Trump’s election fraud claims propelled them to the Capitol on Jan. 6. His ongoing comments are keeping them in jail.

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Many of those charged in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol have blamed former president Donald Trump for their actions, saying he riled them with his claims of election fraud and his promises to join them in fighting it.

Now, Trump’s continued refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election is helping to keep some of those supporters behind bars.

“The steady drumbeat that inspired defendant to take up arms has not faded away; six months later, the canard that the election was stolen is being repeated daily on major news outlets and from the corridors of power in state and federal government, not to mention the near-daily fulminations of the former President,” U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote recently in denying bond to a Colorado man. The man is accused of driving to Washington with two firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition after threatening to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). Continue reading.

Anoka and Hennepin county sheriff’s offices suspend role in federal task force whose members fatally shot man in Uptown

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Camera policy creates rift with agencies. 

Two more Minnesota law enforcement agencies are suspending their participation with the federal task force whose members fatally shot Winston Smith Jr. in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood last week.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office will no longer participate until local law enforcement are allowed to wear body cameras while on the task force, Fox 9 reported Tuesday night.

The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office will also suspend its participation, Tierney Peters, community relations coordinator, said in an e-mail on Tuesday. Continue reading.

HUD to reinstate Obama-era fair housing rule gutted under Trump — minus the ‘burdensome’ reporting requirement

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Some housing discrimination experts worry suspending the requirement could undermine enforcement.

Nearly a year after the Trump administration replaced an Obama-era fair housing rule that critics decried as “burdensome” and that President Donald Trump alleged would “abolish” suburbs, President Biden’s housing department is restoring the requirement that communities take steps to reduce racial segregation or risk losing federal funds.

But missing from the requirement is the 2015 mandate that communities undergo an extensive analysis of local barriers to integration and submit plans to dismantle them to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to senior HUD officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an “interim final rule” before its publication in the Federal Register on Thursday.

Biden administration HUD officials said the creation and review of these assessments of fair housing “proved to be unnecessarily burdensome” for communities as well as the agency, echoing some of the complaints voiced by former HUD secretary Ben Carson. Continue reading.

Fallen cop’s Trump-loving partner ready to go to war with Mitch McConnell and Republicans for protecting Trump

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Sandra Garza, the partner of fallen Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick spoke to CNN Tuesday about her loss and the anger she has around the attack on the U.S. Capitol that led to his death.

Both she and Sicknick were avid Trump supporters, but in wake of the attack, things have changed. 

“I know you are a supporter because you believed in ‘blue lives matter’ and you believed in the former president’s defense in law enforcement,” said CNN’s Erin Burnett. “Why do you think this report does not look at Trump’s role in what happened that day?” Continue reading.

Opinion: No, Judge Benitez, we do not need weapons of war for ‘home defense’

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A FEDERAL judge’s decision overturning California’s longtime ban on assault weapons has been rightly mocked for its ludicrous likening of an AR-15 rifle to a Swiss Army knife. But the ruling is no laughing matter. While it will be appealed — and hopefully overturned by jurists who understand the Second Amendment is not without limits — the ruling is part of a sustained attack on gun safety laws that has been emboldened by the shift in balance of the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of the Southern District of California on Friday termed the state’s ban on assault weapons, implemented in 1989 and revised over the years, “a failed experiment” and ruled it unconstitutional. “Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Good for both home and battle,” began the 94-page ruling that dripped with disdain for California’s efforts to confront gun violence and showed no concern for its victims. “No amount of ‘common sense’ gun control laws will prevent criminals from misusing guns,” he wrote, comparing California’s efforts to Victor Hugo’s Inspector Javert relentlessly searching for Jean Valjean. Also disturbing was his argument that assault weapons are protected by the Second Amendment because they could be useful in a citizens militia, citing his birth country of Cuba and the revolution there. Just the suggestion the country needs after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The ruling runs counter to repeated decisions over the years in both state and federal courts upholding prohibitions against assault weapons on the grounds of the state’s compelling interest in protecting public safety. Among the states where bans of these weapons of war were ruled constitutional are Massachusetts, New York and Maryland. California’s own law was previously upheld by a federal district court of California and multiple state appellate courts. But those familiar with Judge Benitez, appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush, were not surprised by his ruling. He once wrote “the Second Amendment gets even less respect” than Rodney Dangerfield, and he previously struck down a law passed by the state’s voters that would have banned possession of magazines holding more than 10 bullets, a decision now pending appeal before the Ninth Circuit. His court, the New York Times reported, has become a welcoming place for gun-rights advocates because of a rule that allows “related cases” to be funneled to one judge rather than randomly assigned. Continue reading.

Hennepin County facility will turn organic waste into biogas

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Hennepin County officials are planning to construct a facility that will turn organic waste into usable biogas as part of the county’s ongoing efforts in environmental sustainability.

Approved unanimously by the Board of Hennepin County Commissioners June 1, the anaerobic digestion facility will process household and commercial waste including food scraps, soiled paper and compostable products, which comprise about 30% of the municipal solid waste collected in the county, according to a staff report to the board.

The facility, to be located next to the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station, will be constructed with the county’s current waste collection goals in mind. The county’s Solid Waste Management Plan includes a goal of recycling 75% of waste by 2030, an aspiration that will require organics recycling, the staff report mentions. Continue reading.

Senate GOP blocks bill to combat gender pay gap

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Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked legislation aimed at addressing pay inequality, marking their second successful use of the filibuster under President Biden.

Senators voted 49-50 to try to advance the legislation, falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome the procedural hurdle.

The bill would limit employers to “bona fide” factors such as education, training and experience when justifying pay differentials in wage discrimination claims. Continue reading.

Senate passes sweeping China competition bill in rare bipartisan vote

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The Senate voted 68-32 on Tuesday to approve a sweeping China-focused global competition bill, overcoming Republican objections that had threatened to derail the $200 billion+ bipartisan package.

Why it matters: The bill’s supporters cite the measure as evidence that the deeply divided Senate can still function on a bipartisan basis, despite the last-minute chaos that forced Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to delay final passage for weeks.

  • It’s also a sign of the widespread consensus that has emerged around the need to outcompete China on the world stage, including by revitalizing U.S. manufacturing and research and cracking down on Beijing’s economic abuses. Continue reading.

In the Know: June 10, 2021

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Governor Tim Walz
Gov. Walz Announces Second Vaccination Pop-Up In MSP Airport, WCCO
GOP wants private school option; Walz, DFL push back, MPR News

Minnesota Legislature
MN Supreme Court lets Duluth DFLer’s Senate win stand, MPR News
Minnesota craft brewers renew push to end growler limits, Pioneer Press
First details of Minnesota budget come to light, but much left to be decided ahead of deadline, Duluth News Tribune
Minnesota lawmakers agree on $100 million funding boost for colleges, Star Tribune
Why some seemingly popular issues never come up for a vote at the Minnesota Legislature, MinnPost

Minnesota News
Protesters maintain blockade overnight at Line 3 pipeline site, MPR News 
St. Paul cancels classes, ends school year early because of extreme heat, Star Tribune
Cities, facing pressure to minimize police presence, turn to unproven community groups, Minnesota Reformer  

Continue reading “In the Know: June 10, 2021”

As DeSantis takes aim at cruise industry, Republicans step up attacks on longtime allies in corporate America

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Cruise ship companies announce varying vaccine rules as they face stiff political pressure in the South.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s refusal to allow cruise ship operators to require proof of passenger vaccinations reflects a mounting willingness by top Republicans to demonize and defy corporations that have been among the party’s closest allies.

DeSantis has barred businesses in the state from insisting that customers be vaccinated, calling it a matter of individual liberty. In recent days, the cruise ship industry has splintered into different camps after beginning the year largely unified behind the idea of compulsory vaccines. Now, some companies are backing down while others such as Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings remain adamant.

The clash between the governor, a likely 2024 presidential candidate, and one of Florida’s major employers highlights the anti-corporate mood of a Republican Party reshaped by former president Donald Trump’s populism. This Republican souring on big business — and enthusiasm to use government power against it — already has rattled companies such as Facebook, Coke, Apple and Delta and may just be getting started. Continue reading.