Capitol Retort: Dangerously biased, felon voting, robed ruffians.

Byline: Kevin Featherly

Editor's note: Welcome to Capitol Retort, our weekly review of issues in state and national news, with a rotating cast of legal and political people in the know. Answers are edited for length and clarity. Any instances of agreement are accidental.

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Question 1: The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul have both endured racially or religiously biased and threatening messages in recent weeksJacob Frey after taking a stand against a presidential rally and Melvin Carter over organized garbage collection. Do you see that as a weird coincidence or emblematic of something bigger and more worrisome in our culture?

Gina Countryman, conservative political operative: I don't know that it's emblematic of a big thing. But I do think that threatening messages and racial attacks just have no place. And I think that's true for most Americans.

Pat Garofalo, GOP House member: This is a symptom of the anonymous nature of social mediathese 40-year-old keyboard warriors who live in their parents' basement get to talk tough on the nternet and hide behind an anonymous email. It's a problem that is coarsening communications in our society and it's something that elected officials, government employees and those in business are all dealing with.

Pete Orput, Washington County attorney: I think we have become so divisive politically that people have been given this de facto permission to say and do things that I find shocking. I think that is just a sign of the political times here. Trump has made it so that all norms are up and people are going right to the edge on stuff. That's why things have become so divisive and violent. And it's real disappointing to me. Real disappointing. But that's the way it is, man.

Javier Morillo, progressive commentator, former union president: I'd say that it's sadly emblematic of our times. People who used to keep their racist opinions or ideas quiet and out of the political realm just feel very empowered. Of course, there have always been nuts and there always will be people making threats and things like that, unfortunately. But to me, this is something we see a lot todayand not just among elected officials. I do think that for the last few years we have been living a dark part of U.S. history. This has existed for a long time, but it's just out in the open a lot again.

Question 2: Citing due process rights and equal protections, ACLU-MN has sued to restore the voting rights of convicted felons who are...