As was widely reported, if New York had counted just 89 more people in the 2020 Census, it would have received the last U.S. House seat over Minnesota.
Somewhat less widely reported (because unlike the 89-person figure, it wasn't announced during a national Census Bureau conference call) was that the actual margin was even closer: if 26 fewer Minnesotans had been counted, Minnesota would have lost the seat, too.
That's 0.000035 percent of Minnesota's new official population, or 0.00044 percent of New York's.
This discrepancy exists based on the Census Bureau's complicated formula, which you can look at here if you want to. But you don't need to, because I spent rather too much time this afternoon crunching the numbers, to calculate what happens between those two points — 89 more New Yorkers or 26 fewer Minnesotans. Because it turns out, for example, that if there were eight fewer Minnesotans, then New York would have needed 60 more people to get the last seat.
Here's what the Census Bureau's formula looks like in action:
Tonight, President Joe Biden will make his first address to a joint session of Congress. It's not technically a State of the Union — that title is only bestowed on speeches given by a president who's been in office over the past year, and so not to addresses by recently inaugurated presidents. Expect Biden to talk about the pandemic response and his proposed "human infrastructure" plan. [Read more from The Associated Press]
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., will deliver the Republican response. Scott, the only Black Senate Republican, has assumed a rising prominence on a range of issues, including police law overhauls. He's in for a tough job — State of the Union response messages tend to disappoint, regardless of which party is giving it. [Read more from The Associated Press]
The ongoing pandemic means many usual features of State of the Union addresses will be absent. Capacity in the House chamber is limited, and many Republican lawmakers are expected to be absent — possibly leading to a friendlier audience for Biden than the usual pageant of dueling partisan ovations. First Lady Jill Biden and members of Congress also aren't allowed to bring guests into the chamber, as has been the norm. Instead, many of them are bringing so-called "virtual guests," which is even more meaningless than the practice of symbolic guests usually is.
Speaking of legislative rules about COVID-19, upcoming conference committees to settle the state's must-pass budget will feature divergent rules. The DFL-controlled House requires masks in committees, while the GOP-controlled Senate doesn't. That means on days when the gavel of a conference committee rotates to a House member, members will have to mask up when meeting in-person; when a senator holds the gavel, they won't. [Read more from FOX 9's Theo Keith]
Federal agents searched the apartment of Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and President Donald Trump's personal attorney. The search might be connected to Giuliani's work related to Ukraine, which helped spark Trump's first impeachment. [Read more from NPR's Ryan Lucas and Carrie Johnson]
Rural Otter Tail County is hosting the 2021 Governor's Fishing Opener starting May 13. This ceremonial event is usually a sought-after opportunity for local areas to highlight their businesses and tourism resources — hundreds of thousands of dollars in business for hotels, and perhaps $1 million-worth of media exposure. But this year some Otter Tail County residents have objected, citing objections to Walz's mask mandate and other pandemic-related measures. The Otter Tail Lakes Country Association discussed the topic but decided not to turn down the event. [ Read more from the Forum News Service]
The Minnesota Supreme Court ordered the Department of Natural Resources to reconsider its decision to grant a permit for the controversial PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. The ruling found the department didn't sufficiently analyze one part of the mine's plan to mitigate pollution, and ordered it to hold a special hearing to gather more evidence. Though they didn't get everything they wanted, this is a defeat for the mine and victory for environmentalists who now get another chance to block the project. [ Read more from Dan Kraker]
The Minnesota House is poised to vote to legalize recreational marijuana next month, but the bill faces strong opposition in the Senate. Sponsor Ryan Winkler, the House Majority Leader, has tried to build support for the bill by routing it through nine different committees for discussion and votes. [Read more from Tim Pugmire]
The National Guard deployment during the Derek Chauvin murder trial cost Minnesota more than $25 million, new invoices show. [Read more from Brian Bakst]
Something completely different: Last night, I was asked on Twitter for my suggestions of books in the alternate history genre. I wouldn't say I'm an expert on the genre, but I've kept coming back to it over the years, so thought I'd pass on my suggestions to you as well. On the field's more literary side, you have works like Philip K. Dick's "The Man in the High Castle" and Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America," both of which reimagine a darker World War II. On the pulpier side, the "1632" series features a West Virginia mining town flung back in time to the middle of the Thirty Years War, where the fictional Americans interact with real figures like Gustavus Adolphus, Galileo and Cardinal Richelieu. Genre king Harry Turtledove has written loads, but is perhaps best known for his "Southern Victory" series where the South wins the Civil War and later fights an alternate World War I on the American front against the German-aligned North. There are also a range of fantasy novels, where the existence of magic affects history, such as one of my all-time favorites, Susanna "Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell."
Listen: I don't know how exactly I stumbled on this live concert of Norwegian singer-songwriter Kari Bremnes, but I dig it, especially the epic feel of "Sangen om fyret ved Tornehamn." [Watch live]
