Good morning. Raise your hand if you watched all 101 minutes of the State of the Union.

Exaggerated estimates about fraud losses in Minnesota punctuated a section of President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress last night. While fraud allegations and prosecutions have been under way, they have nowhere near reached the $19 billion cited by Trump in his State of the Union speech. He said, "We have all the information.” But so far the criminal Minnesota prosecutions tied to the fraud allegations, which he blamed squarely on Somali Minnesotans who he said have “pillaged” taxpayers, haven’t scaled the $1 billion mark. A federal prosecutor suggested that up to $9 billion had been taken since 2018 but never offered evidence prior to departing the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Trump’s figure was meant to reinforce his call for better controls on government spending. He said Vice President JD Vance would take the lead in the administration’s fraud fight. 

Trump didn’t otherwise mention his administration’s intense focus on Minneapolis in recent months, including the immigration operation that turned into a political headache and was marked by a sudden turn. He noted security measures at the border that have all but stopped illegal crossings. He talked about measures that he said would prevent states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to people in the country without proper authorization and laws that prevent local coordination with federal immigration actions. The president proceeded to ask members to stand if they agreed with his proposition that the “first duty” of the American government was to protect citizens over people in the country illegally. The made-for-campaign moment was met with Republicans on their feet and most Democrats not. One Democratic member instead held up a sign with the names of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both citizens killed during the Minneapolis surge. Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who represents Minneapolis, could be seen yelling toward Trump. “You have killed Americans,” Omar said. Trump continued on, saying in Omar’s direction “You should be ashamed of yourself.” Omar pointed back, “You should be ashamed.” Fox9 clipped the exchange here. 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also spoke in Washington — at a counterevent to the State of the Union. Frey, a Democrat who has sparred with Trump, was given a post-speech speaking slot at an hourslong rally. Frey recounted the difficulty for his city in recent times. "Over the past two months, Minneapolis has faced fear at our doorsteps and pressure from beyond our borders. The federal government militarized ice and sent them into our city. Violence got worse. The death toll rose and residents lived in fear,” Frey said. “But something else happened too. Minneapolis did not bow. We did not break.” His speech served as a political call-to-arms and there were sounds of whistles, emblematic of those heard on the streets to alert people to immigration agent activity during the surge. As his 12-minute remarks reached their end, Frey said, “We are not spectators in this moment. We are stewards of an American experiment, and together, we're going to claim this fight. We're going to claim it for our country, for our freedoms. We're going to claim it for patriotism big enough to include each and every one of us.”

The written-in-advance press releases from offices of political figures and parties came in as expected. Republicans in Minnesota touted the speech. Democrats panned it.

 

Two bills setting new restrictions on firearms in the wake of the Annunciation Church and School shooting failed to pass a tied House committee yesterday. Families affected by that shooting say they won't give up. As Dana Ferguson reports, the House Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary voted 10-10 on a pair of bills that would ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The tied result stalled the bills and frustrated supporters, who committed to continuing their push for tougher gun restrictions this session. “I think I was not shocked by the outcome of today. We went in understanding what we're up against in this conversation,” said Mike Moyski, whose daughter Harper was killed in the August shooting. “I’ve already lost my daughter, right? I have one at home. I’m here, and our group is here because we want to drive change for everybody else.” Rob Doar, president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center, said the proposals would invite lawsuits if enacted. He also said they could drive sales of the banned devices underground. He suggested focusing on mental health resources. “The best way to honor victims isn’t through symbolic prohibition of a particular category of arms, but by preventing the next attack, no matter the weapon, no matter the method, through targeted intervention early warning systems and strategies that focus on the individuals who pose a risk,” Doar said. The bills could resurface yet this session and are expected to see votes in the state Senate.

Minnesota lawmakers heard testimony from a woman who said she was subject to predatory behavior by a person she trusted within the school she attended. MPR’s Kyra Miles reports that the account came as part of discussion of a new bill that aims to prevent grooming and abuse of children in school settings. In its current form, the bill suggests a series of changes to the state criminal code, teacher licensing requirements, mandatory reporter training and school field trip requirements, all aimed at preventing grooming. During the hearing, Rep. Peggy Bennett, an Albert Lea Republican and candidate for governor, said she wanted to address concerns about the bill and said moving it forward was personal to her. “I will share, too, that I personally too, when I was in high school as a 10th grader, was groomed by my band director,” she said. “It’s something that still sticks with me today, so it is a really important issue.”

A bill to create an office of inspector general for the state is again getting caught in a party politics squeeze as the House attempts to move the bill forward. At the center of it, is whether the GOP or DFL version of the bill moves forward. The bill passed the Senate by a wide majority last session, but did not pass the House. The bill again hit snags going through committee, as a DFL-led bill again was not passed and amendments were not approved. “Astoundingly, there being seven ayes and seven nays, the bill is not passed out of committee, it will not be heading to the judiciary and we will not see any progress,“ Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia, said as he announced the vote Tuesday. Behind-the-scenes talks are said to be continuing so this one is far from over. Dana wrote about the political fight over the bill earlier this week.

The state of Minnesota has reached a settlement with Fleet Farm in a lawsuit alleging the retailer was negligent for selling guns that turned up at crime scenes. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the settlement Tuesday , resolving a lawsuit filed in 2022. He said Fleet Farm agreed to pay $1 million and make policy changes to detect and prevent straw purchases. That’s when someone buys guns on behalf of someone who isn’t allowed to. Those policy changes include more training for staff — including regular, unannounced compliance checks — as well as software that allows employees to track firearms sales across multiple Fleet Farm stores.

It’s already a crime to impersonate law enforcement in Minnesota, but a bill that ups criminal penalties received bipartisan support yesterday. Last June, a man pretending to be law enforcement shot and killed state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Authorities say the same man also shot and injured Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Democratic Rep. Kristin Bahner wasn’t home when a person with the same description showed up. Bahner said she trusts her local police and wants to preserve that trust. “Last June that trust was broken by a man attempting to tarnish the good work of law enforcement professionals,” she said. “This bill is a first step in affirming that these high standards are put in place to restore public trust and to ensure that our neighbors, including my family, can once again feel safe.” On a voice vote, the committee moved the bill forward to another committee.

Gubernatorial candidate Brad Kohler has dropped his bid to run as a GOP candidate, and will instead run as an Independent Conservative. Kohler announced yesterday he’s leaving the Republican party . “This campaign is about the people of Minnesota, not political parties,” Kohler said. “I am running as an independent conservative because Minnesota needs leadership that is accountable, solutions-driven, and focused on restoring prosperity, safety, and opportunity for every community.” Kohler, a former professional MMA fighter, finished 10th in the GOP caucus straw poll on Feb. 3, getting just 0.43 percent of the vote. 

More plows full of puns will be hitting Minnesota roads soon -- from Minne-Snow-ta to O Brother, Where Art Plow? Eight new plow names were picked in the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s annual Name a Snowplow contest. More than 18,800 people voted in the contest. This year’s contest did avoid getting near one political flashpoint, saying they would not accept names that included references to ICE — the name of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that deployed a large operation in Minnesota over the last few months. About 400 of the nearly 6,800 submissions were related to "ice," according to the agency. This year’s winners include Oh for Sleet’s Sake, Flurrious George and Sled Zeppelin. The plows will be in operation across MnDOT’s eight state districts.