Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic (Minneapolis-DFL), whose district includes the University of Minnesota, announced Friday that she will step down from her leadership post after breast cancer came back.

She remains in her leadership post until Senate Democrats elect a new majority leader, the statement read.

Dzieddzic said in the statement “it was an honor to be part of that transformational 2023 session, ” listing a laundry list of last year’s legislative achievements, including the Paid Family and Medical Leave bill or universal free meals.

During last year’s session, Dziedzic underwent surgery and worked from home for a month, according to the StarTribune. In the statement, she said she faces “some serious challenges” due to the cancer’s return. She felt it was “in the best interest of the caucus” for her to step down from leadership.

Similarly to Dziedzic, Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) alluded to last year’s achievements in a statement, as well as her relationship to the senator.

“Minnesota could not have asked for a better, more effective leader of the Minnesota Senate,” Hortman said. “Her kind, thoughtful, and wise leadership brought the Senate through the most productive legislative session in 50 years.”

Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) released a statement saying Dziedzic is in his prayers after hearing the news.

“I wish her all the best as she takes care of herself and beats cancer again,” Johnson said. “I know she will.”

Dziedzic made no mention of leaving the legislative body in the statement. At the end of the statement, she urged the importance of regular check-ups and hugging loved ones.

Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) signed an executive order August 10 establishing a state-led task force to evaluate the future of University of Minnesota Health Care System.

The order comes less than a month after talks between the University’s healthcare partner, Fairview, and the South Dakota-based Sanford Health fell through. The University’s trial against its non-profit insurance partner, UCare, was also given a trial date in late July.

There are five main areas Walz instructed the task force engage with:

1. Review other states’ examples for financial and clinical partnerships between non-academic health systems;
2. Consider financial support and partnership models that benefit healthcare systems, professionals and recipients;
3. Determine potential options for oversight for programs funded by the Health Sciences Programs;
4. Find funding models for academic and state health systems; and
5. Develop criteria relating to “equity, workforce diversity, geographic accessibility, and primary care” in rural areas.

“I am calling together this group of leaders and health care experts to work to ensure that the future of Minnesota’s academic health remains strong,” Walz said in a statement announcing the order.

Task force members include state health leaders, such as the state’s former Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm. Two members of the task force are required to be representatives of the University, with one being a member of the School of Medicine, according to the order. Minnesota Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) was appointed on August 18 to be the designate for the House of Representatives.

“We know academic medicine delivers advances in primary care, treatments and cures, as well as training the health professionals who see and treat Minnesotans every day and provide the highest quality of care,” the University’s interim president, Jeffrey Ettinger, said in a press release shortly after the announcement. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance plans that prioritize the health of all Minnesotans, now and into the future.”

A University spokesperson referred questions to the Governor’s Office.

According to the order, the task force will be required to meet at least twice a month, as well as regularly update the governor. The meeting structure is still being determined, without clarification if the meetings will be public or when they will meet, according to Garry Bowman, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health.

Bowman confirmed the Fairview/Sanford Health merger will be part of the taskforce’s work, as will the new system hospital in St. Cloud.

The task force will have until Jan. 15, 2024 to submit a written recommendation of its findings to Walz.

This article has been updated.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (DFL), who recently moved into the University of Minnesota’s Eastcliff Mansion off of East River Road, said he has already seen a beautiful sunset against the Minneapolis skyline.

“The style is just lots of big windows,” Walz said. “It was just beautiful.”

The view looking over the river has been a part of Walz’s appreciation for the home even before he moved in.

“I do remember I visited, it was early in my congressional career, [and] I got invited by President [Robert] Bruininks at the time and had the opportunity to go see it,” Walz said, referring to the University president who lived in the house from 2002 to 2011. “It’s a beautiful home.”

Walz and his family — his wife Gwen, son Gus, and his dog and cat — moved into Eastcliff on July 10 after the Board of Regents approved a lease in April for the First Family to temporarily live there through September 2024. The governor’s mansion on St. Paul’s Summit Avenue started renovations in June and, according to the StarTribune, will likely take more than a year.

“The foundation cracked and the whole house is sinking,” Walz said. “This isn’t like a renovation to put in a pool or something.”

After looking at a lease in Dakota County, Walz said the First Lady started looking at other opportunities. The timing was such that the University’s mansion was going to be empty after former president Joan Gabel announced her resignation.

Interim-president Jeffrey Ettinger is living at a non-University residence off campus, according to a University spokeswoman.

Vice President for University Services Alice Roberts-Davis — who was commissioner for the Department of Administration in Walz’s cabinet before coming to the University — said the Walzes can make the house theirs as much as they want. According to a University spokeswoman, Roberts-Davis recused herself from leasing negotiations because of her transition from the state to the University.

“They moved around some paintings and just made it more of a home for them, because they will be there for the next 18 months,” Roberts-Davis said, also mentioning the family brought furniture from the Governor’s Residence.

Walz said he and his family are getting settled into the space and have started to make it their own. He noted “a little different demographic” at the mansion because of his high-school-age son and his dog and cat, Scout and Afton.

“The home is meant to be used. It’s meant to be a place of welcoming for dignitaries coming in, legislators, things like that. But, on the second floor, it’s where we live,” Walz said. “It kind of feels like the place woke up.”

Walz still plans on hosting regular gatherings that would normally happen at the Governor’s Residence, like trick-or-treating on Halloween or decorating the house for Christmas. 

However, Eastcliff — usually a University center for fundraising — will find other spaces. Roberts-Davis said the University “has effectively turned over the property to the governor and his family for the next 18 months.”

The Regents announced in December they needed roughly $15 million to renovate and sustain the building, including projects like structural stabilization and window replacement, according to the StarTribune. The University proposed its early version budget request for next year and did not ask for money for renovating the property.

“I don’t want a thumb on the scale — the U will make a decision on where they go,” Walz said. “Personally, I would say this is an amazing piece of Minnesota history that belongs to the University of Minnesota. I would just hate to see that go.”

The family who initially donated Eastcliff to the University, the Brooks family, and a donation fund started by Pat Hasselmo — wife of former University president Nils Hasselmo — have financially supported the building in the past, according to former Eastcliff resident Karen Kaler. Kaler, wife of former University president Eric Kaler, lived in the house from 2012 to 2019.

Kaler also wrote an extensive history of the home, culminating in a book published in late April 2023.

Walz, nonetheless, is still enjoying the large windows.

“They’re both beautiful,” Walz said, referring to Eastcliff and the Governor’s Residence. “This is not in my official duty, it’s me personally: I think the architect and design of Eastcliff, because of all the windows, it seems really appealing.”

First Lady Jill Biden made an appearance Saturday at this weekend’s Twin Cities Pride Festival, stopping after attending a political fundraiser.

Biden was greeted with cheers and hollers from attendees at the event, held in Loring Park, with someone shouting, “Thanks for everything.”

The event is an annual festival held in June, typically held at the end of Pride Month. This year’s event was a three-day celebration that included music and art from LGBTQ and BIPOC vendors and a parade on Sunday.

The festival also came at a time when LGBTQ legislation, particularly anti-trans legislation, is on the rise nationwide. During this legislative session, Minnesota opted to offer more protections for LGBTQ individuals, most notably becoming a trans refuge state in late April.

“In Minnesota, we have a lot to celebrate,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar (DFL), who introduced Biden. “But there is a lot more work that we need to do.”

A theme of Biden’s speech was encouraging visibility and support for the LGBTQ community.

“Today, I’m here on the behalf of Joe and Kamala and Doug to say loud and clear that you belong, that you are beautiful and that you are loved,” Biden said. “Joe stands with you now, and he stands with you forever.”

Biden traveled to Nashville later that same day. Tennessee passed a public drag show ban in March earlier this year, but a federal judge declared the law unconstitutional in early June.

“We know that there are those who wish to undo progress this community has made,” Biden said in similar speeches in both Nashville and Minneapolis.

As Biden left the stage, eventgoers started chanting, “Four more years!”

Biden’s fundraiser on a Lake Harriet home, hosted by major donors Jim and Mary Lawrence, touted her husband’s handling of events like the debt ceiling and COVID-19.

“We need to keep this momentum going,” Biden said at the fundraiser. “Tell them that Joe is ready to continue to work for the American people.”

Kari Dziedzic’s (DFL-Minneapolis) election as incoming Senate majority leader for the upcoming 2023 session was welcomed by senators in the month after her announcement.

Dziedzic was elected to the Senate by a special election in 2012 and has held one committee leadership post, becoming the ranking minority member on the Housing and Finance Policy Committee in the past legislative session. Dziedzic replaced Sen. Melisa López Franzen (Edina) as the DFL leader.

“Senator Dziedzic is a wonderful person,” Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Minneapolis), who will be the first Black Senator to be the president of the chamber, said. “She’s always been known as a hard worker, a balanced thinker … From a legislative perspective, she’s thoughtful and deliberative.”

Dziedzic’s district encompasses both the University of Minnesota and Augsburg University, and she has been an outspoken advocate for housing and other student-centered issues such as food accessibility on campus.

“She just called me yesterday and was asking some questions about higher education,” Greg Clausen (DFL-Apple Valley), retiring senator and chairman of the Regent Candidate Advisory Council, said.“I have found her to be very knowledgeable because she definitely has an interest.”

The Senate DFL has yet to release any committee information or policy objectives for the upcoming session, but the Minnesota Daily spoke with legislators who mentioned broad policy goals they imagine the chamber will focus on.

“Ongoing equity and inclusion at the University and the student body and campus safety is certainly a concern,” Clausen said. “The student tuition increases, that’s an issue. Those are three major ones that come to mind right away.”

The state is also projected to have a $17.6 billion surplus, nearly doubling the $9.25 billion surplus from earlier this year. The Democratic trifecta in all three chambers will likely lead to more responsive requests, at least for University funding.

The party will discuss in the coming weeks specific higher education policy for this session. The higher education package last year failed to gain support in the Senate, which meant certain proposed changes were not signed into law, like changes to Regent nominations and public safety. Champion said Dziedzic is interested in holding discussions with the full party to talk about their goals, rather than her dictating what the party should focus on.

Going forward, Clausen did mention that these specific goals were bipartisan.

“I was just with Senator [Jason] Rarick this morning. We talked about some of those issues today. I think that people are well aware of some of the needs of the university,” Clausen said, referring to the Pine City Republican and last session’s vice-chair of the higher education committee.

Members of both parties were eager to lower the political volatility and were confident in Dziedzic’s ability to work across the aisle.

“I believe that Minnesotans pretty much have the same desire to improve their quality of life, no matter where geographically they find themselves,” Champion said. “They want their place to be a great place to live, work and play.”

The Daily also spoke with the incoming minority leader, Sen. Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks).

“As to what’s your leadership style, your vision for our caucus and the party and the politics that go on behind the scenes, whether you’re Kari Dziedzic or [Speaker of the House] Melissa Hortman, we have to cast that vision for our individual caucuses,” Johnson said. “If that’s the one that a majority of the caucus likes and wants to go that direction, then that’s the one that gets chosen.”

Clausen, who shared an office with Dziedzic during their first years together as senators, ultimately said she is a good pick for leadership this session.

“As I was walking out the door, many times at six, seven o’clock, she was there until ten o’clock,” Clausen said. “She is tremendously respected, obviously, by our Senate caucus. She’s an extremely hard worker. She’s very knowledgeable. She puts in the time on it. She does her research. I think she’s a great pick for caucus leadership.”

Brian O’Hara was sworn in as the next Minneapolis Chief of Police on Nov. 7, replacing Interim Chief Amelia Huffman after being approved unanimously by the City Council. While some community activists are planning their next steps with the police chief, others are still pushing for fundamental change.

Between Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s Sept. 7 announcement and O’Hara’s confirmation, the then-nominee held a series of public engagement sessions in late October, which the city organized. The city held a meet and greet as well as a public hearing on O’Hara’s nomination, giving residents a chance to meet the nominee and voice their opinions.

Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), said she was able to meet O’Hara briefly at one of the community events and had received positive recommendations from members within CUAPB.

“I was a little bit put off at the open house when he talked about the cost of a consent decree in the millions,” Gross said.

O’Hara worked on consent decrees during his time as deputy police chief in New Jersey. The Minneapolis Police Department is currently under two consent decrees for evidence of practicing unlawful policing by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the United States Department of Justice. Consent decrees are binding legal agreements issued by judges and enforced by the courts.

“Particularly what we’re paying a lot of attention to is making sure that the community’s voice is part of consent decrees,” Gross said. “What we do not want to see happen is some secretive crap that happens back behind closed doors. It’s really important that we have local people here that understand the lay of the land. For [CUAPB], our dream team for monitors is civil rights attorneys and activists.”

Community organizations involved in the organization and role of police in the city, such as CUAPB and Twin Cities Coalition Justice 4 Jamar (TCCJ4J), have started to plan their next steps to work with the community and MPD for police reform.

“When Arradondo was the chief, we didn’t always get along with him, but we always had an open door with him,” Gross said. “We met with him every other month, and I asked [O’Hara] for the same thing. And we will wait to see if he comes forward and does this.”

Other organizations, like TCCJ4J, are still pushing for more fundamental changes to MPD such as the Civilian Police Accountability Commission (CPAC).

“CPAC is putting power over policing back into the hands of the community,” TCCJ4J organizer Jae Yates said. “It’s the community that’s making these decisions about budgets, that it’s making the decisions about how police officers are disciplined — that we have a voice in that process.”

The CPAC is different from Question 2 on last year’s ballot in Minneapolis, which would have replaced MPD with a Department of Public Safety. If passed, a CPAC could incorporate residents into administrative aspects of the department, like budgetary and disciplinary decisions for officers.

TCCJ4J is working on getting signatures to get the question on the Minneapolis ballot for 2023, Yates said.

In a statement by the Mayor’s office after being nominated, O’Hara said, “I believe very deeply that working with the community to bring about some meaningful changes are experiences that are directly applicable to the current challenges that are facing the residents of this community.”

Yates said moving forward, he and TCCJ4J will continue to educate their neighbors about the CPAC.

“We also are trying to continue our door-knocking efforts,” Yates said. “Those are definitely more difficult when it gets cold. But we’ve partnered with the People’s Canvas to do some signature collecting with some of their volunteers.”

As for CUAPB, Gross said in addition to their community forums about consent decrees, they will continue to work with those in power however they can “to keep people from dying in this town.”

Former president Donald Trump announced his third run for the nation’s highest office on Tuesday night at his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida. Trump has been hinting about a special announcement for days on Truth Social, the social media company he created after Twitter banned him.

During his nearly hour-long speech, Trump attempted to entice new voters and laid out some specific policy issues, such as implementing a lifetime ban on lobbying by former lawmakers and committing to an end of homelessness in the United States.

Trump lost the 2020 Presidential Election to President Joe Biden with 232 electoral college votes. Biden won 306 votes.

Leading up to the announcement, Trump has been criticized by those in the Republican Party after a disappointing midterm election for Republicans. Historically, the political party opposing the president’s party often takes control of Congress following the midterms. However, this election cycle was different and led to Senate Democrats holding their majority; House Republicans are projected to have a razor-thin majority by one or two members.

“If they win, I should get all the credit,” Trump said in an interview on Election Day. “If they lose, I should not be blamed at all.”

The comment earned him some deep criticism, especially because his personally-endorsed candidates did not win the races they were suspected to, including Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and former TV star Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s Senate race.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has become a leading figure in the Republican Party following Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) said Monday she thinks the Florida executive is the current leader of the Republican Party.

Trump’s post-presidency has been marred by legal conflicts. Over the summer the FBI raided his home at Mar-a-Lago to find highly sensitive and classified documents; the New York attorney general is investigating him for tax fraud; and on Tuesday, before Trump announced his candidacy, a New York judge threw out a lawsuit against Trump from his niece Mary Trump.

Trump is the first person of a major party to announce their run for president in 2024. Typically, announcements would start trickling out during the summer of the year before an election. If elected again, Trump would be the second president to serve two non-consecutive terms.

“This will not be my campaign, this will be our campaign all together,” Trump said with his signature “Make America Great Again” phrase on his lectern’s banner.

Sen. Kari Dziedzic (DFL-Minneapolis) will be the next Senate Majority Leader at the start of the 2023 legislative session in January. Dziedzic has been in office since 2012; this is the first leadership position she will hold in the Senate.

The DFL won a majority in both chambers after Tuesday’s election, giving them the first unified party government since 2015.

In a Q&A with the Minnesota Daily over the summer, Dziedzic said her priorities for the upcoming session are to help with student loan credits as well as aiding student debt. She also mentioned the higher education bill from last session should have included more funds for public safety and education grants.

“I’m honored to have earned the trust of my colleagues in the DFL caucus to serve as majority leader,” said Dziedzic in a statement Thursday announcing her leadership. “Together with our colleagues in the House DFL majority and Governor Walz, we will now get to work to deliver an agenda that moves Minnesota forward.”

Dziedzic is replacing Sen. Melisa Lopéz Franzen (Edina) as the DFL party leader and Sen. Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) as majority leader after the Senate flipped control. Republicans have held a majority since 2017.

Also on Thursday, Senate Republicans announced Sen. Mark Johnson (East Grand Forks) would be the minority leader, replacing Miller as the GOP party leader. Johnson was the deputy majority leader in the past legislative session.

The House DFL also announced they reelected current Speaker Melissa Hortman (Brooklyn Park) to continue in the role and replaced Rep. Ryan Winkler (Golden Valley), who was running for Hennepin County Attorney, with Rep. Jamie Long (Minneaoplis) as majority leader. House Republicans have not released any information on their leadership for the next session.

Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Minnesota Saturday to hold a roundtable discussion on abortion rights, and later in the day attended a fundraising event with Gov. Tim Walz. This is Harris’ first trip to the state as vice president.

The round-table was held at Metropolitan State University and included introductory remarks from Attorney General Keith Ellison and two officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and She Pivots podcast host Emily Tisch Sussman moderated the discussion, asking Harris a slew of questions regarding abortion rights and the fragility of our democracy.

The pre-speakers for the event included Flanagan and Ellison, with the lieutenant governor giving a particularly emotional speech recalling the phone call she made to her mom after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

“We knew it was going to come because of the leak,” said Harris, referring to a leaked draft of the decision by POLITICO in May. “But it was unimaginable.”

Harris was asked about the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify abortion rights. She frequently mentioned that abortion, in her view, is a constitutional right and should be put into law. However, the legislation has stalled in the Senate.

Two more U.S. senators need to support the act for the president to sign it into law, Harris said.

Since the leak, Harris has gone to 18 states to discuss abortion rights.

The moderators also asked about maternal health, which Harris was particularly passionate about. During her time as Senator, she introduced legislation aimed at reducing disparities in maternal health care, some of which include how Black women are three times more likely to die during childbirth than white women, while Native women are twice as likely.

“One of the issues that we know is very present – it’s been well studied and documented – is racial bias. When she walks into the hospital or the clinic or the doctor’s office, she’s just not taken as seriously,” Harris said. “It has nothing to do with her socioeconomic level or status or her education.”

Fundraiser with Walz

Harris attended a fundraiser for Walz after the roundtable event. Taking the stage after Walz spoke, Harris touted achievements in her and President Joe Biden’s administration and highlighted Walz’s and Flanagan’s work in the state.

“It takes work and commitment to fund public education and to honor our teachers for the extraordinary lives that they have chosen to live that is about raising and helping us raise the next generation,” Harris said. “All of that work is happening in your statehouse because you have phenomenal leaders here. 

Scott Jensen, the Republican candidate running against Walz for governor, and the state GOP were opposed to Harris’ visit. Jensen even brought it up during last week’s debate. Jensen led Walz for the first time in a poll released Thursday.

“Gov. Walz is hosting a fundraiser with Vice President Harris, and in doing so, bringing his full support of the Biden Administration’s failed agenda front and center,” Jensen said. “Out-of-touch priorities like this are just another example of why our movement to heal Minnesota is so strong and growing.”

Governor Tim Walz (DFL) and physician Scott Jensen (R) held their first televised debate for Minnesota’s governor race on Tuesday. Abortion, the environment and public safety were all topics of discussion in the nearly hour-long debate hosted by KTTC-TV in Rochester.

While the debate was the first televised, Walz and Jensen’s  first debate was in August. There is another radio debate on Oct. 28. Jensen has criticized Walz for not attending more debates, which has not kept pace with Walz’s first race for governor.

Abortion

Abortion was one of the first topics discussed. After the June U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Minnesota became a sanctuary state in the midwest as abortion is constitutionally protected under the state court case Doe v. Gomez.

Jensen said abortion is not on the ballot and no governor has the power to overturn abortion rights in Minnesota. He talked about his plans to advance reproductive health care like over-the-counter birth control. He also discussed harsher penalties for crimes like rape.

Walz argued back, saying abortion is on the ballot this cycle. Since Doe is only precedent, the state Supreme Court could overturn the case with conservative justices appointed by Jensen, Walz said. 

“Fool us once, it’s not going to happen in Minnesota,” Walz said.

The governor can only appoint justices if there is a vacancy. Otherwise, the office is elected.

Gas prices

When asked about how to respond to rising gas prices, the candidates had varied answers. Walz pointed to a recent trend by car makers to use electric vehicles by 2035 and highlighted his steps as governor to attract energy businesses and aid farmers’ ethanol sales.

Jensen countered, falsely claiming Walz is banning non-electric vehicles and “forcing Minnesotans to buy electric vehicles they don’t want.” 

The truth is nuanced: Minnesota has often followed California’s lead on environmental restrictions, which recently announced all electric vehicles by 2035. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which recently announced it would phase out all electric vehicles by 2035, has not made any rule public.

Environment and Mining

Moderators asked about the Twin Metals mining near the Boundary Waters, and Jensen was clear about what his administration’s role would be: “We should get government out of the way…We should let miners mine.”

Walz argued the state can regulate certain economic areas, such as “agriculture, medical devices and mining, if we can do so safely and smartly.” He said any mining projects would depend on the outcome of environmental impact statements. 

2020 riots

One of the more heated moments of the debate occurred when the duo talked about the 2020 riots after the police murder of George Floyd. Walz said he was proud of the first responders during the riots and noted his coordination with local police departments through the Secretary of Defense.

“We built the plane while it was flying,” Walz said.

Jensen was critical of Walz’s rhetoric surrounding public safety more broadly and noted his endorsement from the Police Officers Association. He said Walz “repeatedly denigrated the National Guard” during the riots. 

Diversity

The final question asked both candidates to judge race relations in the state and if more could be done.

Jensen denounced the “hyper-accentuation of skin color.” He then went on to talk about race education in schools, calling it corrupted to teach about the “artificial parameter[s] as to what acceptable diversity or inclusion or equity is.”

Walz touted his work to appoint state officials that look like Minnesotans, noting Lt. Gov. Peggy Flannagan is the first Indigenous person to hold executive office in Minnesota.

“We’re going to continue to diversify,” Walz said. “We’re going to have to put policies in place that make students of color have someone look that think like, look like, seem like. George Floyd sparked that conversation.”