Midwest
'Total lie': Trump campaign, GOP lawmakers blast report claiming he called Milwaukee a 'horrible city'
Republicans are coming to the defense of former President Trump after a social media firestorm erupted over a report claiming he disparaged the location of the Republican National Convention during his visit to Capitol Hill.
A Punchbowl News reporter claimed that while speaking to lawmakers in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Trump said, “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city.”
The report prompted an immediate response from the Trump campaign and Republicans, who said they were in the room when the comment was made and that Trump’s quote was taken out of context.
“Wrong,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung posted on X. “Total bulls—. He never said it like how it’s been falsely characterized as. He was talking about how terrible crime and voter fraud are.”
TRUMP TRAVELS TO DC TO MEET WITH CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS, SPEAK WITH NATION’S TOP BUSINESS EXECUTIVES
Milwaukee skyline, photographed from the lakefront on Sept. 13, 2018, and former President Trump. (Raymond Boyd/Anna Moneymaker)
Several Republican lawmakers who were in the room when Trump made the statement, some of whom represent districts in Wisconsin, also said the comment was taken out of context.
“I was in the room. President Trump did not say this. There is no better place than Wisconsin in July,” Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis, said in a statement.
TRUMP SET TO MEET WITH GOP LAWMAKERS IN DC: ‘PUT THIS COUNTRY BACK ON PATH TO GREATNESS’
Former President Trump is applauded by Senate Republicans before giving remarks to the press at the National Republican Senatorial Committee building in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., also said he was present during the remarks and that the former president “never disparaged Milwaukee.”
“I was in the meeting. President Trump never disparaged Milwaukee. Just another Democrat hoax,” Banks wrote in a post on X.
“Another classic example of s—– reporting by a Democratic Party shill pretending to be a journalist. Lies busy omission. @realDonaldTrump was specifically referring to the CRIME RATE in Milwaukee,” another Wisconsin representative, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., posted on X.
Fiserv Forum, home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and site of the 2024 GOP convention. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
“In a desperate attempt to get likes, Fake News Jake Sherman — who wasn’t even in the room — falsely claimed that President Trump called Milwaukee a ‘horrible city,’” the Trump campaign said in a press release Thursday afternoon. “It’s a total lie.”
“President Trump was explicitly referring to the problems in Milwaukee, specifically violent crime and voter fraud.”
Democrats weighed in on the matter as well, including President Biden, who posted on X, “I happen to love Milwaukee.”
“Milwaukee makes the greatest beer, brats, and motorcycles in the world,” Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin posted on X. “It’s home to some of our most vibrant communities, hardest workers, and is a part of what makes Wisconsin the best state in the nation. Donald Trump wouldn’t understand even if a jury told him so.”
“The GOP wants to enjoy Milwaukee’s hospitality while they host their convicted felon wannabe dictator coronation party – but behind closed doors, Trump and his DC cronies are insulting Milwaukee while they plot to suppress Milwaukeeans’ votes & rip away their freedoms,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler posted on X. “Fight back.”
Sherman pushed back on those who questioned his reporting in several follow-up posts on X.
“Trump absolutely said it – undoubtedly,” Sherman posted. “People hear what they want. This is familiar to all who have covered Trump or Trump-adjacent stories for the last 10 or so years.”
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Southwest goes red, white and blue for America’s 250. See new plane.
Southwest unveils “Independence One,” a Boeing 737 with “1776” and “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” splashed on the sides of it.
The world’s largest steam train is passing through Illinois as part of its 10-state route across the United States this summer.
The locomotive, officially known as Big Boy No. 4014, is heading east across the Mississippi River starting in late May to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
Here’s what we know about the train’s stops in Illinois.
What is Big Boy No. 4014?
Delivered to Union Pacific in 1941, the locomotive was among 25 built to haul wartime freight across the Continental Divide in Wyoming and Utah. Big Boy is the last one running, and in the 1960s was converted to burn oil instead of coal.
Big Boy is 133 feet long and weighs 1.2 million pounds. It traveled more than 1 million miles during its working life hauling freight between Cheyenne and Ogden, Utah. The train typically draws large crowds of rail enthusiasts, and it’s common to see superfans with cameras in hand chasing it in cars.
“Union Pacific couldn’t be prouder to share this powerful piece of history with the nation and to be a part of America’s birthday celebration,” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said in a statement. “This tour celebrates our company’s rich 164-year history, our nation’s amazing story and the people who have helped build our great country and our railroad.”
When does Big Boy’s route begin? Where will it depart from?
The train will depart from Union Pacific’s headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 25.
This will be the first time it has crossed the Mississippi River since its westward delivery run in 1941, according to railroad officials.
Where is Big Boy stopping in Illinois? When will world’s biggest train be on display?
The train will stop at the Union Pacific Training Center in West Chicago on June 3. It will be on display south of the West Chicago Metra stop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. central time.
Admission is free, with no tickets required.
Where can residents watch Big Boy pass through Illinois?
Rail fans can also see the train in action at whistle-stops, generally lasting 15-30 minutes long.
The train will pass B Street Crossing in Sterling, Illinois, between 1:30 and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2. It will then pass by Rochelle Railroad Park in Rochelle from 3-3:15 p.m.
After reaching its eastmost stop in Philadelphia, the train will then head back out west, passing by the Amtrak Depot in Springfield between 10:45-11:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 18. The last public view of the train in Illinois will be at Center St. Crossing in Girard between 1-1:30 p.m.
Full list of Big Boy stops
Big Boy will make the following stops on its journey out east:
- May 30 – Omaha, Nebraska
- June 3 – West Chicago, Illinois
- June 10 – Buffalo, New York
- June 15-16 – Scranton, Pennsylvania
- July 4-5 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- July 9-10 – Altoona, Pennsylvania
- July 14 – Fostoria, Ohio
- July 19 – St. Louis, Missouri
Track Big Boy as it travels across the US
Union Pacific will provide a real-time location tracker for Big Boy, allowing rail fanatics to follow the train on its coast-to-coast tour.
When do tickets for Big Boy go on sale?
Union Pacific Museum patrons will have early ticket access beginning May 1 at 9 a.m. central time. Tickets will go on sale for the general public on May 4.
FULTON COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — The Fulton County Area Plan Commission and Data Center Ordinance Review Committee are being sued by a resident who believes they are not complying with Indiana’s Open Door Law.
They’ve decided that transparency is not that important,” said Richard O’Neill, a Fulton County resident suing the Area Plan Commission.
Back in March, county commissioners voted 2-1 to approve a one-year data center moratorium, as talk of a possible data center in Akron picked up.
After that vote, the data center review committee was formed to review regulations and look at how other communities handle data centers.
But some residents said they’re concerned the public can’t attend or even listen in on those meetings.
I’m suing them to get an injunction to stop this committee until such time that they’re willing to have public meetings. So you don’t want the public there, fine, live stream it. They wouldn’t do that. So you have to ask yourself, what do they want to hide?” said O’Neill.
Other community members weighed in on the transparency issues.
When the committee was formed, the county attorney and Area Plan decided to place in the regulations that this committee would be closed to the public. Several people argued this decision and requested it not be closed so the community could feel involved. I stressed and stated at the Area Plan meeting on March 30th that currently the public trust with our local government is at an all time low and this committee not honoring the open door law would only make things worse,” said James Zimmerman, Fulton County resident.
Indiana’s Open Door Law states:
“Government agencies must hold official meetings of a majority of their governing body, such as council or board meetings, publicly. As a citizen, you have the right to attend and record these meetings.”
But the committee said it doesn’t have to follow that law because it’s not considered a “governing body.”
WSBT22 reached out to the committee’s executive director, but has not yet received a response.
The county attorney feels that they’re in the right and my attorney feels we’re in the right. So we’ll find out from the court,” said O’Neill.
O’Neill said that he’s currently waiting for a different judge to be appointed to his case to set a court date, which should be any day now.
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