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Deep Dive: How the Attorney General’s Office Impacts Affordability, Housing, and Healthcare

At a recent campaign rally for Attorney General Keith Ellison, Sen. Tina Smith, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Ellison talked about several key issues impacting voters this season. Following are excerpts of the discussion, including Ellison's talking points about the economics of daily living, healthcare, housing, and other details related to how affordability is tied up in government policy and enforcement.

News Bites: Minnesota Immigrants, ICE, and Politics

A noise demonstration is scheduled in Albert Lea Sunday on behalf of a 23-year-old man with serious health issues who has been in ICE-related detention for 14 months. And Keith Ellison updates campaign volunteers on cases against ICE agents.

DEEP DIVE: The Values of Trust, Data, and Strategy in Solving Violent Crimes

With the Minneapolis police budget under scrutiny for effectiveness commensurate with dollars spent, analysis of how Saint Paul public safety programs have been effective in some ways as a comparison, and the Hennepin County attorney election in play, I revisited notes from a conference held a year ago by the Minnesota Justice Research Center titled “Committing to Progress in Policing.”

Commentary: The Pervasive Smallness of Using Labels to Cause Harm

Whether it is Jewish people, Somalis, Indigenous, and the many others who have been labeled as inferior by those who see people by skin color and birthplace, our children are noticing the propensity toward racism and violence. Why speakers at a rally in support of Rep. Ilhan Omar Monday see Minnesota as the birthplace for a new promised land of unity and solidarity.

A Conversation About Priorities with U.S. Senate Candidate Peggy Flanagan

Two of our Future Forward editorial board members — a board of women under the age of 25 — had a chance to talk with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is running for U.S. Senate. Here is some of the conversation.

EXPLAINER: Minneapolis Policing Budget (updated 10/15)

  Mayor Jacob Frey’s proposed 2027-28 budget allocates…

AP News: Trump’s $90 Medicare rebate rolls out, but millions aren’t eligible.

Less than one-third of all Medicare recipients are eligible for the payments, which are expected to be sent out this week. Not eligible are roughly 35 million Medicare Advantage enrollees, millions of other people with disabilities and low-income Medicare recipients.

Protecting Democracy #2: How Community and Media Are Working to Support Election Integrity

For months, teams of community leaders, unions, faith networks, neighborhood groups, and journalism organizations have been preparing for whatever this midterm election season might bring.

EXPLAINER: Mining in Minnesota

Minnesota has mined iron for well over a century, and it is still the largest producer of iron ore and taconite in the United States. Now the state is at the center of a bigger question: should it open a second kind of mining, for copper, nickel and other metals, in some of its most water-rich landscapes? This Explainer is part of a series designed to help people understand how the government — and the people we elect to it — serve the common good with the decisions they make about policy and funding priorities that impact the interconnected whole.

DEEP DIVE: How Politics Is, and Is Not, Addressing Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

In a conversation with U.S Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan last week with members of our young Future Forward editorial board, we talked about how powerful it is for four Minnesota women to be running for the two highest offices in the state — including Governor. We also talked about the obvious misogyny we see in the highest places in U.S. government.

DEEP DIVE: Addressing Long-Time Issues of Fraud (updated 10-14-2026)

Fraud is historically pervasive around the country. This deep dive starts with a case involving Minnesota immigrants in the 1920s, and ends with modern-day legislation and support so the attorney general's office can increase its staff to levels comparable to other states in being able to convict more people of fraud. The office has convicted 350 people of fraud since 2019, including those involving personal-care agencies, housing services, and autism treatment programs.

Bulletin Board: A Running Tally of Posts From Other Sources