The first Green Beret to serve in Congress, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), wants Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to clarify his military record now that he is running to become vice president on the Democratic Party’s 2024 ticket. “I’ve seen the reports on Tim Walz’s military record and he has some explaining to do,” Waltz said in a post to X on Wednesday. In a video he also shared, Waltz said there is a “lot of discussion” within the veterans community about Walz’s more than two decades in the Army National Guard and that it “boils down to two issues,” which the congressman then explained. I’ve seen the reports on Tim Walz’s military record and he has some explaining to do. pic.twitter.com/Qo6lhUbS4h — Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) August 7, 2024 “One is the fact that he’s described himself over his political career as a sergeant major, as the highest enlisted rank in the Army,” Waltz said. “He was promoted to sergeant major, but then in order to stay in that rank, you have to complete certain training. You have to complete the sergeant major’s academy, which he never did. So he was subsequently demoted to master sergeant before he retired.” Waltz said there are “a lot of questions” about how Walz, who is now hitting the campaign trail with Vice President Kamala Harris, should be describing himself. “I think those are fair to ask, and he should answer them,” Waltz added. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI And the “bigger issue,” according to the Republican, is Walz “walking away from his soldiers after they had been called to go to Iraq.” Waltz noted that he commanded Green Beret and said, “Everything that you do prepares you for that moment when you have to lead your men and women into harm’s way.” In a football reference, Waltz continued, “It’s kind of like the quarterback of a big team walking away from their team right before they go to the Super Bowl. I’ve never heard anything like it, especially the fact that he was a command sergeant major. I’ve never heard of a commander or a sergeant major stepping away from their unit before they go down range.” Waltz concluded his video by urging reporters to press Walz on his military record. “The media needs to do their job and ask these tough questions and Walz needs to answer them,” Waltz said. “The veterans community, for one, is demanding an explanation of why he didn’t fulfill his duty as a command sergeant major and go into harm’s way with the men and women he was leading.”

Florida teen Brendan Depa was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday stemming from assaulting his teacher after she took away his Nintendo Switch during school hours. Security footage of the incident quickly went viral on social media. Depa, who is now 18, can be seen beating paraprofessional Joan Naydich in a hallway at Matanzas High School last February. The video showed him repeatedly punching Naydich, even after she was knocked unconscious. The 6’6, 270-pound teen was charged with felony aggravated battery. Circuit Judge Terence Perkins handed down the sentence, per The New York Post, and also sentenced Depa to 15 years of probation following his release to a group home. He noted that the teen had not displayed any remorse during the proceedings. Depa pleaded no contest to the charges in October. The teen’s mother and defense attorney argued for leniency due to the fact that the teen has been diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder. “They are punishing that he is black, they are punishing that he is large and they are punishing his disability,” Leanne Depa, the suspect’s adopted mother, told the Daytona Beach News-Journal of the sentencing. Leanne also blamed the school district.   “I think he needs help, and I think he needs treatment. But I don’t think he needs to be put away in a prison where he’s going to be taken advantage of or harmed,” she said. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI “I had told the school that being hungry was a trigger, that noise was a trigger, that being told ‘no’ was a trigger, that being corrected in front of other people was a trigger, and electronics was a huge trigger,” Leanne continued. Naydich spoke about the aftermath of the incident during a hearing in May, per The Post.  “Brendan Depa’s actions that day has caused me to lose a job that I had for almost 19 years, lose my financial security, lose my health insurance,” she said. The victim added, “Like everything was taken away from me that morning. At 10 o’clock that morning. Everything was taken away. My life will never be what it was before.”

In 2023, the Minnesota governor’s mansion was renovated – and Gov. Tim Walz wanted taxpayers to foot the bill for a $17,000-a-month lakeside mansion as his temporary home. In March of that year, Minnesota House Democrats voted down multiple times an amendment that would have capped the amount Walz could spend on temporary housing to $10,000 a month. Democrats voted down an amendment that would have limited how much taxpayer money Gov. Walz can spend on rent while the Governor’s Mansion undergoes renovations. He is currently slated to move into a $17,000 per month lakeside mansion. pic.twitter.com/6yscxvBnbi — MN House GOP War Room (@MNHRCWarRoom) March 30, 2023 A public backlash ensued, and Walz broke his agreement to rent the lakeside mansion to instead rent the home of the president of the University of Minnesota for $4,400 a month, MPR News reported at the time. In March 2023, Alpha News reported that Walz would be moving into a lakeside mansion costing taxpayers $17,000 a month for 18 months while the governor’s mansion was renovated. The nearly 8,000-square-foot mansion sat on 3.5 acres in Minnesota’s second-wealthiest city. The total cost of the stay would have cost taxpayers more than $300,000, on top of the cost of renovating the governor’s mansion. After the expense was revealed, Minnesota Rep. Paul Novotny, R-Elk River, released a statement saying the cost was “the wrong message to send taxpayers” and was “out-of-touch.” “As Minnesotans struggle with soaring interest rates impacting the housing market, high inflation, and much more, it is incredibly tone-deaf for Gov. Walz to make taxpayers fork over $17,000 a month in rent payments for a palatial lakeside mansion for him and his family,” Novotny said. Then-Rep. Jeremy Munson, another Republican, also pointed out that the governor’s mansion had been updated in 2013 for $2.6 million. We just spent $2.6 million to renovate his house in 2013. Market value at the time was $2.7Mhttps://t.co/0ov9AuwdOo — Jeremy Munson (@jeremymunson) March 27, 2023 The cost of the 2023 renovation also more than doubled from its initial estimate of $6.3 million, which included updates to plumbing and security. By June 2023, the renovation was estimated to cost $7.1 million, but by October, that number had ballooned to $12.8 million, MPR News reported at the time. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI In a letter, the Minnesota Department of Administration said the jump in cost was due to higher-than-expected bids to replace the home’s heating, air conditioning, ventilation, electrical, and plumbing systems. The department said some of the systems dated back to the home’s construction in 1912. “This work to meet current code and life-safety requirements is necessary to complete if the facility is going to remain in use,” the department’s then-commissioner told Republican legislative leaders at the time, according to MPR. A spokesperson for Walz told MPR at the time that the governor was “concerned about the increased costs and would like the Legislature to weigh in before the Department of Administration makes a decision to proceed with this project.” The renovations are expected to be complete in September 2024, according to Minnesota’s government website.

When childhood friends stay together until adulthood, they’ve undoubtedly been through thick and thin. Good friends show up when you need them and sometimes surprise you with how much they care. When Tyler Hobert was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare cancer, his best buddies knew exactly what they needed to do to support him. This group of friends has called themselves the Wolfpack since they were little, according to member Billy’s wife Danielle Hewitt. She tells InspireMore that Billy and friends Austin, Andrew, Braden, and Aaron decided to shave their heads in honor of Tyler, but didn’t let him in on the plan. @daniraynee Our best friend Tyler was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia earlier this year. He is the kindest person you’ll meet. We wanted to show our support and love for him so the guys shaved their heads together. It was such a special moment to do this together at the salon! No one fights alone! If you’d like to donate, there is a link in our bio Team Tyler ♬ Full House – The Hollywood Prime Time Orchestra “We decided to surprise Tyler and Ryleigh [Tyler’s girlfriend] with their bald heads and holding up a sign that said, ‘no one fights alone,’ and I’m so glad we did! They were so shocked, and it was so sweet to see their reaction. Tyler said, ‘You guys have good bald heads, haha,” Dani tells us. She explains that they filmed the video for themselves but decided to share it on TikTok, hoping to raise awareness. They never thought it would take off like it did. But with the Full House theme song playing and text explaining why the men were going bald, it’s no surprise these friends are a viral sensation. These Guys Supporting Their Friend’s Journey With Cancer Will Bring the Tears We’re warning you—grab a tissue. These men are amazing. Their viral video has 816,000 views and thousands of comments of love and well wishes. Someone wrote, “Those aren’t friends. Those are brothers.” This person loved it, “If crying for strangers was an Olympic sport, I’d bring home the damn gold. You guys are amazing. You got this, Tyler!” We can’t lie, we totally cried when we watched Tyler’s reaction to his friends banding together for him. It’s an incredible moment and, according to Dani, well deserved. “Tyler is the most incredible person you’ll ever meet. He has the best heart and will always be there at the drop of a hat. He has always been a momma’s boy. And if he isn’t hanging out with the guys or working, then he is at home enjoying every minute with his family. He is an inspiration to a lot of people of what it means to make the important things in life the priority. The care that he has for everyone around him is irreplaceable. We are all striving to be better because of him,” she tells us. Dani says they hope to raise awareness for cancer and money for Tyler’s treatment. Their GiveSendGo campaign has already raised $28,000 of its $75,000 goal. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Childhood Friends Surprise Buddy With Cancer By Showing Up At His House Newly Bald appeared first on InspireMore.

Sometimes, the dreams we have as children seem silly in hindsight. But Lola Anderson is proving why you should always go for the gold. At only 13 years old, she found herself mesmerized by the Olympic athletes in London. As a result, she imagined one day joining Great Britain’s rowing team. In fact, she wrote in her diary that, “I think it would be my biggest dream in life to go to the Olympics in rowing and if possible win a gold for GB.” When Anderson wrote this note, she was so full of hope and joy. But mere weeks later, she felt embarrassed by what she considered to be an unrealistic goal. So, she threw the note away. Little did she know, however, that her dad, Don, saved it. He would go on to encourage his daughter through her doubts, reminding her of the note two weeks before he died of cancer. Now, Anderson is looking back on these moments fondly as she celebrates her dream coming true in Paris 2024. Lola Anderson Gets Emotional When Talking About Her Late Dad’s Support “I threw that (note) away, because I didn’t believe, why would you?” Anderson shares. “My dad saw it before I did, he saw the potential that I had but my potential wouldn’t have been unlocked without the girls who crossed the line with me today.” Her talented teammates include Georgie Brayshaw, Hannah Scott, and Lauren Henry. By working together, they helped secure their win by 0.15 seconds over the Netherlands’ team. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hannah (@hannahscott18) Just like that, the dream Anderson had at 13 isn’t so silly after all. Best of all, Dad returned the note to her, and she keeps it in a tin in her bedroom. “I’m very, very grateful for everyone that has got me here and [Dad] would be very proud if he was here,” Anderson says. “There’s nothing unfeminine about getting strong, getting athletic and enjoying being aggressive and racy … I just want all of the girls out there to feel that in the same way we do today.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Lola Anderson Shares How Late Dad Inspired Her To Win Olympic Gold, “He’d Be So So Proud” appeared first on InspireMore.

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The donation will fund six endowed professorships across various academic divisions

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'Well, he was in the Marines'

'Walz' is a perfect name