In the Know: July 22, 2020

Days to the November Election:  104

Agriculture
USDA TO OFFER $15 MILLION TO SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED AND VETERAN FARMER GROUPS, Successful Farming

Congressional News
Matt Gaetz appears to run afoul of House ethics rules, Politico
Dems defend Ocasio-Cortez after tense exchange with GOP lawmaker, Politico

House conservatives pile on Cheney at GOP conference meeting, Politico

House to vote on public lands bill passed by Senate, Roll Call
Health and business concerns clash in debate over COVID-19 liability, Roll Call

DFL Action Center
100 Days OUT – Weekend of Action
We’re 104 days out from election day and from here on out, every minute counts. If you’d like to help the DFL Party fight for criminal justice reform, better schools, wages, our environment, and health care, follow this link and sign up to get in touch with an organizer in your area!

DFL CD8 Candidate Quinn Nystrom:
2 AFSCME Council’s endorse Quinn Nystrom for U.S. House District 8, KBJR6 News
Continue reading “In the Know: July 22, 2020”

In the Know: July 21, 2020

Days to the November Election:  105

2020 Election
A definitive case against the Electoral College, Vox
Top Democrats Send Letter on Possible Foreign Meddling in November Election, New York Times
How low can Donald Trump go?, CNN
Georgia state Sen. Nikema Williams picked to replace Lewis on November ballot, CNN
Big Polling Leads Tend to Erode. Is Biden’s Edge Different?, New York Times

Agriculture
From cotton to hogs, agriculture groups seek billions more in coronavirus aid, Roll Call
POTENTIAL PROPANE SHORTAGE THIS FALL, Successful Farming
USDA Announces Changes To Livestock Gross Margin Insurance Program, AgWeb

Attorney General Keith Ellison
Attorney General Ellison sues Trump Administration to block health care discrimination, Red Lake Nation Continue reading “In the Know: July 21, 2020”

In the Know: July 20, 2020

Days to the November Election:  106

2020 Election
How Biden is winning, Vox
President Trump won’t agree to accept 2020 election results as Biden leads in polls — ‘I have to see’, CNBC
States reject tens of thousands of mail ballots in this year’s primaries, setting off alarm bells for November, NBC

Agriculture
FARM, ANTI-HUNGER GROUPS TRY TO SQUEEZE INTO $1-TRILLION PANDEMIC BILL, Successful Farming

Attorney General Keith Ellison
Minnesota Amazon employee alleges retaliation for protesting unsafe conditions, Spokesman Review Continue reading “In the Know: July 20, 2020”

In the Know: July 17, 2020

Days to the November Election:  109

2020 Election
If Democrats Can Win the Senate, They Can Hold It For a While, New Yorker
Trump’s campaign team tries to steady operation after messy shakeup, Politico
The Supreme Court Just Stopped 1 Million Floridians From Voting in November, Slate
Record number of LGBTQ candidates running for office in US, Star Tribune

Agriculture
Millions Of Dollars Lost As Hail Storm Destroys Crops In Western MN, WCCO
Americans Tear Up Old Eating Habits, Forcing Farms to Raze Crops, Bloomberg

Attorney General Keith Ellison
WATCH LIVE: Rep. Bass, Minnesota Attorney General Ellison discuss police reforms, racial justice movement, PBS Continue reading “In the Know: July 17, 2020”

In the Know: July 16, 2020

Days to the November Election:  110

2020 Election
Minnesota youth vote likely to have outsized effect in 2020 election, Star Tribune
Trump is running out of time to craft an economic agenda for reelection as Biden gains ground, CNBC

Agriculture
USDA HASN’T HELPED SMALL FARMERS IN PANDEMIC, LAWMAKERS SAY, Successful Agriculture

Attorney General Keith Ellison
AG Ellison sues Secretary DeVos to protect Minnesota students, taxpayers from fraud, deception, and abuse, Red Lake Nation News

Congressional News
Congress nearing deal to extend federal unemployment subsidy, Los Angeles Times
Schumer proposes $350B in aid to communities of color ahead of coronavirus talks, Politico

Support grows for foreign aid in upcoming COVID-19 emergency bill, Roll Call

DFL Action Center
Take Action:
We’re roughly 4 months out from election day and every minute counts. If you’d like to help the DFL Party fight for criminal justice reform, better schools, wages, our environment, and health care, then join us in taking action today! Click here to get more involved!

Supporter Housing:
Supporting Housing is one the best and simplest ways to help out a campaign. Due to the short term and fluid nature of campaigns, we often look to supporters like you to provide volunteer housing for members of our team. Do you have an extra bedroom? Would you be comfortable with an organizer staying with you? If so, please sign up here and someone from our team will follow up with you to talk more about it.

Donald Trump
Trump Replaces Brad Parscale as Campaign Manager, Elevating Bill Stepien, New York Times
Trump team’s circular firing squad goes after Fauci, CNN
Mary Trump says the president’s family regularly used ‘the n-word’ and anti-Semitic slurs when she was growing up, Insider
Fearing jail and facing defeat, Trump will not leave office quietly, Salon
Trump announces ‘top to bottom overhaul’ of major environmental law, ABC News

Economy
Weekly jobless claims rise by more than 1 million for 17th straight week, CNBC
‘The balloon might pop’: Fed’s corporate intervention spurs anxiety, Politico

Environment
2020 Is Our Last, Best Chance to Save the Planet, Time

Governor Tim Walz
Walz refutes police union claim he ordered Third Precinct abandoned in riots, KMSP Fox 9
Gov. Walz to visit Henderson to highlight bonding bill need to fix Highway 93, KEYC

Health
Hospital officials, experts say new federal rules for covid-19 reporting will add burdens during pandemic, Washignton Post

Joe Biden
Biden Continues to Listen to Climate Activists, Unveils $2 Trillion Clean Energy Plan, Sierra Club
Biden Climate Plan is Bold, Ambitious and Smart, Environmental Defense Fund
Biden opens up 11-point national lead over Trump in NBC News/WSJ poll, NBC News
Biden leads Trump by 15 points in latest Quinnipiac poll, The Hill

Check out our brand new Biden for President merchandise in the DFL Store!
Click here to see our new shirts, signs, and stickers!

Minnesota Legislature

Minnesota News
Bodycam video shows officer pulled gun on George Floyd early on, Star Tribune
Minneapolis-based M Health Fairview offers retail antibody test for COVID-19, Star Tribune
Latest on COVID-19 in MN: ‘We are at a worrisome point’, MPR News
In Duluth, confronting racism with a ‘Hello’, MPR News
Red Wing Shoe workers vote to strike, Rochester Post Bulletin
Recent blip lands Minnesota on New York quarantine list, Northfield News

Representative Angie Craig (CD2)
Parents stuck paying deceased son’s student loans push to change federal law, KMSP 

Representative Betty McCollum (CD4)
Democrats target Confederate monuments in spending bill, The Hill

Representative Ilhan Omar (CD5)
Ilhan Omar: When I spoke out about systematic oppression, the Republican response was vicious, Washington Post
Ilhan Omar on Minneapolis after George Floyd protests, criminal justice reform, Minnesota Daily

Representative Jim Hagedorn (CD1, R)
Jim Hagedorn, fiscal conservative, spent $570,000 of taxpayer money in three months, City Pages

Republicans
Democrats haul in big buckets of money for Senate races as Trump’s woes spill over to GOP, USA Today

Republicans in Minnesota
GOP lawmakers’ curious support for the Canadian Ghermezians, owners of Mall of America, MN Reformer
‘Hyperpartisan’ right-wing news sites are thriving in Minnesota, City Pages

Senator Amy Klobuchar
Bill to fund more contact tracers pursued, WXXI News

Senator Tina Smith
Sen. Smith checks in on small businesses during COVID-19 crisis, Owatonna People’s Press

U.S. News
Georgia governor suspends all local mask mandates, encourages but doesn’t require masks for residents, CNN
Pennsylvania tightens coronavirus restrictions on businesses as cases climb, The Hill
Russian Hackers Trying to Steal Vaccine Research, Intelligence Agencies Say, New York Times
Virginia adopts nation’s first coronavirus workplace safety rules after labor groups decry federal inaction, Washington Post

Voter Protection
If you or someone you know has trouble registering to vote or casting a ballot, we encourage you to reach out to the DFL’s new Voter Protection Hotline at 833-DFL-VOTE (833-335-8683).

World News
Edward Colston’s statue stood for 125 years. The Black Lives Matter statue that replaced it stood for about 25 hours, CNN
Arctic heat wave “essentially impossible” without human-caused climate change, study finds, CBS News
It’s Merkel’s Last Rodeo. Will a Pandemic Rescue Deal Seal Her Legacy?, New York Times
Yemeni tanker spill would be four times worse than Exxon Valdez, U.N. warns, NBC News

Upcoming DFL Events

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

  • Today through July 17, 5:00 PM — Deadline to apply to screen for CD3 DFL Director. Complete the application here.
  • Today through August 10 — Primary Election Early Voting Window, more information here.
  • July 17, 5:00 PM — CD3 DFL Director Screening cut off date to receive applications
  • July 18, 1:30 to 4:00 PM — SD40 DFL Central Committee Virtual Business Meting, contact them for more information.
  • July 20, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — Anoka County DFL Meeting, contact them for specifics.
  • July 21, 5:00 PM — DFL LGBTQ Leadership Event, more information and RSVP here.
  • July 28 through August 11 — Window for Candidates to Register with State for City Offices with No Primaries to Register
  • July 29, 7:00 PM — CD3 Virtual Central Committee Meeting and Election of Directors, more information as it becomes available.
  • July 30, 7:00 PM — DFL Environmental Caucus Virtual Meeting with endorsed candidates, more information and RSVP here.
  • August 4, 7:00 to 8:30 PM — SD40 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
  • August 5
    • 6:30 to 8:30 PM — SD50 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for meeting specifics
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD33 DFL Central Committee Meetings, contact them for specifics.
  • August 6, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD46 DFL Central Virtual Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
  • August 10
    • 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.
  • August 13
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD36 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD48 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics.
  • August 17, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — Anoka County DFL Meeting, contact them for specifics.
  • August 19, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — CD3 DFL Central Committee Meeting, more information as it becomes available.

In the Know: July 15, 2020

Days to the November Election:  111

2020 Election
Inside the Trump campaign’s struggle to land a punch on Biden, NBC News
Biden maintains lead over Trump in 2020 swing states, new CNBC/Change Research poll says,CNBC
Texas Democrat MJ Hegar To Face Cornyn; Maine’s Sara Gideon Will Challenge Collins, NPR
Biden super PAC launches $24 million vote by mail effort in battleground states, The Hill

Agriculture
USDA HASN’T HELPED SMALL FARMERS IN PANDEMIC, LAWMAKERS SAY, Successful Farming
Is The Future Of Farming Indoors? Forbes Continue reading “In the Know: July 15, 2020”

In the Know: July 14, 2020

Days to the November Election:  112

2020
‘Bye Don Jr.’: New Attack Ad Turns Trump Son’s Words Against The President, Huff Post
The Memo: Democrats grow more bullish on Texas, The Hill
How the pandemic scrambled Democrats’ campaign to retake statehouses, Vox
Biden’s Buy America Plan and Trump’s Sham Nationalism, The American Prospect

Attorney General Keith Ellison
‘Frontier Broke Its Promises’: Minnesota AG Keith Ellison Settles With Telecommunications Giant, WCCO
Four pro bono attorneys join Keith Ellison’s prosecution team in George Floyd case, Pioneer Press
Ellison extends a proud history: Holding ExxonMobil and Koch accountable, MinnPost
17 states, including Minnesota, sue over Trump’s international student visa rule, Star Tribune
News outlets push for greater access to bodycam video in Floyd killing, MPR

Congressional News
Warren, Pressley demand action from HHS on coronavirus’ impact on minority communities, Politico
Negotiators look for common ground on unemployment aid extension, Roll Call
Wasserman Schultz pitches new spending panel on equity, justice, diversity, Politico
Continue reading “In the Know: July 14, 2020”

In the Know: July 13, 2020

Days to the November Election:  113

2020
6 key Senate and House races to watch on Tuesday, Vox

Agriculture
U.S. FORECASTER SEES 50-55% CHANCE OF LA NIÑA IN 2020 FALL, Successful Agriculture
U.S. CORN, SOYBEAN YIELD ESTIMATES UNCHANGED, USDA REPORTS, Successful Farming

CD1 DFL Candidate Dan Feehan
Feehan would be ally to seniors, farmers, youths, Mankato Free Press Continue reading “In the Know: July 13, 2020”

In the Know: July 10, 2020

Days to the November Election:  116

2020
Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of coronavirus: poll, The Hill

Agriculture
4 WAYS FARMERS CAN MANAGE RISK IN A CRISIS, Successful Farming
The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Disrupted Big Agriculture. Here’s What That Means for the Planet, Time

Attorney General Keith Ellison
Legal Expert: Officer Thomas Lane’s Motion To Dismiss Case Against Him Will Be ‘Tough Decision’ For Judge, WCCO
WATCH: Minnesota and Ohio AGs discuss police reform, protests and constitutional challenges, PBS News Hour
Updated Minnesota Driver’s Manual Provides Guidance for Legal Gun Owners, Insurance Journal Continue reading “In the Know: July 10, 2020”

In the Know: July 9, 2020

Days to the November Election:  117

2020 Election
What Would a Democratic ‘Tsunami’ in November Look Like?, New York Magazine
Dems Fear Trump Will Rush Vaccine to Boost Re-Elect, Daily Beast

Agriculture
Spreading rock dust on fields could remove vast amounts of CO2 from air, The Guardian

Attorney General Keith Ellison
WATCH: Minnesota and Ohio AGs discuss police reform, protests and constitutional challenges, PBS Newshour Continue reading “In the Know: July 9, 2020”