Former Vice President Mike Pence says he was “proud” to certify the 2020 election results.
Former Attorney General William Barr says he knew former President Trump’s claims of election fraud were “bullshit.”
And former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) will come out with a new book later this year arguing that the Republican Party needs to push back against conspiracy theories and grievance politics — a clear shot at Trump and his most hardcore MAGA fans. Continue reading.
Russian propagandists see a new opportunity to reach out to supporters of former President Donald Trump by pitching their country as the last refuge for besieged white people.
The Daily Beast’s Julia Davis reports that the Kremlin appears intent on “turning Russia into the land of ultimate political incorrectness, the world’s anti-woke capital” where aggrieved conservatives can escape to feel “normal” again.
Russian propagandists have found that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is particularly useful to their initiative, as his show portrays white Americans as under dire and persistent threat from minorities. Continue reading.
Hennepin Happening
Welcome to the District 5 July newsletter! I’m wishing everyone a safe and Happy 4th of July. Scroll down to read more about
Dear Neighbors,
We’ve just begun debate on the Taxes budget bill in the House, and today is the last day of this special session. It’s been a long couple of weeks (and a long year and a half!) but we’ve made a lot of progress and put forward a bipartisan state budget that will help Minnesotans bounce back from the struggles of the Covid-19 pandemic. With historic investments in education, an orderly end to the peacetime emergency, support for workers and small businesses, funding for childcare, measures to provide housing security, and so much more – everyone can find something to like in this budget.
As the only divided state legislature in the nation, compromise was necessary, but we also proved that coming together for the betterment of our state is still something that can be done in today’s political climate.
There’s a lot to cover in these bills – what’s in them, what’s not – so I’m excited to share that I’ll be joining Sen. Cwodzinski and Rep. Pryor for a District 48 Town Hall to take your questions and talk about our budget. We’ll be holding the event virtually, streaming live on our Facebook pages on Tuesday, July 6, from 9:30-10:30am. Grab a cup of coffee and tune in to start the short holiday week!
As we’ve done in the past, you can submit questions ahead of time here. We do ask that you provide your name and address, that way we can be sure we’re hearing from and prioritizing constituents’ comments and concerns.
If you’d like to get caught up on the bills we’ve passed the last two weeks, you can find nonpartisan summaries of the bills and the process around them here:
More Minnesotans have been getting vaccinated and COVID cases are going down, but it was also the recent compromises reached in St. Paul that enabled us to safely and effectively vote to end the peacetime emergency. With a deal struck with the US Department of Agriculture on emergency food assistance, and an eviction moratorium off-ramp included in our Housing budget, we’re ensuring that ending this peacetime emergency doesn’t just gain us a new crisis.
The eviction moratorium off-ramp included in our Housing budget provides both renters and landlords with the time and resources they need to make them whole. If you or someone you know has been struggling with rent payments because of the pandemic, I recommend checking out renthelpmn.org.
We will celebrate Independence Day this coming weekend, and I wish you and yours a Happy Fourth of July! Our Eden Prairie Hometown Celebration is back after a 2020 hiatus, and I look forward to seeing many of you at the festivities Friday through Sunday at our community parks.
With the special session and the peacetime emergency over, we’re not scheduled to return to the House floor until the 2022 Legislative Session. Until then, I anticipate seeing many of you at school functions, on local parks and trails, enjoying restaurants and shops, or at your front door!
Please continue to reach out to me with any questions you may have on the bills we passed this year, the work that still needs to be done, or any ideas you may have for Eden Prairie and Minnesota. The best way to touch base is through email (rep.carlie.kotyza-witthuhn@house.mn) or phone (651/296-7449). I look forward to hearing from you.
Be well, and have a fun and safe holiday weekend!
Sincerely,
Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn
A D.C. police officer on Tuesday recalled fearing for his life when he was attacked outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by a man using his fists and a flagpole. The officer also expressed the dismay he later felt on learning that the man charged with assaulting him is a former police officer and military veteran, Thomas Webster.
“Mr. Webster trained for years to show restraint in times of chaos, ensure public safety and protect public order,” the officer wrote in a statement read aloud by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hava Mirell during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Washington. “He deliberately chose to dishonor himself, as well as fellow former service officers, motivated by what we now know was political ignorance.”
Webster, 55, served in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent 20 years in the New York Police Department, according to court filings. He has been detained since his arrest in February, one of about 50 defendants jailed pending trial of the roughly 500 accused of participating in the riot at the Capitol. Continue reading.
Neighbors,
Today is the final day of our special session, with the last of our budget bills being passed off the House floor. Early this morning, we passed our State Government, Elections, and Veterans Budget, which I was honored to carry in the House. Like all of our budget bills, it was the product of compromise, with some important provisions left behind, but it’s ultimately a great bill for Minnesotans.
As our state bounces back from the COVID-19 pandemic, our compromise budget fully funds a responsive state government that’s able to meet this moment and assist in our recovery. The budget also protects access to our elections, enforces wage theft laws, and funds resources for the men and women that served our country.
You can read nonpartisan summaries of all our budget bills and the process to pass them below, thanks to our House Public Information Services. All that’s missing is our Tax bill, which we’re currently debating:
Neighbors,
Today is the final day of our special session, with the last of our budget bills being passed off the House floor. Early this morning, we passed our State Government, Elections, and Veterans Budget, which I was honored to carry in the House. Like all of our budget bills, it was the product of compromise, with some important provisions left behind, but it’s ultimately a great bill for Minnesotans.
As our state bounces back from the COVID-19 pandemic, our compromise budget fully funds a responsive state government that’s able to meet this moment and assist in our recovery. The budget also protects access to our elections, enforces wage theft laws, and funds resources for the men and women that served our country.
You can read nonpartisan summaries of all our budget bills and the process to pass them below, thanks to our House Public Information Services. All that’s missing is our Tax bill, which we’re currently debating:
More Minnesotans are fully vaccinated, COVID-19 cases are down, and in St. Paul we recently reached a deal with the US Department of Agriculture to continue emergency food assistance, and passed an off-ramp to the eviction moratorium – all components that led to us being able to vote for a safe and orderly end to the COVID-19 peacetime emergency, which had been in place since last March.
Ending the peacetime emergency also ends Governor Waz’s executive orders, and it was in negotiations with the Senate and the Governor that we were able to put together this roadmap that ensured we weren’t just replacing this emergency with a different crisis when it ends. For example, the off-ramp we just passed to the eviction moratorium gives landlords and renters the time and resources they need to be made whole. If you or someone you know has been struggling with rent payments because of the pandemic, I highly encourage you to check out renthelpmn.org.
With the end of today’s special session, we’re not scheduled to be back on the House floor until the 2022 legislative session. During the interim, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you have about the bills we passed this year, or ideas you may have for our community. You can contact me through email (rep.michael.nelson@house.mn) or phone (651-296-3751). I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope you and your loved ones have a safe and fun 4th of July weekend.
Sincerely,
Rep. Michael V. Nelson
At the dawn of the 20th century, a booklet based on anti-Semitic lies about a shadowy plot by Jews to control the world that was originally published in Russia in 1905 and subsequently translated into other languages, began spreading throughout Europe and to other countries.
A century later, the ideas captured in “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” still have their adherents. A Morning Consult poll conducted April 27-29 and published on June 28 finds that nearly half of believers in the QAnon conspiracy theory also believe in the purported plot by Jews for world domination.
Experts say the overlap is not all that shocking. Continue reading.
Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday denied that he plans to attend a fundraiser this week with a group that promotes white nationalist ideas, despite an invitation for the event circulating online that features the congressman and Nick Fuentes, a far-right operative who leads America First.
Gosar has previously attended events with Fuentes and appeared to defend the fundraiser in a tweet Monday night when he wrote: “Not sure why anyone is freaking out. I’ll say this: there are millions of Gen Z, Y and X conservatives. They believe in America First. They will not agree 100% on every issue. No group does. We will not let the left dictate our strategy, alliances and efforts. Ignore the left.”
But on Tuesday Gosar denied any knowledge of the fundraiser when asked about the invitation featuring a photo of him with Fuentes. Continue reading.
One month after congressional Republicans blocked a bipartisan investigation into the January 6 Capitol insurrection, congressional Republicans are demanding a bipartisan investigation into the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
The House in May passed by a vote of 252-175 a bill that would have created a bipartisan commission modeled on the one that investigated the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The bill, the result of a compromise between Republican Rep. John Katko of New York and Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, was nearly identical to a January GOP proposal. It would have established an outside panel with an even number of Democratic and Republican appointees.
But just 35 Republicans joined the Democratic majority in voting for it after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy refused to support it and Donald Trump instructed Republican lawmakers to block the legislation. Continue reading.
The Republican president of the Wisconsin State Senate sent a groveling letter to former President Donald Trump last week after the twice-impeached former president criticized his party for not overturning the results of the 2020 election.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Wisconsin State Sen. Chris Kapenga last week tried to smooth over tensions between the Wisconsin GOP and the former president after Trump accused them of “working hard to cover up election corruption” and “actively trying to prevent a Forensic Audit of the election results.”
“Wisconsin Republican leaders Robin Vos, Chris Kapenga, and Devin LeMahieu, are working hard to cover up election corruption, in Wisconsin,” Trump ranted in a statement last Friday. Continue reading.
