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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
"The road to authoritarianism": Tim Walz says the time for "sternly worded letters" is over
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was testifying before Congress about his state's handling of immigration when he learned Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security news conference Thursday. The irony, he told the attendees of the Center for American Progress' 'Listening to Lead' event Friday, was in lawmakers grilling him and his colleagues, Govs. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y. and JB Pritzker, D-Ill., over the 'incredible crime of treating people like human beings' as FBI agents tackled a sitting senator to the ground and handcuffed him in Los Angeles. 'I am not prone to hyperbole. I am prone to, like, popping off a little bit. I know that,' Walz said, prefacing his argument that Americans are living in a 'dangerous' time. 'I believed all along we were marching towards authoritarianism, and people were telling me in December, 'You know, you're overreacting.' And I said, 'The road to authoritarianism is littered with people telling you you're overreacting.' Walz shared the anecdote and warning Friday during an hour-long conversation at the Center of American Progress in Washington, DC, moderated by CAP President Neera Tanden. The former vice presidential candidate spoke to a crowded room and cohort of virtual participants about a range of topics, spanning the cuts to Medicaid and the Inflation Reduction Act to his approach to immigration as a Democratic governor and constructive criticism of the Democratic Party. Democrats look for a quick message to address conservative voters, whom they accuse of voting against their own self-interests, to inform them of an issue like the impact of tariffs and solve a problem, he argued. 'Our message has to be more diverse,' Walz said. 'You can't just say they voted against their own self-interest because they're telling us, for some reason, something in there motivated them to do that.' The debate over immigration is an example, he said. Walz referenced his arguments during the House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary states and cities with him, Hochul and Pritzker as an example of the kind of messaging Democrats should lean into to best seize on the impact of Republicans' policies. The governors, he said, spoke about complying with federal law in contacting DHS over immigrants arrested and convicted of felonies — but also how they wouldn't contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement if someone hadn't yet received due process. 'I think, as Democrats, striking a balance between doing immigration according to the law and keeping our humanitarian values in place shows that we do care,' said Walz, who earlier in the week said he would sign a recently passed budget bill that would end state-funded health care for undocumented adults. Walz, for his part, said Friday that the move was a compromise with Republican state lawmakers who he said threatened a government shutdown. Still, the Republicans have capitalized on and taken the Democrats' kindness for weakness, Walz added. He said that Hochul and Pritzker are examples of leaders who rose up to protect less fortunate Americans in their respective states and don't allow the Republicans to bully their residents.'I think there needs to be a more robust Democratic Party, and I don't think all these sternly worded letters get it done,' he said, adding. 'We have to have a robust strength of morals, value sticking up for those less fortunate — that's why I think it's a mistake to focus just on economics and allow trans children to get bullied.' 'I think they have to go in, and we look weak if we don't do it,' Walz added. Walz said that when facing a president who 'sucks up so much oxygen' and dominates the news cycle, people and leaders on the center-left of the political spectrum should be working to fill in 'all the lanes' whether it be by joining podcasts, hosting large rallies like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., or holding town halls in places like Wheeling, He also encouraged fellow Democrats to take a play out of his book, recalling the success of the heckling he started by calling Trump and his allies 'weird' during the 2024 presidential campaign as well as his 'full blown feud' with tech billionaire Elon Musk. 'We're going to have to be better at it,' Walz said about hitting Trump and his allies back, referencing the gap between the working class and the wealthy. 'We have to single them out.'
Forbes
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Five Ways Top Summer Vacations Depend On Public Lands
America's public lands have been increasingly under fire in recent months. The Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency have targeted federal public lands agencies for massive terminations of workers and funding. Experts worry that the cuts are a deliberate attempt to sabotage the federal public lands system as an excuse to sell those lands for profit. Indeed, Congressional Republicans recently voted in favor of selling off federal public lands to pay for sweeping tax cuts in a big bill of tax breaks Republicans aim to pass by Memorial Day. 'If this bill passes, the losses to America's great outdoor legacy will be felt for generations,' Drew McConville, a senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress, said in a statement. Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss said, "Once these lands are gone, they're gone forever—that means no more hiking, no more biking, no more grazing, no more habitat for wildlife.' With summer heading into full swing, public lands across the country are set to factor in millions of people's summer vacation plans to hike, bike, camp, fish, raft, horseback ride, and watch wildlife—highlighting just how important America's outdoor legacy is to a vast proportion of the population. The Yosemite valley in California. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Most Americans tend to associate 'public lands' with national parks, and national parks certainly do fall under that umbrella. But the 640 million acres of this country's federal public lands also encompass national forests, wilderness, marine protected areas, and scenic rivers; and the campgrounds, river accesses, hiking, biking and OHV trails, and myriad other sites and facilities that more than 500 million people visit and use each year. Here are six ways popular summer vacations depend on staffed and funded public lands—and those lands being public in the first place. Fishing and Whitewater River Trips Many people don't realize that our big rivers are a form of public lands, which is why the public gets to canoe, raft, tube, and fish on them. The most highly protected rivers are called 'Wild and Scenic,' and include stretches of iconic rivers like the Salmon, Colorado, Snake, Missouri, and Green, among many others. Without protected public access, rivers can easily be privatized and fenced off. In addition to providing clean water to cities and habitat for fish and other wildlife, rivers provide unparalleled recreation opportunity, including the best flyfishing vacations, best whitewater rafting, and top canoe and standup paddleboard trips. Most of the rivers that people take guided river trips on are patrolled by river rangers. They keep the banks clean by picking up trash and human waste, help manage human/wildlife encounters, warn anglers and rafters about hazards in the river, and often perform first aid and safety roles. Rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. getty Beach Vacations Many of our favorite beaches are national seashores, like Canaveral in Florida, Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and Point Reyes in California; or lakeshores, like the many along the Great Lakes. These protected shorelines, sites for some of the best beach vacations, mean that these beaches can't be privatized (i.e. only those with property on the beach can access it), and must stay open for public use. Campgrounds The best summer camping is most definitely not restricted to national parks, although camping in awe-inspiring places like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon can seem hard to beat. But it's often much easier logistically to camp in a national forest like the Bridger-Teton in Wyoming, in designated wilderness like the Frank Church in Idaho, or on Bureau of Land Management sites, like the many in Utah, than it is to secure a campsite in a busy national park. Public lands campgrounds rely on staff to clean bathrooms, ensure potable water is running, manage trash, run evening programs and other education for guests, help manage human/wildlife interactions, and also often perform first aid and safety roles Trails Public lands in the United States are laced with thousands of miles of the best hiking trails, best mountain biking trails, and top horseback riding and OHV trails on offer. All trails require maintenance, though, from sawing downed trees and clearing brush to re-building sections that have been washed out. This work is performed by trail crews; many of these positions were the first to be eliminated in DOGE's initial round of terminations in February, meaning that hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and outfitters providing guided trips are likely to be unable to access trails in some of the most beautiful places in the country. Trail riding in the Colorado forest. getty Managing Wildfires Wildfires are a natural part of ecology, and healthy landscapes rely on fire. Fires, particularly in the West, can also dictate where people choose to go on their summer vacations—sometimes requiring whole changes of plan to avoid widespread smoke from a big wildfire. But many wildland firefighting crews have been left short-staffed by the DOGE terminations, to the alarm of forest and fire officials. This summer, as they do every year, America's public lands are set to play a starring role in summer vacations, plans, and adventures—highlighting their importance in American culture and identity.
Fox News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
How many Americans are actually ready for REAL ID? Compliance crosses partisan, geographic bounds
With REAL ID's deadline approaching Wednesday, there are still swaths of the country where travelers could run into trouble trying to hit the skies for summer break. Although at least 12 states are more than 90% REAL ID-compliant, many still have significant portions of their populations who will need a passport to fly. The states in the proverbial green include Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming as well as Washington, D.C. Texas reported 98% compliance, Mississippi 97%, Hawaii and Utah 96%, according to a CBS survey. New Jersey has recently made headlines for its low REAL ID compliance, but it tops the nation in passport ownership, with 69% of residents holding one, according to data from the Center for American Progress and Swift Passport Services. MARRIED WOMEN FACE REAL ID DOCUMENTATION HURDLES: 'I CAN'T ACCEPT THIS' Delaware, California, New York, Massachusetts and Alaska also ranked high. Though geographically diverse, all the states – except Delaware – serve as major international travel hubs, home to airports like Ted Stevens, Logan, and JFK. The First State, however, is only a short distance from Philadelphia International Airport. By contrast, the states with the lowest proportion of passport holders tend to be ones without major airports: West Virginia, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama. What effect that may have on REAL ID-era travel remains unclear. Those states do, however, have regional Amtrak stops like Harpers Ferry, Jackson, Ashland and Birmingham, respectively. REAL ID is not required for intrastate or interstate rail travel. REAL ID IS ABOUT TO GO INTO EFFECT: HERE'S HOW IT MAY IMPACT VOTING A REAL ID is an identification that includes a star emblazoned in the upper corner to denote the holder has provided additional identifying documentation like a Social Security card to a government agent. It will be required for air travel and to enter most government or military installations. The law requiring REAL ID was passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, but has been delayed several times by multiple presidential administrations. Last week, Wingate University political science professor Dr. Magdalena Krajewska – an expert on national ID cards – told the school's news outlet she was surprised the delays have taken so long. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "I feel like all of us who were alive during that time, all of us who witnessed this as it was happening, thought the U.S. would do everything to prevent something similar from happening again," she said. Krajewska added it is important that people also know they don't need a REAL ID to enter less-secure government locations like a post office.
