Good morning, and happy Friday. 

Minnesota will not move up on the nominating calendar in the 2024 Democratic presidential campaign after President Joe Biden weighed in to reshuffle the process.The Washington Post reports: Biden has asked leaders of the Democratic National Committee to make South Carolina the nation’s first primary state, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada a week later, and hold subsequent weekly primaries in Georgia and Michigan, according to Democrats briefed on the plans. The tectonic decision to remake his party’s presidential nominating calendar for 2024 came as a shock to party officials and state leaders who had been lobbying hard in recent weeks to gain a place in the early calendar, which historically attracts millions of dollars in candidate spending and attention. While many in the party had long anticipated changes, the specific order Biden proposed had generated little if any chatter in Democratic circles. 

More from a letter Biden sent the DNC rules committee: "Just like my Administration, the Democratic Party has worked hard to reflect the diversity of America - but our nominating process does not. For fifty years, the first month of our presidential nominating process has been a treasured part of our democratic process, but it is time to update the process for the 21st century. I am committed to working with the DNC to get this done." 

And part of a statement from Minnesota DFL Party Chair Ken Martin: “While I am disappointed that Minnesota was not selected to be an early presidential primary state, I recognize how difficult this decision was and I appreciate all the work that the Democratic National Committee put into making it. I would also like to thank every state that participated in the process of updating and strengthening our presidential primary calendar.”

Meanwhile after a disappointing election, Minnesota Republicans are set to gather in St. Cloud Saturday. Among the items on the agenda is electing a party chair. Axios reports:  David Hann, who took the reins after a rocky period last year, is running for a full term. He's expected to face several challengers. Hann, who argues he needs more time to right the ship, says building inroads in the vote-dense metro will be essential. He cited high base turnout and the narrow losses in the attorney general and auditor races as bright spots.

More details on that vote by members of the Minnesota Nurses Association to authorize a strike.MPR’s Michelle Wiley and Matt Sepic report the nurses have set a strike date of Dec. 11 if a long-running stalemate in contract talks isn't resolved. Union nurses walked out for three days in September. This time, they say most nurses will be out for three weeks. The strike would affect more than a dozen hospitals in the Twin Cities and Duluth areas, and would run from 7 a.m. Dec. 11 to 7 a.m. Dec. 31 at most of the facilities. Nurses with the St. Luke's system in Duluth and Two Harbors, Minn., have chosen to strike with no end date set, the union said. Hospitals countered that they are struggling to care for especially young patients who are flooding into some facilities. Children’s Minnesota president and CEO Dr. Marc Gorelick said the system is preparing to bring in nurses from staffing agencies. “We’ve already made financial commitments. The financial impact of this strike across the system began this morning, as soon as we got notice. So we and all the other health systems that are impacted are already starting to spend money on replacement nurses.”

Gov. Tim Walz is laying out his agenda for 2023. "Things that I could not talk about — that they just said was a non-starter — can now become the reality," Walz said in a wide-ranging interview with the Star Tribune. "The art of what is possible has expanded." For the DFL governor, that means potentially "one of the most aggressive" proposals to address climate change in the nation, a sweeping statewide paid parental leave package and a push to legalize marijuana for adults. But Walz said he still wants legislative Republicans at the table, and he anticipates he'll have some disagreements with members of his own party. "People told me this: be careful what you wish for, you're going to have to say no to your friends," Walz said.

The state gets an official update on its budget next week, and Walz says he’s expecting there to still be a big surplus.MinnPost reports: Walz said that while he is reluctant to “forecast the forecast” that will be released Tuesday, he said indications are that the state economy remains strong. Tax collections since the last forecast have exceeded expectations, though the state’s economic adviser is now expecting a recession to hit the nation. “It really seems like Minnesota has been relatively stable,” Walz said. “We’re seeing the numbers that show we’re relatively stable. I suspect this will come in status quo,” he said.

Minnesota DFL U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips has been elected as a co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC). “I am both humbled and grateful to have been elected a DPCC Co-Chair, and I look forward to joining a wonderfully diverse and talented new generation of leadership in our Caucus,” said Phillips in a statement. “With so few hailing from the Midwest, I will be a loud and proud voice for America’s heartland at the leadership table, where I will rely on a homegrown spirit of innovation, collaboration, and hard work – along with my background in sales and marketing – to help revamp the Democratic Party’s brand and advance policies that are responsive to the concerns of hardworking American families.” 

Congress will not allow rail workers to strike.NPR reports: The Senate passed a bill to force unions to accept a tentative agreement reached earlier this year between railroad managers and their workers and make an imminent strike illegal — without making any changes — by an 80-15 vote. Senators rejected a measure to offer paid sick leave, 52-43. Both measures required 60 votes to clear the Senate. Both bills had cleared the House on Wednesday. The sick leave effort was meant to ease concerns from labor unions and some lawmakers, despite President Biden's request not to alter the carefully negotiated underlying deal.

Tell MPR News: What do you hope lawmakers accomplish this session?