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.”
![Tim Walz Kamala Harris](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RNC-blasts-Walz-adminx27s-nonanswer-on-how-noncitizens-made-it.jpg)
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’).
![Walz at a polling place](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725596537_796_RNC-blasts-Walz-adminx27s-nonanswer-on-how-noncitizens-made-it.jpg)
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)
HARRIS VP PICK MINNESOTA GOV TIM WALZ LAVISHED ILLEGAL MIGRANTS WITH TAXPAYER-FUNDED ‘BLANKET OF BENEVOLENCE’
“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?”
![Tim Walz speaking](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725596537_521_RNC-blasts-Walz-adminx27s-nonanswer-on-how-noncitizens-made-it.jpg)
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.”
Read the full article from Here
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions Reward Florida Teacher, Student Who Adopted Team
![Detroit Lions Reward Florida Teacher, Student Who Adopted Team Detroit Lions Reward Florida Teacher, Student Who Adopted Team](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2400,h_1350,x_0,y_250/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_lions/01j72c2erydwrrfg4h7t.jpg)
The Detroit Lions’ impact and fanbase reach far beyond the city limits of their town.
Detroit has generated plenty of fans since head coach Dan Campbell took over, as he has helped lead the team from the bottom of the NFC North to a legitimate Super Bowl favorite.
One of the groups of people who will be following the Lions’ 2024 season quite closely is the third-grade class of Mary Crippen, a teacher at Pinecrest Elementary School in the Miami area who has conducted several football-themed lessons in her classroom.
Dan Campbell Epic New Applebee’s Commercial Released
The best teacher in America award!
Goes to @maryisbananas #DetroitLions #OnePride #NFL
pic.twitter.com/ZqAxE8uOBV— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) September 5, 2024
Last year, Crippen used Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s quest for 2,000 receiving yards to teach her class math. This year, for her math lesson, Crippen has elected to use the combined receiving yardage of Hill and Jaylen Waddle to help teach math.
Additionally, students in Crippen’s class each drafted an NFL team to help learn geography. One student chose the Lions, and the student had a special surprise in store from the team recently in class.
Crippen posted a video on social media of the heartwarming moment, in which she reveals to the lucky student that the Lions had sent a package of memorabilia.
Each student received a Lions magnet, a One Pride bracelet and sunglasses. The student who picked the Lions, Maxine, also received a bobblehead of the team’s mascot, Roary, and a signed football.
Crippen used the opportunity to explain to the students the kindness of the gesture from the team.
“The biggest thing here that I’m learning (is) sportsmanship. They didn’t have to give you guys things, you didn’t draft their team. But, they wanted to be what? They wanted to be kind, right?” Crippen said.
“So, as you’re going throughout the season and you’re playing other teams, should you wish bad luck on other teams? Should you wish for other teams to get hurt? No, you should always wish for the best for others. You should always be kind. The Lions didn’t have to give you anything, they didn’t have to give us anything. They didn’t, but they did, and that was a really cool and kind thing to do.”
Milwaukee, WI
Activists, sister of Samuel Sharpe critical of police at public meeting; chief speaks on incident
![Activists, sister of Samuel Sharpe critical of police at public meeting; chief speaks on incident Activists, sister of Samuel Sharpe critical of police at public meeting; chief speaks on incident](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/03/PMJS/74661438007-240803-news-sam-sharpe-jr-funeral-p-12.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4279,2408,x0,y835&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Scenes from the vigil for Samuel Sharpe Jr.
Scenes from the vigil for Samuel Sharpe Jr., the Milwaukee man shot and killed by five Columbus, Ohio, police officers on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
Activists and the sister of the man killed by out-of-state police during the Republican National Convention criticized the officers and the Milwaukee police’s messaging of security plans at a public meeting on Thursday night.
Angelique Sharpe — whose brother Samuel Sharpe Jr. died on June 16 during the second day of the convention — spoke at a meeting of the city’s Fire and Police Commission, the oversight body for the city’s police and fire departments. She joined with activists to criticize the Milwaukee Police Department and the Columbus, Ohio officers involved in the shooting.
“My brother’s life will not be in vain. People are going to be held accountable,” Sharpe said to the commission during public comments. “This whole situation needs to be properly investigated and looked at holistically and systemic change needs to happen.”
Columbus, Ohio police shot and killed Sam Sharpe as he wielded two knives and moved toward another man, bodycam footage shows. The situation happened rapidly, with about 15 seconds passing between when officers first saw Sharpe and opening fire.
Sharpe’s family has said at memorials and other events he was acting in self-defense. They’ve described him as a strongly devout man who chose to become unsheltered in an attempt to spread his faith.
Activists and his sister have criticized what they described as a lack of de-escalation attempts, the number of shots fired and the lack of local police officers with the group of Ohio officers.
Miriam Horowitz, the chair of the Fire and Police Commission, asked Norman to elaborate on why the Columbus, Ohio officers were at the park and for issues around communication of out-of-town officers’ roles.
A Milwaukee police official told the Journal Sentinel before the convention that out-of-town officers would be placed in non-“forward facing” roles.
“Our intent is to place them in positions where they’re not necessarily forward facing,” Milwaukee Police Inspector David Feldmeier said at the time. “We would like our officers, our MPD officers, to be the ones to have contact with the community.”
Norman said he was limited in what he could say, due to the ongoing investigation into the shooting, but said he didn’t know how the “message got out there” that the non-Milwaukee officers would not engage with the community, but said it was intended they would not be in any “critical areas.”
He conceded the officers should’ve been accompanied by a Milwaukee police officer.
“If we were having officers in certain roles that would have to have a navigation of the lay of the land, we should have had an officer with those officers,” he said. “So, there’s been no lack of accountability or standing forth in regard to owning that.”
Norman said he would be able to talk further on the shooting once the investigation is complete. The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team, led by the Greenfield Police Department, is investigating the fatal shooting.
Activists from the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression spoke in support of Sharpe during the meeting. The group lobbed harsh criticisms at Norman and noted their early reservations at having out-of-town police involved in the Republican National Convention.
![](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/07/17/PMJS/74438285007-20240717-mjs-rnc-mayor-briefing-alison-dirr-2.jpeg?crop=4028,2267,x2,y755)
Cavalier Johnson’s RNC Day 3 morning briefing includes fatal shooting
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s RNC Day 3 morning briefing included details on the fatal police shooting of a Milwaukee man.
They were critical of Norman and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s comments after the shooting that the officers had saved a life.
“I’m also here in utter disgust and disappointment with the Milwaukee Police Department,” Lo Cross said. “Saying that you saved a life when that wasn’t even the original purpose of Columbus police being in that area anyways is downright flagrant and disrespectful.”
During the meeting, Sharpe and Norman spoke in city hall for about 10 minutes. Sharpe said the police chief gave his condolences to her again for her brother’s death and she told him of her frustrations of attempting to communicate with the department for updates on the investigation.
Sharpe said she appreciated the chief’s willingness to express his condolences and willingness to say a Milwaukee officer should have been with the Ohio police.
Sharpe said the shooting of her brother has been limited in its telling, with many only focusing on the moment he died and not what led up to it in the days prior. During her public comment, Sharpe said her brother had called them the day before to tell them of a confrontation he had with the other man in the incident.
“My brother he had a whole life. He had a whole story,” Sharpe said outside of the meeting chambers.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis City Council approves year extension for activists to purchase Roof Depot for indoor urban farm
![Minneapolis City Council approves year extension for activists to purchase Roof Depot for indoor urban farm Minneapolis City Council approves year extension for activists to purchase Roof Depot for indoor urban farm](https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/startribunemedia/574I5BI5HNEVNBLYC5HWC357JQ.jpg)
Just one week before the final deadline for East Phillips environmental activists to come up with $11.4 million to buy a city-owned warehouse for their vision of an indoor urban farm, the Minneapolis City Council on Thursday granted the activists a one-year extension to get the funding.
It’s the latest twist in the long fight of East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) to gain control of the former Roof Depot warehouse at E. 28th Street and Longfellow Avenue.
For a decade, neighborhood activists have opposed the city’s plans to build a Public Works yard for water maintenance staff, equipment and diesel vehicles — something that city staff said would benefit Minneapolis as a whole despite concentrating more air pollution in the heavily industrialized, working class East Phillips neighborhood.
Council Member Jason Chavez, who represents East Phillips, and his council predecessor Alondra Cano have long opposed building a municipal water yard in the Ninth Ward, while other council members have waffled on the thorny issue.
On Thursday, Chavez won the unanimous support of his colleagues at the City Council meeting for a resolution to extend the funding deadline to September 2025 for EPNI, which was unlikely to come up with the money by the previous deadline of next week.
“This item today that I am bringing forward is a collaborative effort with the mayor’s administration, City Council, staff and the community I represent to find a viable pathway forward, and it shows what we can do when we all work together,” Chavez said.
“I’m proud of the tenacity of East Phillips neighbors, their persistence on human rights and advocacy for clean air. It’s one of the reasons why Ward Nine continues to be hopeful for the future.”
After years of protests and lawsuits, Minneapolis officials gave up on plans to build a water yard at Roof Depot and agreed to sell EPNI the property, provided the group produced a $3.7 million personal guaranty and the Legislature provided $2 million in 2023 followed by $5.7 million in 2024. The Legislature also has committed $4.5 million to Minneapolis to find a new site for its water yard.
-
World1 week ago
Swiss court convicts two executives of embezzling $1.8bn from 1MDB
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Slingshot (2024) – Movie Review
-
World1 week ago
Commission mandarin flags convergence of digital with industry
-
World1 week ago
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 915
-
News1 week ago
Trump Vs Harris: The Battle Over Hot Mics Heats Up Ahead Of Key Debate
-
News1 week ago
After months on the run, a murder suspect falls through the ceiling and into custody
-
News1 week ago
The rise of the Pumpkin Spice Latte : It's Been a Minute
-
World1 week ago
Economic portfolios are key in talks to chose new EU commissioners