BEWARE...SOME DAYS ARE NOT VERY PRETTY. I GET CRABBY LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE DO. AND I DO SPEAK MY MIND.
DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO TRUE, REAL, EVERYDAY FEELINGS LIKE MINE.(But I think you would enjoy it)
DON'T FORGET...FREEDOM OF SPEECH !
Biden Administration Declares War on Plastic Silverware as Green Obsession Goes Too Far
by Michael Schwarz, The Western Journal234 Comments
In recent years, signs that Satan’s minions rule the temporal world have proven impossible to ignore.
After all, if the prince of darkness had decided to troll us all for
his own diabolical amusement, then surely he would have done exactly
what the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala
Harris has done.
On July 19, amid global calamities
on a scale unseen since World War II, the Biden-Harris administration
announced a plan to eliminate the deadly scourge of plastic silverware.
“Communities across the United States and around the world are facing a plastic pollution crisis,” a White House statement began.
It only got worse from there. In fact, two sentences later, the
statement ‘s author made the required genuflection at the liberal altars
of equity and apocalypse-mongering.
“The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes that pollution can occur
at every stage of the plastic lifecycle, disproportionately impacting
communities with environmental justice concerns, contributing to loss of
biodiversity, and exacerbating the impacts of climate change,” the
statement read.
Demons, howling with laughter at human stupidity, could not have written it better.
Worse yet, the statement amounted to more than mere liberal platitudes.
In fact, the announcement accompanied the release of an 83-page report
outlining “the first comprehensive, government-wide strategy to target
plastic pollution at production, processing, use, and disposal.”
That report, presented under the title “Mobilizing Federal Action on
Plastic Pollution: Progress, Principles, and Priorities,” provided the
official justification for a government initiative that would, according
to the White House statement, “phase out federal procurement of
single-use plastics from food service operations, events, and packaging
by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.”
Nor will the federal busybodies leave their private-sector neighbors alone. They never do.
“Tackling plastic pollution and its associated impacts will require
unprecedented action at every stage of the plastic lifecycle — from
reining in the pollution from petrochemical production that is poisoning
communities and driving climate change, to reorienting infrastructure
to ensure dramatic increases in recycling and reuse, to investing in
innovative materials to replace the pervasive use of plastics in our
society,” the report read.
The announcement, of course, came more than two weeks ago. But between the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump and an internal coup against Biden, Americans’ attention lay elsewhere.
Thus, lawmakers like Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota
offered belated-yet-astounded reactions to the administration’s
priorities.
“The world’s on fire, and he’s worried about plastic forks,” Rounds told the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
The senator acknowledged that reducing plastic pollution would be a good thing. But he also objected to the methods proposed.
“Black and white mandates like this typically backfire. I think
there’s things that we could do as a government, as well as individuals,
to keep improving our environment,” Rounds said.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah sounded even more skeptical.
“I mean, first of all, what is so bad about plastic forks and spoons?
I mean, I assume the biggest impact this will have will be at
government workplaces, military bases, things like that,” Lee said.
“They should shrink the government if they want it to be less of a
consumer. The reason it’s the largest consumer is because it employs so
many people, and it’s doing so many things it was probably never
intended to do,” the senator later added.
Indeed, we would all accept fewer plastic forks, knives and spoons if it also meant less government.
As the report made clear, however, it means exactly the opposite. It always does.
Thus, the devil laughs at the pride of those who purport to fight “climate change” by banning plastic silverware. The rest of us may laugh, too, if only to keep from crying.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
Harley-Davidson faces 'woke' accusations from Sturgis bikers: 'Breaks my heart'
Iconic American motorcycle's muscular image and value of its bikes face headwinds
By
Kerry J. Byrne Fox News
Published
FOX Business' Charlie Gasparino discusses the impact of wokeness on business on 'Your World.'
Harley-Davidson is facing biker backlash over fears that the American motorcycle manufacturer born with the renegade image is now identifying as woke.
"@harleydavidson
has been one of the most beloved brands in America but recently on CEO
Jochen Zeitz’s watch, they’ve gone totally woke," filmmaker Robby
Starbuck shared with his more than 528,000 followers on X in late July.
The
bike brand's apparent decision to volunteer for the culture wars in
America has been a high-octane topic at the 84th annual Sturgis
Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota this week, according to both attendees
and numerous social media postings.
"It’s branding suicide," Vinny Terranova, the owner of Pappy’s Vintage Cycles in Sturgis, South Dakota, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
"A lot of bikers are switching over to Indian," he said. "They killed Harley. It breaks my heart."
People
walk along Main Street lined with American flags on Aug. 6, 2020, a day
before the start of that year's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
The situation has drawn comparisons to the Bud Light "unforced error" of 2023 in the wake of the beer brand's decision to partner with Dylan Mulvaney, a social media influencer and trans activist.
Joe
Six Packs launched an organic nationwide boycott against America's then
most-popular beer brand in response. Bud Light has not recovered.
‘Not a good look’
Harley
riders have been concerned about the direction of the company since the
German-born Zeitz took over as CEO at the height of the COVID pandemic in May 2020, say motorcycle enthusiasts.
"A vintage Harley valued at $30,000 just a few years ago is now getting only $4,000."
Harley-Davidson
motorcycles have faced a sharp decline in perceived value among bikers
since his arrival, said Terranova, who ran a Harley-Davidson dealership
in Colorado for over 40 years.
"A vintage Harley valued at $30,000 just a few years ago is now getting only $4,000," said Terranova.
"People don’t even want to be associated with Harley anymore," he added, expressing his opinion.
Bikers
stop to take in Mt. Rushmore on the way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
in South Dakota. The rally annually attracts more than 500,000 people
during its 10-day run.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Harley-Davidson for comment but did not receive a reply by publication time.
When filmmaker Starbuck shared on social media what he claims are Harley-Davidson's woke wishlist of internal policies, discontent turned to outrage for many.
Among
the wishlist items as noted by Starbuck: sending White men to White
male-only diversity training; supporting legislation that "would allow
men into girls' bathrooms, sports and locker rooms"; and "an all-ages
pride event that featured a ‘rage room’ next to ‘draq queen story
time.'"
"Most
people feel like they're having sexually explicit topics forced upon
them at the workplace which, 10 years ago, anybody would have seen as
sexual harassment," Starbuck, director of the film "The War on
Children," told Fox News Digital by phone.
The
company's alleged DEI focus today contrasts sharply with the loud,
muscular, freedom-loving image that has appealed to core customers for
decades.
A red, white and blue Harley-Davidson motorcycle gas tank is seen in Chicago, Illinois. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Harley riders responded with full-throttle upset on social media and, it appears, at Sturgis.
"@Harleydavidson has turned to sh*te ... Buy something else," was among the comments posted on social media.
"I
heard [Harley-Davidson] Sturgis HQ is gonna be like Bud Light tent was
last year," a biker posted on X last week, before the start of the 2024
rally on August 2.
One video posted on social media on Monday
showed only green grass and a few stragglers mingling outside a
Harley-Davidson tent in Sturgis.
"Not a good look!" wrote Starbuck on his X account.
Filmmaker Robby Starbuck is shown in Nashville, Tennessee in 2021. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
"I guess some bikers just don’t want to be associated with them after finding out that Harley went woke."
Some
long-time Harley riders are saying on social media that they're
ditching their bikes for new brands with their next purchase; others are
removing the Harley-Davidson name from their motorcycles.
Attendance
declined dramatically last week at the annual Harley-Davidson
Homecoming Festival in Milwaukee, where the motorcycle maker was founded
in 1903.
Attendance declined dramatically last week
at the annual Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, where the motorcycle maker was founded in 1903.
About
60,000 people attended the event, according to the Milwaukee
Sentinel-Journal — that's a 25% drop from the 80,000 who took in the
festival last year.
"We changed our plans for the H-D homecoming
after hearing how @harleydavidson supports pedophiles and grooms
children," wrote one Harley rider, @LittleLuLu13131.
General views of the Harley-Davidson Museum on Aug. 29, 2021, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
The outcry over Harley's apparent woke turn comes on the heels of noticeable changes in the public face of the brand.
Harley
last year ditched its globally iconic logo of orange and white
lettering on a black shield. Its new logo is an empty metallic shell –
the same shape, but different colors and no words.
"The
old logo undeniably conveyed a sense of heritage, a connection to the
brand's storied past," British graphic design firm LMRT reported in its
online analysis.
"Yet, the new logo seems to symbolize a
departure from convention, a leap toward modernity, and an invitation to
re-imagine the essence of Harley-Davidson."
The
Harley-Davidson Museum, shown at left, opened in Milwaukee in 2008. At
right, a scene from the celebrated 1969 movie, "Easy Rider," which
helped cement Harley-Davidson's iconic affiliation with the American
open road. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Harley-Davidson was founded in Milwaukee in 1903
by William Harley and partners and brothers Arthur, Walter and William
Davidson. Harley and the Davidson boys grew up as neighbors and friends.
Harley and Arthur Davidson were both bicycle enthusiasts and mechanics,
as Fox News Digital previously reported.
They began tinkering
with small internal combustion engines. They put motors on bicycles -
their first Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Harley-Davidson, its own museum notes, sold just three motorcycles in 1905.
In 2023, it produced 163,000 bikes — making it one of the world's largest motorcycle companies.
Harley-Davidson,
Inc. is the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor
Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. Its vision, according to
the company, is "building our legend and leading our industry through
innovation, evolution and emotion. Our mission: More than building
machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for
the soul."
Harley-Davidson
also has a controlling interest in LiveWire Group, Inc., the first
publicly traded all-electric motorcycle company in the United States,
the company notes.
CEO Zeitz at Harley signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion
pledge, as a number of outlets have also noted. Among other
initiatives, the pledge is to "cultivate environments that support open
dialogue on complex — and often difficult — conversations around
diversity, equity and inclusion" and "engage boards of directors when
developing and evaluating diversity, equity and inclusion strategies."
Kerry J. Byrne is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
Harris leaning into 'pro-Hamas,' 'progressive' wings of Democrat Party with Walz VP pick: GOP strategist
Pennsylvania strategist says Tim Walz was chosen for 'energizing the progressive base'
By
Jamie Joseph Fox News
Published
'Special
Report' anchor Bret Baier joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss his
take on Kamala Harris reportedly tapping Gov. Tim Walz as her running
mate and how her selection could impact the state of the race.
Vice President Kamala Harris' selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
as her running mate two weeks out from the Democratic National
Convention comes as a bit of a "shock," and GOP strategists suggest it
could hurt her in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, where Gov.
Josh Shapiro was purported to have been the favored choice.
"Kamala
Harris did not pick Josh Shapiro because antisemitic progressives did
not like that he is Jewish," Mike Berg, spokesperson for the National
Republican Senatorial Committee told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"It was Harris' first major decision as the nominee, and she caved to
the pro-Hamas contingency within the Democratic Party."
Berg continued that Walz "reinforces" Harris' "biggest weaknesses: crime and immigration."
Vice
President Kamala Harris' selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her
running mate two weeks out from the Democratic National Convention comes
as a bit of a "shock."(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
"Kamala Harris helped bankroll the 2020 riots in Minnesota
when she promoted the Minnesota Freedom Fund. Walz let Minnesota burn.
Kamala Harris supported decriminalizing illegal immigration and
abolishing ICE — Walz supported making Minnesota a sanctuary state," he
said.
Earlier this week, a decades-old article resurfaced in which Shapiro wrote of being an Israeli army volunteer
and disparaged the Palestinian people. The Philadelphia Inquirer
uncovered the essay that he wrote for the Campus Times, the student
newspaper of the University of Rochester, from which Shapiro graduated
in 1995. In the article, Shapiro stressed his view that "Palestinians
will not peacefully coexist," because "they do not have the capabilities
to establish their own homelands and make it successful even with the
aid of Israel and the United States."
Walz will now join Harris on a multi-state campaign tour in key battleground states over the next few days.(Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
Strategists
are speculating that Harris may have been primed to pick Shapiro up
until the resurfaced op-ed, which could have distanced some of the
party's more progressive base who believe an Israeli ceasefire will put
an end to Palestinian casualties.
"That's 100% of the reason she was willing to sacrifice essentially locking up Pennsylvania
for her campaign, dramatically helping them hold the Senate seat in
Pennsylvania, and there are three congressional swing seats in
Pennsylvania that Shapiro all won overwhelmingly in 2022," a House
Republican strategist told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"All of that would have been taken off the map for Republicans.
But because he was pro-Israel, it was effectively disqualifying for
her, and she caved to the far left, pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic
Party," the strategist said.
Walz
will now join Harris on a multi-state campaign tour in key battleground
states over the next few days, as Harris attempts to rebrand herself as
a moderate candidate and distance herself from her past progressive
positions.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is believed to be a top candidate to be VP for Kamala Harris.
Nate
Benefield, senior vice president at the Commonwealth Foundation, told
Fox News Digital, "This move really seems like it was more focused on
solidifying the progressive base of the Democratic Party."
"I
don't know that the VP choice really makes a dramatic difference
nationwide, but, a couple of points in Pennsylvania, may be the margin,"
Benefield said. "I think this does indicate that their decision was
less about the swing states but energizing the progressive base."
Meanwhile,
when it comes to Harris attempting to appear more moderate with the
launch of Republicans for Harris this week, Benefield said, "There's a
long track record there of these progressive ideas that really don't
appeal to voters in in Pennsylvania and Michigan, Wisconsin and other swing states."
Walz,
60, is a former U.S. Army National Guard member and a former teacher
who has raised his profile in recent weeks as an effective advocate for
Harris. He grew up in a small town in Nebraska, and was also a football
coach and union member at a high school in Minnesota before getting into
politics. Recently, he attacked former President Trump and his running
mate JD Vance as "weird," a viral insult the Harris campaign has
embraced.
A
former member of Congress from a Republican-leaning district, Walz has
proven appeal with rural, white voters, though he has also championed
progressive policies as governor, such as free school meals and expanded
paid worker leave. While Minnesota is a solidly Democratic state, it is
close to Wisconsin and Michigan, two crucial battlegrounds.
Fox News Digital's Peter Aitken, Andrew Mark Miller and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
BREAKING: Pakistani National with Iranian Ties Charged with Murder-for-Hire in Foiled Assassination Plot Against President Trump
by Jim Hᴏft480 Comments
Credit: Bill Melugin/X
A federal complaint unsealed on Tuesday in Brooklyn has charged Asif
Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” a 46-year-old Pakistani
national, with murder-for-hire in connection with a foiled assassination
plot targeting a politician or U.S. government officials on American
soil.
The plot was thwarted by law enforcement before any attack could be
executed. Merchant is currently in federal custody in New York,
according to the press release.
FBI investigators believe that the intended targets of the plot
included Trump and other current and former U.S. government officials,
according to a U.S. official briefed on the matter, per CNN.
According to court documents, Merchant
orchestrated a plot to assassinate a politician or U.S. government
officials on U.S. soil. In approximately April 2024, after spending time
in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan and
contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme. This
individual reported Merchant’s intentions to law enforcement and became a
confidential source (CS).
In early June, during a meeting with the CS,
Merchant outlined his assassination plot and indicated that this
opportunity would not be a one-time event. He made a gesture resembling a
gun with his hand while discussing the killing and specified that the
targets would be “here,” referring to the United States.
Merchant’s plan included various criminal
activities: stealing documents from a target’s residence, organizing
protests, and ultimately assassinating a political figure or government
official. He expressed concerns about security measures surrounding
potential targets and discussed multiple scenarios for carrying out the
assassination.
In mid-June, Merchant met with individuals he
believed were hitmen but were actually undercover FBI agents (UCs).
During these meetings, he sought their services for theft and
assassination and indicated that he would provide instructions on whom
to kill after leaving the U.S.
Merchant arranged to pay $5,000 in cash as an
advance for the assassination services and successfully delivered this
payment on June 21. Following this transaction, he made plans to leave
the country on July 12, 2024, one day before Trump’s assassination
attempt. However, law enforcement intervened and arrested him before he
could depart.
It can be recalled that CNN reported that the Trump campaign was made aware of an Iranian assassination plot against Trump before Saturday’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
According to the report, Secret Service ramped up security after receiving intel about the assassination plot.
Saturday’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had no connection to the Iranian assassination plot, according to CNN.
“Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat
stream,” the official told CNN. “NSC directly contacted USSS at a senior
level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest
reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the
Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. In response to the
increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the
protection of former President Trump. All of this was in advance of
Saturday.”
BREAKING: Pakistani National with Iranian Ties Charged with Murder-for-Hire in Foiled Assassination Plot Against President Trump
by Jim Hᴏft88 Comments
A federal complaint unsealed on Tuesday in Brooklyn has charged Asif
Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” a 46-year-old Pakistani
national, with murder-for-hire in connection with a foiled assassination
plot targeting a politician or U.S. government officials on American
soil.
The plot was thwarted by law enforcement before any attack could be
executed. Merchant is currently in federal custody in New York,
according to the press release.
FBI investigators believe that the intended targets of the plot
included Trump and other current and former U.S. government officials,
according to a U.S. official briefed on the matter, per CNN.
According to court documents, Merchant
orchestrated a plot to assassinate a politician or U.S. government
officials on U.S. soil. In approximately April 2024, after spending time
in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan and
contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme. This
individual reported Merchant’s intentions to law enforcement and became a
confidential source (CS).
In early June, during a meeting with the CS,
Merchant outlined his assassination plot and indicated that this
opportunity would not be a one-time event. He made a gesture resembling a
gun with his hand while discussing the killing and specified that the
targets would be “here,” referring to the United States.
Merchant’s plan included various criminal
activities: stealing documents from a target’s residence, organizing
protests, and ultimately assassinating a political figure or government
official. He expressed concerns about security measures surrounding
potential targets and discussed multiple scenarios for carrying out the
assassination.
In mid-June, Merchant met with individuals he
believed were hitmen but were actually undercover FBI agents (UCs).
During these meetings, he sought their services for theft and
assassination and indicated that he would provide instructions on whom
to kill after leaving the U.S.
Merchant arranged to pay $5,000 in cash as an
advance for the assassination services and successfully delivered this
payment on June 21. Following this transaction, he made plans to leave
the country on July 12, 2024, one day before Trump’s assassination
attempt. However, law enforcement intervened and arrested him before he
could depart.
It can be recalled that CNN reported that the Trump campaign was made aware of an Iranian assassination plot against Trump before Saturday’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
According to the report, Secret Service ramped up security after receiving intel about the assassination plot.
Saturday’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had no connection to the Iranian assassination plot, according to CNN.
“Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat
stream,” the official told CNN. “NSC directly contacted USSS at a senior
level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest
reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the
Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. In response to the
increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the
protection of former President Trump. All of this was in advance of
Saturday.”
Five controversies surrounding vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, from DUI to COVID fraud
Republicans will place these Tim Walz controversies under the microscope as the 2024 campaign heats up
By
Chris Pandolfo Fox News
Published
‘Outnumbered’
co-host Kayleigh McEnany reacts to Kamala Harris reportedly picking the
Minnesota governor as her running mate and how this can be considered a
win for Republicans.
Vice President Kamala Harris
has selected Midwestern governor, Army veteran and former football
coach and teacher Tim Walz to be her 2024 running mate after a hurried,
intense two-week vetting process.
Walz, 60, is a
veteran politician who served in the U.S. Congress from 2007 until
2019, when he was elected governor of Minnesota, defeating Republican
Jeff Johnson. He was re-elected to a second term in 2022 after fending
off a challenge from Republican Scott Jensen.
Progressives have
praised Walz's strong support for unions and record of accomplishments
as governor, which include codifying abortion rights into the state
constitution, enacting universal free school breakfasts and lunches for
students, regardless of income, and making Minnesota a refuge for
children seeking transgender medical procedures.
This
strong progressive record and Walz's plainspoken demeanor reportedly
thrilled the Harris campaign, which sought a partner who could reinforce
the Democratic ticket's strength in Midwestern battleground states. But
there are several controversies tied to Walz's tenure as governor that
Republicans have already begun to use in their attacks on his record.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris(Getty Images)
Here are a few:
1995 DUI Arrest
Walz
in past campaigns has sought to downplay his arrest for drunken driving
in the mid-90's, but questions about his run-in with law enforcement
continue to dog him. A 2022 report by Alpha News unearthed court records that cast doubt on the version of the story Walz has told on the campaign trail.
On
Sept. 23, 1995, when Walz was working as a teacher in his home state of
Nebraska, he was pulled over for going 96 mph in a 55-mph zone.
In
comments to reporters, Walz's 2006 campaign for Congress in Minnesota's
1st District insisted he was "not drunk" and blamed a
"misunderstanding" with police on "Walz's deafness," which the
governor's then-campaign manager said had since been "surgically
corrected."
But a state trooper's report obtained by Alpha News contradicts those claims.
"A
strong odor of alcoholic beverage was detected emitting from Mr.
Walz[‘s] breath and person," the report said. The trooper indicated that
Walz submitted to and failed both a field sobriety test and a
preliminary breath test. He was eventually taken to Chadron Hospital for
a blood test before being booked in the Dawes County Jail.
Walz
was initially charged with driving under the influence and speeding, but
he pled guilty to a single count of reckless driving, according to
Aplha News.
A
protester stands next to a burning car while holding a sign in support
of the Black Lives Matter movement on May 28, 2020, during the third day
of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.(Anadolu Agency/Getty Contributor)
Black Lives Matter Riots
Walz's
critics say his handling of the Minneapolis riots after the 2020
killing of George Floyd was a failure and low point of his first term as
governor.
"[H]e's been a disaster for Minnesota and is by far the
most partisan governor that I can remember having," Minnesota GOP
Chairman David Hann told Fox News Digital. "Going back to 2020,
certainly – he did nothing to try to stop the riots going on in
Minneapolis. I think he was fearful of alienating his ‘progressive’
base, who were supporting the riots. Kamala Harris was raising money for
the rioters."
Walz deployed the National Guard to stop the
violence, which included the torching of a police station. But GOP
lawmakers have said both the governor and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
were too slow to act.
Republican state Senate Majority Leader
Paul Gazelka accused Walz of a slow response to the riots, which left
businesses in downtown Minneapolis in ruins.
"I
called the White House after [four] days of unbridled rioting with the
Governor frozen on what to do," Gazelka wrote on X on July 28. "I know
that Gov[.] Walz and Pres[ident] Trump talked. I know Walz finally
brought the Guard out in full for the next night. But Walz was [three]
days too late. Pressure may have made him move."
Hann similarly
said Walz "waited for three days before he could bring himself to ask
for the National Guard to be deployed." He also pointed to the "defund"
police movement's roots in Minnesota following Floyd's murder and subsequent rioting in the Twin Cities.
As
a result of the delayed action, hundreds of businesses across
Minneapolis and St. Paul were devastated by the destruction and had to
ask their local government for help recovering – on top of what they
lost during pandemic-related closures.
Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz speaks about funding for the I-535 Blatnik Bridge at
Earth Rider Brewery on Jan. 25, 2024, in Superior, Wisconsin.(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
COVID-19 Lockdowns
In
his first term as governor, Walz oversaw Minnesota's response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Like other Democratic leaders, he favored
heavy-handed pandemic restrictions, including lockdowns and mask
mandates.
The Upper Midwest Law Center unsuccessfully challenged
Walz's 2020 indoor mask mandate on constitutional grounds, but an
appellate court sided with Walz.
Walz also set up a hotline to report residents who violated COVID-19 mandates, as FOX 9 Minneapolis reported at the time.
Gazelka asked Walz to "please take [the] Hotline down" in a post after it was established, calling the move "unnecessary."
"We
can all show a bit of kindness to our neighbors as we manage our times
and needs differently in the stay at home efforts," the state senator
said at the time.
Federal
prosecutors charged 70 people with defrauding federal food programs
that funded meals for kids during the pandemic out of $250 million on
Walz’s watch.(U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota via AP)
Pandemic Relief Fraud Investigation
In
addition to complaints over Walz's pandemic-era restrictions,
Republicans have blamed the governor for lax oversight of pandemic
programs that cost millions of taxpayer dollars.
Federal
prosecutors charged 70 people with defrauding federal food programs that
funded meals for kids during the pandemic out of $250 million on Walz’s
watch. Known as the Feeding Our Future scandal, it’s one of the
country’s largest pandemic aid fraud cases. The Office of the
Legislative Auditor, a nonpartisan watchdog, delivered a scathing report
in June that said Walz’s Department of Education "failed to act on
warning signs," did not effectively exercise its authority and was
ill-prepared to respond.
Gov. Tim Walz speaks before President Biden at Dutch Creek Farms, Nov. 1, 2023, in Northfield, Minnesota.(AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Interference in Police Shooting Case
Walz
came under fire from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty earlier
this year for his comments on a police shooting case handled by her
office.
Moriarty
in June dropped the case against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan
Londregan, who was accused in the fatal shooting of Black motorist Ricky
Cobb II. In a press conference announcing her decision, she made
remarks against Walz, saying he had been "very active in inserting
himself into this case" and was conflicted since he controls the
Minnesota State Patrol, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reported.
"Have
you ever seen this governor intervene in any case involving a defendant
in his entire tenure?" Moriarty said on June 3. "Why is it appropriate
for a governor, who has never picked up the phone to call me, who is not
a lawyer, who does not understand the nuances of this case, to talk
about it publicly? To center Mr. Londregan as being the victim in this
case. Why has that been appropriate? Why hasn’t that been called out?"
Walz
later told reporters that had Moriarty not dropped the charges against
Londregan, he would have used his executive authority to remove her from
the case.
"It was my hope that the county attorney would get to
this position… At some point, if this decision had not been made, yes we
would have done that," Walz said.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office denied that rumors of Walz's intention to remove the case affected Moriarty's decision.
Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
