Trump’s plan to extort Minnesota, briefly explained

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.

Welcome to The Logoff: Minnesota’s secretary of state said over the weekend that the Trump administration is trying to “ransom” Minneapolis’s freedom from an increasingly violent federal presence.

What’s happening? In a Saturday letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote that there were “common sense solutions” to “bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota”: share Minnesota’s voter rolls and Medicaid and food assistance data with the Trump administration and repeal “sanctuary policies” in Minnesota.

Bondi tied the demands to what she described as “out of control fraud” in Minnesota — a reference to a sweeping, years-old welfare fraud scandal in the state that also precipitated the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis that began in early January. Vice President JD Vance has also said the administration wants to use Medicaid and SNAP data for immigration enforcement.

What’s the context? Federal immigration agents killed a second US citizen in Minneapolis on Saturday, shooting 37-year-old Alex Pretti multiple times after beating him and forcing him to his knees. Pretti’s death has pushed tensions in the city even higher, after weeks of out-of-control conduct by federal agents.

Why does this matter? Tying a request for voter data to the Trump administration’s Minneapolis crackdown is an alarming step from the DOJ, which has previously sued Minnesota and other states to obtain their voter rolls. The quid-pro-quo behind Bondi’s request would represent a new level of politicization for the department, with potential consequences for the midterm elections.

“Though I’m not necessarily predicting direct federal interference with elections, I am planning for it,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon told the New York Times.

What’s the big picture? Bondi’s letter could create problems for the Trump administration in federal district court, where its continued presence in Minnesota is currently being litigated. On Monday, Judge Kate Menendez asked whether the administration might be “trying to achieve a goal through force that it can’t achieve through the courts.”

Depending on where you are right now, the chances are good you’re currently blanketed under many inches of snow (or “cement-like” snow and ice, if you’re in the Washington, DC, area). In observance of that fact, here’s a gift link for a great story from the Vox archives on why snow days are good for kids. Thanks for reading, stay warm, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!