The Dictatorship
What to know about the Minneapolis mayor who told ICE to ‘get the f— out’
Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis had a simple yet stunning message for Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a news conference Wednesday following an officer’s fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman.
“Get the fuck out of Minneapolis,” Frey said. “We do not want you here.”
The Democratic mayor, elected in 2017, has presided over some of the most significant moments in the city’s recent history, including the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, which prompted a summer of nationwide protests against police brutality and racism — and critiques of Frey’s response from some advocates.
Now, Frey is back in the national spotlight after federal officials trained their sights on Minneapolis, prompted by a wide-ranging fraud scandal that earned the attention of right-wing media — and President Donald Trump.
Here’s what to know about Frey, who was just sworn into his third and final term as mayor on Monday.
Frey, 44, grew up in Virginia, where he attended the College of William & Mary. He received his law degree from Villanova University in Philadelphia. He headed to Minneapolis after graduating and became an employment and civil rights attorney, according to his official biography. A former professional runner who competed in the Pan American gamesFrey has said he fell in love with Minneapolis after participating in the Twin Cities Marathon.
From City Council to the mayor’s office
Frey was elected to the Minneapolis City Council in 2013. Four years later, he won the mayoral election after running on a platform of expanding affordable housing and ending homelessness within five years. He won nearly 45% of the vote in the final round of ranked-choice voting. (Nearly a decade later, Frey’s promise to end homelessness has yet to come to pass, he acknowledged in a November interview with ABC affiliate KSTP.)
He won his subsequent elections with 56% of the vote in 2021 and 53% in November. But he has consistently attracted opposition from the left, including City Council members who say he has not gone far enough in supporting pro-Palestinian protesters or reforming the police department.
Frey is married to Sarah Clarkewho works as a corporate lawyer for an energy company, according to her LinkedIn page. The couple have two children, including a baby born in July.
George Floyd murder and protests
Frey steered the city during its reckoning over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in 2020. He faced scorn from some advocates after he refused to commit to defunding the policeputting him at odds with the majority of City Council members at the time.
But he earned praise when he called for the officer who killed FloydDerek Chauvin, to be charged with murder. After Chauvin was convicted of murder in 2021, Frey said he was “relieved” by the verdict and pledged to further reform the city’s policing system.
“Justice has been rendered in this case, but we still have a long way to go to achieve true justice in our city and in our country,” he said.
Frey implemented immediate reforms to the police department the month after Floyd’s killing, including a ban on chokeholds and a requirement that officers report and intervene if they see excessive use of force by others.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration dismissed police reform agreements it had made with Minneapolis, among other cities, after Floyd’s murder. Frey subsequently signed an executive order requiring the city to implement the reforms included in a consent decree passed last year.
“We are committed to police reform, even if the Trump administration is not,” Frey said.
Annunciation church shooting
After a gunman opened fire at Annunciation Catholic Church in August, killing two children and injuring 30 other peopleFrey called the shooting “an act of evil” and urged stricter gun control laws. “Don’t say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now — these kids were literally praying,” he said.
Support for Somalis during fraud scandal
In the middle of an ongoing fraud scandal that led Trump to refer to Somali immigrants “garbage” and call for their expulsion from the United States, Frey said the city stood with its Somali population. At about 80,000 people, it’s the largest Somali community in the country.
“That commitment is rock-solid,” Frey added.
The scandal centers on large-scale social services fraud in Minnesota in recent years. Federal prosecutors have secured dozens of convictions, and many of those convicted are of Somali descent. The scandal has accelerated in recent weeks after a viral video from a conservative social media influencerclaimed that several day care centers run by Somali immigrants were receiving federal funding but not operating. The federal government has frozen billions of dollars in funding to Minnesota as a result, and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., opted to drop his reelection bid in the wake of criticism over the scandal.
Frey has accused the Trump administration of targeting all of the city’s Somalis based on the actions of a few.
“We reject the hateful rhetoric of Donald Trump,” Frey said last month. “They are Americans,” he added of the city’s Somalis. “They are one of us. They are part of our family. They are part of the fabric that makes Minneapolis a better place.”
He has occasionally spoken Somali to address the community directly, which has stirred the ire of some on the right. In a CNN interview on Tuesday, Frey said the criticisms were racist.
Response to ICE
After reporting first arose last month that ICE was preparing raids targeting undocumented Somalis in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in the wake of the fraud scandal, Frey said Minneapolis police would not cooperate with any such operation and added that “almost all” of the city’s Somali population “are both documented and citizens.”
After the Department of Homeland Security deployed a surge of roughly 1,000 additional agents to Minnesota this past weekend, Frey told CNN on Tuesday, “This is not about solving crime, this is not about preventing fraud, this is about sowing chaos on the streets of Minneapolis.”
On Wednesday after the fatal shooting, Frey blasted ICE, accusing it of “sowing chaos on our streets and in this case, quite literally killing people.”
He also pushed back on the narrative, put forth by the federal government and the president himself, that the ICE officer killed the woman in self-defense.
“Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bullshit,” Frey said. “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed.”
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran again launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrainand Kuwaiton Sunday following new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the warif Washington continues its attacks.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuzwithout Iran’s oversight has sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Omanfor inbound and outbound traffic.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated the claim that Tehran must govern the strait to the Persian Gulfthat once carried a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas.
“Any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the level of tension,” Araghchi said.
The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite its location in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters. In recent days, Iran has twice attacked vessels going through a route near the Omani side.
A Pakistani official involved in the technical talks between the U.S. and Iran told MS NOW Sunday that talks between the sides are on hold given the ongoing fighting between the two sides. The source, who did not want to be named to discuss the sensitive matter, said the U.S., Iran, Pakistan and Qatar all have representatives currently in Switzerland to restart discussions when instructed to do so.
But the Trump administration said nothing has been canceled and technical talks are on track for the coming days.
Talks include arrangements around the strait, the removal of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran, and the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two sides have 60 days from their signing of the memorandum of understanding earlier this month to work out details.
Continued conflict in Lebanon threatens the agreement, which says fighting must end on all fronts before certain issues can be discussed.
Strikes target Gulf states hosting US military
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Kuwait, which hosts a major U.S. military base, said air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles just after the U.S. strikes in Iran. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Bahrain said the Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near the international airport and no one was killed. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The damaged building was not near its headquarters.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry denounced what it called “a dangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not a passing act, nor an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression.”
Later on Sunday, Qatar said a civilian had been killed, and another person was hurt, by shrapnel related to “military operations in the area” after a vessel didn’t return at its scheduled time on Saturday. It did not give details.
Trump accuses Iran of violating ceasefire
The U.S. military said it struck Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship on Saturday. The Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku carried crude oil for the state-run energy company of Qatar, another key mediator.
U.S. President Donald Trump on social media accused Iran of violating the deal and warned of a point where the U.S. may “be forced to militarily complete the job.”
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote.
The exchanges of fire began when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vesseloff Oman on Thursday and the U.S. military retaliated.
Ship traffic on the strait had increased over the past 72 hours, “despite the elevated threat environment,” the multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, adding that “U.S.-assisted commercial transits continued uninterrupted.”
It said 89 such transits had been made, below the historical average of 138 vessels a day.
Iran calls for new ‘conflict control unit’ in Lebanon
Last week, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreementto end the latest fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, which began two days after the Iran war started when Hezbollah fired at Israel. Israel has responded with an invasion of southern Lebanon and it has said it will not withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed.
The agreement did not include Iran or Hezbollah, which has criticized itand rejected calls to disarm.
On Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister again said the U.S. must force Israel to halt attacks and withdraw. Israel occupies around 600 square kilometers (231 square miles) in southern Lebanon, which it says it needs as a security buffer.
Sporadic clashes have continued, and Hezbollah’s leader said Saturday that the group would continue fighting until Israel withdraws from Lebanon.
Key Iranian negotiator and parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Sunday that a meeting of a new “conflict control unit” formed among Iran, the United States and Lebanon should meet as soon as possible, Iran’s state broadcaster reported.
Two strikes hit southern Lebanon on Sunday morning — one in Taybeh town and the other in the Nabatiyeh area, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. There was no immediate word on casualties.
Overnight, Hezbollah militants killed an Israeli soldier in Deir Siryan village in southern Lebanon, according to Israel’s military. Hezbollah did not comment.
Israel targets a village in Syria
Israel’s military targeted Abdin village in southern Syria’s Daraa province with artillery shelling Sunday evening, Syrian state media reported. There was no immediate report of casualties.
State news agency SANA earlier reported that residents had blocked the road into the village with stones to prevent Israeli forces from entering it again after they had entered and withdrawn.
Earlier Sunday, Israel’s military said it had killed several armed men in southern Syria but gave no details. There was no statement from Syrian officials.
Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024 following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially called the move temporary, but more recently they have said they plan to occupy the zone indefinitely.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a message for political opponents using him as the new face of the Democratic Party: “Let them.”
Recent primary races in New York turned into a proxy war between progressives, including democratic socialists like Mamdani, and establishment Democratic politicians after candidates endorsed by Mamdani faced off against those endorsed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. After all three of Mamdani’s endorsements bore fruit, a national spotlight shone on the mayor as a growing influence in the Democratic Party.
Asked on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday how he felt about Republicans making him the “poster child” for the Democratic Party, Mamdani said, “Let them. We don’t have to ask ourselves what life looks like if a socialist wins. I won last November, and over the course of these last six months, what we’ve delivered for working people are the very things we were told were impossible.”
He touted recent campaign promises he delivered on, including freezing rents for nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments, expanding free child care and filling potholes across the city.
“I think we are seeing a hunger that is not just felt by New Yorkers, but frankly by Americans from coast to coast for a new politics, one that puts working people at the heart of it,” Mamdani told ABC.
Mamdani dismissed criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. Jeffries, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, said last week that he and the mayor “agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements, and he’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward.” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said, “The effort to nationalize New York is going to fail.”
Mamdani said he’s focused on the three congressional candidates he has already endorsed: Brad LanderDarializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez. But he didn’t rule out future endorsements outside of New York.
“It’s not just New York City where working people are asking themselves ‘why can’t I afford my rent, why can’t I afford my groceries, why can’t I find enough money in my pocket for childcare no matter how hard I work?,’” Mamdani said.
When asked about a recent manifesto penned by a number of moderate House Democrats and Democratic candidates, promoting capitalism over socialism, Mamdani doubled down on his vision for the party.
“I’m not interested in writing a manifesto, or frankly, in reading one,” the mayor said. “I’m interested in delivering.”
Mamdani also criticized Democrats who continue to make antagonizing Trump the center of their politics rather than working people.
“You’ve got to have something that you are not just willing to stand up for, but that you’re also willing to explain how this is relevant to working people,” he said. “And I think this just comes back to the fact that I’m leading a city that’s the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. I could end the sentence there and say that life is great for 8.5 million people. But it’s also a city where one in four are living in poverty. And for far too many Americans, those contradictions have become their day to day life.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Despite remaining undefeated in the initial round of the World Cupthe Iran national team is going home after failing to secure enough points to advance. But they do not leave quietly.
Iran’s tumultuous journey in the World Cup has been the subject of widespread attention amid the U.S. war with Iran, with the United States being one of three countries hosting matches. The Iranian team captain, Mehdi Taremi, blamed FIFA, saying, “It’s a disaster World Cup. A disaster.”
“I mean, FIFA, they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately they could not solve it since the beginning,” Taremi said at a press conference Friday after his team drew with Egypt, knocking Iran out of the tournament.
He pointed to the team’s biggest obstacle. “We don’t have our logistics people here. They don’t have a visa,” Taremi said, adding, “We always complain about these things but no one helps. No one.”
The Trump administration denied visas to key Iranian staff and severely restricted players’ travel. The team’s base camp was moved from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, where it was required to return immediately after each game.
“How is it possible we always have to travel from Tijuana? We love the people in Tijuana. We love Mexico,” the Iran team captain said, but added, “It’s not fair.”
Throughout the tournament, the Football Federation of Iran lamented the number of issues, threatening to lodge a formal complaint against FIFA. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei called his team the “most oppressed” in the tournament. A few days before Iran’s final match against Egypt in Seattle on Friday, the U.S. loosened travel restrictions to allow players to enter the United States two days before the game.
“The Iran team will still be required to leave the day the match ends,” the Department of Homeland Security said ahead of the match. “The overall security measures and protocol are the same. We remain committed to providing the safest tournament possible for players, staff, and fans alike.”
Still, Iran finished Group G in third place with three points earned after drawing in its matches against Belgium, New Zealandand Egypt. Under FIFA’s new 48-team format, the top eight of third-place teams move on to the next round, but Iran narrowly fell short.
The team initially seemed poised to advance when it was tied with the same amount of points as Algeria, which scored a goal in stoppage-time against Austria Saturday night. But moments later, Austria tied the game, guaranteeing Iran’s elimination.
Off the field, tensions with Iran heightened Friday when the U.S. struck Iran despite signing a memorandum of understanding meant to halt hostilities in order to finalize a peace deal.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
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