MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Launches Bid for Governor, DOJ Sues MPLS Schools for "Teacher Discrimination"
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Transcript
37 segmentsYou're listening to Four Things to Know, a WCCO Daily News podcast. Today is Thursday, December 11th. I'm Maria Lysignoli. And I'm Johnny Connor. Thanks for listening to Four Things to Know. Our top story today. The crowded field for Minnesota governor just added another candidate. My Pillow founder, Mike Lindell, announced his campaign today. Our Caroline Cummings has been tracking this announcement and has more. Lindell is a longtime loyalist of President Donald Trump and joins about a dozen. Other candidates vying to be the Republican nominee to take on DFL incumbent Governor Tim Walz for the state's top job next year. The CEO of MyPillow made the announcement on social media that he was jumping into the race after, quote, prayerful consideration. Lindell got national attention boosting debunked claims at the 2020 election that President Trump lost was fraudulent. Some of those falsehoods landed him in court. A jury in June found that he defamed a former employee. employee of dominion voting systems. And in another case, a judge found he did. defamed another election equipment company when he claimed those machines were rigged to switch votes from President Trump to President Biden. Meanwhile, on a new website dedicated to his governor campaign, he cited this as his platform, quote, Minnesota deserves a governor who will stand against all fraud and will go after anyone who steals our tax dollars. No one is above the law. Among the other candidates in the race to be the GOP nominee. our House Speaker Lisa Demuth and 2022 GOP nominee Dr. Scott Jensen. In a statement online, Governor Wall said, quote, we've seen what happens when we elect a con man to the highest office in America. We can't let that happen here in Minnesota. Number two, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara shared details this morning after an officer fired his weapon while responding to an incident. According to O'Hara, it happened this morning at 1230 near the corner of Lake Street and 5th Avenue South. That's where a woman was being held at gunpoint by her neighbor. The neighbor had a gun and refused to comply with police, and that's when officers fired, but no one was injured. This incident underscores the dangers our officers face every single day. In a fraction of a second, they were faced with a life or death situation. I am very grateful that no one was injured in this incident, and I'm thankful for the professional manner in which our officers handled it. The suspect is in custody for assault, and the officers involved are on standard administrative leave. This morning, the BCA was on scene looking into the crime as well as the department's use of force.
And it was a busy night for Minneapolis police. We are also working to get details on two deadly shootings within an hour of each other in Minneapolis. A man in his 20s was found shot on the 2,900 block of Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis. That happened around 9.30 last night. According to the police department, when they arrived, they found the man with life-threatening gunshot wounds, and he died at the hospital. Authorities believe a man was shot when an argument escalated into gunfire. They say two individuals were involved and ran away. And less than 30 minutes after that, on the other side of the city, a woman was found shot on the 800 block of Franklin Avenue East. Minneapolis police say shots were fired after a fight broke out between a group of people. The woman died at the hospital as well. Minneapolis police say they do not have any information that would connect the two shootings, and both cases are still under investigation. Number three, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is suing Minneapolis Public Schools, accusing it of teacher discrimination. The Justice Department says Minneapolis Public Schools, quote, have contracted with a teachers union to provide black teachers, teachers of color, and underrepresented teachers preferential treatment in employment decisions, end quote. The lawsuit also says that Minneapolis public schools offers a group called Black Men Teach Fellows, Extra Paid Training Days, and exempts from normal layoff policies. Attorney General Pam Bondi said, quote, discrimination is unacceptable in all forms, especially when it comes to hiring decisions, and said, our public education system in Minnesota and across the country must be a bastion of merit and equal opportunity, not DEI, end quote. MPS says it does not comment on pending litigation. Your fourth thing to know today, energy-related costs are rising, and that's impacting a group we all rely on. Farmers. Farmers and rural communities have been hit hard this year. Things like fertilizer, fuel, grain drying, and electricity costs have climbed while crop prices have declined. Today, the Minnesota Department of Commerce hosted a roundtable with Falk's seed farms to discuss these impacts. One of those top concerns, tariffs and the uncertainty that comes with them. With that comes increased energy costs, and there's also been a change in federal tax credits. These changes include revoking support for wind and solar energy, which can be produced in Minnesota. Not only that, but there are increased awards for fossil fuels which cannot be made here. But farmers like Cindy Vanderpool with Pastures of Plenty Farm also have a message for state lawmakers. If you don't speak up and say something at the Capitol, you can't sit back and complain about something. because you have to speak out and speak up. Another solution to rising energy prices is weatherization assistance programs which improve energy efficiency in homes. These programs not only lower emissions, but also reduce costs. Those are the four things to know today. Now let's check in on your forecast.
Hey guys. Next one of the meteor, I'm Dioroso. Checking in the cloud saying put this evening. Temperature is still the main focus as we'll be falling through the teens. Overnight lows tonight down to about 10. Most of the night will be dry, but we are expecting some light snow showers to move on in just in time for the morning commute. Accumulations less than an inch, but there still could be a few slick spots. So be mindful of that. Otherwise, overcast with falling temperatures through the afternoon. Our highs earlier will be in the upper teens by the time you wake up Saturday morning. chills are going to be close to 20 below zero. We've got next weather alerts in place this weekend for that extreme cold. And now, here's more to know. City and state leaders say some U.S. citizens are being swept up in the immigration crackdown here in the Twin Cities. Now, Governor Tim Walz is calling for changes to the federal enforcement. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the governor said, quote, the forcefulness, lack of communication, and unlawful practices displayed by your agents will not be tolerated in Minnesota. Walls called for DHS to review the arrests and put any agents who violated the law on leave. Clarify rights for citizen observers of ICE operations. Make sure agents have training to respect the civil rights of observers and rethink the surge enforcement strategy. During this crackdown, the Cedar Riverside neighborhood has seen federal agents time and time again. Residents say they're still in shock after a series of videos show ice-stopping residents, demanding passports, and in some cases, using force. Freelance journalist and community leader Leiband Hussein says he was sprayed with a chemical irritant. Then they start, I mean, flashing tear gas. They're just using like crazy. I haven't seen like that. Several pictures and videos have been sent to WCCO, and one of them shows a young man being detained, and city leaders say that man is a U.S. citizen. You can find all of those on WCCO.com. A new federal grant is giving Metro Transit the funds it needs to move towards electric buses. Metro Transit announced it won a $35 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The lower no-emission grant will go towards 100 new 40-foot hybrid electric buses. Those are expected to join Metro Transit's fleet in 2027. By the end of next year, riders will have access to over 250 new buses, including the first of those 40-foot battery electric buses.
Snow emergency parking rules are still in effect for Minneapolis and St. Paul. So if you haven't moved your car off messy side streets, you might be taken a trip to the impound lot. WCCO found drivers like Elias Lewis coming to retrieve their cars at the lot this morning in the capital city. Now those drivers are faced with a hefty fine. sometimes more than $300. Money's a little tight. I mean, it's tight. And in this economy right now, it's tight. Yeah. So just added expense, it's going to cost me about $300 to get my vehicle out now. That's, you know, and right before the holidays, it's just, it is what it is. It is what it is. But gosh, Johnny, that really is the worst feeling to go out to your car and realize, oh. Not there. It's not there. Yeah, it's not fun. Getting a ticket for anything sucks. Right. As much as 300 bucks. Oof. Right. Especially this time of year. That's tough. You need that money to buy presents. And speaking of presents, we've told you about our home for the holidays campaign the last couple of weeks now. And our home for the holidays phone bank was a huge success. Thanks to WCCO viewers. We raised nearly $79,000 in just one day yesterday. Wow. That's incredible. All that money goes to MacV to help Minnesota veterans. in need. And if you want to donate, you still can donate to the organization anytime. It's super easy. Just text MacV to 44321 or you can give online at WCCO.com slash holidays. And everyone here has been working very hard to get those donations up. And that's great to hear that there is so much money. And hey, if you become a billionaire this weekend, maybe consider donating some of it to MacV and home for the holidays. No, but this Saturday, you could potentially become a billionaire if you play the next powerball jackpot because it's expected to be worth $1 billion. Woo. Yeah. Nobody won last night's jackpot. So, yeah, it just keeps growing for Saturday nights drawing. It will be the seventh largest jackpot in history. I don't know, but it feels like the powerball has gotten even harder to win because we always hear about these crazy large jackpots. Now, did they change something with it? Right. That's a great question. And I feel like people like me, I only really play when the powerball is super high. Right. That definitely has somebody to do that you hear about it and even gets higher. I know. I still won't buy a ticket, but you won't? I don't think so. You're not feeling lucky, obviously. It's the price of a coffee. It is. No, it's like $2. Are they that cheap? Yeah. Maybe I will buy one. Let's talk sports. The Vikings could use a lottery ticket if they want to make the playoffs. They have a less than a 1% chance right now. But they're heading to Dallas Sunday night football this weekend. And the focus from Viking fans continues to be on the young quarterback, JJ McCarthy's development. And McCarthy says the room for growth comes through simple plays. I feel like the emphasis. Me personally, I'm just watching the tape and self-scout, how many times could I put it in play as quickly and efficiently as possible? Because that's just stacking positive plays, and that's continuing the momentum of those drives. And I think, you know, the offensive line did a great job of protecting, great job getting their hands down. Coach O'Connell called them at great times. Better late than never.
And I guess it will be late because it is kind of a late game compared to ones that we've had just recently. I'm going to be tired Monday morning. I know, right? I know. Hopefully tired and happy. Yeah, we'll find out. Not tired and mad. The wild are back in action tonight. Dallas stars are in town. That's 7 o'clock. Go for volleyball. We talked about it yesterday. They play in the sweet 16 tonight. Let's hope they can get a win. And the wolves are off until tomorrow. But busy sports right now. It's time to take a breath with your daily bright spot. Time Magazine has announced their Person of the Year, but this year it's People of the Year. The title for 2025 goes to The Architects of AI. That includes Open AI's creator Sam Altman, Metas, Mark Zuckerberg, and X's Elon Musk. There are two covers, both with nods to architecture. One shows the letters A, being constructed, and the other is an homage to the classic lunch atop a skyscraper image with the tech titans featured on the ledge. I'm sure everyone's thrilled that Elon Musk one. And Mark Zuckerberg, too, like what? But I mean, AI has really taken off this year, and it kind of seems fitting to have... I guess to have these three people as the cover of person of the year. Totally. And I don't remember, I mean, I'm not super into time. It's a little past my time, I feel like, but I feel like it's always been one person of the year, right? So this is like a group of people. Maybe that's like a new thing going forward. You were a person of the year once. Seriously. In 2006, I think it was like the person of the year was you. And you could just, it was like literally everyone or something like that. And then the magazine was just a mirror. Oh my gosh. So creative, right? Super creative. I know. Well, thank you for joining us here on Four Things to Know. With Johnny Connor, I'm Maria Lizignolli. 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.