Thoughts for the Day, January 13, 2026: A flicker of Hope

Orchid to Sergei Federov who had his number 91 retired

Trust is a terrible thing to lose.

The Feds have taken sole possession of the investigation into the shooting of Renee Nicole Good. They have excluded all local law enforcement entities from participating. I want to believe it will be a thorough and comprehensive investigation that will review all the facts and draw conclusions based on the facts.

Unfortunately, my lack of trust in the current leadership tells me otherwise. This leads to my Question of the Day. “Are the feds conducting any real investigation of the agent’s actions, or instead focused on trying to justify what happened by tarring the victim as a domestic terrorist?”

Trust in our major institutions is a terrible thing to lose.

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A little bit of Hope

Per the Washington Post. Multiple senior prosecutors in Washington and Minnesota are leaving their jobs amid turmoil over the Trump administration’s handling of the shooting death of a Minneapolis woman.

The departures include at least five prosecutors from the U.S. attorney’s office in Minneapolis, including the office’s second-in-command, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post and people familiar with the matter.

The Minnesota resignations followed demands by Justice Department leaders to investigate the widow of Renée Good, the 37-year-old woman killed last week by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot into her car, according to two people familiar with the resignations who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern for retaliation. Good’s wife was protesting ICE officers in the moments before the shooting. Prosecutors also were dismayed over the decision by federal officials to exclude state and local authorities from the investigation, one of the people said.

Five senior prosecutors in the criminal section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division (in Washington D.C) also said they are leaving, according to four people familiar with the personnel moves who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

The departures strip both the Civil Rights Division’s criminal section and U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota of their most experienced prosecutors. The moves are widely seen as a major vote of no-confidence by career prosecutors at a moment when the department is under extreme scrutiny.

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Is Bondi in Trump’s Crosshairs?

Per the WSJ today, President Trump has complained to aides repeatedly in recent weeks about Attorney General Pam Bondi, describing her as weak and an ineffective enforcer of his agenda…his vocal concerns about his attorney general have grown more frequent in recent months, officials said.

This month, Trump has talked with allies about how he could appoint special counsels at the Justice Department because he is so frustrated with what he sees as the slow progress of its work... Chief among his grievances is what he sees as Bondi’s failure to quickly and effectively prosecute the investigators who had pursued him for years, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James… Note: Both criminal cases were dismissed in November by a judge who said the Trump aide who secured the indictment had been improperly appointed to her post. Trump has wanted to see the cases continue quickly.

Trump has also complained frequently that Bondi’s handling of the FBI’s files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has created months of political and personal headaches for him…. When White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that Bondi “whiffed” on her handling of the files, Trump told staff that he agreed with Wiles, two officials said.

This leads to my Second Question of the Day. How long will it be before Pam Bondi is on the outside looking into the Trump Administration?

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Think of it as a boxing match

As a sports guy, I got a kick out of the article from the WSJ today about the battle of wills going on between President Trump and Federal Reserve Chaiman Jerome Powell.

From the WSJ. Good morning. OK, so think of it like a boxing match.

President Trump spent much of his first term and much of last year throwing punches at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Powell always held his ground, bobbing and weaving; deflecting and ducking. But he never swung back. Until Sunday night.

That’s when Powell dropped a two-minute haymaker, er, video alleging that the Trump administration had launched a criminal investigation into the Fed as a means of political interference into the Fed’s independence.

The Justice Department probe has infuriated some people within the White House, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who are worried that it could needlessly complicate the process for picking Powell’s successor (Powell’s term ends in May).

Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) said he was so incensed that he would block any vote on Powell’s successor “until this legal matter is fully resolved.” Other Republican lawmakers also expressed concern at the Justice Department probe, defending the central bank’s autonomy against what some called an overtly political probe. And this could be tainting the independence of the next Fed chair.

The White House must decide whether to dig in or find an offramp because Powell appears ready to rumble. Sometimes punching bags can deliver quite a wallop on the ricochet.

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This will hurt

From Mary Geddry today. A growing international movement is now calling for a boycott of the U.S.-hosted World Cup this summer..,Travelers are saying they won’t enter a country where ICE raids, arbitrary detention, and disappearing people have become policy, and FIFA, reportedly, is nervous.

I am sure this would be a major blow to Trump’s ego, since he has been trumpeting the U.S is hosting the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics because of him.

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The Red Wings

Last night the Red Wings defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in overtime. The win allowed the Wings to remain on top of the standings in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. It also tied them with the Hurricanes for the number one seed with 60 points each.

The win was controversial. The Hurricanes scored three goals in the third period to send the game into overtime. Andrew Copp scored the winning goal for the Wings in overtime, however, seconds before scoring, Copp crosschecked the Hurricane player from behind directly in front of the Hurricane net. This allowed Copp to be unguarded when he received the pass and one-timed it into the Hurricane net for the winning goal.

Naturally the Hurricanes were upset. In overtime, each team has only three players plus a goalie on the ice. How the two referees missed this obvious penalty is beyond me, and all Hurricane fans. I am sure we have not heard of the end of the controversy. For missing the call the referees get my Onion of the Day

Orchid of the Day: Sergie Federov. Prior to last night’s Wings game, Sergei Federov, the former Red Wing Hall of Famer, had his #91 retired by the Red Wings in a ceremony last night at Little Ceasar’s Arena. When Federov was on the ice, he was usually the biggest, fastest, strongest, and most skilled player on the ice. During his prime he could do things that few others in the history of the game could do. He was a key player in three Stanley Cups the Wings won during his career.

Orchid of the Day: Former Red Wing Sergei Federov for having his #91 retired by the Red Wings last night. It was well deserved.

Onion of the Day: The referees who missed the crosscheck by Red Wings Andrew Copp, moments before he scored the winning overtime goal.

First Question of the Day: “Are the feds conducting any real investigation of the agent’s actions, or instead focused on trying to justify what happened by tarring the victim as a domestic terrorist?”

Second Question of the Day: How long will it be before Pam Bondi is on the outside looking into the Trump Administration?

Lyrics of the Day: In the poolhalls, the hustlers, and the losers
Used to watch ‘em through the glass
Well I’d stand outside at closin’ time Just to watch her walk on past

Unlike all the other ladies She looked so young and sweet
As she made her alone down that empty street.

Hint: It is a song about growing up in Ann Arbor

Lyrics of the Day for January 12, 2026. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys by Traffic

Video of the Day: Sergei Federov highlights

(1908) Top 10 Sergei Fedorov Career Highlights - YouTube