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Prosecutors say Vance Boelter should ‘never be free ever again’ after admitted to the shootings of Minnesota lawmakers last year. Meanwhile, Boelter has requested a Florida prison placement. Ahead of Boelter’s sentencing hearing in federal court on Thursday, both his lawyer and the federal government have filed memos with their sentencing requests. Boelter switched his plea to guilty last month to avoid the death penalty. He’s admitted to killing DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and severely injuring Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in a second attack the same night. Both memos request Boelter serve the maximum statutory term of two life sentences plus 40 years. The document submitted by Boelter’s lawyer said he expresses remorse and asks that he be allowed to serve his time at a high-security prison in Florida. Meanwhile, the memo from U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen lays out the crimes in excruciating detail, including some elements that haven’t been mentioned before and concludes, “Justice requires that Boelter never be free ever again.” Brian and Cait have pulled the highlights from the memos and published both documents if you want to read them for yourself.

Two Minnesotans serving long prison sentences were denied commutations by President Donald Trump. Former Republican operative Anton ‘Tony’ Lazzaro and former St. Cloud businessman Tom Petters had requests for commutations denied by the President. They are among hundreds who had their requests denied . Lazzaro is serving a 21 year prison sentence for luring teenage girls to his apartment in exchange for alcohol, money and other gifts. Former businessman Tom Petters is serving a 50 year prison term for a $3.7 billion fraud scheme. The trials for both elicited intense public interest. Petters, a prominent Minnesota businessman, was known for helping turn around companies like Sun Country Airlines and Fingerhut. He was convicted of bilking hundreds of investors who believed their money was being used to buy and sell electronics at large margins, but the goods did not exist. Lazarro, who was an up and coming activist and financier for the state GOP, used gifts and money to bring teenage girls to his condo for sex. 

Federal officials are withholding more than $200 million in federal Medicaid payments to Minnesota due to suspected fraud in the state’s public health insurance programs. Our colleague Erica Zurek reports that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced yesterday it is holding back these millions while awaiting documentation that shows Minnesota's claims meet federal Medicaid requirements. Minnesota’s Department of Human Services said it has worked in good faith with the federal government to shore up program defenses and avoid misuse of health dollars. Minnesota has been in a court fight with the Trump administration over prior funding holds. “Today’s actions show that the federal government is acting again in unprecedented and punitive ways as part of their war on Medicaid and its recipients,” Temporary DHS Commissioner John Connolly said. “Partnership — not politics — is required to stop criminals and protect services for the people who need them.” The deferral is part of a larger action, which also includes approximately $867 million kept from California. That brings the total to more than $1 billion in deferred federal Medicaid payments nationwide.

Lisa Demuth’s gubernatorial campaign is touting a pair of endorsements it received from gun rights groups. The National Rifle Association, or NRA, and Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus threw their support behind Demuth in the race, saying she’d worked to defend Second Amendment rights during her time as a legislator and House speaker. On several occasions this legislative session, Democrats attempted to force a floor vote on a bill creating new firearm restrictions but came up short as Republicans didn’t vote with them. “The NRA and the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus recognize that I’m the only candidate in this race who has consistently stood up for our Second Amendment rights,” Demuth said. “As governor I will continue to defend those rights for every law-abiding gun owner.” NRA also endorsed GOP-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate and former Navy Seal Adam Schwarze. "I spent nine deployments protecting the freedoms this country was built on, and the Second Amendment is at the top of that list," Schwarze said in a statement. "The NRA didn't have to think twice about this endorsement, because I've never wavered on the Second Amendment and I never will." It’s a help for Schwarze, who is taking on former sportscaster Michele Tafoya and 2024 GOP Senate nominee Royce White in the primary.

Those grassy areas at rest stops along Minnesota highways could be tended to by autonomous mowers if a pilot project goes according to plan. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is seeking information about using the technology to keep up with mowing needs at rest stops, highway right-of-way ditches and other vegetation maintenance areas. The department plans a one-day demonstration  in mid-August in Otsego by suppliers of commercially available autonomous mowers. The agency’s request for information lays out the specifications for the demonstration event and details the department is hoping to sort out. There is a mention of a “media blackout” during the workshop. The budget Minnesota lawmakers approved in 2025 included $150,000 to conduct research and purchase autonomous mower equipment. The law required that it be bought from a Minnesota company. A pilot project would be done before they’re adopted on a broad scale. Lawmakers hope to get a report by February that gets into safety, environmental impact and efficiency comparisons compared to human-operated mowers.