Royce White’s legal situation involving alleged run-ins with his son and former partner is percolating in the backdrop as the Republican Senate primary looms. White’s attorney filed a brief in the Court of Appeals on Wednesday that seeks to overturn or at least reconsider a judge-issued order for protection against him. That order requires him to steer clear of his teen son for two years and his former partner for 50 years. Read Peter Cox’s April story for background and the GOP’s call for White to exit the race. White’s legal brief contends the family court judge relied too much on hearsay evidence and unfairly deprived him of having a role in his son’s life. “The son’s OFP does more than prohibit abuse. It bars White from communicating with his son in person, by telephone, electronically, through social media, or through any third party for two years. That is a complete denial of parenting time and parent-child contact,” White’s lawyer wrote. One incident cited in the no-contact order was an encounter in which White allegedly grabbed his son’s jersey and pushed him toward a basketball rack; he denies assault and maintains he was exercising proper discipline. The child did not testify at a lower-court hearing. “The resulting finding therefore rested on an out-of-court accusation admitted without the required foundation while directly contrary eyewitness testimony went unheard,” the brief said. The appeals court has not set a timetable for arguments or a decision in the case, making it highly unlikely this is resolved before the Aug. 11 primary, where White is one of the GOP candidates seeking the party nomination.

Older voters tend to dominate primaries in Minnesota, which could make a difference if this year is true to form — or this year could break that pattern. Jocelyn Shek at the Star Tribune analyzed Minnesota voter demographics for general and primary elections. Shek found older voters participate at higher rates in both types of elections, but especially in primaries. Voters age 70 and over accounted for more than 30 percent of the ballots in the 2024 primary, even though they make up 15 percent of the population. And Gen Z cast just eight percent of 2024 primary ballots, though they are 20 percent of the state’s population. Shek breaks down why young voters have been political parties’ white whale for years. But the question is, will this year look different? Youth have been at the forefront of advocating for gun control and protesting the flood of immigration agents into the state. And DFL leadership says energy from young voters is at an all-time high. 

The leader of Minnesota’s social services agency said federal actions are complicating efforts to deliver those services and fight fraud. John Connolly, the temporary commissioner and the Medicaid director for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, joined MPR News’ Angela Davis for an extended interview yesterday. He said federal freezes on Medicaid payments are troubling. “We were promised a retribution campaign, and I think that is exactly what we're seeing in the form of Medicaid being used as a weapon against the state,” Connolly said. He added, “What we would ask for in lieu of punishment and retribution is partnership to help us identify fraud and to respond to it, prevent it, and fight it.” Connolly acknowledged prior program integrity lapses that fed what he described as significant and unacceptable fraud in Minnesota. Connolly, however, accused the federal government of singling out the state and singling out Medicaid. Since December, the federal government has required Minnesota to recertify benefits providers and institute other reforms. Connolly said almost everything the federal government asked Minnesota’s Department of Human Services to do, “we'd already started doing at our own initiative,” including more frequent provider renewals, unannounced site visits, identifying high risk services and shutting down a housing stabilization program that was determined to be too susceptible to fraud. Listen to the full interview here.

Investigators believe the cyberattack against more than 30 water systems for Minnesota cities could be linked to Iran. The New York Times says officials have not come to any official conclusions yet, but believe this could be the work of Iranian hackers, possibly a response to the U.S. war with Iran. More than 30 water systems in the state were targeted by the cyberattack earlier this week. MPR’s Estelle Timar-Wilcox and Andrew Krueger report that the cities targeted included Braham, Maple Plain, South St. Paul and Plymouth. The Times spoke with three state officials briefed on the hacks, who said the tradecraft used, along with there being no ransom demand, “had led analysts to tentatively conclude that it was the work of Iranian hackers.” Hackers targeted systems used to remotely manage and control water towers.

In swing district legislative races, DFLers hold the money advantage so far in most of them. MinnPost’s Matt Blake reports that DFL legislative candidates have pulled in a lot more money so far compared with their GOP counterparts. Blake looked at six key swing districts in the Minnesota Senate . Incumbent state Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, has $230,274 cash on hand, compared to his GOP opponent Andrea Zupancich’s $79,334. DFLers hold similar advantages in races in Moorhead, Rochester, Maple Grove and District 58, which includes Northfield and Farmington. One race where the GOP has a fundraising advantage is in incumbent state Sen. Jim Abeler’s race in the Anoka area against Angela Nelson, a DFLer from Coon Rapids. Abeler has held the seat since 2016, and before that was a member of the House for eight terms.

A lot of new legislation takes effect Saturday. Cait reports that several public safety changes begin Aug. 1, including stiffer penalties for impersonating law enforcement, the legal age to buy kratom increasing to 21 and the establishment of a new statewide grant program aimed at reducing crime by aggressively investigating nonfatal shootings. If you’re a veteran, a senior living in an assisted living community, a prediction market dabbler or a crypto user check out Cait’s full breakdown of how a variety of new laws could affect you. The link we published yesterday was broken, so here’s the correct one!

Minnesota has a new state economist. Meet Raymond Robertson , most recently the director of the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics and Public Policy at Texas A&M. His appointment as Minnesota’s state economist marks his return to the state; he previously taught economics and directed the Latin American Studies Program at Macalester College for 15 years. What does a state economist do? Their job is to provide revenue forecasts and track revenue performance for the state to ensure Minnesota’s budget is managed well. Their work can help ensure Minnesota maintains good credit ratings to reduce the cost of state borrowing. “I look forward to providing objective, evidence-based economic analysis. Minnesota has an extraordinary tradition of thoughtful policymaking, and I look forward to contributing to that tradition," Robertson said in a statement.