Governor Tim Walz

He was especially heated about Trump amplifying a conspiracy theory that the governor was involved in the assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.

As Gov. Tim Walz withdraws from the race, there's already speculation that U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar may launch a campaign as the DFL candidate for governor.

In his statement, Walz defended his record combating fraud and said “an organized group of political actors” is taking advantage of the crisis.

Officials cast doubt on a federal prosecutor’s estimate that fraud in state-run Medicaid programs since 2018 could total over $9 billion.

Providers in 14 “high-risk,” state-run Medicaid programs being audited by the state have billed $18 billion since 2018, and “half or more” is possibly fraudulent, Joe Thompson said.

The number of adult day cares, which provide meals and activities for disabled adults during the day, already have capacity for about 3,000 more people than currently receive services.

The order directs the Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs to coordinate the effort to address food insecurity for veterans and their families.

Providers and Democratic legislators reacted with alarm given the prospect of unpaid caregivers and vulnerable Minnesotans shut out of lifesaving services.

Payments for these programs will be paused for up to 90 days “in order to detect suspicious billing activity and scrutinize the use of public funds,” the governor’s office said.

He’ll sell a tenure marked by crisis management, introduce a new vision for another four years and promise to be a bulwark against Trump.