Minnesota
Kathy Griffin picks her favorite Minnesota politician — and the one she can no longer stand
A: One time I was selling so well in beautiful Minneapolis, at the height of “My Life on the D-List.” Our three shows sold so well, we tried to add a fourth, but couldn’t until three months later. I was so paranoid that the same people might show up that I wrote a completely different two-hour act. I think because I’m from Illinois, I have a kinship with Minneapolis. There’s a Midwestern common sense. Of course, not everywhere in Minnesota is Minneapolis. No shade, but if I’m going to play rural Minnesota, I‘d have to switch it up, just like my shows in Chicago would be different than the ones in Peoria. In Minneapolis, I can do more nervy stuff. I can be my proud, lefty, Commie, Kamala Harris-lovin’ self. And now that I get Tim Walz, I defy people to protest me.
Q: You’re still getting protesters?
A: There’s still people who show up with pictures of Joe Biden tied up and gagged, or lunatics that take their perfectly nice vehicles and plaster them with pictures of Trump as Rambo. Rambo? Really? But I have a feeling they’re not going to show up in Minneapolis.
Q: You’ve been open about your struggle with depression and your suicide attempt. What got you out of that funk?
A: Even in those low moments, I realized that someday, somehow I’ll find something funny in it. Humor has dug me out of every hole. When I tried to off myself, I was thinking that if I can’t do stand-up again, I don’t want to live. If I couldn’t do stand-up now, I would struggle with it, but I think I’d be OK-ish. There were a number of people who should have known better. I got crapped on by Al Franken. I was going to host two book events for him. He called me the day that photo came out and said, “What were you thinking? I can’t be seen with you.” I cried so hard. I couldn’t believe my ears.
Q: If Al called you now, would you make up with him?
Vice President JD Vance: ‘I stand with ICE’
Vice President JD Vance said he stands with ICE agents after the fatal shooting of a woman at a protest in Minnesota.
Childhood vaccine schedule gets lighter
Kids in the United States will now have four fewer recommended vaccines on their childhood vaccine schedule, the Department of Health and Human Services announced. The four vaccines are for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A, which will now be considered a shared decision between parents and doctors. Insurers will continue covering the vaccines regardless of the category, the HHS said. The administration says the move aligns the U.S. vaccine schedule with that of other developed nations; public health experts say the decision puts children’s health at risk.
Fraud scandal drags down Tim Walz
A bare-knuckles 2026 campaign season has barely begun, and it has already knocked out one high-profile candidate. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, dogged by a scandal that saw hundreds of millions of dollars in state Medicaid payouts exposed as possibly fraudulent, says he will not seek reelection. “I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election,” Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential campaign, said in a statement. Dozens of people in Minnesota have been charged with stealing taxpayer dollars in what the Justice Department called the “largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.”
I’ll have a sniff and a slice
Candle shoppers are still melting down over some of the offerings in Bath & Body Works’ “Perfect Pairings” collection − in particular, the Pizza & Ranch candle, which promises notes of “gooey cheese, crispy pepperonis and ranch.” The fragrance, released in December as one of the “fun and unexpected” fragrances for Candle Day 2025, brought reactions that border on the unprintable, including one that referenced a Diaper Genie pail. Other scents were Coffee & Donuts, Chips & Salsa and Popcorn & Slushie. As of Jan. 5, only the Chips & Salsa candle was available on the company’s website, and alas, there was no word on restocking.
The great Oscars countdown has begun
Roll out the red carpets and chill the champagne: Hollywood’s race for the Oscars kicked off Jan. 4 with the Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, where “Sinners” and “Frankenstein” led the field with four wins each. “One Battle After Another” won best picture; for best actor and actress, Timothée Chalamet of “Marty Supreme” and Jessie Buckley of “Hamnet” took home the trophies. Next up on the watch list: the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11. Hollywood’s biggest night, the Academy Awards, comes March 15.
Snoop goes unleashed in his NBA game call
Coaches clashing with officials is nothing new, but this brouhaha came with a Snoop Dogg play-by-play – and a rebuke from the coach’s mom. The coach was the Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr, who had to be restrained after he was ejected from the game in a dispute over a missed goaltending call against the LA Clippers. “Steve’s raining fire on them. Woo-hoo!” barked Snoop, a guest analyst for Peacock. “The Arizona Wildcat came out. … Rawr, rawr!” Later, Kerr said he was amused by Snoop’s call, but his mother, who was at the game, was “terribly disappointed in me.” − Compiled and written by Robert Abitbol
Protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are continuing across the Triangle this week, fueled by anger and fear after a woman was shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation Wednesday in Minnesota.
Adali Abeldanez, owner of Moroleon Supermarket in Durham, said fear is impacting daily life and local businesses, including his own.
“People are still stressed and worried,” he said.
Abeldanez said he has seen a noticeable change in customer behavior since ICE operations intensified. While his store has offered delivery services for years, he noticed requests surged in November, when ICE was in the state, and have remained high.
“That uptick in delivery – do you believe that’s directly tied to people’s fear about ICE?” WRAL asked Abeldanez.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said.
He said some store clients are afraid to leave their homes and are relying on organized deliveries instead. Abeldanez said his wife is undocumented and frightened, a feeling he said is widely shared in the immigrant community.
>> Q&A: NC lawyers warn immigrant communities to stay home amid enforcement sweeps in Raleigh
>> Do ICE agents have absolute immunity? No, experts say, but it’s not easy for a state to prosecute
Abeldanez believes ICE agents need more training and greater accountability.
“They’re dealing with people — human beings. It’s life,” he said. “The law should be enforced, but obviously with due process and taking into consideration humanity, being humane.”
He also criticized what he described as racial profiling; he said agents approach people in public spaces based on appearance rather than targeted investigations.
“They should have some kind of plan to know where to go, who to look for, and not just randomly pick people,” Abeldanez said.
Despite his concerns, Abeldanez said he felt encouraged by this week’s protests, as long as they remain peaceful.
“As long as it’s something peaceful, I feel proud,” he said. “Seeing people protest in favor of protecting the immigrant community — I think that’s awesome.”
But while both sides believe peaceful protesting is important, the divide is regarding ICE’s actions.
Matt Mercer, communications director for the North Carolina Republican Party, said the Minnesota shooting involved an agent acting in self-defense, citing video evidence and injuries the agent sustained.
“There’s a human element where someone loses their life, which you never want to see,” Mercer said. “But the video speaks for itself.”
Mercer said recent confrontations with ICE agents are not peaceful protests but attempts to obstruct federal law enforcement.
“If you wish to protest, do that in ways you can traditionally protest,” Mercer said. “Surrounding agents, obstructing vehicles or creating chaos is not legitimate protest.”
The Minnesota incident remains under investigation. Meanwhile, protests in the Triangle are expected to continue, including one Friday night in Durham.
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