Category: National Issues

In the Know: March 29, 2021

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Governor Tim Walz
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says ‘normalcy is on the horizon’ in State of the State address, Star Tribune 
Full video and transcript of Gov. Walz’s State of the State address, KSTP 
Gov. Tim Walz discusses pandemic, future in State of the State, KARE 11 

Minnesota Legislature
At legislative halftime, budget battle and peacetime emergency remain, KSTP 
Minnesota lawmaker proposes secession to border states, KSTP 
Legislative Auditor finds shoddy oversight of grants at Minnesota Department of Human Services, Star Tribune 

Minnesota News 
Low humidity and wind combine for fire danger in Minnesota on Monday, Star Tribune 
3 Minnesota teams make men’s hockey Frozen Four, KARE 11 
Minnesota Encourages People To Get What Ever Vaccine is Available, KNSI 
Minnesota’s 2021 State of the State Address, KEYC 
March 28 update on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccination pace reaches record high, MPR 

Republican Party News 
Salt Lake County GOP chairman resigns amid backlash over ‘bullying’ within party, Deseret 
Transgender Girls in Sports: G.O.P. Pushes New Front in Culture War, The New York Times 
The Republican Attack on Voting Rights, Reason 
Covid-19: Birx Lashes Trump’s Pandemic Response and Says Deaths Could Have Been ‘Decreased Substantially’, The New York Times 

U.S. News 
Moderna says shipped 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to United States, KFGO 
Here’s how Biden’s infrastructure package will likely tackle climate change, CNBC 
WHO Reportedly Finds Animals Are Likely Source Of Covid-19–Lab Leak Theory Is ‘Extremely Unlikely’, Forbes 
U.S. Covid cases rising again as restrictions ease despite benefits from increased vaccinations, CNBC 

U.S. Representative Angie Craig (CD2, D)
Rep. Angie Craig on social media’s role in spreading disinformation: “A lie can spread so fast”, MSNBC
D.C. Memo: D.C. statehood edition, MinnPost

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (CD5, D)
Rep. Ilhan Omar on meeting with children held at migrant facilities: “I was one of those kids”, MSNBC 
Rep. Ilhan Omar Speaks On Southern Border Experience, Yahoo! News 

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
4 Ways Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Antitrust Plan Would Change Startup Acquisitions, Inc.

U.S. Senator Tina Smith
SEN. SMITH PUSHES FOR PROGRESS ON EQUALITY ACT, KIMT3 
Smith, Klobuchar Reintroduce Bill to Fund Fire Safety Improvements in High-Rise Apartments, KNSI 

Upcoming Events:

You can find non-DFL events on our Action Alert post.

  • Today through April 3 — Passover
    • 2:00 to 4:00 PM — DFL Disability Caucus Virtual Meeting, more information here.
  • March 29 — Holi
  • March 30, 7:00 to 8:00 PM — State DFL Virtual Train the Trainer session, contact the State DFL for more information.
  • March 31, 5:00 to 6:00 PM — State DFL Virtual Party Leader Call, contact the State DFL for more information.
  • April 1 — April Fools’ Day
    • 7:00 to 8:00 PM — DFL Virtual Train the Trainer, contact the State DFL for more information
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD46 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information.
  • April 2 — Good Friday
  • April 4 — Easter
  • April 6, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD40 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information.
  • April 7
    • 5:00 to 6:00 PM — State DFL Virtual Weekly Party Leader Calls, contact the State DFL for more information.
    • 6:30 to 9:00 PM — SD50 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information.
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD33 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information.
  • April 8
    • 7:00 to 8:00 PM — DFL Virtual Train the Trainer, contact the State DFL for more information.
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD36 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information.
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD48 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information.
  • April 12 through May 12 — Ramadan
  • April 12
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD44 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information.
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD49 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information.
  • April 13, 7:00 to 8:00 PM — DFL Virtual Train the Trainer, contact the State DFL for more information.
  • April 14, 5:00 to 6:00 PM — State DFL Virtual Weekly Party Leader Call, contact the State DFL for more information.
  • April 15 — Tax Day, delayed until May 17, 2021
    • 5:30 to 7:30 PM — 2021 DFL Founders Day Celebration with Special Guest Gov. Gretchen Whitmore, more information and tickets here.
    • 7:00 to 8:00 PM — DFL Virtual Train the Trainer, contact the State DFL for more information
  • April 20, 7:00 to 8:00 PM — DFL Virtual Train the Trainer, contact the State DFL for more information.
  • April 21
    • 5:00 to 6:00 PM — State DFL Virtual Weekly Party Leader Call, contact the State DFL for more information.
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — CD3 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, more information as it becomes available
  • April 22 — Earth Day
    • 7:00 to 8:00 PM — DFL Virtual Train the Trainer, contact the State DFL for more information
  • April 27, 7:00 PM — SD33 DFL Virtual Voting Integrity Forum with Secretary of State Steve Simon, RSVP to bit.ly/SD33VotingForum
  • April 28
    • 5:00 to 6:00 PM — State DFL Virtual Weekly Party Leader Calls, contact the State DFL for more information.
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD47 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information.
  • May 2 — Orthodox Easter
  • May 5 — Cinco de Mayo
    • 5:00 to 6:00 PM — State DFL Virtual Weekly Party Leader Call, contact the State DFL for more information.
    • 6:30 to 9:00 PM — SD50 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for more information

‘Jim Crow 2.0’: Georgia Dem lays out the hardships the state’s ‘cruel’ and draconian new voter suppression law will cause

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In Georgia, State Rep. Donna McLeod was among the Democrats who fought hard against the voter suppression bill that Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law on Thursday, March 25 — and the next morning, McLeod did not mince words when she slammed the law as “White supremacy” and “Jim Crow 2.0” during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day.”

McLeod, who was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2016, told CNN hosts Alisyn Camerota and John Berman, “I live in Gwinnett County. We have endured lines every single election. This is just going to create more lines because you’re not giving people more options to vote. And with longer lines, that means you’re going to have people that will probably not want to vote anymore.”

Georgia’s new law goes out of its way to make voting more difficult in the Peach State, from limiting early voting to making absentee voting more complicated to reducing the number of ballot drop boxes. And the law is so draconian that it even makes it a crime to give food or water to someone who is waiting in line to vote. Continue reading.

Biden Shreds Republican Deficit ‘Concern’ At Press Conference

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After Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, liberal economist and New York Timescolumnist Paul Krugman predicted that the GOP “budget hawks” who had been silent during the Trump years would suddenly rediscover fiscal conservatism. And sure enough, now that Biden is president, Republicans are attacking him for increasing the United States’ federal deficit. 

Biden addressed GOP grandstanding about the deficit during a news conference on Thursday, pointing out that Republicans in Congress weren’t worried about the deficit when they passed the costly Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017.

Biden said of Republicans, “Did you hear them complain when they passed the close-to-$2-trillion Trump tax cut, with 83 percent going to the top one percent? Did you hear them talk about that at all?” Continue reading.

Could the people behind QAnon really be doing it just for the lolz?

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There’s a scene in HBO’s new six-part documentary about the rise of QAnon in which Fredrick Brennan, the founder of 8Chan, speculates as to why anyone would want to own a website infamous for hosting everything from mass shooters’ manifestos to child porn to the world’s most consequential conspiracy theory. The 27-year-old, who relinquished his administrative duties in 2016 and now wants to see his creation wiped off the internet, compares it to owning a yacht. The implication being that while neither generate income, both are a trophy or a status symbol for people with money to burn.

The least interesting parts of Q: Into the Storm are the ones featuring actual foot soldiers attending rallies, posting content to YouTube, and talking to filmmaker Cullen Hoback about how they’ve reordered their existence around a mysterious figure’s so-called intelligence “drops.” At its core, the documentary is a character study of the people who created the infrastructure behind the movement. The film excels at demystifying the denizens of a shadowy corner of the internet. There’s the aforementioned Brennan, who constantly strokes a Pomeranian like a cartoon villain, as well as a current 8Chan admin who drinks white wine with ice cubes and is partial to wearing Affliction tees. But at the center of the plot are Jim and Ron Watkins, a creepy father-son duo obsessed with antique fountain pens and raising pigs. They’re who now run the site and who Hoback ultimately concludes are posting as Q. Continue reading.

Dominion files $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News

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Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit on Friday seeking $1.6 billion in damages against Fox News, arguing that the network knowingly spread misinformation about the company’s role in nonexistent voter fraud.

Why it matters: This is the first time Dominion has sued a media company in its efforts to collect billions in damages from pro-Trump figures who have pushed baseless conspiracy theories about its voting machines.

  • Dominion has previously sued Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, and the pro-Trump MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. All have appeared as guests on Fox News. Continue reading.

Georgia Rep. charged with felonies for knocking on Kemp’s door as he signed voter suppression bill

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Democratic Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon was arrested and reportedly charged with two felonies late Thursday for knocking on Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s office door as he signed into law a sweeping voter suppression bill that aims to curtail ballot drop boxes, impose more strict voter ID requirements for absentee ballots, and give the GOP legislature significant control over the state election board.

Video footage posted online shows Cannon, who represents Georgia’s 58th House district, exchanging words with a state trooper standing in front of Kemp’s closed office door as the governor moved to grant the omnibus election bill final approval just hours after the 96-page measure cleared both the House and Senate Thursday afternoon.

“The governor is signing a bill that affects all Georgians,” a person standing behind Cannon said as the lawmaker spoke with the state trooper. “Why is he doing it in private? And why is he trying to keep elected officials who are representing us out of the process?” Continue reading.

Georgia governor signs into law sweeping voting bill that curtails the use of drop boxes and imposes new ID requirements for mail voting

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Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed into law a sweeping voting measure that proponents said is necessary to shore up confidence in the state’s elections but that critics countered will lead to longer lines, partisan control of elections and more difficult procedures for voters trying to cast their ballots by mail.

The measure is one of the first major voting bills to pass as dozens of state legislatures consider restrictions on how ballots are cast and counted in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, when President Donald Trump attacked without evidence the integrity of election results in six states he lost, including Georgia.

The new law imposes new identification requirements for those casting ballots by mail; curtails the use of drop boxes for absentee ballots; allows electors to challenge the eligibility of an unlimited number of voters and requires counties to hold hearings on such challenges within 10 days; makes it a crime for third-party groups to hand out food and water to voters standing in line; blocks the use of mobile voting vans, as Fulton County did last year after purchasing two vehicles at a cost of more than $700,000; and prevents local governments from directly accepting grants from the private sector. Continue reading.

White House press gets blowback for ignoring major issues in Biden’s first press

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Although Joe Biden has been speaking to members of the media during his two months in the White House, he didn’t hold his first formal press conference as president until Thursday. Biden, during the conference, discussed subjects including the legislative filibuster, voting rights, his re-election plans, foreign policy toward China and North Korea, and migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

But White House reporters are receiving some criticism for the important things that they didn’t ask Biden about.

The Washington Post’s Karen Attiah listed some of the issues that White House reporters either ignored or downplayed: Continue reading.

Senate clears PPP bill, extending loan applications through May

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Passage follows rejection of GOP amendments

The Senate voted 92-7 Thursday to extend the Paycheck Protection Program to the end of May after rejecting two Republican amendments and waiving a budget point of order.

The vote cleared the measure that would extend the program, now due to expire on March 31. The House passed the bill 415-3 earlier this month. It next heads to President Joe Biden for his signature. 

The popular program has issued 7.5 million loans totaling $687 billion to small businesses during the last year, according to data from the Small Business Administration. The bill would also allow the agency an extra month to process applications after the program closes. Continue reading.

Scoop: House chamber hardened with bulletproof doors

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The House chamber is being transformed into a massive safe room for members with the addition of bulletproof doors.

Why it matters: One of the most dramatic images from the Jan. 6 attack was Capitol Police officers inside the chamber holding protesters at bay by pointing their guns at them after they broke windows in the doors. The new doors will provide fresh fortification.

Details: An Axios reporter leaving the Capitol on Wednesday night saw workers removing doors on one of the double-doored entrances to the gallery one level above the floor of the chamber. Some members huddled there on Jan. 6. Continue reading.