The NARN Closer's playlist - 12/28/2025

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We gotta do better, it's time to begin..........

It's the final live NARN broadcast of 2025, so I hope to finish the year strong. Today's edition of my 2-hour radio show The Closer will get started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

In the first hour I will discuss the perpetual gong show that is the Gov. Tim Walz administration, specifically his pathetic efforts to distract from rampant fraud. Then at 1:30, I will welcome to the Patriot bunker Nate George, who is seeking to be the GOP nominee for MN Auditor in 2026. 

In the second hour, I'll discuss some national topics, including the conservative infighting over Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, et al. 

And finally, did new CBS exec Bari Weiss spike a 60 Minutes story or did she actually hold them to the standard of (GASP!) ethical journalism????

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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Incitement

In an attempt to distract from the billions of dollars of taxpayer funds being lost to fraud, Nebraska Fats MN Gov. Tim Walz pulls out his go-to diversion tactic of falsely accusing his political opposites of "fascism."

As the Christmas holiday approached, Walz put forth the most irresponsible and reprehensible fear-mongering that I've ever heard from a Minnesota governor. 

An erratic MN Gov. Walz spreads rumors and fear that ICE may target "midnight mass."
Hours later, the Archbishop issues a statement saying Walz's rumors are false and unhelpful "fear-filled speculation." ICE has taken no such actions.
Full statement: https://t.co/8GDOtUf6KA pic.twitter.com/9x1KYtQVG2

— Clarity (@covid_clarity) December 24, 2025

Not to be outdone, the boy mayor of Minneapolis took it to another level.

 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey warns that continued ICE operations in the city could lead to ICE agents getting killed.

pic.twitter.com/VngUrAa6Kw

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 26, 2025

The fact of the matter is there are enough mentally fragile (bordering on deranged) people on the political left who internalize these words. So if Federal law enforcement attempting to do their jobs is labeled as "fascist" or "cruel" by prog leaders, the left's faithful followers will take that as a suggestion to thwart ICE operations by any means necessary. So when Mayor Jacob Frey suggests that somebody is "gonna get injured or killed," it's almost as if he's willing that into existence. In addition, he's giving himself cover in the event his inciteful rhetoric leads to citizen deaths should they make an attempt to obstruct justice. 

Sure enough, Christmas came and went without any of these incidents occurring as Walz et al speculated. And if there were an honest an impartial media, these officials would justifiably be called out for such demagoguery. 

One more thing: this "rally" was held at Shiloh Temple in Minneapolis, so it's clear faith leaders within that institution are picking a political side. I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that if a different place of worship were to host elected conservatives who, say, decried barbaric abortion procedures or were critical of injecting kids with puberty blockers, the media wouldn't be so deferential regarding faith leaders teaming up with elected officials. 

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Standards ≠ Cancelation

This past weekend's AmFest, an annual conservative gathering put on by the late Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA, wrapped up on Sunday. 

One of the final speakers of the weekend was Vice President JD Vance. And one excerpt of his talk really made the rounds afterwards.

VP VANCE: "President Trump did not build the greatest coalition in politics by running his supporters through endless, self-defeated purity tests... I didn't bring a list of conservatives to denounce or to de-platform... The best way to honor Charlie is that none of us here… pic.twitter.com/jyMQotlW1O

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 21, 2025

This is likely in reference to a speech given by Ben Shapiro, who challenged AmFest attendees to call out folks who believe a "big tent" should include hateful bigots and those who borderline appease them. So with all due respect to the VP, Ben was exemplary in honoring Charlie in that they both wanted nothing to do with those who were not only openly antisemitic but also those would stand idly by while such behavior festered. 

Also, VP Vance's assertion that people like Shapiro look to "de-platform" others with whom they disagree is a strawman. Shapiro's deeply held belief is that no speech should be squelched, but rather torn apart rhetorically with fact-filled dissent. And it's something he's built his career on and has done so wildly successfully. 

It was also pretty revealing that the likes of Candace Owens and Steve Bannon went right to ad hominem attacks on Shapiro as opposed to substantively refuting anything he said. 

In the end, I love what Allie Beth Stuckey had to say regarding calls for "unity." 

Unity is good, but truth is better. And sometimes, truth divides.

Why does this happen so much more on the right than on the left? Because the left is seeking to destroy - the church, the family, the West - and destruction requires little agreement. Use whatever tool you want,… pic.twitter.com/NNnqPJfcBY

— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) December 22, 2025

It's rather telling that those who are presented with inconvenient truths are the ones who are making the loudest calls for "unity" as opposed to substantive discourse. Perhaps it's because they're incapable of the latter, which makes the former unsustainable. 

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The NARN Closer's playlist - 12/21/2025

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There'll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting.......

After a couple weeks away, I'm back on the air today for my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour blitz will get started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

In the first hour I'll discuss some Minnesota stories, including more shocking allegations of rampant fraud involving taxpayer dollars. Also, the Minnesota Twins ownership group actually (finally!) showed a bit of self-awareness. 

Then in the second hour, I'll weigh in on spree killing in Australia where Jewish people were targeted during a Hanukkah celebration. 

At 2:30, I'll be joined by Chris Briggs, who will discuss his testimony before a U.S. Senate subcommittee regarding his family's awful experience with the Affordable Care Act. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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A step forward?

I've documented on this site over the past two years how the Minnesota Twins have taught a master class in how to whizz away fan enthusiasm not seen since 2010, which was their debut season in Target Field.

The main target of Twins fans' disdain has been Joe Pohlad, the third generation of the family who has owned the Twins since 1984. In November 2023, literally one month after the Twins won their first postseason game in 19 years and first playoff series win in 21 seasons, Pohlad, who supplanted uncle Jim as the chief principal of the club, announced an approximate 20% slashing of payroll for 2024. Then in the midst of a12-game win streak in May of 2024, the Twins were no longer available on local television due to a dispute with its regional carrier. In July of that year, the Twins' postseason odds were north of 90%, yet the only move they made at the trade deadline was for a mediocre relief pitcher whom they would release before season's end. The team would lose 27 of its final 39 games, missing the playoffs altogether. When Pohlad made himself available to print media the final weekend of that season, he dismissed the notion that "right-sizing" his family's business had anything to do with the team's demise. 

The buffoonery continued into 2025. Despite the Twins playing solid baseball in the first half of the season (including a 13-game winning streak in May), the team began to flounder in June and July, so much so that where they were in the position to be sellers at the July 31st trade deadline. However, not even the most cynical Twins can could have foreseen the club trading 40% of the players on their active roster. Sure, fans were not pleased with the decimation of the roster, but they could at least cling to the hope that a sale of the team was imminent, which the Pohlads indicated ten months prior that they were exploring. But that applecart was upset when it was announced the family would remain the principal owners while bringing in minority investors to help alleviate their enormous debt load. 

With more than 98% of fans surveyed grading the Pohlad ownership group at a D or F, the family had to do something, anything to throw fans a bone. When gathering to identify the minority investors, the Pohlad family kinda buried that lede upon announcing a leadership shakeup. 

Fourteen months after the Pohlad family announced it was exploring a sale of the Minnesota Twins, and four months after it instead decided to maintain control of the team and take on limited partners, the transaction is finally complete.

Glick Family Investments, which is based in New York, and Värde Partners co-founder and co-executive chair George G. Hicks, alongside other Minnesota business leaders, have joined on as principal investors, while Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold will also be a limited partner.

The reveal comes alongside even bigger news: Tom Pohlad, who has been leading the sale process on behalf of the family for the past 14 months, will succeed his brother, Joe, as the team’s executive chair. With Major League Baseball approval — expected to come early next year — Tom Pohlad will also take over as the organization’s control person, a role currently being filled by his uncle, Jim Pohlad.

“As a family, this time has caused us to do a lot of self-reflection about what’s been working and what needs to improve in the organization,” Tom Pohlad said. “When we took a hard look at things, it’s undeniable that we haven’t won enough baseball games, the financial health of the club has been put in jeopardy and we’ve got a fanbase that has lost trust in us as owners and, as a result, the organization and the direction it’s headed.”

And when asked about "right-sizing" the business at the expense of augmenting a roster that finally had some postseason success, Tom appeared to throw lil bro Joe under the bus. 

"We made what we thought at the time was a responsible financial decision, and we obviously failed to consider the long-term impact of that decision, and the short-term impact of that decision, frankly," he said. "We sucked the air right out of our fan base, and it did significant damage to our brand and to our family from a confidence standpoint. Plain and simple, we got it wrong."

While that's more a confirmation than a revelation, it's refreshing to actually hear those words spoken by a Pohlad family member. So does this mean they're going to be big spenders in the offseason? That's highly unlikely. But it would appear they're (for now) going to hang on to high profile players like starting pitchers Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez as well as outfielder Byron Buxton. But if the team once again has a losing record at the July 31 trade deadline, look for one if not all those players to be dealt. 

I'm not terribly optimistic for a successful 2026 season but, on paper, this Twins team as currently constructed aren't exactly the 2024 Chicago White Sox. Here's hoping this latest restructuring of  leadership is a step in the right direction.

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Quick Hits: Volume CCCXC

- If I had to compile a Top 50 list of movies I consider "remote drops," they would include Stand By Me, Misery, A Few Good Men, The American President and my all-time favorite When Harry Met Sally. What those films have in common, of course, is all were directed (and produced, except for Stand By Me) by Rob Reiner. 

Naturally I was shocked and horrified to hear that he and wife Michele were murdered in their home by (allegedly) their son Nick. As such, my heart goes out to Rob and Michele's loved ones enduring the shock and devastation over this tremendous loss. 

I wish we could leave it at that and not have to give the obligatory disclaimer of "I may not have agreed with Reiner politically...." but, sadly, that's the state of our country today. Yes, Reiner was a frothing kook leftist, even admitting he considered receiving mental health treatment over his maniacal reactions to all things Republicans and Donald J. Trump.

Hey, speaking of the narcissist-in chief, ya just knew he had to pile on. 

pic.twitter.com/pibzXhB2x9

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 15, 2025

Indefensible. And no amount of what-about-ism can justify that statement. 

What's ironic is no one seems more obsessed with Trump than Trump himself. 

- With Minnesota Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan opting to run for U.S. Senate in 2026, Nebraska Fats Gov. Tim Walz is seeking a new running mate for his re-election campaign. 

One prominent figure has indicated she would not be interested were she offered the opportunity. 

"I'm not gonna be the lieutenant governor, but I am going to support with everything I have, Gov. Walz, if he is the Democrat who is running," Morrison told me on Capitol Hill last week after several Democratic sources told me she's being considered by Walz for the job.

— Sydney Kashiwagi (@SydneyKashiwagi) December 16, 2025

Did you catch the last part of Morrison's quote???? If he is the Democrat running? 

Given that 2026 is, for now, shaping up to be a very good election cycle for Democrats, Walz may be immune to that good fortune given a majority of Minnesotans surveyed earlier this year believed he should not seek a third term. And that was before it was widely known that Minnesota taxpayers have been defrauded to the tune of billions of dollars. 

I've said for a while now that DFL power brokers are likely to approach the vulnerable Walz about stepping aside, if they haven't done so already. Does Rep. Morrison perhaps know something we don't know? 

- A lot of darkness around the world this past weekend with the shooting at Brown University (a Jewish professor's classroom was targeted; 2 people killed, many others wounded) in Rhode Island and at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia where at least 15 Jews were killed. 

The suspect in the Brown shooting was alleged to have shouted "Allahu Akbar." The gunmen in the Australia shooting were an Islamist father and son. 

With anti-Semitism running rampant worldwide, particularly violence at the hands of Muslims, you can imagine how high profile leftists are framing their reactions. 

 

Ahmed al Ahmed, a Muslim father of two, risked his life to disarm a murderer who was shooting down Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney.

Religion must not divide our common humanity.

We must stand together and end antisemitism, Islamophobia and all hate — no exceptions.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 15, 2025

In New York, we reject Islamophobia and Antisemitism.

New Yorkers know the way forward is through solidarity in our communities and rejecting hate.

An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.

— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) December 16, 2025

The normalization and acceptance of Islamophobia in our politics is disgusting.

Our Muslim neighbors are not Republicans’ scapegoats for antisemitic attacks and Trump’s failed policies.

We must absolutely condemn Islamophobia loudly and hold those perpetuating it accountable. https://t.co/kuYOILzR66

— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) December 15, 2025

Yep. They're literally emulating the Norm MacDonald parody tweet from nine years ago. 

What terrifies me is if ISIS were to detonate a nuclear device and kill 50 million Americans. Imagine the backlash against peaceful Muslims?

— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) December 16, 2016

The man was ahead of his time.  

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On assignment....again (or still)

I will once again be away from today's edition of my radio show The Closer. And once again the broadcast is in good hands as the honorable Rep. Walter Hudson (R-Albertville) will be filling in for me, 1-3 PM Central Time. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics Walter plans on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page. 

Until then.....

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