By MEG KINNARD

The public release of a Young Republican group chat that included racist language, jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers prompted bipartisan calls for those involved to be removed from or resign their positions.

Related Articles

Brown University rejects Trump’s offer for priority funding, citing concerns over academic freedom

Journalists turn in access badges, exit Pentagon rather than agree to new reporting rules

Judge dismisses young climate activists’ lawsuit challenging Trump on fossil fuels

Judge temporarily blocks the Trump administration from firing workers during the government shutdown

Trump officials back firm in fight over California offshore oil drilling after huge spill

The Young Republican National Federation, the GOP’s political organization for Republicans between 18 and 40, called for those involved to step down from the organization. The group described the exchanges, first reported by Politico, as “unbecoming of any Republican.”

Republican Vice President JD Vance, however, has weighed in several times to speak out against what he characterized as “pearl clutching” over the leaked messages.

Politico obtained months of exchanges from a Telegram conversation between leaders and members of the Young Republican National Federation and some of its affiliates in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont.

Here’s a rundown of reaction to the inflammatory group chat, in which the operatives and officials involved openly worried that their comments might be leaked, even as they continued their conversation:

Vance

After Politico’s initial report on Tuesday, Vance posted on X a screen grab from 2022 text messages in which Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s attorney general race, suggested that a prominent Republican get “two bullets to the head.”

“This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia,” Vance wrote on Tuesday. “I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.”

Jones subsequently said he took “full responsibility” for his comments and offered a public apology to Todd Gilbert, who then was speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates.

Vance reiterated his initial sentiment Wednesday on “ The Charlie Kirk Show ” podcast, saying when asked about the reporting that a “person seriously wishing for political violence and political assassination is 1,000 times worse than what a bunch of young people, a bunch of kids say in a group chat, however offensive it might be.”

Vance, 41, said that he grew up in a different era where “most of what I, the stupid things that I did as a teenager and as a young adult, they’re not on the internet.”

The father of three said he would caution his own children, “especially my boys, don’t put things on the internet, like, be careful with what you post. If you put something in a group chat, assume that some scumbag is going to leak it in an effort to try to cause you harm or cause your family harm.”

“I really don’t want to us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke, telling a very offensive, stupid joke is cause to ruin their lives,” Vance said.

Republicans

Other Republicans demanded more immediate intervention. Republican legislative leaders in Vermont, along with Gov. Phil Scott — also a Republican — called for the resignation of state Sen. Sam Douglass, revealed to be a participant in the chat. A joint statement from the GOP lawmakers termed the comments “unacceptable and deeply disturbing.”

Saying she was “absolutely appalled to learn about the alleged comments made by leaders of the New York State Young Republicans,” Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York called for those involved to step down from their positions. Danedri Herbert, chair of the Kansas GOP, said the remarks “do not reflect the beliefs of Republicans and certainly not of Kansas Republicans at large.”

In a statement posted to X on Tuesday, the Young Republican National Federation said it was “appalled” by the reported messages and calling for those involved to resign from their positions within the organization. Young Republican leaders said the behavior was “disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents.”

Democrats

Democrats have been more uniform in their condemnation. On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, asking for an investigation into the “vile and offensive text messages,” which he called “the definition of conduct that can create a hostile and discriminatory environment that violates civil rights laws.”

Speaking on the Senate floor, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York on Tuesday described the chat as “revolting,” calling for Republicans including Trump and Vance to “condemn these comments swiftly and unequivocally.”

Asked about the reporting, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the exchanges “vile” and called for consequences for those involved.

“Kick them out of the party. Take away their official roles. Stop using them as campaign advisers,” Hochul said. “There needs to be consequences. This bulls—- has to stop.”

Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The body of a Minnesota radio station owner who has been missing since an avalanche during a March ski trip in Alaska has been recovered.

The Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday, Oct. 13, said it has identified the remains of David Linder, 39, of Florida. Linder was one of the owners of Subarctic Media LLC radio group and Lakeland Media LLC of Willmar.

On March 4, Alaska authorities were notified of a large avalanche near the West Fork of 20 Mile River near Girdwood. Using avalanche beacons, the guides identified a probable area where skiers were buried, estimating it to be between 40 feet and nearly 100 feet deep.

On March 6, the Alaska Department of Public Safety identified the missing persons from an Alaska heliskier’s trip: Charles Eppard, 30, of Montana; Jeremy Leif, 38, of Minnesota, and Linder.

On Friday, Oct. 10, the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group and the Girdwood Volunteer Fire Department traveled to the slide area of the avalanche. The team recovered the remains of an adult male who had become caught in a log jam in the river flowing underneath the avalanche slide area, according to a news release from the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

The bodies of Eppard and Leif have not yet been found and the search for the missing men continues.

Linder leaves behind a wife and three children, Radio Mankato official Matt Ketelsen told Minnesota Public Radio.

Related Articles

Wildfire in North Shore state park nearing 100% containment

Mark Glende: In grand tradition, like Oktoberfest … it’s MEA Weekend!

Sheletta Brundidge: Seeking solutions as a job crisis looms for Black women

​South St. Paul tannery workers who supply Red Wing Shoe leather go on strike

Minnesota Commerce Department kicks unlicensed insurance seller out of state

DALLAS – In a rookie NHL season that has already been filled with new experiences, Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium got two more “firsts” on Tuesday in North Texas.

While back-to-back games are common in college hockey, they’re usually at the same arena, or a home-and-home series an hour or two away, at most.

Tuesday’s game in Dallas – an eventual 5-2 loss to the Stars – was the second game of back-to-backs, involving a Monday night game in Minnesota, a late-night flight to Texas, getting into a hotel bed at around 3 a.m., then playing a road game 18 hours or so later.

“I’ve never done anything like that, but at the same time, I think it was a late game today. We had a lot of time to rest, and those are never an excuse to lose or not perform well,” said Buium, who had the primary assist on both Wild goals. “You’ve got to perform every day, so obviously it’s tough. But I thought we came out in the third, and that’s how we need to play moving forward.”

The second new experience came in the third period, with the Wild trailing 3-0 and in desperate need of a spark. The ignitor came in the form of fellow defenseman Jake Middleton delivering a bone-crunching hit – legally – to Stars forward Matt Duchene in the neutral zone.

The hit touched off a fight, and ended with Minnesota on a power play, which would produce their first goal of the night. But Middleton’s play, first with his shoulder and then with his fists, was the spark that lit the Wild’s push at a comeback.

“Me personally, I felt I got electrified by it,” Buium said of the hit, and the fight. “In college and juniors, I never really got to see anybody fight or no one really laid that big a hit. So to see that was pretty electrifying, and definitely got the entire group going and was the start of why our third period was good.”

Duchene left the game and did not return. On Wednesday, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said the forward was listed as day to day with an upper body injury sustained as a result of the hit. In the postgame scrum, while happy with the win, the Stars’ coach was not enamored of Middleton’s play.

“I didn’t like the hit. I thought it was high,” Gulutzan said, thinking the officials could have whistled the Wild defender for head contact. “My history here is they usually run on the side of (being) more aggressive in their call there, but they didn’t. So they saw it differently.”

In fact, replays showed that Duchene was carrying the puck, making him fair game for a hit, and Middleton’s shoulder struck the Stars’ forward squarely in the upper chest, not the head.

While making no apologies for the play, Middleton expressed his wishes to see Duchene back on the ice soon.

“It’s a tough position because I know he doesn’t see me and I’m still trying to take the body on him,” Middleton said after the game. “I know he didn’t come back to the game. I hope he’s OK. There was no ill intent towards the hit. It was just kind of a perfect storm really the way it transpired.”

And for the Wild, it was the perfect spark they needed to get some fire back on the bench and ignite a rally, even if it eventually fell short.

Tarasenko seeking more

With the second assist on a power play marker that made Tuesday night’s game in Dallas a one-goal affair with around seven minutes remaining in the third, veteran Vladimir Tarasenko has now recorded four points in four games with his sixth NHL team.

But just a bit into his first season in Minnesota, the renowned goal-scorer admits he has to contribute more to the overall cause, especially with the Wild now going three full games without a five-on-five goal.

“We knew we would have a hard game. They always start hot here, and obviously myself and all of us need to find ways to play better on the five-on-five,” Tarasenko said. “Power play is nice, and thankful it’s kind of working now. But we need to improve our five-on-five game.”

While the question remains of what Tarasenko has left in the tank at age 33, as he approaches 1,000 NHL games, to go along with two Stanley Cups, on his resume, the Wild coach likes what he has seen so far.

“I see lots of good in this game. I think he’s a good player. I think he plays a winning style of hockey,” coach John Hynes said, vowing to work with Tarasenko during the two-day break between games in Dallas and Washington.

“Now that we have a few days in between, I know he’s gonna sit down and we’ll show some individual clips with him and try to help him,” Hynes said. “But I don’t think he’s too far off. I just think there’s maybe a couple things we can help him with and get his opinion on things and see if we can get it up and running a little bit quicker.”

Related Articles

Furious Wild comeback falls just short in Dallas

Wild’s Jesper Wallstedt favored instincts over info in shootout win

Wild squander three-goal lead before beating Kings in shootout

Wild coach John Hynes preaching the importance of faceoffs

Jacques Lemaire cherishes Minnesota memories from Wild staff reunion

By EDNA TARIGAN

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia detected traces of radioactive cesium 137 at a clove plantation as it searches for the source of radioactive contamination that forced recalls of shrimp and spices exported to the U.S., a task force investigating the issue said Wednesday.

Related Articles

Chinese airlines protest US plan to ban their flights over Russian airspace

Pakistan and Afghanistan announce ceasefire after deadliest clashes in years

Russia makes more precise drones and is using them to attack Ukraine’s vital rail network

UN’s World Food Program warns donor cuts are pushing millions more into hunger

After months in chains and darkness, freed Hamas hostages begin their long road to recovery

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials blocked the import of all spices processed by PT Natural Java Spice of Indonesia in September after federal inspectors detected cesium 137 in a shipment of cloves sent to California.

That was the second food product from Indonesia to be recalled from sale due to radioactive contamination this year, following a recall of shrimp from another Indonesian company in August.

The task force found cesium 137 at a clove plantation in Lampung province. It also inspected clove processing facilities in Surabaya city in East Java province and another plantation in Central Java province, working with Indonesia’s Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency.

“We can confirm that contamination has been found on plantations in Lampung. The contamination was found in limited quantities and has not spread to other areas or commodities,” said Bara Hasibuan, the task force’s spokesperson in a written statement.

The nuclear regulatory agency recommended a temporary halt to sales of contaminated clove products pending further laboratory testing, while investigators continue to track the source of the contamination.

“The government is moving quickly to localize this contamination so that it does not spread to other areas. The public and businesses are advised to remain calm and wait for the official laboratory test results,” Hasibuan said.

The task force traced the earlier contamination of shrimp to a steel factory in the Cikande industrial estate, around 2 miles from the PT Bahari Makmuri Sejati shrimp processing facility, which sends millions of pounds of shrimp to the U.S. each year.

Experts in nuclear radiation agree that health risks are low since only very low level of radioactivity were identified, but they say it’s important to determine the contamination’s source and share that information with the public.