Editor in chief, @MNReformer. Contact me if you wanna write for us. DMs open. Formerly @StarTribune, @LasVegasSun, @UMWallaceHouse. Go Irish.

Twin Cities
Joined April 2010
j. patrick coolican retweeted
The world where MN01 is on the table is PROBABLY not a world where statewide DFL is in all that much trouble. If Trump is sinking Finstad, he also sinks Tafoya/Demuth/Schutz/Jensen/Jude
News — NRCC is going up in #MN01 with Rep. Brad Finstad for the first time Trump +12 district
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There's a new way you can literally show your support for our work: cool merch. Reformer shirts, hats, mugs, and tote bags. Check it out, and tell your friends. bonfire.com/store/minnesota-…
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
This is quite something ! Serbian RTV channel starts yesterday's bulletin by apologizing to viewers👇 "For years, we failed to fulfill our duty. We kept silent, turned a blind eye, reported events one-sidedly and failed to ask necessary questions. We owe our viewers an apology”
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
In 2022, the Minnesota Reformer published a seven-part explanation of how Minnesota elections work authored by me. Changes since then are generally minor, so the series still is relevant. If anyone has anything they want an update on or any remaining questions, please ask. 🧵
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
NEW: The man who organized Thursday’s Oval Office prayer with 12 Catholic bishops resigned as a university dean in 2022 after faculty accused him of misrepresenting his education and called him a “con artist.” A senior Vatican official told me the gathering was “a highly inappropriate meeting and an insult to Pope Leo.” Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, was “deeply frustrated” by the meeting, a source close to him told The Pillar. thelettersfromleo.com/p/heri…
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
When first reported, 2025’s jobs reports added up to 1.2 million new jobs. After revisions, the economy added just 116,000 — 90% less.
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
This clip of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is getting a lot of attention tonight, but many of the people sharing it are misstating what she was asked. When she said, "Not to my knowledge," she was not answering whether she had married her brother. Chris Hayes had already asked about the brother claim, and she called it “insane” and a right-wing conspiracy theory initially started by a Somali blog. "Not to my knowledge" was her answer to his follow-up, whether she was related to the man in any way. People are welcome to criticize her for that — but they should at least get the question she was asked right.
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
Tad Jude, candidate for Minnesota Secretary of State, was asked about the 2012 vote in which Minnesotans rejected a photo ID requirement. His memory apparently failed him, so he just made stuff up. Judge for yourself.
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
Detail I wasn't aware of: the white police chief in this town was fired last month for repeatedly saying the N-word mississippitoday.org/2026/08…
Actually cannot believe what I've read here.
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
The Rooster reported that this attack ad on Amy Acton was being polled. That's why it doesn't have a disclaimer. The ad was leaked by somebody, not put on the air as far as we know. The biggest journalistic question right now is verifying who paid for it.
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Andy Craig of @UnPopulistMag lays out a powerful *constitutional* argument against Trump's attempt to choose who gets to serve in Congress, which would negate the legislative branch's ability to be a check on the executive. minnesotareformer.com/2026/1…
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
They made the National Championship game…in the expanded playoff…beating #8 Indiana, #2 Georgia and #4 Penn State…two years ago…
Congrats to Notre Dame for continuing its streak of losing every single time they play an actual football team.
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j. patrick coolican retweeted
To say the very least on this, the congressman is incorrect on the law. Two-party consent is relevant only to private oral conversations, and he has zero expectation of privacy here. 1st Amendment gives you the right to record public officials in public places as long as you're not interfering with their official duties.
Republican Rep. Andy Harris incorrectly told a reporter they were breaking the law as the reporter and others recorded an exchange with him last night. Harris had just wrapped up a debate with Democratic challenger Dan Schwartz.
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