Star Tribune
Gunnar Johnson, Shawn Reed survive tight primary in northeast Minnesota judicial race
It’s the rare judicial race without an incumbent on the ballot. The Sixth District opening was set in motion when longtime Judge Dale Harris, who is chambered in Duluth but covers St. Louis, Carlton, Cook and Lake counties, announced earlier this year that he would retire at the end of his term. More often, retirements occur midterm and judges are appointed by the governor.
Johnson, 56, is Duluth’s former city attorney and currently with Overom Law Office. He secured the most votes — 6,545 — but not by much. Shawn Reed, 53, was a few hundred votes shy but also advances with 6,198 votes. He is in private practice with Bray & Reed. Both have been practicing law for decades.
Peter Raukar was in third place with 5,834 votes and will not advance to the November ballot.
Johnson, who has raced in the Iditarod, said he wants to finish his career in public service; Reed, who was a top three finalist for judge under Gov. Mark Dayton, has said he is interested in the positive changes that a judge can make in people’s lives.
Early evening voters at a West Duluth precinct were well-versed in the judicial candidates — for better or worse. Molly Rathke said that in doing her homework on each of the candidates, there was little information to differentiate their public profiles. They all just seem like good people, she said.
“It’s frustrating,” said Rathke. “How do you make an educated decision about it?”
Brooke Lunski, too, researched the candidates and couldn’t decide who was best for the community. All of the candidates seemed to have the experience to do the job. She turned to people around her whose opinions and values she respected before voting for Gerald Wallace.
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in both parties on Thursday called on a congressional panel to release the results of an investigation into alleged misconduct by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., demanding to see its report about sexual misconduct and other charges against President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the attorney general.
Gaetz abruptly resigned Wednesday after Trump announced he was the pick to lead the Justice Department, shocking many members of Congress who see him as unqualified and unfit for the post. His rapid exit effectively ended the ethics panel’s investigation into him two days before members had planned to vote on whether to release their long-awaited findings.
Since the spring of 2021, the House Ethics Committee has been investigating claims that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use and accepted impermissible gifts under House rules, among other charges.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the Judiciary Committee, which would have jurisdiction over confirming an attorney general, on Thursday called on the House panel to preserve and share its conclusions.
“The sequence and timing of Mr. Gaetz’s resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report,” Durbin said in a statement. “We cannot allow this valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be hidden from the American people.”
Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the chair of the Ethics Committee, suggested in comments to reporters that he was not inclined to release the investigative findings now that Gaetz has resigned.
“Once we lose jurisdiction, there would not be a report that would be issued,” Guest said.
That raised the possibility of a constitutional clash between the Senate, which is charged with vetting and confirming presidential nominees, and the House at the start of Trump’s second term. Trump has already threatened to circumvent the Senate and unilaterally appoint people to his administration during a recess, short-circuiting the normal process.
The dominance Becker High’s football team showed all season was evident in the Class 4A state semifinals Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium as the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs controlled the game from the outset in a 28-7 victory over Marshall.
Beck will face the winner of the Orono-Totino Grace semifinal in the championship game Nov. 22 at 1 p.m.
Becker finished the game with 322 total yards compared to Marshall’s 202. Becker never let Marshall gain momentum.
Sawyer Brown both threw a touchdown pass and caught a touchdown pass for Becker, which remains undefeated at 12-0.
Marshall ends the season with a record of 10-2.
Star Tribune
Trump expected to choose vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, AP sources say
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, according to two people familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity.
HHS is a massive Cabinet agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid.
Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential race, abandoned his bid after striking a deal to give Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the administration.
He and Trump have since become good friends, with Kennedy frequently receiving loud applause at Trump’s rallies.
The expected appointment was first reported by Politico Thursday.
