USA – Minneapolis
The shooting of young mother Renee Good this week in Minneapolis has further exposed the divisions in a fractured American society and President Trump’s determination to exacerbate rather than heal them.
Anyone who watches one of the many videos—or reads the eyewitness accounts—can only conclude that Ms Good was murdered by an ICE agent.
She was clearly driving away from a confrontation with the agents who were in Minneapolis as part of a politically motivated round-up of ethnic Somalis. As she was turning away from the armed agents, one of them fired through the car window and shot Ms Good in the head. A doctor then rushed forward to try and administer first aid but was blocked by the agents.
President Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kirsti Noem, Vice President J.D. Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi have rushed forward to claim that the agent fired in self-defense because Ms Good was trying to run him over. They have also claimed—without any evidence—that Ms Good was a professional left-wing agitator. Vice President Vance has gone so far as to falsely claim that the ICE agents are protected by absolute immunity because they are federal agents.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt increased the attack on Good even more by telling White House correspondents: “The deadly incident that took place in Minnesota yesterday occurred as a result of a larger, sinister left-wing movement that has spread across our country, where our brave men and women of federal law enforcement are under organized attack.”
The administration’s line has been picked up and repeated parrot-fashion by Fox News and the Republicans in Congress. Democrats and the bulk of the rest of the media have attacked ICE and the administration. The people of Minneapolis have taken to the streets in their thousands. Their action is being mirrored in other US cities. In Portland, Oregon two more people have been wounded.
President Trump had a personal message for ICE agents in the wake of the shootings: “It’s time to get rough.”
Iran
The Iranian authorities have shut down the country’s internet. The reason is quite simple: they don’t want people—inside and outside Iran—to know how many protesters they are about to kill.
And they are killing them. After protests in 2019 several hundred protesters ended up in their coffins. Human rights organisations reckon that 40 were killed before the internet was shut. The BBC has confirmed 20 of the deaths.
The country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameinei, has said that the thousands who have taken to the streets of Tehran, and at least 50 other towns and cities, are a “bunch of vandals” trying “to please” the US.
The protesters are more likely to describe themselves as “economically frustrated.” US sanctions have forced a collapse of the Iranian rial against the dollar. The result has been debilitating inflation of 30-40 percent for several years. At the moment, inflation is 48.6 percent with food inflation at above 50 percent.
President Trump has said that if the regime starts killing “protesters the United States of America will come to their rescue.” He added that America was “locked and loaded and ready to go.”
It could be argued that any American “rescue attempt” would be unlikely as the Trump administration is fully occupied with Venezuela, domestic riots in the wake of the Minneapolis ICE shooting, the Epstein Files and threats against Greenland, Panama, Cuba, Colombia and Mexico. But, when it comes to Trump, never say never.
USA – Washington
The White House and the US Congress have come up with two diametrically opposed ways of marking the fifth anniversary of the storming of Capitol Hill.
The US Senate recently approved a unanimous resolution to hang a plaque honouring the police who protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
This follows a March 2022 congressional law approving the creation of the plaque. But Speaker of the House Mike Johnson—a well-known Trump acolyte—and the Department of Justice have refused to allow the plaque to be hung. They claim it failed to comply with the law because it lists departments rather than individuals.
The White House has gone one step further. It is now claiming that the police officers themselves started the riot. The rioters were “patriotic protesters” peacefully demonstrating against an illegal election result.
Senate majority leader John Thune (a Republican from South Dakota) has agreed to let the plaque hang in the Senate until the Architect of the Capitol—the federal agency that maintains, operates, and preserves the U.S. Capitol—determines its permanent location.
USA – Donald Trump
This week President Trump gave a two and a half hour interview to a team of reporters from “The New York Times.” There were several noteworthy comments about Venezuela (“I will be running it for the foreseeable future”). There was also a repetition of threats against Greenland, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Cuba.
But perhaps the most revealing was Donald Trump’s perceived role of himself as president and commander-in-chief of the world’s largest military forces. He told the reporters that he has only one limit on his power: “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
Trump claimed he is entitled to determine what is legal under international law, and seemed to stretch that authority to domestic affairs, too, saying that he was already considering getting around a possible decision by the Supreme Court that his tariffs were unconstitutional by simply calling them licensing fees. He added that he could invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops in the U.S. if he “felt the need to do it.”
* Tom Arms is foreign editor of Liberal Democrat Voice. He also contributes to “The New World” magazine and lectures on world affairs. He is the author of “America Made in Britain,” two editions of “The Encyclopaedia of the Cold War” and “The Falklands Crisis.”
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33 Comments
“President Trump had a personal message for ICE agents in the wake of the shootings: “It’s time to get rough.””
This is of course the same message that Putin would send to Russian law enforcers.
It’s worth stating what a liberal government would do. It would hold itself to account by putting the question to an independent tribunal pass judgment on the facts, and if appropriate submit to its judgment.
Instead the US administration has decided it’s OK to be judge, jury and executioner without this process, no doubt in relance on Trump’s belief that his moral judgement is the only thing that ultimately matters.
I watched the video of the shooting and I understand why an agent who was run over in similar circumstances 6 months ago would fear for his life when the car first reversed then lurched forward. That said, it is said that he fired three shots in total with the second and third fired into the side window as she was past him – if one of those bullets killed her, it would be unreasonable force and therefore murder. However, if it was the first bullet, then his actions – in an American context – would be reasonable self defence.
My bigger concern is that both sides have jumped to conclusions before the details have been examined – Democrat politicians called the shooting ‘murder’ even before the Trump administration had come out to justify the agent’s actions – which just feeds the partisan divisions. Whatever conclusions are eventually reached following formal investigation will be dismissed as biased by half the population. What a mess!
The bodycam footage from those agents – she was clearly instructed on more than three occasions to get out of the vehicle – after engaging a forward gear the vehicle quite clearly struck an agent in the line of duty.
We can all argue about what if – but if a law enforcement officer asks you to step out the vehicle you’d be foolish not to obey commands ..If you go on to drive that vehicle and strike an officer then you are putting yourself in grave danger…
During Obama’s presidentcy the US deported over 3 million illegal immigrants – I cannot recall a single camera crew documenting any of those raids or any outrage in regards to the biggest deportation of immigrants post ww2.
“but if a law enforcement officer asks you to step out the vehicle you’d be foolish not to obey commands”
What you are saying is that refusal to obey an agent of the state justified immediate use of lethal force as retaliation where the victim was trying to get away.
Not good enough.
What I’m saying Tristan – she put herself in harms way , refused a law officers command , went onto strike an enforcement officer with the car she was driving after that command …
Actions have consequences…You can argue all day wether he should or should not of opened fire – but one thing is certain – if she obeyed the original command shed still be alive.
Greg Hyde
“You can argue all day wether he should or should not of opened fire”
Only if you believe that Government should use death squads to suppress peaceful protest.
“one thing is certain – if she obeyed the original command shed still be alive.”
George Floyd obeyed the police and got out of the car he was sitting in. Then the police murdered him.
Contrary to some of the comments above, I’m afraid it’s impossible to believe the ICE officer acted in self-defence. If it is actually true (and I doubt it) that the trajectory of the vehicle made him think he was going to be run over, his instinctive reaction would have been to jump out of the way if he had time to do so. But he had time to aim and fire his gun, so for me that proves he would also have had time to get out of the way. To me, this suggests he believed he had the right to stop a woman in those circumstances by any means he wanted to use – including killing her. It’s a bit disturbing to read that some people in this thread think that if you disobey a law enforcement officer he has the right to kill you.
JD Vance has softened the White House response from “she was a terrorist, weaponising her car” to saying she was a victim of the leftist movement, which he claims is stirring up people to oppose Trump.
This is just as worrying as calling her a terrorist, because it means the current White House is saying that even in a country often thought to be a democracy, people who have a different point of view from the elected president can be labelled enemies of the state simply for mounting a series of protests.
David; If you’re foolish enough to put yourself in harms way where law enforcement officers are carrying out duties – who are obviously armed you’d be well advised to carry out instructions given to you…To equate that to death squads sums up the mentality of some of those on the left these days ….
@Greg Hyde
“if a law enforcement officer asks you to step out the vehicle you’d be foolish not to obey commands”
I am mobility-impaired while convalescing from a hip replacement operation. I’m not exactly speedy getting into or out of the driver’s seat in my car. It took even longer before I had the hip replacement op.
I’m getting the impression that if I was in a USA town and was told to get out of my car by a law enforcement officer, if I didn’t get out quickly enough I might be at risk of being shot.
That’s OK is it????
@Greg Hyde, I’m a bit puzzled by the way you use the phrase “putting yourself in harm’s way” in relation to this case. If I strolled into the line of fire of armed law enforcement officers while they were on active duty, I agree I’d be putting myself ‘in harm’s way’. Simply leaving the scene when approached by an ICE officer doesn’t seem to me to be quite what you say it is.
In the UK, if I was sitting on the ground holding a placard declaring support for Palestine Action, and a policemen holding a baton told me to offer my wrists for handcuffs, would I be ‘putting myself in harm’s way’ if I refused to comply with a perfectly legitimate order ? I say it would be legitimate, because no lesser authority than the UK Parliament ratified Yvette Cooper’s desire for such placards to be classified as evidence of terrorist intent.
I think we all need to step back a bit and consider carefully what we mean by ‘putting oneself in harm’s way’. An evidently very decent woman in America is dead while we debate this.
Nonconform….I’m assuming you’re vehicle is not parked across the middle of the road impeding law enforcement officers & disobeying instructions ?
If you’ve been pulled over by officers for a traffic stop and parked in a safe area – then you’ve nothing to be concerned about – it’s really that simple.
There’s peaceful protests – and then there are those that engage in violent disorder – blocking officers from carrying out their lawful duties…
@Greg Hyde
“I’m assuming you’re vehicle is not parked across the middle of the road impeding law enforcement officers & disobeying instructions ?”
It seems you’ve ignored my point about my mobility problems.
Since when did ‘impeding a law enforcement officer’ merit capital punishement (without a trial)?
The woman didn’t appear to be waving a gun at him.
Suppose the movement of her vehicle was accidental? e.g. foot slipped from brake to accelerator.
Standard police training in the United States instructs officers not to deliberately step in front of moving vehicles, and not to fire at someone controlling a moving vehicle due to the risk of causing a crash.
Eyewitnesses report that ICE agents gave Renee Good conflicting instructions—one screaming at her to get out of the car while another told her to move it. Experts disagree about whether the agent made contact with the vehicle, but the footage shows the car moving at walking speed, with Good steering away from the agent, who easily stepped clear. Despite this, he fired two shots through the driver’s window as the car passed. The agent sustained no visible injuries. This was not a policing action but a summary execution.
The footage Greg Hyde refers to is not from a bodycam but from the agent’s phone. Good’s last words were “That’s fine dude, I’m not mad at you.” The agents’ last words are “F—— b—-“.
The administration will chalk this up as a win. Flooding Democratic cities with heavily-armed, poorly-trained, masked agents operating under what J.D. Vance called “absolute immunity” serves to terrorise and intimidate opposition. Meanwhile, MAGA rioters who attacked police with deadly weapons on January 6th have been pardoned by Trump. The message is clear: violence is justified when used by MAGA against perceived enemies.
Tragically, we can expect more such incidents involving ICE and U.S. citizens as the midterms approach.
Andrew; Anyone foolish enough to place themselves & a 4×4 in harms way obstructing law enforcement officers are putting themselves at significant risk …To go onto strike an officer with that vehicle & disobeying instructions – officers have a short time to gauge that risk…
As I stated earlier Obama adminstration deported over 3 million illegal immigrants – I cannot recall a single raid being filmed & shown across the networks or the outcry across the liberal left…
@Greg Hyde
Little point in discussing the killing of Renee Good with you if you are going to ignore every point I made.
Instead let’s explore the Greg Hyde theory of policing. How do you think the capitol police should have reacted to the MAGA rioters attacking them with baseball bats and hatchets? Presumably you think dozens or even hundreds of people should have been shot dead on Jan 6th?
I reckon at least 99% of independent minded people seeing those videos would agree with Andrew.
Andy; She placed her vehicle blocking the road – refused a request from a law enforcement officer , continued in that vehicle to strike another law enforcement officer….If she was sat on the side of the road with a placard – she’d still be alive ….That’s what I mean when placing yourself in harms way ..
One thing that the “progressive” commentators here is that in the USA guns are legal and widely available. Therefore law enforcement personnel have to assume that a person they are interacting with may have deadly force available to them. This will lead to them to act differently to the UK police most of us are use to. Put another way it is wrong to look at the actions of ICE from a British prospective. I am not saying that what this ICE Officer did was right. That remains to be seen and hopefully the case will be investigated. But if I had been in Minneapolis and somehow got involved in these protests then I would have been very careful both to follow any instructions given and not made anything that could have interpreted as aggressive particularly sudden or unexpected actions.
So now it’s ok to murder white people as well as black people in the USA for no apparent reason? As long as you’re a “law enforcement” officer of some kind ofc.
“So now it’s ok to murder white people as well as black people in the USA for no apparent reason? As long as you’re a “law enforcement” officer of some kind ofc.”
According to the New Shorter OED murder is defined as unlawful killing: so the answer is no. As you already knew.
If your comment was a response to mine I don’t know whether Renee Good was murdered. She may have been. All I am saying is that because of the widespread availability of guns in the USA it is wrong, indeed illiberal not to take that into account.
@Greg Hyde: Why are you repeating MAGA talking points? I suspect most people who spout that sort of nonsense know perfectly well it’s not true.
@Andrew Tampion: Liberals are among the most vociferous advocates of gun control in the US. In any case, the legal availability of guns should not be taken as a valid reason to shoot anyone on the basis that they *might* be carrying a gun. The question isn’t whether the victim *might* have had a gun, but whether she actually did and was about to use it.
I am concerned that the posts above show the extent to which intelligent people can view the same footage and come to so hugely different conclusions.
I have read that ICE agents were attacked by being driven at on 66 occasions in 2025 and that the Agent who opened fire on this occasion was a previous victim, being deliberately hit and dragged by a car 6 months ago. However we view the footage in this case, we should all be able to agree that attacking ICE agents is completely unacceptable and that those who do so should face the full consequences provided for in law.
Alex. I don’t understand your point. Unless and until gun law in the USA is changed you have to deal with the situation as it is, not as you want it to be. Further it is possible, as a liberal, to be in favour of tighter gun control and at the same time to make allowance of law enforcement officers but in a difficult position by the law as it stands.
Andrew Tampion: You miss my point. By your argument, the free availability of guns can be used to justify any killing by law enforcement on the basis that the victim *might* have had a gun with them. Again, the test should be whether the person *actually* has a gun on them *and* intends to use it. Evidence not speculation.
Exactly Joan…If you impede law enforcement officers – obstruct them in their duties to the extent that we witnessed – it will come as no surprise that at some point actions of that nature have consequences. These are not maga talking points – this is the US where law enforcement officers are armed.
Time and again we’ve witnessed violent protests – university campuses trashed millions dollars worth ofdamage – Jewish students bullied and obstructed – all in the name of peaceful protests. Peaceful protests are absolutely fine …Obstructing law enforcement officers carrying out their lawful duty is not.
@Greg Hyde. I agree with you that obstructing law enforcement officers from carrying out their duties is a criminal offense. Should the law enforcement officer shoot and kill someone who is suppose that obstructing them from carrying out their duties. I suppose that depends on what they are obstructing. I do not believe that obstructing ICE agents from arresting alleged illegal immigrants should be a capital offense.
Greg, Andrew, Joan,
You are all just enjoying yourselves creating bogus arguments to “justify” state thuggery. And you know that.
You make a massive logical mis-step between “law enforcement personnel have to assume that a person they are interacting with may have deadly force available to them” and your implicit conclusion that ICE are somehow thereby entitled to shoot anyonce dead whenever they feel the need to assert authority.
You know perfectly well that you are talking nonsense. You are boasting that you can get away with talking nonsense. You demand submission to Trump and to thuggery. Like all great dictators and their thuggish acolytes, you will eventually crash and burn.
Nowhere in any of the posts did I Andrew or Joan say that law enforcement officers are entitled to shoot anyone…What we are pointing out is that when you engage in protests that involve blocking law enforcement vehicles and obstructing officers in the line of duty – to the extent that you’ve disobeyed instructions struck an officer with your vehicle – then heightened tensions and emotions can lead to a deadly confrontation…
“If you impede law enforcement officers – obstruct them in their duties to the extent that we witnessed – it will come as no surprise that at some point actions of that nature have consequences”
To which the response of a civilised state is to investigate, report on the instigation and IF APPROPRIATE prosecute in an independent tribunal and (if the accused is found guilty) punish them. You may also want to look at law enforcement procedures. It may take action against the victim.
What a civilised state does not do is immediately demonise the victim, refuse to cooperate with police investigating the incident and have the Supreme Commander say “it’s time to get rough” when that SC has recently pardoned people (who were trying to overturn a lawful election) found guilty of actually attacking law enforcers.
The first clause of the social contract is the state’s obligation to protect the citizen. Here it has failed to protect the citizen against the state itself. That’s the place to start.
@Tom Arms
Tom your article includes the line “President Trump had a personal message for ICE agents in the wake of the shootings: “It’s time to get rough.” which I have quoted here a couple of times.
I have tried to find a source for that quotation on line – but can’t. Are you able to link to the source please?
@David Allen
Please quote anything from my posts that you think is me creating ‘bogus arguments’.
In particular, please challenge any of the statements below if you think they are invalid,
* A car can be a deadly weapon
* A driver can be convicted of murder for driving a vehicle at someone
* A stationary driver who accelerates away when surrounded by people puts lives in danger
* Armed law enforcement personnel in the USA are entitled to use deadly force to protect themselves or others
* Renee Nicole Good was stationary; agents moved around her car; one held her door handle – she decided to reverse and then accelerate forward and to the right, despite people being around/close to/touching her car, at the time
* An agent standing to the front left of her car pulled out his gun when she suddenly started reversing her car, and then fired when she braked and then accelerated forward.
There’s a huge difference between impeding and attacking. Impeding is clearly an irritant but not requiring capital punishment. Attacking is different but even then, enforcement officers should be trained to de escalate. I see no evidence that the ice officer was hit and lots of evidence that he wasn’t. If authorities simply expressed sadness for the tragedy and announced an inquiry there wouldn’t be the quite understandable reaction. I have to say that I find some comments on this site rather incredible.
I saw this interesting legal analysis on youtube on the Renee Good incident.