Minnesota Midday: Senate debate, suspicious mail to officials and a space object in a cornfield

Flanagan and Tafoya's only Senate debate, suspicious mail sent to Minnesota officials, and a possible space object found in a Stevens County cornfield.

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STORY 1

Flanagan and Tafoya hold their only U.S. Senate debateconfirmed

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (DFL) and Michele Tafoya (Republican) met Friday for the only scheduled debate in Minnesota's open U.S. Senate race. Fraud, the federal immigration crackdown known as Operation Metro Surge, and President Trump's endorsement of Tafoya were among the topics. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Flanagan saysShe backs stronger fraud oversight, including an independent inspector general's office, and tougher penalties; she agreed with Gov. Tim Walz that more should have been done sooner. She supports fully dismantling ICE and replacing it, and said Tafoya is trying to reinvent herself on the immigration crackdown.

Tafoya saysShe said Flanagan, as lieutenant governor, was second in command when the fraud occurred and is now shifting blame to Walz. She called for America to be "a nation of immigration and also a nation of law and order" and criticized the federal rollout of Operation Metro Surge.

Sources (3)

STORY 2

Suspicious mail with white powder sent to Minnesota officialsdeveloping

Mail containing threats and an unidentified white powder or suspicious substance was sent to Minnesota officials' offices, including Secretary of State Steve Simon's and Sen. Amy Klobuchar's. The Department of Administration intercepted the Secretary of State's mail, and the Postal Inspection Service is testing it. No injuries are reported. The FBI and Postal Inspection Service are investigating, and state officials say it is tied to mailings sent to election offices across the country.

Sources (2)

STORY 3

Possible space object found in a Stevens County cornfielddeveloping

The Stevens County Sheriff's Office says deputies found a large metallic object about 11 feet in diameter in a cornfield in Scott Township, in western Minnesota. The sheriff's office called it presumably a space object; its origin is unconfirmed. Federal agencies were notified to identify its owner and plan removal. No injuries or danger to the public are reported.