Dear John,

I have personal news that this is my last week at TakeAction Minnesota. I will be taking a sabbatical until mid-January and starting my next chapter. I’ve loved my time here, especially diving into the news with you each week for the past 5 years. I’m so grateful you’ve trusted me with your time and attention. You’ll be in good hands with my colleagues Katie Blanchard and Jess Zimmerman starting next week.

After Tuesday, stay in touch on Twitter @kenzahadjmoussa. If you have any recommendations for books, podcasts, or TV I should check out during my sabbatical, send them my way.

Here's what we're reading, watching, and listening to this week:

1. Attorney General Race

This is an important article about the state’s Attorney General race. Corporate Attorney Jim Schultz is making it clear—he is not running for office to prosecute corporations. Read: Minnesota AG Nominee Wants to Defund Corporate Law Enforcement.

2. Big Lie Candidate

Learn more about Minnesota’s Big Lie Secretary of State candidate Kim Crockett in the Spokesman-Recorder.

3. GOP Memo

Most Minnesotans believe we should have reproductive freedom. ICYMI: The Star Tribune covered the leaked GOP memo to candidates who are being forced to answer on their stance on abortion rights.

4. MPD

Frey picks Newark deputy mayor as next Minneapolis police chief. As this MPR story notes, MPD is facing a consent decree from the state, and possibly the Department of Justice like Newark’s police department.

5. Hurricane Ian

From NPR: Climate change makes storms like Ian more common.

6. The Run-Up

From the New York Times, The Run-Up podcast is highly recommended this election season for its provocative questions about the state of our democracy and analysis that goes beyond horse-race politics.

7. Meta

Facebook's big new experiment in governance: What if platform policies were written in part by their users?

8. Iran, Patriarchy, & Revolution

Author and podcaster Sahara Rose veered from her normal content and released a podcast episode called What’s Going on in Iran: Mahsa Amini, Patriarchy + Revolution. I highly recommend it for historical context and Sahara’s perspective as the daughter of Iranian immigrants.

9. Top 100

Rolling Stone released its list of the top 100 shows ever made!

10. Crystal Flue

Watch and enjoy Lizzo making history as the only person who has ever played the 200-year-old crystal presidential flute, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

That’s a wrap.

With gratitude,

Kenza Hadj-Moussa