In the Know: May 22, 2020

Days to the November Election:  165

2020 Election
Biden vetting rumors are circulating. Here are the VP finalists we see., Washington Post
A Trump election conspiracy collapses, Politico

Agriculture
Corn prices keep slumping, and Minnesota farmers keep planting more, Star Tribune
MORE U.S. AG PRODUCTS ELIGIBLE FOR EXPORT TO CHINA, Successful Farming
Farmers Can Sign Up For Payments Beginning May 26, Forbes

Attorney General Keith Ellison
AG Ellison says ‘yes’ after Minn. legislators ask if he will enforce coronavirus emergency orders, Bemidji Pioneer
Minnesota April unemployment more than double 2019’s, but still better than U.S. Duluth News Tribune

Donald Trump
‘I tested positively toward negative’: Trump talks about coronavirus test results, USA Today
Trump Is Brazenly Interfering With the 2020 Election, The Atlantic
Trump Claimed Arms Sales Would Provide a Massive Jobs Boost. A New Report Shows How Wrong He Was., Mother Jones
Antimalarial drug touted by President Trump is linked to increased risk of death in coronavirus patients, study says, Washington Post
Trump fires back at Michigan AG after she calls him ‘petulant child’, The Hill
G-7 leaders cautious as Trump suggests face-to-face summit, Washington Post

Economy
U.S. shale bust slams rural economies as oil checks shrivel, Reuters
Republicans Poised to Dismantle the Economy’s Main Support, The American Prospect
Why Our Economy May Be Headed for a Decade of Depression, New York Magazine
The Senate won’t consider more coronavirus stimulus until early June, Vox
White House’s Hassett expects June turning point in U.S. employment: CNN, Reuters

Education
DeVos Faces Pushback Over Plan To Reroute Aid To Private School Students, NPR
Court papers show Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, will plead guilty in college admissions bribery case, Associated Press

Environment
‘Expect More’: Climate Change Raises Risk of Dam Failures, New York Times
Hurricane Season Will Be Above Average, NOAA Warns, NPR

Governor Tim Walz
Walz to give state employees promised raise, MPR
Walz: Phased plan to reopen bars, restaurants, barbershops and salons starts June 1; Church restrictions remain, KSTP
Teamsters Local 320 Applauds Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for Supporting Unions and Collective Bargaining, Southern Minnesota

Health
Scientists Warn CDC Testing Data Could Create Misleading Picture Of Pandemic, NPR
McConnell Is Pushing Through Another Trump Judge Who’s Gunning for Obamacare, Slate
Study: U.S. could have saved 36,000 lives if social distancing started 1 week earlier, MPR

Immigration
Undocumented immigrants may be eligible for federal COVID care, but a larger issue looms, The Hill
Democratic lawmakers request information on reports of family separation in detention, CNN

Labor
Minnesota April unemployment more than double 2019’s, but still better than U.S. Duluth News Tribune
U.S. labor market struggles as layoffs spread despite businesses reopening, Reuters
‘Essential’ workers are just forced laborers, Washington Post

Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota farmers protected from foreclosure through harvest, Fergus Falls Journal

Minnesota News
Another Minnesota county surges as national coronavirus hotspot, City Pages
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to make face masks mandatory inside public accommodations, Bring me the News MN
Watertown giving households $60 economic stimulus checks. Star Tribune
We’re all one paycheck away’: More Minnesotans flocking to food shelves, MPR

Representative Collin Peterson (CD7)
House bills would let regulators study blockchain, backers say, Security Info Watch

Representative Dean Phillips (CD3)
Help for battered restaurants could be on the way as House considers new bills, Washington Post

Representative Ilhan Omar (CD5)
Ilhan Omar interview: the US politician on her new book and refugee past, The Times

Republicans
Rent Is Still Due in Kushnerville, ProPublica
Life at the Trump Tailgate: Spiked Slurpees, Culture Wars and the Coronavirus Hoax, Politico
Pompeo Ordered State Dept. Officials To Invent Reason For His Emergency Declaration In Saudi Arms Sale, Talking Points Memo
The Presidential Race Florida Is Really Talking About, Politico

Senator Amy Klobuchar
Klobuchar, Moran introduce bill to protect senior citizens from scams, fraud amid coronavirus

U.S. News
A Double Standard Too Glaring Even for GOP Supreme Court Justices?, The American Prospect
No Employment Boom for Georgia After Reopening, New York Magazine
White Anti-Quarantine Protesters Have Cruelly Co-opted a Black 18th Century Slave, Daily Beast
Second wave of coronavirus infections could cause a worse economic disaster, experts warn, CNBC
Democrats demand reinstatement of State Department inspector general fired by Trump, CNBC
In New York City, 2 Million Residents Face Food Insecurity, Officials Say, NPR

World News
The world stumbles towards reopening amid a global leadership vacuum, Politico
Brazil has one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks. Bolsonaro wants to reopen anyway., Vox
Coronavirus fears grip Middle East; 10,000 Iran medics infected, Al Jazeera
Hong Kong is ‘anxious, angry and frightened,’ ex-lawmaker says of China’s proposed security law, CNBC

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.

  • Today through May 24 — Ramadan
  • Today through June 2 — Window for Candidates to Register with Minnesota to Run for City Offices with Possible Primaries, County Offices, Judicial and Legislative Positions
  • May 25 — Memorial Day, Eid al Fitar
  • May 26 -31 — State DFL Convention virtual voting window
  • May 31 — Mandatory meeting for district-level DFL National Delegates, more information as it becomes available
  • June 2, 7:00 to 8:30 PM — SD40 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 3
    • 6:30 to 8:30 PM — SD50 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD33 DFL Central Committee Virtual Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 4, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD46 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 8
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD44 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD49 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 11
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD36 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD48 Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 14 — Flag Day
  • June 15, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — Anoka County DFL Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 17, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — CD3 DFL Central Committee Meeting, more information as it becomes available.
  • June 20 — Summer Solstice
  • June 21 — Father’s Day
  • June 26 through August 10 — Primary Election Early Voting Window