28 days until the Aug. 14 primary
66 days until no excuse absentee balloting opens for the Nov. 6 election
112 days until Election Day<
2018 Election — Primary
2018 Election — General
Record number of women running for office in Minnesota, trend nationally, KSTP
2018 Election — Attorney General
Northfield native runs on DFL ticket for attorney general, St. Peter Herald
2018 Election — U.S. House
Jim Hagedorn: The worst Republican candidate in America? The Washington Examiner
More than 50 Dem challengers outraise GOP incumbents, The Hill
Money showers Minnesota U.S. House races, MPR
Correction on fundraising numbers: Angie Craig, the DFL-endorsed candidate for CD 2, raised more than $1 million during the second quarter of 2018. The campaign has more than $1.5 million on hand as of June 30 and has raised more than $2.1 million since filing on Oct. 1, 2017. The total fundraising amount is one of the largest in the nation this past quarter for a Congressional challenger. This is the third quarterly report from Craig for the cycle. Craig outraised Rep. Jason Lewis by nearly $500,000. Crain Campaign
2018 Election — U.S. Senate
GOP candidate Jim Newberger ready to protect Minnesota from Muslim control, City Pages
The Midwest eases its Trump swoon and once again flirts with Democratic candidates, Washington Post
Offensive tweet of the day – mocking how Native Americans honor their culture:
Agriculture
Can Minnesota have clean water without regulating fertilizer?, MPR
Education
Elections
Immigrant Crisis
Judge temporarily halts deportation of reunified families, Star Tribune
Transit
Key southwest light rail agreement allows transit to share corridor with freight rail, Star Tribune
Trump and Putin
In Helsinki, Trump violated his oath of office, Star Tribune
Analysis: Trump’s slogan becomes ‘me first’ as he meets with Putin, Star Tribune
Five takeaways from Trump’s jaw-dropping performance with Putin, The Hill
Lawmakers call Trump’s performance ‘bizarre,’ ‘shameful,’ MPR
Trump’s Helsinki humiliation: Over the course of the press conference, Trump:
- Sided with Russia over his own law enforcement.
- Turned a question on Russian election interference into a rambling dialogue on Hillary Clinton’s email server and his electoral college votes.
- And stood by, nodding, while Putin repeatedly lied about election interference., Axios
Yes, this really happened! Here’s the quote: “My people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and some others, they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.” The President of the United States, at a summit in Finland, said he trusts Putin more than his own intelligence community. There’s just no other way to read it. CNN
President Trump was peculiarly friendly to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday as the two met for a one-on-one summit in Helsinki. When they emerged from behind closed doors for a news conference, Trump said basically everything Putin could wish for, says The Fix’s Aaron Blake: With the whole world watching, Trump gave Putin the benefit of the doubt over U.S. intelligence agencies on whether Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. The meeting also gave Putin the credibility in the West he craves. Washington Post
- Trump on what he thinks of Putin: “I called him a competitor. And a good competitor he is. And I think the word ‘competitor’ is a compliment.”
- When Putin is asked to respond to 12 Russians indicted in a U.S. investigation for hacking, Trump interjects with a defense for Putin: “[I]came out as a reason why the Democrats lost an election which, frankly, they should have been able to win, because the electoral college is much more advantageous for Democrats, as you know, than it is to Republicans. We won the electoral college by a lot: 306 to 223, I believe. And that was a well-fought — that was a well-fought battle. We did a great job.”
- Putin, when asked if he wanted Trump to win the election: “Yes, I did.”
Amazon
Amazon workers strike in Germany, joining action in Spain and Poland, Reuters
Amazon Prime Day: Worker strikes and a site crash dent the online shopping bonanza, Washington Post
Jeff Bezos unseats Bill Gates on Forbes 2018 richest billionaires list, USA Today
Upcoming DFL Events
Today through August 13 — Primary early voting. More information here.
July 20, 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 21, 10:00 AM — SD33 DFL marching in the Mound Spirit of the Lakes Parade
July 21, 12:00 PM — SD49 DFL Annual Summer Picnic, Rosland Park, 4300 W 66th St, Edina, MN 55435
July 24, 7:00 PM — SD34 DFL Executive Committee Meeting
July 27, 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 31, 7:00 PM — SD37 DFL Central Committee Meeting, check their Facebook page for location