DFL state Sen. Heather Gustafson is the sponsor of the bill increasing penalties for gun straw buyers. On Thursday, the Senate approved the stronger p

Minnesota Senate passes new penalties for gun straw buyers, bans binary triggers

Hermantown DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild voted for it while saying he won't support a safe-storage bill.

Minnesota lawmakers look to ban 'excited delirium' training for police

7:09pm
In a committee hearing last month, bill author Rep. Jessica Hanson, DFL- Burnsville, described excited delirium as a diagnosis "rooted in anti-Black r
The mention of the term during the George Floyd murder case and other high-profile police encounters has accelerated the debate over its legitimacy.

What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign

3:36pm
Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), who is leading the Trump campaign’s development of its energy pol
Donald Trump has pledged to scrap President Biden's policies on electric vehicles and wind energy, and other initiatives opposed by the fossil fuel industry.
Nation
8:58pm
Trump attorney and Stormy Daniels trade barbs during questions about alleged 2006 sexual encounter

Trump attorney and Stormy Daniels trade barbs during questions about alleged 2006 sexual encounter

Donald Trump's defense attorney on Thursday accused Stormy Daniels of slowly altering the details of an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, trying to persuade jurors that a key prosecution witness in the former president's hush money trial cannot be believed.
Politics
8:42pm
Supporters of President Donald Trump fight with police outside the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.

'You're a go': How miscues and confusion delayed the National Guard on Jan. 6

New testimony underscores how a critical miscommunication between top military officials contributed to a four-hour delay in deploying troops to help restore order at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Nation
7:50pm

New rule aims to speed up removal of limited group of migrants who don't qualify for asylum

A new Biden administration rule announced Thursday aims to speed up asylum processing at the southern border for a a limited group of people believed to have committed serious crimes or who have terrorist links and ultimately more quickly eject them from the country.
Local
6:14pm
A boat goes north on the Mississippi River as heavy smoke from wildfire blankets downtown St. Paul last June.

Expect clearer air this summer in Minnesota, thanks to a milder wildfire season

Wildfires may still bring some smoke, but not nearly as much as 2023, forecasters said.
Nation
5:59pm

Chinese billionaire gets time served, leaves country after New York, Rhode Island straw donor scheme

A Chinese billionaire who pleaded guilty to funneling illegal straw donations to politicians' campaigns in New York and Rhode Island was sentenced Thursday to time served and quickly left the country as part of his deal with prosecutors to forfeit his green card.
Nation
5:38pm

Trump is limited in what he can say about his court case. His GOP allies are showing up to help

Former President Donald Trump is limited in what he can publicly say as he fights charges that he made payments to a porn actor to illegally influence the 2016 election. But he's getting help from some GOP allies who are glad to show up and talk.
Nation
4:39pm

New lawsuit renews challenge to Tennessee laws targeting crossover voting in primary elections

A group of Tennesseans who say they were intimidated into not voting in a primary election or were threatened with prosecution after they did vote has filed a legal challenge to two state laws meant to prevent crossover voting.
Business
4:33pm

FBI warns that foreign adversaries could use AI to spread disinformation about US elections

The FBI is concerned that foreign adversaries could deploy artificial intelligence as a means to interfere in American elections and spread disinformation, a senior official said Thursday, describing the technology as an area ''that's probably going to see growth over the coming years.''
Business
4:30pm

Colorado-based abortion fund sees rising demand. Many are from Texas, where procedure is restricted

A Colorado abortion fund said Thursday it's helped hundreds access abortion in the first months of 2024, many arriving from Texas where abortion is restricted, showing a steady increase in need each year since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
Business
4:21pm

Union push pits the United Farm Workers against a major California agricultural business

In a meeting room at a hotel in California's crop-rich Central Valley, a fight is taking place that could help shape the future of farm labor in fields that grow a chunk of the country's food.
Nation
4:17pm

The Latest | Judge denies defense's 2nd request for mistrial in Trump's hush money case

The judge in Donald Trump's hush money case denied a second request from defense attorneys to declare a mistrial over porn actor Stormy Daniels' testimony, which concluded Thursday.
Nation
4:14pm
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) at the Capitol building in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024.

House Speaker Mike Johnson survived a motion to vacate. Here's why his job is far from safe

Mike Johnson's job isn't safe yet.
Nation
3:15pm
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks to reporters after she tried and failed to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and reso

Failure to oust Speaker 'MAGA Mike' Johnson shows strength and weakness of his alliance with Trump

It was Donald Trump who bestowed the ''MAGA Mike Johnson'' nickname on the House speaker the day he won the gavel.
Politics
2:58pm

Barron Trump, 18, to make political debut as Florida delegate to the Republican convention

Former President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has been chosen to serve as a Florida delegate to the Republican National Convention, the state party chairman said Wednesday.
Nation
2:13pm

Man acquitted of supporting plot to kidnap Michigan governor is running for sheriff

A man acquitted of having a supporting role in the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said he's running for county sheriff.
Nation
2:00pm

Fight over foreign money in politics stymies deal to assure President Joe Biden is on Ohio's ballot

The question of whether Democratic President Joe Biden will appear on Ohio's fall ballot has become entangled in a partisan legislative fight to keep foreign money out of state ballot campaigns, a year after cash tied to a Swiss billionaire boosted a successful effort to enshrine abortion rights in the solidly red state's constitution.
Nation
1:23pm

Democratic ex-White House aide Maggie Goodlander is running for Congress in New Hampshire

Democrat Maggie Goodlander, a former senior White House aide with deep political connections, announced on Thursday that she's running for Congress in her home state of New Hampshire.
Business
12:36pm

Maryland governor signs bill to rebuild Pimlico, home of the Preakness Stakes

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a measure on Thursday to rebuild Baltimore's historic but antiquated Pimlico Race Course and transfer the track to state control.
Politics
11:12am

Haley will meet with donors to her shuttered presidential campaign. No Trump endorsement is expected

Nikki Haley is meeting next week with donors who supported her now-abandoned Republican presidential campaign, a reentry into public life that comes as the former South Carolina governor keeps drawing notable support in some state primaries despite Donald Trump's status as the presumptive nominee.
Local
May 9

Two Edina residents running in special election for open seat on Hennepin County Board

Heather Edelson and Marisa Simonetti are running in the special election next Tuesday, May 14, to decide who represents District 6 through the end of 2024.

Minnesota Politics

Latest politics news from the Twin Cities, Minnesota and Washington, D.C., including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Minnesota Legislature, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.