Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
MN Republicans Send a Stern Letter To Trump Regarding Medicaid
You know things aren’t going great when, as Christopher Ingraham at the Minnesota Reformer puts it, Republicans are asking other Republicans not to cut spending. But that is where we’re at, with a group of Minnesota lawmakers now urging the state’s federal reps, Trump, and Medicaid/Medicare administrator Stephanie Carlton via a strongly worded letter not to make massive cuts to Medicaid, which serves 1.4 million Minnesotans under the name of Medical Assistance.
“Just to emphasize what you already know, Medicaid includes services and care for the seniors and those with disabilities, not just health care for the poor,” states the letter, which is co-signed by 13 Minnesota GOP lawmakers. “Additionally, nearly 50% of all Medicaid enrollees are children… This is contrary to how we Republicans respect the aged and the vulnerable.” (Actually, this is exactly how you operate.)
If passed, the proposed federal budget would require a minimum cut of $880 billion from the House Energy and Commerce Committee. House Speaker Mike Johnson has referred to that number as merely a “starting point” in the process, but it’s unclear how this could be achieved without drastically impacting Medicaid. Meanwhile, savings from the cuts would likely go to additional military waste and unattainable border control goals, according to multiple reports.
Stern Letter No. 2: U.S. Attorney General Threatens to Sue MN For Ignoring Trans Sports Ban
It's no secret the current administration hates trans people. And while it’s always a scary time to be trans in America, the current climate is especially bad. Here’s one more example: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is threatening to sue Minnesota, Maine, and California for ignoring what is known as Keeping Men Out Of Women’s Sports Executive Order 14201.
"I hope that it does not come to this,” she writes in a strongly worded letter sent to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison yesterday. “The Department of Justice does not want to have to sue states or state entities, or seek termination of their federal funds."
Ellison has already stated this EO would violate Minnesota’s Human Rights Act. “While the Executive Order references Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, Title IX does not authorize the President to issue directives with the force of law,” he writes in a statement from last week. “Therefore, the Executive Order does not supersede Minnesota law.” (Readers of the Strib Opinion section heard the opposite position over the weekend, when newish columnist Karen Tolkkinen—aka the raw milk enjoyer—bravely punched down, asserting that "transgender girls have an unfair advantage.")
Bondi is already busy suing New York and Illinois for refusing to grant ICE access to DMV databases without a warrant. “We expect Pam Bondi’s worthless, publicity-driven lawsuit to be a total failure, just like all the others,” writes New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in a statement. “Let me be clear: New York is not backing down.”
Minneapolis Shares New Plans for the Formerly Cursed Kmart Site
What’s going to happen to the massive lot at Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue? After tons of debates, op-eds, research, and community input... a whole lot, it turns out! This week, the city of Minneapolis released a new development report suggesting that the razed Kmart is going to become a bustling, full-blown multicultural corridor by 2030.
“It’s an exciting day for the neighborhood, and I think it’s a little bit of a lesson that you might be able to avoid 50 years of headache when you listen to community members,” joked Anna Schmitz, executive director of the Whittier Alliance, at a Tuesday press conference, while noting that her group formed in 1972 to oppose the closing of Nicollet.
There are plans for retail shops on the corners of the block, including a full-service grocery store, which means the neighborhood will no longer be a food desert. Proposed housing includes 20-25 affordable ownership townhomes and 500-600 rental housing units offering both market rate and subsidized affordable housing. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board will be developing a large indoor community space, and there are plans for “modest” above-ground parking with underground lots also on the table. Oh, and yes, Nicollet Avenue will finally be connected; there are bridges in the area that will need to be replaced to accommodate the increase in traffic.
Players Love the Vikings, According to Union Report Card
Hey, how about some good news in sports? According to the National Football League Players Association, the labor union representing NFL players, our athletes really like it here. So much so that Minnesota ranked second overall out of 32 teams in an NFLPA survey of 1,695 athletes. Participants were asked to rank things like the quality of their workout facilities, availability of training staff, support for families, cafeteria qualities, and more. It turns out the Vikings have the best locker room, getting an A+ and ranking No. 1 across the league, while the Vikings' lowest score, a healthy B+, goes to nutritional support—get them some more Uncrustables!
The only team to score As across that board was the No. 1 Miami Dolphins. “The Vikings have been the gold standard when it comes to treatment of families since the inception of these report cards,” an NFLPA spokesperson says of the survey results. The worst team to work for if you're an NFL player? The Arizona Cardinals, which ranked dead last, including an F- score for its locker rooms.
Correction: A previous version of this article used Medicare when referring to Medicaid; Racket regrets the error, and we'll be more medicareful in the future.
