Latest news with #TheFreePress
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Helping hands reach out to guide evacuees through the smoke, fear, confusion
Wildfires in the northern reaches of the province have displaced more than 17,000 Manitobans over the past day, as flames threaten the City of Flin Flon, the Town of Lynn Lake and the Pimicikamak Cree Nation and Mathias Colomb First Nation. The Free Press spoke with several businesses and organizations about how they're helping in a time of need after a provincewide state of emergency was declared Wednesday. Opaskwayak Cree Nation has opened its hockey arena to busloads of evacuees from Flin Flon. Laverne Constant, the First Nation's public safety manager, was working for nearly 24 hours straight helping evacuees get settled and registered at the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre. 'Everyone is opening their doors because they know what it's like to be displaced,' Constant said. 'We are not alone in this.' At least six buses arrived carrying evacuees, Constant lost count after the first 200 people showed up at the arena. Volunteers set up cots and cleared the bread off grocery store shelves to make sandwiches for evacuees. Constant housed an 81-year-old woman in her camper trailer because the woman needed a quiet place to stay. The community expected to open its campground and RV park to evacuees but more space was needed, so the arena was transformed. Opaskwayak fought its own wildfires earlier this month, which were successfully extinguished. Constant said her team has started using the supplies donated to the community to help the new evacuees. 'When we had our fires, automatically Flin Flon and everybody came to help us,' she said. The First Nation has sent its fighters and truckloads of food to help the crews battling the blazes in Flin Flon. Winnipeg places of worship are responding to the call to help host wildfire evacuees. The Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba has reached out to its Winnipeg churches to see what they can do, provincial director John Neufeld said. 'Many of our churches have indicated their availability to respond to whatever the provincial Emergency Management Organization needs,' he said, adding there are some churches in the denomination that have gyms and larger kitchens. The denomination has also contacted its churches in the northern part of the province, along with its Simonhouse Bible Camp near Cranberry-Portage. 'One of the essential instructions of the Bible is to 'do justice and love mercy,'' said Neufeld. 'Mobilizing our resources to serve others like this is a natural expression of our faith.' The Prairie to Pine Regional Council of the United Church of Canada also published a notice asking its churches to monitor local news and prepare to offer assistance. The council is also in touch with Indigenous United Church congregations in the North as they assess threats to the communities they serve, a spokesperson said. Mennonite Church Manitoba has asked pastors to consider preparing their churches to receive evacuees if called upon. In Otterburne, Providence University College has informed the government it can use dormitory space for evacuees. Over 400 Métis citizens have been evacuated from Flin Flon, a spokesperson for The Manitoba Métis Federation told the Free Press. Sites in Winnipegosis, Mafeking and Treherne have been prepared for the evacuees to stay. SUPPLIED The Manitoba MétisFederation command centre at 406 McGregor St. SUPPLIED The Manitoba MétisFederation command centre at 406 McGregor St. A command centre has been set up at 406 McGregor St. in Winnipeg to collect any clothing or food donations, provide hot meals and welcome Métis evacuees. The spokesperson said she was overwhelmed by the support of the Métis community after the federation put out a call for donations late Wednesday evening following the Flin Flon evacuation notice. Hundreds of people responded immediately to the message and offered rooms in their homes, board games, food hampers and clothing, the spokesperson said. Wildfire evacuees relocated to Winnipeg will have free access to the city's YMCAs. The organization is opening its community hubs, including access to showers and children's and recreation programs. 'Wildfires are devastating our communities across the province and Y Winnipeg is a part of that response,' president and CEO Cordella Friesen said in a release. 'We want to make sure all families have a place to go during this emergency in our province and do what we can to support our community.' Y Winnipeg will be working directly with the Canadian Red Cross and the city to co-ordinate available services at four hubs: Darin Hubscher operates Sweet Acres, a farm in Swan River that grows sweet corn, strawberries and pumpkins. The farm is also affiliated with Harvest Hosts, a membership program for RV campers that connects travellers with over 9,500 locations across North America, offering no-fee overnight stays. Hubscher's daughter, after hearing about the mass evacuation of Flin Flon residents, had an idea, he said. 'She thought, 'Why don't we open up our place (for the people) that are coming down from Flin Flon?'' Hubscher offered space for 20 campers free of charge in a post on the Sweet Acres Facebook page late Wednesday night. 'I've had a few texts from people who said they're on their way,' he said. Hubscher also recalled how, a couple of years ago, his son had to evacuate from Kelowna, B.C., when wildfires approached that area — an experience that left a lasting impression. 'It's another inspiration for us,' Hubscher said. 'It's just something we could do for people that have a camper and even a pet or two, that they can run around a little bit.' The Insurance Bureau of Canada is deploying its virtual community assistance mobile pavilion — V-CAMP — to help ease the burden for people affected by the wildfires who will be navigating unfamiliar home-insurance waters. Insurers serve as 'second responders' in the recovery period after catastrophe strikes, IBC said in a release Thursday. IBC's V-CAMP is staffed with trained insurance industry personnel at IBC's Consumer Information Centre (1-844-227-5422 and AskIBCWest@ to help address consumers' general questions about their home, business or vehicle insurance policies. 'Our hearts go out to the individuals and families whose lives have been disrupted by these fires. We thank all the first responders and emergency officials who have been working so diligently to protect lives and property,' IBC's Pacific and Western vice-president Aaron Sutherland, said. 'The situation is extremely concerning, and we want to make sure those being evacuated from their homes can easily access the insurance supports they need at this difficult time. Manitoba's insurers are committed to protecting your tomorrow, by standing with you today.' V-CAMP can also assist evacuees with additional living expenses incurred after being evacuated, the release said. — Compiled by Scott Billeck, Matthew Frank and John Longhurst fpcity@
New York Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
The Joe Biden scandal set off a Democratic civil war — that will tear the party to pieces
The long national nightmare that was Joe Biden's presidency is over. But the long political nightmare induced by Biden's final act in Washington continues to divide Democrats. 'Original Sin,' Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's new tome about the former president's ill-fated re-election campaign, has opened yet another fissure in a party full of them. The book sheds further light on the conspiracy to pull the wool over voters' eyes and saddle them with a half-functioning executive. In the process, it indicts every major administration official who served under Biden by revealing that the president's decline has been in progress since his 2020 campaign. And that while they all but compared him to Superman, outsiders recognized his senility on sight. Some Democrats are rightly outraged by their peers' dishonesty — and ready to use it to their political advantage. Antonio Villaraigosa, former Los Angeles mayor and current California gubernatorial candidate, has already turned his fire on two Biden alums: Xavier Becerra, who has announced his own campaign for the governor's mansion, and Kamala Harris, who is choosing between that race and a third presidential bid. 'What did Kamala Harris and Xavier Becerra know, when did they know it, and most importantly, why didn't either of them speak out?' Villaraigosa railed in a fiery statement last week. Saying the two had 'betrayed' their party, Villaraigosa argued their 'cover-up' of Biden's condition led 'directly' to Trump's election victory — and called on Harris and Becerra to 'hold themselves accountable and apologize to the American people.' Similarly, Dean Phillips, the former Minnesota congressman who mounted a much-maligned primary bid against Biden, has argued the Democrats can only redeem themselves by making 'everyone that was aware of Biden's condition . . . come clean.' 'No more evasions. No more insistence that he was sharp when you met him,' Phillips wrote at The Free Press. 'The whole truth will come out, and they would be wise to get ahead of it.' Then he twisted the knife. 'If a relatively little-known congressman like me knew that Biden was incapable of leading the country in a second term, what does that say about the complicity of the real party bosses whose names we all know?' Phillips asked. The two Dems' rhetoric makes for an engrossing preview of a stark new dividing line within their party — one that's sure to play a role in not just upcoming governors' and Senate elections, but the 2028 contest to succeed Trump. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters It's between those who would paper over the Biden scandal or even deny it entirely, and those who believe it should politically disqualify all those complicit in it. And it won't fade anytime soon: Early surveys of the 2028 Democratic primary field find Harris consistently on top, with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg finishing in the top three. Both will be plagued by the lies they told in service of their old boss should they throw their hats in the ring. Harris famously smeared Special Counsel Robert Hur for informing the American people that their commander-in-chief had wondered aloud if he was 'still' vice president in 2009 — the very year he assumed the office for the first time. And Buttigieg vouched for the president's brain function by claiming he'd had to call in an Amtrak 'expert' to handle Biden's 'detailed' questions about trains. They'll have a lot to answer for on the primary debate stage when their rivals ask why they misled the American people — not to mention what else they might be willing to lie about. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, too, might face such questions should Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez choose to challenge him come 2028. The Democrats' internal reckoning over the Biden coverup is bound to be especially painful because it largely overlaps with existing cracks between the establishment and activist wings of the party. Progressives in favor of adopting an even more unabashedly leftist agenda have long accused party elites of selling out their voters and their values in pursuit of power. In turn, those elites have charged progressives with prioritizing ideological purity and factional goals over winning elections. For the former group, the coverup reinforces the first narrative. For the latter, continued recriminations against Biden and his team reinforce the second. It's said that time heals all wounds — but progressives in particular have an interest in keeping this one open and bleeding. Cold, hard proof that party insiders were lying about the condition of the man with the nuclear codes is a visceral demonstration of the rot that leftists have long described. It's the kind of disgrace that can destroy presidential campaigns — and compel the sweeping, party-wide transformation they seek. Isaac Schorr is a staff writer at Mediaite.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Phillips says he urged Pritzker, Whitmer to run for president in 2024
Former Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who ran against former President Biden for the Democratic nomination last year, said he urged Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to launch their own 2024 challenges before entering the race himself. In a piece published Thursday in The Free Press, Phillips reflected on the new reporting by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson about steps Biden's inner circle allegedly took to shield the American public from signs of Biden's aging. Phillips, whose primary challenge centered largely on Biden's age, said he recalls spending time with Biden in 2021 and 2022 and being 'alarmed to see the president's obvious decline in communication skills, gait, and leadership capacity.' He said he was sure the president was not able to serve a second term after the White House holiday party in December 2022. 'My opinion wasn't an outlier. My congressional colleagues, like me, had eyes; behind closed doors we acknowledged the reality, lamented our party leadership's inaction, and recognized the impending disaster awaiting us in November 2024,' Phillips wrote in his piece. 'After many of the same hushed conversations, I tried to impress a sense of urgency,' he continued. 'I made calls to potential presidential candidates, like Illinois governor JB Pritzker and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, to urge them to run. But they didn't even want their names mentioned — let alone return my calls.' Phillips said it was at that point that he publicly called for an open primary and called on prominent Democrats — such as his senator, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.); former Vice President Kamala Harris; and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) — 'to throw their hats in the ring.' Only then, he said, did he decide to enter the race. In his piece, he reiterated his view that it was not a coincidence that Biden's spokesperson announced he had Stage 4 prostate cancer at the same time the new reporting attracted the public's attention. 'I am outraged to see that the important lessons from the top scandal of the 2024 election have still not been learned,' Phillips wrote in his piece. 'Constant lying and gaslighting the public about Biden's health has cost the Democratic Party the public's trust. Rebuilding it first requires the courage and honesty to admit to what happened,' he continued. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Phillips says he urged Pritzker, Whitmer to run for president in 2024
Former Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who ran against former President Biden for the Democratic nomination last year, said he urged Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to launch their own 2024 challenges before entering the race himself. In a piece published Thursday in The Free Press, Phillips reflected on the new reporting by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson about steps Biden's inner circle allegedly took to shield the American public from signs of Biden's aging. Phillips, whose primary challenge centered largely on Biden's age, said he recalls spending time with Biden in 2021 and 2022 and being 'alarmed to see the president's obvious decline in communication skills, gait, and leadership capacity.' He said he was sure the president was not able to serve a second term after the White House holiday party in December 2022. 'My opinion wasn't an outlier. My congressional colleagues, like me, had eyes; behind closed doors we acknowledged the reality, lamented our party leadership's inaction, and recognized the impending disaster awaiting us in November 2024,' Phillips wrote in his piece. 'After many of the same hushed conversations, I tried to impress a sense of urgency,' he continued. 'I made calls to potential presidential candidates, like Illinois governor JB Pritzker and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, to urge them to run. But they didn't even want their names mentioned—let alone return my calls.' Phillips said it was at that point that he publicly called for an open primary and called on prominent Democrats — like his senator, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), former Vice President Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) — 'to throw their hats in the ring.' Only then, he said, did he decide to enter the race. In his piece, he reiterated his view that it was not a coincidence that Biden's spokesperson announced he had stage 4 prostate cancer at the same time the new reporting attracted the public's attention. 'I am outraged to see that the important lessons from the top scandal of the 2024 election have still not been learned,' Phillips wrote in his piece. 'Constant lying and gaslighting the public about Biden's health has cost the Democratic Party the public's trust. Rebuilding it first requires the courage and honesty to admit to what happened,' he continued.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ex-Obama official Rahm Emanuel who's likely to run for president in 2028 says Democrat brand is 'weak, woke, toxic'
Rahm Emanuel says the brand of the Democratic Party is weak, woke and toxic. Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff of the Barack Obama administration, who is a frontrunner for the 2028 election, said the current brand of the Democratic Party is weak, woke and toxic. Emmanuel thinks his party put too much focus on "culture war issues" which opened the door for President Donald Trump. 'If you want the country to give you the keys to the car, somebody's got to be articulating an agenda that's fighting for America, not just fighting Trump,' Emanuel told the Wall Street Journal. 'The American dream has become unaffordable. It's inaccessible. And that has to be unacceptable to us.' 'I'm empathetic and sympathetic to a child trying to figure out their pronoun, but it doesn't trump the fact that the rest of the class doesn't know what a pronoun is,' he said. Emanuel is a long-time Democrat who wore many hats as a former congressman, a two-term mayor of Chicago and the ambassador to Japan. Emanuel took a jab at Kamala Harris coronation as the party's nominee without any primary in 2024 and said in 2028 the voters will be lucky and they will have a real debate, one they did not have in 2024. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a recent interview that she believes Emanuel will run for president in 2028. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Pelosi was asked by The Free Press whether Emanuel will launch a bid for the White House. 'I think so,' Pelosi responded. Emanuel, too, never dismissed any speculation over his bid. 'Before I make a decision, I want to know that I have an answer to what I think ails our country, ails our politics, and ails the party—and they may all be the same answer,' Emanuel said to The Free Press. "I'm not done with public service," Emanuel said. "I'm hoping it's not done with me." Kamala Harris has not yet announced her next political move, and a 2028 run was not ruled out, though she is also weighing in on whether she should run for California governor.
