Center of the American Experiment

Another election-year political ad is out connecting Amy Klobuchar to a fraud-linked nonprofit earmark. The ad was put out by the MN Restore Sanity Political Action Committee (PAC). The facts in the ad are easily verifiable. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) put in a request for a direct Congressional appropriation (earmark) for nearly $400,000 for a nonprofit linked to the free-food fraud scandal. It does not appear that the organization received this federal money.

Photo: Brian via Flickr (https://flic.kr/p/6U4Vo2) (CC BY-NC 2.0) Leading up to the 2026 Minnesota State Fair, public safety authorities took a unique, pro-active stance to blunt potential gang violence that had marred portions of the fair in previous years. I wrote about this promising policy approach here.

Join Opportunity for All Kids and Center of the American Experiment for the second annual 7k for Kids Fun Run on Saturday, October 11th in Plymouth. There will be a raffle drawing for a $7,000 scholarship toward the K-12 private school of your choice to promote the ongoing $7k for Kids campaign for a Minnesota Education Savings Account (ESA).

Academic performance results on the 2025 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) show the United States has lost significant ground in reading since the test was last administered in 2022. The global test assesses the reading, math, and science knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students. It is designed to measure problem-solving skills and application rather than assessing grade-level content expectations.

As he looks back over his time as Minnesota’s governor, searching for something he can call an achievement, Tim Walz likes to tout the state’s “free” school meals program. Passed into law by the “historic” DFL trifecta in 2023, it provides one “free” breakfast and one “free” lunch each school day to all participating students, regardless of family income. In the context of government programs, “free” actually means that taxpayers are paying, and that cost keeps rising.

The Minnesota Legislature passed trans-refuge and coverage laws that pressed doctors, hospitals, and insurers to treat a specialty lobby’s protocol as settled science. That protocol’s authors now call the same claims non-actionable opinion. That is a litigation and funding problem—and a betrayal of parents who relied on those claims to make irreversible decisions about their children’s mental and physical health.

The wife and husband team of Mekfira and Abduljabar Hussein appeared at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis this evening for sentencing in the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal. Both had previously pled guilty in the case. Your correspondent was there. Federal district Judge Nancy Brasel presided over both hearings, held back-to-back. Mekfira received a prison sentence of just under 5 years (57 months), at the top end of the sentencing guidelines, for her senior role in the fraud.

September 8 is the 60th anniversary of International Literacy Day, a day designed to highlight the importance of literacy and champion outstanding literacy efforts. For some families, there’s nothing better than a good bedtime story. Nightly 20-minute reading sessions create delightful memories and strong families, but parents should also know that they’re helping their young one read well in the future.

Last week, Carlton Johnson II, 35, shot seven people at a high-rise apartment complex where he lived in downtown Minneapolis. Johnson’s history of violent threats has left many wondering how our laws didn’t prevent Johnson from obtaining a gun. The answer, of course, is that laws don’t prevent violence; actions do.

Has America forgotten the lessons of September 11, 2001? Check out the American Experiment Podcast In this very special episode of the American Experiment Podcast, President John Hinderaker speaks with Five For Fighting’s John Ondrasik to discuss the 25-year anniversary of September 11. Remember to LIKE, SHARE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode of the American Experiment Podcast. We’ll see you next Tuesday afternoon!