Good morning, and welcome to another Friday, what feels like he last one of the summer, and, wow, did that go fast.
I’ll be out at the State Fair today at noon talking to some politicians and some of our reporters. Come and listen at Dan Patch Park near the grandstand or listen on the radio at MPR News wherever you are. Here’s some news:
The union representing some 15,000 nurses in the Twin Cities and Duluth said Thursday it will launch a three-day strike against 16 hospitals starting Sept. 12, reports MPR’s Michelle Wiley. The decision comes weeks after union leaders said their members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The Minnesota Nurses Association leaders say they believe this is the largest private-sector nurses strike in U.S. history, and likely the largest in state history. Negotiations are ongoing, so it’s still possible a walkout can be avoided, but nursing leaders Thursday described current circumstances as a crisis. “The hospitals will tell you that there is a nursing shortage and they are unable to hire nurses. There is no nursing shortage in Minnesota. Just a shortage of nurses willing to work in this unsafe environment where we cannot give the quality care that we know our patients deserve,” Children's Minnesota nurse Tracey Dittrich told reporters as the union announced its strike plan Thursday morning.
And speaking of politicians and reporters at the State Fair, Dana Ferguson has her first story for MPR News.With a little more than two months left before Election Day, the State Fair offered candidates a chance to meet thousands of voters each day. For Republican Scott Jensen – who is vying to unseat DFL Gov. Tim Walz this fall and still lags in name recognition – the interactions were critical. “The State Fair is huge,” Jensen told MPR News during a brief pause from conversations with fairgoers. ”This is how we're going to change hearts and minds and change Minnesota. It's the only way we can do it. You cannot run against the amount of money that Tim Walz has, without changing hearts and minds. It's the only way we win.” Walz’s fair appearances tended to be more sporadic, with occasional stops at his campaign booth interspersed with ceremonies, news conferences and walks around the fairgrounds. “I think we make a pretty strong case that we had a steady hand in pretty unsteady times.” Walz told MPR News. “I do think the good part about this is this is really about character now. People are seeing how you respond to things. And you're hearing people out here at the fair say, ‘I might not have agreed with you but I think you're trying to do the right thing.’ And that's a pretty high compliment from folks.”
Taxpayers are on the hook for nearly a half-million dollars in legal fees related to court cases brought over Minnesota's redistricting, under a judgment filed Wednesday. Brian Bakst reports the state courts drew new political maps because the divided Legislature couldn’t agree on boundaries for legislative and congressional districts. As part of the court process, various groups had sued to ensure certain principles were followed and the old maps wouldn’t be used in new elections. Redistricting happens every 10 years after the census. Now a special court panel has awarded the plaintiffs in the case a combined $477,000 in legal fees and related costs. That’s more than the $345,000 assessed following the 2012 redistricting. But the award granted this week is about half of the $1 million that the three prevailing parties who sought reimbursement in this case were seeking. The judgment is against the Secretary of State’s office and Carver County, who were named defendants in the case. In the past, the Legislature has approved an appropriation to cover the litigation costs.
Should candidates for governor have to release their tax returns? Walz has released his and has been calling for Jensen to do the same. The Star Tribune takes a look: In previous years, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton regularly released his returns as did his main Republican opponent, former Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson. On Thursday, in response to a question about tax returns, Jensen changed the topic in a statement through his campaign, saying inflation and crime are issues that concern Minnesotans. "We aren't interested in diluting that with a political sideshow," Jensen's campaign said before pivoting to his call for another debate with Walz.
President Biden on Thursday warned Americans that democracy is under attack from a faction of the Republican party led by former President Donald Trump, and called on Democrats, mainstream Republicans and independents to "speak up, speak out, get engaged — vote, vote vote. NPR reports: In a rare prime time speech, Biden attacked his predecessor, saying that "too much of what's happening in our country today isn't normal." The speech came just two months ahead of midterm congressional elections, where Democrats are fighting to keep their slim majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives. Biden said the Republican party is "dominated, driven, intimidated by Donald Trump" and his supporters, calling it "a threat to this country." | 