Politics

Jessie Laurel Tepler Mujambere, 28, the adopted son of Maine state Sen. Denise Tepler, D-Topsham, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while leaving the country through New Hampshire this week. He had recently obtained Canadian citizenship and arrived in Canada on Friday, his family said, calling the outcome a "best-case scenario" given he could have faced deportation to Burundi instead.

Mujambere came to the U.S. in 2014 as a teenager fleeing violence in Burundi; the Teplers became his legal guardians. The Department of Homeland Security said his decade-long pending asylum application did not confer legal status, a position immigration attorneys dispute as a departure from past practice.

St. Paul, Minnesota, Mayor Kaohly Her has nominated Assistant Chief of Operations Jeramiah Melquist to lead the city's fire department. Melquist, a 26-year department veteran, has held roles including assistant chief of medical services, deputy chief, district chief, fire captain and fire equipment operator. Her selected him from five finalists, three internal and two external, citing his experience and leadership style, which he describes as mission-driven and people-first. He pointed to the department's recent Class I rating from the Insurance Services Office, placing St. Paul among the top 1% of U.S. fire departments for protection and readiness. The nomination now requires confirmation by the St. Paul City Council.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, FBI Director Kash Patel, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz and FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson held a news conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota, branding the state "ground zero" for fraud. Officials touted the administration's "War on Fraud" agenda, including a new whistleblower incentive program offering up to $30,000 for tips leading to convictions. They highlighted recent FBI raids in Minneapolis tied to a 26-indictment Medicare fraud probe and criticized Gov. Tim Walz's administration for lax oversight, citing the shuttered housing stabilization services program. The event followed a Senate Democrats' report alleging CMS targeted blue states in fraud enforcement, which Bessent disputed.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Maureen P. Kelly held Attorney General Todd Blanche, Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin, and an acting ICE field office director in civil contempt after Nain Vasquez Gonzalez, a Salvadoran man she had ordered released following 38 months of detention, was rearrested by ICE agents in New Jersey hours later. Kelly said officials gave "inconsistent stories" and failed to produce body camera footage, with one agent's camera reportedly uncharged. She criticized ICE's use of masks to conceal agents' identities, calling it "unamerican," and imposed sanctions covering attorney's fees. Immigration attorneys called the contempt finding unusual but an even-handed application of court authority.

Knoxville cut the ribbon on The Village at Inskip, a new 98-unit affordable housing community in North Knoxville offering 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom layouts with rents starting around $1,300 a month; vouchers are accepted. Mayor Indya Kincannon attended the opening, noting the housing targets workers in hospitality and assisted living who need affordable options in a growing city. The development, built by local company Hopeful Housing over four years, sits near Inskip Park and includes a new KAT bus stop and crosswalk for residents without cars. Hopeful Housing president John Huber said the project aims to help low- to moderate-income residents avoid homelessness.

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said at a Detroit Regional Chamber event that he isn't opposed to data centers broadly, but objects to deals he sees as lopsided, where companies receive large tax incentives while offering communities comparatively little in return. Evans recently vetoed tax incentives and a community benefits agreement for a proposed Google data center in Van Buren Township, citing a rushed process; county commissioners later overrode his veto.

Oakland County's Dave Coulter and Macomb County's Mark Hackel, appearing alongside Evans, said developers have failed to clearly communicate community benefits and often require nondisclosure agreements that limit public input. Coulter also warned of a potential saturation point leaving communities with vacant facilities. Clinton Township recently enacted a temporary moratorium on new data centers.

DFL incumbent Steve Simon, seeking a fourth term as Minnesota secretary of state, debated Republican challenger Tad Jude at Minnesota Public Radio's St. Paul studio. Jude called for tighter voter requirements, including provisional ballots for same-day registrants, saying "an illegal vote is a stolen vote." Simon cited studies ranking Minnesota first nationally on election performance and showing only three illegal votes among 13.4 million cast from 2015 to 2024. Simon pressed Jude on Trump's unsubstantiated claims of winning Minnesota; Jude acknowledged certified results but stopped short of refuting Trump. Both addressed a DOJ lawsuit over Alaska's Senate certification and debated the state's redesigned flag. Election Day is November 3.