- Why can conservatives not admit they might have been wrong? Trump never admits to being wrong; he never apologizes;
- And yet the administration is softening its accusations against the people killed by ICE in Minneapolis;
- Trump contradicts the 2nd amendment;
- The MAGA mindset, immune to argument;
- Philip Glass and Renée Fleming cancel their appearances at the renamed Kennedy Center.
Good question from a Fox (!) Host:
JMG, 27 Jan 2026: Fox Host: Why Can’t Noem Just Say “I Got It Wrong”?
“I mean, people will trust you more if you say, ‘you know what? I did not get that one right.’ The moral of the story is wait until the investigation is over, as hard as it is, no matter where you are in law enforcement, let the facts lead your talking.
“Do not talk and then hope the facts match up later on. It’s OK to say ‘I don’t have an answer to that question right now,’ in fact, it’s preferable.” – GOP rep turned Fox host Trey Gowdy.
But the pattern is that conservatives are eager to jump to conclusions, because they just know that anyone who opposes their regime must be evil, left-wing agitators. Trump, in particular, never admits to being wrong, and never apologizes.
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He just shifts his story without acknowledging any change. His supporters won’t notice.
NY Times, 27 Jan 2026: Crackdown Chief to Leave Minneapolis as White House Distances Trump From Uproar, subtitled “The departure of Gregory Bovino, whose tactics have drawn sharp criticism, is an indication that officials see Alex Pretti’s killing as a political threat to President Trump.”
Print title, today: “Trump, Under Pressure, Retreats From Smears In Minneapolis Killing”
Faced with broad outcry over the killing of a protester on Saturday in Minneapolis, the White House on Monday pulled a top border official from the city and tried to distance President Trump from the response of his most senior officials, who had immediately characterized the man fatally shot by federal agents as a “domestic terrorist” who was “brandishing” a gun, before video evidence undercut their charges.
And this also on the homepage:
NY Times, 27 Jan 2026: Alex Pretti’s Friends and Family Denounce ‘Sickening Lies’ About His Life, subtitled “People who knew a man fatally shot by federal agents pushed back against what they called a smear campaign by federal officials. ‘He was a good man,’ his family said.”
He was a calm presence amid hospital chaos. A mentor who taught kindness and patience to younger friends and colleagues. A singer with a knack for dancing. A bicyclist who treasured the beauty of Minnesota.
This weekend, the family, co-workers and friends of Alex Pretti, who was killed by immigration agents in a confrontation after he was apparently filming them, remembered his life, even as the circumstances of his death were debated on the national stage.
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Media Matters, 26 Jan 2026: After 36 hours justifying the killing of Alex Pretti, Fox News suddenly changes its narrative
Do they get credit for changing their minds? No — they shouldn’t have jumped to false conclusions in the first place.
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Then there’s the Second Amendment issue.
AlterNet, 27 Jan 2026: ‘You can’t have guns’: Trump stuns with anti-2nd Amendment demand for protestors
The Internet is full of earlier examples of right-wing protesters carrying guns. Clearly, patriots are allowed to have guns, but not protesters against the administration.
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People For the American Way, Kyle Mantyla, 26 Jan 2026: The Second Amendment Absolutists At WallBuilders Suddenly Find An Exception After The Latest ICE Shooting
And MAGA thought Obama would take their guns…
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Here’s a post from Tony Rauch on Fb the captures the mind-set of the religious, anti-reality crowd.
Facebook, Tony Rauch, 27 Jan 2026
You cannot argue with MAGA. They demand evidence, then call your sources biased. You provide primary sources, they claims they’re doctored. You them video, they say it’s out of context. You give them context, they say you’re cherry-picking. This isn’t debate. This is a systematic refusal to allow reality to intrude on mythology. You’re not arguing facts. You’re arguing whether facts exist.
This is the essence of motivated thinking, having a conclusion in mind that cannot be contradicted. And the inability to perform basic reasoning, from evidence. The conservative mindset. This is what is hobbling human progress (in particular in the US).
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More and more artists are resigning from the Trump administration’s control of culture.
TheaterMania, 27 Jan 2026: Philip Glass and Renée Fleming Latest Artists to Cancel Kennedy Center Engagements, subtitled “The Washington National Opera has also announced its departure from the DC arts venue.”
Does Trump care? No; he wants to host wrestling and auto racing in the front of the White House. That’s his level of cultural sophistication.
