Good morning, and happy Thursday.
Former Minnesota Republican Party operative and donor Anton “Tony” Lazzaro was sentenced in federal district court Wednesday to 21 years in prison for sex trafficking, reports MPR’s Matt Sepic. After a 10-day trial in March, a jury found Lazzaro, 32, guilty of bringing five teenage girls to his apartment in downtown Minneapolis and paying them for sex — a violation of federal sex trafficking laws. Judge Patrick Schiltz also ordered Lazzaro to forfeit his luxury condominium. Prosecutors asked the judge to impose a 30-year sentence. Defense attorneys argued that Lazzaro should serve no more than the 10-year mandatory minimum. In explaining his sentence, Schiltz noted the “soulless, almost mechanical nature” of Lazzaro’s scheme. “It is almost as if Mr. Lazzaro set up a sex-trafficking assembly line,” the judge said. Earlier Wednesday, Lazzaro filed a motion for a new trial — indicating a likely appeal.
In the first look at Medicaid renewals after the end of a pause to eligibility determinations, the Minnesota Department of Human Services said Wednesday nearly 50,000 people renewed their public insurance eligibility. But coverage stopped for about 32,600 people whose status is unknown. MPR’s Sarah Thamer reports that DHS Commissioner Jodi Harpstead said some likely didn’t submit forms because they already had insurance from an employer or knew they were no longer qualified for MinnesotaCare or Medical Assistance, as Medicaid is called in Minnesota. Officials also say it’s possible some did not have an updated mailing address on file or did not realize that the documents were important. Minnesotans receive renewal forms, sent on a rolling basis, in the mail. “This is not just a Minnesota thing, and as we submit our results of our first cohort to the federal government, they will publish results of all 50 states, and we'll see how Minnesota stacks up. But everyone in the nation is facing the same issue,” Harpstead said.
If you or someone in your family is trying to get a driver’s license for the first time, you know it’s not easy. MPR’s Olivia Stevens reports that nearly a year after the Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services department took steps aimed at reducing wait times for behind the wheel exams, appointments still are hard to come by. Officials from Driver and Vehicle Services say continuing staffing shortages are largely to blame for the struggle to nail down an appointment, with backlogs from the pandemic making matters worse. The delays may lead the Legislature to take action next year.
Some Republicans have asked Gov. Tim Walz to call a special legislative session to work on the state’s new marijuana law, but it’s not likely to happen. MinnPost has a look at why: House Republicans have renewed a call for a special session to fix issues with the legislation that made Minnesota the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana. They’re not likely to be successful, partly because majority DFLers don’t often agree to requests made by minority Republicans, but mostly because what Republicans see as bugs, DFLers see as features. While there might be fine-tuning needed on the sweeping legalization law, they can wait until the regular session next February, DFL leaders have said.
No top Minnesota Democrats are supporting Rep. Dean Phillip’s call for Democratic Party challengers to declare against President Joe Biden. The Star Tribune reports: When asked about the potential of Phillips running in 2024, several other prominent Democrats expressed support for Biden's re-election through their spokespersons. A spokesman for Democratic. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who ran a presidential primary campaign during the 2020 cycle, said that "while Senator Klobuchar and Congressman Phillips work well together, he has not called her about this. She is supporting President Biden." Similarly, a spokesman for Democratic Sen. Tina Smith said in an email she "strongly supports the re-election of Joe Biden." And a spokesman for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he supports Biden and "worries that injecting doubts about the President's electability helps Trump." | 