Days to the November Election: 223
Agriculture
SONY EXPANDS ITS SMART AGRICULTURE SOLUTION ECOSYSTEM, Successful Farming
Ag Retailers Association: Goal Is to Keep Business Running Smoothly, AgWeb
Attorney General Keith Ellison
Ellison launches crackdown on COVID-19 ‘pandemic profiteering’ on toilet paper and moreAttorney general’s office sends a warning letter to Menards, Brainerd Dispatch
Congress
Congress unlikely to give stimulus deal final approval Tuesday and talks likely to slip into Wednesday, CNN
DFL News
DFL Chairman’s Column: ACA as important as ever on 10th anniversary, Duluth News Tribune
Donald Trump
Trump businesses barred from getting coronavirus stimulus money, Schumer says, CNBC
‘It’s a two-way street’: Trump suggests federal coronavirus aid will be given to governors who ‘treat us well’, Business Insider
The Fox News moment that revealed a dangerously confused president, Vox
How we know ending social distancing will lead to more deaths, in one chart, Vox
Economy
How To Avert Economic Catastrophe: Ideas From 5 Top Economists, NPR
Trump wants U.S. economy ‘opened up and raring to go’ by Easter, Washington Post
There’s a simple way Apple and other companies can help the economy, CNN
Stock markets rally after Federal Reserve starts printing money, The Guardian
Needed: A finance agency to handle the financial meltdown from the coronavirus, Boston Globe
Unsanitized: Bailouts, A Tradition Unlike Any Other, The American Prospect
Education
It’s more important than ever that teachers influence support for public education, The Hill
A Medical Class ‘Minted by the Pandemic’, New York Times
Environment
Favorable flood forecast gives relief to Fargo-Moorhead area, MPR
Climate change: Green energy plant threat to wilderness areas, BBC News
Governor Tim Walz
Minnesota limits on crowds could last ‘well beyond Easter,’ Gov. Tim Walz says, Star Tribune
Coronavirus Daily Briefing: Gov. Walz says closure of schools, bars and restaurants likely to continue, KSTP
Health
A nurse writes about the calm before the COVID-19 storm, MN Reformer
‘This thing has taken off like wildfire’: Mayo races with high-powered alliance to produce plasma treatment for coronavirus, Rochester Post Bulletin
Health care workers on frontlines feel like ‘lambs to the slaughterhouse’, CNN
COVID-19 exposes an ugly truth about neglecting health care workers, The Hill
‘Bullet train’: NY COVID-19 peak may come soon, swamp hospitals, Al Jazeera
Immigration
First immigrant in ICE detention center tests positive for coronavirus, The Hill
Suspending immigration filing deadlines would save lives, Washington Post
Labor
Labor Panel Considers Lobbying Limits for Federal Worker Unions, Bloomberg
The coronavirus unemployment insurance plan, explained, Vox
How the Covid-19 recession could become a depression, Vox
Drivers Say Uber and Lyft Are Blocking Unemployment Pay, New York Times
9 charts show why the economy is in such a scary spot, Washington Post
Minnesota Legislature
Legislature to meet again under COVID-19 restrictions,MPR
Minnesota News
Tracking coronavirus in Minnesota, Star Tribune
Metro Transit is reducing travel by 40 percent starting today. Here’s what you need to know., City Pages
Small-town Minnesota practices social distancing, but it’s hard to do, Star Tribune
‘I don’t have the virus’: Asian Americans in Minnesota confront a COVID-19 backlash, MPR
Representative Betty McCollum (CD4)
16 community health centers share $1 million to address coronavirus, Pioneer Press
Republicans
‘Dumbest s—’: DeSantis takes heat as he goes his own way on coronavirus, Politico
Glenn Beck Would ‘Rather Die’ Than See a Coronavirus Economic Shutdown, NY Mag
GOP LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FACES BACKLASH FOR SAYING GRANDPARENTS DON’T WANT TO SACRIFICE THE ECONOMY FOR CORONAVIRUS ISOLATION, Newsweek
GOP celebrates biggest stock market gain since 1933, might want to dig deeper into history, The Week
Supreme Court of the US
The Supreme Court must not license taxpayer funded discrimination, The Hill
The Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision that bodes ill for the future of civil rights, Vox
U.S. News
White House, Senate reach historic $2 trillion stimulus deal amid growing coronavirus fears, CNN
Young adults in Kentucky threw a ‘coronavirus party.’ Now one of them has COVID-19., USA Today
Trump officials advise people leaving New York to self-quarantine for 14 days,The Hill
‘Coughing while Asian’: living in fear as racism feeds off coronavirus panic, The Guardian
This Is Just the Beginning, The Atlantic
New York’s virus case count is doubling every three days., New York Times
World News
Coronavirus death toll in Spain overtakes China as lockdowns extend around globe, The Guardian
Prince Charles tests positive for novel coronavirus, CNN
China’s Hubei eases coronavirus curbs; new imported cases decline, Reuters
VIDEO: Modi announces coronavirus lockdown ‘to save India’, The Guardian
Spanish soldiers find corpses inside nursing home while disinfecting for coronavirus, ABC News
Concerns In Philippines After Duterte Given Emergency Powers To Fight COVID-19 Spread, NPR
Upcoming DFL Events
With the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, we suggest you check with the hosting organization to see if meetings, etc. are being held.
All DFL conventions will now be held virtually. If you were elected as a Delegate or Alternate at Caucuses, you will be hearing from your district with specifics. If you don’t, please check with the hosting organization.
- April 1 — April Fools’ Day
- 6:30 to 8:30 PM — SD50 DFL Central Committee Meeting, PROBABLY POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, contact the Chair for specifics
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD33 DFL Central Committee Meeting Virtual Meeting on the Zoom platform. Contact the Chair for more information.
- April 2, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD46 DFL Central Committee Meeting, PROBABLY POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, contact the Chair for specifics
- April 7, 7:00 to 8:30 PM – SD40 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
- April 9 through 13 — Passover
- April 9
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD36 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Riverwind Community Center, 2701 Normal Blvd NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433.
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD48 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Glen Lake Activity Center, 14350 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345.
- April 10 — Good Friday
- April 12 — Easter
- April 13
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD44 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Council Chambers, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD49 DFL Central Committee Meeting, 7001 Cahill Rd, Suite 21, Edina, MN
- April 15 — Tax Day
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC CD3 DFL Central Committee Meting
- April 18
- April 20, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — Anoka County DFL Meeting, Coon Rapids Civic Center, 11155 Robinson Dr, Coon Rapids, MN 55433.
- April 22 — Earth Day
- April 23 through May 23 — Ramadan
- April 24 — Arbor Day
- May 5 — Cinco de Mayo
- 7:00 to 8:30 PM — SD40 DFL Central Committee Meeting, location to be determined
- May 6
- 6:30 to 8:30 PM — SD50 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Kennedy High School, Room C102, 9701 Nicollet Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55420
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD33 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Ridgedale Library, Room 172, 12601 Ridgedale Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55305
- May 7, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD46 DFL Central Committee Meeting, St. Louis Park City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN 55416
- May 9, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM — CD3 DFL Convention, Park Center High School, Performing Arts Center, 7300 Brooklyn Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55344.
- May 10 — Mother’s Day
- May 11
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD44 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Council Chamber, Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD49 DFL Central Committee Meeting, 7001 Cahill Rd, Suite 21, Edina, MN
- May 14
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD36 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Riverwind Community Center, 2701 Northdale Blvd NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433.
- 7:oo to 9:00 PM — SD48 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Glen Lake Community Center, 14350 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345
- May 30 -30 — State DFL Convention, Rochester, MN, more information as it becomes available.