President Donald Trump has berated Senate Republicans during his visit to the Capitol for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber’s business to a halt.
A solid $7.4 million in officially documented spending has already gone toward influencing the DFL primary race for U.S. Senate beyond what the candidates have deployed themselves.
The now-frequent TV and digital ads are the result. MPR News analyzed the Federal Election Commission's independent expenditure records, covering organizations seeking to boost or bash Angie Craig and Peggy Flanagan. Craig, a Minnesota congresswoman, has had about $3.7 million in supportive communications on her behalf through last week. Most of it is from a pair of groups: the Center Forward Committee and the North Star Dawn PAC. Another $2.6 million has been spent by those groups or others critical of Flanagan, the current lieutenant governor. That includes a new burst by a group called Unite to Win. As for outside spenders who want Flanagan to win the nomination, they’ve spent
about $1 million through last week, mostly critical of Craig. The pro-Flanagan/anti-Craig push is led by the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association. Flanagan’s campaign acknowledges being on the short end of lopsided spending but said it is banking on its ground game to propel her to victory. Her campaign said DFL Party and other pro-Flanagan organizers are expected to knock on more than 200,000 doors by Aug. 11. Craig lacks access to party resources available to the DFL-endorsed candidate.
Gov. Tim Walz is pushing for the release of records that could show the extent of retribution by the Trump administration that was cited by a federal judge as reason to stamp out subpoenas this week. Walz filed 16 records requests under the Freedom of Information Act that reference terms like “reckoning,” “retribution,” “punish” or other words that suggest actions were driven by a political motive. A day earlier, a federal judge
invalidated subpoenas for records the Justice Department sought from the offices of Walz and other Minnesota Democratic officials, calling the subpoenas “unethical” and “unlawful.” According to Walz’s office, federal agencies have made more than 100 demands of Minnesota through investigations, lawsuits and threats to illegally withhold money from the state.
Minnesota governor candidate Mike Lindell has gotten a reprieve in one legal case and is facing additional legal action in another over his comments about voting device companies that sued him for defamation. The Star Tribune reported yesterday that a company formerly known as Dominion Voting Systems
dropped a defamation lawsuit against Lindell after it was sold to a new owner with GOP ties. Both parties are bearing their own legal fees. Meanwhile, as a federal judge considers a permanent injunction against Lindell — a temporary injunction is already in place — a second company called Smartmatic is pointing to more recent comments that it says constitutes continued defamation. In a filing yesterday, the company included emails solicitations this month from a Lindell fundraising platform that suggest Smartmatic software has led to election manipulation in Venezuela. Lindell is fighting Smartmatic’s bid for a permanent injunction and possible damages, making a First Amendment
argument in his own defense. The legal fights have cut both ways for Lindell, whose denial of 2020 election results contributed to his rise in conservative circles and a kinship with President Donald Trump as he seeks his campaign endorsement. Lindell is in a multi-candidate primary for the GOP governor nomination. Trump has yet to weigh in and might not before the Aug. 11 election. Meanwhile, KSTP reports that Lindell is defending his campaign giveaways
— pillows and books — as in line with state guidelines despite laws that frown on candidates giving more than token items to voters.
The sentencing date has been set for Vance Boelter, the man who pleaded guilty this month in shootings of Minnesota lawmakers and their families.
Boelter pleaded guilty two weeks ago to federal murder, stalking and firearms charges. The 58-year-old admitted killing DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman and husband, Mark, at their Brooklyn Park home last year. It was hours after he shot and wounded DFL state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, and tried to shoot their daughter Hope at their house in Champlin. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim set Boelter's sentencing for July 23. A plea agreement calls for Boelter to serve two consecutive life terms plus 40 years. In exchange, federal prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. Boelter also faces state-level first-degree murder charges that carry an automatic sentence of life
without parole.
Israel’s actions in Gaza have become a key issue in some primary races across the country, from Minnesota to New York. Jennifer Medina and Reid J. Epstein at the New York Times are tracking the trend
of Democratic candidates increasingly criticizing the Israeli government. They note that super PACs allied with the American Israel Affairs Committee are spending big in the 2026 election, as they’ve done for years, but this year they’re playing defense trying to turn the tide of voter opinion that has soured against Israel. They note that Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has highlighted her refusal to take money from donors associated with AIPAC as she runs for Senate against U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who has been endorsed by AIPAC in the past. Our Peter Cox dove into this topic last week. Check out his full story to see
how criticism of Israel played out at the DFL nominating convention last month and how the issue is shaping several DFL campaigns ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
A provider trade group is alleging intentional dismantling of a social services program. A Minnesota man with developmental disabilities and the Minnesota Association of Residential Service Homes alleges in a lawsuit that Minnesota’s Department of Human Services is intentionally dismantling its Family Residential Services program through a shift to a new, less flexible Medicaid reimbursement system, which only applies to Family Residential Programs and another program. Our colleague Ellie Roth breaks down the lawsuit
and explains how these Medicaid changes are affecting Minnesotans, including Shawn Engman who may be forced to leave his residential program and move back to a group home that can’t fully support his needs.
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