Minneapolis Drug Trafficking Gangs: DOJ Charges 25 Alleged Members in Fentanyl, Cocaine & Meth Cases | June 30

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even if that child's parents are not. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his majority opinion, quote, the framers of the 14th Amendment extended that promise to every freeborn person in this land. We keep that promise today, end quote. Three conservative justices dissented from the decision. One of them is Samuel Alito. He wrote that, quote, the court has made a serious mistake. And Maria, that wasn't the only ruling today. That's right. Today, the Supreme Court is letting states bar transgender athletes from playing on girls' sports teams. In its 6 to 3 ruling along ideological lines, the court said such bans are legal under both the Constitution and federal law. They exist in some form or another in 27 states with bans in West Virginia and Idaho. which were the focus of this case. Minnesota does not have a ban. The ruling is a blow to the LGBTQ movement. Advocates for the ban say they create a more even playing field. Like I said, in Minnesota, policy allows trans athletes to play on teams consistent with their identity. And outgoing Governor Tim Walz says that's not changing. Quote, As the Supreme Court says, states can be cruel to trans kids. My message is clear. Here in Minnesota, we stand with and value our trans neighbors and youth, end quote. Republicans Kendall Qualls and Lisa Demuth, who are both running for Minnesota governor, praised the ruling. Kendall Qualls said, quote, when I'm governor, boys will play in boys' sports, and girls will play in girls' sports. It's that simple, end quote. And Damith said, quote, as governor, I will protect girls' opportunities in sports and safety in intimate spaces. Boys don't belong in girls' sports and men don't belong in women's locker rooms, end quote. And, Johnny, there was a third big ruling today. Yeah, there was another one. The Supreme Court erased limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates for Congress and President. That struck down a federal election law that is now more than 50 years old. The court sided with Republicans in a case initially filed by then Senate candidate JD Vance. Experts say this could ultimately benefit the GOP in this year's midterm election. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the opinion for a 6-3 court. Number three today. The search is on for a U.S. Marine from Minnesota. The U.S. military says he was lost at sea off the coast of California during a training operation on the USS Anchorage. But 21-year-old Lance Corporal Armando Ortiz Conceco was declared dead over the weekend. His family lives here in Richfield, Minnesota, and says they're devastated and heartbroken, but they're still waiting for him to come back home. He has four siblings, and he's an uncle. The family's pastor, Melissa Gonzalez, who is speaking for the family, describes the consecos as very tight-knit. She says the community is rallying around them. They describe him as a hero. He is strong. He's strong of faith.

He reads his Bible a lot, and they really look up to him and are really proud of him as a Marine and for him standing for the things that are important to him. The family is asking for immediate updates and that the search continues until he is found and reunited with them in Richfield. In a statement, they say in part, quote, as a family, we feel devastated and heartbroken. We have faith and hope that Armando will be back home with us as he told us. We are waiting for him to come back home. The U.S. military says this is all still under investigation. Your fourth thing to know today, plenty of Minnesotans will hit the water this holiday weekend, and ahead of the celebrations, first responders are sending a clear message. Drunk boating is drunk driving. Barre Leone went to a news conference today as a statewide crackdown on impaired boating starts this weekend, and she heard from DNR Enforcement Marine Unit Supervisor Lieutenant Eric Dan Sullivan. I mean, it is just a fantastic day to be out on the water. We know that the 4th of July weekend is one of the busiest for Minnesota waterways. And come Saturday, the St. Cray River here is going to be littered with boats. And conservation officers want to make sure that everyone gets home safely. And that is why they're increasing patrols as a part of Operation Dry Water, which is a nationwide effort targeting impaired boaters. Thursday through Sunday, the DNR is teaming up with local agencies to have extra officers on lakes, rivers, and roads watching for anyone operating a boat under the influence. Officials say alcohol is all involved in nearly half of the state's fatal boating accidents. And they're reminding Minnesotans that boating under the influence carries the same serious consequences as driving drunk. These aren't just statistics. These involve real people, parents, siblings, children, brothers and sisters. People who look forward to celebrating this important holiday with their loved ones and never made it home. Celebrate with your family, your friends, but please. Do it safely and make good decisions. And this crackdown does come after a difficult start to the season. Four Minnesotans have died in boating accidents this year. That's up from last year by one person. And officials say beyond making sure that you have a sober driver, when you leave the dock, also make sure you have a life jacket. I know a lot of people will probably be out on the boat this week, as we know, it's going to be very hot out, too. Yeah, it'd be a really fun weekend to get out there. And just a reminder, don't go crazy. It is the 250th anniversary, right? So a lot of people might be celebrating, but always keep safety in mind. Absolutely. Those are the four things to know today. Let's check in on your next weather forecast. Hi, I'm next weather meteorologist Lisa Meadows. As we head into tonight, we're down to 73. Your overnight low, it's warm. Tomorrow also hot.

High time for tomorrow coming in at 87. Looking at a stormy day, storms in the forecast for the morning and the evening. It would also be humid. Your heat index tomorrow will be into the low 90s. And now here's more to know. Right now, police in Cold Springs say a suspect is in custody after a fatal stabbing over the weekend. It happened around 8.30 on Saturday night. And this was at a residential home run by Catholic charities for people with developmental disabilities. Authorities say, When they arrived, they found a man stabbed and he was pronounced dead there. The victim was an employee at the residential home, according to the president and CEO of Catholic charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud. Now, police say a suspect is being held at the Stearns County Jail. The federal government is pushing Minnesota to turn over SNAP benefit recipient information. This comes after a new lawsuit accuses the state of overpaying those food benefits by several million dollars, but we aren't strangers to SNAP investigations. In April, we told you about a federal investigation that claimed retailers exchanged SNAP benefits for cash to the tune of $2 million. During the probe, federal agents executed criminal search warrants at two Twin Cities stores. Those April raids uncover... stacks of cash and EBT cards inside an evidence back. Those were both meant to feed people in need. In the past, the USDA has said the card holder usually winds up with less cash than the card is actually worth benefiting the business. Investigators say those taking advantage of the benefits are involved in what they call snap trafficking. USDA Inspector General John Walk explains. They bring the card into the store and instead of buying an eligible food item, which is what SNAP is for, they exchange the benefits of that card for cash, for money. And then the retailer will take that money on the card, spend it. Charges have not been announced in connection to that investigation. But as for the newly filed lawsuit, it says the state overpaid more than $54 million in food benefits back in 2024 and is asking for more information on how funds are distributed. The state says that request is unprecedented. Okay, listen to this. A six-year-old girl is recovering from an attack by a bat with rabies. It happened Friday while Cece Kale was climbing a tree at her home in eastern Wisconsin. Now, Cece's family says her brothers came to the rescue. She had to get one of four rabies shots that same day. Here was her mother Elizabeth's reaction. When you realize that your child probably has an ancient old. virus that's 100% fatal probably in her body. I mean, it's terrifying. That is absolutely terrifying. I have nightmares about getting rabies. Oh my gosh, that is crazy. I mean, a bat too. That would be the last thing I would guess, you know, sometimes a raccoon maybe or something like that, but a bat. And often bats, you don't even know when they bite you because it's

their teeth are so small. Wow. You just kind of find out little puncture holes and you're like, uh-oh. So yeah, anytime you're bit by a wild animal or sea puncture holes that you aren't sure where they came from, you should clean the wound with soap and water and then get medical help right away. Oof. Glad she's okay. Me too. They caught it, which is great. Maria, we know we have a special person in our community. Listen to this next story. There are two new hires at the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, and these employees are the solution to a problem that's been docking the office for a while. Their names are Will and Iggy, and they're both $30,000 canines that were gifted to the Sheriff's Office by Golden Valley resident Lisa Paulson. Lisa is a cancer survivor and a domestic violence survivor. And when she heard about the budget cuts, she wanted to help protect the deputies just how they protected her. I say in my personal life having dealt with cancer and such, if I can make people laugh during the day or smile, or if I can educate them, provide a service, I feel good about that day. And the dogs definitely make me feel good about that. You're a survivor and a helper. I am. That's so cool. And while Will is just getting started, Iggy has been on a roll. He's found over 200 pounds of meth, more than 35 pounds of fentanyl, mass cocaine yields, and multiple guns. That is crazy. What an extraordinary gift. I'm always so impressed by, you know, police canines and what they can do and what they can sniff out and really get. That is incredible. And what a gift. Well, talking about gifts, many communities are getting ready to celebrate the 4th of July this week. And St. Paul is bringing back its big fireworks display for the first time in 10 years. Wow, it's been a decade. It's been a decade. And it's back this year. And Minneapolis, they'll also have fireworks again along the Mississippi Riverfront. Now, we've made it easy for you to find out what's going on in your area. Just head to WCCO.com slash fireworks for a full list of all the local fireworks displays. is long. We do it every year. It is comprehensive. Our interns help us with that. It's like the one important intern job. They compile all the fireworks happening. Yeah, definitely check it out. You will not miss what's going on in your community. Exactly. Let's talk sports. The twins have won three out of four games. That's pretty good. They took down Houston last night five to four and they did it without Byron Buxton. He's day to day with a sore right hip. So hopefully he's back soon. The twins are back at it again tonight at 710. This is a really cool story. Former gopher and Olympic gold medalist Abby Murphy is off to train with the NHL. She's the gopher's all-time leading score and now she'll be skating with the guys in Edmonton. Yeah, she was named to the Oilers Development Program. program. So that means she'll be training, skating, and competing with some other young players. This is the first time Edmonton has invited women's hockey players to its camp. Go for Chloe Primerano and UMD Bulldog, Caitlin Kramer, were named to the roster as well. So that'll be a great experience. And it makes sense. Why don't they all just train together and, you know, just build each other up? That's super cool. Yeah, that'll be fun to see. Hopefully we'll get some video of the practice. And speaking of hockey, NHL Free Agency opens tomorrow. Certainly be following what the

I'll do. And the links, they're off until Friday, but they're 15 and 4. It's been a tremendous start to the season. Killing it. It's time to take a breath with your daily bright spot. Some people love it. Others see problems with it. But it's definitely part of our everyday life for many people. We, of course, are talking about social media. Today's social media day. It is social media day today. It was founded back in 2010 by Mashable. And that was back then in response to the growing ways that social media allows people to communicate and interact with each other. Social media has changed a lot in the last 16 years. Oh, my gosh. It hasn't ever. I'm always on X. That's the only one I really use for the most part, but I can just scroll all the time. I mean, it gets dangerous. You're like, oh, my God, I'm wasting so much time. I always, you know, we've talked about it a couple times on this podcast about how you don't really have social media. Yeah, just X, no Instagram, like deleted Facebook, all the other stuff, the TikTok, all that junk in my opinion. I'm not really on. Why? I would just kind of dooms scroll. That's what they call it if you just scroll. And then, oh, there goes 45 minutes of your day. Or more. Is the buzzword. So that part I didn't like. I do miss out on different like things and pictures that you like to see, but it seemed like a good cutback. I still keep in touch with people I like to through talking and texting. Wow. Old school. Yeah. Do you write them letters? Yeah. No, I don't write them letters. So there's definitely some stuff that I miss out on. And you've changed your social media habits too. Yeah. Because I feel that. I feel like, oh my gosh, I'm spending so many hours on my phone every day, doom scrolling, and it's just nothing. So in my house, I turned off access. Wi-Fi access to social media. Wow. If I leave my house, like when I take my dog for a walk, sometimes I'll like the- Yeah, exactly. The data kicks in and I like go on Instagram. But I really, it's helped me a lot and I feel like I'm way more productive because I'm not sitting on my phone. I mean, it is crazy. If you just look at your screen time, how many hours a day kids right now are spending adults on social media? Truly. You could be getting so much done. Yes, exactly. I know. And so, I mean, I recommend it. Turning off Wi-Fi for your social media apps or getting like, there are these like brick blockers I've seen. Oh, interesting. On social media, I've seen these that they block off different apps and stuff. And I think it's helpful. And, you know, it can, social media can be. Dangerous. It can harm a lot of people's mental health. So Minnesota is, Minnesotans are going to start seeing new messages when opening up social media. And that's happening later this week. Oh, interesting. I didn't hear about this. A new state law taking effect Wednesday tomorrow requiring platforms to have a mental health warning. Wow. But the question is like, do these even matter? Do these labels actually work for children? And Johnny, new research says.

Maybe not. Yeah, I probably would have guessed that. Right? Because you can just click out of it. But the cybersecurity research center found a majority of child safety features on many major social media sites are not working as advertised. It found that almost 60% of the time those child safety features either don't work or kids just wouldn't realistically find and use them. Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram dispute these findings. They say the study didn't correspond to how kids or teens typically use those platforms. But just like you said, Johnny, I mean... it's almost unrealistic to think a warning is going to do much. Yeah, totally. And especially our phones are with us all the time. Right. Wherever you have two seconds, it seems like a kid will just whip it out. Oh, even I will. Even I will. Literally. So I don't know if you can download a brain game or something like that. Right. Different things. You can get the Kindle app on your phone. That helps me. That's a good idea. Yeah. That's true. I've been reading more since I'm not looking at social media. I bet. That's great. It is great. So this will be interesting to see and we'll keep you updated with how it works out. But for now, thank you so much for listening here to Four Things to Know with Johnny Connor. I'm Maria Lizignoli. And we're here with the news you need every weekday afternoon by 3 o'clock. Listen to Four Things to Know, a WCCO Daily News podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

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