Midwest
Minnesota mayors say constituents ‘scared’ as fraud crisis leaves questions unanswered
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Two of the nearly 100 Minnesota mayors demanding answers about the state’s unfolding fraud crisis described a climate of relentless uncertainty that has left some constituents “scared” about what lies ahead.
“My community is reaching out to me because they’re not getting answers from DHS, from other legislators, and they’re scared. There’s so much unknown… and, as a mayor, we are the front line. We try to help them,” South St. Paul Mayor Jimmy Francis said on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday.
So far, that help has involved putting concerned constituents in contact with county officials to find the answers they seek.
“Those that are receiving those benefits are really scared and frightened of what’s next because they don’t know,” he added.
COMER SUMMONS MINNESOTA OFFICIALS AS HOUSE PROBES MASSIVE SOCIAL SERVICES FRAUD
Crosslake, Minnesota, Mayor Jackson Purfeerst, left, and South St. Paul, Minnesota, Mayor Jimmy Francis, right. (Fox & Friends)
The scandal dates back to at least 2020 and involves fraudulent billing for a wide range of government services. It largely involves, but is not limited to, the state’s Somali community.
Crosslake, Minnesota, Mayor Jackson Purfeerst spearheaded a letter co-signed by nearly 100 mayors to Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials on Monday, expressing deep concerns over the development.
“Fraud, unchecked spending and inconsistent fiscal management in St. Paul have trickled down to our cities. … Our state owes it to our citizens to practice responsible fiscal management and to stop taxing our families, seniors and businesses out of Minnesota,” the letter reads in part.
Purfeerst said the number of mayors signing on to the letter is growing and stressed the extent of the crisis afflicting Minnesotans.
AGRICULTURE SECRETARY DEMANDS MINNESOTA FIX SNAP BENEFITS FOR 4 COUNTIES IMMEDIATELY UNDER PILOT PROGRAM
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sits for an interview with Star Tribune journalists in his office at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Dec. 12, 2024. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“If we do the quick math, $9 billion in fraud divided by 5.79 million Minnesotans comes out to roughly be 1,500 bucks a person that each hardworking Minnesotan has had stolen from them,” he said.
Walz, who is running for a third term, took accountability in recent remarks to reporters.
“This is on my watch. I am accountable for this. And more importantly, I am the one that will fix it,” he said.
But Walz questioned whether federal prosecutors’ accusations that the fraud could have totaled in the billions were politically motivated.
“You should be equally outraged about $1 or whatever that number is, but they’re using that number without the proof behind it,” Walz said. “But to extrapolate what that number is for sensationalism, or to make statements about it, it doesn’t really help us.”
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A spokesperson for Walz blasted the fraud investigation in a statement published in the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“This is clearly a coordinated political attack to try to silence one of the President’s most effective critics. The Governor takes fraud seriously and wishes they would too.”
Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
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Wisconsin
Polaris to lay off 200 Wisconsin workers, close facility in Osceola
The move comes after Polaris announced it was separating from Indian Motorcycle.
Powersports company Polaris has announced it plans to wind down the operations at its facility in Osceola which specializes in manufacturing Indian Motorcycle.
The move impacts roughly 200 Wisconsin workers at the facility.
On Jan. 27, during a fourth quarter and full year earnings call for 2025, Polaris said the company expects to sell Indian Motorcycle by the end of the first quarter of 2026 to Carolwood, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles. However the company plans to maintain some stake in the company.
Polaris officials said called the sale of Indian Motorcycle was a “difficult decision” and added it was a “move that we believe is best for Polaris and Indian Motorcycle.”
In a post on X, Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin said:
“We have seen this story in Wisconsin too many times – a private equity firm buys a company, hollows it out, & fires its workers, all to pad their profits. It’s simply wrong.”
Midwest
Trump hits the road to sell economic wins, as Republicans brace for high-stakes midterm showdown
Trump to deliver speech in Iowa on energy, economy
President Trump is headed to Iowa to push his affordability agenda. FOX Business host Taylor Riggs breaks down the current economic wins Trump could highlight, including GDP growth and real wage increases.
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Facing a rough political climate as his party aims to hold their House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections, President Donald Trump on Tuesday kicks off what the White House says will be weekly stops in states with key ballot box showdowns.
It’s part of the president’s push to showcase he’s working to combat rising prices, a top issue on the minds of Americans. And as the Trump administration reels amid two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minnesota this month of U.S. citizens protesting aggressive tactics to deport millions of undocumented migrants, it’s also an effort to pivot to the economy from immigration.
Trump’s first stop is Iowa, a one-time Midwestern battleground turned red-leaning state the president carried by double digits in 2024 where Republicans are now playing defense as they defend open Senate and gubernatorial seats, as well as three competitive GOP-controlled House districts.
In suburban Des Moines, Trump will visit a local business, meet with lawmakers, and deliver an address on the economy.
SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH
President Donald Trump launched the year-long countdown to America’s 250th anniversary, with a stop at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, on July 3, 2025. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The economy is good. It’s all good. Prices are coming way down, and we have a lot of very positive news,” Trump touted as he departed for Iowa.
And ahead of the trip, a White House official told Fox News Digital, “Inflation has cooled, economic growth is accelerating, and real wages are up for American workers.”
Deep concerns over inflation boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories at the ballot box in 2024, as they won back the White House and Senate and keep their House majority.
But Democrats say their decisive victories in November’s 2025 elections, and their overperformances in special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation.
The president’s approval on the economy has consistently hovered in negative territory since last March, and has dragged down his overall approval ratings during his first year back in the White House.
Among the most recent national polls — a Wall Street Journal survey conducted earlier this month put Trump’s approval rating on the economy at 44%-54%, and he stood at 35%-56% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in the field this past weekend.
TRUMP VOWS HE’LL BE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL ‘A LOT’ THIS YEAR
“Donald Trump has tanked the economy for working families, making the cost-of-living an inescapable hell for millions of Americans. Everyday Americans are drowning under the weight of rising costs, flat wages, high unemployment, and record layoffs — it’s no wonder they’re concerned about making ends meet,” Democratic National Committee Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer argued in a statement.
But the Wall Street Journal poll indicated that congressional Republicans had an 11-point advantage over their Democratic rivals when it came to which party was better equipped to handle the economy.
Iowa is friendly ground for Trump, who convincingly won the state in his two presidential victories and one re-election defeat.
President Donald Trump celebrates his victory in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses, at a campaign event in Des Moines on Jan. 15, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
But a memo from Democratic National Committee (DNC) Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman claimed, “However hard Trump tries to explain away his failing economy, it’s abundantly clear that Americans aren’t buying it, especially in Iowa, where Trump’s policies are raising costs for Iowans, devastating Iowa’s agricultural economy, and destroying thousands of jobs that working Iowans rely on.”
The White House disagrees, with the official arguing that “Iowans are better off with President Trump and Republican leadership,” noting that gas prices in the state “ranked the second lowest in the nation.”
And pointing to the various tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s domestic legislative achievement so far in his second term, the official said, “Iowans could see their wages rise up to $61,000 over the next four years.”
TRUMP CHEERS STEADY INFLATION NUMBERS AS AFFORDABILITY FIGHT SHAPES 2026 MIDTERM BATTLE
The GOP, as it works to hold its congressional majorities, is dealing with a low propensity issue: MAGA voters who don’t always go to the polls when Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot.
But even though he’s not on the ballot this year, Trump pledged last week that he’ll be on the campaign trail “a lot” on behalf of fellow Republicans running in the midterms.
President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to deliver remarks on the U.S. economy and affordability at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, Dec. 9, 2025. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Trump made stops last month and earlier this month in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Michigan to highlight his accomplishments on the economy.
And the weekly trips advertised by the White House are a big change from Trump’s first term, when the president didn’t start his campaign travel blitz until Labor Day.
Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this month that “the President of the United States is our secret weapon… He’s laser focused.”
“We got to make sure we turn our voters out, and we got to make sure that we have people energized. And there’s nobody that can energize our base more than President Trump,” Gruters added.
And the White House official said that the president “has always been most in his element when he’s interacting with everyday Americans, and the President’s domestic travel will allow him to most effectively underscore how this Administration has and continues to deliver economic prosperity for the American people.”
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Democrats are just fine with Trump hitting the road.
“Trump has historically low approval ratings because he has put America last, sold out working families to hand out favors to billionaires, and made life unaffordable. Hitting the road will only remind Americans of his failures and force GOP candidates to tie themselves to his cratering presidency,” DNC chair Ken Martin argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit handling dozens of water main breaks amid frigid stretch
DETROIT (FOX 2) – The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is dealing with dozens of water main breaks around the city as a cold snap continues.
Gary Brown, the DWSD director, said Tuesday morning that there were “at least a couple dozen” water main breaks.
Water main break flooding:
At least three of those water main breaks led to flooding, which then resulted in frozen streets.
People on Laing near Britain, not far from Morang, have reportedly been complaining about a water main break since Monday, and 911 dispatchers have fielded calls about vehicles stuck in the ice and water.
Another water main break flooded about ⅔ of Bringard near Barlow, which is south of Eight Mile, before freezing.
Also on the east side, a water main break with less severe flooding was reported on Dequindre near State Fair.
What they’re saying:
“This is historic, regionally, to have this deep of a freeze for this long of a period of time,” Brown said.
According to Brown, the breaks have been the result of frigid temperatures and shifting.
Dozens of water main breaks reported in Detroit
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is going to be busy Tuesday, handling dozens of water main breaks around the city. Department director Gary Brown said a historic deep freeze is leading to a high number of breaks all at once.
What’s next:
Brown said the department is prioritizing which breaks get repaired first.
“The prioritization is any person or street that may be completely out of water,” he said, noting that as of Monday night, no residents were out of water.
While crews work to repair the breaks, the water department is urging residents to be patient.
“When you’ve got 30 or 40 water main breaks, we can’t get to everyone at the same time,” Brown said.
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