In the Know: May 21, 2020

Days to the November Election:  166

2020 Election
Romney counters Trump: 90 percent of ‘very Republican’ Utah votes by mail, The Hill
A New Giuliani-Like Effort to Smear Biden Over Ukraine Falls Flat, Mother Jones

Agriculture
NORTHERN CORN BELT FARMERS FACE ANOTHER PREVENTED PLANT YEAR, ANALYST SAYS, Successful Agriculture
ELIGIBLE BUSHELS FOR CORONAVIRUS PAYMENT REMAIN UNCLEAR, ECONOMISTS SAY,  Successful Agriculture

Attorney General Keith Ellison
Kim Bartmann has almost paid back her employees… unless you ask her employees, City Pages

Donald Trump
Trump says he’ll cut off funding to states that make it easier to vote, Vox
Trump tries on MAGA 2.0 for a pandemic era, Politico
Trump to Withdraw From ‘Open Skies’ Arms Control Treaty, New York Times

Economy
Congress Objects to the Bailout It Approved, The American Prospect
U.S. weekly jobless claims grind lower but backlogs, layoffs linger, Reuters
Trump Wants to Lower Unemployment Benefits Amid Record Unemployment, New York Magazine

Education
Minnesota State plans 3% tuition hike amid sluggish college enrollment, Grand Forks Herald
Decision on University of Minnesota’s fall semester expected in early June, KSTP
Teachers union sues DeVos, school district over special ed, Yahoo News

Environment
Unusually active hurricane season could threaten US effort to fight Covid-19, The Guardian
Climate change is turning parts of Antarctica green, say scientists, The Guardian

Governor Tim Walz
Watch: Tim Walz sets June 1 for reopening MN outdoor dining, hair salons, Pioneer Press
Walz: Feds Rerouted MN PPE Shipment, WCCO
Gov. Walz Says Pay Raise For State Workers Is Going Forward, WCCO

Health
Exclusive: A quarter of Americans are hesitant about a coronavirus vaccine – Reuters/Ipsos poll, Reuters
Coronavirus exposes dangerous gaps in US health care, Boston Globe

Immigration
Americans favor medical care but not economic aid for undocumented immigrants affected by COVID-19, Pew Research Center
Opponents Say Expansion Of U.S. Immigrant Ban Should Not Include Skilled Workers, Forbes

Labor
Could Coronavirus Help Amazon Workers Unionize?, New York Times
Teamsters Local 320 Applauds Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for Supporting Unions and Collective Bargaining, SouthernMinn
Minnesota Farmers Union – Ag finance and policy bills provide meaningful support for family farmers, Redwood Falls Gazette

Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota’s county and city governments wonder when more federal coronavirus aid will come,  MinnPost
Senator Frentz comments on the End of Legislative Session, St. Peter Herald
Sitting down with Doria Drost, The Spur

Minnesota News
Representative Dean Phillips (CD3)
Lawmakers Seek to Double Duration of Small-Business Loans, Wall Street Journal

Secretary of State Steve Simon
Minnesota Secretary of State urging voters to apply for mail-in absentee ballots, Fox 9

Senator Amy Klobuchar
Klobuchar and Democrats push antitrust regulators to scrutinize Uber’s potential deal for Grubhub, CNBC
Senators release bill to offer $4,000 skills training credit to workers displaced by coronavirus, CNBC

U.S. News
States Are Reopening: See How Coronavirus Cases Rise or Fall, ProPublica
Divided by COVID-19: Democratic U.S. areas hit three times as hard as Republican ones, Reuters
Families of Special Needs Students Fear They’ll Lose School Services in Coronavirus Shutdown, ProPublica
Coronavirus cases are on the rise across the South, Axios

World News
The New Way Hong Kong Is Defining Nationalism, The Atlantic
Cyclone kills at least 82 in India, Bangladesh, causes widespread flooding, Reuters
Merkel warns against trade barriers in face of coronavirus recession, Politico

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.

  • Today through May 24 — Ramadan
  • Today through June 2 — Window for Candidates to Register with Minnesota to Run for City Offices with Possible Primaries, County Offices, Judicial and Legislative Positions
  • May 21
    • 6:30 to 8:00 PM — DFL Environmental Caucus Virtual Meeting, more information and RSVP here.
    • 6:30 to 7:30 PM — SD40 DFL Virtual CD/State Convention, if you were elected a delegate and haven’t heard from the SD40 Chair, please contact them (link above)
  • May 25 — Memorial Day, Eid al Fitar
  • May 26 -31 — State DFL Convention virtual voting window
  • May 31 — Mandatory meeting for district-level DFL National Delegates, more information as it becomes available
  • June 2, 7:00 to 8:30 PM — SD40 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 3
    • 6:30 to 8:30 PM — SD50 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD33 DFL Central Committee Virtual Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 4, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD46 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 8
    • 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
  • June 11
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD36 DFL Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
    • 7:00 to 9:00 PM — SD48 Central Committee Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 14 — Flag Day
  • June 15, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — Anoka County DFL Meeting, contact them for specifics
  • June 17, 7:00 to 9:00 PM — CD3 DFL Central Committee Meeting, more information as it becomes available.
  • June 20 — Summer Solstice
  • June 21 — Father’s Day
  • June 26 through August 10 — Primary Election Early Voting Window