MinnPost

As America’s democracy turns 250, there are moments to celebrate. The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision preserving birthright citizenship reaffirmed one of our nation’s defining promises: that America belongs not to some of us, but to all of us. But anniversaries are also moments for honesty.

WASHINGTON — The roar of three jets in close formation diving toward the surf broke the tranquility of a secluded beach on the  Chesapeake Bay in southern Maryland a couple of weeks ago. The powerful military planes turned sharply skyward in a synchronized loop-de-loop. Other aerial acrobatics followed for nearly two hours.

Water evaporating off of corn, known as “corn sweat,” can exacerbate heat waves by adding moisture to the air. Known as “evapotranspiration,” the phenomenon occurs when water transfers from the corn’s surface or the soil to the atmosphere. This can result in higher dew points and humidity. The crop can add as much as 4,000 gallons of water vapor to the air per acre each day. A study on a Midwestern heat wave in 2011 found moisture levels from crops rose by 40% over agricultural areas during daytime.

When the state of Minnesota announced last fall that monthly premiums on MNsure, the state’s healthcare exchange borne out of the Affordable Care Act, would skyrocket 57%, state officials and healthcare advocates warned that an untold number of Minnesotans could no longer afford their insurance. At a board meeting last week, MNsure officials released the toll so far: There were 125,714 effectuated enrollments as of May, a 12% decline compared to May 2025, when there were 142,977 such enrollees.

Skip to content Steve Sack is drawing again, and publishes an editorial cartoon, like this one on U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer’s recent comments on Somali immigrants, on MinnPost each Thursday. For more of Sack’s work, follow him on Substack. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. Keep up with the politics, culture and stories shaping Minnesota with MinnPost's daily newsletter.

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, I find myself reflecting on a question that has shaped much of my life: What sustains a republic so that it does not turn its power against its people? For me, the answer begins in Minnesota. When I arrived in the resort town of Perham in northern Minnesota as its first American Field Service (AFS) exchange student from Sri Lanka in the late 1970s, I brought with me the values of two spiritual traditions.

WASHINGTON – Since early last year, Minnesota’s members of the U.S. House and their staffers have taken dozens of free trips to France, Israel, Greece, Mexico and other destinations. A MinnPost analysis of “gift travel” filings found that both Democrats and Republicans in Minnesota’s congressional delegation have joined colleagues from all other states to take advantage of a congressional perk – trips whose every expense is paid for by special interests. From Jan.

Welcome to the Glean, MinnPost’s daily roundup of Minnesota news. House Speaker Lisa Demuth’s gubernatorial campaign is being bankrolled by the owner of Wisconsin-based shipping and packaging supplies company Uline, the Minnesota Reformer reports.

This post comes from our Capitol Conversations newsletter. Sign up here to get Matthew Blake’s takes on the latest Minnesota state government news, delivered to your inbox Thursday mornings. Dear Minnesotans, When Robert Redford died last September, I rewatched “All the President’s Men,” which, for those not as into 1970s movies as I am, is the true story of Bob Woodward (played by Redford) and Carl Bernstein (played by Dustin Hoffman) as Washington Post reporters breaking the Watergate scandal.

Starting salary: $100,000-$115,000 Location: Minneapolis, MN MinnPost is hiring an Development Director, a senior leadership position that will lead fundraising and philanthropic revenue generation across the organization. Reporting to the Executive Director and serving on the leadership team, this person will work with editorial, business staff, and the board to set goals, build relationships, and grow the resources that support MinnPost’s public-service journalism.