Many Minnesotans are inhaling another plume of smoke today, and an attempt to blame Canada's handling of wildfires is being met with eye-rolls north of the border.

Why it matters: Experts say smoky summers are likely the new normal in Minnesota as climate change turns the continent's forests into tinderboxes.

• "We need to learn to live with fire and, unfortunately, learn to live with smoke," Ed Struzik, a Canadian environmental journalist and wildfire expert, told Axios.

Driving the news: Earlier this month, Minnesota's Republican Congressional delegation demanded the Canadian government "take stronger action to manage its forests," as U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber wrote on X.

The letter didn't go over well in Canada. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called its congressional authors "ambulance chasers."

The big picture: Even if Canada's national government were to devote more time and money to wildfire prevention and response — as some of the country's fire chiefs recently demanded — Canadian experts say the measures would probably not stop smoke from billowing over the U.S. border.

• Many of the lawmakers' critiques would be equally valid in the U.S., which has followed a similar playbook to manage and prevent wildfires, Struzik said.

Between the lines: Fire is a healthy part of many ecosystems' life cycles, and a century of extinguishing even the smallest blazes in both countries means there is plenty of fuel on the ground ready to ignite, University of British Columbia forest ecologist Lori Daniels told Axios.

• Thanks to climate change, these lands are also rapidly becoming hotter and drier.

Reality check: The Minnesota GOP delegation's letter identified arson as a key cause, but Struzik noted lightning starts the vast majority of all Canadian wildfires.

Yes, but: Canada has been slower than the U.S. to embrace prescribed burns — one of the most effective ways to protect against future wildfires, University of British Columbia assistant professor Mathieu Bourbonnais told Axios.

• These strategically set fires thin forests that are likely to burn. North America's Indigenous peoples used these burns for generations to maintain forest health.
• Canada does fewer burns because more land there is publicly owned, and it's trickier to set such fires on public land, said Bourbonnais.

The bottom line: "Like other places in the world," Daniels said, "we're on the steep part of the learning curve."

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Gov. Tim Walz is reminding Canadian travelers the state is open for business amid a sharp drop in visitors from north of the border.

The big picture: Canadians have been avoiding the U.S. amid tensions between their government and the Trump administration.

By the numbers: Year-to-date, 28% fewer Canadian residents have crossed the U.S. border by car than by this point in 2024.

• While those figures from Canada's government span the whole border, U.S. government data show crossings at Minnesota's border stations are down by similar amounts.

Yes, but: "Minnesota is ready for you!" Explore Minnesota executive director Lauren Bennett McGinty wrote in a joint statement with Walz.

• The state's tourism agency continues to advertise on broadcast and digital platforms in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, the statement read.

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🎶 Mayor Jacob Frey signed an agreement yesterday for an 8,000-seat North Minneapolis amphitheater that will start construction in September and begin hosting concerts in summer 2027. (Background via Axios)

🩺 UnitedHealth Group is facing a U.S. Department of Justice investigation over its Medicare billing practices, the company revealed yesterday. (CNBC)

⚖️ A Hennepin County judge sentenced Derrick Thompson to more than 58 years in prison for killing five young women in a 2023 crash that rocked the Somali community. (MPR News)

🏛️ Both the state House and Senate will pick up part of the tab for legislators' home security upgrades in the wake of last month's attacks. (WCCO)

🍺 Most St. Paul City Council members this week signaled their support for rezoning the former Hamm's Brewery complex. Saint Paul Brewing says plans to redevelop the site threaten its business. (Background via Axios)

A Democratic National Committee member is considering a primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Driving the news: Latonya Reeves, a vice president of the AFSCME Council 5 labor union and DFL Party activist from Minneapolis, confirmed to Axios that she's "exploring" a bid for the 5th Congressional District next year.

State of play: Omar has overcome well-funded primary challenges in all three elections since winning the district in 2018.

• She most recently defeated repeat rival Don Samuels by about 13 percentage points in 2024.

What they're saying: Reeves said she wants to "tone down the rhetoric" and be a champion of the Democratic Party's platform.

The other side: Omar's campaign issued a statement defending the congresswoman as "one of the leading voices of the Democratic Party."

What's next: Reeves said she's in the early stages of "talking to community right now, seeing if [a campaign is] even viable."

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🗓️ Mark your calendar with our Event Board.

Minneapolis Vintage Market at Utepils Brewing on Aug 3: Shop vintage clothing, home goods, and more from top Minnesota vendors. Includes music, food, drinks, a photo booth, and early access perks with an optional ticket. All ages welcome. $0-$12.51.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

Kyle here. After all the talk about smoke today, I thought I'd leave you with this apocalyptically beautiful sunset I witnessed over Gull Lake earlier this month.

• It was a breath-taking sight. (Literally. Because I was holding my breath the whole time.)

📬 Keep sharing your summer postcards with us! Hit reply, and attach a photo from your Minnesota summer and we may share it in a future newsletter.