Gov. Tim Walz ended his bid for a third term as Minnesota governor Monday — seeming to cap a political career that sent the former teacher and National Guard veteran all the way to national stage when he was named Kamala Harris’ running mate in 2024.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz speaks to reporters after filing campaign finance paperwork for his 2018 gubernatorial campaign on Monday, March 27, 2017. Walz’ daughter Hope and wife Gwen look on. (David Montgomery / Pioneer Press)

That year he joined Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale as Minnesotans to be on a national ticket.

Walz, a Democrat, got involved in politics during the 2004 John Kerry presidential campaign. He was first elected to Congress in 2006, defeating incumbent U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht, a Republican, in Minnesota’s 1st District. The largely rural district covers much of the southern portion of the state and is seen as fairly conservative.

While in Congress Walz was on the Agriculture, Armed Services and Veteran Affairs committees.

In 2017, Walz announced he was running for governor. He was elected the next year, defeating GOP candidate Jeff Johnson. He and running mate Peggy Flanagan at the time chalked up their victory to their theme of “One Minnesota,” a relatively centrist message that they would seek common ground across the state. Walz won re-election in 2022 defeating Dr. Scott Jensen.

A hunter, Walz was something of a moderate and even had the endorsement of the NRA early in his career. However, after becoming governor he would sign a number of gun-control bills.

Pandemic, riots

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, left, laughs after Gov. Tim Walz requested a “Hello Kitty” bandage after receiving an updated COVID-19 booster shot during a news event in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State Capitol building in St. Paul on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

During the pandemic in 2020 Walz ordered all nonessential workers to stay at home and called for the closure of schools and banned large public gatherings. During the pandemic he directed hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal relief funds to local governments, food shelves and food banks.

Also in 2020 George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer sparking riots in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Walz activated the National Guard in response though critics said it should have happened sooner.

In an interview with the Pioneer Press months afterward, he noted the challenges of that time.

“I’m not going to make the case that every decision we made was correct, but I can assure people that we made it with the best data at the time, with the best interests of Minnesota at heart,” Walz said.

2023 Legislature, 2024 campaign

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left, speak at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)

The 2023 Legislature — under DFL control — passed a $72 billion budget that Walz and DFLers called the “One Minnesota” budget.

It included bills to create $1.5 billion in new child tax credits, boost funding for education by $2.2 billion and provide free public college tuition to people from families earning $80,000 or less each year. It also provided free meals to Minnesota students regardless of income.

GOP critics point to billions in new taxes in the budget despite the state’s historic $17.5 billion budget surplus. And, they disputed Walz’s “One Minnesota” characterization, saying the bills had minimal input from the minority — which represents districts containing just under half of the state’s population.

Walz was named as Harris’ running mate in 2024 after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. He didn’t hesitate to paint his political opponents in a negative light.

“These are weird people on the other side. They want to take books away. They want to be in your exam room,” Walz said in a TV interview during the campaign.

While Harris seemed to think Walz would help shore up her campaign in the Midwest, the ticket went on to lose to Donald Trump and JD Vance. Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — once part of the so-called “Blue Wall” — went for the Republican ticket.

New fraud cases

News of fraud in state-run Medicaid programs has garnered significant attention in recent months, but before that came the $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal.

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In that case, the now 78 defendants have been accused of claiming reimbursement from the state education department for meals they never served in a federal pandemic children’s food program. More than 50 have been convicted.

At a news conference last month announcing charges against six individuals who authorities say defrauded the state of millions in various schemes, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said he believed “a significant amount” of the $18 billion paid out by 14 “high-risk” Medicaid-funded programs since 2018 was lost to fraud — possibly half or more.

The governor has made efforts to address the fraud. Last year, he directed the creation of a fraud investigation unit at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

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And, the Department of Human Services moved to shut down a Medicaid-funded housing stabilization program beset by fraud after news emerged in July of a federal investigation into several providers. Walz also recently named Tim O’Malley, former superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension under Gov. Tim Pawlenty, to serve as director of program integrity, essentially fraud-prevention czar.

But the moves haven’t stemmed the criticism, particularly from the GOP, that he reacted too late and hasn’t done enough on the issue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — leaving other immunizations, such as flu shots, open to families to choose but without clear guidance.

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Flu season surged in the US over the holiday and already rivals last winter’s harsh epidemic

Officials said the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won’t result in any families losing access or insurance coverage for vaccines, but medical experts slammed the move, saying it could lead to reduced uptake of important vaccinations and increase disease.

The change came after President Donald Trump in December asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising the U.S. schedule to align with their guidance.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

An apartment building on Third Ave. in East Harlem. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Welcome to City Limits’ NYC Housing Calendar, a weekly feature where we round up the latest housing and land use-related events and hearings, as well as affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

Know of an event we should include in next week’s calendar? Email us.

Upcoming housing and land use-related events:

Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 9:30 a.m.: The Landmarks Preservation Commission will meet. More here.

Tuesday, Jan. 6 from 6 to 8 p.m.: The New York State Department of Transportation will hold an open house and public information session on its plans to replace or rehabilitate five bridges along the Cross Bronx Expressway. The event will take place at Bronx River Art Center at 1087 E Tremont Ave. More here.

Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m.: The City Planning Commission will vote on the following land use applications: Seaside Park & Community Arts Center Special Permit, 33-01 11th Street Rezoning, 87 Romer Road and 507 Howard Avenue. More here.

Thursday, Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m.: The Met Council on Housing will host an online workshop about New York City renters’ rights, and how tenants can organize for improvements. More here.

NYC Affordable Housing Lotteries: The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) are closing lotteries on the following subsidized buildings over the next week.

52 4th Avenue Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between $39,189 – $189,540 (last day to apply is 1/5)

1119 Boston Road Apartments, Bronx, for households earning between $75,635 – $140,000 (last day to apply is 1/5)

2043 Webster Avenue Apartments, Bronx, for households earning between $102,858 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 1/5)

Inkwell, Bronx, for households earning between $74,195 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 1/7)

1591 Jesup Avenue Apartments, Bronx, for households earning between $90,720 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 1/8)

233 East 202nd Street Apartments, Bronx, for households earning between $76,423 – $140,000 (last day to apply is 1/9)

The post NYC Housing Calendar, Jan. 5-12 appeared first on City Limits.

By REGINA GARCIA CANO

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Venezuelan government on Monday sought to show its people and the world that the country is being run independently and not controlled by the United States following its stunning weekend arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian leader who had ruled for almost 13 years.

Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro’s son, gathered in the capital, Caracas, to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031. They reelected their longtime speaker — the brother of the newly named interim president, Delcy Rodríguez — and gave speeches focused on condemning Maduro’s capture Saturday by U.S. forces.

“If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit,” Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, said at the legislative palace in his first public appearance since Saturday. “This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability.”

Maduro Guerra, also known as “Nicolasito,” demanded that his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, be returned to the South American country and called on international support. Maduro Guerra, the deposed leader’s only son, also denounced being named as a co-conspirator in the federal indictment charging his father and Flores.

FILE – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, and his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra who is running to represent Caracas as a lawmaker for the National Assembly attend a closing campaign rally for the regional election on May 25, in Caracas, Venezuela, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

While Venezuelan lawmakers met, Maduro made his first court appearance in a U.S. courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and taking him to New York. Maduro declared himself “innocent” and a “decent man” as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges.

The U.S. seized Maduro and Flores in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing ” oil quarantine.”

Rubio said the U.S. was using pressure on Venezuela’s oil industry as a way to push for policy changes. “We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Pro-government armed civilians attend a protest demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, the day after U.S. forces captured and flew them to the United States, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

On Sunday, Rodríguez said Venezuela is seeking “respectful relations” with the U.S., a shift from a more defiant tone she struck in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s capture.

“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” Rodríguez said in a statement. Her conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could “pay a very big price” if she did not fall in line with U.S. demands.

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Before taking the oath of office, Venezuelan lawmaker Grecia Colmenares said she would “take every giant step to bring back (to Venezuela) the bravest of the brave, Nicolás Maduro Moreno, and our first lady, Cilia Flores.”

“I swear by the shared destiny we deserve,” she said.

A State Department official said Monday that the Trump administration is making preliminary plans to reopen the U.S. embassy in Venezuela.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said early preparations “to allow for a reopening” of the embassy in Caracas had begun in the event Trump decides to return American diplomats to the country.

Associated Press Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.