Weekend Reformer: Ban on AI nudification

Good morning, Reformers. 

A new Minnesota law banning the use of “nudification technology” — AI features that allow users to make sexually explicit images and videos of a person without their consent — goes into effect today. 

Elon Musk’s AI development company sued Minnesota over the law earlier this week, seeking a temporary restraining order in an effort to delay the law’s enforcement. A judge denied Musk’s company’s request. In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Donovan Frank said that the timing of the lawsuit months after the law was passed “suggests that harm is not immediate” to Musk’s company. 

Michelle Griffith reported on the Monday lawsuit and the Frank’s ruling Friday. 

Also Friday, President Donald Trump blamed Minnesota for a cyber attack on its own water systems — instead of Iran, which American intelligence agencies believe was the likely culprit. 

Iran has repeatedly targeted American cyber infrastructure since the beginning of the U.S.-Iran war, including the attack on Stryker, the Michigan-based medical equipment manufacturer, which a hacker group said was retaliation for an American strike on an Iranian school that killed 156 civilians, including 120 children. 

Madi McVan reports.

We’re nearly a week out from Minnesota’s Aug. 11 primary election. The races to watch will be the DFL primary for U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s current seat and the GOP primary for governor. Max Nesterak wrote profiles of U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and their campaigns in the competitive Senate race — along with their biggest liabilities. 

Michelle wrote up the key takeaways from their Monday debate, where they immediately began trading jabs at each other on immigration, fraud and corporate donations. Craig and Flanagan agree on most issues, from providing undocumented immigrants a path to legal status and banning corporate campaign contributions to ending the president’s war in Iran.

“Hyperscale” data center construction — needed to carry out the tech giants’ vision of artificial intelligence — has faced passionate and widespread opposition from communities worried about pollution, rising energy bills and water consumption. Ria Gupta asked Minnesota gubernatorial candidates where they stand on key data center issues and wrote up the candidates’ limited responses. 

Republican primary voters who want to know how GOP gubernatorial frontrunner and pillow mogul Mike Lindell is spending his campaign dollars won’t have much to go on based on the final pre-primary campaign finance report released this week, Michelle reported. Michelle includes updates for the rest of the candidates — as expected, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is far ahead of all the Republican candidates. 

Brian Nicholson, the running mate of Kendall Qualls, the Republican-endorsed candidate for governor, owes his employees money, Michelle reported. Qualls and Nicholson, who runs a modular building manufacturing business, have touted their business acumen in their campaign, arguing the government needs to run more like a business. 

Minnesota’s paid leave payroll tax will remain at 0.88% in 2027, shared between workers and their employers, the state announced Friday — but a new actuarial analysis indicates the program may need to increase the rate in 2028 to abide by state law, Michelle reported. 

A federal judge halted a new Minnesota law aimed at stopping the massive expansion of gambling via prediction markets on sites like Kalshi and Polymarket, Patrick Coolican reported. In other words, prediction markets can continue operating in Minnesota despite Minnesota’s ban on sports gambling. 

A day later, Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order prohibiting state employees from using inside information to bet on prediction market sites, Ria reported. 

From domestic violence allegations to his “fake” bankruptcy to unpaid taxes, the Reformer has been uncovering scoops about Lindell since our founding in 2020. Ria wrote a “Best of frenemies” tour of those eventful six years. 

The U.S. Forest Service lost more than 100 Minnesota employees and delayed $10 million in grant funding for wildfire mitigation in the Superior National Forest during the chaotic first year of President Trump’s second term, Brian Martucci reported. 

Food & Water Watch and the Land Stewardship Project sued Minnesota over a decision to allow Riverview, a Morris mega-dairy, to expand without a more rigorous environmental review, Ella Stern reported.

Alison Davys, who has worked in the clean energy and transportation sectors for 12 years, wrote that climate change activists can take a page from the playbook used against Big Tobacco in the fight for clean air.  

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has terminated Temporary Protected Status for people from Haiti, Syria and Yemen. Joshua Thoreson asked — noting the government’s “Do not travel” advisory for American travelers to Haiti — “If Haiti is too dangerous for American travelers, why is it safe enough for forced return?” 

The Reformer previously reported that a legislative audit of a Minnesota water quality program for agriculture producers found the state Department of Agriculture is certifying producers that violate the program’s water quality standards. Anne Schwagerl, the vice president of Minnesota Farmers Union, wrote that the program still has had positive impacts. 

Conrad Zbikowski, a longtime DFL activist, wrote a “State of the U.S. Senate race” to replace U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, summarizing the polls and campaign finance situation. The primary is a week from Tuesday.

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