☕️ I, ROBOT ☙ Thursday, January 29, 2026 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠

Democrat narrative retreat; Pretti shooting new video shifts story; momentum builds for voter-ID/SAVE Act; FBI raids Fulton County for 2020 ballots; DNI spotted on scene; wild Telsa shifts; more.

Good morning, C&C, it’s Thursday! Well, that’s it. The grass outside my Florida window is covered in milky frost. Half the plants and all the philodendrons are going to die. Can we please get global warming back? Pretty please? Today’s fiery roundup includes: Democrats in narrative retreat as House leaders warn party members to avoid Minnesota; Corporate media runs the story about Pretti’s prior tangle with ICE and new, more troubling video emerges; narrative terrain shifting in real time; voter-ID requiring SAVE Act appears to be advancing in the Senate, against all odds; massive news as FBI raids Fulton County warehouse where the 2020 ballots were kept; DNI Gabbard spotted on the scene; Overton windows opening; Fulton admits election irregularities; Elon Musk makes dramatic announcement on investor call; and another mind-blowing new tech era begins to unfold.

🌍 ESSENTIAL NEWS AND COMMENTARY 🌍

🔥🔥🔥

The Minneapolis riots aren’t quite working out as Democrats hoped. Yesterday, Axios ran an exclusive story headlined, “Scoop: House Democrats told by leadership not to go to Minnesota.” The public reason was for Democrats’ safety. Safety of what? The narrative?

“In an email to Democratic congressional offices dated Monday,” Axios reported, “a senior staffer for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) urged members to remain in their districts for security reasons.” What do they think is going to happen? Who are they afraid of?

Reporters?

It was framed in a spirit of selfless sacrifice. They don’t want to be a burden. “Visiting the state right now, although well intentioned, puts a burden on local resources and does not support our colleagues, the city and state government, local law enforcement, and most importantly, the people of Minneapolis,” the memo explained.

That political showmanship is a burden is almost certainly true; but when has that ever stopped politicians from grandstanding before? Remember when Democrats forced their way into ICE compounds last year? Some were even arrested in New York and New Jersey. That seems burdensome and not very safe. But now, suddenly, leadership is telling Democrats to stay home and just make their own little local protests.

“The best thing for Members to do right now is to support their MN colleagues by participating in the Days of Action in their home district this week,” the memo advised.

What changed? There was one obvious possibility. Yesterday, I reported about home-cooked hero Alex Pretti’s prior dustup with federal agents. Well, the story seeped into corporate media. Turns out the encounter was even uglier than it sounded from first reports. Pretti wasn’t just an amateur wrestler, but also a halfhearted kickboxer— who obviously hated SUVs. Even the New York Times was forced to cover the story, headlined, “Videos Show Alex Pretti in Confrontation With Agents 11 Days Before His Death..

CLIP: Alex Pretti attacks ICE SUV for no reason (2:56).

He might not have been very smart, but you must admit he was spry. The sub-headline explained, “More than a week before federal agents killed Mr. Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse, different agents pushed him to the ground after he spit at them and broke a taillight on their S.U.V.” Well. Technically, as you can easily see in the video, Pretti kicked out the taillight, shattering it into tiny plastic pieces.

After agents stopped the SUV, jumped out, and restrained Pretti, who resisted, the videos clearly show Pretti was armed then too:

I don’t know about you, but chasing federal SUVs, spitting on them, and attacking their taillights while carrying a loaded pistol seems like a good way to start a very bad day. We learned from yesterday’s reports that Pretti’s rib was broken in the tangle. Eleven days later, he was back out on the streets, picking fights with agents, and tragically, he was killed. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

It’s one thing when an unarmed person repeatedly seeks violent encounters with police and gets a lead infusion. But come on. A guy who seems to enjoy tangling with cops and who brings a loaded gun to the fights? That’s some serious risk-seeking behavior right there. I’m pretty sure that precise scenario appears on page 6 in workbooks at firearm safety classes. (Maybe Pretti was on his phone when they covered that part.) He was practically daring cops to shoot him.

Speaking as a lawyer, for anyone who needs to hear this: don’t pick fights with cops while carrying. Actually, you might want to avoid picking any fights with tense, armed cops. You probably shouldn’t curse them and spit on them either. My goodness. If you are craving an adrenaline rush, why not try something a little bit safer, like climbing skyscrapers without a harness, free diving with great whites, or signing your kids up at a Somali daycare center?

As always, the timing is curious. One day after the story breaks about Pretti attacking the SUV and getting his rib broken a week before the shooting, Democrat leadership tells the rank-and-file to stay away.

In 2020, corporate media refused to run any stories critical of George Floyd. But this time, the news of Pretti’s obvious mental illness is flooding out. One can feel the ground shifting beneath the narrative.

🔥🔥🔥

Against all odds, the SAVE Act appears to be advancing in the Senate. After a reporter asked about the holdup, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) explained that the Senate was adding a photo ID requirement to the bill’s existing requirement of U.S. citizenship. “At some point, we’ll have that vote,” Thune promised.

CLIP: Senate leader Thune describes improvements to the ID-requiring election integrity bill (0:56).

“I’m for it, and I think most of our colleagues in the Senate are,” the Majority Leader said.

The House version of the bill requires anyone applying for federal voter registration to submit proof of U.S. citizenship, and directs the states to identify and remove non‑citizens from voter rolls. If the Senate adds an ID requirement, that would be a game-changer.

The hurdle to pass it would then shift to the oft-discussed ‘silent filibuster’ problem.

Regardless of filibuster problems, it could still pass if a handful of Democrats support the bill. You might wonder who opposes a commonsense bill requiring citizenship and a photo ID to vote in federal elections? Opponents say black folks don’t understand how to use IDs, so the whole thing is racist. Plus, Democrats can’t win if IDs are required. So.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they passed the ID requirement in time for midterms? For now, we can still bask in the warm glow of that dream. What we need is election-integrity news that could shift the Overton window and force some Democrats to get on board.

Wait— what’s this?

🔥🔥🔥

Speaking of election integrity, there’s been a major, terrific development in Atlanta, the capital of “water-main break” tactics and unsupervised overnight ballot counting. Yesterday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran an indignant story headlined, “FBI raids Fulton County election office seeking ballots from Trump’s 2020 loss.” The sub-headline confirmed that 2020 is far from over: “The move is an escalation in the ongoing battle over the results of the presidential election more than five years ago.”

The freezing-cold air began slowly warming as dawn broke yesterday, and the sleepy suburb of Union City, Georgia, was unwittingly stirred to life in its ordinary routine. Commuters sipped coffee in glacial morning traffic, oblivious to the storm brewing just off Fulton Industrial Boulevard. The Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center —a sprawling, nondescript warehouse that had quietly housed the disputed 2020 paperwork that the county has refused to turn over— stood as it always had, a fortress of forgotten ballots and bureaucratic tedium.

By midday, the air crackled with the unexpected roar of federal engines.

FBI agents descended on the warehouse in force, their black SUVs and tractor-trailer-sized evidence vans screeching to a halt in a coordinated blitz. Armed with a court order signed by Magistrate Judge Catherine Salinas, they stormed the facility, sealing off entrances and methodically carting away boxes upon boxes —upwards of 700 in total— brimming with physical ballots from the 2020 election, digital voter rolls, and ballot images.

It was a scene straight out of a political drama: FBI techs in tactical gear inventorying documents under the frantic eye of the county’s clerk, Che Alexander, while stunned election workers watched helplessly from the sidelines. It came with no warning, no leaks— just a sudden, surgical strike authorized by the Justice Department, fueled by lingering allegations of voter fraud in the county that had tipped Georgia’s razor-thin 2020 margin for Joe Biden.

Locals were caught utterly flat-footed. In nearby coffee shops and on neighborhood apps, whispers turned to wide-eyed exclamations: “Feds at the election warehouse? What the hell?” One resident, peering from his truck at the barricades, later told reporters it felt like “waking up in a movie where the plot twists hit you before breakfast.”

Fulton County officials scrambled, issuing sputtering, incoherent statements betraying shock. Spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez admitted the warrant “sought a number of records related to 2020 elections,” but the county’s leadership sounded defensive, almost panicked, as if the raid had unearthed poorly buried skeletons now clanking around demanding spare change. Election integrity advocate Garland Favorito captured the frenzy, noting that Democrats were “having a meltdown over this—it’s like it’s the end of the world.”

The media also reeled from the evidence-collecting ambush. Newsrooms across Atlanta and beyond erupted in chaos as tips flooded in around noon. Reporters raced to the scene, only to find themselves cordoned off, piecing together fragments from anonymous sources and taking long-distance photos. Outlets like the Georgia Recorder and CNN broke the story with breathless urgency, highlighting how this unprecedented move —raiding an election facility years after the vote— shattered the post-2020 détente.

Pundits who had dismissed fraud claims as conspiracy fodder now faced a credibility crisis; one anonymous editor quipped it was “like the FBI decided to fact-check Twitter threads in real life.” By evening, as the last trucks rumbled away in the darkness of evenfall, social media buzzed with reactions ranging from triumphant vindication to outraged accusations of a political vendetta. NGOs like the Carter Center decried it as a “deeply concerning” assault on election trust, while MAGA allies hailed it as the dawn of accountability.

🔥 Reuters confirmed that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was on the scene, raising fascinating questions about the potential intersection of foreign election meddling and Georgia’s razor-thin Biden victory. Georgia Senator Jon Ossof (D-Ga.) denounced it as a “seismic event” and published a whiny statement complaining, “From Minnesota to Georgia, on display to the whole world is a President spiraling out of control, wielding federal law enforcement as an unaccountable instrument of personal power and revenge.”

Speaking of the President, in his highly anticipated Davos speech last week, President Trump called the 2020 election stolen, which wasn’t new. But then he said, “people will soon be prosecuted for what they did.” Soon? Was he trying to tell us something?

Glum-looking Fulton County Election Chairman Rob Pitts complained last night that the ballots were no longer secure— since the FBI has them. In other words, he’s setting up a conspiracy theory that the FBI tampered with the ballots in case anything awkward arises. “For the life of me,” Chairman Pitts bellyached, “I cannot understand this fascination with the 2020 election.”

Well. For everyone who has been impatiently waiting for some action— here you go! This is the Democrats’ worst-case scenario, and it is playing out right on schedule. Consider the timing. The SAVE Act is teetering on a razor’s edge in the Senate, and it just needs a high-profile election story to push it over the top into law. Well, here you go.

🔥 Fulton County was already reeling under recent official admissions that 315,000 ballots were improperly counted without poll workers’ signatures. Biden won by 11,000 votes. Atlanta News First, December 22nd:

On December 9th, Fulton County Attorney Ann Brumbaugh stunned the State Elections Board when she admitted that the 315,000 votes violated state law. She added the county “had misplaced other tabulator tapes and documents.” About 148 tabulator tapes remain unaccounted for, so far.

Tabulator tapes are like receipts. They are printed by ballot machines to verify that the number of voters matches the number of votes. They are a key piece of the verification and certification process in every county election. Following the admissions, the State Election Board eventually voted 3-0 to refer the case to the State Attorney General’s Office, where Fulton County could be fined as much as $5,000 for each missing or unsigned tape.

Georgia’s Secretary of State —and longtime election-fraud denier— Brad Raffensperger denied the many failures were evidence of fraud, citing simple procedural mistakes in one of the most highly contentious elections of anybody’s lifetime. “A clerical error at the end of the day does not erase valid, legal votes,” he tweeted, lamely. Watchdog groups scoffed derisively.

And why shouldn’t they scoff? If these were just simple procedural mistakes, as Raffensberger claims, why did it take five years and any number of lawsuits to uncover them? Why didn’t the county just admit this stuff right up front?

Again, consider the timing. In December, Fulton County admitted that 315,000 ballots were illegally counted. The county still refused to turn over records. One month later, the FBI raided the warehouse. Boom.

🤖🤖🤖

Tech news this week has been exploding like a new galaxy. It’s danged hard to keep up with it all. Yesterday, CNBC ran an astonishing story headlined, “Elon Musk says Tesla ending Models S and X production, converting Fremont factory lines to make Optimus robots.” An era that practically just began is now ending as fast as it started, making way for the next revolution.

It’s worth noting that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package requires him to build at least a million robots, as well as multiply the stock value by ten times. In yesterday’s investor call, Musk announced the carmaker would, effective immediately, discontinue manufacturing two of its most iconic auto models: the SUV-like Model X and the four-door sedan, Model S. Instead, the Tesla factory where those models are made is being converted to make I-Robots.

Sales of existing Model X/S inventory will continue. Musk said the carmaker will continue to service and support the two models it abruptly nixed.

🤖 In related news, two weeks ago, tech investor and influencer Jason Calicanis calmly made some pretty wild claims on the All-In Podcast.

CLIP: Jason Calicanis predicts 1,000,000,000 Optimus robots (0:45).

“Two Sundays ago, I went to Tesla with Elon and visited the Optimus lab,” Calicanis said. “There were a large number of people working on a Sunday,” he continued, “and I saw Optimus. I can tell you now, nobody will remember that Tesla ever made a car. They will only remember the Optimus.”

At the time, most folks dismissed Jason’s remarks as overheated investor hype. But now that Elon put Tesla’s money where its robots are, the comments seem strangely prescient. “He is going to make a billion of those robots,” Calicanis told the hosts. “And it is going to be the most transformative technology product ever made in the history of humanity.”

Yesterday I explained how we sat at an inflection point for active AI. The tech investor marveled at the intersection of AI and robotics. “LLMs are going to enable robots to understand the world and do the things that we don’t want to do.” (Portlanders: LLMs are ‘large language models,’ a technical term for AIs.)

Are you ready for robots? I’m not sure any of us are. Michelle swears she will never ever agree to have a robot in the house, no matter how many towels it folds, bushes it hedges, or groceries it puts away. She is adamant. Michelle is convinced that robots are only one software bug away from accidentally switching into murder mode.

But she hasn’t seen one cleaning up around a teenage boy’s toilet yet. So. You never know.

Are we indeed perched on the cusp of the robot revolution? Why would Musk start retooling one of his largest factories if not? Here it comes, ready or not.

Have a terrific Thursday! Unless we freeze solid, C&C will return tomorrow morning with an all-new roundup of essential news and commentary. (If you don’t hear from me, send out the sled dogs. The ones with whiskey casks on their collars.) Don’t miss it— things are moving fast.

Don’t race off! We cannot do it alone. Consider joining up with C&C to help move the nation’s needle and change minds. I could sure use your help getting the truth out and spreading optimism and hope, if you can: ☕ Learn How to Get Involved 🦠

How to Donate to Coffee & Covid

Twitter: jchilders98.
Truth Social: jchilders98.
MeWe: mewe.com/i/coffee_and_covid.
Telegram: t.me/coffeecovidnews
C&C Swag! www.shopcoffeeandcovid.com