Here's what's in the News
The untold story: The fancy Washington law firm that is working really, really hard for tim Walz
As the Star Tribune first reported, the bill came to $430,000 between April and mid-June, when Walz appeared before Congress.
Here’s what Walz, a former congressman, said about it Wednesday: “Yes, it’s expensive. (The congressional hearing) was unnecessary. We are not a sanctuary state. I certainly sat through eight hours and answered all of their questions.”
MINNESOTA on the hook for $430,000 legal bill after GOP congressional hearing where Walz testified
Minnesota taxpayers are on the hook for $430,000 in legal costs to outside lawyers who helped Gov. Tim Walz prepare for a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing where he sparred with Republicans over immigration.
New Book Reveals the Backstory on Harris Picking Walz – It’s as Bad As You Think
We've covered some of the interesting excerpts from the new book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America."
The book revealed the panic of Joe Biden's aides when a reporter was able to get through to him directly on his private phone, and how they then cut off that phone number, apparently so concerned that they couldn't let him talk by himself.
New book sheds light on Harris decision to pick Walz over Shapiro: ‘Went with her gut’
A new book on the end of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign and the birth of Kamala Harris' sheds light on the process behind the vice president choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, a decision widely panned by pundits in retrospect.
ICE operation in Minneapolis arrests criminal sex offenders
Officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) say they have arrested several convicted sex offenders as part of a coordinated operation in Minneapolis.
During a targeted enforcement operation between June 6 and June 11, authorities say they arrested 11 people convicted of various charges.
Lawmakers pass sweeping reforms targeting fraud in Minnesota Housing Stabilization Service program
Minnesota lawmakers passed major reforms to the state’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program after KARE 11 Investigates uncovered evidence of widespread fraud. The bipartisan legislative changes impose stricter backgrounding and oversight requirements for the program, which is designed to help the elderly and people with disabilities find and maintain housing.
Minnesota Republicans skeptical of DFL’s proposed new tax on social media
Republicans in the Minnesota Senate and House on Wednesday were unconvinced by Democrats’ proposal to implement a first-in-the-nation tax on social media companies that collect data on Minnesotans, arguing the costs of the comparatively small tax on the nation’s largest corporations that earn billions annually would eventually trickle down to middle-class Minnesotans.
Republicans win big in special session
Perhaps the biggest winners are Republicans, who used their control of exactly half of the House to force the DFL to roll back one of their signature policies, health care for undocumented immigrants. They also blocked tax increases, including a tax on social media companies, and an expansion of the sales tax proposed by Walz.
Surprise enrollments heat up MN Care for undocumented immigrants battle
A battle is brewing in the legislature over funding healthcare for undocumented immigrants.
Newly released statistics show more than double the number of people have applied for MN Care than predicted last year. Republicans point to the direct cost of MN Care.
Revoking immigrant health care brings chaos to Walz’s office
Minnesota would revoke health care for adult undocumented immigrants but allow children to remain covered under a budget deal top lawmakers announced Thursday.
Gov. Tim Walz and leaders of the Minnesota House and Senate emerged from two weeks of closed-door negotiations with a topline deal that also cuts $283 million from the state budget over the next two years and makes progress on the state’s looming deficit.
Minnesota lawmakers defund Northern Lights Express rail project
Votes this weekend at the Minnesota State Capitol could put a proposed passenger rail connection between the Twin Cities and Duluth on the fast track to cancellation.
Both the Minnesota House and Senate voted to strip funding from the proposed Northern Lights Express, as lawmakers worked to finalize business in the waning hours of the 2025 legislative session.
House Republicans grill Keith Ellison over 2021 meeting with Feeding our Future fraudsters
Republicans on the House fraud prevention committee grilled Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Monday over a 2021 meeting with people ensnared in the massive Feeding Our Future scandal, which took place just a month before the FBI shut down the fraud.
Gov. Walz subpoenaed by House committee for Feeding our Future scheme
The Committee on Education and the Workforce issued a subpoena to the administration of Gov. Tim Walz on the Feeding Our Future fraud that happened during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairwoman Virginia Foxx announced the subpoenas are meant to hold the Walz administration accountable for the Feeding Our Future fraud.
Minnesota lawmakers gave nonprofits $1.1 billion last year. Will we know if it’s well spent?
Minnesota lawmakers last year showered nonprofit groups with over $1.1 billion, with some receiving more money from the Legislature than they normally get in other grants and donations in an entire year.
Among them was a Minneapolis anti-violence nonprofit called A Mother’s Love, run by former police officer Lisa Clemons.