– Minneapolis Shooting: Alex Pretti Death Update
- A Minneapolis family was also caught up and brutalized by federal agents last week: On the way home from a basketball game, a family of eight - including...
- The second of three shootings by federal immigration agents in the Minneapolis area was also a case of mistaken identity: ICE agents shot a Venezuelan man in the...
- More recently, ChongLy "Scott" Thao, also a US citizen, was detained in his home at gunpoint by federal agents and taken away in sub-freezing temperatures wearing only his...
On Saturday,a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti at close range after Pretti had been pepper-sprayed,beaten,and forced onto his knees by other agents.
Pretti, 37, was a US citizen and reportedly in the area to observe agents’ actions. He was also a registered nurse and a legal gun owner with a permit to carry a weapon – one that he was no longer in possession of when he was shot to death.
Pretti’s death is at least the third shooting by immigration agents in the Minneapolis area this year, and the second where the person who was shot died.
The shootings have understandably attracted the moast attention nationwide. But since the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis began in early January, there have been widespread abuses of power US by immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, including widespread use of chemical crowd control like pepper spray and tear gas; brutality against protesters, bystanders, and immigrants; and baseless and often inflammatory arrests and detentions.
On January 7, just days into an immigration crackdown targeting the Minneapolis area that Trump officials heralded as “largest immigration operation ever,” an ICE agent, Jonathan Ross, shot and killed Renee Good as she attempted to drive away.
The White House, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and other federal officials quickly backed Ross to the hilt, describing Good as a domestic terrorist and describing the shooting as justified, despite video evidence to the contrary.
Since then, the message behind the administration’s support for Ross and the shooting seems to have been clearly received byIn another incident, a US citizen was dragged from her car by federal agents after she was stopped on the way to a doctor’s appointment; agents broke the windows of her vehicle and carried her hanging face down by her arms and legs. And federal agents have been recorded pepper-spraying an already-detained man in the face at close range.
A Minneapolis family was also caught up and brutalized by federal agents last week: On the way home from a basketball game, a family of eight – including a 6-month-old and five other children – was tear-gassed inside their vehicle by federal agents. All survived, but the 6-month-old required CPR.
The second of three shootings by federal immigration agents in the Minneapolis area was also a case of mistaken identity: ICE agents shot a Venezuelan man in the leg, wounding him, even though he was not their original target.
More recently, ChongLy “Scott” Thao, also a US citizen, was detained in his home at gunpoint by federal agents and taken away in sub-freezing temperatures wearing only his underwear, sandals, and a blanket. Thao was arrested without a warrant and ultimately released hours later - without an apology for his detention or for the damage to his home, Thao saeid.
AI-Driven Drug Revelation Accelerates, But Challenges Remain
The pharmaceutical industry is experiencing a surge in AI-driven drug discovery, with a 150% increase in venture capital funding – reaching $2.3 billion – in the first three quarters of 2024 alone, according to a report by CB Insights published January 15, 2026. This influx of capital is fueling the development of new technologies aimed at shortening drug development timelines and reducing costs, traditionally estimated at $2.6 billion per approved drug (DiMasi, C.A., Grabowski, H.G., & Hansen, R.W.(2003). The cost of new drug development: Is it really $802 million? Health Affairs,22(3),7-20).
Several companies are leading this charge. Recursion Pharmaceuticals,such as,utilized AI to identify a potential treatment for a rare genetic disorder,familial dysautonomia,and initiated Phase 1 clinical trials in October 2025.Exscientia, a British AI drug discovery company, partnered with Sanofi in January 2024 to develop novel cancer therapies, with the first drug candidate entering Phase 1 trials in July 2025. These examples demonstrate a shift from purely research-based approaches to data-driven, AI-assisted methodologies.
Key Areas of AI Application
- Target Identification: AI algorithms analyze vast datasets of genomic and proteomic facts to pinpoint promising drug targets.
- drug Design: Machine learning models predict the efficacy and safety of potential drug candidates, optimizing their molecular structure.
- clinical Trial Optimization: AI helps identify suitable patients for clinical trials and predict trial outcomes, improving efficiency.
- Drug Repurposing: AI can identify existing drugs that may be effective against new diseases, accelerating the availability of treatments.
Challenges and Concerns
Despite the rapid progress, important hurdles remain. A study published in Nature Biotechnology on January 8, 2026, highlighted that only 12% of AI-predicted drug candidates successfully transitioned from preclinical to clinical trials between 2018 and 2025.Data bias, the “black box” nature of some AI algorithms, and regulatory uncertainty are key concerns. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released draft guidance on AI/ML-based Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) on December 20, 2024, outlining a framework for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of these technologies, but full implementation is still pending.
Furthermore, ethical considerations surrounding data privacy and algorithmic clarity are gaining prominence. The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, finalized in march 2024, classifies AI used in healthcare as “high-risk,” requiring stringent compliance measures.
While AI promises to revolutionize drug discovery, it’s full potential will only be realized through continued research, robust regulatory frameworks, and a commitment to ethical development and deployment.