Good morning, and happy Thursday.
Gov. Tim Walz has been doing a lot more national interviews lately, and he's using them to contrast Minnesota with Republican-led states. MPR’s Brian Bakst noticed: For a governor who over four years got relatively little national exposure — at least not the kind he sought — it’s been a stark turn. In his first term that attention was usually tied to a crisis — George Floyd’s murder and the resulting upheaval or fallout from COVID-19. But since his re-election in November, Walz is nearing the number of cable TV news appearances he did in all of his first term, according to his office. And he’s using them to contrast his agenda in Minnesota to what’s happening in other states with Republican governors. The latest move came Wednesday when Walz staged a Little Free Library in his office lobby and stocked it with books facing bans or restrictions in other state school libraries. “This isn't to pick a fight with someone,” Walz said when asked about his motivation. “This is just to make it very clear to Americans that there is a vast number of people who disagree with these policies that are meant to hurt and marginalize communities.” You don’t have to look far for states moving in opposite directions. Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota are all in solid Republican control and advancing conservative social and fiscal policies, including abortion bans and restrictions on gender affirming care. Iowa’s governor campaigned for Walz's GOP opponent last fall, South Dakota’s isn’t shy about recruiting Minnesota businesses and North Dakota’s has threatened to sue over the newly enacted carbon-free climate policy. “It’s true, I’m in a tough neighborhood,” Walz observed during a live event hosted in February by Politico.
Walz’s attempts to contrast Minnesota with GOP-led states were also noticed by the Star Tribune. Walz's tone has been especially sharp toward Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is pushing a self-described "war on woke" in his home state ahead of a widely expected run for president in 2024 . The two served in Congress together before being elected governors of their respective states in 2018 and winning reelection last year. At the book event, Walz was referring to a new Florida law that requires material in school libraries and media centers to be approved by a trained specialist. In response, some teachers have removed most books from their collections until they are approved, fearing criminal penalties. In an emailed response to Walz, DeSantis deputy press secretary Jeremy Redfern linked to a video where the Florida governor pushed back on claims that the new law banned books, saying that only pornographic and inappropriate books are being removed from schools. "We find it kind of strange that a governor would put pornography in a library outside of his office," Redfern said in the email. None of the books included in the Little Free Library are considered pornographic, and Redfern wasn't specific about what he meant.
A meeting in Monticello Wednesday night on the relicensing of the Xcel nuclear power plant in that community was relatively quiet in the wake of news of a leak of radioactive water. MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reports the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering whether to grant Xcel Energy's request to keep operating the plant beyond its current license, which expires in 2030. Last week officials said water containing tritium had leaked at the plant back in November. They said the contamination has not left the plant site, and there is no threat to the public. Last night's meeting was part of the NRC's lengthy review process, which also includes safety checks and an environmental review. Monticello resident William Fair said he trusts the NRC to make sure the plant is safe. "I would just like to make sure that as this progresses, that the term nuclear leak, or radiation leak doesn't become a dog whistle to create havoc in the community,” Fair said. The public has until April 10 to comment on the scope of the environmental review.
The University of Minnesota wants the Legislature to help it offset a tuition shortfall at its Twin Cities campus. Tuition revenue there is coming up more than $17 million short, and the gap comes as the university is also asking for $950 million to buy and operate medical facilities it currently runs with Fairview Health Services ahead of that company's proposed merger with Sanford Health. The university’s Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations Myron Franz told MPR’s Tom Crann the tuition problem isn’t because of a lack of demand at the Twin Cities campus. “What happened was a reduction in the continuing students. And you might not be surprised, when there's a reduction in community colleges and other colleges around the state, our transfer numbers go down,” Frans said. “Another factor was that there are more Minnesotans in this class, reducing the tuition that we receive. Also, more students are graduating sooner. That's a good thing, but it does reduce tuition.”
Menthol cigarettes, flavored chewing tobacco and vape liquids would be banned under legislation moving at the Capitol, the Fargo Forum reports. Many communities across Minnesota have already limited the sale of flavored tobacco products, but only a few have banned them outright, including Moorhead, Bloomington and Edina. Cities like Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth have restricted sales to adult-only stores. Ban supporters told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee earlier this month that flavored tobacco products appeal to children and offer a gateway into nicotine addiction by providing a more palatable alternative. They also argued that menthol cigarettes are aggressively marketed to the Black community, contributing to higher rates of tobacco-related disease and death. The bill could potentially be included in a larger bill related to health policy later on in the legislative session. Though senators said it may have to make a stop in the committee that handles state and local government issues first.
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