Midwest
Sen Eric Schmitt preps for Congressional Baseball Game, hopes Trump could attend
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The schedule of the average congressional lawmaker is usually packed with meetings, hearings, television appearances and more.
However, some have June 11 circled on the calendar this year.
It is the time when any bad blood between Republicans and Democrats can go from the steps of Capitol Hill to the dirt and green grass at Nationals Park – the home of MLB’s Washington Nationals.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) rounds the bases during the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity at Nationals Park on June 12, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
The Congressional Baseball Game is an annual event that pits the Republican and Democratic members of the House of Representatives and the Senate against each other on the diamond. The game has been played since 1909, when the Democrats defeated the Republicans 26-16. It has been played each year since then – aside from a handful of cancellations.
The Republicans hold the series lead and are on a four-game winning streak. GOP lawmakers won last year’s game, 31-11.
The game is something Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., looks forward to each year. Schmitt is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan and played baseball at Truman State University. Schmitt released a sizzle reel before last year’s game and ended up having a few big hits in the blowout win.
“I feel good,” Schmitt told Fox News Digital ahead of the game. “We’ve got a good team and our coach, Roger Williams, gets us out there in the mornings pretty early for practices. So we’ve been out there sort of getting your timing back, taking fly balls. But there’s no substitute. The game, being in a Major League stadium with 30,000 people there, it’s for a great cause, has been a lot of fun.
“So, I enjoy it. I was joking with one of the other outfielders last year. I was like, ‘This is what I really wanted to do with my life – be in the Major League outfield for the Cardinals’ – but I ended up in the Senate. We get to do this once a year. It’s a lot of fun.”
Schmitt said the “most important thing” is winning the game and not breaking the scoring record which Democrats set in 1928, when they scored 36 runs in the game.
One of the key aspects of the game is the charity component. Both sides of the aisle raise money for Congressional Sports for Charity, which “provides support to worthy and effective charities serving vulnerable children and families in the Washington DC area as well as scholarships to deserving local youth,” according to the game’s website.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) and Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) celebrate with Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX) during the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity at Nationals Park on June 12, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
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“These charities include the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the Washington Nationals Philanthropies along with the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund in gratitude to the brave officers at the Republican practice shooting on June 14, 2017,” the website said.
“My family comes in town. Our whole office is there. So, it’s a blast,” Schmitt said. “I think already this year they’re up to $2.8 million raised for local charities here. So, it’s a great cause and it’s a lot of fun and has become kind of a social thing for staff and others to go to the game. But for me, you get on that field, and you want to perform, and that’s a lot of fun.”
Presidents have been known to attend the game.
President Woodrow Wilson threw out the first pitch twice in the 1917 game as Clark Griffiths was unable to catch the ball. He also tossed the ball to a House rep in 1918. President Barack Obama attended the game in 2015, and President Joe Biden was there in 2021.
It is unclear if President Donald Trump will show up, but Schmitt was in favor of having him there.
“That’d be great. I don’t know if it’s on his calendar or not, or my friend (Vice President) JD Vance, I think it would be great to have him there,” Schmitt told Fox News Digital. “The first two years I played in the game, Biden was president. He was, you know, it’s a little different story there, but I would love to have President Trump there.
“I’ve actually gotten to play golf with President Trump. He knows a lot about sports. In fact, on Trump Force One and some of the campaign stops, we would have conversations about the greatest right-handed hitter of all time. Of course, my pick was Albert Pujols. But he knows his sports, and it’s a lot of fun kinda talking sports with him.”
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., delivers remarks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the expected nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Jack Gruber-USA TODAY)
Schmitt joked he did show the president a few highlights from the Congressional Baseball Game.
The teams for the Republicans and Democrats are set. Schmitt is one of four senators playing in the game.
Sens. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, will compete with Schmitt.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit’s Inbolt Launches Vision-enabled Robot Programming
Inbolt, the Detroit-based robot intelligence company, is launching two new capabilities that complete the company’s AI vision model for robot guidance: Inbolt Robot Programming and an expanded Inbolt Robot Control.
Both technologies will debut at the Automate 2026 trade show at Chicago’s McCormick Place from June 22-25.
“Robot deployment still takes weeks because the digital twin never matches the real factory floor, engineers hand-tune every trajectory during commissioning,” says Rudy Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Inbolt. “With Robot Programming, the Vision Model, and Robot Control on a single platform, that gap closes.
“Engineers build the program from the CAD, our vision model locates the real part, and the robot executes the planned path. One platform from perception to motion, on the robots manufacturers already own. That’s AI perception built for the factory floor.”
With Robot Programming and Robot Control, Inbolt says it covers the full path from virtual commissioning to adaptive robot motion control, for stationary and moving-line applications.
Until now, the company says, deploying a robot on a factory floor took weeks as engineers carefully build digital twins of the production line, then spent the commissioning window touching up trajectories point by point because the virtual environment never fully matches reality. If the robot is anchored 2mm off, or parts arrive in unrepeatable positions, every path gets re-taught and tuned by hand.
With the latest release of Inbolt Robot Programming, the programming capability inside Inbolt Studio removes that step entirely. Engineers build the program directly on the CAD model, in the part’s own reference frame. At runtime, the Inbolt Vision Model locates the real part and adjusts the robot’s motion to execute the planned path exactly.
“No teach pendant. No iterative tuning. No separate workflow for moving lines,” says Cohen. “Weeks of commissioning now works in one shot. The digital twin and the factory floor are the same thing.”
The CAD-based release is available for FANUC, Universal Robots, and Yaskawa on dynamic (moving line) applications, with broader brand coverage on the roadmap. Two of Inbolt’s four Automate 2026 booth demonstrations will run it live, so visitors can watch the system go from CAD to executable robot motion in front of them.
“Automate in Chicago is where we plant our flag in the U.S.,” says Albane Dersy, co-founder and COO of Inbolt. “Four live demos, two product launches, a deep integration with FANUC and NVIDIA on the show floor, and a panel on the future of physical AI. Our U.S. footprint has expanded across Stellantis, GM, and Toyota plants this year, our team has doubled, and the U.S. contingent doubles again by year-end.”
Inbolt’s second product release is an expansion of Robot Control, the real-time robot motion execution component of the platform, now running natively on Yaskawa, joining FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Universal Robots, and Comau.
Robot Control streams corrected joint commands directly into the robot’s servo loop at native control frequency, closing the loop between what the vision model sees and how the robot moves. The Yaskawa expansion brings Inbolt’s native robot brand coverage to six, giving manufacturers a single intelligence layer for real-time execution across the brands they already own.
Inbolt also has released updates to the Inbolt Vision Model with improved global part localization models. The model now tracks a wider variety of parts, and the Inbolt Studio dashboard exposes part position, detection status, and live performance tests for each use case. Robotics engineers can troubleshoot and evaluate Inbolt’s performance on their specific station inside Inbolt Studio.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Common Council hearing on public safety Monday
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Common Council Steering & Rules Committee will hold a public hearing on Monday afternoon, June 8, to discuss ongoing crime and safety concerns.
This comes on the heels of an apparent street takeover on Milwaukee’s south side on Sunday night, June 7.
South Side safety
What we know:
Back in April, community leaders and residents on Milwaukee’s south side said crime concerns have left many feeling unsafe, prompting a new effort to address the issue.
Common Ground, a coalition of community members and leaders, launched a South Side Safety Plan after six months of research into crime in the area.
The plan outlines five focus areas: accountability, proactive neighborhoods, police relationships, policy reform and prevention. An action team on the south side is expected to help implement those strategies.
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Common Council President Jose Perez was among the leaders participating in that discussion. He told FOX6 News a public hearing would be held on June 8 to address public safety and what still needs improvement.
On the agenda for Monday’s meeting, Perez sponsored a communication file from Milwaukee police about part two crime data. We are expecting to hear about how the Milwaukee Police Department goes about collecting, assessing and reporting crime data.
“Something is going on that people aren’t reporting crime – and many times we can’t address things if we don’t know about them,” said Common Council President Jose Perez.
The meeting is set for 1:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Apparent street takeover
Dig deeper:
Monday’s meeting comes on the heels of an apparent street takeover on Milwaukee’s south side on Sunday night, June 7.
FOX6 News went to the scene near 13th and Mitchell, where a large crowd gathered – blocking the intersection and stopping traffic in all directions. There were cars speeding and doing donuts and motorcycles swerving. Some cars had people on top of or hanging out of them while in motion.
Several Milwaukee police squads blocked off the area with lights activated as crime scene tape went up across different streets. The scene was active for hours, clearing just before 10 p.m.
Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota 4th of July fireworks: Where to watch
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – This year, the Fourth of July is on a Saturday as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence.
It’s a time where we celebrate our freedom, get outside in the summer and check out some fireworks. If you want to go see a fireworks display this year, but aren’t sure where to go, here’s a list of some popular displays.
Fourth of July Fireworks displays
Minneapolis – Red, White & Boom
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is thrilled to bring back Red, White & BOOM! returns to the Mississippi Riverfront – bringing a full day of free programming, community celebration, and one of the most anticipated fireworks shows in the state.
With more than 50,000 attendees, this all-day event stretches from morning movement to late-night music, ending with fireworks over the river at 10 p.m.
On Saturday, July 4, fireworks will be on display between 8-10 p.m. at Water Works Park and along West River Parkway.
My St. Paul Fourth of July
Celebrate the holiday at the Fourth of July Parade in the St. Anthony Park Neighborhood. Kick things off with an early morning distance race. Enjoy the colorful parade at 11 a.m., then stake out a patch of grass starting to enjoy the program and live music at the Langford Park bandstand.
Edina Fourth of July
Sponsored by Explore Edina, Independence Day fireworks will be held near dusk July 4 at Rosland Park, 4300 W. 66th St. The First John Philip Sousa Memorial Band will perform at 8:30 p.m. The fireworks will follow.
Bemidji Fourth of July
The Annual Water Carnival is organized by the Bemidji Jaycees. A celebrated feature of this event is the Red, White & BOOM Firework Spectacular, which will illuminate the skies over Lake Bemidji on July 4 at dusk. For optimal viewing, head to the southern end of Lake Bemidji.
Excelsior Fourth of July
Celebrate Independence Day and enjoy the only public fireworks display over Lake Minnetonka. Explore downtown Excelsior, support local businesses, and find a spot in Commons Park or near the water to see the fireworks at dusk on July 4.
Lakeville Fourth of July
Enjoy this year’s fireworks display at dusk on July 4, which helps kick off the PAN-O-PROG (“Panorama of Progress”) festival.
Mankato Fourth of July
On July 4, view the Red, Hot & Boom fireworks display from the Minnesota State University Mankato Athletic Fields (191 Stadium Road). Fireworks will begin around 10 p.m. Choreographed music can be heard on FM stations 93.1 (KATO), 94.1 (KXLP) and 96.7 (KDOG).
Pequot Lakes Fourth of July
The Stars and Stripes Days fireworks display will be held July 3 at dusk at Pequot Lakes High School practice field. Great viewing locations include Trailside Parks, Pequot Lakes School, and the TDS parking lot.
Shakopee – Canterbury Park
Canterbury Park hosts a family-friendly celebration on July 3, featuring live racing, music, face painting, pony rides, and more. Following the races, a spectacular fireworks display will begin at 10 p.m., viewable from the outdoor seating area.
Lake Waconia Fourth of July
The Lake Waconia Fireworks Festival, a cherished July 4 tradition, begins. Ideal viewing spots include Lake Waconia Regional Park, Lola’s Lakehouse, InTowne Marina, Sovereign Estate Winery, Vandy’s Grille, or on a boat out on the lake.
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