Good morning. It's Juneteenth.

The first big showdown debate of the primary campaign is tonight. The two main DFL Senate candidates will go head-to-head on TPT’s Almanac program. They’re U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Flanagan carries the DFL endorsement into this phase of the campaign. Both campaigns have been trading polling analysis to suggest they have momentum on their side. Flanagan and Craig will also debate next month on MPR News. The winner of their Aug. 11 primary will face the winner of a multi-candidate GOP primary race where endorsed candidate Adam Schwarze is up against Michele Tafoya and Royce White. No word on any upcoming debates for them.

 

State lawyers are urging a court to reject an injunction request from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission aimed at halting a Minnesota law banning prediction markets. In a memorandum opposing the proposed preliminary injunction, attorneys representing the state say the wagers barred under the law set to take effect on Aug. 1 aren't in the CFTC's purview and the agency is claiming harm that is "merely abstract." They also say that unlike in other states that have passed laws attempting to preempt federal law around the prediction markets that have been blocked in court, Minnesota’s proposal makes it a crime to host or advertise a prediction market. They said Minnesota is sovereign and has the authority to adopt the restrictions that lawmakers said could prevent gambling addiction among adults and young people. “Other states are entitled to reach different conclusions about the best way to regulate these types of harms, but the question of how and whether to regulate them goes to the heart of states’ sovereign police powers,” Minnesota attorneys wrote. “With pure financial frustrations on the one hand, and public safety and welfare on the other, the equities and public interest clearly weigh against an injunction." A hearing in the case is set for early July.

The political standing of Israel is under strain in America, particularly among Democrats. Some in the Minnesota DFL have become more vocal about their discontent with the Israeli government. Peter Cox reports on how the DFL convention featured several examples of Democrats pledging to reduce support for Israel, whether that’s through Minnesota’s investment portfolio or by pushing for less aid via Congress. There have also been unexpected public strains between President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance after some in Israel’s leadership criticized the Trump administration’s peace deal with Iran. 

Minnesota’s unemployment rate ticked down a bit last month, the first drop in some time. The seasonally adjusted rate of 4.4 percent matches where Minnesota was at in January. It had been stuck at 4.5 percent for a few months. It’s the first decline since October 2024. The rate has been either up or plateaued in every month since. “It’s encouraging to see some progress amid a mixed economic picture both in the state and the nation as a whole,” Department of Employment and Economic Development Deputy Commissioner Kevin McKinnon said. In May, Minnesota saw 5,400 nonfarm jobs added. For the year, Minnesota is up by 19,669 jobs. Not all was rosy in the report. The labor force participation rate fell for the sixth consecutive month. It’s now at 67.2 percent — down from 68.3 percent in December.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s race is heating up. Five candidates are vying to become the top law enforcement official in the state’s most populous county. The winner will take over for Mary Moriarty, who Jeff Day at the Star Tribune says has transformed the office and elevated awareness of the county attorney’s role in the state. Her supporters praise her reforms and her prosecution of ICE agents while critics question her relationship with law enforcement and believe she has made the county less safe. State Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, overwhelmingly won the DFL endorsement. But the other candidates are still in the race: senior Ramsey County Attorney Hao Nguyen, former acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Anders Folk, defense attorney Matt Pelikan and assistant Hennepin County Attorney Diane Krenze. They all say, like Moriarty, they’ll prosecute federal agents if they committed crimes in Minnesota. Check out the full story for some drama during the nomination for Hennepin County Sheriff and a detailed breakdown of the Hennepin County attorney candidates.