Good morning, and happy Thursday.
President Joe Biden traveled to the Twin Ports Wednesday to talk about the expected impact of his $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package on Minnesota, Wisconsin and the nation,MPR's Dan Kraker reports . Calling the legislation "the most sweeping investment to rebuild America in history," Biden noted there were hundreds of bridges and thousands of miles of roadway that needed repair across Minnesota and Wisconsin. "This is the United States of America for God's sake," he told an invitation-only crowd at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. "Now, after years of talking about infrastructure, we're finally getting it done." Along with first lady Jill Biden, the president shook hands with workers in hard hats and neon vests near the base of the John A. Blatnik Memorial Bridge, which connects Wisconsin and Minnesota by spanning a corner of Lake Superior. The span is a perennial candidate for replacement because it's too corroded to support heavy trucks, limiting its ability to serve as an economic lifeline for the region.
The New York Times reports as Biden is making a post-State of the Union tour, Democrats are trying to salvage parts of his agenda they think can pass.
The Legislature is piling up work for the Office of the Legislative Auditor. MPR's Brian Bakst reports the Minnesota House plans to vote Thursday on a bill requiring a special audit of the over-budget Southwest Light Rail Line, just one of several intensive reviews lawmakers are seeking this year from the Office of the Legislative Auditor. The pace of requests for audits or other examinations has raised concern over the ability of auditors to keep up and worry that the end products are meant as much for campaign fodder as they are for policymaking. From nutrition aid to rental assistance to the Southwest LRT project, the urgent requests for deep dives into programs are piling up. Nearly four dozen audit ideas have been put forward by lawmakers, with more coming from advocacy groups or average citizens. Those have landed on the desk of new Legislative Auditor Judy Randall. "I have received direct letters. I have read about things in a press release. And I have had bills that have directed us to do work," Randall said recently as she discussed the rising workload for her staff of about 50 skilled evaluators and accountants. Her comments were before the Legislative Audit Commission, a bicameral panel that usually directs the Office of the Legislative Auditor on what to focus on. That's typically about 10 topics per year.
A Minnesota House panel advanced legislation Wednesday to ban conversion therapy in the state, reports MPR's Tim Pugmire. Under the bill, mental health professionals would be prohibited from providing conversion therapy to vulnerable adults and clients under age 18. A ban is long overdue, said Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul, the bill's author. "Conversion therapy includes a range of dangerous and discredited practices aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or efforts to change a person's gender identity or expression," Hollins said. "It preys on the fear of parents and does irreparable harm to children and young adults." Lawmakers heard testimony from supporters of the bill and some opponents. Hunter Cantrell, a former legislator who sponsored of an earlier version of the ban bill, said he views conversion therapy as a fraudulent pseudoscience. "We expect our health care practitioners in the state of Minnesota to offer the highest standard of care, not to harm patients, especially not children," Cantrell said. But opponents believe the bill infringes upon religious freedoms. Daren Mehl of Agape First Ministries told lawmakers that parents should be free to seek out help for their children. "This is religious tyranny and an attack on the rights of parents," Mehl said.
The Star Tribune reports:Two weeks after issuing a public letter renewing its pledge to be "intentional in addressing systemic racism," leadership for Hennepin Healthcare, the Twin Cities' largest safety-net hospital system, is facing internal turmoil over photographs featuring two employees dressed in blackface makeup. The pictures feature two white paramedics, including a deputy chief of EMS, wearing brown makeup. One shows three people dressed as 1960s vocal trio the Supremes. Another shows two people dressed as R&B duo Milli Vanilli, in dreadlock-style wigs and dark makeup. The photos, obtained by the Star Tribune, are not dated, but they resurfaced two weeks ago, when a member of the public forwarded them to Hennepin Healthcare leadership.
Democrats came out swinging against third party gubernatorial candidate Cory Hepola. DFL Party Chair Ken Martin called Cory Hepola a "vanity candidate" running a "spoiler campaign. "The current field of Republican candidates for governor is the most extreme that Minnesota has seen in decades, making Hepola's spoiler campaign even more irresponsible," Martin said in a statement. "A vote for Cory Hepola is a vote to help the GOP cut taxes for the rich, defund public schools, and force their anti-choice agenda on Minnesotans." Hepola has aligned with the just-formed Forward Party, meaning he'll have plenty of structural hurdles to overcome if he's to wage a viable campaign. While Hepola acknowledged his own votes for Walz and Democratic President Joe Biden, he also suggested it was too simplistic to peg him as a Democrat. "I look at it this way: Successful businesses today position themselves as what? Socially progressive, financially thoughtful," Hepola said. "That would be a good way to phrase what we're about." Brian Bakst reports at his kickoff, Hepola touched on his deep spiritual beliefs (he's Lutheran), criticized Walz as having abused executive authority, and called the state's $9.3 billion surplus an embarrassment that cries out for serious tax cuts. He said he favors abortion rights and steps to safeguard natural resources and clean water.
With the invasion of Ukraine now in its second week, Minnesotans with Russian ties say they're growing increasingly concerned about friends and relatives in their home country. They fear that the toll of international economic sanctions will fall hardest on their loved ones. Many also say they support Ukraine and oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin's attack on the country. MPR's Matt Sepic has the story. | 
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