Days to the November Election: 194
2020 Election
Biden scores endorsements from Al Gore and Jay Inslee on Earth Day, CNN
Facebook, Instagram add location info to high-reach posts ahead of 2020 elections, CNET
Biden fares almost as well with young voters as Sanders in matchup vs. Trump, poll finds, USA Today
How Will Chief Justice And Supreme Court Conservative Majority Affect 2020 Election?, NPR
Polls show Trump trailing Biden in battlegrounds of Michigan and Pennsylvania, CNN
5 Reasons Pundits Will Overestimate Trump’s Odds of Winning in November, New York Magazine
Agriculture
Agriculture Department leaves meat inspectors hunting for safety gear, Politico
Two new ag leaders serving southwest Minnesota,Pipestone County Star
DFL News
Online DFL endorsement conventions begin Saturday, Southwest News Journal
Grassroots democracy can go with staying safe, Mankato Free Press
Local party conventions to go virtual, Mankato Free Press
Donald Trump
Trump Criticizes Georgia Governor for Decision to Reopen State, New York Times
How Jared Kushner Is Tackling the White House’s Coronavirus Response — Without Any Evident Experience, ProPublica
Eric Trump confirms he asked Trump administration for break on hotel rent: “Just treat us the same”, Salon
The HHS official overseeing coronavirus vaccine development says he was ousted after his objections to hydroxychloroquine, Vox
Donald Trump Is Exploiting the Coronavirus Pandemic to Sell Campaign Swag, Mother Jones
The Great Distractor, Talking Points MemoEconomy
US weekly jobless claims hit 4.4 million, bringing 5-week total to more than 26 million, CNBC
Why Relief for Mortgage and Student Loan Borrowers Must Be Automatic, The American Prospect
Education
Schools Transform Into ‘Relief’ Kitchens, but Federal Aid Fails to Keep Up, New York Times
Coronavirus sends American universities over a cliff, Axios
Environment
Now is the time to sign up for community-supported agriculture. Here’s why, The Guardian
Arctic will see ice-free summers by 2050 as globe warms, study says, USA Today
Climate change: 2019 was Europe’s warmest year on record, BBC
What the World Will Look Like in 2050 If We Don’t Cut Carbon Emissions in Half, Time
Governor Tim Walz
Walz, Mayo, U of M announce COVID-19 testing breakthrough, KSTP
Gov. Walz to order Minnesota schools closed the rest of the year, Star Tribune
Coronavirus In Minnesota: Gov. Walz Approves Summer Resorts To Reopen By Choice With Stipulations, WCCO
Gov. Walz, Mayo Clinic, U of M announce coronavirus testing ramp up to 20,000 tests per day, KARE11
Health
Health Chief’s Early Missteps Set Back Coronavirus Response, Wall Street Journal
Ousted vaccine expert battles with Trump team over his abrupt dismissal, Politico
This Hospital Has Only 8 Nurses. They Are Also the Janitors., ProPublica
Infectious disease expert: Newly discovered cases mean coronavirus is ‘going to be around a long time’, The Hill
Medical Staffing Companies Cut Doctors’ Pay While Spending Millions on Political Ads, Mother Jones
Immigration
U.S. is deporting infected migrants back to vulnerable countries, Washington Post
Labor
VA Workers Say Southern States Reopening Too Soon Puts Veterans’ Lives At Risk, In These Times
Medical Staffing Companies Cut Doctors’ Pay While Spending Millions on Political Ads, ProPublica
Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota Democrats renew calls for mail-in voting after election sickens 7 in Wisconsin, FOX 9
Bill earmarks $5M in emergency small business relief for rural Minnesota, The Forum
MN legislative committees consider proposals to help low-income renters, landlords pay bills, Pioneer Press
Minnesota awards first emergency child care grants, Crookston Times
Minnesota News
Walz rolls out virus test plan ‘moon shot’, Star Tribune
Community alliance reassembles to battle COVID-19 fallout in north Minneapolis, MPR
3M water settlement could leave east metro communities and families short, MN Reformer
Minnesotans find the upside of stay-at-home order: ‘A glimpse of the family we once were’, Star Tribune
Northern Minnesota counties weigh joining “reopen” movement, defying public health experts, MN Reformer
Vice President Mike Pence to tour Mayo Clinic’s coronavirus testing in Rochester, Star Tribune
The mines will come back; many of the jobs won’t, MN Reformer
Representative Angie Craig (CD2)
Angie Craig: U.S. needs coordinated, national plan for personal protective equipment, Star Tribune
Republicans
Two states: one Democrat, one Republican. Two very different outcomes, The Guardian
Justice Alito’s jurisprudence of white racial innocence, Vox
After Inslee’s Warning, Commissioner Calls To Rescind Motion Defying Stay-At-Home Order, Talking Points Memo
What the ‘Liberate’ Protests Really Mean for Republicans, The Atlantic
The Koch network, avatar of the tea party, rejects shutdown protests, Politico
GOP sounds alarm bell over coronavirus-fueled debt, The Hill
Republicans in Minnesota
Minnesota Gun Rights brothers foment coronavirus protests on Facebook, City Pages
‘Liberate’ protesters put others at risk, Star Tribune
Senator Amy Klobuchar
Sen. Klobuchar stresses the importance of protecting vets from virus, MSNBC
Senator Tina Smith
Sen. Tina Smith happy new relief bill supports small business & testing, but says more needs to be done, Fox 9Klobuchar, Smith: What is the Trump Administration doing to protect food workers?, Post Bulletin
U.S. News
Nearly 150 cases confirmed at Green Bay meat packer; protest still on, MPR
Landlords Illegally Evicting Tenants, Despite Federal Restrictions, The American ProspectVaccine Rates Drop Dangerously as Parents Avoid Doctor’s Visits, New York Times
Top Coronavirus Aide’s Last Job Was Breeding Dogs: Report, New York Magazine
Small business money to clear Congress on Thursday but question of who gets aid looms over program, CNN
Millions could go uncounted in census amid crisis, officials warn, Politico
Essential Workers Are Being Treated as Expendable, The Atlantic
World News
Merkel warns coronavirus crisis ‘still just the beginning’, BBC
‘Instead of Coronavirus, the Hunger Will Kill Us.’ A Global Food Crisis Looms., New York Times
Missouri and Mississippi sue China over coronavirus, CBS News
Coronavirus pandemic could put 265 million worldwide at risk of starvation, Axios
Europe’s Economy Was Hit Hard Too, But Jobs Didn’t Disappear Like In The U.S., NPR
Upcoming DFL Events
With the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, we suggest you check with the hosting organization to see if meetings, etc. are being held.
All DFL conventions will now be held virtually. If you were elected as a Delegate or Alternate at Caucuses, you will be hearing from your district with specifics. If you don’t, please check with the hosting organization.
- Today through May 4 — Minnesota Stay at Home Order
- Today to April 23 — State DFL prepares local unit ballots and provides them to those units fro certification
- Today through May 23 — Ramadan
- April 23 — Deadline for DFL local units to certify their ballot in writing to DFL Staff
- April 24 — Arbor Day
- April 25 – May 4 — DFL Virtual Convention Balloting Window
- May 5 — Cinco de Mayo
- 7:00 to 8:30 PM — SD40 DFL Central Committee Meeting, location to be determined
- May 6
- 6:30 to 8:30 PM — SD50 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Kennedy High School, Room C102, 9701 Nicollet Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55420
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD33 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Ridgedale Library, Room 172, 12601 Ridgedale Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55305
- May 7, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD46 DFL Central Committee Meeting, St. Louis Park City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN 55416
- May 9, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM — CD3 DFL Convention, Park Center High School, Performing Arts Center, 7300 Brooklyn Blvd, Minneapolis, MN 55344.
- May 10 — Mother’s Day
- May 11 — deadline for certification of DFL local unit balloting results
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD44 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Council Chamber, Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD49 DFL Central Committee Meeting, 7001 Cahill Rd, Suite 21, Edina, MN
- May 14
- 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD36 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Riverwind Community Center, 2701 Northdale Blvd NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433.
- 7:oo to 9:00 PM — SD48 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Glen Lake Community Center, 14350 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345
- May 18 — Last Day of the 2020 Legislative Session
- May 20, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — CD3 DFL Central Committee Meeting, Council Chambers, Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345
- May 25 — Memorial Day
- May 30 -30 — State DFL Convention, Rochester, MN, more information as it becomes available.