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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer among Kamala Harris VP choices with ‘middle of the road’ police record: union leader

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer among Kamala Harris VP choices with ‘middle of the road’ police record: union leader

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Vice President Kamala Harris’ list of potential running mates is rumored to include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose record with law enforcement has been mostly played in “the middle of the road,” one police union leader said.

Whitmer, who is in her second term as governor after climbing the political ranks, would bring experience as an attorney should she team up with Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate.

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Crime has been a significant issue for parts of Whitmer’s state, where Detroit was recently named one of the five most dangerous cities in America. She has faced criticism for a controversial program helping migrants after an illegal immigrant was charged with murdering a woman in Grand Rapids.

“Gretchen Whitmer is enabling Joe Biden’s open border policies by handing out cash to anyone who will take in unvetted illegal immigrants, undoubtedly risking the safety of our neighborhoods and communities,” Tudor Dixon, a Republican who ran against Whitmer for governor in 2022, previously told Fox News Digital. 

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is rumored as a potential running mate for Kamala Harris. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Christopher Kierkus, an assistant professor of criminal justice at Michigan’s Grand Valley State University, said on Monday, though, that “if someone had asked [him if] Governor Whitmer’s administration and her approach has made crime worse [or] better,” he would say that “it hasn’t made a huge difference.”

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Kierkus said that Whitmer has focused on gun crime, changed safe storage laws for firearms and enhanced opportunities for red flag reporting laws in an attempt to cut down on gun violence. 

“I don’t think the data is back on that about whether it’s been successful,” Kierkus said. “My gut feeling is that it won’t make a difference, but that may be my bias on the issue.”

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaigns on behalf of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at a house party in Durham, New Hampshire on July 25, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Mike Sauger, the president of the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police, said that Whitmer has been “favorable as it pertains to officer wellness funding and funding for police recruits in the academy.” 

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“However, I think she’s played the middle of the road for the most part,” Sauger told Fox News Digital on Monday. “Michigan, like many states, has a lack of qualified candidates for police jobs, and no real effort has been made for retention either. 

“We have not had any legislation, anti-police or controversial toward the police introduced this session, so we wouldn’t be able to tell how Gov. Whitmer would respond if forced to pick a side.”

WHITMER CHARGES THAT VANCE HAS ‘ABSOLUTELY BETRAYED’ HIS BLUE COLLAR VALUES

 President Joe Biden, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and US Senator Debbie Stabenow, arrive to tour the 2022 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on September 14, 2022. – Biden is visiting the auto show to highlight electric vehicle manufacturing. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

It’s unclear where Whitmer stands as a potential running mate for Harris. Whitmer told CBS Mornings on Monday that she has not been part of the vetting process so far.

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“Everything’s truncated, and [Harris] is going to make that decision probably in the next six, seven days,” Whitmer said. “I would imagine we’ll know who her running mate is, and we’ll get ready for convention.”

Whitmer said that she intends to serve out the remainder of her term as Michigan’s governor until 2026. 

Last week, she told reporters that she was “not interested in doing [anything] other than this job for the next two and a half years,” as she signed Michigan’s education budget – but it is unclear whether she could be persuaded to vacate the seat if she were tapped for vice president.

HARRIS SNUBS ONE OF THE FEW DEMS OPEN TO BEING HER VP: REPORT

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative meeting at the Hilton Midtown on Sept. 19, 2023 in New York City. (John Nacion/WireImage)

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Whitmer’s political career took off in 2006 when she won a special election to the state senate, serving in that chamber until 2015, and becoming its first female Democratic leader from 2011 to 2015.

During a debate on abortion in 2013, Whitmer garnered national attention for a speech on the Michigan state senate floor on abortion in which she shared her own experience with sexual assault.

For six months in 2016, she served as Ingham County’s prosecutor. Two years later, she was elected governor, ousting state Attorney General and Republican nominee Bill Schuette.

She secured her second term in 2022 against Dixon, a businesswoman and conservative political commentator.

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is serving her second term. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)

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In July 2022, Whitmer signed an executive directive to reduce crime and gun violence, saying that “as a former prosecutor, public safety [was] a top priority for [her].” 

“Today, far too many families in Michigan do not feel safe in their neighborhood because of crime and gun violence,” she said at the time.

“That is unacceptable – we must stop the violence and hold people accountable,” she continued. “We need to tackle both crime and gun violence simultaneously because they are inextricably linked to nearly 1 in 3 reported violent crimes involve a firearm… that’s why I worked to give law enforcement the resources they need in my bipartisan budget.” 

If Whitmer were selected as Harris’ running mate, both tickets would have a candidate who nearly fell victim to a plot against them. 

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In October 2020, the FBI announced the arrest of 13 men for orchestrating a domestic terror plot to kidnap the Michigan governor, as well as other charges related to using violence to overthrow the state’s government.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown dealing with knee injury

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Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown dealing with knee injury


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Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is dealing with a knee injury, though Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated he does not believe it’s serious.

St. Brown was listed as a non-participant on the Lions’ estimated practice report Monday, Dec. 22.

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The Lions held a walk-through Monday in advance of this week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday (4:30 p.m., Netflix). Campbell said St. Brown showed up to the practice facility after the team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and reported the injury.

“We’ll know more a little bit later but this is just something that just popped up when he came in today,” Campbell said. “So hopeful this is something [that’s] just some type of irritation from the game. That’s what I’m hoping.”

St. Brown leads the Lions with 98 catches, 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns and needs two catches over the Lions’ final two games for his fourth straight 100-catch season.

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Taylor Decker (shoulder) and Avonte Maddox (back) also were listed as non-participants on Monday’s practice report, and the Lions listed nine others as limited participants including starters Marcus Davenport (shoulder), Graham Glasgow (knee), Christian Mahogany (fibula), Alim McNeill (abdomen) and Amik Robertson (hand).

The Lions (8-7) must win their final two games and have the Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) lose their final two games to make the playoffs.

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on BlueskyX and Instagram at @davebirkett.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee daycare van stolen with kids inside; 27-year-old woman accused

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Milwaukee daycare van stolen with kids inside; 27-year-old woman accused


A 27-year-old Milwaukee woman is accused of stealing a running daycare van that had four young children inside. The accused is Katelyn Librizzi – and she faces the following criminal counts: 

  • Operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent
  • Abduction of a child

Case details

What we know:

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According to the criminal complaint, a Milwaukee police detective responded around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16 to an abduction investigation near Appleton and Burleigh. A 911 call came from the owner of a daycare center indicating that a woman “jumped into her van and pulled off with her children inside,” the complaint says. That second person was later identified as Katelyn Librizzi, the defendant.

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A short time later, Milwaukee police conducted a high-risk traffic stop. The defendant was the driver and was arrested. The complaint says four young children were seated inside the van.

When police spoke with the daycare owner, she said she called 911 from the daycare because her personal cellphone was in the van that had been stolen.

Inside the recovered van, police found medical documents listed to the defendant, the complaint says. Investigators also used the daycare owner’s cellphone to get geolocation data, which showed the van’s path.

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On Dec. 17, a detective interviewed the defendant who “indicated she had mental health issues,” the complaint says. The detective also reported Librizzi “was making statements and comments that are not typically mentioned in interviews,” the complaint says. Librizzi also told police “she had been driving and saw little kids in the back of the vehicle. The defendant also reported that the police pulled her over. She reported that the can had been running in front of a daycare,” the complaint says.

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What’s next:

Librizzi appeared in Milwaukee County court on Sunday, Dec. 21. Cash bond was set at $10,000. The court also ordered Librizzi to undergo a competency examination.

The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access and the criminal complaint associated with this case.

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Minneapolis, MN

Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of Minneapolis real estate agent

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Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of Minneapolis real estate agent


Lyndon Wiggins, the man convicted of plotting to kidnap and kill a Minneapolis real estate agent and mother on New Year’s Eve 2019, was sentenced to life behind bars on Monday without the possibility of parole.

Lyndon Wiggins sentenced

What we know:

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In court on Monday, Wiggins faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the murder of Monique Baugh.

Before handing down that sentence, Judge Mark Kappelhoff told Wiggins he showed no regard for the lives of Baugh or her partner during the scheme that resulted in Baugh’s murder.

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“Based on my view of the evidence, it’s clear to me that you are the criminal architect of a cold, calculated and cruel criminal scheme that led to the kidnaping and ultimately to the tragic, senseless and brutal murder of Ms. Baugh and the attempted murder of [her partner],” the judge said. “I guess I’ll never fully understand the full reasons behind that, but I don’t know that necessarily matters. Life is precious, but you showed no regard for the lives of Monique Baugh or [her boyfriend].”

Monique Baugh murder plot

Timeline:

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Wiggins’ sentencing followed his second conviction in Baugh’s murder earlier this year.

Wiggins was originally convicted in 2021 for Baugh’s murder, but the conviction was overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2024 due to bad jury instructions during the trial.

In November, Wiggins was again convicted of aiding/abetting first-degree premeditated murder, aiding/abetting first-degree premeditated attempted murder, aiding/abetting kidnapping to commit great bodily harm, and aiding/abetting first-degree murder while committing the crime of kidnapping.

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The backstory:

Wiggins was accused of being the mastermind of the plot to kill Baugh in 2019 with help from his romantic partner Elsa Segura, co-defendant Berry Davis and Cedric Berry.

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The group lured Baugh to a home in Maple Grove for a fake home showing. There, Baugh was forced into a U-Haul truck and brought to an alleyway in Minneapolis where she was shot three times, execution style, at point-blank range.

Segura pleaded guilty to kidnapping in 2024 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Berry and Davis were both convicted by a jury and both sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

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Wiggins allegedly targeted Baugh because she was dating a man who Wiggins viewed as a rival drug dealer. Court records also suggest Wiggins and Baugh’s boyfriend had a falling out over a rap record label they were both involved in.

Crime and Public SafetyMinneapolisMaple Grove



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