Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is likely to drop out of the 2026 governor's race amid growing criticism over his administration's handling of fraud in the state, according to reports. Walz will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. on Monday.

Minnesota

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is expected to announce his decision to drop out of the 2026 governor's race, as reported by political insider Bloyce Olsen. The governor's office has scheduled a press conference to address questions, but has not confirmed the report or provided additional details. 

The development follows national criticism of Walz's handling of Medicaid and social service fraud, as well as pressure from both Republican opponents and Democratic colleagues regarding his political future. Meanwhile, controversy continues over a conspiracy video shared by President Trump, prompting responses from the family of the late lawmaker Melissa Hortman and calls for responsible political discourse.

Walz likely to drop out of 2026 governor's race: Report

here with big political news locally, as Governor Tim Walz is likely to announce today later this morning that he will drop out of the governor's race. That is according to political insider Bloyce Olsen. Hannah Flood joins us now in the studio with a closer look at this big story and what is happening today. Yeah, big update this morning. This all kind of came out late last night. So it's the story we're following today and really all eyes will be on this news conference happening at 11 o'clock this morning where the governor is expected to take questions and discuss news of the day. His office not revealing any other details about this press conference, but just a few hours after they announced that the news conference was happening. Political insider Bloyce Olsen reported that the governor is set to make an announcement about his political future, which would likely mean he's dropping out of the 2026 race. Live. Look at the state capital this morning where questions are being raised about what would be next for this election. Olsen reports the governor met with Senator Amy Klobuchar yesterday to talk about this decision. Governor Walz has faced national criticism from President Trump, among others, for his handling of Medicaid and other social service fraud here in the state of Minnesota. Republican opponents have accused Walz of being slow to respond to that fraud. Now, according to Olsen, Walz has also faced pressure from his Democratic colleagues to make a decision here on his 2026 run. Now, Fox nine has not independently confirmed Olsen's report. We did reach out to the governor's office last night for comment, but we didn't hear back. Olsen says Senator Klobuchar could be on the list of possible contenders for this governor's race. If Walz does drop out, Secretary of State Steve Simon, another name that could emerge as a contender. We will carry Governor Walz's news conference live at 11 o'clock this morning on air and online and Fox local. And of course, we'll be monitoring the story all morning here will bring you any updates as soon as we get them. But 11 o'clock here, Tom and Kelly, we could be getting these answers. We'll see what happens. Big story. All right. Thank you, Hannah. Appreciate it. Reaction continues to video pushing a conspiracy theory tying Governor Walz to the political assassination of state lawmaker Melissa Hortman. President Trump posted the video on truth social over the weekend, and the Hortman Children are asking the president to take it down and apologize. Their son, Colin Hortman, saying in part, quote, My father and mother, Mark and Melissa Hortman and their dog, Gilbert, were killed by a man who believed conspiracy theories and fake news. Words matter and sharing fake news is dangerous. Their daughter, Sophie, says this. The video shared by the president on truth social is a painful and false twisting of my mother's final vote. They're asking the president to take that post down. Local lawmakers and the governor are also reacting to the president's post. The governor posting on social media saying, quote, dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States in covering for an actual serial killer. He is going to get more innocent people killed. State Republican Senator Julia Coleman, saying in part, quote, Do not speculate, guess or spread stories that are painfully false and deeply harmful. She says it's time to restore dignity to our political discourse. You can read the full statements from the Hortman Children on our website, Fox nine dot com

The Senate on Thursday voted to advance a resolution that could limit President Trump's ability to continue military action in Venezuela without congressional approval. It comes as the president told the New York Times that he could see the U.S. having direct oversight of Venezuela for years.

Caracas

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Minneapolis

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Nuuk

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Jerusalem

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At least 25 people have been killed in Iran during the first nine days of protests that started in the bazaar of Tehran over the plunging value of the currency and soaring inflation, according to rights groups. This video contains graphic images.

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