Minnesota’s starters collectively had a poor offensive night Tuesday, yet the Lynx bench almost rescued the team.

Starting guard Courtney Williams overcame a slow start to finish with a team-high 17 points, and Natisha Hiedeman added 16 off the bench. But the Lynx fell 85-75 to the Liberty in New York.

Lynx reserves outscored the starters 38-37 with DiJonai Carrington and Maria Kliundikova each adding 11 points. None of Minnesota’s other four starters had more than six points.

Jessica Shepard had 10 rebounds and Alanna Smith had nine rebounds plus two blocks to set a franchise record with 69 this season, surpassing the 68 by Vanessa Hayden in 2005.

The league leader in assists at 23.4 per game, the Lynx had a season-low 10 on their 29 baskets. Minnesota was just 6 of 22 (27.3%) on 3-point tries. It leads the WNBA at 36.7% from deep.

“I didn’t think we had the recognition as far as some of their pressure points, getting rid of it quick, getting pass-pass combos. We were one pass and try to make something happen, so we were a little impatient. It’s not like us,” said coach Cheryl Reeve.

All five New York starters ended with double figures, led by 22 from Jonquel Jones, who also grabbed 10 rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu had 17 points and 11 assists.

“Their starters played great, and ours did not,” said Reeve, whose team was down by 12 points early. “Courtney got going eventually, but she was a big part of why we didn’t get off to a very good start (zero points and two turnovers in the first quarter). Our bench came in and really kind of buoyed the ship for us.”

“Being a role player, there ain’t nothing wrong with that. You just got to take pride in what you’re doing. I think our team, especially the bench, takes great pride in what we do,” Hiedeman said.

Playing without Napheesa Collier (ankle) for the fifth straight game — although she was listed as “doubtful” vs. “out” — the Lynx saw their six-game winning streak come to an end and fell to the Liberty for the only time in four meetings this season.

The contest ends three consecutive games against New York in a 10-day span.

“We knew that they were going to come out, hit us in our mouth. We battled back,” Williams said.

Down by 12 midway through the third quarter, Williams drained a contested triple over Jones in the waning seconds of the frame to get the Lynx within 66-60.

Williams scored on a mid-range jumper with 4:06 left, and it was 77-72 Liberty. A 3-pointer by Hiedeman got the Lynx within 79-75 nearly two minutes later, but Minnesota did not score again.

Williams missed a pair of jumpers, looking skyward in disbelief after the second with 1:07 left. Ionescu grabbed an offensive rebound and completed a four-point play with 33.8 seconds left to ice the win.

This is the first game in a stretch where the Lynx play four games in six days in four different cities. Minnesota is at Atlanta on Thursday and Indiana on Friday before facing the Indiana Fever at Target Center on Sunday.

Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty reacts with Kennedy Burke #22 after scoring a three-point shot in the final minute of the game against the Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center on Aug. 19, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Liberty won 85-75. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

With five candidates officially running and a little more than two months until Election Day, the race for St. Paul mayor is beginning in earnest.

Around a hundred supporters of Rep. Kaohly Her gathered at Lake Monster Brewing Company in St. Paul for a formal launch event for the state lawmaker’s mayoral campaign Monday night, including her current and former Democratic Farmer-Labor-House colleagues.

State Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, and his wife, Yvette, who survived an attempted assassination at their home in June, have also endorsed Her. They didn’t attend the Monday launch but appeared in a video played at the event.

Many in attendance said they had voted for Mayor Melvin Carter in 2017 and again in 2021, but said a change of leadership is needed in City Hall. They pointed to public safety concerns, particularly along the Green Line light rail corridor on University Avenue, and development troubles in downtown St. Paul.

“I appreciate everything that Melvin has done, but after eight years, I think we need someone else with newer ideas, more energy,” said Peter Scott, of the Cathedral Hill neighborhood in St. Paul. “Having Kaohly come in after having worked in state government with that larger perspective — I think it would be very, very helpful for St Paul.”

Carter, who is seeking a third term in office, has pointed to dropping homicide and carjacking rates after the pandemic as a sign of improving conditions in the city, but many point to ongoing issues with addiction and homelessness along the Green Line as a sign of worsening conditions overall.

Scott and others said they hope fresh leadership might help address those problems, as well as rising property taxes, job growth and development challenges in districts like downtown. Scott pointed to the closure of downtown’s only grocery store earlier this year and the closure of the Midway Cub Foods as signs of the city’s struggles.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter

Carter seeks third term

Speaking with reporters after filing for his third term earlier this month, Carter said he’s been working with lawmakers and other local leaders about issues like road reconstruction, addressing a surge in copper wire theft from street lights and redeveloping the city’s struggling downtown.

“Obviously, there’s been a lot of global forces that we haven’t been able to hold off of St. Paul, whether that’s the challenges hitting every downtown (or) some of the results that still are lingering from the pandemic,” he said at the time, adding that he thinks the city is gaining “momentum” on issues like housing.

During his tenure, Cater has pursued a progressive agenda that has included medical debt forgiveness, college savings accounts for newborns, and a new sales tax to fund roads and parks.

Her has said that while she supports those policies, the city of St. Paul should focus on essential services.

“I don’t have a shiny new project that I want to put out there and tell you all look what I’m going to be doing, so that the national stage can look at us,” Her said in a speech at the event. “But what I do have is the grit, the determination, the skill and the ability to dig into doing city correctly.”

Besides friends, community members and former city leaders, former state Rep. Ryan Winkler, a Golden Valley DFLer now running for Hennepin County Attorney was present, as was Her’s current House colleague, Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee.

Other candidates

The three other candidates in the race besides Carter and Her include an engineer, a scientist and a local business owner.

Yan Chen is a biophysicist at the University of Minnesota who ran for St. Paul City Council Ward 1 in 2023.

North End resident and mechanical engineer Adam Dullinger is the most recent candidate to enter the race. He’s a political newcomer

Mike Hilborn runs a power washing, snowplowing and Christmas tree lighting business and ran as a Republican for downtown St. Paul’s state House district in 2024.

In a biography on his campaign website, he describes himself as “a father, an entrepreneur, a second-chance employer.”

Nonpartisan elections

Mayoral elections are nonpartisan, though they often draw strong party interest.

This year will be a little different, however: the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is not making any endorsements in the race as it works to rebuild itself.

This will be the last year a mayoral election happens in an odd-numbered year in St. Paul. In 2024, voters approved a measure to shift the election to even-numbered years when other major contests are on the ballot.

The mayor is typically elected to a four-year term. But because of the change, the next election will be in 2028. The winner of this year’s election will only serve a three-year term.

Under St. Paul’s ranked-choice voting system, voters can rank candidates in order of preference.

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The Twins’ trade deadline binge was an acknowledgement of reality: This team isn’t making the playoffs. But though there won’t be much need for scoreboard watching over the final six weeks of the season, there’s still plenty to pay attention to.

That being said, here are five storylines to watch during the season’s final six weeks:

What will injured starters do?

Simeon Woods Richardson, who is building back from a parasite, started a rehab game on Friday. Pablo López (teres major strain) is inching closer to a rehab assignment of his own. And David Festa (shoulder) is still hoping to return this year and “finish the season strong.”

Getting those three back, particularly the latter two, who have been sidelined for large periods of time with shoulder issues, will be important for the Twins over the next month and a half. And once they do come back, can they return to form?

López, out since early June, seems to be on track to return early next month.

“Utmost priority is definitely being able to walk into the offseason, full normal, full go,” he said. “But then the second most priority, for me, I want to squeeze as many starts as possible.”

Will we see Bradley, Abel?

Almost everyone the Twins acquired at the deadline — 10 players in all — began their tenure in their new organization in the minor leagues. The only one initially up with the Twins was outfielder Alan Roden, who suffered a season-ending thumb injury, leading the Twins to promote fellow outfielder James Outman, whom they acquired from Los Angeles.

The Twins have been opting for bullpen games while Taj Bradley and Mick Abel pitch at Triple-A. Bradley, who has more MLB experience of the two, had a strong first start with the St. Paul Saints but has given up 11 runs over his past two starts while Abel has made three solid starts, striking out 11 in his last outing.

Both seem likely to figure into their 2026 plans. But the question remains: When will they first pitch for the Twins?

Can Lee handle shortstop?

Brooks Lee was drafted as a shortstop and came through the minor league system at the position, but moved off of it upon reaching the major league level in favor for Carlos Correa. He would, from time to time, fill in there if Correa was hurt or needed a day off. But now with Correa out of the picture, Lee is getting an extended look there.

“Sometimes, especially at a demanding position, you can only come into your own when you’re actually able to play that position,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I think he wants to show what he can do as a major league shortstop, and he’s doing it right now.”

Who will emerge in bullpen?

The Twins imploded their bullpen at the trade deadline, shipping off Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louie Varland, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe, their top five relievers.

That leaves these next six weeks as virtually a tryout for next year’s bullpen with a mix of veterans and younger pitchers getting to pitch in important situations.

How will Buxton finish?

Byron Buxton has been providing a reason to tune in since the year started and if nothing else, the end to one of the best seasons of his career is worth watching over the next six weeks.

Buxton, who played in his 93rd game of the season Tuesday, is on track to eclipse 100 games for the second consecutive season and only the third time in his career. He has already driven in a career-high runs batted in (61 entering Tuesday) and is threatening his own home run high with 25, three off his career best.

How will he finish his season? It’s likely Buxton will receive some down-ballot Most Valuable Player votes come end of season.

“He’s having an all-star caliber season, but not just an all-star caliber season,” Baldelli said. “It’s like he’s an all-star amongst the all-stars.”

Ryan Jeffers #27 of the Minnesota Twins embraces Erasmo Ramírez #30 after the game against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field on Aug. 17, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Tigers 8-1. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

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By NICHOLAS RICCARDI

President Donald Trump has made clear in recent weeks that he’s willing to use the vast powers of his office to prevent his party from losing control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections.

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Some of the steps Trump has taken to intervene in the election are typical, but controversial, political maneuvers taken to his trademark extremes. That includes pushing Republican lawmakers in Texas and other conservative-controlled states to redraw their legislative maps to expand the number of U.S. House seats favorable to the GOP.

Others involve the direct use of official presidential power in ways that have no modern precedent, such as ordering his Department of Justice to investigate the main liberal fundraising entity, ActBlue. The department also is demanding the detailed voter files from each state in an apparent attempt to look for ineligible voters on a vast scale.

And on Monday, Trump posted a falsehood-filled rant on social media pledging to lead a “movement” to outlaw voting machines and mail balloting, the latter of which has become a mainstay of Democratic voting since Trump pushed Republicans to avoid it in 2020 — before flipping on the issue ahead of last year’s presidential election.

The individual actions add up to an unprecedented attempt by a sitting president to interfere in a critical election before it’s even held, moves that have raised alarms among those concerned about the future of U.S. democracy.

“Those are actions that you don’t see in healthy democracies,” said Ian Bassin, executive director of Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan organization that has sued the Trump administration. “Those are actions you see in authoritarian states.”

Trump has already tried to overturn an election

Bassin noted that presidents routinely stump for their party in midterm elections and try to bolster incumbents by steering projects and support to their districts. But he said Trump’s history is part of what’s driving alarm about the midterms.

He referenced Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which ended with a violent assault on the Capitol by his supporters.

“The one thing we know for certain from experience in 2020 is that this is a person who will use every measure and try every tactic to stay in power, regardless of the outcome of an election,” Bassin said.

He noted that in 2020, Trump was checked by elected Republicans in Congress and statehouses who refused to bend the rules, along with members of his own administration and even military leaders who distanced themselves from the defeated incumbent. In his second term, the president has locked down near-total loyalty from the GOP and stacked the administration with loyalists.

The incumbent president’s party normally loses seats in Congress during midterm elections. That’s what happened to Trump in 2018, when Democrats won enough seats to take back the House of Representatives, stymieing the president’s agenda and eventually leading to his two impeachments.

Trump has said he doesn’t want a repeat.

He also has argued that his actions are actually attempts to preserve democracy. Repeating baseless allegations of fraud, he said Monday during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that “you can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots.” Earlier this month, Trump said that, because he handily won Texas in the 2024 presidential election, “we are entitled to five more seats.”

An attempt to engineer GOP control of the US House

Republicans currently have a three-seat margin in the House of Representatives. Trump pushed Texas Republicans to redraw their congressional map to create up to five new winnable GOP seats and is lobbying other red states, including Indiana and Missouri, to take similar steps to pad the margin even more.

The Texas Legislature is likely to vote on its map on Wednesday. There’s no guarantee that Trump’s gambit will work, but also no legal prohibition against fiddling with maps in those states for partisan advantage. In response, California Democrats are moving forward with their own redistricting effort as a way to counter Republicans in Texas.

Mid-decade map adjustments have happened before, though usually in response to court orders rather than presidents openly hoping to manufacture more seats for their party. Larry Diamond, a political scientist at Stanford University, said there’s a chance the redrawing of House districts won’t succeed as Trump anticipates — but could end up motivating Democratic voters.

Still, Diamond said he’s concerned. “It’s the overall pattern that’s alarming and that the reason to do this is for pure partisan advantage,” he said of Trump’s tactic.

Diamond noted that in 2019 he wrote a book about a “12-step” process to turn a democracy into an autocracy, and “the last step in the process is to rig the electoral process.”

The Justice Department acts on Trump’s priorities

Trump has required loyalty from all levels of his administration and demanded that the Department of Justice follow his directives. One of those was to probe ActBlue, an online portal that raised hundreds of millions of dollars in small-dollar donations for Democratic candidates over two decades.

The site was so successful that Republicans launched a similar venture, called WinRed. Trump, notably, did not order a federal probe into WinRed.

Trump’s appointees at the Department of Justice also have demanded voting data from at least 19 states, as Trump continues to insist he actually won the 2020 election and proposed a special prosecutor to investigate that year’s vote tally. Much as he did before winning the 2024 election, Trump has baselessly implied that Democrats may rig upcoming vote counts against him.

In at least two of those states, California and Minnesota, the DOJ followed up with election officials last week, threatening legal action if they didn’t hand over their voter registration lists by this Thursday, according to letters shared with The Associated Press. Neither state — both controlled by Democrats — has responded publicly.

Attempts to interfere with voting and elections

Trump’s threat this week to end mail voting and do away with voting machines is just his latest attempt to sway how elections are run. An executive order he signed earlier this year sought documented proof of citizenship to register to vote, among other changes, though much of it has been blocked by courts.

In the days leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol to reverse his 2020 loss, Trump’s allies proposed having the military seize voting machines to investigate purported fraud, even though Trump’s own attorney general said there was no evidence of significant wrongdoing.

The Constitution says states and Congress, rather than the president, set the rules for elections, so it’s unclear what Trump could do to make his promises a reality. But election officials saw them as an obvious sign of his 2026 interests.

“Let’s see this for what it really is: An attempt to change voting going into the midterms because he’s afraid the Republicans will lose,” wrote Ann Jacobs, the Democratic chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, on X.

The president has very few levers to influence an election

Derek Muller, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, said the idea of seizing voting machines in 2020 was a sign of how few levers the president has to influence an election, not of his power. Under the U.S. Constitution, elections are run by states and only Congress can “alter” the procedures — and, even then, for federal races alone.

“It’s a deeply decentralized system,” Muller said.

There are fewer legal constraints on presidential powers, such as criminal investigations and deployment of law enforcement and military resources, Muller noted. But, he added, people usually err in forecasting election catastrophes.

He noted that in 2022 and 2024, a wide range of experts braced for violence, disruption and attempts to overturn losses by Trump allies, and no serious threats materialized.

“One lesson I’ve learned in decades of doing this is people are often preparing for the last election rather than what actually happens in the new ones,” Muller said.