Will there be a sequel? Both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are keeping the door open to a second presidential debate, although a repeat performance is far from nailed down. The Washington Post writes about the possibility , which seems like a distant one. Tuesday’s 90-minute debate was a high-octane affair that had some discussion of policy, some tangents and a whole lot of iciness between the nominees. Team Harris felt great about the way she came off after being the Democratic candidate in the race for just a couple of months. Trump tuned out the broad appraisals that he came off as frenetic and unfocused; he insisted he did what he set out to do, blaming moderators for any hiccups. And his campaign said Harris failed to close the deal with voters who have been hungry for more details on her agenda.
Minnesota had a role in the debate Tuesday night, but not all Donald Trump had to say was as he portrayed it. Dana Ferguson sat down with stand-in Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to add more context to Minnesota’s laws around abortion and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. It’s a prelude to the next debate between Walz and Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, next month.
Also of note: the Minnesota DFL says it signed up 1,200 new volunteers at debate watch parties around the state. The DFL hosted watch parties in Minneapolis, Richfield, Blaine, Roseville, Brooklyn Park, St. Paul, Wayzata and Rochester. The Minnesota GOP also hosted watch parties around the state.
Walz made his first official public appearance yesterday in a gubernatorial fashion since becoming the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Walz surprised volunteers at a 9/11 National Day of Service event at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul and helped pack meals for food shelves around the state. In his remarks to volunteers, Walz recalled students wandering into his classroom at Mankato West after the morning terrorist attack that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. He remembers watching “young faces try and comprehend the horror that was in front of them.” The governor’s visit was a brief pit stop amid a multi-state campaign tour through Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin this week.
Two Minnesotans testified before a congressional subcommittee yesterday focused on "The Consequences of Soft-On-Crime Policies.” A GOP-led House panel honed in on violent crime and criminal justice laws in California and Minnesota — the former is where Harris is from and the latter is where her running mate Walz currently holds office. Dana reports that Brian Ingram, CEO and founder of Purpose Driven Restaurants, said he'd faced several burglaries in recent years. And he pushed for tougher sentences to deter people from reoffending. "Actions are what matter. What is happening every single day is what matters. And that's really what we need is common sense to take over,” he said. “If you've been arrested 50 times in three years, you shouldn't be out to do it again." Former Republican Attorney General candidate Jim Schultz told the panel about the 2020 riots in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police officers. He said Walz failed to act in time to prevent looting and rioting. Democrats on the committee said the hearing was a political stunt, and they should have also included a discussion about gun violence. Rep. Jerry Nadler, the ranking Democrat, said Republicans are in no place to lecture about crime policy, pointing to Donald Trump’s vow to pardon people convicted of some Jan. 6 offenses. “They continue to try to help Trump avoid accountability for his own serial criminal conduct, in his numerous court cases, by attacking the prosecutors, the judges, and the legal system itself,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress is flirting with another government shutdown as it races to approve federal appropriations by the end of the month or buy itself more time. House Speaker Mike Johnson pulled back a planned vote on a funding measure yesterday after it became clear that enough conservatives would vote against it. Republicans have the barest of majorities. Johnson said he’s waiting until he can build consensus within the GOP ranks. Democrats said they won’t offer up their votes as long as attached legislation around elections remains in place.
The latest ethics hearing for state Sen. Nicole Mitchell, which had been scheduled for today, was again postponed. Members of the Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct are now slated to meet in November to review complaints brought against the Woodbury DFLer. But that’s probably in pencil, too. Senate Republicans have sought to expel Mitchell over concerns about an April burglary arrest at her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes. Mitchell is due to stand trial in January , after the start of the 2025 legislative session. A settlement conference is scheduled for Dec. 31. She has pleaded not guilty and said publicly that the situation was a misunderstanding.
The city of St. Cloud has yet to be reimbursed $209,000 for a July Trump/Vance rally. City officials told St. Cloud LIVE that the rally costs include police services, public works services, fire department services and IT services. As of Sept. 9, the Trump/Vance campaign has not paid the city. The July 27 rally was held at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on the campus of St. Cloud State University and university officials say the campaign paid the university’s $35,000 fee on Aug. 1.
Whether he becomes vice president or not, Walz at least can come away from this race with a new role: video game character. The Fargo Forum writes that a Walz-styled character is now part of the game Crazy Taxi. Walz is known to have played it when he was a Sega Dreamcast gamer.
Good luck to our politics team member Clay Masters today. He'll be sitting in the Morning Edition host chair in place of Cathy Wurzer. Longtime followers of Clay know that he’s used to the vampire hours from his days in Iowa. Grant him some grace, Gracie! | 
