Author: Data and Research Manager

Plans for free pre-K and community college could provide a ‘ladder into the middle class.’

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WASHINGTON — What was once considered a progressive dream for the nation’s education system could be headed toward reality as Democrats push forward to broker a deal on a new spending plan containing President Biden’s most ambitious domestic policy goals.

Included in the list of programs Democrats agreed this week to include in their $3.5 trillion budget blueprint are Mr. Biden’s campaign proposals to offer prekindergarten enrollment for every 3- and 4-year-old in the country, and tuition-free community college to every young adult. So far, both proposals are drawing widespread support from the Democratic coalition and are expected to remain priorities as the party’s top leaders seek to deliver on bedrocks of Mr. Biden’s $4 trillion economic plan.

“Infrastructure’s about roads and bridges, but it’s about the other things we need to have a fully engaged and active work force,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusets. “That means child care for parents. It means early childhood education, giving our kids the right start. And that means post-high school education or training. That’s what it’s going to take in the 21st century.” Continue reading.

Sen. Smith pushes bill to help pandemic frontline workers get citizenship

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MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Senator Tina Smith was in town on Friday to detail her push to create a pathway to citizenship for essential workers.

Businesses leaders, frontline workers, and immigration advocates joined the senator Friday afternoon at Mercado Central in south Minneapolis. According to Smith, it’s estimated that more than 5 million undocumented essential workers across the country continued to work during the pandemic. They filled positions in critical industries such as health care and agriculture.

“Essential workers have always been critical to our overall economic growth and health,” said Jenny Srey with the Coalition of Asian American Leaders. “And as we move forward toward healing they are even more vital now. We need all of our lawmakers to recognize the sacrifices and important role of immigrant workers and use their power to make citizenship a part of the budget reconciliation process.” Continue reading.

As Minnesota’s drought worsens, Walz reaches out to the USDA for aid

In a letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack, the governor asked to allow farmers to graze their animals on the state’s CRP acres.

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota has been missing the rain this year, and much of the burden caused by dry weather falls on our farmers. On Thursday, Governor Tim Walz reached out to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeking relief.

The governor’s letter, addressed to Secretary Tom Vilsack, asked for permission for famers to graze their herds and cut hay from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres in areas that are experiencing Level D2 or greater drought conditions.

This land is normally set aside from production and planting to improve the environment, according to the Farm Service Agency. Continue reading.

Federal judge blocks new applications to DACA

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A federal judge in Texas blocked new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in a ruling Friday, increasing pressure on Congress to find a legislative solution for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as minors.

Immigration advocates had been expecting the ruling for weeks, fearing Judge Andrew Hanen — a George W. Bush appointee who is known for his tough stance on immigration matters — could rule against the legality of the Obama-era program as a whole.

Hanen ruled that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) “with the creation of DACA and its continued operation.” Continue reading.

DFL Debrief: Political Data and the Path to Victory in 2022

DFL Debrief

This week, the DFL crew dug into the data on what actually happened in the 2020 elections and what those results tell us about the DFL path to victory in 2022 with TargetSmart CEO Tom Bonier.

If you like the show, be sure to tell your friends and rate and review on Apple Podcasts! You can submit any feedback or t-shirt ideas you have to podcast@dfl.org.

You can listen here.

Have you seen the MAGA-inspired ‘Freedom phone’? Here’s why you should stay as far away from it as possible

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Have you seen the new MAGA-inspired “Freedom Phone”? The mobile device hitting the market appears to be one that addresses the concern of right-wing supporters who are fed up with so-called Big Tech “spying” and “censorship.” 

According to Gizmodo, the phone is being marketed by Erik Finman, described as a 22-year-old cryptocurrency millionaire who says he “wants America’s patriots to take ‘back control’ of their lives from the tech oligarchy.”

“This is the first major pushback on the Big Tech companies that attacked us – for just thinking different,” Finman tweeted Thursday morning. “We’re finally taking back control.” Continue reading.

Arizona audit muddles on with no clear end in sight

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Arizona’s partisan election audit is muddling along with no end on the horizon as Republicans in the state Senate and Democratic outside groups battle over the process.

The glacial pace of the audit — which state Senate Republicans kicked off in December — was put into sharp relief this week with each side complaining that the other had not provided needed documents related to the count.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Kemp shot down a motion from the GOP to dismiss a lawsuit from liberal watchdog group American Oversight seeking documents related to the state Senate’s audit. Continue reading.

This mother thought COVID-19 was ‘was just like the flu’ – now her unvaccinated teenage daughter is struggling to survive

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A vaccine-skeptical Arkansas mother is begging other parents not to make the same mistake as she.

Angela Morris decided against vaccinations for herself and her 13-year-old daughter because she doubted the severity of the coronavirus, but she’s learning a hard lesson now that her child has been hospitalized with an infection, reported KTHV-TV.

“I just had a false sense of security that it was just like the flu and it wasn’t that serious,” Morris said. “Obviously, it is that serious and it was that serious — now I can see.” Continue reading.

Crime victims bill logjam ends; may go to Biden’s desk next week

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Bill to boost cash for victims’ services is set to move forward

A Justice Department program that uses fines and penalties from criminal settlements to fund services for crime victims is on the verge of getting a long-sought cash infusion.

On the same day groups like the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence urged members to light up senators’ phone lines, email addresses and Twitter feeds with calls for action, Democratic and Republican leaders in that chamber reached agreement late Wednesday to take up House-passed legislation to give the Crime Victims Fund a financial boost. Sources familiar with the matter expect that vote to occur next week.

The measure would direct revenue from out-of-court settlements like deferred prosecution agreements, which have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, into the fund so it no longer has to rely solely on criminal cases. Continue reading.

John Bolton bursts out laughing after hearing that Trump hoped he’d die of COVID

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Appearing on CNN to address a wide range of topics involving former president Donald Trump’s administration, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton was asked by co-host Brianna Keilar about a report that Donald Trump had indicated he would like to see Bolton contract COVID-19 and die.

In the middle of a discussion on Republicans continuing “kissing Trump’s ring” despite his 2020 election loss, Keilar suddenly changed direction and asked about Trump’s COVID comments which were included in Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta’s book “Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History.”

According to the book, Trump told members of his cabinet, “Hopefully COVID takes out John.” Continue reading.