect us all.”The Timberwolves, along with the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, the NFL’s Vikings, MLB’s Twins, NHL’S Wild and Minnesota United of MLS, joined prominent Minnesota companies in signing an open letter calling for state, local and federal officials to work together in pursuit of a “deescalation of tensions.”- ‘Lives at stake’ -Individual athletes were also speaking out.Breanna Stewart, a three-time WNBA champion who co-founded the Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s league, held up a small sign saying “Abolish Ice” during player introductions before an Unrivaled game in Florida.”All day yesterday I was kind of just disgusted … we’re so fueled by hate right now instead of love,” Stewart said.”When human lives are at stake it’s bigger than anything else.”She said the issue hit close to home since her wife, retired Spanish basketballer Marta, is still in the process of seeking US citizenship.”She’s a legal permanent resident and all of that, but it seems like it doesn’t matter,” Stewart said.Other athletes weighed in on social media.Two-time NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who plays for the Indiana Pacers, posted on X: “Alex Pretti was murdered.”Brianna Turner, who played for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever last season, posted on X: “The minority that are still defending ICE will forever be on the wrong side of history.”

A life-threatening winter storm brought hazardous conditions to a wide swath of the United States on Sunday, from Texas to New England, prompting warnings to stay off roads, along with mass flight cancellations and power outages.As the storm dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain across the wide expanse, officials cautioned that an Arctic air mass behind the system would see temperatures fall dangerously low for days, prolonging disruptions to daily life.”The snow/sleet impacts will linger well into next week with rounds of re-freezing that keeps surfaces icy and dangerous to both drive and walk on for the foreseeable future,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said.The first storm-related fatalities were also being reported Sunday, with two people in Louisiana confirmed dead of hypothermia, the southern state’s health department said.New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said five people were found dead outside over the weekend in freezing temperatures. While he did not confirm the deaths were weather-related, he told reporters “there is no more powerful reminder of the danger of extreme cold.”The PowerOutage.com tracking site showed over one million customers without electricity as of Sunday afternoon, mostly in the US South where the storm intensified Saturday.In Tennessee, where a band of ice has downed power lines, more than 300,000 residential and commercial customers were without electricity, while Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia — where such storms are less common — each had over 100,000 outages.The outages are particularly dangerous as the South is being walloped by treacherous cold that the NWS warns could set records.Authorities from Texas to North Carolina and New York urged residents to stay home due to the perilous conditions.”Stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary,” Texas’s Emergency Management Division posted on X.The storm was moving Sunday into the northeast, dumping snow and sleet on heavily populated cities including Philadelphia, New York and Boston.At least 20 states and the US capital Washington have declared states of emergency.Residents in the capital Washington awoke to a blanket of several inches of snow on sidewalks and roads, followed by heavy sleet.Federal offices have been preemptively closed for Monday.Several major airports in Washington, Philadelphia, and New York had nearly all flights canceled for the day.Tracking site Flightaware.com showed more than 11,000 Sunday flights canceled in the United States, adding to over 4,000 the day before. Nearly 2,500 Monday flights have already been scrapped.President Donald Trump, who was riding out the storm at the White House, said on his Truth Social platform Saturday: “We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm!”- Polar vortex -The brutal storm system is the result of a stretched polar vortex, an Arctic region of cold, low-pressure air that normally forms a relatively compact, circular system but sometimes morphs into a more oval shape, sending cold air spilling across North America.Scientists say the increasing frequency of such disruptions may be linked to climate change, though the debate is not settled and natural variability plays a role.But Trump — who scoffs at climate change science and has rolled back green energy policies — questioned how the cold front fit into broader climatic shifts.”WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???” the Republican leader posted.The NWS warned that heavy ice could cause “long-duration power outages, extensive tree damage, and extremely dangerous or impassable travel conditions,” including in many states less accustomed to intense winter weather.Authorities warned of life-threatening cold that could last a week post-storm, especially in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, where wind chill lows were forecast to dip to extremes under -50F (-45C).Such temperatures can cause frostbite within minutes.