Trump Tests Positive for the Coronavirus

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The president’s result came after he spent months playing down the severity of the outbreak that has killed more than 207,000 in the United States and hours after insisting that “the end of the pandemic is in sight.”

WASHINGTON — President Trump revealed early Friday morning that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had tested positive for the coronavirus, throwing the nation’s leadership into uncertainty and escalating the crisis posed by a pandemic that has already killed more than 207,000 Americans and devastated the economy.

Mr. Trump, who for months has played down the seriousness of the virus and hours earlier on Thursday night told an audience that “the end of the pandemic is in sight,” will quarantine in the White House for an unspecified period of time, forcing him to withdraw at least temporarily from the campaign trail only 32 days before the election on Nov. 3.

The dramatic disclosure came in a Twitter message just before 1 a.m. after a suspenseful evening following reports that Mr. Trump’s close adviser Hope Hicks had tested positive. In her own tweet about 30 minutes later, Mrs. Trump wrote that the first couple were “feeling good,” but the White House did not say whether they were experiencing symptoms. The president’s physician said he could carry out his duties “without disruption” from the Executive Mansion. Continue reading.

Survey shows 60% of US families struggling to get by as McConnell dismisses new COVID-19 relief bill

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On the Senate floor Wednesday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated once again that he has no intention of providing badly-needed aid to struggling families across the U.S. even as new research found that nearly two-thirds of households with children are having trouble making ends meet.

McConnell dismissed the Democratic Party’s latest version of the HEROES Act as a “political stunt,” making it clear that like the bill which passed in the House in May—which has now languished in the Senate for 138 days—the $2.2 trillion relief package which House Democrats unveiled on Monday is not likely to reach the millions of families who need it.

“As always, his priorities are appalling,” Vanita Gupta, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, tweeted, noting McConnell’s determination to push through the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett—who has frequently ruled in favor of powerful corporations—to the U.S. Supreme Court. Continue reading.

Trump upends own messaging with Black voters

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President Trump, trailing in polls and desperately needing to expand his voting base, potentially hamstrung his chances to do so by refusing to condemn white supremacy during Tuesday night’s presidential debate in Cleveland.

The president had a clear-cut opportunity to denounce — in front of a televised audience of millions  — the controversial, racist and violent movements and groups that have long backed his presidency. 

Instead, he did the opposite, telling the Proud Boys, a white supremacist neo-Nazi group, to “stand back and stand by.” Continue reading.

Trump goes to Walter Reed hospital for coronavirus treatment

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President Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday for a stay that was expected to last several days, a move the White House said was made out of an abundance of caution after he tested positive for the deadly coronavirus and experienced symptoms.

“I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support. I’m going to Walter Reed hospital,” Trump said Friday in a videotaped statement released on Twitter less than 24 hours after he and his wife, Melania, tested positive for the coronavirus. “I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out.”

Trump was experiencing fatigue, and the first lady was coughing with a headache on Friday, the White House doctor said, describing the physical impacts of a White House coronavirus outbreak that has upended the nation’s capital and disrupted American politics one month before a presidential election. Continue reading.

Ex-Homeland Security official describes how Trump suppressed efforts to fight white supremacist terrorism

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On CNN Wednesday, former Trump administration national security staffer Miles Taylor outlined how the president’s soft spot for white supremacy — put on full display at the previous night’s presidential debate — carried over into federal policy.

“You previously told me President Trump didn’t prioritize white supremacist violence or domestic threats in general,” said anchor Wolf Blitzer. “How did that become clear in your meetings with him and your work deep inside the Trump administration?”

I’ll tell you this,” said Taylor. “From the beginning of the Trump administration, we had a sense that the numbers were going in the wrong direction. By the numbers, I mean, the number of terrorist plots we were tracking in the United States. When we first came in, ISIS was the big threat. That was obvious to everyone. There was a surging threat from violent extremist groups here domestically, primarily focused on white supremacy. And that was a big concern for us. The FBI and our own DHS analyst came to us and said this is worrying.” Continue reading.

Trump boasted he made insulin so cheap ‘it’s like water.’ Americans with diabetes beg to differ.

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Early in Tuesday night’s presidential debate, President Trump claimed he had drastically lowered the price of insulin, a lifesaving drug taken in some form by more than 7 million Americans with diabetes.

“Insulin, it’s going to — it was destroying families, destroying people. The cost,” the president said. “I’m getting it for so cheap it’s like water.”

That came as a shock to the Americans who shell out hundreds of dollars a month on insulin, a number of whom posted triple-digit pharmacy bills to social media immediately after the president’s assertion. Continue reading.

GOP lawmakers gloomy, back on defense after debate fiasco

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Senate Republicans, who are battling to cling to their fragile majority, were left frustrated and gloomy after Tuesday night’s chaotic debate between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden that left them talking about controversies they had hoped to put behind them.

Tuesday night’s debate was a comedown for many Republicans who were flying high after the Senate GOP conference quickly unified behind Trump’s Supreme Court pick. Instead of spending Wednesday touting nominee Amy Coney Barrett, they spent the day fielding questions about the president’s refusal to directly rebuke white supremacist groups or to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. 

The first media question at an event Senate Republican women planned Wednesday morning to highlight Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court was about Trump’s debate performance and whether it would hurt Senate Republican candidates with female voters. Continue reading.

DFL Party Slams Congressman Hagedorn, Stauber, and Emmer for Flying Soon After COVID-19 Exposure

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the DFL Party sharply criticized Republican Congressman Jim Hagedorn, Tom Emmer, and Pete Stauber for flying just two days after being exposed to COVID-19. 

“By flying so soon after being exposed to COVID-19, Congressmen Emmer, Hagedorn, and Stauber deliberately put the health and safety of their fellow passengers at serious risk,” said DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin. “As these Congressman know, medical experts have said that a negative test soon after exposure is nearly meaningless.”

“Millions of Americans have sacrificed so much to slow the spread of COVID-19, yet Congressmen Emmer, Stauber, and Hagedorn could not even wait a few days to board an airplane,” added Martin. “These Congressmen’s stupidity and disregard for the well-being of their fellow passengers is staggering.”

Continue reading “DFL Party Slams Congressman Hagedorn, Stauber, and Emmer for Flying Soon After COVID-19 Exposure”

Woodward Calls On Congress To Curtail Trump’s Assault On Constitution

Veteran journalist Bob Woodward said that Donald Trump “cannot stabilize the electoral process” and is in fact making it unstable through his rhetoric and actions, including his performance in the first presidential debate.

Woodward called on Congress to “step up” and solve what he described as a “constitutional problem.”

“It’s reached a boiling point,” Woodward said on Wednesday. “I mean we are teetering here. The Congress needs to step up.” Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Weekly Briefing: October 2, 2020

Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan Launch a Statewide Small Business Listening Tour

Stillwater Coffee Shop Visit

This week Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan launched a statewide small business listening tour. Throughout the tour, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor will visit small businesses across the state, hear from business owners and workers how COVID-19 has affected them, and highlight support the state has provided to businesses during the pandemic.


Governor Walz Wishes President Trump and First Lady a Speedy Recovery 

Tim Walz

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Weekly Briefing: October 2, 2020”