With the shift in strategy that sent Border Czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis, the news cycle is already dying down. This creates a necessity to hammer down the last bit of framing that will endure before the story disappears from the top of the news cycle completely, in favor of the next outrage. ABC World News Tonight makes an effort to freeze perceptions of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
Watch as David Muir and Matt Rivers repeat, mantra-like, “mother-of-three” and “ICU nurse” three times in under two minutes, in reference to Good and Pretti (click “expand” to view transcript):
WATCH: ABC's overly repetitive framing of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti as "mother of three" and "ICU nurse", respectively, intended to protect them from being regarded as insurrectionists. Three times in under 2 minutes to open @ABCWorldNews. pic.twitter.com/5EDsB6dmKo
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) January 30, 2026
DAVID MUIR: Good evening. We do begin tonight with the breaking news coming in out of Minneapolis at this hour. The Trump administration signaling major changes in its immigration crackdown. Border Czar Tom Homan has been sent in by President Trump making his first public comments since taking over the operation, signaling a drawdown in his words, but vowing, quote: “to stay until the problem is gone”, saying they are not surrendering. Tonight, Homan is signaling plans to draw down the number of agents in the city following the deadly shootings of mother-of-three Renee Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti. But even with this drawdown, Homan tonight vowing to stay in Minneapolis. Meantime, inside the president's cabinet meeting today, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem under scrutiny, some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle calling on her to step down. The president did not call on her today. ABC's Matt Rivers leading us off from Minneapolis tonight.
MATT RIVERS: Tonight, the dramatic turn in Minneapolis amid escalating tensions after the shooting death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti and questions over the tactics being used here. Border Czar Tom Homan, who was sent in to replace Greg Bovino, tonight announcing he will draw down some federal forces but insisting “we are not surrendering.”
TOM HOMAN: I'm staying until the problem is gone. (VIDEO SWIPE) I didn’t come here looking for photo ops or headlines. I’ve come here looking for solutions.
RIVERS: But this new drawdown comes amid serious questions about how DHS has handled the operation here, and their tactics. Agents seen storming homes, pulling U.S. citizens into the street, clashing with protesters. Tonight, Homan acknowledging mistakes.
HOMAN: I do not want to hear that everything that has been done here has been perfect. Nothing is ever perfect. Anything can be improved on. And what we have been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient, by the book.
RIVERS: It comes after the deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens, mother-of-three Renee Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
It is not factually inaccurate to describe Good and Pretti as “mother of-three” and “ICU nurse”, respectively. On the other hand, their lethal interactions with border enforcement agents did not occur in the performance of those roles.
The aggressively positive framing enables further omission of the extensive insurrectionist activity going on in Minneapolis. By now we’ve all seen the well-funded mobs making their way through the city. None of these networks have reported on the scope or sourcing of their funding, nor have they reported on the extent of their obstructive activities.
The aggressive frame locks perception in as the story fades from the top of A-block. Minneapolis dominated the Elitist Media’s evening news, but is no longer the consensus top story now that Homan is on the ground and securing agreements to pick people up at the county jails. And on the network where Minneapolis was the top story, ABC, the correspondent did an omnibus roundup as opposed to multiple reports on the different angles of the news there.
The story will continue to fade, barring some calamity. Until such a time as that happens, ABC will continue to shovel propaganda down their viewers’ throats .
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Thursday, January 29th, 2026:
DAVID MUIR: Good evening. We do begin tonight with the breaking news coming in out of Minneapolis at this hour. The Trump administration signaling major changes in its immigration crackdown. Border Czar Tom Homan has been sent in by President Trump making his first public comments since taking over the operation, signaling a drawdown in his words, but vowing, quote: “to stay until the problem is gone”, saying they are not surrendering. Tonight, Homan is signaling plans to draw down the number of agents in the city following the deadly shootings of mother-of-three Renee Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti. But even with this drawdown, Homan tonight vowing to stay in Minneapolis. Meantime, inside the president's cabinet meeting today, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem under scrutiny, some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle calling on her to step down. The president did not call on her today. ABC's Matt Rivers leading us off from Minneapolis tonight.
MATT RIVERS: Tonight, the dramatic turn in Minneapolis amid escalating tensions after the shooting death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti and questions over the tactics being used here. Border Czar Tom Homan, who was sent in to replace Greg Bovino, tonight announcing he will draw down some federal forces but insisting “we are not surrendering.”
TOM HOMAN: I'm staying until the problem is gone. (VIDEO SWIPE) I didn’t come here looking for photo ops or headlines. I’ve come here looking for solutions.
RIVERS: But this new drawdown comes amid serious questions about how DHS has handled the operation here, and their tactics. Agents seen storming homes, pulling U.S. citizens into the street, clashing with protesters. Tonight, Homan acknowledging mistakes.
HOMAN: I do not want to hear that everything that has been done here has been perfect. Nothing is ever perfect. Anything can be improved on. And what we have been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient, by the book.
RIVERS: It comes after the deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens, mother-of-three Renee Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti. New video emerging tonight showing Alex Pretti confronting federal agents during a protest in Minneapolis 11 days before he was shot and killed. Pretti seen spitting toward an officer and kicking out the taillight of a federal vehicle. Agents getting out, grabbing Pretti, and falling to the ground. But Pretti walked away. A gun visible in his waistband. Agents deploying tear gas, Pretti in the middle of the other protesters.
PROTESTER: You okay?
ALEX PRETTI: I’m okay, I’m okay.
RIVERS: Tonight, a Pretti family spokesperson telling ABC News they were aware of that incident, too, and said Pretti was injured but did not seek medical attention. It was just blocked away from that scene that this moment got national attention. Another U.S. citizen pulled out of her car as she screamed she was disabled. And after the country saw these images, 5-year-old Liam Conejo standing in his driveway in his blue hat and backpack as federal agents arrested his father and took Liam into custody, new information tonight about Liam's condition. After visiting Liam and his father in a Texas detention center, congressman Joaquin Castro telling our John Quiñones he's concerned about Liam's health and wellbeing.
JOAQUIN CASTRO: It really is inhumane to hold a 5-year-old boy there like that. He's depressed, he’s not eating well, he’s asking for his mom. Asking for his backpack and his hat.
JOHN QUIÑONES: The Spiderman backpack.
CASTRO: That's right. Yeah. He just seemed very listless and lethargic.
RIVERS: And tonight after that startling scene in that town hall, Representative Ilhan Omar sprayed with a substance from a syringe…
ILHAN OMAR: Krist Noem must resign…
RIVERS: …as she called for Secretary Kristi Noem to resign. The DoJ releasing this image of the syringe, the suspect allegedly said “I squirted vinegar”, after being tackled. It comes after President Trump suggested to our Rachel Scott the congresswoman did it to herself. Tonight, we learned the Justice Department has filed a federal assault charge against the suspect. Meantime, Secretary Noem facing bipartisan calls to step down. Republican Senator Thom Tillis said, quote: “She's failing at every possible measure of the job.” Secretary Noem was in a Cabinet meeting today with President Trump, along with Attorney General Pam Bondi. The president did not call on either of them and he did not address the situation in Minneapolis. And as the administration starts to draw down in Minneapolis, tonight, another federal operation ending. This one launched just one week ago in Maine. After scenes like this, and this threat at a front door.BORDER AGENT: We're going to co
me back for your whole family.
SUSPECTED ILLEGAL ALIEN: OK. No problem.
RIVERS: Senator Susan Collins now saying that operation has ended after several direct conversations with Secretary Noem. Meantime, back here in Minneapolis tonight, Mayor Jacob Frey on Tom Homan's drawdown of operations saying, quote: “ I'll believe it when I see it.”
And David, tonight with Border Czar Homan on the ground here in Minneapolis, he is striking a new tone, saying he is here because mistakes have been made and he plans to fix them, but also making clear that this immigration enforcement operation is not ending any time soon, saying quote: “I’m staying until the problem’s gone.” David.
MUIR: Matt Rivers live in Minneapolis tonight. Matt, thank you.
