Overview
- Gov. Tim Walz, speaking at Minneapolis’s “No Kings” rally on Saturday, vowed to never leave the side of Somali Minnesotans after the president’s remarks a day earlier.
- At a White House event on Friday, President Trump attacked Minnesota’s leaders, described Somalia as “the worst country,” and alleged Somalis stole $19 billion, a claim news reports say remains unproven.
- Vice President J.D. Vance chaired the first meeting of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud on Friday to coordinate work on SNAP, Medicare, and Medicaid and to support Justice Department cases.
- Senior adviser Stephen Miller criticized Minnesota’s benefit oversight and said the White House has not been able to obtain a complete list of SNAP recipients in the state.
- Alpha News reports that federal prosecutors estimate up to half of roughly $18 billion sent through 14 Minnesota social service programs since 2018 may have been stolen, with the totals still under investigation.