Black Minnesota voters talk Harris 🗳️

Plus: New laws that take effect today [Plus: New laws that take effect today] View this email as a [web page]( [Star Tribune]( [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! Surely, I'm not the only one taking an extended lunch at 11 a.m. 🤸🏻 ♀️ On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [Minnesota high court sets self-defense precedent in machete case: retreat before brandishing weapon]( - [New civil discourse policies meant to stymie polarizing debates at Minnesota workplaces]( - [Agencies try to minimize harm from Rainbow Health shutdown]( - [Inside Forepaugh’s $1 million restoration leading up to its mid-August reopening]( - [Hennepin County Board votes 4-2 to give themselves a 49% raise](   Black Minnesotans split on Harris as a presidential candidate John Bazemore/Associated Press Depending on who you ask, Vice President Kamala Harris is either a beacon of hope for the Democratic Party or an extension of President Joe Biden's policies and thus a static force in the race against former President Donald Trump. As the presumptive nominee for the Democratic party ahead of its national convention later this month, Minnesota's Black voters are split on their views of the former senator and California attorney general. Black voters have long been a key constituency for Democratic politicians — 92% of Black Americans voted for Biden in 2020. Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune Maya Rao sat down with several Minnesota voters go gauge their thoughts on Harris. She spoke with everyone from forklift operators to school board members, attorneys to faith leaders and everyone in-between. She found that Black voters' views on the vice president run the gamut, even as polls show Harris extending the Democratic ticket's lead in Minnesota over Trump in the days since Biden exited the race. The RealClearPolitics polling averages showed Harris doubled Biden's 4 percentage point advantage here over Trump since she entered the race. One thing to note: Rao spoke with Minnesotans before the former president openly disparaged Harris during a professional conference for Black journalists, where Trump questioned her racial identity and falsely claimed she almost exclusively embraced her Asian-American heritage until recently. Rao's conversations with Black voters covered everything from foreign policy to immigration. Read [some of the takeaways from those interviews here](.     GOING OUT - [Top musicians from around the world converge on Brainerd for a classical music festival (with a side of water skiing)]( - [Gustavus grads open St. Peter’s first brewery in former Red Owl site]( - [Want to see your dog or cat on Surly’s beer?]( Minnesota medal count 👀 So far, three Minnesotans have won as many medals for Team USA at the Paris Olympics. But that may change today as several events feature athletes from the North Star State. Here's the current medal count: 🥇 Suni Lee and Team USA claimed gold in the women's all-around gymnastics event. 🥈 Regan Smith won silver in the women's 100-meter backstroke. Sarah Bacon also won silver in the women's synchronized springboard. Who we're watching today: Two Minnesotans will compete for medals today. Lee will compete in the women's all-around gymnastics competition at 11 a.m. Smith will swim in the women's 200-meter butterfly at 12:30 p.m. Alise Willoughby will race in the BMX quarterfinals today and the U.S. women's basketball team will take on Belgium at 2 p.m. in the penultimate Group C match. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and Coach Cheryl Reeve are your Minnesota connection on the hardwood. Keep up with our [Sports desk's live coverage here](. [Share this newsletter with friends]( Do you enjoy Essential Minnesota? Encourage your friends and family to [sign up](. You also can share it using the links below. You've got new laws to follow starting today Sorry, but your tween can't ride shotgun starting today. But you also can't be towed just because the meter expired — you can still get ticketed, though. Aug. 1 marks the effective date for several new Minnesota laws, including harsher penalties for placing hoax emergency calls. And reporter [Anthony Lonetree has the details on several of them here](. Alex Kormann/Star Tribune MORE FROM THE STAR TRIBUNE - [U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to support Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota visit this week]( - [Alise Willoughby, BMX champion from St. Cloud, pursues the Olympic gold medal that has evaded her]( - [Proposed cannabis regulations bring Minnesota one step closer to dispensaries]( - [Donald Trump falsely suggests Kamala Harris misled voters about her race]( ON THIS DAY IN 1973 Earl Seubert/Star Tribune When Foshay Tower opened in downtown Minneapolis in 1929, it was the first structure to loom large over City Hall and the tallest building in the Midwest. But in 1972, the IDS Center eclipsed Foshay as the sleek new skyscraper edged above the art deco building. The IDS observation deck proved to be more popular almost immediately upon its opening in 1973, leading Foshay decision-makers to close their own viewing platform soon after with little notice. The Foshay observation deck greeted 18,000 visitors in July of 1967. By June of 1973, fewer than 750 people visited, according to a front-page Star Tribune story from Aug. 1 of that year. There was no announcement of the closure. "I'm kind of disappointed to have to close it," said Mike Gersted, building manager at the time. "But there's a time and place for everything, and the time of this place is over." The Foshay observation deck is open again these days. There's a museum underneath. IN OTHER NEWS - This Minneapolis Indigenous Design Camp for teens is the first of its kind in the U.S.]( - MPR News - [‘Inheriting disparities’: Bone marrow donor’s community affects recipient health after transplant]( - MinnPost - [The only Spanish-language mass in St. Cloud got canceled. The congregation is fighting back]( - Minnesota Reformer     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE Angela_Suto via Reddit This might sound a bit strange, but one of my happy places — you know, a mental space I'll occupy when I want to relax — is a drizzly downtown where the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the sidewalk is only occasionally broken by the sound of a car splashing through a puddle. The temperature: 50 degrees. That's why this masterful piece of art Reddit user Angela_Suto caught me off-guard. It perfectly captures that mood and takes me to my happy place. (It also makes me crave a cup of coffee and a scone.) You can thank fellow reporter and Essential Minnesota author Zoë Jackson for pointing it out. I mean, tell me you're an Oregonian without telling me you're an Oregonian, am I right? Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, reporter David Taintor, editor [Email]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]([Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Manage]( your preferences | [Opt Out]( using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? [Sign up]( to receive our future emails. View this email [online](. 650 3rd Ave. S. Suite 1300 | Minneapolis, MN 55488 US This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.