California Gov. Gavin Newsom showered praise on his Minnesota counterpart, Gov. Tim Walz — and was promptly blasted for boosting his fellow Democrat in the wake of an alleged billion-dollar welfare scandal.
Newsom spoke of Walz in glowing terms in a Monday social media post after the Minnesota pol dropped his gubernatorial reelection bid as welfare fraud accusations swirled.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was roasted for showering praise on Minnesota counterpart Tim Walz on social media.AP
“Tim Walz is a man of character, strength, and compassion,” Newsom said on X. “Minnesota — and America — is better off thanks to his lifelong public service.”
Gov. Walz abruptly dropped out of the Minnesota gubernatorial race as feds investigate rampant fraud in the state.REUTERS
Another quipped, “hey @grok can you make a list of things that age badly like this post will?”
“You’re next, Gavin,” one critic snapped.
Walz announced in September he would seek a third term for Minnesota governor, but on Monday he abruptly dropped out of the race as federal authorities investigate whether billions of taxpayer dollars were stolen in a mind-boggling social-services scam.
Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences,” Walz said in a statement.
The North Star State came under scrutiny in recent weeks following a viral video from YouTuber Nick Shirley showing empty taxpayer-funded day care centers.
While the 61-year-old governor and 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, he has largely been criticized for his handling and oversight of the social programs that are most prevalent among Minnesota’s Somali population.
Meanwhile, Newsom has dealt with a scandal within his own administration, when his former chief of staff Dana Williamson was arrested in November and accused of plotting to steal $225,000 from an inactive political campaign. She has pleaded not guilty.
The California governor put Williamson on leave back in 2024 when he first learned she was being interviewed by the FBI, and according to Politico commended “her insight, tenacity, and big heart,” in a send-off statement.
Trump administration officials told The Post Monday it will cut off more than $10 billion in social services and child care funding in a handful of Democrat-led states, including Minnesota and California, over fraud concerns.
The Hochul administration is being accused of covering up crimes in prisons by downgrading attacks committed by inmates against guards as “harassment” or “disruptive behavior” instead of assaults.
A bombshell Dec. 31, 2025 memo issued by the state Corrections Department’s deputy commissioner Michael D’Amore lays out examples of what constitutes an assault and what’s considered the lower classification of harassment or disruptive behavior.
“The Department has redefined the Unusual Incident (UI) category, and created harassment as a reportable UI,” D’Amore said in the memo sent to all prison superintendents and watch commanders.
The Hochul administration is being accused of covering up crimes in prisons by downgrading attacks committed by inmates against guards as “harassment” or “disruptive behavior” instead of assaults.AFP via Getty Images
For example, an inmate who rips off the shirt pocket of a guard delivering food should be charged with disruptive behavior or harassment — not assault, D’Amore said.
The inmate would only be charged with assault if he smashes the guard’s face into the security fence while ripping his shirt, D’Amore said, citing a hypothetical case.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman slammed the memo as soft on felons and accused his election opponent Gov. Kathy Hochul’s team of covering up crimes inmates commit against officers.
“Let’s be clear: when an inmate grabs an officer, throws objects at an officer, or drags an officer into a cell, that is assault,” Blakeman said.
“You don’t make prisons safer by playing word games. You make them safer by backing correction officers and holding violent offenders accountable. When Albany downplays violence against officers, it emboldens bad behavior and tells the men and women protecting our prisons that their safety comes second to political optics. That is unacceptable.”
Corrections officers view the change as retribution from the Hochul admin after a devastating illegal strike last year led her to fire 2,000 officers, leaving the already precarious system even more dangerously understaffed.
“They’re going to use that against all of us. They’re doing everything they can to harass the employees and punish us and make life easier for the inmates,” one corrections officer told The Post.
The memo cited other reclassifications or downgrades. For instance, throwing an empty milk carton at the back of a guard would be written up as disruptive behavior or harassment — and only constitute an assault if the inmate hurled a frozen milk carton at the guard.
In another hypothetical case cited by D’Amore, an inmate abruptly runs to the back of the cell while an officer is trying to remove the mechanical restraints from him — pulling the officer’s arms into the cell. The action would be classified as harassment or disruptive behavior, not an assault.
The inmate would be charged with assault if he swings the restraints and hits an officer in the shoulder and thigh, D’Amore said.
The union representing correctional officers in prisons slammed the reclassification.
A bombshell Dec. 31, 2025 memo issued by the state Corrections Department’s deputy commissioner Michael D’Amore (pictured) lays out examples of what constitutes an assault and what’s considered the lower classification of harassment or disruptive behavior.Department of Corrections
“Mark our words: A year from now, DOCCS [Department of Corrections and Community Supervision] will be touting that the number of assaults has dropped and prisons are much safer when, in reality, it’s because they refuse to acknowledge the harsh reality that our members are facing dangerous situations every day.,” the Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association said in a statement Tuesday.
“Those dangerous situations won’t be fully tracked under DOCCS’ new definition,” the union said. “Lowering assault numbers without further defining other dangerous situations runs the risk of making it look like the failed policies of the NYS Legislature are working.”
The union advocated strongly for additional definitions for inmate offenses to include menacing and reckless endangerment.
“NYSCOPBA refused to consent to the assault definition changes without these critical expansions, as narrowing the assault definition alone fails to capture the full realities of the risks our officers encounter daily. Despite our position, DOCCS has proceeded unilaterally to implement the revised definitions,” the union said.
Over 2,000 national guard troops remain deployed in the prisons as DOCCS hasn’t come anywhere near to rebuilding its workforce pre-strike.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman called the reclassification in prisons “unacceptable.”James Messerschmidt for NY Post
The strike was precipitated in-part by a different memo sent around by DOCCS about reducing staffing levels for facilities.
Blakeman also said the New York HALT Act limiting solitary confinement has led to more inmate attacks on corrections officers.
Since Hochul signed the HALT Act in 2022, violence inside New York’s correctional facilities has skyrocketed, he said.
Inmate-on-staff assaults surged to 2,072 in 2024, a 39% increase from the 1,490 recorded in 2022, the year HALT was enacted.
Inmate-on-inmate assaults reached a whopping 2,984 in 2024, more than double the 1,474 tallied two years prior.
“These numbers expose the truth Hochul wants to hide,” Blakeman said. “Her policies made prisons more dangerous, and now her administration is reclassifying assaults to make the statistics look better. This isn’t reform — it’s a cover-up.”
D’Amore, in the memo, defended the reclassification as fair, and not going soft on inmate violence.
“Fundamental to the determination that an assault has occurred is the intent to injure another person, whether or not an injury has occurred,” the deputy commissioner for correctional facilities said.
An inmate will be charged with assault if he throws bodily fluid or excrement at a corrections officer, as would fondling the buttocks of a staffer, added D’Amore.
DOCCS said that “Any claim that the definition of ‘assault’ has been watered down is patently false.”
“The safety of everyone in our facilities is our top priority, which is why, pursuant to the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with NYSCOPBA that ended the illegal job action, we agreed to meet and review the current definition of assault used to track violence,” the department said in a statement.
“The new definition was developed with NYSCOPBA leadership, who have been fully involved and included in these discussions on behalf of their members. These changes allow us to hold incarcerated individuals who assault and harass our staff accountable to the fullest extent of the law and allow us to better identify instances of physical harm so we can intervene sooner and better protect our staff.”
Hochul’s office had no immediate comment.
The head of the union representing officers patrolling Nassau County jails was horrified by the state’s reclassification, saying that it won’t help address a staffing shortage in correctional facilities.
“The memo is telling supervisors to manipulate the classification of assaults,” said Peter Lilli, president of the Nassau County Correction Officers Benevolent Association. “Violence is leading to a statewide recruitment issue.”
Saritha Komatireddy, a Republican candidate for state attorney general and former federal prosecutor said, “Minimizing assaults on law enforcement is unacceptable and unjust. Everyone in New York deserves to be safe, including correctional officers who put themselves at risk every day.
“As a federal prosecutor, I went after those who attacked prison guards, to the fullest the fullest extent of the law. As Attorney General, I will have the back of ALL our law enforcement, including COs.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday that it hasupdated its recommended vaccine schedulefor children, reducing the number of immunizations all kids should receive from 17 to 11.
Effective immediately, the new guidelines recommend that six shots, which had previously been given to all children, only be given to those who are high risk, or given after consultation between parents and a doctor.
In a statement released Monday, the Health and Human Services Department said the changes came after a “scientific review of the underlying science, comparing the US child and adolescent immunization schedule with those of peer, developed nations.”
Proponents of the change, including HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., say the move follows policies in countries like Denmark and Germany.
The six vaccines that are no longer recommended for all children are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, meningococcal disease, rotavirus and respiratory syncytial virus.
Which shots still recommended for all children
There are still 11 diseases that the CDC advises all children get vaccinated against because they cause serious morbidity or mortality to children. These recommendations are in line with international consensus.
The diseases include whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, HPV, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, polio, chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella.
Immunizations only recommended for high-risk children
The agency says certain shots should now only be given to high-risk groups, arguing that vaccines have “different risk-benefit profiles for different … people.”
High-risk groups can include those with underlying medical conditions, but HHS also says that “unusual exposure to the disease” or passing the disease to others are factors.
The vaccines in this category are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal ACWY, meningococcal B, respiratory syncytial virus and dengue.
Vaccines recommended ‘based on shared clinical decision-making’
The third group of vaccinations is based on a framework called shared clinical decision-making, which means parents should consult with a healthcare provider about whether their child should get a particular shot.
The HHS has stated that physicians and parents are “best equipped to decide based on individual characteristics” if children should receive vaccinations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, rotavirus, influenza and COVID-19, which was updated last May.
The agency no longer recommends hepatitis A, hepatitis B, flu, meningitis, rotavirus and RSV shots.Syda Productions – stock.adobe.com
Why these guidelines are changing
In December, President Donald Trump advised the HHS to revamp the US vaccination schedule to follow those of other wealthy nations. He pointed out that Denmark’s schedule vaccinates against 10 diseases, Japan 14 and Germany 15.
In Denmark, vaccines for the flu, COVID, RSV, chickenpox, hepatitis A, rotavirus and meningococcal disease aren’t included in the recommendations for children.
Germany doesn’t recommend the hep A vaccine except for high-risk groups, or travel. COVID-19 shots are also only recommended for children with health risks. While the US previously gave the hep B vaccine at birth, Germany gives it at two months, unless the mother is a known carrier.
However, Germany recommends one vaccine for every child that the US doesn’t: meningitis B.
A longtime vaccine skeptic, Kennedy has argued the US schedule had not been rigorously tested and was a likely cause of rising autism rates — a claim that’s been repeatedly debunked — and offered a slimmer schedule, closer to the Danish model.
The HHS also argued that a “loss of trust” during the COVID-19 pandemic “contributed to less adherence to the full CDC childhood immunization schedule, with lower rates of consensus vaccines such as measles, rubella, pertussis and polio.”
Why US schedule differs from some other countries
Since Trump’s memorandum in December, several experts, and The Post’s editorial board, have criticized the move, taking particular issue with modeling US policy on other countries like Denmark.
For one thing, the US has more than 343 million people. Denmark has just 6 million — about 1.7% of the US’s population. American demographics are different, as is the American healthcare system.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, offered a slimmed-down schedule akin to Denmark.REUTERS
“It’s like comparing a cruise ship to a kayak,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told NPR.
Denmark also has a national health registry.
“And so if there are outbreaks or if there are cases of these diseases, they can easily identify them,” Josh Michaud, associate director for global and public health policy at KFF, told the outlet. “They can treat them, get them into care, and also track down contacts, if that’s needed for the particular disease we’re talking about.”
There are other policy differences between the US and Denmark, including that Danish families get a year of paid parental leave, meaning parents can stay home with sick kids.
“It’s not at all fair to say look at Denmark unless you can match the other characteristics of Denmark,” Anders Hviid, who leads Denmark’s equivalent of the US’s CDC, told the New York Times.
He noted that the reason Denmark excludes certain vaccines is that those diseases don’t pose a big enough problem in the country. Denmark also buys all of its vaccines for its citizens — and has free universal healthcare, which likely induces more people to seek medical care when sick.
“[In Denmark,] everyone has access to excellent prenatal and childhood care,” Hviid told CNN. “As I understand it, that is not the case for everyone in the US. Vaccines prevent infections that may have poor outcomes for children who do not have access to good healthcare.”
The change has been largely criticized, with medical professionals expressing fear for what this could mean for future infections.
“They’re going to bring back suffering and death,” O’Leary told the Times. “I don’t say that with any hyperbole, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”
Dr. Nada Mallick, dual board-certified in general pediatrics and pediatric critical care at Children’s National Hospital, has similar concerns.
“This raises public health concerns — particularly for influenza and RSV — as we enter peak winter season, when respiratory infections are already on the rise,” she told The Post.
Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, said she sees the change as a “disservice to American children.”
“Each of these vaccines was compared to placebo and showed how effective they were at preventing disease. By taking them away from being recommended, we are now offering American children placebo,” she said.
