28 Jun 2024

Wallner homers again, but Saints lost 11-9 at Iowa Cubs to snap road winning streak

by | posted in: News | 0

A long game filled with a 20-minute delay for lights, five errors, an inside-the-park home run and a challenge ended with the St. Paul Saints losing 11-9 to the Iowa Cubs, snapping St. Paul’s nine-game road winning streak.

Matt Wallner, Chris Williams and Yunior Severino each homered for the Saints. Brooks Lee had three hits.

Randy Dobnak started and pitched five innings. He allowed three runs but all the runs were unearned as the Saints committed three errors. Jeff Brigham allowed two runs in the sixth inning in his one inning of relief to blow the save. Nick Wittgren (1-1) took the loss, allowing two runs in two relief innings as the Cubs scored six times in the seventh to take control.

Wallner’s homer was his 19th of the season, which is two behind Memphis Luken Baker for the league lead. Severino hit his 15th home run of the season.

Wallner, Williams and Severino each hit their homers in each of the first three innings. Wallner opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first. Williams followed with a two-run shot in the second and Severino added a solo home run in the third.

But Iowa scored all three of its runs in the middle three innings.

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28 Jun 2024

Debate takeaways: Trump confident, even when wrong, Biden halting, even with facts on his side

by | posted in: Politics | 0

By SEUNG MIN KIM and NICHOLAS RICCARDI

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a re-run that showcased a rematch between two men with a combined age of 159, the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Thursday night had a fiery sense of urgency.

Each man framed the presidential race as a crisis for the country, based almost solely on threats they said the other represented.

Here are some takeaways:

Style v. Substance

Presidential debates are often scored on style and impression more than substance. Trump was confident and composed, even as he steamrolled facts on abortion and immigration with false assertions, conspicuous exaggerations and empty superlatives. Biden was often halting, his voice raspy, even when he had the facts on his side. He had difficulty finishing his arguments and marshalling his attacks.

Trump’s supporters have seemed unconcerned about his relationship with the truth, and his performance and delivery helped him. Biden’s supporters consistently express concern about the president’s age and capacity and he did little to reassure them.

One of the first glimpses viewers got of Biden was when he lost his train of thought while making his case on tax rates and the number of billionaires in America — trailing off and looking down at his lectern before mumbling briefly and saying “we finally beat Medicare.” When he tried to finish his point, he was cut off because of the time limits.

Jan. 6 and Trump’s revenge

Trump was cruising through the opening of the debate when he suddenly stumbled over the question of how he would reassure voters that he would respect his oath of office after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

He continued to engage in denialism about the attack and refused to denounced those who attacked police and stormed the building by breaking doors and windows. He suggested that those charged will somehow be found one day to be innocent.

More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal offenses stemming from the riot. Of those, more than 850 people have pleaded guilty to crimes, including seditious conspiracy and assaulting police officers. About 200 others have been convicted at trial.

Trump tried to avoid addressing the issue. He defended the people who stormed the Capitol, blaming Biden for prosecuting them. “What they’ve done to some people who are so innocent, you ought to be ashamed of yourself,” Trump told Biden.

Trump warned that the members of the congressional committee that investigated Jan. 6 could face criminal charges, as could Biden himself.

Biden shot back: “The only person on this stage who’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at.”

Trump didn’t back down from his vow to seek vengeance. Coupled with his refusal to condemn the Jan. 6 attackers, it made for a stark moment.

Asked if he would accept the results of the election, Trump said, “if it’s a fair and legal and good election, absolutely,” which notably is not an unqualified yes.

Low road

In what may well be a first in a presidential campaign, Trump called the president, Biden, a “criminal” and said he could well be prosecuted after he leaves office. Biden then brought Trump’s recent criminal trial in New York in which prosecutors presented evidence that Trump had sex with a porn actor. “I didn’t have sex with a porn star,” Trump said.

Trump’s vow on abortion

Abortion is an issue Democrats think could help deliver a victory in November. Trump in 2016 campaigned on overturning Roe v. Wade, and as president appointed three Supreme Court justices who provided the deciding votes revoking the 49-year right to the procedure. In response to a question from the moderators, Trump vowed not to go further if he returns to the White House, where his administration would have the authority to outlaw the abortion pill mifepristone, which is widely used.

Overturning Roe is one of Trump’s greatest political vulnerabilities, but on Thursday the former president contended everyone was happy with what he did.

“As far as abortion’s concerned it’s back to the states,” Trump said, contending the Founding Fathers would have been happy with the end of Roe. “Everybody wanted it brought back.”

That’s not true. Polls have shown significant opposition to overturning Roe and voters have punished Republicans in recent elections for it. “The idea that the founders wanted the politicians to be the ones making the decisions about women’s health is ridiculous,” Biden shot back.

In a unanimous decision this month, the Supreme Court preserved access to mifepristone, a pill that was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year.

Until Thursday, Trump had not detailed his position on access to the medication, but during the debate he indicated he supported the justices’ decision, saying: “I will not block it.

Border skirmish

In recent months, Biden has tried to reverse his poor public standing over his handling of immigration, first by endorsing a bipartisan Senate proposal with some of the toughest border restrictions in recent memory and then, after that legislation collapsed, taking executive action to clamp down on migrants seeking asylum at the southern border.

But as Biden tried to tout the progress he’s made, particularly the 40% drop in illegal border crossings since his border directive was implemented this month, Trump invoked his trademark dark and catastrophic rhetoric to paint a portrait of a chaotic border under Biden’s watch.

For example, Trump argued that the migrants arriving at the U.S. border are coming from “mental institutions” and “insane asylums” — a frequent refrain of his at rallies for which he has offered no evidence. He also claimed the U.S.-Mexico border is the “most dangerous place anywhere in the world” and cited examples of immigrants in the U.S. illegally who had committed violent crimes.

Though some immigrants do commit horrific crimes, a 2020 study published by the National Academy of Sciences found “considerably lower felony arrest rates” among people in the United States illegally than among legal immigrants or native-born. But Trump often benefits from his certitude.

It’s the economy, and Trump said Biden is stupid

The debate began with Biden defending his record on the economy, saying he inherited an economy that was “in a freefall” as it was battered by the pandemic and that his administration put it back together again.

But after Biden touted his administration’s accomplishments — such as lowering the cost of insulin and the creation of millions of new jobs — Trump boasted that he oversaw the “greatest economy in the history of our country” and defended his record on the pandemic.

Biden retorted: “He’s the only one who thinks that.” But Trump responding by attacking him on inflation, arguing that he inherited low rates of inflation when he came into office in January 2021 yet prices “blew up under his leadership.”

Suckers and losers

Biden — whose deceased son, Beau, served in Iraq — had one of his most forceful moments when he went on the attack against Trump’s reported comments in 2018 that he declined to visit a U.S. military cemetery in France because veterans buried there were “suckers” and “losers.”

It was an argument that Biden, then the Democratic challenger, made against Trump in their first 2020 debate and one that the incumbent president has regularly used against Trump, framing him as a commander in chief who nonetheless disparages veterans. “My son was not a loser, was not a sucker,” Biden said. “You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”

Trump responded that the publication that initially reported this comments, The Atlantic, “was a third-rate magazine” and had made up the quotes. But undercutting Trump’s retort is the fact that his former chief of staff, John Kelly, confirmed those private remarks in a statement last fall.

28 Jun 2024

After body found in crashed car on I-90, woman’s ex suspected of murdering her

by | posted in: Society | 0

An Iowa resident was charged Wednesday on suspicion of murdering a former romantic partner in Minneapolis and transporting her body in southern Minnesota, according to court documents.

On Saturday morning, police arrived at the scene of a single-vehicle car crash in Olmsted County. They found the driver of the vehicle, Margot Lewis, 32, seated on a lawn chair in the median of Interstate 90 by the exit to Minnesota 42 near Eyota, according to the charges in Hennepin County District Court.

Two people who stopped to offer help told police they saw a dead person in the back seat. The deputies determined the person was not killed in the car crash. She was wrapped in bedding, a mattress, and covered in a tarp, with a puncture wound on her neck and she was cold to the touch.

The victim — identified by Olmsted County officials as 35-year-old Liara Tsai of North Liberty, Iowa — was the owner of the car.

LQBTQ advocacy organization OutFront Minnesota shared a statement about Tsai, saying she was a DJ, producer, crisis counselor and a “beloved member of the trans community in Minnesota.”

“We mourn her loss and urge a full investigation of her death. We extend our deepest sympathies to those closest to her; and to all who found connection through her music. We hope that Liara will be remembered for the music she created and the joy she brought to community spaces,” the statement from OutFront said.

An autopsy found Tsai died of multiple sharp-force injuries.

Investigators went to Tsai’s apartment in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of south Minneapolis, which is about 100 miles away from where her body was found.

“Upon execution of the warrant, investigators encountered a bloody scene noting that victim’s bed and bedding were saturated with blood. A bloody plastic and metal object was also located in the bed. Smaller amounts of blood were located in the apartment’s bathroom,” the statement of probable cause said.

Investigators also noted a missing knife from the kitchen, which was not found in their search of the apartment.

Lewis was visiting Tsai from Boston, according to investigators, who found an airline flight tag in the crashed vehicle and also confirmed through surveillance at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport that Tsai’s vehicle picked up Lewis from the airport at 11:08 p.m. on June 21.

It is not yet clear when Tsai died.

When asked whether the incident may have been motivated by anti-trans bias or a hate crime, Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson said Wednesday there is no indication it is, as both the suspect and the victim are transgender. Police have referred to Lewis with she/her pronouns, although her gender on court documents is listed as unknown.

Torgerson said it also appears the crash may have been intentional.

Lewis is in custody in Olmsted County, charged with a felony count of concealing a dead body. Officers obtained a search warrant for evidence from Lewis, who they said has not cooperated with the investigation.

“As officers tried to guide her to a chair in the room, she became combative, pushing and kicking at officers. When officers informed her that they were going to take fingernail clippings from her, (Lewis) balled up her hands in an attempt to prevent access to her nails,” the statement of probable cause said.

The charges state a warrant is requested to facilitate Lewis’ transfer from Olmsted County to Hennepin County.

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28 Jun 2024

Olympic Trials: Minnesota gymnast Shane Wiskus proves he’s not done yet

by | posted in: News | 0

After pulling out of last summer’s Pan American Games because his body wasn’t cooperating with him, Shane Wiskus could be forgiven for going into this weekend’s U.S. Olympic Trials with a bit of an underdog complex.

But in the first of two days of competition at Target Center, the former Gophers All-America from Spring Park, is right in the thick of it, finishing third in the all-around competition after Friday’s first run through the six apparatuses.

Not bad for a guy who, not long ago, contemplated retirement. His generally excellent six routines amassed him 84.300 total points in front of a partisan crowd not afraid to cheer for the only Minnesotan among the 20 men’s participants.

“I was having fun out there, so that produces the best results for me,” Wiskus said. “The second I stepped out on that field and heard the Minnesota love and the fans screaming for me, It was an incredible experience and a memory I’ll have forever.”

The U.S. women, with a field that boasts Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles and Suni Lee of St. Paul, begin their trials here on Friday. The Summer Games begin with Opening Ceremonies July 26 in Paris.

Wiskus, 25, is one of three 2020 Olympians in Minneapolis this weekend trying to earn a ticket back. Brody Malone, who finished 10th in the Tokyo Games, was in second place on Friday with 85.100 points, just behind University of Michigan sophomore Fred Richard, who burst into the lead with 14.700 points from the night’s best floor routine in the sixth rotation.

Returning Tokyo Olympian Yul Moldauer fell behind early because of an aborted horizontal bar routine but will go into Saturday sixth in the all-around. The winner will qualify automatically for the Games. The other four members of the team will be chosen by a USA Gymnastics committee tasked with choosing the team with the best potential to win a medal in Paris.

Wiskus, who had the third-best floor and rings scores on Friday — and was top five on three other apparatuses — appears to have given that committee something to think about.

“I hope so,” he said. “If my MO can be going out there and getting the ball rolling and being consistent and doing my job for Team USA, I’m going to keep working toward that on Saturday.”

Perhaps because he was performing on his home turf, Wiskus was one of the few gymnasts who didn’t seem to be affected by nerves as the trials got started. Even Malone, the 2024 World Championships gold medalist in the all-around and horizontal bar, had an issue on the pommel horse, earning his lowest score (13.450) of his night.

“For a lot of us, it’s the biggest competition of our lives,” said Malone, one of six Stanford gymnasts competing. “All the guys out there who haven’t made the Olympics before, this is their ticket to go. So, of course, the nerves are going to be going crazy.

“Even those of us that have been to the Olympics before, we want to go again. The nerves are still there, for sure.”

Wiskus didn’t seem bothered by the pressure, and in fact used it to his benefit. After a crisp turn on the horizontal bar — a 13.550, the fifth-best score of the night — Wiskus looked up at the crowd, beckoned them with his open hands and yelled, “Let’s go!” After his floor routine, a clearly please Wiskus put his hand to his ear, asking for noise from a crowd that was happy to supply it.

“I allowed myself to have some fun in what could potentially be the last meet of my career,” he said. “I want to have fun and I want to do the things I don’t normally do — that I wish I would do — and just really enjoy it. I’m having a blast.”

Richard also had the top score in the high bar (14.400), and Stephen Nedoroscik had the top score in the only event he competed in, earning a 14.450 in the pommel horse. Curran Phillips had the best score in any event, a 15.600 in the parallel bars, four-tenths of a point away from a perfect score.

Malone, who had the second best score in vault and high bar, said he expects the competition to pick up a notch for Saturday’s six rotations, after which the Olympic team will be announced.

“You settle into it a little more on Day 2,” he said. “Day 1, you just get the nerves out, just get some routines under your belt, and then Day 2 you’re a little more comfortable. It should be better all around from everyone on Day 2.”