Midwest
RNC blasts Walz admin's nonanswer on how noncitizens made it onto Minnesota voter rolls: 'No hypothetical'
The administration of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, has not explained how noncitizens made it onto the state’s voter rolls, according to the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Minnesota GOP, which penned a letter to the state’s Department of Public Safety.
Kevin Cline, election integrity counsel for the Republican National Committee, and David Hann, chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, first wrote to the Walz administration last month flagging how a noncitizen, legally living in the state and fearful of jeopardizing his status, came forward to report receiving a primary ballot without having registered to vote.
Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson wrote back to Cline and Hann earlier this week.
His letter explained that the Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services Division (DVS) “takes many steps to ensure that only U.S. citizens’ information is forwarded to the Office of the Secretary of State.” That includes reviewing only a list of certain documents that qualify as proof of citizenship to determine if an applicant is a U.S. citizen. Procedures include a second review upon issuance of the applicant’s documents to verify their classification in the system.
MINNESOTA GOP DEMANDS PROBE AFTER NONCITIZEN CLAIMS RECEIVING PRIMARY BALLOT WITHOUT REGISTERING TO VOTE
If DVS finds a document has been classified incorrectly as valid proof of citizenship, DVS fixes the classification and does not send the record to the Office of the Secretary of State for automatic voter registration, Jacobson wrote. He added that DVS is also conducting “a thorough, manual review” of all records that have been identified as eligible for AVR since the law went into effect in 2023 “to ensure a fair and secure election this fall.”
Kamala Harris listens to her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, speak during a visit with members of the marching band at Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Ga., Aug. 28, 2024. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
This response did not satisfy Cline nor Hann, who noted in a new letter sent Thursday how Walz in March 2023 signed a bill into law allowing illegal noncitizens to receive driver’s licenses, also known as “Driver License for All.” Less than two months after signing that bill into law, Walz signed the “Democracy for the People Act,” permitting automatic voter registration through DVS, Cline and Hann said.
“While we appreciate your explanation of how the Driver and Vehicle Services Division (“DVS”) is supposed to function to ensure each applicant is a U.S. citizen, your response failed to explain how noncitizens made it through that process and ultimately made it onto Minnesota’s voter rolls,” Cline and Hann wrote Thursday, according to the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
“This is no hypothetical; lawfully present noncitizens were registered to vote through your department, and Minnesota voters deserve transparency from your department to understand how this failure occurred and how it is being addressed.
“This issue is especially concerning since the chain of events leading to implementation of Minnesota’s AVR system, put in place by Governor and Vice-Presidential Candidate Tim Walz, gives the impression it was put in place to facilitate registration of noncitizens,” the letter says. “Minnesota’s voter registration system is clearly vulnerable to illegal voter registrations in its current form.”
Cline and Hann said it is “worrisome that your department is only now conducting a review of voter records identified as eligible for automatic voter registration (‘AVR’).
Gov. Tim Walz poses with his wife Gwen and daughter Hope after voting at Linwood Community Recreation Center Nov. 8, 2022, in St. Paul, Minn. (David Joles/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
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“This type of review should have been completed multiple times on a consistent schedule since AVR’s implementation,” they told Jacobson. “That your department is only now beginning the review process suggests it is being done because our previous letter exposed the flaws in the AVR system and highlighted noncitizens on the rolls.”
“Walz is completely aligned with Kamala’s radical agenda, opening the invasion at the border and giving illegal aliens free health care, free tuition and drivers licenses,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This is a clear plan by the Democrats, as they continually put non-citizens first and Americans last. We are holding Walz and his administration accountable and demand a full review and removal of the non-citizens they have allowed on the voter rolls. Minnesotans, and Americans, deserve much better than the cancelation of their votes by Kamala and Walz.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for comment, but it did not immediately respond.
Cline and Hann demanded Jacobson provide “full and in-depth answers” as to “when were the citizenship checks outlined in your September 3, 2024, letter put into place,” “when will your ‘thorough, manual review’ begin, what will that review consist of, and when will it be completed,” and “will you share the results of this manual review with the public?”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally at the Liacouras Center at Temple University Aug. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The letter also seeks details on how Jacobson has been reporting to the OSS under 201.145, including how often a report is sent to the secretary of state, how many reports have been sent since the implementation of AVR and whether those reports include noncitizens who are not lawfully present in Minnesota. Jacobson was asked if he ever compared the reported individuals under 201.145 against his own AVR records, how many noncitizens have been issued a driver’s license and were also sent to OSS since the implementation of AVR and how many individuals have been sent to the secretary of state since the implementation of AVR.
“Has there been any pressure from the Governor’s Office or elsewhere to fast-track the registration process?” Cline and Hann asked.
“Minnesota voters should not have their votes diluted because your department failed to filter out noncitizens from the automatic voter registration system,” they concluded. “Mistakes have clearly been made in the design and/or implementation of the AVR system, but it is not too late to provide transparency and to address the issues before the election this November.”
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Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis Mayor Frey’s State of the City speech takes a new tone
Frey, Klobuchar condemn ICE presence in Minnesota after shooting
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar called for ICE to leave Minneapolis after another fatal shooting.
After eight years as the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey has a well-tested recipe for his State of the City speech.
Start with a healthy base of events that tested the city in the past year, but also drew out its strengths. Next, mix in updates about pet projects – Stable Homes Stable Schools, efforts to end exclusionary zoning, an uptick in police recruitment numbers – before sprinkling with some shout-outs to local businesses. Finally, add in the secret ingredient: the applause line about the Timberwolves.
Tuesday morning’s State of the City speech – the first of Frey’s third term – had all of that. But there was a little more bite than usual to the optimism that often shines through the annual address.
The mayor, who has taken some heat locally for his national notoriety, said that local government leaders needed to refocus on their core responsibilities before the city’s strong standing takes a downward trajectory, referencing discord between his administration and the Minneapolis City Council, though never saying exactly where he’d assign the blame.
“We tried to do everything – things that aren’t always a local government’s job – and in the process we didn’t always do the most important things well enough,” Frey said. “We’ve spent time debating things that are not the most critical parts of our job.”
Those critical parts, Frey said, start with public safety. He cited the police response to the Annunciation shooting and 911 operators’ work during Operation Metro Surge as core reasons to invest in public safety before proudly sharing that in 2025, 2,328 people had applied to become officers with the Minneapolis Police Department.
He also focused on some ground-level efforts, including the now-completed backlog of streetlight replacements and the upcoming implementation of the Community Safety Ambassador program in Uptown.
Not directly mentioned was his controversial veto of a Council ordinance that would have decriminalized the possession of drug paraphernalia. Supporters say the ordinance would’ve aligned the city with Minnesota state law and the principles of harm reduction – the idea that reducing the negative consequences of illegal drug use is an effective way to get users on a path to recovery.
“Continued open (drug) use on our streets is devastating: for residents, for families, and for businesses, large and small,” Frey said in his speech. “Compassion matters but it doesn’t mean anything goes.”
Switching to affordable housing, the mayor praised the transformation of commercial spaces into housing, citing examples like Opportunity Crossing and Groove Lofts. He also pushed for the city to cut the red tape keeping more properties from being built, including controversial accessory dwelling units.
The speech also marked a change in his rhetoric on one specific topic: Minneapolis’ return to office work, especially downtown.
In his 2023 speech, he said he didn’t really “get” remote or hybrid work, though he understood the appeal of “sweatpants on Mondays” and encouraged a commitment to in-person work in downtown Tuesday through Thursday.
“Wouldn’t that be nice,” he said, “to have everyone back downtown for three whole days each week?”
He was a little more blunt in 2024, expressing growing concern from “residents having to pick up the tab because less taxes are generated from downtown buildings.”
Last year, he noted that “nearly 70% of downtown workers are back at least once a week – by the way, please keep it coming.”
In Tuesday’s speech, though? A note that COVID-19 had “expedited a necessary transition away from full-time, in-person work” and a push for businesses to consider changes to how they use their buildings.
“If you’re willing to invest in a big vision for a building where the basis has been lowered, come talk to us,” said Frey, calling out the use of tax increment financing to support redevelopment. “If you’ve got one gigantic retail space on Nicollet Mall, and you want to change it to a bunch of smaller ones, come talk to us.”
As he closed, he made another call for city leaders to get serious about results, foreshadowing a challenging budget process ahead and “hard conversations” about programs and investments that weren’t delivering for residents.
Minneapolis Council members respond to Frey
Council president Elliott Payne (Ward 1), vice-president Jamal Osman (Ward 6) and member Robin Wonsley (Ward 2) spoke briefly with press after the speech, expressing a general appreciation for Frey’s remarks and a hope that they could collaborate.
“Governance is not an individual sport,” Payne said. “We govern collectively and we move our city forward together. And so we’re looking forward to a four year term where we have deeper collaboration with the mayor and can actually advance a working class agenda that really puts the people first.”
Wonsley called for additional revenue options to reduce the burden of property taxes on residents, saying that things like income taxes or taxes on empty homes could raise millions “so that we can make sure we’re preserving the programs that actually help our residents have a good quality of life.”
And asked about the recent vetoes, Payne said he was open to discussions about solutions that could make it past the mayor’s desk.
“We would like the mayor to set his veto pen down and meet me at the whiteboard so that we can actually come up with the solutions to a lot of those intractable problems,” he said.
Indianapolis, IN
IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis start time, qualifying, race, how to watch
It’s May, so the IndyCar Series is camped out in Indianapolis, starting with the Sonsio Grand Prix, an 85-lap race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Alex Palou has three race wins this season, including the last two. Kyle Kirkwood is trying to keep up.
Here’s what you should know about the race:
When does the IndyCar Series race in Indianapolis? When is the Sonsio Grand Prix? IndyCar Series schedule for the Indianapolis Grand Prix
(All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218)
Friday, May 8
- 8 a.m.: Indy NXT practice, FS2
- 9 a.m.: IndyCar practice, FS1
- Noon: Indy NXT qualifying, Fox Sports app
- 1 p.m.: IndyCar practice, FS2
- 4 p.m.: Indy NXT race, FS2
- 5:30 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying, FS2
Watch auto racing with a free Fubo trial
Saturday, May 9
- 11:30 a.m.: IndyCar warm-up, FS1
- 2:30 p.m.: Indy NXT race, FS1
- 4:30 p.m.: IndyCar race, Fox (green flag scheduled for 4:57 p.m.)
Watch IndyCar with a free Fubo trial
Where to watch the IndyCar race at Indianapolis? How to watch the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis?
TV: Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, May 9, 2026, on Fox. Green flag is scheduled for 4:57 p.m. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.
IndyCar predictions for the Sonsio Grand Prix in Indianapolis from IndyStar’s Zion Brown
- Is Alex Palou inevitable? “It seems that he is. I think he wins his fourth straight race on the IMS road course.”
- Who will give Palou his biggest challenge? “Pato O’Ward. He finished second behind Palou in 2023 and ’25, and I think O’Ward has the best chance of spoiling Palou’s chance at a four-peat.”
- Who wins pole position? “I think Scott Dixon will be on the pole here for the third time.”
How much are Sonsio Grand Prix tickets? How much are tickets for Indianapolis grand prix?
Practice and qualifying tickets are $25; race tickets start at $45.
Sonsio Grand Prix tickets
Who won the IndyCar race at Indianapolis in 2025? Who won the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis last year?
Pole-sitter Alex Palou won by 6+ seconds over Pato O’Ward, with Will Power completing the podium. Palou has won three straight races on the Indianapolis road course. He won the Indianapolis 500 two weeks later on his march to a third consecutive series championship.
Who is leading IndyCar? 2026 IndyCar results
Alex Palou (three), Josef Newgarden and Kyle Kirkwood have won races.
- Alex Palou, 205 points
- Kyle Kirkwood, 188
- David Malukas, 142
- Pato O’Ward, 136
- Christian Lundgaard, 131
- Josef Newgarden, 130
- Scott McLaughlin, 127
- Scott Dixon, 120
- Felix Rosenqvist, 109
- Graham Rahal, 106
- Alexander Rossi, 105
- Marcus Ericsson, 104
- Marcus Armstrong, 104
- Will Power, 89
- Rinus VeeKay, 79
- Dennis Hauger, 76
- Kyffin Simpson, 75
- Santino Ferrucci, 74
- Louis Foster, 60
- Romain Grosjean, 60
- Christian Rasmussen, 59
- Caio Collet, 59
- Nolan Siegel, 56
- Mick Schumacher, 44
- Sting Ray Robb, 42
How can I stream the IndyCar race at Indianapolis? How to stream the Sonsio Grand Prix in Indianapolis?
FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app
Watch IndyCar action on Fubo
How can I listen to IndyCar race at Indianapolis?
IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race). Mark Jaynes is the anchor, with driver analyst Davey Hamilton.
Will it rain during the IndyCar race in Indianapolis? Indianapolis weather forecast for IndyCar race
- Friday: Cloudy with rain likely. High in the mid 60s.
- Saturday: Sunny with highs in the low 70s.
IndyCar tire allocation, push-to-pass for Sonsio Grand Prix in Indianapolis
- Tires: Five sets primary and five sets alternate are available during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires for the first practice. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.
- Push-to-pass: 200 total seconds are available in increments of up to 20 seconds per activation.
IndyCar schedule 2026
(*-street course; ^-road course; #-oval; all races on Fox, SiriusXM Channel 218; times are start of TV coverage, ET)
- March 1: St. Petersburg, Fla. * (Winner: Alex Palou)
- Saturday, March 7: Phoenix # (Winner: Josef Newgarden)
- Sunday, March 15: Arlington, Texas * (Winner: Kyle Kirkwood)
- Sunday, March 29: Birmingham, Alabama ^ (Winner: Alex Palou)
- Sunday, April 19: Long Beach, California *, (Winner: Alex Palou)
- Saturday, May 9: Indianapolis road course ^, 4:30 p.m. (4:57 p.m. green flag)
- Sunday, May 24: Indianapolis 500 #, 12:45 p.m.
- Sunday, May 31: Detroit *, 12:30 p.m.
- Sunday, June 7: Madison, Illinois #, 9 p.m.
- Sunday, June 21: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin ^, 2 p.m.
- Sunday, July 5: Lexington, Ohio ^, 12:30 p.m.
- Sunday, July 19: Lebanon, Tennessee #, TBD
- Sunday, Aug. 9: Portland ^, 4 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 16: Markham, Ontario *, noon
- Sunday, Aug. 23: Washington, D.C. *, TBD
- Saturday, Aug. 29: Milwaukee #, 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 30: Milwaukee #, 1 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 6: Monterey, California ^, 2:30 p.m.
IndyCar Series teams, drivers in 2026
(with team, car number and driver; *-Indianapolis 500 only)
- Abel Motorsports: 51, Jacob Abel *
- A.J. Foyt Racing: 4, Caio Collet; 11, Katherine Legge * (with HMD Motorsports); 14, Santino Ferrucci
- Andretti Global: 26, Will Power; 27, Kyle Kirkwood; 28, Marcus Ericsson
- Arrow McLaren: 5, Pato O’Ward; 6, Nolan Siegel; 7, Christian Lundgaard; 31, Ryan Hunter-Reay *
- Chip Ganassi Racing: 8, Kyffin Simpson; 9, Scott Dixon; 10, Alex Palou
- Dale Coyne Racing: 18, Romain Grosjean; 19, Dennis Hauger
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: 23, Conor Daly *; 24, Jack Harvey *
- Ed Carpenter Racing: 20, Alexander Rossi; 21, Christian Rasmussen; 33, Ed Carpenter *
- Juncos Hollinger: 76, Rinus VeeKay; 77, Sting Ray Robb
- Meyer Shank Racing: 60, Felix Rosenqvist; 66, Marcus Armstrong; 06, Helio Castroneves *
- Rahal Letterman Lanigan: 15, Graham Rahal; 45, Louis Foster; 47, Mick Schumacher; 75, Takuma Sato *; reserve driver, Toby Sowery
- Team Penske: 2, Josef Newgarden; 3, Scott McLaughlin; 12, David Malukas
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter.
Cleveland, OH
The Movie Nerd Report: What’s playing at Cleveland cinemas on Mother’s Day Weekend 2026 – The Land
Hello Dear Readers of The Land! My name is Mike Wendt, I am a filmmaker and I am also the production coordinator for the Greater Cleveland Film Commission! A few years ago, I started making a weekly post on my social media dubbed the Movie Nerd Report, in which I round up the week’s offerings in the movie theaters in Northeast Ohio, as coverage from some of the local media outlets started to dwindle. We are so fortunate to have so many offerings in our region and I want to use this platform to help get the word out and now I am glad to be writing about them right here!
So for your Mother’s Day weekend, here is your Movie Nerd Report:
This Saturday at the Atlas Cinemas Lakeshore 7 (22624 Lakeshore Blvd Euclid, OH 44123) will be the “21 Days of Horror Screening and Awards Ceremony.” This annual event gives teams the opportunity to create a horror short film in 21 days, and now you get to see the results. Screening Group 1 is at 4:30 p.m. and Screening Group 2 is at 7:00 p.m., tickets are $15 for each screening group or $20 for a full day pass!
Over at the Cleveland Cinematheque (11610 Euclid Ave Cleveland, OH 44118) :
Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 9 p.m. they will present the Japanese film “Bushido.”
Thursday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 6:40 p.m. they will present a 4K Restoration of another Japanese film in “The Taste of Tea.”
Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. they will present the road trip drama featuring Akron native John Magaro in “Omaha.” The film will also be playing starting this Friday at The Nightlight Cinema in Akron.
Friday at 8:45 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m. brings a double feature from acclaimed Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa in “Chime & Cure.”
Sunday at 4:45 p.m. they will present a documentary about sculptor and woodcutter Jimmy Grashow in “Jimmy & The Demons,”
More information about the films and ticket prices are at: cinematheque.cia.edu
At the Nightlight Cinema (30 N High Street Akron, OH 44308):
Thursday at 7:45pm and Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., they will present a documentary about the recent (and long overdue) inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, “Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition!”
They will be opening a prison set drama from the executive producer of Netflix’s Adolescence in “Wasteman” with the talented actor David Jonsson.
Friday through Sunday they will present the 25th Anniversary restoration of the award winning drama “Daughters of The Dust.”
Just in time for Mother’s Day this Sunday and Wednesday, they (and a handful of other theaters in the area) will also be showing 35th Anniversary Screenings of “Fried Green Tomatoes,” so perhaps take your mom for a good cry.
More information about the films and ticket prices are at nightlightcinema.com
This weekend there is a trio of new films opening in wide release: The first is the sequel to the 2021 original in “Mortal Kombat II.” The film is expected to do quite well, but as of this writing reviews have remained embargoed.
Opening for families and featuring an all-star cast including Hugh Jackman is “The Sheep Detectives,” The plot revolves around a shepherd that is found dead and the group of sheep that aim to solve the mystery. It currently stands at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Finally, a film that I got to see early is the unlikely pairing of James Cameron and Billie Eilish in “Billie Eilish-Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour 3D” While I cannot say I am a Billie Eilish expert, I did find this film to be a unique showcase for her talent and paired with James Cameron’s flair for visuals, this was pretty good! Plus it’s good to see Cameron make something other than Avatar films for once.
So, I hope this has been a helpful guideline to all the offerings you could enjoy this upcoming week, stay tuned for more next week!
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