Author: Data and Research Manager

Biden Gained With Moderate and Conservative Voting Groups, New Data Shows

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President Biden cut into Donald Trump’s margins with married men and veteran households, a Pew survey shows. But there was a far deeper well of support for Mr. Trump than many progressives had imagined.

Married men and veteran households were probably not the demographic groups that Democrats assumed would carry the party to victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

But Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s apparent strength among traditionally moderate or even conservative constituencies, and especially men, is emerging as one of the hallmarks of his victory, according to new data from Pew Research.

Mr. Trump won married men by just a 54 to 44 percent margin — a net 20 point decline from his 62 to 32 percent victory in 2016. He won veteran households by a similar 55 to 43 percent margin, down a net 14 points from his 61 to 35 percent victory. Continue reading.

In the Know: July 6, 2021

DFL In the Know Graphic


DFL Party News
DFL Party Statement On The Signing of Minnesota’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget, DFL Press Release

Governor Tim Walz
At Issue: Gov. Walz reflects on education spending, police accountability and negotiations, KSTP

Minnesota Legislature
Legislative score card: Who won and who lost in $52 billion state budget, MN Reformer
Despite New Measures, Future Of Police Reform In Minnesota Still Unclear, WCCO
In the end, MN lawmakers were distanced and divided — and productive, Pioneer Press

Continue reading “In the Know: July 6, 2021”

Trump Impeachment Lawyer Made Deal That Sprung Cosby From Prison

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Bill Cosby was released from prison yesterday despite his 2018 conviction on three counts of aggravated indecent assault and a 2019 verdict that upheld that ruling. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Cosby’s conviction on a technicality, and barred him from further prosecution.

“Bill Cosby has been publicly accused of raping, drugging, coercing or sexually assaulting as many as 60 women in all since 1965,” The Wrap reported in 2018. USA Today that year published a “complete list of the 60 Bill Cosby accusers and their reactions to his prison sentence.”

In 2005 Montgomery County, Pennsylvania District Attorney Bruce Castor reached a deal with Bill Cosby, essentially forcing him to reveal information that could allow him to lose a civil lawsuit. In exchange, Castor claims, he promised Cosby he would not be prosecuted. Continue reading.

MN Senate stays in session to review Walz commissioners

The Minnesota Senate is back in action Tuesday to consider the job status of several agency leaders — potentially voting on removing commissioners from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration.

Rather than adjourn a special session as the House did last week, GOP Senate leaders extended their stay to conduct performance reviews.

Majority Senate Republicans said the reason they did not end the special session was that they wanted to be sure Walz would sign the budget and tax bills passed during the marathon days leading up to the July 1 start of the new fiscal year. Continue reading.

Fox News cuts off Trump after he derails ‘border’ press conference with election rant

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Fox News on Wednesday cut off a broadcast of former President Donald Trump’s visit to the border after he began ranting about the 2020 presidential election.

Although Fox News had heavily promoted the former president’s trip to Texas throughout the day, the network decided to cancel the president’s press conference about a minute after he claimed the voting system in America is a “disaster.”

“We had an election where we did much better than we did the first time and amazingly we lost,” Trump complained while sitting next to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R). “I just want to thank the people of Texas because we won in a landslide. It wasn’t even close.” Continue reading.

Bush speechwriter reveals the key detail that is missing from Trump’s statements on company indictments

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Writing for The Atlantic on Thursday, David Frum, the former speechwriter to President George W. Bush, noted that Donald Trump doesn’t even appear to be trying to defend himself publicly or claim he is innocent.

Looking at speeches and statements pushed out by the former president, Frum noticed that all they do is attack other people, they never proclaim innocence. 

“An early indication that things may end badly for Trump is the statement released today from the Trump Organization,” he explained. Continue reading.

Poll: Big Majority Supports Biden Spending Plans, Bipartisan Or Not

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More than three-fifths of likely voters want Congress to pass President Joe Biden’s spending plans, even if the Democratic majority has to do so without a single Republican vote, according to a new poll.

The survey, conducted by Data for Progress for Invest in America, which campaigns for public investment in infrastructure, was released Tuesday. It found 62 percent support for passage of Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan through the budget reconciliation process, which allows the Senate to pass taxation and spending bills by a simple majority vote.

Such a move is backed by 86 percent of Democratic voters, 59 percent of independents, and 36 percent of Republicans. Continue reading.

Released Capitol rioter who wants to ‘play for all the marbles’ stockpiled weapons while awaiting trial

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Federal prosecutors are seeking to revoke the pre-trial release of a former police officer charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, after he purchased 34 guns. Investigators also found a partially assembled pipe bomb at his home.

Thomas Robertson, a former police officer in Rocky Mount, Va., was ordered by a judge not to possess guns following his arrest on several charges stemming from the insurrection, including felony disruption of an official proceeding and misdemeanor disorderly conduct in a restricted building. Robertson and another Rocky Mount officer, Jacob Fracker, were fired in the wake of their arrests after they posted photos of themselves inside the Capitol on social media.

Prosecutors filed a motion to revoke Robertson’s release on Wednesday, after FBI agents served a search warrant at his home, where they found the pipe bomb inside a box labeled “booby trap” in addition to numerous boxes of ammunition. Authorities also tracked online gun purchases made by Robertson, who was allegedly storing his arsenal at a local firearms dealership. Continue reading.

Trump went to the border to attack Biden — but he mainly talked about himself

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PHARR, Tex. — Former president Donald Trump traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border here Wednesday for a trip billed as an opportunity to assail President Biden on immigration — an issue core to Trump’s political identity and one Republicans view as a weakness for Democrats.

But Trump often got sidetracked from the day’s message, instead launching into grievance-filled rants.

He tried to re-litigate the results of the 2020 election. He questioned whether Biden would pass the mental acuity test that he has often used to boast about his own mental fitness. Continue reading.

ExxonMobil lobbyist ‘deeply embarrassed’ after he accidentally reveals 11 senators he says he relies on to push Big Oil’s agenda

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Channel 4 in the United Kingdom published a startling exposé on an ExxonMobil lobbyist who revealed the U.S. senators who he say are key to opposing legislation that might harm the oil industry.

While many oil companies are diversifying with natural gas, it appears ExxonMobil is going all-in battling to keep “big oil” alive and well. 

“Keith McCoy is a senior ExxonMobil lobbyist on Capitol Hill and has represented the company in its liaison with the U.S. Congress for the last eight years,” explained the report. Continue reading.