Capitol View for June 5

Good morning. Believe it or not, no rain is in the forecast for much of Minnesota today.

The jury in the Feeding Our Future trial began deliberations yesterday after one juror told police that someone tried to bribe her in exchange for an acquittal. Judge Nancy Brasel excused a second juror after she reported that her spouse had mentioned the bribery allegation when she called home to say she’d be sequestered overnight. Both jurors have been replaced with alternates. The seven defendants charged with stealing $47 million from federal child nutrition programs have been free since their 2022 indictment, but the judge ordered them jailed pending a verdict while the FBI investigates the jury tampering allegations.

A handful of House DFLers appear to have sealed their reelections solely because no candidates filed against them. The closure of the filing period follows with a two-day withdrawal period. The final state and federal ballot signup picture will become clear within a couple of days (with an exception we’ll get to in a second). Dana Ferguson captures the situation as of Tuesday evening in this story.

June 8 is the deadline for legislative resignations if there will be Senate special elections on the November ballot. Eyes are on two DFL senators: Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury and Kelly Morrison of Deephaven. DFL Sen. Kari Dziedzic’s health situation makes a resignation possible, but her Minneapolis seat would be firmly in the party fold no matter what, something that can’t be said for the other two. Morrison is the DFL candidate in the 3rd Congressional District, making her ascension to the U.S. House a distinct possibility. Mitchell’s seat would come open if she leaves amid legal problems. Democrats in the state senate are clearly divided on how to move forward. Over the weekend, four DFL senators called statements for the resignation of Mitchell, who is charged with felony burglary, “premature.” Since then, at least three DFL senators have issued statements calling for Mitchell to step down. An election that happens outside of the general election is more likely to have a lower voter turnout.

Republicans who see former President Donald Trump’s conviction as politically motivated are vowing to indict the left. Candidates, officeholders and members of Trump’s family have amplified his calls for retribution and urged Republicans to start charging Democrats with crimes. These calls to weaponize the judicial system against Democrats are a degree more intense that some other suggestions for retaliations that Republicans have made. The outcry comes as Trump and many other Republicans have falsely accused President Joe Biden and his administration of pulling the strings in the New York hush money trial. Trump was convicted of 24 felonies in his criminal hush money trial.

Wisconsin’s attorney general brought felony charges against three Trump allies in connection with a fake electors plot in 2020.The state became the fifth battleground state to prosecute Trump’s allies for their attempts to overturn the election four years ago. All three advisers face a single count of forgery, a felony that carries a penalty of up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. In total, 52 people have been charged in criminal cases in five states stemming from efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

A new Minnesota law tightening licensing requirements for teachers will stave off a threat by the federal Department of Education to cut off millions in special education funding. Becky Dernbach of Sahan Journal writes that the law aims to satisfy a corrective action plan with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education. Last spring, the department warned Minnesota it would cut off access to $219 million in special education funding if it did not change parts of its licensure requirements for those teachers. The change will limit school districts’ ability to hire special education teachers without training. But some education advocates say the new law goes too far and will make it difficult for some teachers of color to stay in the classroom — or lead teachers to jump to other specialties. Learn why here.

In case you need a new summer activity, the e-bike rebate application portal opens today. Kirsti Mahron reports the e-Bike rebate provides a discount of up to $1,500 on a qualifying e-bike. $2 million in rebate money is available this year. To be eligible for a rebate, you must be at least 15 years old, a Minnesota resident, and have not been claimed as a dependent in last year’s tax year. Rebate certificates will be issued on July 1.