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In the Know: February 3, 2020

Days to the 2020 Election: 274

Agriculture
Vertical Farming Transforms The Farm-to-Fork Supply Chain, Forbes
Super Bowl Ads: Buy a Beer for … a Tiny Organic Farm?, New York Times
AG MARKETS LEAN ON THE SOYBEAN MARKET FOR STRENGTH MONDAY, Successful Farming

Congress
Republican Senators Are Now Admitting Trump’s Pressure on Ukraine Was Wrong, Mother Jones

Donald Trump
Trump thinks he’s untouchable after three years of not starting World War III: report, Raw StoryPoll: Majority believe Trump abused power and obstructed Congress, Axios
What Trump’s drug policies have meant for America’s opioid epidemic, CNN
Trump’s Super Bowl interview was 8 minutes of pettiness and empty braggadocio, Vox
Continue reading “In the Know: February 3, 2020”

More than 11,800 people in China have been diagnosed with coronavirus, the country’s health experts confirm; U.S. to deny entry to foreign nationals who recently visited China and quarantine returning Americans

The United States announced Friday it would be taking new measures to combat a coronavirus outbreak, including denying entry to foreign nationals who had recently visited China and imposing 14-day quarantines on American citizens returning from mainland China.

More than 11,800 people have been diagnosed with the rapidly spreading virus. More than 250 have died, all of them in China. The State Department told Americans not to travel there and advised those who are already there to consider leaving.

Following a quarantine order issued Friday, which government officials said was last used in the 1960s, evacuees held at a base in California will have their movements tightly controlled for 14 days after they left China because health experts are still uncertain about how readily the virus spreads. Continue reading.

Trump under growing pressure on U.S. response to growing coronavirus threat

President Trump, a leading critic of the Obama White House’s handling of the Ebola outbreak in 2014, is under increasing political pressure to mount a coordinated federal response to the threat of the new strain of coronavirus — amid fears of a global health crisis with economic ramifications in an election year.

The White House has sought to tamp down criticism from Democrats in recent days by projecting an air of confidence and competence, with Trump presiding late Wednesday over an interagency briefing in the Situation Room. He also announced a new task force of senior aides to lead the government’s response, including screenings at 20 U.S. airports, the repatriation of U.S. citizens from China and efforts to develop a potential vaccine to treat the novel virus.

The disease, dubbed a “public health emergency” by the World Health Organization, has left more than 200 dead and infected more than 9,000 people in China and Taiwan, along with about 100 confirmed cases outside that country, including six people in the United States. Continue reading.

‘Pathological’: Trump Cabinet member slammed for saying Coronavirus outbreak will bring jobs back to US

President Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whose job reportedly was on the chopping block last year but somehow managed to keep it, just announced his belief that the deadly and fast-spreading coronavirus will bring jobs back to the U.S.

The coronavirus has killed 170 people and there are 7711 verified cases. Death updates are coming sometimes several times a day and in the double digits.

But Secretary Ross found a way to put a positive spin on it. Continue reading.

Common Sense Legislation on Insulin

January 31, 2020

This week, Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan joined DFL legislators to announce commonsense legislation to improve access to affordable insulin in Minnesota. Taking the best from both Democrat and Republican proposals, this compromise bill would increase access to affordable insulin, hold Big Pharma accountable, and is ready to be implemented. The Governor and Lt. Governor stood with insulin advocates, including Jett, a 9-year-old with diabetes, and Alexis, a Minnesota college student with diabetes.

On Monday, the Governor headed up to Melrose to hear from local internet provider Arvig on how the border-to-border broadband grant he signed into law will allow the company to improve broadband services for more than 400 locations in Greater Minnesota. Continue reading “Common Sense Legislation on Insulin”