In the past week, I would say that there were two days when I watched the Olympic coverage thrice. Yes. Three times. Two days. My car was in the shop so I was WFH and going nowhere. One great thing about writing Friday’s Hot Dish is I never have to remind anyone that it’s Friday.

We will get to the Topic of the Day via the circuitous route today. Meanwhile, I hope you’re adjusting to our digital reboot, but if you’ve got issues, you can submit feedback and our bosses say we we will iterate, or adjust and change as most of us describe it.

I was virtually digging in our Star Tribune electronic archives for an old story about Gov. Tim Walz when I found something unexpected: The first story I wrote mentioning Walz was on Aug. 4, 2006. He was at a fundraiser for former President Jimmy Carter’s son Jack at Sam and Sylvia Kaplan’s home. Carter (still alive) and his wife were there. I referred to Walz as a congressional hopeful and didn’t quote him in the story. I probably thought he was destined to lose to incumbent GOP Rep. Gil Gutknecht.

I interviewed Carter after he and wife Rosalynn spent an hour signing books and taking photos. Attorney General Keith Ellison, then a congressional hopeful like Walz, stood in line for a signing. “I told him that I thought his work on human rights was groundbreaking. He said, `Thank you.’ And that was about all there was time for,” Ellison said.

I asked Carter whether the meet-and-greet was fun or tiring. He smiled and said, “Both.”

Vice President Walter F. Mondale was there with his daughter, Eleanor. I ended the short story with this quote from Carter: “We have an ability proven through the ages to correct our mistakes.”

I resurface this story because you never know where people will land. Wouldn’t it be wild if it turned out there were two vice presidents at Sam and Sylvia’s capacious condo that evening?

This year’s V.P. contenders generated chatter on social media as they canceled their weekend plans to attend fairs, fundraisers and family stuff. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is heavily favored as the pick, according to my personal online research into the gambling action and this story. The others are well behind: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Walz. The order shifts hourly according to the source and the winds of change.

Does that mean we can relax this weekend? No. Definitely not.

My colleague Briana Bierschbach and I wrote about the governor’s two-week public job interview. The consensus — at least in Minnesota — is Walz has scampered up the ladder of national significance and he’s not coming down. “In the span of just seven days, he has done two things that have been really important for the Democratic coalition,” said Minneapolis lawyer and DFL strategist Abou Amara. “He’s elevated himself as a national name and he’s helped fundamentally change how Democrats message and contrast with Trump.”

Republican Party Chair David Hann, however, said Walz is being marketed as a moderate while he’s governed in St. Paul as a divisive partisan. Hann cited sweeping executive actions Walz took in response to COVID-19 and the broad progressive agenda he passed with DFL majorities in the House and Senate that left Republicans sidelined.

LORDY LORDY LOOK WHO’S FORTY: Columnist Laura Yuen writes that at 60, Walz isn’t old because 60 is the new 40. Spoken like somebody who is not approaching 60, Laura, but I still love you, especially for the last paragraph of the column that everyone should read. Go. Read it. It’s good — even if you’re not a fan of Walz. Also, don’t miss the lead photo featuring gubernatorial spokeswoman Claire Lancaster to the left of the Walzes in full-on don’t-mess-with-me mode.

ST. PAUL & SHAPIRO: I had the pleasure of speaking with Shapiro’s office for this story Ryan Faircloth and I wrote about St. Paul Council President Mitra Jalali’s condemnation of his support for Israel. Some see Jalali’s comments as anti-Semitic given that other veep candidates hold similar views. Jalali wouldn’t talk to us. Shapiro’s office could not have been more helpful or pleasant — which is generally not the case when dealing with a governor’s office in another state.

We discussed our mutual lack of insight into the veepstakes and wished each other luck.

I don’t know that I’ve mentioned it before, but I can’t tell you great it is to have co-workers with whom you enjoy collaborating.

EMMER TWEETS: Speaking of other Minnesotans stepping up on the national stage, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer says: “Radical progressive” Harris “puts America Last. America First patriots” Trump and Vance” will secure the border, crack down on criminals, and get the economy back on track. The tweet is here.

WHERE’S WALZ:

Like all players in the 2024 Democratic Veepstakes, Walz has cleared his public calendar until further notice.

This is a good time to remind you that if you see or hear something indicative of a veep choice, say something — to me at rochelle.olson@startribune.com.

As we political journalists white-knuckle it through the next four days, I bring you this cheeky tweet from some rando in California that made me LOL.

“Just received word that Shapiro, Beshear, Walz, Kelly, Pritzker, and Buttigieg are NOT going to meet with Kamala Harris but have rented a house on the Floribama shore for White Boy Summer. There will be fun, bonding, and two of them will kiss (and it’s not the two you think).”

READING LIST

Black Minnesotans are not monolithic in their thoughts on the presidential bid of Harris, reports colleague Maya Rao.
Minneapolis Park workers approved a labor contract, reports Elliot Hughes. I’m guessing their raises didn’t approach the 49% increase that four Hennepin County commissioners voted to give themselves. I’m already hearing that the board’s decision could coax the Legislature to reinstate the salary caps. One source noted that the size of the commissioners’ raises is more than that a legislator’s salary (before per diems).
I’m not weird, you are. Jim Schultz, GOP candidate for attorney general in 2022 and now head of the Minnesota Private Business Council says Walz is the weird one with a problematic record in this essay for Newsweek.
Wall Street Journal reports on the secret negotiations to free their reporter, Evan Gershkovich. (No paywall.) I can’t get enough of the photos of their arrival. Now we wait for their books to drop. Click to see the journalist beaming as he hugs his mother.
I cannot look away from this trailcam image captured by the Voyageurs Wolf Project a stunning Canada lynx on the Kabetogama Peninsula, as reported by colleague Louis Krauss.
Adopt, don’t shop. Colleagues Chloe Johnson and Steph Quinn delved into the lax oversight of animal rescues in Minnesota. I wouldn’t be surprised to see new regulation proposed next session.
Back to the Olympics, because is there anything more enjoyable than watching celebrities sitting in the best seats? For real, though, I’ve been texting friends I don’t see often enough about the action. You should ping me, too, if you’re moved to it: 612-202-6487. This never gets old: Michael Jordan playing peekaboo with baby Katie Ledecky more than two decades ago. GOAT on GOAT.