Vikings threaten to sue over soccer at U.S. Bank Stadium

To view this email as a web page, [click here] [Star Tribune] Talkers Top stories - Vikings threaten to sue over soccer at U.S. Bank Stadium: The owners of Major League Soccer expansion franchise the Minnesota United are in talks about playing games at U.S. Bank Stadium — and it has left the stadium’s primary tenant, the Minnesota Vikings, [crying foul and threatening to sue.] - State officials project a $1.4B surplus: State budget officials on Friday [reported a $1.4 billion projected budget surplus], a sum political leaders will fight over as they debate tax cuts, health care costs and other spending priorities in the upcoming legislative session. - U.S. unemployment rate lowest since 2007: [U.S. employers added a solid 178,000 jobs in November], reflecting the steady economy President-elect Donald Trump will inherit. The unemployment rate hit a nine-year low of 4.6 percent, though mainly because many people stopped looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed. - Trump to nominate retired general for defense secretary: Mattis, 66, is a Marine Corps general who retired in 2013 after serving as the commander of the U.S. Central Command. His selection [raises questions about increased military influence] in a job designed to insure civilian control of the armed forces. For Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would first have to approve legislation bypassing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty. Trump's breezy phone calls with foreign leaders, including [a very unorthodox conversation with the prime minister of Pakistan], are unnerving diplomats at home and abroad. - Trump backers sue to block Wisconsin recount: Supporters of the president-elect [filed a federal lawsuit trying to halt Wisconsin's ongoing presidential recount], and Michigan's attorney general on Friday sued to stop a recount from happening in his state. [A shouting match erupted between top Trump and Clinton campaign staffers] yesterday at a campaign postmortem event at Harvard University. - Bernie Sanders, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board agree on something: The deal announced by Trump and HVAC manufacturer Carrier to keep about 1,000 jobs in Indiana, while about 1,100 will move to Mexico as planned, in exchange for $7 million in tax breaks is being [panned by the WSJ's conservative editorial page] as a "shakedown." Meanwhile, [writing in the Washington Post], the Vermont senator argues that Carrier has given corporations a blueprint for extracting concessions from the incoming administration while offshoring jobs. Economist Justin Wolfers [explains the deal and its big-picture implications] by analogizing the economy to a parking garage (sorry, ramp). Trump has formed [an advisory group of more than a dozen CEOs and business leaders] to offer input on how to create jobs and speed economic growth. [This great graphic from the New York Times] lays out how Trump's many business interests present a number of potential conflicts of interest, even if he hands over control to his kids. - Opposition to Ellison's bid for DNC chair gets louder: Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) [is facing increasingly vocal resistance] to his bid to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee, with Jewish groups and some labor unions expressing unease about making the Minnesota liberal a face of the opposition to Donald Trump. - 2 trapped after building collapses in Sioux Falls: [The vacant building collapsed Friday morning], spilling a mound of debris into a street in downtown Sioux Falls. The cause of the collapse is not yet clear. - Pirate Party begins forming government in Iceland: Iceland's [anti-authoritarian Pirate Party took the helm] in talks to form a new coalition government for the island nation Friday, after two earlier rounds of negotiations broke down. - COMING THIS WEEKEND: Minnesota has placed 17,500 prisoners in solitary confinement over the past decade. Other states are scaling back, but Minnesota has no laws regulating the use of it. Don't miss our special report beginning this Sunday on the use of solitary confinement in Minnesota and the lasting effects it has on inmates. In the meantime, [check out this sneak preview highlighting some of our findings.] Watch this Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus and Pentatonix perform a capella "Jolene": The legendary country singer, Miley Cyrus, [appeared on "The Voice" this week] to perform Parton's hit, "Jolene," with Pentatonix filling in for the band. The crew released the track as a single in September. Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com]. Trending - Chanel says train across flower fields threatens perfume: Chanel warned Friday that a planned train line through the prized flower fields near the southern French perfume-making area of Grasse will [threaten the production of its famous Chanel No. 5 scent.] - Sneaking into a strip-mall speakeasy for Burger Friday: Don’t be thrown by the lack of signage bearing the Volstead House name; owner Tony Donatell is going for the speakeasy vibe, which means that access to this restaurant and bar is available only by walking through another Donatell property: Burgers and Bottles, a casual neighborhood hangout that [is exactly what its name suggests.] - Forgotten history resurfaces in old Twin Cities real estate maps: Decades before Google Maps, plat maps displayed [a wealth of information with hand-drawn care.] - Listen to Dessa's "Hamilton Mixtape" track: The Minneapolis-based member of the Doomtree collective [contributed her take on "Congratulations,"] a song that was actually cut from the musical, in which Alexander Hamilton's sister-in-law, Angelica Schuyler, berates him for going public about an extramarital affair. Sports roundup - Vikings have lost six of seven and know who to blame (the refs): [The Vikings managed a 17-15 defeat against the Cowboys], and their media house men and zealous fans were choosing to blame the failure to call a facemask penalty on a two-point conversion attempt near game’s end, writes Patrick Reusse. With fill-in Mike Priefer executing the game plan that sidelined head coach Mike Zimmer had installed during the week, [the Vikings checked off every box] that gave them a chance to beat Dallas. - Terry Ryan breaks silence about firing: The Twins' former GM, hired by the Phillies as a special assignment scout Wednesday, [made his first comments since being relieved of his duties] on July 18, when the Twins were 26 games below .500. - Twins hire hitting coach away from Yankees: [The Twins officially named James Rowson hitting coach] on Friday. Rowson replaces Tom Brunansky, who was not retained on manager Paul Molitor’s staff. - Gophers volleyball star Sarah Wilhite unleashes her inner beast: [Wilhite has become a six-rotation player], a more assertive leader and a go-to hitter for a team that enters the NCAA tournament on a roll. Before this year, she never had received any Big Ten postseason honors. As she has risen, so have the Gophers, who ended the regular season with victories over four top-25 teams. Quote of the day “I just didn’t win enough games.” -- Former Twins general manager [Terry Ryan], explaining why he was fired mid-season. Worth a click Rogue beaver apprehended after trashing store that sells fake Christmas trees: Fortunately, someone had the good sense to start photographing when [a beaver wandered into a dollar store in Maryland] this week and took interest in a display of fake Christmas trees before going on a rampage. Talkers trivia Want to win a Star Tribune travel mug? Today is Friday, so it's time for a trivia question. The correct answer can be found in a story that appeared in Talkers this week. We can't prevent you from simply Googling the answer, so Googling is encouraged! E-mail your answer to [talkers@startribune.com] by midnight on Sunday night. A winner will be selected at random from the correct responses. That lucky reader will receive an official Star Tribune travel mug, as well as a shout-out in Monday's newsletter. Prizes may change from week to week so watch this space! Here is this week's question: The Minnesota Zoo's oldest tiger died Sunday. How old was he? Good luck! From the archives Sept. 30, 1979: The Vision of Peace memorial by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles is reflected in the gold-mirrored ceiling of the newly renovated lobby in St. Paul City Hall as a worker cleans the black marble walls. 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