The White House plans to send cabinet secretaries to Minnesota as part of a national tour aimed at selling President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" to skeptical voters, Axios scooped yesterday.

Why it matters: The stakes are huge. Top Republicans believe the Trump team's ability to make the massive tax-and-spending bill more palatable to voters will go a long way toward determining the outcome of next year's midterms.

It won't be easy: A recent Wall Street Journal poll found 52% of voters oppose the package, while 42% supported it.

• The administration has touted the bill as a boon to the working class. But polls indicate that most Americans see it as favoring the wealthy and big companies, ballooning federal deficits, and hurting lower-income people through measures such as cuts to Medicaid.
• But the WSJ poll showed public support for parts of the bill, including its limited "no tax on tips" provision.

What we're hearing: Trump allies concede the bill isn't polling well, but they note parts of it are popular and want to focus on them.

• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a St. Mary's and William Mitchell alum, will travel to an air traffic control tower in Duluth to highlight investments in that area at a time when shortages are complicating travel, sources tell Axios.
• And Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is expected to tour a beer distributor and trucking company in Minneapolis to tout a provision allowing service workers to deduct taxes on tips and overtime pay.

State of play: While congressional districts that cover Duluth and Minneapolis aren't considered to be seriously in play next year, an open U.S. Senate seat, the governor's office and control of the state Legislature will all be on the ballot in 2026.

• And the suburban 2nd Congressional District — the state's most competitive U.S. House seat — is in the Twin Cities media market.

What they're saying: White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Axios that the goal of the travel is to make sure Americans are aware of how the "historic piece of legislation" will "improve their lives."

The other side: Gov. Tim Walz called the effort a "bait and switch" yesterday, arguing that the focus on feel-good provisions is meant to distract from cuts to programs Minnesotans rely on.

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"How's J.J. look?" is the sports topic du jour this summer as Vikings fans are thirsting to see their new starting quarterback in action.

Driving the news: They'll get their chance to watch J.J. McCarthy tomorrow at U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time since a year ago, when he injured his knee and had to sit out the regular season.

Why it matters: McCarthy should get only a small amount of playing time in the preseason game against the Houston Texans.

• But the 22-year-old's development will be key to deciding how far a talent-stacked Vikings team can go this year.

💭 Nick's thought bubble: If you've got little kids, like me, preseason games are a cheap way to get into U.S. Bank Stadium. The little ones don't know the difference.

• Tickets for the 3pm game can be had for as little as $12 on the secondary market. Most regular-season games start at $100 or higher.

🍷 Shakopee will become the second city in Minnesota to host a "social district" where people can sip boozy beverages outdoors. It should kick off in September. (Fox 9)

• Stillwater, which also got legislative approval to try the concept first piloted by Anoka, is still weighing the idea.

🗺️ Minnesota's unlikely to join the national redistricting wars ahead of the midterms. The reason: A divided Legislature and other demographic factors would make it difficult for either side to re-do the maps for political gain. (Star Tribune)

🗳️ DFL state Rep. Cedrick Frazier and former Attorney General candidate Matt Pelikan are both considering bids for Hennepin County Attorney following Mary Moriarty's decision to not seek another term.

• Moriarty defended her record in an interview with Fox 9, claiming Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara won't return her calls. MPD disputed her statement.

🛜 T-Mobile is acquiring U.S. Internet, the fiber network that's popular in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. USI told customers they will be switched to T-Mobile on or after Sept. 2. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)

A growing backlog at the state's Driver and Vehicle Services has over 62,000 Minnesotans waiting for a driver's license, KSTP reports.

• ⏰ The current turnaround time, the agency tells Axios, is over 90 days.

Driving the delays: A surge in requests for Real IDs triggered by TSA's May enforcement deadline for commercial air travel.

• DVS says over a third of the applications in its queue are for Real ID-compliant licenses.

Plus: The agency estimates that 70% of applicants bring the wrong documents, further delaying the process.

What they're doing: DVS is calling in extra staff from other departments and offering overtime to get through the applications, per KSTP.

The silver lining: Travelers without a compliant ID or passport are still allowed fly, the TSA says. But they should leave time for extra screening.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show the backlog is at the state's Driver and Vehicle Services (not the Department of Vehicle Services).

One of the Twin Cities' best breakfast burritos now has a permanent address in Bloomington.

State of play: Scramblin' Egg, the former food truck that won the city's "Shark Tank"-style startup competition last year, moved into its new brick-and-mortar home in June.

What they're saying: Founders Nick Peterson and Grant Veitenheimer told Axios their airport-adjacent location has already netted them lots of MSP-bound customers, just as they hoped.

💭 Kyle's thought bubble: While the burritos are fully customizable, they excel because they overload on eggs, not filler ingredients like rice.

• Another place that gets this: Lito's in Richfield.

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