Dems Champion Law and Order Amid ICE Funding Clash

John Thune is a U.S. Senator from South Dakota and the Senate Majority Leader as of 2025. Born in 1961 and raised in Murdo, South Dakota, Thune's interest in politics began early, influenced by a chance meeting with then-Rep. Jim Abdnor. He earned an undergraduate degree from Biola University and an MBA from the University of South Dakota. Early in his career, he worked for Senator Abdnor and the Small Business Administration under President Ronald Reagan. Returning to South Dakota in 1989, he held leadership roles including executive director of the state Republican Party and director of the State Railroad Division. Thune was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, serving three terms and gaining recognition for securing funding for state projects and advocating for smaller government and tax cuts. After narrowly losing a 2002 Senate race, he won a U.S. Senate seat in 2004 by defeating then-Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, marking a historic upset. He has been reelected multiple times, including an unopposed Senate race in 2010. Throughout his Senate career, Thune has served on key committees such as Agriculture, Commerce, and Finance, and has held significant leadership positions including Senate Republican Whip and Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. Known as a conservative Republican, he has focused on energy, agriculture, tax reform, and social issues. Notably, he introduced legislation to limit EPA regulatory authority and to repeal the federal estate tax. In 2024, Thune was elected Senate Majority Leader, assuming the role in 2025. He resides in Sioux Falls with his wife Kimberley; they have two daughters and six grandchildren. Outside politics, he enjoys pheasant hunting, running, and spending time with family[1][2][4][5][6].

Mike Johnson, born January 30, 1972, in Shreveport, Louisiana, is an American lawyer and Republican politician serving as the 56th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives since October 25, 2023. He represents Louisiana’s 4th congressional district, covering northwest and western regions of the state, including nearly 760,000 residents across approximately 16 to 20 parishes. Johnson was first elected to Congress in December 2016 by the largest margin of victory in his region in over 50 years and is currently serving his fifth term[1][2][3][4]. Before his tenure in Congress, Johnson earned a Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1998 and worked as an attorney, including with the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. He also served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2015 to 2017. Johnson has been a prominent social conservative, advocating for policies such as nationwide abortion bans and opposing the expansion of medical cannabis. He chaired the Republican Study Committee from 2019 to 2021, the largest conservative caucus in Congress, and served as Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference and Deputy Whip before becoming Speaker[1][2][4]. Johnson's rise to Speaker was notable for its speed; he attained the position faster than anyone since 1883. His speakership followed the ousting of Kevin McCarthy and has been characterized by efforts to promote conservative principles including limited government, individual freedom, fiscal responsibility, and support for military and veterans. In 2024, Johnson was reelected as Speaker for the 119th Congress. His leadership also focuses on growing the House Republican majority and advancing conservative legislative priorities[1][3][4][5]. He is married to Kelly Johnson, a licensed pastoral counselor and former teacher, and they have five children. The family resides in Bossier Parish, Louisiana[1].

Renee Nicole Good was a 37-year-old American poet, writer, singer, and mother of three from Colorado Springs, Colorado, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 7, 2026, during a Department of Homeland Security operation targeting alleged fraud.[1][2][3] Born in Colorado, Good—previously known as Renee Macklin—earned a degree in English from Old Dominion University's College of Arts and Letters in December 2020. That year, she won the university's undergraduate poetry prize from the Academy of American Poets for her poem "On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs," and her bio highlighted her passions for writing, reading, movie marathons, and creating "messy art" with her children.[1][2] She hosted a podcast with her second husband, Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who died in 2023 at age 36, and described herself on Instagram as a "poet and writer and wife and mom and shitty guitar strummer," featuring an LGBTQ+ Pride flag.[2] Good had worked as a dental assistant and at a credit union but had primarily been a stay-at-home mother in recent years. A devoted Christian, she participated in youth mission trips to Northern Ireland and sang in a high school choir, later studying vocal performance before focusing on creative writing.[1][2] She had two children (ages 15 and 12) from her first marriage and a 6-year-old from her second; her first ex-husband described her as compassionate but not an activist.[1][2] At the time of her death, she lived in Minneapolis with her wife, having moved there the previous year after living in Kansas City, Missouri.[2] The shooting, near the site of George Floyd's 2020 murder, drew widespread attention, with Old Dominion University President Brian Hemphill calling it a tragic example of violence in the nation and honoring her life as a reminder of "freedom, love, and peace."[1] Good was a U.S. citizen returning from dropping her youngest child at school when the incident occurred.[2]