- Bill Glahn of American Experiment has, for about a decade now, been doing yeoman's work with his investigative journalism of Minnesota politics. His latest reporting has to do with a certain high ranking elected official.
Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s Attorney General, can clearly be heard pledging his support to individuals who would soon become his family’s campaign donors and later Feeding Our Future criminal defendants.
His recorded statements flatly contradict his contemporaneous public statements and raise uncomfortable questions about the intersection between political fundraising and constituent services.
American Experiment has exclusively obtained the complete 54-minute, 44-second audio file of a private December 2021 meeting between state Attorney General (AG) Keith Ellison and key figures in the Feeding Our Future scandal.
As I wrote last week, the audio file was named as Exhibit 710 on the evidence list presented to the court by Aimee Bock’s defense attorney, Kenneth Udoibok. The recording was not offered into evidence during the six-week trial that concluded last month, with Bock’s conviction on all seven counts she faced.
Definitely check out Glahn's entire piece, which includes audio conversations featuring Ellison himself.
We'll see where this goes. Blois Olson on his Thursday edition of Morning Take at least gave it a mention. Will it ultimately get so hot that the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press ultimately have to give it coverage? If so, that's when you'll know Ellison is in a sticky wicket.
- Meanwhile, Ellison's replacement in Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District had an announcement regarding her own political future.
Rep. Ilhan Omar will run for re-election to her House seat next fall, closing the door on a possible run for retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s U.S. Senate seat.
“At a time when our rights are under attack, it is more important than ever to fight back against the chaos, corruption, and callousness of the Trump Administration,” Omar, a Democrat, said in a statement.
“I am excited to announce I am running for reelection for Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District to keep standing up for our rights in the face of authoritarianism.”
In essence, she's embracing the role that her predecessor decried 8+ years - “All there is to do is to vote ‘no'.”
- Major League Baseball needs to be fixed. And if losing an entire season to a work stoppage results in a leveling of the playing field, then I will live with a year sans baseball.
MLB owners as well as Commissioner Rob Manfred’s office have begun privately contemplating what a new league economic structure could look like as the league heads toward a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with players, according to people familiar with the matter. The league’s current CBA expires on Dec. 1, 2026.
MLB officials have discussed adding both a salary cap and a salary floor, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. The Major League Baseball Players Association, however, has long been against a salary cap, and the group says its position hasn’t changed.
The result is a potential lockout in December of next year when the current CBA expires — one that appears increasingly likely given the opposing positions of both sides.
As I've said many times previously, the highest payroll doesn't necessarily mean championships (the L.A. Dodgers' World Series title last year was only their second in 35 years; the Yankees have one championship over the past 24). But teams like the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays. Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates may literally have to cease operations if the current system remains in place.
And if you're a a fan of the Minnesota Twins (like I am), I'm afraid they're going to be in the desert these next two seasons. Since the current ownership group comprised of the Pohlad family is exploring a sale of the club, they're likely to shed payroll before the July 31 trade deadline in an effort to keep operational costs down. With the organization already saddled with nearly a half billion dollars of debt, it's going to be that much more challenging to find a willing buyer, especially with the uncertainty of there even being a baseball season in two years.
This is a definite tipping point for the sport.
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