Hennepin County Attorney’s Office demands evidence in Renee Good investigation

posted in: All news | 0

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has officially demanded the federal government hand over evidence as part of its investigation into the killing of Renee Good on Jan. 7, 2026.

These demands, made in two letters known as “Touhy” letters, are a formal request for evidence as part of the investigation into Good’s death by the county attorney’s office with help from the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

The federal government was given a Feb. 17 deadline to hand over the evidence, according to a news release from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Monday night.

“I expect the federal government to provide the requested information, documents and physical items to our office,” Moriarty said in the release. “The federal government has been clear that they are not conducting an investigation into Renee Good’s death. But we are. We require these records as part of our ongoing thorough investigation into her death at the hands of a federal agent, Jonathan Ross.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said it was unprecedented for the county attorney’s office to send the letters and that they were needed because the federal government refuses to participate in a joint investigation into Good’s death.

“Federal investigators should already be cooperating with state investigators in a joint investigation into Renee Good’s shooting death at the hands of federal agents,” Ellison said in the release. “My office and I will keep working with the (county attorney’s office) to do everything in our power to support state investigators’ efforts to conduct a complete, transparent, and impartial investigation.

The day after an ICE agent fatally shot Good, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was told they were no longer allowed to be part of the investigation. Gov. Tim Walz said the federal government’s exclusion of state authorities from the investigation would erode public confidence in its findings.

“Now that Minnesota has been taken out of the investigation, it feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome,” Walz said at the time.

The demands in the letter include:

All physical evidence, such as firearms, cartridge casings, motor vehicles and uniforms
All videos and photographs recorded by federal agents, including those on personal devices
Names of all federal agents and officers involved in the shooting, on scene or who responded to the scene
Statements from federal agents or officers regarding the shooting
Medical records for agents or officers for any injury related to the shooting on Jan. 7
Policies and procedures in effect on Jan. 7

Good, 37, was killed after three Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers surrounded her Honda Pilot SUV on a snowy street a few blocks from her home. Video taken by bystanders show an officer approaching the SUV, which was stopped across the middle of the road, and demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.

The vehicle begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves past him.

The Trump administration has defended the ICE officer’s actions, saying he fired in self-defense while standing in front of Good’s vehicle as it began to move forward. That explanation has been panned by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Walz and others based on videos of the confrontation.

Related Articles


Target’s new CEO faces hometown crisis as he begins turnaround effort


Judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota as a lawsuit proceeds


It’s official: Bruce Springsteen plays Minneapolis benefit concert


The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights probe into the killing of Alex Pretti


St. Paul’s Camp Bar cancels sold-out shows from Canadian comic after he went viral with Renee Good rant

‘The Sound of Music,’ ‘The Outsiders’ and ‘Hamilton’ on tap for new Broadway on Hennepin season

posted in: All news | 0

A new production of “The Sound of Music,” a musical adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s classic “The Outsiders” and venerable smash “Hamilton” are among the offerings in the newly announced Hennepin Arts 2026-27 Broadway on Hennepin season. The 12 shows in the season have won a total of 37 Tony Awards.

“This season represents the kind of bold, welcoming and unforgettable experiences we aim to deliver through our work,” said Todd Duesing, Hennepin Arts president and CEO in a news release. “By presenting Broadway at its best, we are helping to energize downtown Minneapolis, strengthen our cultural ecosystem and create meaningful experiences that resonate far beyond the theater.”

New season ticket packages are on sale now via hennepinarts.org. Current subscribers will be contacted via email with renewal options. Single tickets will go on sale in the coming months. Productions will be staged at Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theatre.

Shows include:

“Mamma Mia!” (Sept. 15-20): While ABBA wasn’t particularly interested when British producer Judy Craymer first approached the band with the idea to stage a musical using their songs, they’re probably happy they eventually agreed to a deal. The show was an instant hit when it debuted in London in 1999. The Broadway production ran for nearly 14 years and stands as the ninth-longest running show in Broadway history.

“Clue” (Oct. 9-11): The murder mystery board game Clue debuted in England in 1949 and has remained on shelves for the decades that followed. It also inspired a cult 1985 film, a 1997 musical and this latest iteration, a stage play that premiered in 2017. The North American tour began in Minneapolis in February 2024 and returns for an encore engagement.

Cayleigh Capaldi plays Maria Rainer in the new touring production of “The Sound of Music” which runs Oct. 20 through 25, 2026, at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. (Courtesy of Jeremy Daniel)

“The Sound of Music” (Oct. 20-25): Based on the 1949 book “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” by Maria von Trapp. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” remains a much-loved show more than 65 years after it first debuted, thanks in part to the 1965 film adaptation starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. This new North American touring version launched in September.

“Maybe Happy Ending” (Nov. 17-22): This winner of six Tony Awards, including best musical, follows two human-like “helper-bots” in a Seoul of the future that develop a connection and question the ideas of relationships, love and mortality. It debuted in South Korea in 2016 and opened on Broadway in 2024 to warm reviews and word-of-mouth buzz from theatergoers.

“Buena Vista Social Club” (Dec. 29-Jan. 3): The musical ensemble Buena Vista Social Club formed in Cuba in 1996 and featured a dozen veteran musicians, some of whom came out of retirement to join. The group released their self-titled debut album the following year. It was an international hit, as was Wim Wenders’ 1999 documentary of the same name. Marco Ramirez, a writer best known for his work on Netflix shows like “Daredevil,” wrote the book for this musical adaptation that follows the lives of four musicians during the rise of Fidel Castro.

“Operation Mincemeat” (Jan. 26-31): Winner of the Olivier Award for best new musical and a Tony Award winner, this musical comedy stands as the best-reviewed show in West End history. It’s based on a true story about a top-secret World War II mission involving a stolen corpse, a fake love letter and a plan that helped change the course of history.

“Hadestown”(Feb. 9-14, 2027): Written by singer/songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, “Hadestown” follows a variation of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. After staging it in Vermont and Massachusetts in 2007, Mitchell released an acclaimed 2010 concept album that featured Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Ani DiFranco and Greg Brown as guests. It’s been running on Broadway since 2019 and won eight Tonys, including best musical, original score and direction.

“The Outsiders” (March 9-14, 2027): The latest adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s beloved 1967 coming-of-age novel follows working-class “greasers” and upper-middle-class “socs” in Tulsa in the ’60s. Francis Ford Coppola brought it to the silver screen in 1983 and it’s now considered one of the classics of that era. This new musical take debuted on Broadway in 2024 and is still running today. The North American tour began in September.

“The Who’s Tommy” (March 30-April 4, 2027): When the Who sat down to record their fourth album, Pete Townshend convinced his bandmates to record a rock opera about the fictional Tommy Walker and his path to becoming a spiritual leader and messianic figure. A hit with critics and fans, “Tommy” has been developed for other media numerous times, including a ballet in 1970, a Seattle Opera production in 1971, a film directed by Ken Russell in 1975 and this musical version that debuted in 1993 and was revived in 2024.

Tyler Fauntleroy, left, and A.D. Weaver star in the Broadway smash “Hamilton,” which returns to Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theatre April 20 through May 16, 2027. (Courtesy of Joan Marcus)

“Hamilton” (April 20-May 16, 2027): Since its Off-Broadway debut in 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip hop musical has enjoyed massive commercial and critical success. It tells the story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton with a cast of nonwhite actors. It received a record-breaking 16 Tony nominations and won 11, including best musical. It also received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A filmed version of the Broadway production is available for streaming on Disney+.

“Beetlejuice” (June 25-27, 2027): This musical adaptation of Tim Burton’s 1988 film “Beetlejuice” follows a deceased couple who are haunting their former home and summon a “bio-exorcist” ghost named Betelgeuse to help chase away the family who has moved in. It opened on Broadway in April 2019 but didn’t recoup its $21 million investment. It’s been a hit on the road, though, and returns to the Orpheum for a second local run.

“Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen” (July 13-18, 2027): Alicia Keys had a massive audience from the moment she released her debut album “Songs in a Minor” in 2001. It sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and won Keys her first five of a total of 17 Grammy Awards. Kristoffer Diaz wrote the book for this jukebox musical loosely based on Keys’ own life.

Related Articles


Celebrity chef Katie Chin tells the story of her immigrant mother Leeann Chin in one-woman show


Review: CTC’s bilingual ‘Go, Dog. Go!’ could be the clowning kids need


Six Points’ ‘Happiest Man’ traverses tough terrain via strong storytelling


Orpheum’s touring take on ‘Chicago’ could use some jazzing up


In apparent financial trouble, Minneapolis’s Jungle Theater cancels remainder of season

Attorney says Gabbard is holding up a complaint about her actions, which her office denies

posted in: All news | 0

By DAVID KLEPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has withheld a complaint made about her conduct from members of Congress for eight months, claiming the delay is needed for a legal review, an attorney for the person making the allegations said Monday.

Related Articles


FACT FOCUS: Images of NYC mayor with Jeffrey Epstein are AI-generated. Here’s how we know


Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS raises conflict of interest concerns


Trump says he won’t tear down the Kennedy Center arts venue but it needs to be closed for repairs


Trump administration cuts number of sites for testing the 2030 census, focusing on the South


Ed Martin removed as head of Justice Department’s ‘Weaponization Working Group’

The complaint was reviewed by the office of the intelligence community’s inspector general, which deemed it not credible, Gabbard’s office said. The person then sought to have the complaint referred to members of Congress’ intelligence committees, as is permitted by federal law, but that has not occurred.

Andrew Bakaj, the attorney for the person who made the complaint, said he could not identify his client, their employer or offer specifics about the allegations because of the nature of their work. But he said there’s no justification for keeping the complaint from Congress since last spring.

There was no delay in getting the complaint to members of the intelligence committees, Gabbard’s press secretary Olivia Coleman said, though she added that the number of classified details in the complaint made the review process “substantially more difficult.”

Gabbard’s office disputed the claims, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Coleman noted that the inspector general who deemed the complaint non-credible wasn’t selected by Gabbard and began their work during then-President Joe Biden’s administration.

“Director Gabbard has always and will continue to support whistleblower’s and their right, under the law, to submit complaints to Congress, even if they are completely baseless like this one,” Coleman wrote in a post on X.

Gabbard coordinates the work of the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies. In an unusual role for a spy chief, she was on site last week when the FBI served a search warrant on election offices in Georgia central to Trump’s disproven claims about fraud in the 2020 election, raising questions from Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Bakaj, meanwhile, has asked Congress to investigate the handling of the complaint.

A spokesperson for Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Gabbard pledged under oath during her confirmation hearing that she would protect whistleblowers and make sure Congress was kept informed.

“We expect her to honor those commitments and comply with both the letter and the spirit of the law,” Warner’s office said in a statement.

The inspector general’s office, which is tasked with providing independent oversight of the intelligence community, did not immediately respond to questions about the complaint.

A former intelligence officer with the CIA, Bakaj previously represented an intelligence community whistleblower whose account of a phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy helped initiate the first of two impeachment cases against the Republican leader during his first team.

Trump was impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate in February 2020 over the call during which he asked the Ukrainian president for a “favor” — to announce he was investigating Democrats including 2020 rival Joe Biden.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

FACT FOCUS: Images of NYC mayor with Jeffrey Epstein are AI-generated. Here’s how we know

posted in: All news | 0

By MELISSA GOLDIN

Multiple AI-generated photos falsely claiming to show New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a child and his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, along with other high-profile public figures, were shared widely on social media Monday.

The images originated on an X account labeled as parody after a huge tranche of new Epstein files was released by the Justice Department on Friday. They are clearly watermarked as AI and other elements they contain do not add up.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: Images show Mamdani as a child and his mother with Jeffrey Epstein and other public figures linked to the disgraced financier.

THE FACTS: The images were created with artificial intelligence. They all contain a digital watermark identifying them as such and first appeared on a parody X account that says it creates “high quality AI videos and memes.”

In one of the images, Mamdani and Nair appear in the front of a group photo with Maxwell, Epstein, former President Bill Clinton, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. They seem to be posing at night on a crowded city street. Mamdani looks to be a preteen or young teenager.

Another supposedly shows the same group of people, minus Nair, in what appears to be a tropical setting. Epstein is pictured holding Clinton sitting in his arms, while Maxwell has her arm around Mamdani, who appears slightly younger.

Other AI-generated images circulating online depict Mamdani as a baby being held by Nair while she poses with Epstein, Clinton, Maxwell and Bezos. None of Epstein’s victims have publicly accused Clinton, Gates or Bezos of being involved in his crimes.

Google’s Gemini app detected SynthID, a digital watermarking tool for identifying content that has been generated or altered with AI, in all the images described above. This means they were created or edited, either entirely or in part, by Google’s AI models.

The X account that first posted the images describes itself as “an AI-powered meme engine” that uses “AI to create memes, songs, stories, and visuals that call things exactly how they are — fast, loud, and impossible to ignore.”

An inquiry sent to the account went unanswered. However, a post by the account seems to acknowledge that it created the images.

“Damn you guys failed,” it reads. “I purposely made him a baby which would technically make this pic 34 years old. Yikes.”

The photos began circulating after an email emerged in which a publicist, Peggy Siegal, wrote to Epstein about seeing a variety of luminaries, including Clinton, Bezos and Nair, an award-winning Indian filmmaker, at 2009 afterparty for a film held at Maxwell’s townhouse.

While Mamdani appears as a baby or young child in all of the images, he was 18 in 2009, when Nair is said to have attended the party.

The images have led to related falsehoods that have spread online in their wake. For example, one claims that Epstein is Mamdani’s father. This is not true — Mamdani’s father is Mahmood Mamdani, an anthropology professor at Columbia University.

The NYC Mayor’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.