Good morning. I’m sure a lot of Digest readers are a little groggy after that marathon Twins-Yankees game. But even though the baseball season is over for the hometown team, there’s still political news to catch up on. 1. Dispute emerges over Trump rally costs. The president’s campaign sent a letter to Target Center management Monday after they were allegedly told they needed to pay $530,000 ahead of the rally for security costs and other fees. Without payment, the Target Center would “withhold use of the arena,” according to the letter. The Target Center is owned by the city of Minneapolis but run by a private company, AEG Worldwide. Trump’s campaign is threatening legal action as early as Tuesday morning if officials block the rally without payment of security fees. Related Who should cover the cost of President Trump's Minneapolis campaign rally? The campaign blamed the sudden move on political opposition to the president by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat. “We presume this contrived legal justification for threatening to terminate the contract is the result of AEG receiving pressure from city leadership determined to cancel the rally,” read the letter from Trump law firm Jones Day to AEG. “We are well aware of Mayor Frey’s vocal partisan opposition to President Trump and calls to disrupt the rally.” MPR News 2. Police union offers up pro-Trump t-shirts. The Minneapolis police union is touting its support for president Donald Trump in the wake of a new city policy that blocks officers from appearing in uniform with the president during a campaign rally this week. Trump is scheduled to speak at Target Center in Minneapolis on Thursday. Ahead of the rally, the city told its police force that officers could not wear their uniform while showing support for candidates at political events or in political ads. Police union president Bob Kroll unveiled the new T-shirt on his Facebook page over the weekend and said they are available for sale at the union’s northeast Minneapolis headquarters. MPR News 3. Historic training for state leaders on tribal issues. Tribal leaders have a direct line to the Minnesota governor and the lieutenant governor, a renewed commitment that the state government will work in consultation with them and now a first of its kind effort to have agency commissioners undergo training to better understand tribes. For the first time in the state's history, commissioners and governor's office employees have entered into training to better understand tribal sovereignty and issues that pertain to indigenous people in Minnesota. The state employees and officials traveled to the Prairie Island Indian Community for a two-day training that started on Monday, Oct. 7. The move is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States. And Minnesota officials said it's key to improving government-to-government relations with tribes that share geographic boundaries with the state. “The idea that these people are meeting together I think is a huge step forward,” Brian Twenter, a professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at the University of Minnesota-Morris, said. “It’s a big deal.” Twenter said Minnesota likely is the first state to enter into training about tribal history and governance. Forum News Service 4. State poised to lose millions over child care reimbursement. After a series of reports and revelations about fraud in Minnesota’s child care program for low-income families earlier this year, state lawmakers chose not to increase subsidies that Gov. Tim Walz and House Democrats had proposed. But the intense debate over the Child Care Assistance Program is certain to be rekindled next year, perhaps with a new incentive. The state’s reimbursement payments for families on CCAP are so low that the state is not compliant with federal requirements. As a result, Minnesota could be penalized and lose millions in federal grants. “We should not hold kids accountable for the bad decisions of grownups,” said Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan during a tour last week of a New Horizon Academy child care center in North Minneapolis. “There’s too much at risk for funding, for folks losing access to child care, at a time when we are in crisis and losing spots all over the state.” As Minnesota faces a lack of affordable child care, Democrats and other advocates for an increase in CCAP payments say a hike in the subsidy can lower costs for parents and raise pay for workers. They’re using the threat of punishment from the feds to lobby for their cause in St. Paul. MinnPost 5. Omar files for divorce. Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has filed for divorce from her husband, Ahmed Hirsi. Ilhan officially filed for divorce on Oct. 4 — her birthday — in Hennepin County District Court. The divorce filing cites an “irretrievable breakdown” of their marriage relationship. Ilhan and Ahmed were married to each other religiously for nearly two decades. They legally married on Jan. 5, 2018. Ilhan and Ahmed — who have three children together, ages 7, 13 and 16. — will both have joint legal and physical custody of their children. “For years, Ilhan and Ahmed have been the object of speculation and innuendo from political opponents and the media. This has taken a significant toll on Ilhan, Ahmed, and their three children,” Omar’s attorney Jamie Driggs said. “Just like any other family navigating this kind of transition, Ilhan wishes to have their privacy respected for themselves and their children and will not be commenting any further. Ilhan’s personal life has come under scrutiny the past few years with conservative critics accusing her of improperly filing joint tax returns when she wasn’t legally married and claiming that Ilhan improperly wed her brother at one point as part of an immigration scheme. Ilhan has called that allegation false. Sahan Journal
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