Minnesota
OPINION EXCHANGE | Counterpoint: Minnesota is on the right path
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In his recent commentary, Jim Schultz paints a Minnesota that boasts a declining economy, crime-ridden communities and a failing education system, all of which are pushing people to flee. Thankfully, that assessment is as exaggerated as it is inaccurate.
In his economic doomsaying, Schultz narrowly focuses on GDP, but let’s consider economic indicators that truly matter in peoples’ lives: wages and jobs. At 2.7%, Minnesota has the seventh-lowest unemployment rate in the country. In a sign of good and getting better, the 11,000 jobs that Minnesota added last month placed it in a tie for the country’s second-largest job growth.
Not only are Minnesotans working, but they’re also getting paid better for that work. Minnesota has the highest median wage in the Midwest. Since 2019, the nearly 9% growth in real median wages ranks sixth in the country, with wages increasing more for low-wage workers than for the wealthy. This is truly an economy built for everyone.
Even on GDP, a more thorough examination is telling. Schultz’s proposal of tax cuts for wealthy corporations mirrors policies in neighboring Republican strongholds like North Dakota and Wisconsin. Yet GDP growth in both states trails Minnesota.
With a thriving working class, it is not surprising that Minnesota was recently ranked as the fifth-best state for business and second for economic opportunity.
On education, Schultz correctly notes that test scores have slipped, but fails to mention that these declines predate the state’s historic investment in education funding. Notably, that investment has been credited with reversing the Minnesota State University system’s decadelong enrollment decline. Another helping factor here: Minnesota’s decision to support reproductive rights makes it a more desirable location for college students, three-quarters of whom say abortion laws factored into their campus choice.
In a stream of misleading arguments, Schultz’s crime discussion grows Pinocchio’s metaphorical nose the most. Statistics show that the crime rate in Minnesota hit a 60-year low in 2023. Relative to 2022, crime dropped in every major category, ranging from a 20% decline in sexual assault to a 15% drop in theft. Homicide, the only crime Schultz mentions, fell by 5%. While murder rates remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels, this drop demonstrates movement in the right direction. Parts of Minnesota are now national models for combating crime, such as St. Paul’s success in limiting car thefts.
Of course, there is more to a state than crime, education and the economy. Minnesota now has the most progressive tax system in the country, with the top 1% paying more of their income in taxes than the bottom 80%. By ensuring that the wealthy contribute their fair share, the state can make investments to benefit all, such as free school lunches helping the state achieve the country’s third-lowest food insecurity rate.
Far from driving folks out of the state, these changes are encouraging people to stick around. Out-migration decreased 83% last year, feeding a 50-year trend in which Minnesota has consistently grown faster than its regional neighbors. Minnesota has also taken important actions to allow working people to stay and raise their families here, including expanding the child tax credit and providing paid family and medical leave.
While these changes are welcome, there is still much work to be done. Minnesota continues to be plagued by high levels of racial and ethnic inequality. But even here, important progress is being made. Life expectancy for Black males in the state has increased 11 years since 1990, helping to boost Minnesota’s overall life expectancy to third best in the country. People quite literally live longer here.
To fix a state that he thinks is in “serious decline,” Schultz suggests we take a “sober evaluation of Minnesota’s priorities.” When it comes to specifics, his answer is the same prescription that conservatives always use: cutting corporate taxes. By contrast, Gov. Tim Walz and DFL legislators have prioritized public services that help all Minnesotans, like education, infrastructure and health care. Perhaps the party that hasn’t won a statewide election in 18 years needs to evaluate its own priorities.
Jake Schwitzer is the executive director of North Star Policy Action. He has been a grassroots organizer, communicator and senior staffer to U.S. Sens. Al Franken and Tina Smith. Aaron Rosenthal received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Minnesota and he is the research director for North Star Policy Action. His writing on public policy and inequality includes a recently published book, “The State You See: How Government Visibility Creates Political Distrust and Racial Inequality.”
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled defenseman David Špaček (SPAH-chehk) from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Špaček, 22 (2/18/23), owns 19 points (3-16=19), 61 shots and 10 penalty minutes (PIM) in 35 games with Iowa this season, leading the team in assists (T-12th among AHL defensemen) and ranking second in points and shots. The 6-foot, 190-pound native of Columbus, Ohio, recorded 31 points (4-27=31), 31 PIM and 117 shots in 72 games with Iowa during the 2024-25 season, leading the team with 18 power play assists, ranking second in assists, and pacing team defensemen in scoring. For his career, Špaček owns 62 points (10-52=62), 62 PIM and 251 shots in 168 games over three AHL seasons (2023-26).
Špaček will represent Czechia at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic games and has previously represented Czechia at multiple international competitions, including the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded two assists in eight games, and the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he posted five assists in 10 games to help Czechia secure gold. He also helped Czechia to a silver medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Tournament, recording eight points (3-5=8), 11 shots and a plus-7 rating in seven games.
Špaček was selected by Minnesota in the fifth round (No. 153 overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft and has yet to appear in an NHL game. He will wear sweater No. 82 with the Wild.
Minnesota will host the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3.
Minnesota Wild single-game tickets are on sale now at wild.com/tickets, ticketmaster.com and at the Grand Casino Arena Box Office. Flex, 11-Game, half and full season memberships are also available for purchase. Please visit tickets.wild.com or contact a Wild Ticket Sales Representative by calling or texting (651) 222-WILD (9453) for more information. Group reservations of eight or more tickets can contact [email protected] for more information. Single game suite rentals are also available, contact [email protected] for more information.
Follow @mnwildPR on X and visit www.wild.com/pressbox and for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, player interviews and daily statistics.
Veteran federal prosecutors in Minnesota resign after pressure from Justice Department leaders to investigate the widow of Renee Macklin Good, the woman killed by an ICE agent, raising new questions about political interference.
President Trump takes his economic message on the road, pitching affordability as voters remain frustrated by high prices.
And while gas prices have dipped, rising heating costs, grocery prices, and stubborn inflation show why relief still feels out of reach for many families.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Gigi Douban, Krishnadev Calamur, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.
(0:00) Introduction
(02:19) Minnesota Prosecutors Quit
(06:10) Trump in Detroit
(09:52) Inflation Report
Hundreds more ICE agents coming to MN, Noem says
DHS Sec. Kristi Noem says hundreds more ICE agents are coming to Minnesota. They began arriving on Sunday, and more are expected to arrive on Monday. This comes days after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, and comes amid rising tensions as people protest ICE in Minnesota, demanding they leave.
(FOX 9) – Several Minnesota lawmakers are backing an effort signed by more than 50 Democrats in the House of Representatives to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem stemming from accusations of obstructing Congress and violating public trust.
Noem impeachment effort
What we know:
A total of 53 House Democrats have co-signed a bill set to be introduced by U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (Illinois).
Tensions have risen in the Twin Cities following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of ICE officer Jonathan Ross. The shooting has sparked protests across the city, including outside the regional ICE headquarters.
In December, the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge, bringing more than 100 federal agents into the Twin Cities.
In January, the Department of Homeland Security launched a new 30-day surge, bringing a reported force of 1,500 ICE officers and 600 Homeland Security investigators into the state with an aim at tackling fraud.
According to Noem, the total has since increased to more than 2,000 agents presently operating within the state.
In the months prior to the focus on Minnesota, the Trump administration also sent additional troops to cities such as Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Dig deeper:
The articles of impeachment that are set to be formally introduced on Jan. 14, 2026, will accuse Noem of three counts:
- Obstruction of Congress: Stemming from members of Congress being denied entry to DHS facilities and for withholding congressionally appropriated disaster relief funding.
- Violation of public trust: Allegedly denying ICE detainees due process and violating the First and Fourth amendments.
- Self-dealing: Stemming from reports that Noem awarded $220 million in contracts to a firm run by her spokesperson’s husband.
What they’re saying:
“Secretary Kristi Noem is an incompetent leader, a disgrace to our democracy, and I am impeaching her for obstruction of justice, violation of public trust, and self-dealing. Secretary Noem wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area, and now, her rogue ICE agents have unleashed that same destruction in Minneapolis, fatally shooting Renee Nicole Good,” said Rep. Kelly in a statement on her official website. “From Chicago to Charlotte to Los Angeles to Minneapolis, Secretary Noem is violating the Constitution while ruining — and ending — lives and separating families. It’s one thing to be incompetent and dangerous, but it’s impeachable to break the rule of law.”
Minnesota Reps. Angie Craig and Betty McCollum also plan to support the impeachment efforts.
“Secretary Noem should be fired. If she is not, I support impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate for her obstruction of Congress and violation of public trust,” said Rep. McCollum in a statement. “This past year, Americans in cities across the United States have felt the chaos and terror of Secretary Noem’s Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Secretary Noem has demonstrated that she is unable to enforce immigration law in a peaceful and ethical manner. Her deployment of unprofessional, poorly trained, masked immigration agents has put our neighbors in danger of physical harm.”
Minnesota’s Democratic lawmakers, along with mayors Jacob Frey and Kaohly Her, along with Gov. Tim Walz, have also been vocal critics of DHS immigration enforcement efforts in the wake of the shooting of Renee Good.
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