Category: Uncategorized

Today the Democratic National Committee is releasing the following poll of voters in six battleground states detailing voter attitudes about how Trump’s handling of the coronavirus has negatively impacted the economy. The polling memo is available online here.

Battleground Poll | Trump Losing on COVID-19 & the Economy 
On behalf of the Democratic National Committee, Change Research surveyed 1,828 likely voters online in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin June 2-3, 2020. Voters were recruited using a combination of voter-file sampling and Dynamic Online Sampling in order to accurately reflect the electorate. The margin of error as traditionally calculated is ±2.3% for the full sample and larger among subgroups. 

Key findings 

Battleground voters are increasingly looking for new leadership as Donald Trump continues to demonstrate he does not know how to address, and does not even comprehend, the severity of the health and economic crises facing the country. A 55% majority of voters in these critical states now disapprove of the job he is doing as President. Continue reading “New Poll: Battleground Voters Say Trump Losing On Covid-19 & The Economy”

On Wednesday, my wife and I decided to go to the protests near the White House. We are both journalists, but the day before, my wife had voted in a U.S. election for the first time, and for her, witnessing the protests was another important step in her life as a civically engaged naturalized American.

We have been following the shelter-in-place orders for nearly three months, only venturing out to shop for groceries or take a walk on the emptiest streets we could find. As the protests against police violence and the killing of black citizens started to grip the city, we, like many others, followed them on TV from our home.

Several factors, though, moved us to break the quarantine, even understanding all the risks. Continue reading.

After a high-stakes and public feud with Democratic officials in a state he won four years ago, Mr. Trump and the Republican officials are moving to largely shift convention proceedings to another state.

WASHINGTON — The buyer’s remorse about choosing Charlotte, N.C., to host President Trump’s nominating convention had already set in last January, months before the coronavirus would force both parties to rethink how to hold large-scale political events.

Sitting in the lobby of the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., that month, a group of Republican fund-raisers expressed concern that what could have been a high-octane celebration of Mr. Trump’s complete takeover of the Republican Party was going to fall short of expectations.

Convention cities are chosen well in advance of the event. But at that point, North Carolina was looking like less of a problem electorally for Mr. Trump than Florida, the president’s new home state, and one that he is uniquely focused on winning. And the North Carolina governor, Roy Cooper, a Democrat, was viewed warily by party officials as a hardball political player they couldn’t trust. Continue reading.

The high-profile episode, after days of protests in Washington, was a turning point in the military’s response to unrest in the city.

WASHINGTON — Top Pentagon officials ordered National Guard helicopters to use what they called “persistent presence” to disperse protests in the capital this week, according to military officials. The loosely worded order prompted a series of low-altitude maneuvers that human rights organizations quickly criticized as a show of force usually reserved for combat zones.

Ryan D. McCarthy, the Army secretary and one of the officials who authorized part of the planning for the helicopters’ mission Monday night, said on Friday that the Army had opened an investigation into the episode.

Two Army National Guard helicopters flew low over the protesters, with the downward blast from their rotor blades sending protesters scurrying for cover and ripping signs from the sides of buildings. The pilots of one of the helicopters have been grounded pending the outcome of the inquiry. Continue reading.

As protests continue nationwide, some volunteers are coming together to clean up and rebuild areas affected by looting, arson, and vandalism. Worldwide, social media is being used to share images, resources, and views on the issues of racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement. Unfortunately, some people are using this time to gain social media popularity and pose as contributing to efforts to rebuild and care for the community.

A video of a woman in California pretending to help board up a store window went viral Monday after it was shared on Twitter. “This lady stopped someone boarding up a store in Santa Monica so she could hold the drill for a picture, then drove away. Please don’t do this,” the post read. Commenters including a staff member from The New York Times identified the woman as Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin, a writer for the conservative Washington Examiner.

In the video, Moriarty-Mclaughlin can be seen taking a drill from a volunteer, posing with it to have her photo taken, then proceeding to run into her Mercedes-Benz. The video prompted extreme backlash, resulting in her deleting her social media account. Viewers are calling it an example of “performative activism,” a form of activism in which individuals post or pretend to support a cause in order to gain a following or make themselves look better to others. It’s a form of hypocrisy, because these people don’t actually care about the cause. Continue reading.

Dear Neighbors,

“Sometimes you say you rationalize in your own mind, ‘Well this is terrible, but we’ll learn from it.’ How many times do we have to learn the same lesson? We went through it in New York. We had the Garner case in New York. How many times do you have to learn the same lesson?”

— New York Governor Andrew Cuomo 

For me, the lessons go back much farther. During the summer of 1965 I was a junior high school student about to enter the eighth grade at King Junior High School in Oakland, California when the botched traffic stop of a young black man in Los Angeles became the catalyst for the “Watts Rebellion”. The television images of the resulting eruption of violence are still seared in my memory. Reading the Wikipedia account of that event, last night, I couldn’t help but be struck by the similarities between that uprising (and its root causes) and protests inspired by the murder of George Floyd last week. It is amazing how little has changed in the intervening half-century – it’s amazing how little we’ve learned. I would encourage you to follow this link and read the historical account for yourself, picking out as many “then versus now” parallels as you can. The institutionalized segregation which still exists, the poor relations between the police and the community, the delays in calling out the National Guard and the attacks on firefighters to prevent the quelling of the flames are just a few. One notable difference: 34 people died in the Watts Rebellion while, so far, there has been only one death in the Twin Cities, at the hands of a business owner trying to protect his place of business. Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: June 2, 2020”

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today, the Minnesota Legislature’s People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus discussed legislative responses to the murder of George Floyd. The POCI Caucus intends to make police and criminal justice reform a top priority of the likely June special session and into the future.

“George Floyd’s death was due to a horrifying lack of humanity, and Minnesotans are far too familiar with the pain and trauma resulting from violence at the hands of law enforcement. This simply cannot be how policing works in our state,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), chair of the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Division. “I’m grateful to partner with a strong group of legislators – with my colleagues of color and those from Indigenous communities leading the way – who are committed to equity, justice, and accountability so Black Minnesotans can live with the inherent dignity every human being deserves.”

“For too long, people in my community have been told they will have to wait for the systemic changes necessary to ensure people of color can don’t have to live in fear of law enforcement,” said Rep. Rena Moran (DFL – Saint Paul), chair of the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus. “They are tired of waiting for reform, tired of waiting for accountability, and tired of waiting for justice. George Floyd should be alive, and it’s time for all hands to come on deck and fundamentally change how police interact with Black men and boys.” Continue reading “Minnesota Legislature’s People of Color and Indigenous Caucus discusses legislative response to the murder of George Floyd”

May 27, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 5:00 PM on 5/27/2020.

Updates from the Governor

Today, Governor Walz signed an Executive Order that outlines the second phase of the Stay Safe MN plan. As the Governor announced last Wednesday, the next phases in the Stay Safe Plan include a cautious, strategic turn of the dial for outdoor dining at restaurants and bars, with safety measures in place, to start June 1, 2020. Personal services like salons, tattoo parlors, and barbershops can also open June 1 at 25 percent occupancy as long as they ensure social distancing and implement safety plans. Campgrounds will also begin to open.

The Governor also signed 21 bills into law, including measures to support farmers and meat processing plants through COVID-19, and provide over $70 million to support renewable energy projects. The Governor emphasized the bipartisan collaboration that has taken place in the midst of COVID-19 to support Minnesotans. Continue reading “Gov. Tim Walz COVID-19 Update: May 27, 2020”

May 25, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 5:00 PM on 5/25/2020.

Updates from the Governor

Today, Governor Walz honored Memorial Day by directing flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of those who have died while serving in the United States Military.

“We honor the spirit, courage, and tenacity of the generations of Armed Forces members and their families today who made the ultimate sacrifice for this great nation,” said Governor Walz. “As we work toward peace in our world, let us never forget those who have served on our behalf.”

The Governor also participated in a virtual Memorial Day service, which you can watch here. Continue reading “Gov. Tim Walz COVID-19 Update: May 25, 2020”