Good morning. Ellie was permitted to include Taylor Swift puns in today’s newsletter and is not, in fact, violating any type of gag order. 

The ethics hearing involving Sen. Nicole Mitchell didn’t result in immediate findings and the case will not resume until June unless more details on a felony burglary charge surface sooner. The Senate’s ethics committee met well into last night. Dana Ferguson was there . Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, was present but didn’t say a word. She deferred to an attorney who pushed for the proceedings to follow the criminal case rather than precede it. Over and over, the attorney invoked Mitchell’s Fifth Amendment right to say nothing. And that’s what appears to be happening. It follows legislative precedent in such cases. Republicans say they continue to be troubled by Mitchell being the deciding vote in the 34-33 chamber in the waning days of the 2024 session.

The ethics case will resume today against GOP Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen over an explicit link in an email he sent to Senate colleagues. The four-member committee heard arguments but put off a decision of any kind until this afternoon. Gruenhagen defended the April 2023 message as informing a future debate over a bill tied to transgender issues. “If you're going to get PTSD from vetting information on explicit things, I don't know, maybe you don't want to be a legislator because that's part of the job of the issues that we deal with,” he told senators questioning the propriety of it. Gruenhagen says members who didn’t want to see the material didn’t need to click the link. DFL Sen. Mary Kunesh said that standard is problematic. “Videos or graphics of a violent rape, that would be okay to send to each other if we wanted to show how trauma and what induced that is?” The committee is due to return at 3 p.m.

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels testified in the trial of former President Donald Trump. The testimony of a woman who says she had a tryst with Trump before he ran for president was graphic and the courtroom atmosphere was somewhat tense. Trump’s attorneys asked for a mistrial in the hush-money prosecution but were denied. Daniels returns to the stand Thursday for further cross-examination and prosecutorial rebuttal.

The framework that DFL lawmakers have drawn up around pay and protections for rideshare drivers hasn’t solved the standoff yet. Uber and Lyft representatives testified against the terms of the legislation while drivers said it would offer them financial security. The bottom line is that this one could go down to the wire in the Legislature after a Minneapolis ordinance — set to start in July — triggered warnings of service cutoff in the Twin Cities. Clay Masters offered a flavor of yesterday’s House hearing.

It’s been a little over a year since Gov. Tim Walz signed the trans refuge bill into law. Last year, DFL lawmakers adopted legal protections for those seeking gender-affirming care in the state and those who provide it. Hundreds have made the move as a result. Ellie and Dana looked at how the state has been changing since the law was passed. Read about it here. 

…Ready For It? Gov. Tim Walz signed the “Taylor Swift bill” into law yesterday at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Ticket sellers made it a “Cruel Summer” last year, but for Taylor Swift and Timberwolves fans alike, this legislation (and a reasonably-priced ticket) certainly is “Karma.” The law requires ticket sellers to list the full price, including fees, up-front on their website. It also bans speculative ticketing, where tickets are sold before they are actually available. And it will prevent ticket companies and resellers from using deceptive practices. It goes into effect in January. First Avenue employees believe it’s the first bill to be signed inside the famous concert venue. 

A four-page resolution to censure Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar has been introduced by a Nebraska Republican lawmaker. It involves comments she made while visiting a student protest at Columbia University. A television reporter asked the congresswoman about a rise in antisemitism and Omar responded: "We should not have to tolerate antisemitism or bigotry for all Jewish students, whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide.” A statement from Omar said the remarks have been misconstrued. It’s not the first time that Omar’s comments related to Israel have resulted in a move to punish her. In 2023, she was removed by Republicans from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It’s certain to be raised by a Democratic opponent during the 5th Congressional District endorsing convention this Saturday.