Good morning. Enjoy the supposedly dry day after a soaking stretch.
An unprecedented criminal case involving a former president now rests with a New York jury. Attorneys gave long — and naturally competing — versions of the hush money payments that have former President Donald Trump facing potential felony conviction . The jury would need to find that payments to a former adult film actress were made to cover up another crime in order to get to a guilty verdict. As we’ve said before, no matter what the outcome is, the political ramifications will be huge. Trump could benefit from either an acquittal or a hung jury given that another trial is unlikely ahead of November’s election; a conviction would put the country in unchartered territory.
Meanwhile, national Democrats could opt for a virtual nomination of Joe Biden for another presidential term. That early August maneuver would expedite the nomination to make sure Biden doesn’t face any complications tied to ballot filing deadlines. Also, there is real concern that protests in the convention hall could be a bad look for Biden and provide a TV-ad moment for his opponents. A decision on the timing could be made at a Democratic National Committee rules and bylaws meeting next week.
This time, the noise from rideshare drivers came from inside the office of Gov. Tim Walz. Unlike a year ago when he angered a contingent of drivers by vetoing a standards bill, Walz was surrounded by a jubilant crew for a ceremonial bill signing. The actual bill was signed Friday, when Walz cleared the deck of all remaining legislation. There were no vetoes. The rideshare standards, which include new hourly and mileage minimums as well as additional job protections, were in a giant bill that passed in the last minutes of the 2024 session. Uber and Lyft are on board because it overrides a Minneapolis ordinance that the companies found unworkable. The new state minimum wages for drivers take effect in December.
Gov. Walz has sent a team of emergency responders to Iowa to assist with storm assessment efforts there. It came after the southern neighbor faced severe hail storms over the weekend and deadly tornadoes last week. "Our neighbors in Iowa are stressed to the breaking point and trying to recover. We sent a team from emergency Homeland Security Emergency Management down to help them do damage assessments and things,” Walz said Tuesday morning. The governor also said the search for two missing canoeists in the Boundary Waters is ongoing. Walz cautioned Minnesotans to mind weather forecasts for potential severe weather events.
Lastly on Walz: He was our guest on Politics Friday last week to talk about the end of session and other matters. If you missed it, the interview is here. It included callers trying to goad the governor into getting a Naz Reid tattoo, something he didn’t rule out.
Less than a week remains in candidate filing for many offices on Minnesota’s ballot this year. June 4 is the deadline for seeking county, state and federal offices. We know there will be primaries in some races for Congress. That includes Republican races in the closely watched 2nd District (DFL Rep. Angie Craig is the incumbent) and the GOP-held 7th District (the seat held by Rep. Michelle Fischbach, who is trying for a new term). The heavily Democratic 5th District (where Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar lives) will see a DFL primary involving multiple challengers. Several legislative primaries are also likely.
No word yet on whether Republicans will have a U.S. Senate primary. The state GOP convention endorsed former pro-basketball player Royce White, who is now a podcaster who pushes boundaries on his shows. White’s spending from a past run for Congress, including on luxury items and strip club bills, has come under scrutiny . A more-traditional candidate, former Navy officer Joe Fraser, hasn’t said if he’ll file to run in the August primary. Any Republican would be a big underdog against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has nominal primary opposition that includes frequent candidate Ole Savior among others.
The Minnesota Legislature’s departure lounge now sits at 20 members and counting. We typically see one or two snap retirement announcements during the filing period or just before it closes. Over the weekend, DFL Rep. Dave Lislegard of Aurora said he’d leave after this term . His seat is a prime GOP pickup opportunity on the politically changing Iron Range. Up to three state senators could be leaving mid-term, putting the narrowly divided chamber up for grabs on a small playing field. | 