Category: DFL In the Know

No excuse absentee balloting  for the Aug. 14 primary today through Aug. 13
47 days until the Aug. 14 primary
86 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Nov. 6 election
132 days until Election Day

2018 election — Early Primary Voting
Early primary voting in Minnesota starts Friday, Duluth News Tribune

Enbridge Pipeline
State regulators OK certificate of need for controversial Enbridge pipeline, Star Tribune
With 5-0 vote, PUC backs Enbridge pipeline, MPR

GOP
 

Governor
Four gubernatorial candidates discuss competing visions for Minn., MPR

Janus Decision
Defiant union members and leaders comment on Janus, Workday Minnesota
Organized labor must reform after Supreme Court ruling, Star Tribune
Duluth labor pushes back on Janus ruling, Duluth News Tribune

Mass Shooting
Gunman targeted Maryland newspaper building, killing 5, Star Tribune

Trump
President Trump, with his refusal to take advice or yield to experts, is the West Wing. Republicans who control both halves of Congress won’t lift a finger against him and fully support his every move.

• And now — with his chance to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy — Trump may have fewer checks on his power than any president in his lifetime. (Trump was born in 1946, the year after FDR died in office, 72 years ago.) Axios

 

Trump and Russia
House Republicans grill FBI, Justice Department on Russia probe, Star Tribune
Putin, Trump to have July 16 summit in Helsinki, MPR

Trump’s repeated assertions that he believes Putin’s denial of involvement in the 2016 election are, on their face, hard to believe. There is ample evidence to suggest that Russia conducted a broad and deep campaign of disinformation and persuasion designed to aid Trump and hurt Clinton. And that they will seek to meddle in future elections. And yet, in the face of all of that evidence, Trump chooses to believe Putin’s unsubstantiated denials. CNN

U.S. Supreme Court
Minnesota’s U.S. senators say Supreme Court appointment should wait, Star Tribune

Seven front runners for U.S. Supreme Court, via the Washington Post

• Brett Kavanaugh of Maryland, who is on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
• Raymond Gruender of Missouri (8th Circuit)
• Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania (3rd Circuit)
• Raymond Kethledge of Michigan (6th Circuit)
• William H. Pryor Jr. of Alabama (11th Circuit)
• Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana (7th Circuit)
• Amul Thapar of Kentucky (6th Circuit)

Upcoming Events

• Today through August 13 — Primary early voting. More information here.
• June 29, 12:00 PM — Stand Against Trump, SD40 DFL Treasurer John Schafer is holding a weekly hour of protest and resistance on Fridays from 12pm to 1pm at the corner of Brookdale & Xerxes in Brooklyn Park.
• July 3, 7:00 PM — SD40 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Brooklyn Park Library, 8500 W Broadway Ave, Brooklyn Park, MN 55443
• July 4 — Independence Day
• July 4 — SD48 DFL will be at Eden Prairie’s Independence Day celebration at Round Lake Park (southwest corner for Valley View Road and Eden Prairie Road).
• July 4, 1:30 PM — SD33 DFL Marching in the Chanhassen 4th of July Parade. Line up starts at 1:30 PM, parade steps off at 2:30 PM.
• July 6, 12:00 PM — Stand Against Trump, SD40 DFL Treasurer John Schafer is holding a weekly hour of protest and resistance on Fridays from 12pm to 1pm at the corner of Brookdale & Xerxes in Brooklyn Park.
• July 9, 7:00 PM — SD44 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka, MN 55345
• July 9, 7:00 PM — SD49 DFL Central Committee Meeting, 7001 Cahill Rd, Suite 21, Edina, MN
• July 10, 7:00 PM — SD34 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Maple Grove Library, 8001 Main St N, Osseo, MN 55369
• July 12, 6:00 PM — SD34 DFL Marching in the Maple Grove Days Parade
• July 12, 7:00 PM — SD48 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Glen Lake Activity Center, 14350 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345
• July 13, 12:00 PM — Stand Against Trump, SD40 DFL Treasurer John Schafer is holding a weekly hour of protest and resistance on Fridays from 12pm to 1pm at the corner of Brookdale & Xerxes in Brooklyn Park.

1 day until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Aug. 14 primary
48 days until the Aug. 14 primary
87 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Nov. 6 election
133 days until Election Day

2018 election

Polling from navigator:

• When it comes to politics generally, Democrats feel more anger and Republicans feel more excitement — but Democrats are feeling more exhausted right now than Republicans by a 2-to-1 margin.
• The progressive base is most energized by focusing on big, substantive issue fights and being part of organized demonstrations and movements.
• Across partisan lines, Americans see Trump’s defining personality traits as narcissism and egotism, and self-interest as his primary motivation.
• Americans also view Congressional Republicans’ actions and agenda as leading to corruption and higher costs for them.

North Carolina GOP Primary Winner Says God is a White Supremacist, Jews are Satanic, Newsweek

Congress
Stauber campaign: Trump visit represents growing momentum, Bemidji Pioneer
Fall of Democratic leaders caps strong primary night for progressives, MPR
Trump is all in on Pete Stauber. Will the 8th District follow suit? MinnPost Continue reading “In the Know: June 28, 2018”

3 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Aug. 14 primary
49 days until the Aug. 14 primary
88 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Nov. 6 election
134 days until Election Day

2018 Election
5 reasons why Minnesota is a state to watch in the 2018 election, MPR

• Minnesota’s 8th district was the closest House race in 2016
• Minnesota’s 3rd district has the lowest unemployment rate in the state – and in the nation
• Minnesota’s 5th district is full of millennials
• Minnesota’s 7th district went for Trump by 31 percent, and also elected a Democrat
• Minnesota’s congressional districts are not very diverse

3 winners and 2 losers from the primaries in South Carolina, New York, Utah, and Colorado, Vox Continue reading “In the Know: June 27, 2018”

2018 session
Dayton had no choice but to veto, Duluth News Tribune

Health Care
The Senate health committee will kick off a series of hearings this week about health care costs, and the House isn’t far behind, now that it has wrapped up its marathon of opioids bills. The focus makes sense — health care costs are one of voters’ top issues in the midterms.

So, does this mean the GOP is moving on from its repeal-and-replace agenda? Not so fast.

• “I think if you address health care costs you’re basically repealing and replacing Obamacare. It’s really one and the same,” Sen. Mike Rounds told Axios’ Caitlin Owens.

Reality check: Rising ACA premiums are a real issue for millions of people, but they’re a tiny fraction of the health care system. Drug prices, rising deductibles and a burgeoning backlash over surprise hospital bills are all animating the cost debate — and none of them are products of the ACA.

The bottom line: Republicans clearly don’t feel that they can say they’re moving on from ACA repeal, and that could complicate any serious effort to address health care costs — an area where bipartisan agreement may not be easy, but is at least not beyond the realm of possibility.

• “I think we can find more common ground there and get more done there for consumers, and that’s where we should focus,” Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden said. Axios

Continue reading “In the Know: June 26, 2018”

2018 election – #BlueWave2018
Minnesota is 2018 in a nutshell for Republicans, NBC via CNN
Democrats gather for Democracy in the Park rally in Northfield, Northfield News
How soy beans – yes soy beans – could impact the 2018 election, CNN
Most say treatment of migrants will be important to mid-term vote: Poll, The Hill
George F. Will on the election: Give Republicans in Congress a time out, Star Tribune

Two new polls suggest that immigration may not be as effective an issue for Trump in 2018 as it was two years ago. In fact, Trump’s fixation on building the wall and reducing the number of immigrants who are allowed into the country appears to be a key reason that those ideas are becoming less popular. Washington Post

June 26 primaries
Races to watch in Tuesday’s primaries, The Hill Continue reading “In the Know: June 25, 2018”

7 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Aug. 14 primary
53 days until the Aug. 14 primary
92 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Nov. 6 election
138 days until Election Day

2018 Election
Why primaries are good, running mates shouldn’t matter, and suburban women will decide Minnesota’s 2018 election, MinnPost
Trump’s presence fires up DFL rally in Duluth, Duluth News Tribune
CNN Poll: Support for Democrats ticks up and they retain the enthusiasm advantage, CNN
Gun-control bus tour aims to register young voters, Star Tribune

Congress
House GOP plan would cut Medicare, Medicaid to balance budget, Washington Post Continue reading “In the Know: June 22, 2018”

9 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Aug. 14 primary
55 days until the Aug. 14 primary
94 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Nov. 6 election
140 days until Election Day

2018 Election – Congress
With eyes on midterms, Trump embraces immigration fight, Star Tribune

Banking
For big banks, breaking the rules is a trade secret, LA Times
Give Everyone Government Bank Accounts, The New Republic

Day Care Fraud
Fox 9 reporting on day care fraud called into question, Fox 9 Continue reading “In the Know: June 20, 2018”

11 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Aug. 14 primary

58 days until the Aug. 14 primary

95 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Nov. 6 election

141 days until Election Day

2018 Elections  — Primary
Minnesota’s August primaries may deliver high drama, big turnout, MPR
High turnout predicted for August primary, MinnPost

Elections
Bureaucracy and politics slow election security funding to states, MPR
The Supreme Court just gave Republicans a big break on gerrymandering, Washington Post

Immigration Crisis
Listen to Children Who’ve Just Been Separated From Their Parents at the Border, ProPublica
Unapologetic Trump digs in on immigration despite outrage, Star Tribune
GOP, Dems express outrage at separating families, Star Tribune
All 5 first ladies speak out against family separation at boarder, Star Tribune
House GOP immigration bill would modify — but not end — child detentions, MPR<
Hundreds gather in Minneapolis to protest federal immigration policy, MPR
Minneapolis protesters march against family separations at U.S.-Mexican border, WCCO
Jeff Sessions, immigration and the Bible: The problems with citing a passage to support an opinion,Star Tribune Continue reading “In the Know: June 19, 2018”

12 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Aug. 14 primary
59 days until the Aug. 14 primary
96 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Nov. 6 election
142 days until Election Day

2018 Election
Parkland school shooting survivors launch tour to register new voters, MPR

2020 election
Democrats plan unusually early 2020 Convention, NPR
AP: Trump 2020 working with ex-Cambridge Analytica staffers, KARE 11

Congress
DFL endorses Omar for Ellison’s congressional seat, Star Tribune Continue reading “In the Know: June 18, 2018”