Things Are Already So Bad
Gonna go ahead and quote New York Magazine editor-at-large Choire Sicha here: "Donald Trump decided that he could put a 'pause' on paying all of America's in-house bills and over the course of the day everything went from 'this is concerning' to 'we are suddenly already near total societal collapse.'" Or perhaps it's better to quote the Intelligencer's Ed Kilgore: "Trump’s Blatantly Illegal Funding Freeze Causes Nationwide Chaos."
What's that mean for Minnesota? Well, the Minnesota Star Tribune's Briana Bierschbach and Sydney Kashiwagi did their best to give us an idea (gift link), and the answers, it won't surprise you, are bad!
There's plenty we don't know right now, but a memo from the director of the Office of Management and Budget "cites the more than $3 trillion spent in 2024 on federal financial assistance, such as grants and loans," according to the Strib. The freeze is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Central Time today, but if you're wondering how long it'll last, you're going to keep wondering; White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would not provide a timeline. Medicare and Social Security benefits are exempt, along with federal assistance “received directly by individuals,” like food stamps or scholarships.
City officials throughout Minnesota are still trying to figure out what the freeze will mean, but let's be honest: The intent is to cause chaos, and chaos it is causing.
“There is a lot of concern from local units of government in this state,” Daniel Lightfoot, intergovernmental relations representative and federal relations manager for the League of Minnesota Cities, told the Strib. “These executive actions are broadly worded and have potential far-reaching impacts for cities across the state.”
Adds Gov. Tim Walz...
A coalition of democratic state AGs plans to sue to block the order; here's the New York Times story on that (gift link).
Update, 4:09 p.m.: A federal judge has temporarily blocked the freeze. Read more via the Associated Press.
Neat! Richest 1% of MN Families Own 1/3 of Wealth.
Just a deluge of depressing facts in this new one from the Minnesota Reformer's Christopher Ingraham. "The wealthiest communities in the Twin Cities are roughly 10 times richer than the poorest ones, according to a new database of household wealth," his story begins. We're off to a great start!
Ingraham reports that the median net worth for households in west metro enclaves like Lake Minnetonka and Maple Grove is well over $400,000; in south Minneapolis and western St. Paul, that number is closer to $40,000. Not even close, really.
And the story goes on to explain that Minnesota's economic inequality is growing, as it is throughout the U.S., with household wealth becoming increasingly concentrated. In 1960, the richest 1% of Minnesota households owned about 17% of the wealth; today, those households own more than 30%.
MinnPost's 'Major Expansion'
Welp, that's about all the doom and gloom I can handle in one edition of the Flyover! Let's move onto some good news: MinnPost announced a "major expansion" earlier this afternoon. The nonprofit newsroom is planning to grow its ranks by 50% in 2025, adding five new roles, including several senior staff writing positions. More journalism jobs! In 2025! How novel!
“These new roles will exemplify what our nonprofit newsroom does best: taking audiences beyond the ‘what and when’ of daily coverage to serve as trusted guides into the ‘how and why’ of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing Minnesota,” MinnPost editor Elizabeth Dunbar said in a statement.
How are they doing it? With a challenge gift of $1 million from founders Joel and Laurie Kramer, which helped the newsroom get almost halfway to a planned $2.2 million cash infusion. They're currently 70% of the way there.
Let's Discuss the Yacht Club 2025 Lineup
The Minnesota Yacht Club music festival will return to St. Paul’s Harriet Island Regional Park this July, with another lineup mostly aimed squarely at nostalgic millennials and Gen Xers. It'll be the second annual stab at Yacht Club, which is organized by Live Nation-owned promoter C3 Presents.
Hozier and Alabama Shakes will headline on Friday, July 18, followed by Fall Out Boy and Weezer on Saturday and, finally, Green Day and Sublime on Sunday. Sheryl Crow, Father John Misty, Garbage, and 311 will also perform over the weekend; locals include Motion City Soundtrack, Raffaella, Laamar, and Maygen & the Birdwatcher; and—here, why don't you just take a look for yourself.
The Pioneer Press's Ross Raihala thinks Yacht Club 2.0 boasts "a pretty strong lineup" and predicts that the $275 three-day GA passes are gonna move fast. Racket's Keith Harris, meanwhile, says, "If you like living in the past, this is the fest for you." (Racket's Em Cassel says, "I do! Sue me!") You can sign up for Thursday's 10 a.m. presale here; a general sale will follow "if tickets remain," the website states, ominously.
