>>Minnesota House Passes $172 Million Agriculture Budget Bill
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota House is sending the $172 million agriculture budget bill to the Senate. The bipartisan legislation passed Thursday afternoon on a 130-to-3 vote. Representative Rick Hansen of South St. Paul says it includes additional funding to fight bird flu in Minnesota. The House ag committee co-chair says, “we put money in so there’s protections for workers, whether it’s the farmer, the farm worker, or the person who’s processing the food that comes to us. Those protections will be important if we have to deal with an emergency of avian influenza.” It now heads to the Minnesota Senate where it will be compared with the ag bill in that chamber.
>>Governor Walz Named Grand Marshal of 2025 Twin Cities Pride
(Minneapolis, MN) — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will be the grand marshal for the 2025 Twin Cities Pride Festival. Executive director Andi Otto says as a teacher, congressman, governor and vice presidential candidate, Walz has been a steadfast ally to the L-G-B-T-Q-plus community. Walz will be honored at the annual Grand Marshal Reception on June 5th in northeast Minneapolis along with other allies and people who have supported Twin Cities Pride. This year’s festival is the weekend of June 27th through 29th.
>>Rally to Save Medicaid at Congressman Stauber’s Hermantown Office
(Hermantown, MN) — Planned Parenthood is leading a rally today (Fri 12pm) at the Hermantown office of 8th District Congressman Pete Stauber. Organizers are demanding Stauber protect access to Medicaid and Planned Parenthood health care. They say the Republican voted for a House budget bill that would likely cut Medicaid by 880 million dollars to give tax breaks for the wealthy. More than 151 thousand Minnesotans in Stauber’s district rely on Medicaid to access health care.
>>Craig Responds to Potential Rules Violation for Town Halls in GOP Districts
(Eagan, MN) – Minnesota Republicans are accusing Congresswoman Angie Craig of potential House rules violations for holding town halls in their districts. Representatives Tom Emmer, Brad Finstad, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber sent a letter to the House Ethics and Administration committees calling for a review of Craig’s conduct. The 2nd District Democrat responds, “I welcome any opportunity for them to keep complaining about it because that I means I get to keep talking about the fact that they won’t do town halls and talk to their own constituents in each of their own communities.” Craig says she hasn’t used taxpayer funding for any of the town halls outside her district. The G-O-P members claim the town halls were initially published through Craig’s official office and are now directing people to her campaign website.
>>X Sues Minnesota AG Ellison for Deepfake Ban Law
(St. Paul, MN) — Social media app X is suing Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for banning the use of deepfake images and videos in elections. The lawsuit argues the law violates the free speech rights of social media platforms. Minnesota passed the law in 2023, making it a crime to create and distribute a deepfake within 90 days of an election. Senator Erin Maye Quade of Apple Valley says about Elon Musk’s lawsuit, “Of course he is upset that Minnesota law prevents him from spreading deepfakes meant to harm candidates and influence elections.”
>>Suspect in Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson in Federal Court Today
(New York, NY) — The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare C-E-O Brian Thompson of Maple Grove is scheduled to appear in federal court today (Fri) in New York City. Twenty-six-year-old Luigi Mangione is expected to plead not guilty to murder and stalking charges. Mangione was indicted by a federal grand jury last week and U-S Attorney General Pam Bondi says she plans to pursue the death penalty. Thompson was shot dead outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan in December, where the Minnesota-based health insurance company was gathering for an investor conference. The brazen killing and ensued a five-day manhunt for Mangione.
>>Karlstad Woman Dies in Car vs. Semi Crash
(Marshall County, MN) – A woman is dead after a car vs. semi crash in northwest Minnesota’s Marshall County on Thursday. The Minnesota State Patrol says a southbound car collided with a semi heading north in New Folden Township. The car driver, a 79-year-old woman from Karlstad, died at the scene. The semi driver wasn’t hurt.
>>Vikings Select Ohio State Guard Jackson #24 in NFL Draft
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Vikings made Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson their first round pick at last night’s N-F-L Draft in Green Bay. Minnesota continues to remake its front five on offense with this addition. Jackson is likely looking at playing left guard, but he says he will do whatever the team needs. Jackson was a three-time all-Big Ten selection for the Buckeyes, who won last year’s national championship. The Purple have the 97th overall selection in the third round of the draft this evening.
>>Minnesota Wild Top Vegas Golden Knights to Take 2-1 Series Lead
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Wild beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 at The X to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. Kirill Kaprizov netted a pair of goals and Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, and Marcus Foligno also scored last night. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson stopped 30 shots for the postseason win. Minnesota and Vegas play Game 4 tomorrow night (Sat) in St. Paul.
>>Wolves and Lakers Play Game 3 of Playoffs at Target Center
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the playoffs tonight (Fri 8:30pm) in downtown Minneapolis. The Wolves crushed the Lakers 117-95 in the opener Saturday and lost Game 2 on Tuesday night 94-85 in L-A. Target Center is expected to be packed for the late tip-off. Minnesota guard Mike Conley says they need to find a way to get the home crowd involved.
