Good morning. With the solstice behind us, we’re on the daylight slide to winter.

Rental aid that Minnesota lawmakers put in the pipeline to head off evictions will probably start hitting next month and continue into September. That’s according to reporting from MPR’s Cari Spencer , who wrote about the steps taken in the aftermath of the ICE agent surge. Spencer reported for The New York Times as a part of a joint project she’ll be undertaking this year. Advocates for rental assistance worry the $40 million is “too little, too late” and won’t keep many evictions at bay. Other foundations and community-based organizations are trying to step in to fill the breach but there is considerable concern that homelessness is going to grow.

Whether you call it a debate, a joint interview or a conversation, the initial head-to-head appearance with Angie Craig and Peggy Flanagan was every bit as prickly as expected. A few issues dominated the Friday’s TPT “Almanac” appearance: Immigration, fraud and campaign donations seemed to be what everything revolved around. If you missed the showdown, check it out here . There’s little doubt you’re going to hear Lt. Gov. Flanagan using the term “corporate Democrat” a lot in the next seven weeks to describe U.S. Rep. Craig. In turn, you’ll hear Craig talk about Flanagan trying to “shift every bit of the blame” for fraud lapses on the state’s watch while she was No. 2. under Gov. Tim Walz. Craig again voiced regret for voting for immigration legislation that was more permissive toward legal detentions. Flanagan used that prior vote as a way to criticize Craig’s principles in the era of President Trump, saying “we needed someone who was going to stand up to Trump, not bend to his agenda.” Flanagan distanced herself from fundraising done by the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association. Craig said when Flanagan talks about special interest money “she can’t pass the purity test that she is putting on me.” And so it went. Their next scheduled debate is July 27 on MPR News.

As far as how the campaigns treated the debate, the Flanagan appeared to come in with a game plan that every minute was worth litigating, spinning or contextualizing (choose your verb of choice). As soon as Flanagan delivered a line or Craig tried to take a jab, there was a rapid response email. I spotted seven in my inbox over the 34 minutes the candidates were on the couch and a capstone email declaring Flanagan the one who dominated with a “commanding performance” and saying she had drawn “sharp contrast” with the congresswoman. Craig’s campaign didn’t go to that length, sending only a single press release at the end, appraising her as “ready to represent Minnesota in the Senate.”

Republicans still contending for their party’s Senate nomination haven’t had many direct interactions since the state party convention last month. Former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze won the party’s backing at the convention but his main rivals, Michele Tafoya and Royce White, both filed to run in the August primary. It’s difficult to tell what everyone is up to. Gone are the days when the campaigns in this race or others regularly released schedules of appearances or held media-facing events to get coverage or attention. The event lists on campaign websites are also becoming a relic. MPR News has invited the leading Republicans to debate and so far heard little in response. The invitation remains open. Expect the TV and online ads to carry the load.

A year after the horrific shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses, conspiracy theories about the crime persist. The guilty plea of Vance Boelter in the fatal shooting of DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman and husband, Mark, and the violent attack on Sen. John Hoffman and wife, Yvette, left his motive unaddressed. A trial could have borne that out, but Boelter agreed to plead to multiple federal charges that will surely mean no possibility of release. The Star Tribune writes that with each development, the false political theories about the attacks rekindle. Family of and others close to the Hortmans and Hoffmans call the online fodder hurtful and dangerous. Walker Orenstein of the Star Tribune reports that the conspiracy cesspool itself could have radicalized Boelter and it’s an example of why such rhetoric must be strongly condemned and corrected.