In the Know: September 17, 2019

2020 Election
TRUMP’S REPUBLICAN CHALLENGERS ANGRY THAT FOUR STATES CANCEL GOP PRIMARIES, Newsweek
Trump’s economic approval takes hit in battleground states: poll, The Hill
Polling expert predicts 2020 will be a disaster for GOP: Trump “is driving away Republican voters”, Slate

Agriculture
U.S. CORN HARVEST IS DELAYED, USDA CROP PROGRESS REPORT SHOWS, Successful Farming
Size matters. Big U.S. farms get even bigger amid China trade war, Yahoo News

Congress
White House tells Lewandowski not to answer questions and asserts immunity for Dearborn and Porter, CNN
Senate set for floor showdown over Trump border wall, The Hill
House Oversight probing whether Chao improperly helped her family’s company, Politico

Donald Trump
Manhattan district attorney subpoenas 8 years of Trump tax returns, CNN
SECRET SERVICE WANTS JET SKIS TO PROTECT TRUMPS: ‘THE FIRST FAMILY IS VERY ACTIVE IN WATER SPORTS‘, Newsweek
Trump in New Mexico: ‘Who do you like more — the country or Hispanics?‘, NBC News
Trump Says the Government Should Investigate Obama’s Netflix Deal, Mother Jones
Trump Tells Rally Crowd They’re All ‘Better Looking’ Than They Were Three Years Ago, Daily Beast

Economy
Apple Says It Would Rather Not Pay $14.3 Billion in Back Taxes to the EU, Gizmodo
An Oil Price Surge Could Hurt Consumer Spending, and the Economy, New York Times

Environment
Where Does All the Plastic Go?, The New Yorker
Record rainfall causes erosion problems in southern Minnesota river towns, Star Tribune
UN launches drive to suck back carbon and reverse climate change, The Guardian

Governor Tim Walz
Walz signs order creating Governor’s Biofuels Council, KTTC
Gov. Walz creates Minnesota biofuels council to help ethanol industry, Star Tribune

Gun Violence
The connection between video games and mass shootings isn’t just wrong—it’s racist, MIT Technology Review

Health
Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market Under Trump, Bloomberg
Eric Trump’s Four-Pinocchio claim that the Obamacare website cost more than Trump’s border barrier, New York Times

Immigration
ASYLUM SEEKER DENIED US ENTRY BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION KIDNAPPED FIVE HOURS AFTER RETURN TO MEXICO, Newsweek

Labor
The State Of American Labor, NPR
G.M. Workers Say They Sacrificed, and Now They Want Their Due, New York Times
74 employees at GM parts distribution center in Hudson part of national strike, Pioneer Press

Minnesota Legislature
Community Meetings Address High Cost Of Insulin In Minnesota, WCCO
New insulin relief bill in the works at Capitol, KARE11

Minnesota News
Brutal series of assaults and robberies in Minneapolis highlights a critical police shortage in the city, CNN
20 arrests, 18 charged after violent downtown robberies, KARE11

Representative Collin Peterson (CD7, D)
Minnesota’s Peterson Helps Establish 4-H Congressional Caucus, Voice of Alexandria
Work Continues With USMCA, Ag Professional
House ag defends budget-busting trade aid, Politico

Representative Jim Hagedorn (CD1, R)
Agriculture: Government hurting crop prices, farmer income, Austin Daily Herald

News of the World
Iran’s supreme leader: No talks with the US at any level, Associated Press
China extends influence in Pacific as Solomon Islands break with Taiwan, The Guardian
The Liar-In-Chief Accuses Iran Of Lying, Highlighting U.S. Foreign Policy Quandary, Huffington Post
On vote eve, Netanyahu vows total West Bank settlement annex, Associated Press

Representative Ilhan Omar (CD5, D)
Omar: An administration ‘that lies about weather maps’ can’t be trusted on Iran, CNN

Republicans
Mitch McConnell: The Man Who Sold America, Rolling Stone
Kris Kobach Sent a List of Possible Immigrants to ICE to Ask if They Were Undocumented, Slate
Lindsey Graham Says U.S. Should Consider Iran Attack That Would ‘Break Regime’s Back’, HuffPost
BOTH REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES COMPETING FOR FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DON’T LIVE THERE, Newsweek

Senator Tina Smith
Senate, House to consider grant program for green space and public lands funding, Transportation Today

Supreme Court of the United States
Times’ handling of Kavanaugh story draws widespread criticism, Politico

U.S. News
The Cost of Running Guantánamo Bay: $13 Million Per Prisoner, NY Times
Gas prices could rise 10 to 25 cents following Saudi attack, The Hill
Muslim-American mayor was wrongfully detained at JFK for hours, asked if he knew any terrorists, Daily Kos
Judge Refuses to Scrap Plea Deal That Protected Jeffrey Epstein’s Co-Conspirators, Daily Beast

Upcoming DFL Events:

• September 18, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — CD3 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Council Chamber, Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka, Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345
• September 20, 6:00 to 8:00 PM — SD33 DFL Issues Door Knock, staging from Caribou Coffee, 325 Clydesdale Trl, Suite 100, Medina, MN 55340
• September 21
  • 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM — SD44 DFL Marching in Plymouth on Parade, more information and RSVP here.
  • 12:00 PM — State DFL Business Conference, Redwood Valley Senior High School, 100 George Ramseth Dr, Redwood Falls, MN 56283. More information here.
• September 23 — Autumnal Equinox
• September 25, 6:00 to 8:00 PM — SD33 DFL Issues Door Knock, staging from Caribou Coffee, 325 Clydesdale Trl, Suite 100, Medina, MN 55340
• September 26, 6:00 to 8:00 PM — SD33 DFL Issues Door Knock, staging from Caribou Coffee, 325 Clydesdale Trl, Suite 100, Medina, MN 55340
• September 27, 6:00 to 8:00 PM — SD33 DFL Issues Door Knock, staging from Caribou Coffee, 325 Clydesdale Trl, Suite 100, Medina, MN 55340
• September 29 through October 1 — Rosh Hashana
• October 1, 7:00 to 8:30 PM — SD37 DFL Central Committee Meeting, check their Facebook page for specifics, locations change from month to month.
• October 2 through 4 — Minnesota House of Representatives Mini-Session
• October 2
  • 6:30 to 8:30 PM — SD50 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Kennedy High School, Room C102, 9701 Nicollet Ave, Bloomington, MN 55420
  • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD33 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Ridgedale Library, Room 172, 12601 Ridgedale Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55305
  • 7:00 to 8:30 PM — SD40 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Brookdale Library, Room C, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
• October 5, 4:00 to 8:00 PM — SD50 DFL Octoberfest, Lake Shore Drive Condominiums, 6615 Lake Shore Dr S, Richfield, MN 55423. Join them for brats, beer and other Bavarian fare. There’ll be music and fun activities for kids and adults alike. Event is free, contributions to the district appreciate.
• October 8 through 9 — Yom Kippur
• October 10, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD48 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Glen Lake Activity Center, 14350 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345
• October 13, 1:00 to 2:00 PM — SD40 DFL Book Club Meeting, contact them for more information.
• October 14
  • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD44 DFL Central Committee Meeting, 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
• October 15 — Democratic Presidential Debate hosted by CNN and The New York Times, more information as it becomes available.
• October 16 — Democratic Presidential Debate Second Night hosted by CNN and The New York Times if needed, more information as it becomes available.
  • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — CD3 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Council Chambers, Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345.
• October 31 — Halloween