Tim Walz drops out of Minnesota governor’s race amid fraud scandal

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has ended his reelection bid amid mounting pressure over a fraud scandal that has engulfed his administration in recent weeks.

The move comes days after a handful of Republican state lawmakers asked Walz to leave office, citing reports from a U.S. Attorney that, since 2018, at least half of the $18 billion paid through Minnesota’s 14 Medicaid waiver programs could be fraudulent, and after Republicans in Congress called on Walz to testify about his failure to address the crisis.

Walz, the former vice presidential candidate on Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, cited the growing pressure as one of the reasons for his decision to leave the race, though he pushed back on claims that he has not adequately attempted to curb the crisis.

“As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,” he said.

“So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work,” Walz continued in the statement.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, head of the Democratic Governor’s association, commended Walz’ leadership and reasserted his confidence that, “no matter who decides to run,” Democrats would win the state in the 2026 governor’s race. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan group that analyzes state, federal and presidential elections, labels the Minnesota race as “likely Democrat.”

Walz has scheduled a news conference Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. ET to address his decision.

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Winston-Salem man shot, killed; investigators determine self-defense

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the county’s first homicide of 2026, which deputies say has been ruled a justifiable act of self-defense.

Deputies responded to reports of shots fired around 11 p.m. Thursday at a home on Hartman Plaza Court. When they arrived, they found a man who’d been shot multiple times.

Investigators said the man was rushed to the hospital but later died from his injuries. He has been identified as 54-year-old Floyd Leonard Denney of Winston-Salem.

After reviewing evidence, technology, and witness statements, and after consulting with the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office, investigators determined the shooting was a justifiable self-defense homicide.

“Our prayers and our thoughts are always with those involved in such a tragic incident,” Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr. said in a statement.

“People who object to weapons aren’t abolishing violence, they’re begging for rule by brute force, when the biggest, strongest animals among men were always automatically ‘right.’
Guns ended that, and social democracy is a hollow farce without an armed populace to make it work.
Wear a gun to someone else’s house, you’re saying,
‘I’ll defend this home as if it were my own.’
When your guests see you carry a weapon, you’re telling them,
‘I’ll defend you as if you were my own family.’
And anyone who objects levels the deadliest insult possible:
‘I don’t trust you unless you’re rendered harmless’!”
–L. Neil Smith

DA declines charges in Hawthorne Street shooting, rules death justified self-defense

MEDFORD, Ore. — The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file criminal charges in the November 2025 shooting death of a man on Hawthorne Street, ruling the killing was an act of justified self-defense during a violent home invasion.

District Attorney Patrick Green said his office will not prosecute David Rogers, 36, in the death of Martin Uriel Jimenez Jr., 32, who was shot in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, 2025.

Medford police were called to an apartment complex around 3:30 a.m. after reports of gunshots. While officers were en route, resident Thomas Owens, 72, reported that a man had broken into his apartment and tried to kill him.

Officers found Jimenez dead in the doorway of Owens’ apartment. Police said the door had been forced open and Owens had visible injuries, including facial bleeding and bruising. He was treated at the scene by Mercy Flights.

Rogers, a neighbor, told police he intervened after seeing Jimenez break into Owens’ apartment and hearing Owens call for help.

Investigators said Rogers saw Jimenez attacking Owens and fired three shots after Jimenez advanced toward him and reached for his gun.

The district attorney said evidence shows Rogers was not the initial aggressor and reasonably believed Jimenez was about to use deadly force, making the shooting legally justified under Oregon law.

Investigators determined Jimenez was intoxicated at the time and had been drinking heavily at a nearby residence before leaving on foot.

Police said it remains unclear why he entered Owens’ apartment.

Holy Moleeds. Yeah, an inside job.

So, That’s How Delta Force Was Able to Capture Maduro So Easily

Sure, it’s Delta Force, and they don’t screw around, but you cannot fly blind into a situation, right? That’s obvious. So, even though our special forces were facing the equivalent of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Caracas, Venezuela, they needed on-the-ground intelligence, and they got it. CIA was able to obtain an asset who gave minute details about Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s movements.

They knew exactly where he was when the airstrikes began on January 3. Langley also had a team on the ground since August. Delta Force built a replica of the safehouse and practiced before the mission. They carried out Maduro like a dog (via Reuters):

Elite U.S. troops, including the Army’s Delta Force, created an exact replica of Maduro’s safe house and practiced how they would enter the strongly fortified residence.

The CIA had a small team on the ground starting in August who were able to provide insight into Maduro’s pattern of life that made grabbing him seamless, according to one source familiar with the matter.

Two other sources told Reuters the intelligence agency also had an asset close to Maduro who would monitor his movements and was poised to pinpoint his exact location as the operation unfolded.

With the pieces in place, Trump approved the operation four days ago, but military and intelligence planners suggested he wait for better weather and less cloud cover. At 10:46 p.m. EST on Friday, Trump gave the final go ahead for what would be known as Operation Absolute Resolve, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine told reporters.

Trump, surrounded by his advisers at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, watched a live stream of the events.

How the hours-long operation unfolded is based on interviews with four sources familiar with the matter and details Trump himself has revealed.

“I’ve done some pretty good ones, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” Trump said on Fox News just hours after the mission was completed.

Well, there are reports of air attacks in several locations in and around Caracas, Venezuela as well as reports of actual ‘boots on the ground’ what with transport helicopters being seen in the air.

Something, something; Old Chinese curses

Seriously? Kathy Hochul Orders One World Trade Center Lit in Honor of Muslim American Heritage Month

Just hours after New York City’s first Muslim-American Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, was sworn in, Empire State Gov. Kathy Hochul declared January to be “Muslim American Heritage Month” and ordered One World Trade Center and 15 other state landmarks to be bathed in green light to celebrate “the heritage and culture of Muslim Americans.”

Many on social media were quick to point out that we can’t illuminate the Twin Towers because they are no longer on the skyline after the horrific 9/11 al-Qaeda terrorist attacks, which took down the buildings and killed almost 3,000 innocents. September 11, as all Americans know, was carried out by 19 hijackers affiliated with the Islamist extremist group led by the late Osama bin Laden.

But 9/11 was evidently not on Hochul’s mind Friday evening:

The governor also released a statement vowing to protect Muslims from Islamophobia. She did not mention a report released Monday from the NYPD, which showed that Jews were targeted more than all other minority groups combined in the Big Apple in 2024, and combined for more than 54 percent of all hate crimes in the city.

Hochul:

“Home to the largest Muslim American population in the nation, New York is proud to join in this month-long celebration, recognizing the values, faith and traditions of our Muslim American communities,” Hochul said in a statement.

“New York remains committed to being a beacon of hope, tolerance, and inclusivity that celebrates the diversity of its Muslim American population and protects them from Islamophobia, hate, bias, and harm.”

Meanwhile, Mamdani, in one of his first acts in office, rescinded several executive orders from his predecessor, Eric Adams, that targeted antisemitism. The state of Israel and many Jewish organizations were outraged.

Although local Muslim politicians and groups were pleased with the Appreciation Month and the green lights, there was plenty of negative reaction on social media as well. One conservative author wrote, “The betrayal of the nation’s veterans continues.” Another blistered:

Lighting One World Trade Center green for Muslim American Heritage Month—on the site where al-Qaeda terrorists murdered 3,000 in the name of radical Islam—is a profound insult to 9/11 victims, survivors, and first responders. Tone-deaf doesn’t begin to cover it.

Interesting — I wonder why Hochul waited till 6:49 p.m. to post the move, which is almost certain to provoke reactions from many? If you’re going to be bold, why not be bold in the sunlight of the day?

President Donald Trump has not weighed in as of this hour, but I’m betting he will at some point.