Author: Data and Research Manager

First covid-19 death linked to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally reported in Minnesota

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The case, involving a biker in his 60s, is one of at least 260 infections traced to the event last month where many declined to wear masks.

A Minnesota biker who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has died of covid-19 — the first fatality from the virus traced to the 10-day event that drew more than 400,000 to South Dakota.

The man was in his 60s, had underlying conditions and was hospitalized in intensive care after returning from the rally, said Kris Ehresmann, infectious-disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health. The case is among at least 260 cases in 11 states tied directly to the event, according to a survey of health departments by The Washington Post.

Epidemiologists believe that figure is a significant undercount, due to the resistance of some rallygoers to testing and the limited contact tracing in some states. As a result, the true scope of infections stemming from the rally that ran from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16 is unlikely to ever be known. Public health officials had long expressed concern over the decision to move forward with the annual event, believed to be the largest held anywhere in the U.S. since the pandemic shelved most large-scale gatherings. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 3, 2020

September 3, 2020

Updates from the Governor

Heading into fall, Governor Tim Walz, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, and Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm today urged Minnesotans to double down in their efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Currently at over 30 percent, Minnesota’s rate of community transmission is at a high and sustained level.

“As we head into the fall and the long winter ahead, we must double down in our fight to combat the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Walz. “We must all do our part to slow the spread, protect our communities, and keep our businesses open. I know it is hard, but Minnesotans are resilient people. We must dig deep, stay strong, and hold the virus at bay.”

“I know it is incredibly difficult to not hug your grandparents. It can be awkward to ask your friends to wear a mask. It’s a hassle to keep sanitizing your hands. But just because you’re over the pandemic, doesn’t mean it’s over you,” said Lt. Governor Flanagan. “As the weather grows colder and we approach flu season, it is more important than ever that we take strict precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 3, 2020”

Commission on Presidential Debates announces moderators

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The Commission on Presidential Debates on Wednesday announced the moderators for the general election debates: Fox News’ Chris Wallace, USA Today’s Susan Page, C-SPAN’s Steve Scully and NBC News’ Kristen Welker.

What to watch: President Trump has previously been a harsh critic of Chris Wallace and attacked NBC as “fake news.”

What they’re saying: “These are not the moderators we would have recommended if the campaign had been allowed to have any input,” Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement.

  • “One thing is sure: Chris Wallace’s selection ensures that Biden will finally see him face-to-face after dodging his interview requests,” he added. Continue reading.

DFL Party Statement on Donald Trump Jr.’s Plan to Visit Minnesota on Wednesday

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement in response to reports that Donald Trump Jr. will visit Minnesota next Wednesday:

“The Trump administration has failed Minnesotans, plain and simple. Donald Trump Jr. plans to visit our state next week in an attempt to distract from his father’s disastrous response to the coronavirus pandemic that’s infected nearly 80,000 Minnesotans, and left thousands more out of work. Duluth’s July unemployment rate was higher than at any point during the Great Recession, and our state just saw our one-day record for positive coronavirus cases. Donald Trump Jr. was born into privilege and doesn’t understand what everyday Minnesotans are going through as a result of his father’s incompetence and failed economic policies. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris understand working families, and that’s why they will win Minnesota, help elect DFLers up and down the ballot, and make Donald Trump a one-term president.” 

Why Most Soldiers — And Most Americans — Will Oppose Boss Trump

Here are two interesting political straws in the wind: According to a recent poll in the Military Times, active duty service-members favor Joe Biden over Boss Trump in the upcoming election, 41-37. Given that a poll on the same date in 2016 showed Trump favored by 20 points over Hillary Clinton, this looks like a significant shift.

Almost half of uniformed soldiers (49.9 percent) have an unfavorable opinion of Trump compared to 38 percent favorable, marginally worse than his reputation among civilians.

This too: media critic Eric Boehlert’s Press Run website has compiled the bad news about Trump’s TV ratings. Not only did the Democratic National Convention draw many more viewers nightly than the Republican event a week later, but “Trump’s convention acceptance speech was the lowest-rated one in primetime history, drawing 24 million viewers. (John McCain’s acceptance speech drew 39 million viewers in 2008.) Trump drew fewer viewers than Joe Biden did for his acceptance speech the week before.” Continue reading.

Mike Pence gives a halting and evasive answer when pressed about reports on Trump’s mysterious hospital visit

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A new report from New York Times reporter Michael Shmidt’s book about Donald Trump has refocused attention on the president’s unexpected visit last November to Walter Reed Medical Center, a trip that has never been fully explained.

The White House claimed that the president was simply going in early for the first phase of his annual physical, though as many people pointed out, that’s not a thing. And Schmidt reported that Vice President Mike Pence was told to be on standby to take over the duties of the presidency in case the president went under anesthesia, though reportedly that step was not necessary.

Fox News host Bret Baier brought up the reporting Tuesday night during an interview with Pence, seeming to catch the vice president off-guard. Pence clearly wanted to avoid answering the question, and when pinned down, claimed he didn’t “recall” being on “standby” — extremely evasive language that suggests he may be relying on technicalities to justify essentially lying to the public. Continue reading.

Facebook Confirms Russia Is Intervening In 2020 Election

It’s no secret that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin are hoping that President Donald Trump will defeat his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, in November — as they rightly view Trump as much more sympathetic to Russian interests. The Trump administration has already confirmed that they are intervening once again. And according to Facebook, Russian operatives are trying to manipulate U.S. voters this year on the social media platform just as they did during the 2016 presidential election.

CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan reports Facebook announced that a St. Petersburg, Russia-based troll group that interfered in the 2016 election, the Internet Research Agency, is trying to interfere in this year’s election as well. O’Sullivan notes that a “network of Facebook accounts and pages” that the social media platform removed was “set up to look and operate like a left-wing news outlet.” Facebook removed the Russian troll pages after receiving a tip from the FBI.

“This is the first publicly available evidence that people connected to the Russian troll group, which is known as the Internet Research Agency (IRA), are using unwitting Americans in an attempt to meddle with the 2020 election and stir discord,” O’Sullivan reports. “The operation seems to have been shut down before it could get much traction on Facebook or the rest of the internet.” Continue reading.

DHS withheld publication of intel bulletin showing Russian plot to attack Biden’s mental health: report

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According to ABC News, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security withheld publication, in early July, of an intelligence bulletin describing a Russian scheme to push “allegations about” Biden’s “poor mental health.”

ABC News has obtained a copy of the bulletin, titled “Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of U.S. Candidates to Influence 2020 Election.” And ABC reporters Josh Margolin, Lucien Bruggeman, Will Steakin and Jonathan Karl note that the document was submitted to the DHS’ office of legislative and public affairs for review on July 7.

“The analysis was not meant for public consumption,” according to the reporters. “But it was set to be distributed to federal, state and local law enforcement partners two days later, on July 9, the e-mails show.” Continue reading.

How turnout and swing voters could get Trump or Biden to 270

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The 2020 election will come down to two important questions: Who actually votes, and who do they vote for? Starting with the 2016 electorate, explore how shifts in turnout and voting patterns for key demographic groups could affect the race. Either start with the example below, or design your own scenario.

Scenario: Biden improves on Clinton’s performance with White voters

Trump’s 2016 victory was largely driven by White voters. Throwing out third parties, he won this group 57 percent to 43 percent, a margin of roughly 15 percentage points. Continue reading.

Trump slammed for suggesting Barr must prosecute critics like Obama to become ‘greatest’

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President Donald Trump is telling Bill Barr he must prosecute the president’s critics, like former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in order for him to become “the greatest Attorney General” in history.

As usual, Trump telegraphed his wishes to Barr right out in the open, in a Fox News interview that aired Tuesday night.

“I say this openly: Bill Barr can go down as the greatest Attorney General in the history of our country, or he can go down as just another guy,” Trump told Fox host Laura Ingraham. “They have all the stuff, you don’t need anything else. You know they want everything. You don’t need anything else. They all lied to Congress, they were liars, they were cheaters. They were treasonous it was treason.” Continue reading.