Star Tribune
Tarantula and assault charges fly in Hennepin County Board race
A tarantula and assault charges were flying in the Hennepin County Board race this weekend.
Political hopeful Marisa Simonetti spent the weekend in jail and emerged, twirling and triumphant, with a pledge to stay in the race for sixth district county commissioner.
Before we get into why she allegedly threw a spider at the woman renting her Airbnb, let’s look at the how. Her tenant apparently captured the entire bonkers incident on video. Here we have Simonetti dumping a hapless spider on the stairs while invoking the name of Jesus at the top of her lungs.
Here we hear Simonetti banging on pots and pans and whooping it up while the woman on the receiving end of a tarantula tearfully tells the 911 operator that she’s afraid to leave.
And here, Simonetti brags that she just bought a tarantula for the sole purpose of deploying it as nightmare fuel.
Minnesota might have been tempted to think we hit political rock bottom when a state senator allegedly broke into her stepmother’s house, dressed all in black like an incompetent ninja. Marisa Simonetti to the exhausted voters of Minnesota: Hold my tarantula.
As Kare 11′s Lou Raguse posted each video of the incident, Simonetti responded with giggly emojis and then began reposting the video on her own social media.
By mid-morning Tuesday, Simonetti — who once claimed she was tired of hearing that Minnesota is “an embarrassment” — had rebranded as the “tarantula tosser” and was trying to raise money off her newfound notoriety.
Simonetti is running for county commissioner as “the only conservative candidate in this race” on a platform of “rebuilding safety through family values.” Like too many politicians these days, she is under the impression that she can only appeal to her base by being as unappealing as possible.
But never mind her. Let’s focus on what’s really important here. That poor tarantula.
Spiders are friends, not ballistic missiles. If you find yourself in a dispute use your words, not your spiders.
Tarantulas are fragile little creatures. You could hurt one by tossing it down the stairs.
If Minnesota can agree on nothing else, let’s agree on this. Marissa Simonetti should stay at least eight feet (get it?) away from the nearest tarantula. And at least 800 light years away from any position of public trust.
Her uninspired campaign motto is “Do more with less.”
Let’s start with less tarantula tossing.
Star Tribune
Israeli airstrikes kill dozens across Lebanon as Hezbollah confirms a 7th top commander was killed
JERUSALEM — Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon killed dozens of people on Sunday as the Hezbollah militant group sustained a string of deadly blows to its command structure, including the killing of its overall leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Hezbollah confirmed Nabil Kaouk, the deputy head of the militant group’s Central Council, was killed Saturday, making him the seventh senior Hezbollah leader slain in Israeli strikes in a little over a week. They include founding members who had evaded death or detention for decades.
Hezbollah had earlier confirmed that Ali Karaki, another senior commander, died in Friday’s strike that killed Nasrallah. Israel says at least 20 other Hezbollah militants were killed, including two close associates of Nasrallah, one of whom was in charge of his security detail.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes and drones carried out deadly strikes across Lebanon on Sunday. Two consecutive strikes near the southern city of Sidon, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Beirut, killed at least 32 people, the Lebanese health ministry said. Separately, Israeli strikes in the northern province of Baalbek Hermel killed 21 people and injured at least 47.
The Israeli military said it also carried out another targeted strike on Beirut, but did not immediately provide details.
Lebanese media reported dozens of strikes in the central, eastern and western Bekaa and in the south, besides strikes on Beirut. The strikes have targeted buildings where civilians were living and the death toll was expected to rise.
In a video of a strike in Sidon, verified by The Associated Press, a building swayed before collapsing as neighbors filmed. One TV station called on viewers to pray for a family caught under the rubble, posting their pictures, as rescuers failed to reach them. The Lebanese health ministry reported at least 14 medics were killed over two days in the south.
Meanwhile, wreckage from the strike on Friday that killed Nasrallah was still smoldering. AP journalists saw smoke over the rubble as people flocked to the site, some to check on what was left of their homes and others to pay respects, pray or simply to see the destruction.
CONYERS, Ga. — Some residents east of Atlanta were evacuated while others were told to shelter in place to avoid contact with a chemical plume after a fire at a chemical plant.
Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel told reporters that a sprinkler head malfunctioned around 5 a.m. Sunday at the BioLab plant in Conyers. That caused water to mix with a water-reactive chemical, which produced a plume of chemicals. The chief said she wasn’t sure what chemicals were included.
A small roof fire was initially contained, but reignited Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Eric Levett said in a video posted on Facebook as gray smoke billowed into the sky behind him. He said authorities were trying to get the fire under control and urged people to stay away from the area.
People in the northern part of Rockdale County were ordered to evacuate and others were told to shelter in place with windows and doors closed. Sheriff’s office spokesperson Christine Nesbitt did not know the number of people evacuated.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division were both on site, county Emergency Management Director Sharon Webb said. The agencies are monitoring the air ”to give us more of an idea of what the plume consists of.”
McDaniel said crews were working on removing the chemical from the building, away from the water source. Once the product is contained, the situation will be assessed and officials will let residents know whether it is safe to return to their homes, she said.
An evacuation center was opened at Wolverine Gym in Covington.
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, running for the Senate as a moderate Republican, brought up Trump’s false claims that Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, had previously downplayed her Black heritage. Harris attended Howard University, a historically Black college, and has identified as both Black and South Asian consistently throughout her political career.
”I’ve already called him out when he had the one interview where he was questioning her racial identity, and now he’s questioning her mental competence,” Hogan told CBS’ ”Face the Nation.” ”And I think that’s insulting not only to the vice president but to people who actually do have mental disabilities.”
If elected, Harris would be the first woman, Black woman and person of South Asian descent to be president. She has not commented on Trump’s recent attacks but has said when asked about other comments that it was the ” same old show. The same tired playbook we’ve heard for years with no plan on on how he would address the needs of the American people.”
Trump was holding a rally Sunday in Erie, Pennsylvania, and some of the supporters showing up for his speech said he often makes offensive remarks. Still, they support his proposals to restrict immigration and said he would have a better handle on the economy.
”He says what’s on his mind, and again, sometimes how he says it isn’t appropriate,” said Jeffrey Balogh, 56, who attended the rally with two friends. ”But he did the job. He did very well at it.”
Tamara Molnar said she thinks Trump is very strong on immigration. As for his insults, Molnar said: ”I think everybody has to have some decorum when speaking about other candidates, and I don’t think either side is necessarily innocent on that. There’s a lot of slinging both ways.”
Residents in Georgia ordered to evacuate or shelter in place after fire at chemical plant
Israeli airstrikes kill dozens across Lebanon as Hezbollah confirms a 7th top commander was killed
Residents told to evacuate or take shelter after Georgia chemical plant fire