Good morning and welcome to Thursday the 13th. 

The Walz administration is losing a key commissioner. MPR reports Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Jim Schowalter plans to depart the role in mid-August. A statement from Gov. Tim Walz's administration says deputy commissioner Erin Campbell has been selected to replace Schowalter, whom Walz said gave “steady leadership and tireless service.” “Under his direction, the team at MMB has stabilized the state budget, allowing us to invest the state’s historic budget surplus on the things that matter most to Minnesotans,” Walz said in the statement. This was Schowalter’s second stint in charge of the key state finance agency. He previously held the role under Gov. Mark Dayton. “After wrapping up this year’s historic budget, it’s a great time for me to start a new chapter,” Schowalter said in a press release. “I’ve served as MMB commissioner longer than anyone else and know that I’m leaving the agency to a great team of purpose-driven leaders.” 

A federal judge in Washington on Wednesday found a Minneapolis man guilty of assaulting police and other crimes during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. MPR’s Matt Sepic reports  that prosecutors said Brian Christopher Mock, 44, could be seen on video outside the Capitol on that day shoving two police officers to the ground and kicking one of them. Mock waived his right to a jury trial, and opted instead to have Judge James Boasberg decide the case. The judge convicted Mock on all 11 counts, which also include felony obstruction of an official proceeding. Mock was among a dozen Minnesotans charged in connection with former President Donald Trump's last-ditch effort to overturn the 2020 election by attempting to stop the counting of electoral votes. Boasberg released Mock from jail with GPS monitoring last year and is allowing him to remain free until his sentencing hearing, which the judge set for Oct. 10. 

For the second time in two months, the Minnesota Department of Commerce is citing an insurance provider for violating mental health parity laws. MPR’s Michelle Wiley reports the consent order alleges that Medica paid providers more for medical or surgical procedures than for mental health or substance use disorder treatment. The order also alleges that the company was more stringent in reviewing mental health claims than others. State and federal laws prohibit insurers from making it more challenging to access treatment for mental health than for other health conditions. The state fined Medica $300,000, and will monitor it for two years. In a statement, Medica said it "supports the state's goal of mental health parity" and is committed to working to ensure it's supporting Minnesotans.

A legal challenge was filed Wednesday to block Iowa's new legislation banning most abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, launching what will likely be a lengthy and emotional court battle just hours after the Legislature's late-night vote. The Associated Press reports:  The bill was passed with exclusively Republican support in a rare, one-day legislative burst lasting more than 14 hours. That's despite the vocal — and sometimes tense — objections from Democratic lawmakers and abortion advocates protesting at the Capitol. Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will sign the bill, which would take immediate effect, on Friday. The challenge, filed by the ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States and the Emma Goldman Clinic, requests that a district court temporarily put the soon-to-be law on hold as the courts assess its constitutionality.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is offering an unusual deal to donors: Anyone who sends a donation of at least $1 will get a $20 gift card in return. NPR reports:  The campaign's offer is good for the first 50,000 donors — and is an unconventional bid to meet the fundraising thresholds required to be onstage for next month's Republican primary debate. In this case, it's not the dollar amount of donations that matters; it's the number of donors. To participate in the debate, candidates must have at least 40,000 donors. They also have to bring in donations from 200 or more donors in at least 20 states. Burgum's offer raises questions about money's role in U.S. politics and the ethics and legality of sending money to potential voters. "My immediate reaction to this scheme is a concern that it violates the federal prohibition on straw donors," Michael S. Kang, a professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, told NPR. "It's illegal to reimburse another person for their campaign contribution. Giving a donor a $20 gift card for donating seems a bit like that." Others say the plan may be legal but they question whether it’s ethical.