Midwest
Ramaswamy rips media focus on 'fringe' narrative during Springfield, Ohio visit: The city's issues are 'real'
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy slammed the legacy media’s fixation on a “fringe aspect” of the real turmoil facing Springfield, Ohio as a result of the influx of Haitian migrants.
“I think that there is a temptation, social media included, but traditional media included as well, to pick on some fringe aspect of a really important discussion,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital during a press gaggle Thursday. “So when people are having, exchanging heated thoughts about an important subject affecting Americans, they’re going to say things in a way that wasn’t practiced, rehearsed or tested through consultant-vetting and filters. And I think that’s a good thing. I think it’s better that we make mistakes of saying maybe too much that’s raw, rather than self-censoring and saying too much.”
“And I think the media in this particular case has latched on to some fringe elements of that discussion, right? Some side topics that really are not close to the most important issue here and have used that to sweep under the rug actual real challenges created by, not small, but mass migration to this community,” he continued.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY HOSTS TOWN HALL IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO AS RESIDENTS SHARE CONCERNS ABOUT CITY’S MIGRANT INFLUX
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy takes questions from the press during a press gaggle on September 19, 2024 in Springfield, Ohio. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
The Ohio native and Donald Trump supporter pointed to the estimated 20,000 people that have arrived in Springfield with a population of roughly 60,000, stressing that such an influx has strained the city’s resources and affected their school and health care systems, as well as social services.
“That is real. That’s not an issue that you can sweep under the rug just by … airlifting some word that someone said and pretend like that’s the real story while actually failing to focus on the actual real story. So that’s one of my goals from this visit,” Ramaswamy added before his town hall.
When asked whether former President Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, bear any responsibility for shifting the focus away from the key issues, Ramaswamy responded by stressing that the issues plaguing Springfield had been occurring long before Trump’s debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, where his inflammatory accusation about Haitians went viral.
HAITIAN INFLUX CAUSING ONE MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AMONG SPRINGFIELD RESIDENTS
Ramaswamy met with Haitian community leaders and Springfield officials at City Hall ahead of his town hall with residents. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)
That said, he saw the optimism that the federal policies of the Biden-Harris administration are finally getting attention after “nobody” in the media was talking about them.
“And in the last two weeks, we are talking about it. Maybe not in exactly the way that will help solve the problem yet, but I hope that now this will move us to a stage in the dialog where we will get actual constructive solutions,” Ramaswamy said.
Springfield has been hit with a tidal wave of national media coverage as the city’s struggles with the migrant crisis have become a wedge issue in the 2024 race.
Ramaswamy, who grew up in Ohio, arrived at City Hall to participate in meetings with Haitian community leaders, as well as city officials, before hosting a town hall with Springfield residents.
HAITIAN REFUGEES ‘DON’T UNDERSTAND THE LAWS,’ FORMER LAWMAKER SAYS AMID FATAL WRECK, CULTURAL CLASHES
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy hosted a town hall in Springfield, Ohio on Sept. 19, 2024 as the city has been engulfed in 2024 politics. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)
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Many residents raised concerns about safety and crime in Springfield and accused city officials of not caring about the plight of their constituents. Ramaswamy defended city officials, based on his takeaway from his meeting with some of them.
“I actually think they do care, at least the subset I met with,” Ramaswamy said. “But I will tell you what I do see happening in the country. I think there’s a culture of fear, actually. I think the reason they’re not here tonight is not because they don’t care about this, it’s because they’re scared.”
“These are just good, patriotic Americans who love their country and city who are struggling, because the people who they elected to run their federal government all the way down have let them down. And you don’t have to be scared of actually being face to face with your fellow citizens,” he added.
Fox News’ Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
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Kansas
Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.
According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.
Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.
On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
No further information has been released.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Michigan
2 Smoothie King employees fired for refusing to serve customer in Trump hoodie
Two employees who refused to serve a man and his wife because he was wearing a hoodie with President Trump’s name on it were fired after a video of the heated encounter went viral.
Erika Lindemyer and her husband, Jake, were forced out of a Smoothie King franchise location in Ann Arbor, Michigan, following a fiery clash with two young female workers on Sunday.
The employees claimed they didn’t “feel comfortable” serving the couple because of Jake’s pro-Trump hoodie, as captured by Erika in a viral video.
Jake and Erika fired back at the pair and insisted that they were being “discriminated” against based on their “political views.”
“We were just wanting a smoothie and you literally looked at us and I asked you if everything was OK and you said ‘We don’t feel comfortable serving you’ because of my husband’s hoodie. That is discrimination,” Erika spat.
“Okay, well, have a great day,” the first employee said.
“That is illegal,” Erika tried to insist again.
“I said Trump discriminates [against] us,” another employee chimed in.
“Okay, well that has nothing to do with us getting a smoothie!” Erika guffawed.
“OK, well that’s who you support though, that’s who you love,” the first employee chided.
“What’s embarrassing is that we’re American citizens and I wanted to get a smoothie,” Erika huffed.
The second employee noted that they “have a right to refuse service” and directed the couple to the exit.
“You asked a question and [the other employee] gave you an answer. Have a great day. Have a great day. The door’s right there,” the second worker said.
Trump merchandise. Leftism/X
Erika threatened to call the police while storming out, but it’s unclear if she did.
In a separate video shared Monday, one of the workers joked that she might’ve “accidentally started a race war” and called on the public to help remove Erika’s video.
“I am a minor and she recorded me without my permission. The people in the comments are all white and they’re all being hella racist, guys, please help me get this video taken down,” she implored.
Smoothie King confirmed that the girls involved in the viral confrontation “are no longer with the business” as of Monday.
“As a brand, Smoothie King is committed to ensuring our stores are a place free of discrimination of any kind, where every guest and team member is treated with care and respect,” the company wrote on X.
The owner of the Ann Arbor franchise location will also enforce “mandatory retraining for all employees that outlines our guest experience standards.”
In early December, a woman who worked at a Target in California was berated by a customer for wearing a Charlie Kirk “Freedom” T-shirt.
When the employee insisted she was allowed to wear the red shirt, the irate customer accused her of supporting “a racist.”
The medical center where the agitated customer worked was bombarded with upwards of 6,000 “profanity-laced” phone calls after online sleuths doxxed her personal information.
Minnesota
Minnesota sues to block Trump administration’s withholding of Medicaid funds
Minnesota on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration in an attempt to stop it from withholding $243 million in Medicaid spending, warning it may have to cut health care for low-income families if the funding is held back.
The lawsuit asked a U.S. court in Minneapolis to issue a temporary restraining order to block the withholding for Medicaid, which is the health care safety net for low-income Americans.
The move came after Vice President JD Vance said last week the administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office has a strong track record of fighting Medicaid fraud and has won more than 300 convictions and $80 million in judgments and restitutions during his time in office.
“Trump’s attempts to look like he’s fighting fraud only punish the people and families who most need the high-quality, affordable healthcare that all Minnesotans deserve,” Ellison said in a statement. “As long as I am attorney general, I will do everything in my power to defend our tax dollars, both from fraudsters and from the Trump administration’s cruelty.”
The lawsuit names the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as Dr. Mehmet Oz, in his official capacity as CMS administrator, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his official capacity as HHS secretary.
The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes CMS, didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment late Monday.
The threatened cuts amount to roughly 7% of Minnesota’s quarterly Medicaid funding, Ellison’s office said in a news release. Minnesota could be required to significantly cut health care services for low-income families or other government services if the cuts take effect, it said.
Medicaid, which is known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota, provides health insurance to 1.2 million Minnesotans who would otherwise be unable to afford it. A family of four may qualify for Medical Assistance with an income at or under $42,759, the attorney general’s office said.
The lawsuit said the administration violated due process procedures because it was taking hundreds of millions of dollars without proving Minnesota’s noncompliance with Medicaid regulations through discovery and an evidentiary hearing.
It alleged the administration failed to provide Minnesota with details about its decision, in violation of federal law. It cited legal precedents, including one that said Congress may impose conditions on states’ acceptance of federal funds, but “’the conditions must be set out unambiguously.’”
Minnesota’s complaint further charged the administration violated the Constitution because the withholding imposed retroactive conditions on Minnesota’s Medicaid funding.
It said withholding the funds was arbitrary, capricious and part of a pattern of political punishment of Minnesota.
The administration said it would hold off on paying $259.5 million to Minnesota for Medicaid spending in the fourth quarter of 2025. Minnesota’s lawsuit challenges the withholding of $243 million of this money.
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