By Max Nesterak | Deputy Editor
Good morning, Reformers.
Michelle Griffith has a deep dive this morning about the right-hand man of Minnesota’s richest man (Star Tribune owner Glen Taylor) backing House Speaker Lisa Demuth’s campaign for governor.
Tommy Merickel, an influential business executive and fundraiser, sent an email from his Taylor Corp. email address to “Business Community Allies” urging them to support Demuth’s run for governor.
Taylor Corp. also printed mailers for the Demuth-aligned super PAC Restore Sanity, according to a U.S. Postal Service permit, though Merickel said the PAC is not a Taylor Corp. customer.
In an interview with Michelle, Merickel said he’s fundraised for Demuth in his personal capacity and hasn’t spoken to Taylor about supporting her (which strains credulity since Merickel has been a close Taylor advisor since 1985.)
The Star Tribune has editorial independence from Taylor and Taylor Corp.
Why does this matter?
We report on power and influence. We have reported before — and do in this piece as well — about the billionaires backing Democrats like Alida Messinger, a Rockefeller heiress and ex-wife of former Gov. Mark Dayton.
(Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
By Max Nesterak
The Minneapolis City Council is considering a proposal to effectively ban driverless robotaxis, as several council members push to protect the jobs of more than 10,000 rideshare drivers in the state.
The proposed ordinance would require commercial autonomous vehicles to be staffed by “human monitors” earning the state’s minimum pay rates for rideshare drivers, a direct challenge to the business models of robotaxi companies like Alphabet’s Waymo and Amazon’s Zoox.
The move reflects a growing backlash against artificial intelligence, fueled by fears that the technology will rapidly eliminate jobs across the economy, from Uber drivers to coders to lawyers.
“We are not going to roll out the red carpet for Big Tech companies to essentially raid our economy and displace our workers,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley, the lead author of the ordinance, at a news conference with drivers on Wednesday.
By Kari Lutes
Kari Lutes found herself in a familiar position for a liberal from a southern red state living in the north: In the course of a week, she was defending her political views to a close relative, and then defending his politics to a potential date on Hinge.
She writes in today’s guest commentary that understanding and supporting the South is critical for people looking to advance liberal ideals in the country: “The South is where many successful social movements started, including the Civil Rights Movement. It is where we need to see change in the country.”
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Americans don’t understand who’s rich | The Atlantic gift link
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