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Tafoya on Abortion: "I'm a First Trimester Gal"
One reason Minnesota's U.S. Senate race remains infuriatingly close is that former NFL sideline reporter and struggling podcaster Michele Tafoya has done a pretty good job disguising herself as that extinct creature, the reasonable Republican. Needless to say, such a (mythical) being would not have earned the support of President Donald Trump, which, no matter how much Tafoya would like to downplay it, she has.
This past weekend, in a new campaign ad, Tafoya touted herself as an “independent” voice and a “pro-choice Republican.” If so, her definition of “choice” is far narrower than Minnesotans who define themselves that way.
At the Huffington Post on Tuesday, reporter Jennifer Bendery sifted through Tafoya’s past statements on abortion.
- From 2023–2024, Tafoya’s thoughts on when to outlaw abortion seemed to be in flux. She said that she supported abortion access “up to a point” but also that “a 12- or 15-week ban is reasonable” and, on another occasion, that abortion should be banned “beyond 15 weeks.”
- During her campaign, her views on abortion got more restrictive. On her podcast in September 2025, she said, “I also believe that we should limit abortion to the first trimester.”
- A 12-week ban seems to be where she’s settled. “I’m a first trimester gal, if you want to call it that,” Tafoya told conservative political commentator Matt Christiansen in May 2026.
- That same month, she sent a letter to Minnesota delegates that began eloquently, "Of all the questions I receive from delegates, abortion is one I receive often.” She went on to say that “I cannot support… the extreme position currently enshrined in Minnesota law. Our state has gone too far, effectively allowing abortion with no meaningful restrictions.”
- In July 2026, she called Minnesota’s abortion protections “awful” and “barbaric” on conservative talk show Political Pitchforks, pledging to confirm “conservative, strict constructionist judges” and vote “against taxpayer-funded abortion.”
From these statements, it’s pretty clear where Tafoya stands: in support of Dobbs, in accord with Trump, and against abortion after the first trimester. But hey, it’s not like the U.S. Senate would ever consider a federal abortion ban, right?
Does Mpls Even Need an Office of Community Safety?
Seems like a valid question, since the city went more than 150 years without one. And just four years after the office was established, it’s a question the Minneapolis City Council is ready to ask, as Cait Kelly reports for MPR News.
Council President Elliott Payne and Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley, who voted against the creation of the OCS, initiated the proposal. The new ordinance would preserve the Neighborhood Safety Department.
“We have not been able to see over the three years of its existence, again, that measurable benefit to the public,” Wonsley said Tuesday.
Since the new office was formed at the behest of Mayor Jacob Frey in 2022, OCS has had two commissioners. First came Cedric Alexander, who picked fights with the public and left after one year. The current acting commissioner, Todd Barnette, has been unable to secure reappointment from the council, despite Frey’s annoying persistence not to nominate anyone else. Alexander took home a $334,000 salary; that figure’s been bumped up to $348K for Barnette.
The mayor opposes the elimination of the office. While we hesitate to ascribe motive, surely Frey appreciates the fact that the commissioner serves as a handy buffer between the mayor and council on public safety matters.
City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposal to eliminate the office on October 27.
Hippo Campus Frontman Needs Brain Surgery
We ran across a concerning Facebook post Wednesday from Jake Luppen of local band Hippo Campus. An MRI discovered a 9 mm lesion on Luppen’s brain that will require surgery. Luppen writes that he’d been suffering from unusual panic attacks that turned out to be focal seizures. (Great, so now my anxiety is gonna have me running to the neurologist every other month.)
Luppen is in good hands with the folks at Rochester's Mayo Clinic, but recuperating from the procedure will take him off the stage for a spell, so the last Hippos show for a while will be at the Turf Club on October 19. I can’t help but wonder whether the lesion is located in his… hippocampus? (Too soon? Hey, laughter is the best medicine, to coin a phrase.) We wish Luppen all the best and hope he’s up and rockin’ soon.
Minnesotans: AI Will End Us
A new poll from the Star Tribune and KARE 11 asked Minnesotans: “How concerned are you that advanced artificial intelligence will destroy humanity?” And 68% responded, essentially, “Yikes.”
Judging from comments, it’s clear that “destroy humanity” means quite different things to different respondents. While some surely envision a Mission: Impossible-type global calamity, others seem focused on job loss and potential disinformation. So maybe it’s best to interpret the question as “Does AI suck?”
There’s also strong support (71%) for government regulation of the artificial intelligence industry. My own highly untutored opinion on the matter is that if the corporations that create artificial intelligence would be held liable for the damages it causes, we’d see a lot less. In any case, they should not be allowed to hide behind “rogue agent” rhetoric, claim “AI did it,” and disavow responsibility.
Also, AI sucks.
