max nesterak

Right-wing reporting on Somali money going to al-Shabaab is not new, still misses the mark • Minnesota Reformer Thorpe and Rufo’s vulture journalism provides an opening to those who seek to dismiss the problem of fraud in Minnesota as right-wing demagoguery.

Right-wing reporting on Somali money going to al-Shabaab is not new, still misses the mark minnesotareformer.com/2025/11/25/r...

Dozens of federal agents raid St. Paul business, sparking protest • Minnesota Reformer Dozens of federal agents surrounded the St. Paul headquarters of paper distributor Bro-Tex on Tuesday morning and were quickly met by a couple hundred protesters. The agents wore uniforms marked with ...

Federal agents from ICE, DEA and the FBI raided a St. Paul paper distributor Tuesday morning. Hundreds of community members responded in protest, clashing with officers. At least two people were detained by authorities, according to a witness.

RacketCast, Ep. 39: Biggest MN Turkeys of 2025 - Racket No disrespect to actual turkeys—we're talkin' local bozos.

my favorite (now annual!) racketcast episode of the year is here:

Gov. Tim Walz said Minnesota has universal pre-K. Do we? • Minnesota Reformer Gov. Tim Walz boasted about Minnesota’s education system to a Texas audience on Thursday. He said Minnesota’s graduation rates are improving, free school meals set students up for success and universa...

The short answer is no.

Hemp ban in federal funding bill could end Minnesota’s THC edibles and drinks industry • Minnesota Reformer A provision in the federal government’s shutdown-ending spending package would be a massive setback to Minnesota’s hemp-derived THC industry if it were to pass. Although the federal government isn’t l...

A provision in the federal government’s shutdown-ending spending package would be a massive setback to Minnesota’s hemp-derived THC industry if it were to pass.

Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, express regret • Kansas Reflector A handful of county-level officials who were involved in a small-town Kansas newspaper raid in 2023 will pay a cumulative $3 million to three journalists and a city councilor.

Breaking: Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, express regret kansasreflector.com/2025/11/11/m...

They were warned: How state government kept allowing the theft of the people's money • Minnesota Reformer It’s like we were putting our cherished Christmas gifts right into the Grinch’s bag of stolen goods.

They were warned: How state government kept allowing the theft of the people’s money minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/25/t...

Dallas Morning News shareholders vote to deny the hedge fund Alden Global Capital Is a newspaper a financial asset or a community trust? This particular standoff ended with an increasingly uncommon answer.

New by me yesterday —>

How about some good news? Could you use some good news today?

www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/dall...

Health insurance premiums will rise 50% for 89,000 MNsure recipients — unless Congress takes action • Minnesota Reformer Unless Congress votes to extend the tax credits, 89,000 Minnesotans will see an average increase of $177 per month, raising the average premium from $326 to $503, according to MNsure.

Health insurance premiums will rise 50% for 89,000 MNsure recipients — unless Congress takes action minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/18/h...

Tim Walz indicates he will run again for Minnesota governor at Democratic fundraiser • Minnesota Reformer Walz has also told several people privately but definitively that he will run again, and he will make a campaign announcement next week.

Tim Walz indicates he will run again for Minnesota governor at Democratic fundraiser minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/10/t...

Federal appeals court dismisses challenge to Minnesota ban on captive audience meetings • Minnesota Reformer In a win for unions, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit this week challenging Minnesota’s ban on mandatory anti-union meetings. The ban, which passed as part of a sweeping pro-labor ...

In a win for unions, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit this week challenging Minnesota’s ban on mandatory anti-union meetings. minnesotareformer.com/briefs/feder...

University of Minnesota service workers reject final contract offer, say strike is possible • Minnesota Reformer More than 1,400 service workers across the University of Minnesota’s five campuses could strike after they rejected the university’s “last, best and final” offer on a new labor contract. The Teamsters...

University of Minnesota service workers reject final contract offer, say strike is possible minnesotareformer.com/briefs/minne...

Federal appeals court dismisses challenge to Minnesota ban on captive audience meetings • Minnesota Reformer In a win for unions, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit this week challenging Minnesota’s ban on mandatory anti-union meetings. The ban, which passed as part of a sweeping pro-labor ...

Federal appeals court dismisses challenge to Minnesota ban on captive audience meetings minnesotareformer.com/briefs/feder...

Why didn’t Minnesota Democrats ban assault weapons when they controlled the Legislature? • Minnesota Reformer Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers entered the 2023 legislative session with a majority in both chambers and a pair of gun control bills high on their list of priorities: universal background checks fo...

Many Minnesota Democrats are calling for an assault weapons ban in the wake of the Annunciation shooting. Why didn’t they pass one when they controlled the Legislature in 2023 and 2024? minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/05/w...

Worth noting in BLS jobs report: civilian labor force shrunk by 357,000 since April (S/A). Meanwhile, % of workers employed is down & combined % working+seeking work (labor force participation) is down. Labor supply is shrinking. One reason unemployment rate isn't higher.

Employment Situation Summary - 2025 M08 Results

Manufacturing over the year: -78,000 jobs
Federal government since Jan: -97,000 jobs

Only 22,000 jobs added — basically frozen. But wages have increased 3.7% on average in private-sector non-farm jobs over the past year.

www.bls.gov/news.release...

MN House Republicans release their policy proposals following the Annunciation school shooting. None include gun control. One proposal is to repeal the state ban on conversion therapy for minors.

Annunciation parents to Vice President Vance: ‘Move your feet’ • Minnesota Reformer Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance visited Annunciation Catholic school and church Wednesday afternoon, one week after a shooter opened fire on the school’s first Mass of the year, kil...

Annunciation parents to Vice President Vance: ‘Move your feet’
minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/03/a...

Twin Cities roofing contractor charged with stealing $118,000 in wages on publicly funded project • Minnesota Reformer The owner of a Twin Cities roofing company faces felony charges after investigators said he stole an estimated $118,000 in wages from seven workers who replaced roofs and gutters at a public housing p...

Twin Cities roofing contractor charged with stealing $118,000 in wages on publicly funded project minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/03/r...

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan steps out on her own in Senate race • Minnesota Reformer The divide among Democrats this year is as much attitudinal as it is ideological.  Rank-and-file Democrats are thirsting for leaders who will fight rather than fold in the face of the Trump administra...

Democrats across the country continue to grapple with what went wrong in 2024 and how to win voters back in 2026. For Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, it starts with a fighting stance. minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/02/l...

Walz to call special session on gun control, propose assault weapons ban • Minnesota Reformer Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday said he will call a special session for Minnesota lawmakers to vote on a package of gun control measures, although passage seems unlikely in a closely divided Legislature. Wal...

“If Minnesota lets this moment slide and we determine that it’s okay for little ones to not be safe in a school environment or a church environment, then shame on us,” Walz said. “I’m going to call (lawmakers) back.”

How Trump and corporations have hobbled US labor watchdog Former NLRB counsel Jennifer Abruzzo says firings and court rulings have left agency toothless

I spoke with former NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and former NLRB Chair Lauren McFerran about the efforts by the Trump administration, Elon Musk's SpaceX, and other corporations to undermine and further weaken the National Labor Relations Board

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

By the numbers: the latest Ice and CBP data on arrests, detentions and deportations in the US The Guardian US reviewed figures from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection since Trump’s inauguration

The Guardian US is releasing a new tool today, a tracker tallying the arrests, detentions, and deportations since the start of the second Trump admin. We are going to continue to update as the admin releases new data: www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

The state of labor in Minnesota in 5 charts • Minnesota Reformer Minnesota is a good place to be a worker, with higher wages and union density than the nation along with lower unemployment. But there are growing challenges. Housing costs are rapidly increasing, chi...

The state of labor in Minnesota in 5 charts minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/01/t...

fall fall
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cider session

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mulled

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Walz mulls special session on gun control following Minneapolis mass shooting, source says • Minnesota Reformer Complicating matters, the state Senate is currently short two members until a Nov. 4 special election. Until then, the Senate is 33-32, with Democrats in control, but they can't pass any bills without...

Walz mulls special session on gun control following Minneapolis mass shooting, source says minnesotareformer.com/2025/08/29/w...

Minnesota students' academic performance stagnates after pandemic declines • Minnesota Reformer Minnesota students aren’t making progress in math and reading after significant declines in proficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to statewide standardized assessment data released Frida...

Minnesota students aren’t making progress in math and reading after significant declines in proficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to statewide standardized assessment data released Friday.

Use our lookup table to view your school district's results.

How is the far-right outrage machine going to pivot away from gun policy this time? • Minnesota Reformer Policy changes work, if we ever develop the political will to stop this senseless tide of bloodshed.

"It doesn’t matter if they’re motivated by far-right white nationalism, QAnon, radical Islam, delusion, sexism or revenge. Without access to guns, these motives won’t result in mass shootings; it’s that simple." (Commentary) minnesotareformer.com/2025/08/29/h...

Children killed in Annunciation Church shooting remembered as loving and bright • Minnesota Reformer The two children killed in the mass shooting at Annunciation Church in south Minneapolis on Wednesday are 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, their families shared with the publi...

Children killed in Annunciation Church shooting remembered as loving and bright minnesotareformer.com/2025/08/29/c...

Minnesota Democrats call for ban on assault weapons following deadly church shooting • Minnesota Reformer Federal, state and city Democratic lawmakers joined gun safety advocates to call for a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines on Thursday, a day after a shooter killed two children and inj...

“Thoughts and prayers are not going to cut it,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “We need action at the federal level. We need action at the state level. We need coordination with the cities around the country.” minnesotareformer.com/2025/08/28/m...