Two major Antarctic glaciers are tearing loose from their restraints, scientists say

Washington Post logo

Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers already contribute 5 percent of sea-level rise.

Two Antarctic glaciers that have long kept scientists awake at night are breaking free from the restraints that have hemmed them in, increasing the threat of large-scale sea-level rise.

Located along the coast of the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica, the enormous Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers already contribute around 5 percent of global sea-level rise. The survival of Thwaites has been deemed so critical that the United States and Britain have launched a targeted multimillion-dollar research mission to the glacier. The loss of the glacier could trigger the broader collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet, which contains enough ice to eventually raise seas by about 10 feet.

The new findings, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, come from analysis of satellite images. They show that a naturally occurring buffer system that prevents the glaciers from flowing outward rapidly is breaking down, potentially unleashing far more ice into the sea in coming years. Continue reading.

Whistleblower Reveals How Trump Unleashed Plague Of White Nationalist Terror

While much of the media this week has been focused (appropriately) on the revelations in Bob Woodward’s interviews with Donald Trump that deliberately downplayed the virulence and lethality of the COVID-19 pandemic, the second damning disclosure this week—a Department of Homeland Security whistleblower’s complaint that intelligence assessments had been altered or shelved in order to protect Trump politically—is horrifying for much of the same reason: It revealed that Trump will manipulate information to the public allowing a plague to be unleashed on the public for his own political gain.

The report, from demoted intelligence-division chief Brian Murphy, claims that DHS chief Chad Wolf and others in the department attempted to manipulate official DHS intelligence by downplaying concerns about Russian interference in the 2020 election—but even more disturbingly, by ordering threat assessments to dilute concerns about white nationalism while playing up the right’s concocted bogeyman, ‘antifa.’

The spread of toxic white nationalism and its always-attendant violence has become, as Renée Graham at the Boston Globeobserves, another kind of pandemic that Trump has downplayed and allowed to spread. Predicated by his mutual embrace of the far right in the 2015-2016 campaign, Trump’s election to the presidency unleashed a Pandora’s box of white-nationalist demons, beginning with a remarkable surge in hate crimes during his first month, and then his first two years, in office. Its apotheosis has come in the form of a rising tide of far-right mass domestic terrorism and mass killings, as well the spread of armed right-wing “Boogaloo” radicals and militiamen creating mayhem amid civil unrest around the nation. Continue reading.

Defending the 2020 election against hacking: 5 questions answered

1. Though Woodward reports there was no evidence the election registration system malware had been activated, this sounds scary. Should people be worried?

Yes, we should be worried. Four years ago, Russia managed to penetrate systems in several states but there’s no evidence that they “pulled the trigger” to take advantage of their penetration. One possibility is that they simply saw no need, having successfully “hacked the electorate” by damaging Hillary Clinton’s candidacy through selective dumps of hacked documents on Wikileaks. 

We know that VR Systems, a contractor that worked for several Florida counties, was hacked, and we know that there were serious problems in Durham County, North Carolina, during the 2016 election, including software glitches that caused poll workers to turn away voters during parts of Election Day. Durham county was also a VR Systems customer. 

I know of no post-election investigation of the problems in Durham County that was conducted with sufficient depth to assure me that Russia was not involved. It remains possible that they did pull the trigger on that county, but it is also possible that the problems there were entirely the result of “normal incompetence.” Continue reading.

In the Know: September 16, 2020

Days Until the Election: 48

DFL Action Center
48 Days OUT – Let’s get to work!
If you’d like to help the DFL Party fight for criminal justice reform, better schools, wages, our environment, and health care, click here to get more involved there are events happening in your area!

DFL Pop Up Shop
The DFL Party is traveling across Minnesota to distribute yard signs, buttons, t-shirts, and other campaign merchandise!  For more information on when we will be in your city, follow this link!

Here is today’s pop up shop schedule:

Anoka: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, 427 Van Buren St, Anoka, MN 55303
Maple Grove: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PMLocation: Niagara Lane and 95th Ave. N, Maple Grove, MN 

2020 Election
2020 Electoral Map Ratings: Landscape Tightens Some, But Biden Is Still Ahead, NPR

Agriculture 
CARGILL TO ADVANCE REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE PRACTICES ACROSS 10 MILLION ACRES BY 2030, Successful Farming
LaborThese people won’t get Trump’s $300 unemployment benefit, CNBC
The Top 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From the Bottom 90%—And That’s Made the U.S. Less Secure, Time Magazine

DFL News
Democrats in Lyon County got creative this election year, swapping an office for outdoor ‘pop-up’ events, Marshall Independent

DFL Headquarters Office Hours 
Looking to buy yard signs or Biden-Harris merchandise? Stop by the DFL Headquarters on 255 East Plato Blvd in St Paul, we are now open to the public from 12:00-5:00 PM Monday-Friday. 


Democratic Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
Joe Biden looks to boost Latino, veteran support in Florida, LA TimesJill Biden campaigns in Michigan for her husband, Michigan Radio
Science mag makes first endorsement in 175 years, taps Biden, ABC27
Kamala Harris makes trip to California as wildfires rage, CNN

Economy
US backs off Canadian aluminium tariffs, BBC News
Perpetual recession? Recovery in a year? Economists deeply divided on U.S. future, Reuters
Fed Meeting to Focus on Laying Out Interest-Rate Strategy, Wall Street Journal
U.S. consumer spending appears to slow in August, CNBC

Environment
World fails to meet a single target to stop destruction of nature – UN report, The Guardian
Ice shelves propping up two major Antarctic glaciers are breaking up and it could have major consequences for sea level rise, CNN

Governor Tim Walz
Walz urges Trump, Biden campaigns to comply with Minnesota COVID-19 guidelines, KSTP
Walz to visit Albert Lea, Byron on Wednesday, KTTC
Walz sends Minnesota firefighters, trucks to Oregon wildfires, Bring Me The News

Healthcare
Fewer Americans had health insurance last year before pandemic struck, Census Bureau report shows, Washington Post

Minnesota News
Close contest in Wisconsin; in Minnesota, not so much: Poll, ABC News
Minnesota moose will not be listed as federally endangered species, Star Tribune
Minnesota seeks volunteers for free COVID-19 tests to assess virus spread, Star Tribune
Doctors stress vaccine importance ahead of flu season, COVID overlap, Mankato Free Press
Sheriff warns of online scam involving Sleepy Eye company, Mankato Free Press
Duluth’s plan to reopen libraries begins to emerge, Duluth News Tribune
COVID-19: Area sees active cases slow since last week; state adds 432 cases Tuesday, St. Cloud Times

Representative Collin Peterson (CD7, D)
Why the agriculture industry is all in on sending Collin Peterson back to Congress, MinnPost

Representative Jim Hagedorn (CD1, R)
Exclusive: Minneapolis lawyer files first known ethics complaint against Hagedorn, MN Reformer

Republicans
GOP ramps up attacks on Democrats over talk of nixing filibuster, The Hill
Oregon state senator who stopped climate change vote loses home to wildfire, Independent 
‘Nothing to Do With Climate Change’: Conservative Media and Trump Align on Fires, New York Times
Pro-Trump youth group enlists teens in secretive campaign likened to a ‘troll farm,’ prompting rebuke by Facebook and Twitter, Washington Post

Senator Amy Klobuchar 
Klobuchar meets with Le Sueur, Nicollet County officials to talk rural needs, Le Sueur County News
Federal funds to aid Minnesota light rail, Transportation Today

U.S. News
Hurricane Sally makes landfall: Pensacola gets 30 inches of rain; ‘catastrophic flooding is unfolding’ in Alabama, Florida, USA Today
Covid-19 cases among Florida children jumped 26% in a month. It’s still hard to know which schools are safe, CNN
Louisville agrees to pay Breonna Taylor’s family $12 million and enact police reforms in historic settlement, CNN
House Report Condemns Boeing and F.A.A. in 737 Max Disasters, New York Times

World News
Law officer ‘offers resignation’ over Brexit bill row, BCC
Germany to Take In 1,500 Refugees, Easing Burden on Greece After Fires, NYT
Amid Democratic Street Uprising, Belarusian Strongman Gets Support From Russia, NPR

Republican Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates Donald Trump and Mike Pence 
Trump says “I don’t think science knows” about climate, CBS
‘Tell the public the truth’ — Bob Woodward says Trump failed to rally U.S. around coronavirus fight, CNBC
Trump’s tariffs violated global trade rules, WTO says, CNN
After a month of bad news, White House officials hype Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination, Washington Post
Trump fumbles during tough encounter with undecided voters, CNN
Trump attacks WTO after it says US tariffs on China broke global trade rules, The Guardian

Upcoming DFL Events

With COVID-19, we suggest you check with the hosting organization to see if meetings, etc. are being held.

  • September 16, 7:00 to 8:30 PM — No CD3 DFL Central Committee Meeting this month
  • September 18 through 20 — Rosh Hashana
  • September 18 through November 2 — General Election Early Voting
  • September 21 — Anoka County DFL Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • September 22 — Fall Equinox
  • September 27 to 28 — Yom Kippur
  • September 29, 8:00 to 9:30 PM — Presidential Debate, Case Western Reserve University, more information and it becomes available.
  • October 1, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD46 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
  • October 7
    • 6:30 to 8:30 PM — SD50 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD33 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
  • October 8
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD36 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD48 DFL Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
  • October 10, 1:30 to 3:00 PM — SD40 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
  • October 12
    • 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.
  • October 19, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — Anoka County DFL Meeting, contact them for more information.
  • October 21, 7:00 to 900 PM — CD3 DFL Central Committee Meeting, no meeting this month, please focus on supporting campaigns in your district.
  • October 22 — Presidential Debate, more information as it becomes available

‘Shameful, dangerous and irresponsible’: Nevada governor blasts Trump for indoor rally against state rules

Washington Post logo

Shortly before President Trump took the stage on Sunday night in Henderson, Nev., for his first indoor rally in months, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak blasted the president for flouting the state’s coronavirus restrictions by packing hundreds of supporters, many without masks, into a building.

The Democratic governor noted that Trump and his campaign were violating Nevada’s ban on gatherings of 50 people or more, tweeting that the president’s rally at Xtreme Manufacturing was “shameful, dangerous and irresponsible.”

“Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada,” the governor said. “The President appears to have forgotten that this country is still in the middle of a global pandemic.” Continue reading.

Suburban Senate, City Leaders to Hold Voting Kickoff in Support of Biden-Harris and DFL Majorities

EDINA, MINNESOTA —  ​As Joe Biden and Donald Trump make their way to Minnesota for the start of early voting, suburban legislators and leaders are holding an early voting kickoff to show support for the Biden-Harris ticket and a DFL House and Senate Majority in the southwestern Twin Cities suburbs.

The suburbs will decide this election, and high turnout for Democrats in suburbs across the metro could secure the election for Joe Biden, hold the State House, and flip the State Senate if the momentum continues.

“This is election is the most important of our time. The neighbors and voters I’m talking to in the suburbs are fed up with the lack of leadership from the White House, and the inaction coming from our current state senate majority,” said Senator ​Melisa Lopez Franzen​, DFL-SD49.

Continue reading “Suburban Senate, City Leaders to Hold Voting Kickoff in Support of Biden-Harris and DFL Majorities”

Trump’s campaign is caught between 2 worlds, with 2 months to go

The president is exploiting all the trappings of incumbency in his reelection drive, but at the same time upstaging himself with unorthodox tactics.

LAS VEGAS — Past presidents running for reelection have built entire campaigns around their incumbency: Events in the Rose Garden. Signing ceremonies in the Oval Office. Cross-country campaign swings on Air Force One. 

President Donald Trump has used this tactic to his advantage in recent weeks — parking the iconic presidential jet behind the stage at his rallies, turning the executive complex into a high-production venue for the Republican National Convention and unveiling an updated list of potential Supreme Court nominees against the elegant backdrop of the White House Diplomatic Reception Room.

But for the wildly unpredictable president, it’s not enough. Continue reading.

Phillips-led bipartisan group offers COVID framework to break impasse

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus – 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans – unveiled its “March To Common Ground” framework to help break the gridlock on the latest COVID-19 relief package and encourage negotiators to get back to the table. 

The 50-member bipartisan Caucus, led by policy working group leaders Reps. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) along with Problem Solvers Caucus members Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), and Co-Chairs Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Tom Reed (R-NY), came together to develop the framework after extensive listening to constituents and outreach to stakeholders over the past six weeks.

The package addresses key areas of need, including COVID-19 testing, unemployment insurance, direct stimulus, worker and liability protection, small business and non-profit support, food security, schools and child care, housing, election support, and state and local aid.

Continue reading “Phillips-led bipartisan group offers COVID framework to break impasse”

Trump’s hostility to cities threatens to worsen the recession

Washington Post logo

President Trump’s hostility to cities may help him politically, but it threatens to worsen the recession because metropolitan regions are the engines of the nation’s economic growth, officials and analysts say.

The risk arises not just from the president’s rhetoric criticizing urban unrest. Trump and his Republican allies in the Senate are also rejecting fresh financial aid to state and local governments and to public transit systems in a second coronavirus relief package.

That shortchanges areas such as the Washington region and is a recipe for deepening and prolonging the economic slump. About 1.3 million state and local government employees have lost their jobs since March, and economists project that number will more than double in the next 18 months without help from Congress and the White House. Continue reading.

Pompeo to resume ‘Madison Dinners’ despite controversy

Some State Department officials have complained about the dinners, saying they have little to do with diplomacy and will unduly burden the staff amid a pandemic.

They’ve been criticized by Democrats as a questionable use of taxpayer dollars, upset State Department employees skeptical of their diplomatic value, and postponed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is bringing back the Madison Dinners anyway.

The gatherings are set to resume with a dinner Monday and at least three more during September and October, two State Department officials told POLITICO. Prior to the pandemic causing them to be shelved this past spring, roughly two dozen such dinners had been held since Pompeo became secretary of State in April 2018. Continue reading.