President Donald Trump is accusing half a dozen Democratic lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH” after the lawmakers called on U.S. military members to uphold the Constitution and defy “illegal orders.” The 90-second video was first posted early Tuesday from Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s X account.
Trump’s comments spurred an outpouring of frustration from Minnesota Democrats who said the president’s rhetoric could incite violence. While the lawmakers who stirred Trump’s response
aren’t from Minnesota, the sensitivity to amped-up language is still high here. “The fact that the president is out there making those comments it's really disgusting, and it's really painful, not just for me, but for everybody who knew and cared about Melissa Hortman,” House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson told MPR News. “But beyond that, it's dangerous. We know here in Minnesota now that there are consequences for violent rhetoric, that it can lead to real tragedies, and we all have an obligation to turn the volume down.” Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in a political assassination in June and Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were targeted but are recovering from their
injuries. Several other officials in statements and social media posts called on Trump to retract the comment. A White House spokesperson defended Trump, saying the president Trump isn't threatening execution and criticizing Democratic lawmakers as wrong to urge defiance by military members.
Teacher licensure laws and investigative protocols seem certain to come up for legislative discussion next year. The head of the state's teacher licensing board tells MPR News she'll seek support for legislative and procedural changes that would give the board more power to pull the licenses of teachers accused of inappropriate behavior and to investigate people applying for new licenses. Yelena Bailey said there's momentum for change at the Capitol driven by Hannah LoPresto, a woman who
shared her story about a former Eagan High School teacher with MPR News. Bailey said she has met with Attorney General Keith Ellison about "gaps in the system" to protect kids after reading Hannah's story and meeting with her.
Minnesota has entered into multiple cannabis compacts with tribal nations, but so far no tax agreements. MPR’s Melissa Olson reports
that the state legalization law allows for tax deals with the tribes, which don’t collect the standard tax for transactions on their reservations but do when the sales are done outside of tribal land. The Department of Revenue has not entered into any special tax agreements and has no immediate expectation of those. Attorney Chris Murray, the legal director for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, said it could take up to three years for the agency to collect data and begin negotiating cannabis sales tax agreements. Since May, Gov. Tim Walz has signed cannabis compact agreements with five tribal nations. The agreements have expanded tribal retail opportunities outside tribal lands.
Minnesota local governments spent millions of dollars in opioid settlement payouts last year. While most of that was spent on treatment, recovery and education programs, some was used to buy K-9 units and pay for police investigating drug-related crimes. The Minnesota Reformer’s Alyssa Chen took a deep dive
into where the money, some of which was distributed to cities and counties, was spent in 2024. Chen reports that three counties -- Blue Earth, Redwood and Le Sueur -- spent $86,156 on police dogs and the Lakeville Police Department spent $196,998 to assign a full-time officer to a drug task force. The state’s guidance for spending the money was to save lives and funding should be spent on “effective interventions that are based on evidence.”
The Forward-Independence Party has introduced three candidates for office in Minnesota yesterday, hoping to gain an early foothold in the 2026 elections. The third party, which can trace its roots back to former Gov. Jesse Ventura and third party presidential candidate Ross Perot, is banking on voters rejecting the two party political tug of war. “People are saying that we can't keep doing this Republican versus Democrat thing, with two sides hating each other and nothing getting done,” said party co-chair Bill Halter. The Forward-Independence Party candidates are
Jay Reeves for state auditor, Mike Newcome for governor, and Kelly Doss for the 6th Congressional District. Listen to All Things Considered today for an interview host Clay Masters had with Newcome about his run.
Support trusted news and information from our team of experienced journalists with your donation today. MPR News relies on your support to deliver free and accessible news to our whole community.
