Good morning. Anyone else have a candy hangover?
President Joe Biden is on his way to Minnesota today. According to the White House, he’ll be focused on a rural vitality program rollout . His scheduled visit to a Northfield farm about an hour south of Minneapolis will serve as the backdrop to launch his “Investing in Rural America” initiative, which will direct more than $5 billion in already approved money toward projects around rural connectivity, renewable energy and land conservation.
Biden’s visit comes as he tries to navigate instability on the world stage and coincidentally comes days after Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips launched a bid for the 2024 presidential nomination. That’s despite Biden’s reelection plans. A group of eight elected Democrats from Phillips’ Minnesota 3rd Congressional District issued a statement saying they “enthusiastically support” Biden as “as the right person to stop Donald Trump and the damage that MAGA Republicans would bring, and to lead our nation forward.” Minnesota Republican Party chair David Hann took to Phillips’ defense.
Phillips is set to be live on Morning Edition at 7:20 a.m with Cathy Wurzer. He’ll join the show from New Hampshire, where he’s due to hold a town hall event later in the day. Listen here or on your radio. I’m sure we’ll post it later online if you missed it.
Biden is due to appear at a fundraising reception in Minnesota today, according to an invitation I viewed. Co-hosts were expected to put in $50,000 and sponsors $20,000. Photoline access included at those levels. The Biden Victory Fund is the recipient, which allows for the bigger donations than the candidate could take on his own. But to date, it’s Republican Donald Trump racking up the larger haul in Minnesota than Biden. MinnPost ran down the numbers , showing $582,000 for the former president from Minnesota donors and $389,000 for the current president through Sept. 30.
A new effort to build wealth in Black communities has some financial muscle and institutional support behind it. A coalition of more than 40 corporate, civic and philanthropic organizations in Minnesota announced Tuesday that it’s received pledges of nearly $1 billion to help build wealth in Black communities. The GroundBreak Coalition was formed after the murder of George Floyd to help close racial wealth gaps in Minnesota, by expanding opportunities for homeownership, entrepreneurship and commercial development.
I mentioned yesterday that people are very opinionated about the Minnesota flag. Turns out that’s it’s more than we even knew heading into the week. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports on a “flurry of last-minute entries” to remake the flag and a corresponding state seal. The State Emblem Redesign Commission reported Tuesday that it received 2,633 entries during the one-month submission period, with hundreds coming in within the final day. Additional mail-in entries sent in before the Monday deadline were not included in that total. The bulk — 85 percent — were contenders for a new flag, while the rest were submissions for a new state seal. | 