Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot dead this week by ICE in Houston, Texas. Robin Stein, Devon Lum, Sam Lerma, Mimi Dwyer, Alexander Cardia, Aric Toler, Dmitriy Khavin, Charlie Smart and Allison McCann (NEW YORK TIMES) report:
Shortly before 7 a.m. on Tuesday, immigration officers were trailing a white work van in the Magnolia Park neighborhood of Houston. Minutes later, the driver had been fatally shot in his abdomen.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement on X and again to The New York Times on Saturday that a federal officer had opened fire at the man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, in “self-defense” after Mr. Salgado Araujo “weaponized” his white van. The agency accused him of ramming one of their vehicles and trying to run over an ICE officer.
Neither Mr. Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant who had lived in the United States without authorization for 35 years, nor the three passengers in his van were the initial targets of the operation, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman told The Times.
Footage from bystanders and local businesses obtained by The Times, although incomplete, provides a window into the events that unfolded on Canal Street.
[. . .]
Mr. Salgado Araujo’s white work van — closely followed by two unmarked S.U.V.s driven by ICE agents — is heading south on Wayside Drive at 6:46 a.m. Neither of the S.U.V.s appeared to have emergency lights activated.
Mr. Salgado Araujo’s van abruptly makes a tight left turn onto a residential block of Canal Street that is partially blocked off by construction. The change of direction is apparently too sudden for the agents in the lead S.U.V. — a Nissan — to follow. The second S.U.V. — a Jeep — follows the van onto Canal.
Footage shows the Jeep, driven by an ICE agent, initially speeding up along the driver’s side of Mr. Salgado Araujo’s van, overtaking it.
But two seconds later, a security camera at a medical office filming from the opposite direction shows the Jeep on the passenger side of the van. The Jeep appears to veer sharply toward the van, possibly making contact. Both vehicles swoop into a U-turn. An agent appears to exit the Jeep.
So it would appear that ICE struck Lorenzo's car first. That would implode DHS' claim that they killed him because he used his vehicle to ram into them.
Another lie from DHS. Markwayne Mullen would be well advised to get ahead of this and to announce this. If he wants to be boxed in as a liar this early in his tenure, he better get ready for being seen with the same disgust that his predecessor Kristi Noem is. Kristi's scandals continue to be exposed. For example, Julia Ornedo (THE DAILY BEAST) reported earlier today:
Kristi Noem’s alleged lover is still facing scrutiny for his short-lived stint as “shadow secretary” of the Department of Homeland Security.
Investigators have uncovered evidence that Corey Lewandowski, 52, may have been involved in the improper awarding of government contracts in his time as Noem’s right-hand man, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal.
A potential criminal referral to the Department of Justice is being considered, the outlet reported, adding that both the White House and new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who took over after Noem’s ouster in March, have been briefed on the matter.
DHS officials were stunned to discover how involved Lewandowski was in the contracts signed during Noem’s 14-month tenure at DHS, according to The Journal. Sources told the outlet that Lewandowski personally signed certain contracts or had knowledge of the approvals despite not being a full-time federal government official.
Markwayne Mullen was brought in to be a change. Yet ICE continues killing people and continues claiming that they were the victims. When they weren't. Christina Morales and Jacey Fortin (NEW YORK TIMES) note:
At the time of the stop, Mr. Araujo was on his way to work at a construction site. Three men were in the car with him, including Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo, his younger brother. As of Friday, they remained in immigration detention in Conroe, Texas, outside Houston.
On Thursday, the three men told a lawyer, Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, that Mr. Araujo did not use his vehicle as a weapon or try to run over the immigration officers, and that no agent had been positioned in front of the vehicle, the lawyer said.
The authorities did not provide video footage of the encounter. The ICE agents were in unmarked vehicles and were not wearing body cameras, according to the area’s congresswoman, Representative Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat. Ms. Garcia said she had spoken to the acting director of ICE, David Venturella.
Surveillance and witness videos obtained by The New York Times show two ICE vehicles tailing Mr. Araujo’s white van and trying to cut it off. The van can be seen doing a U-turn before stopping alongside the road, with several immigration agents running toward the van as it comes to a halt. Video of the moments when shots were fired has not emerged.
Edgar Sandoval (NEW YORK TIMES) notes:
On Saturday morning Ronaldo Salgado glanced, his smile bittersweet, at a photo of his father projected on a large screen and found the courage to address dozens of people crammed at an indoor vigil in his native Houston.
Mr. Salgado and a younger brother moved the room to tears as they spoke about the love their father, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, had for soccer, and the passion he had for the American dream. When the brothers renewed calls for accountability in the fatal shooting of their father at the hands of immigration agents, the crowd erupted in applause.
Mr. Salgado Araujo was a 52-year-old Mexican immigrant who had been living in Houston for 35 years. He was driving to work with three other men Tuesday morning when agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement began following him and later shot him after they said he had failed to stop his vehicle.
“I just want to continue pressuring, continue the pressure, to continue obtaining a full independent investigation,” said Mr. Salgado, 29, a public-school teacher, as he addressed the crowd at an event organized by the Service Employees International Union. “To continue preserving the evidence, and for his van to be returned to us.”
Jeremy Wallace (HOUSTON CHRONICLE) covers the silence from Texas Governor Greg Abbott on the death of Lorenzo:
Gov. Greg Abbott's radio silence on the ICE shooting in Houston is even more jarring given he was on the radio this week for hours after the shooting.
Abbott had White House Border Czar Tom Homan on during his guest hosting duties on The Sean Hannity Show on Tuesday, where they celebrated ICE ramping up its deportation activities nationwide. But neither said a word about Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
"Well, you guys are doing a great job," Abbott told Homan after the border czar bragged about ICE rounding up 10,000 people in less than 5 days as part of a stepped-up enforcement push.
Salgado was shot early Tuesday morning in Houston's East End after ICE agents attempted to pull over the van he was driving with three other passengers, including his brother, as the work crew was on their way to a construction site. Salgado is a Mexican national who did not have U.S. citizenship. U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, told reporters that Salgado wasn't the target of the stop when his vehicle was pulled over.
Abbott didn't talk about the shooting during the radio program or on his social media accounts since. As of Friday afternoon, he'd posted about his family dog passing away and promotions of his radio program from earlier in the week.
It's a very different reaction than Abbott had in January after ICE shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minnesota. After that shooting, Abbott was on a conservative radio program where he said the White House needed to "recalibrate" how it was using ICE to make arrests.
Another death that Donald Chump's responsible for. How many more murders is he going to be allowed to carry out? At what point, do the courts step in and say, "Enough." Tell him that's enough, that he clearly doesn't know how to oversea this operation and that -- for public safety reasons -- it needs to be shut down?
Also needing to be shut down? Chump himself. REUTERS notes, "U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had 'just finished' a physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, without specifying when the exam was conducted." The outlet wonders if Chump just completed another physical or if he's referring to the physical he did two months ago?
He has no idea what he's saying or what's going on around him. That's when you make an effort to remove someone from office. That's why we have the 25th Amendment.
Meanwhile, Bennito L. Kelty (RAW STORY) notes:
A Wall Street Journal report revealed Saturday the Americans who voted for President Donald Trump have soured on him amid the economic fallout of the Iran war.
According to the Journal, new polls by the Cook Political Report found that more voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy after gas prices jumped during the Iran war. The polls cited by the Journal found that 61 percent of voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy.
The Journal also included comments from Trump voters around the country who admitted that they're not feeling great about their pick because Trump seemed to prioritize a war in Iran over affordability.
"Bringing prices down, that should have been a priority," Chicago bus driver Truman Lyons told the Journal. "I don't think he's making the average American citizen the priority."
President Donald Trump’s job approval rating remains underwater in a cluster of national surveys conducted around the July Fourth holiday, with support largely stuck in the high 30s to low 40s and disapproval consistently above 50 percent.
Across six major polls taken in late June and early July, Trump’s approval ranges from 35 percent to 43 percent, while disapproval stretches from roughly 53 percent to 61 percent—offering a consistent snapshot of a presidency facing stubborn headwinds.
[. . .]
Presidential approval ratings are a key leading indicator of midterm outcomes, especially with the 2026 congressional elections approaching.
This as SCRIPPS NEWS notes that the price of gas has increased by nine cents over two days. And Chris Stein (GUARDIAN) reports:
Trump wooed farmers in the presidential election two years ago with promises to be their champion in Washington DC, only for the side-effects from his tariff regimen and the war with Iran to rock agriculture nationwide. Small-scale producers of livestock and food say they have been uniquely affected by policy shifts at the USDA, which has laid off staff and dismantled initiatives created under Joe Biden, fueling accusations that it is prioritizing large, corporate-owned farms over their businesses.
“The continued canceled funding that we’re seeing from USDA continues to be the cherry on top for many organizations and farmers that are already up against really hard times,” said Anna Pesek, who farms poultry, pigs and flowers in eastern Iowa and serves on the board of Iowa Valley RC&D.
It’s a dynamic that could come into play in November’s midterm elections in Iowa, a Republican-dominated state where Democrats believe they may have a shot at winning its open US Senate seat and the governor’s mansion, as well as three House seats. The first congressional district situated around Iowa City in south-eastern Iowa will be at the heart of this contest, where the Republican incumbent, Mariannette Miller-Meeks – who won re-election two years ago by roughly a mere 800 votes – is for a third time facing Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan.
All signs point to farming and food looming large in the minds of voters.
“I haven’t seen any activity in the current administration that actually is beneficial for the small producer and the small-business entities,” said James Nisly, who produces chicken, fresh vegetables and dairy products at his farm south of Iowa City. He estimated he lost 20% of his cashflow and many of his buyers when the USDA cancelled a Biden-era program that purchased locally produced food for schools and food banks.
“All of the the policy activity that I’ve seen is hugely beneficial to the very large corporations, and detrimental to the small-business operators.”
Let's wind down with this from Senator Adam Schiff's office:
San Diego, CA — In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined Talking Feds podcast with Harry Litman for a live wide-ranging conversation about Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s upcoming confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the costs of President Trump’s illegal war in Iran, and Trump’s politicization of federal assistance for blue states including California.
Schiff also spoke about the corruption and partisanship of the Roberts Supreme Court – underscoring the need for significant reforms, including Court expansion, term limits, and an enforceable code of ethics for the justices.
View the full interview here.
Key Excerpts:
On Todd Blanche’s upcoming confirmation hearing for Attorney General:
[…] I remember vividly meeting with Todd Blanche when he was nominated for the position he is currently in, not the acting position, but when he was nominated to be the number three in the Justice Department. And as Harry mentioned, I had spent almost six wonderful years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. I care deeply about the department. And having gone through Trump one, I think I said something along these lines to Mr. Blanche. The hearing was coming up, I think the following day. “We know all the same people, it’s a small A-U.S.A network around the country. I know a number of people that serve with you in the Southern District of New York. They have good things to say about you. I have no doubt you have the experience to do this job. My question is different, though. My question is, what will you do the first time you’re asked to do something unethical, immoral, or potentially illegal. Do you have the gravitas, do you have the stature, do you have the character to say no?” And his answer was one I would then hear from a great many other people who came up for confirmations for judge or other things. His answer was, “I don’t think I will ever be put in that position.”
[…] Now, we have someone who doesn’t resemble at all the Todd Blanche from the Southern District of New York. There have been so many compromises along the way that I think he has concluded, as a great many have, “I’m all in. I made my bed with this guy. There is nothing left me to do but be all in.” To the point where he stands before the country at the podium at the Justice Department, and auditioning for the role as Attorney General, says that the president has not only a right but a duty to go after his political enemies and to use the Justice Department to do it. And I listened to that, and I thought, what happened to that guy? But this is a story that I’ve seen play over and over again with other people in other positions. And it all takes me back to something Harry and I have talked about before, something the historian Robert Caro once said in an interview when he said that “Power doesn’t corrupt as much as it reveals. It doesn’t always reveal us for our best, but it says a lot about who we are.” And my conclusion is that Todd Blanche really didn’t change when he was with the Southern District, we just didn’t know who he was. We just didn’t know what decision he would make when he was put in that position, and now we do.
On the need to reform the Supreme Court:
[…] I don’t want my kids, who are in their 20s, to have to live their entire lifetimes under a right-wing, socially right-wing Court like this one, partisan Court like this one, devoted to big wealth, as this one is. We’re going to need to expand the Court. Now, I remember making this argument when I was on the House Judiciary Committee. And it got up the ire of the Republicans, as you can imagine, for the reason you mentioned, which is, Roosevelt tried to do that. “You’re trying to pack the Court like Roosevelt tried to pack the Court,” to which my response was, “You already packed the Court. You already packed the Court.” There is more than one way to pack the Court. You can pack it as Roosevelt tried by adding justices, or you can pack it as Trump did, and McConnell did, by withholding justices. But you have packed and stacked the Court, and the only question now is whether it gets unpacked and unstacked. And so, I would not have entertained a remedy like this ten years ago. But as I don’t want a whole generation to have to suffer under this totally unrepresentative body, I think we need to change the Court.
[…] I do believe the most consequential reform, if we could bring it about, would be to put a term limit on the Supreme Court, such that justices would serve say a period of 18 years, or whatever the appropriate term would be, and then they would be rotated back onto a court of appeals or district court. I think this would be constitutional, because the justices would still have life tenure on the Court. There is no constitutional requirement that you have life tenure on a particular court. The court system wasn’t even established at the time of the Constitution. Here’s the rub, though. The rub is it would be this Supreme Court that would adjudicate the constitutionality of a term limit. Which is why expansion of the Court is necessary for any meaningful reform of the court.
On the consequences of Trump’s illegal war in Iran:
[…] This is a huge strategic defeat for us already. How ever this ends, that is a huge strategic defeat. Iran understands too that it has all the leverage right now. So, there’s supposedly 60 days to reach a nuclear deal. They’re not even really talking about a nuclear deal, and the nuclear deal they’re talking about looks a lot like the JCPOA that Trump tore up. Except now Iran also has the ability to close the strait, something it didn’t know it had during the JCPOA. So, the administration is going to struggle just to get back to where we were before the war, during the JCPOA. It is a terrible outcome, and indeed, one of the other criticisms of the JCPOA was it didn’t deal with Iran’s sponsorship of terror, it didn’t deal with its missile threat. Well, neither does what Donald Trump is talking about. So, hard to see how this ends in anything but a strategic, enormous setback.
[…] So, it’s an unmitigated disaster, and it’s been costly to us. We’ve lost 13 servicemembers. There are more at risk all the time. Americans have had to pay the price of this war at the pump and in innumerable other ways. So, hard to find anything positive yet that has come out of this war, and it is once again an illustration of how unwise it is to get into a war with Iran without thinking through the consequences, without having the public support.
On the Trump administration targeting blue states:
[…] There is incredible hostility to the state from the president, obviously from the White House. We see it reflected in innumerable ways. They’re canceling our wind projects, they’re canceling our renewable energy projects, they’re canceling our health care funding. They’re refusing to provide disastrous assistance to thousands and thousands of Californians who lost their homes in Los Angeles in these two terrible fires. It is not just California, though. There is kind of a, if there’s a war going on, it’s against all blue states. Certainly, some more than others, and California has a particular place of ire for the president, maybe because he loses so handily here. But we’ve never seen this before. We saw some of it Trump one. But we’ve never seen it like this before.
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The following sites -- plus Elaine's "Past time to impeach" -- updated:
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Give This A Listen (or a View)10 hours ago
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Dennis Kelleher of Better Markets18 hours ago
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Pick-me MAGA still can't learn23 hours ago
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Idiot of the week1 day ago
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