Right-wing protesters gather outside Portland, adding to tensions

Washington Post logo

SALEM, Ore. — More than 1,000 supporters of President Trump, including some aligned with white nationalist extremist groups, gathered in northwest Oregon on Monday night in a show of force against left-wing protesters, creating even more tension in a region that has been rocked by weeks of protests.

On Monday evening, despite National Weather Service warnings of an extreme wind storm, hundreds of cars, trucks, tractors, motorcycles and at least one RV hoisted Trump flags and blasted “God Bless The U.S.A.” from truck bed speakers for a “cruise rally” through the suburbs of Portland. Some members of the group then drove about 50 miles to Salem, where they gathered in front of the state capitol.

Armed with rifles, pistols, knives and clubs, the far-right demonstrators at one point charged into a smaller group of liberal counterprotesters, knocking at least one activist to the ground. Continue reading.

Trump Emerges as Inspiration for Germany’s Far Right

New York Times logo

Among German conspiracy theorists, ultranationalists and neo-Nazis, the American president is surfacing as a rallying cry, or even as a potential “liberator.”

BERLIN — Just before hundreds of far-right activists recently tried to storm the German Parliament, one of their leaders revved up the crowd by conjuring President Trump.

“Trump is in Berlin!” the woman shouted from a small stage, as if to dedicate the imminent charge to him.

She was so convincing that several groups of far-right activists later showed up at the American Embassy and demanded an audience with Mr. Trump. “We know he’s in there!” they insisted. Continue reading.

House Oversight Committee will investigate Louis DeJoy following claims he pressured employees to make campaign donations

Washington Post logo

House Democrats are opening an investigation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and called for his immediate suspension following accusations that he reimbursed employees for campaign contributions they made to his preferred GOP politicians, an arrangement that would be unlawful.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) said in a statement late Monday that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which she chairs, would begin an inquiry, saying that DeJoy may have lied to the panel under oath.

Maloney also urged the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service to immediately suspend DeJoy, whom “they never should have hired in the first place,” she said. Continue reading.

Trump’s press conference goes immediately off the rails — and he tries to bully a reporter into removing his mask

AlterNet logo

President Donald Trump late Monday morning announced he would hold a press conference, but after a late start and minutes in it became clear it was yet another campaign-style stream-of-consciousness rally devoid of facts and filled with lies.

Both MSNBC and CNN were not airing the “press conference” minutes after it began.

After Trump’s 20 minutes or so of angry grumbling, and disgruntled attacks on Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponents, Trump ended his remarks before taking reporters questions by saying, “Happy Labor Day, everybody.” Continue reading.

‘This is only the beginning’: Atlantic editor warns Trump there’s more to come over his soldier insults

AlterNet logo

Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg warned that more could be coming in the story about President Donald Trump’s attacks on American soldiers. Trump was exposed for calling those who died in battle “losers” and “suckers.

“I would fully expect more reporting to come out about this and more confirmation and new pieces of information in the coming days and weeks,” Goldberg told CNN Sunday. “We have a responsibility and we’re going to do it regardless of what he says.”

Trump’s campaign has attacked The Atlantic story, saying that it cites anonymous sources and as a result, it can’t possibly be real. The problem, however, is that Fox News, the Associated Press, the New York Times and CNN have all confirmed the sources are real. Continue reading.

Why Biden could still lose the suburbs to Trump

Among local party officials, there’s an undercurrent of uneasiness about how quickly the president shifted the focus of the campaign away from his coronavirus response and toward public safety.

A raft of recent polls suggest Donald Trump’s law-and-order rhetoric, amplified by the Republican National Convention and turmoil in Kenosha, Wis., is doing little to cut into Joe Biden’s lead.

But in swing state suburbs, local party officials are meeting the Labor Day start of the fall campaign with an undercurrent of uneasiness about how quickly Trump shifted the focus of the campaign to public safety — and away from the more damaging discussion of his erratic response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Interviews with more than two dozen Democratic Party officials and strategists in the suburbs reflect confidence in Biden’s ability to compete with Trump on issues surrounding this summer’s civil unrest, but also widespread concerns about the political volatility — and potential allure — of the president’s law-and-order message. Continue reading.

Trump campaign attacks Biden for going to church and his son’s grave

AlterNet logo

Over the last week, one of the biggest stories in the country has focused on President Donald J. Trump’s demeaning of veterans. With multiple confirmations, CNN, Fox News, and NBC News, along with the originator of the story, the Atlantic, confirmed that Trump had made just those references during a trip to Paris, France during 2018.

The Trump campaign has denied this, of course, but the heart of this story is: how does the campaign prove that it would never endorse such a thing? Could the campaign show a moral center that recognizes that this is not a campaign problem, it is a character flaw that cannot be resolved with a sound byte? No. In fact, while denying the problem entirely, the Trump campaign stooped to incredible lows today, and it should sicken most Americans.

Director of Strategic Campaign Response, Francis Brennan, who helps manage the Trump War Room campaign, took to social media this morning to attack Vice President Biden this way: Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 8, 2020

September 8, 2020

Updates from the Governor

Today, Governor Tim Walz, a classroom teacher for more than 20 years, launched a statewide Safe Learning Tour. He and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan kicked-off the start of the 2020-21 school year by visiting students and educators in-person and virtually. With this school year looking different than normal, they thanked educators, students, and parents for their flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next few weeks, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor will visit with students and educators at schools across the state, including Wyoming, Bloomington, Mankato, Saint Paul, Moorhead, Duluth, and more.

Following Minnesota’s Safe Learning Plan, school districts and charter schools are beginning the school year in one of three models: in-person learning, hybrid learning, or distance learning. Experts at the Departments of Health and Education have partnered with local school districts and charter schools to help determine which learning model they should use to start the school year. The Departments of Education and Health will continue to work with school districts and local health professionals throughout the school year to track the virus and determine if and when a school may need to adjust their learning plan.

With any learning model – in-person, hybrid, or distance – the Governor and Lt. Governor remain focused on supporting Minnesota schools to deliver an equitable education that strives to meet the needs of every student in our Pre-K through grade 12 education system.

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 8, 2020”

Trump and allies ratchet up disinformation efforts in late stage of campaign

Washington Post logo

For President Trump and his allies, it was a week spent spreading doctored and misleading videos.

On Aug. 30, the president retweeted footage of a Black man violently pushing a White woman on a subway platform under the caption, “Black Lives Matter/Antifa” — but the man was not affiliated with either group, and the video was shot in October. White House social media director Dan Scavino shared a manipulated video that falsely showed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden seeming to fall asleep during a television interview, complete with a fake TV headline.

And Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the second-ranking House Republican, released a video splicing together quotes from activist Ady Barkan — who has Lou Gehrig’s disease and uses computer voice assistance — to falsely make it sound as if he had persuaded Biden to defund police departments. Continue reading.

In the Know: September 9, 2020

Days Until the Election: 55

DFL Action Center
55 Days OUT – Let’s get to work!
If you’d like to help the DFL Party fight for criminal justice reform, better schools, wages, our environment, and health care, click here to get more involved there are events happening in your area!

DFL Headquarters Office Hours 
Looking to buy yard signs or Biden-Harris merchandise? Stop by the DFL Headquarters on 255 East Plato Blvd in St Paul, we are now open to the public from 12:00-5:00PM Monday-Friday. 

Biden-Harris Yard Signs 
We’re excited to announce that Biden-Harris yard signs are now available! Click this link to order yours today! As you may have heard, Donald Trump is spending over $14 million on ads right here in Minnesota, and every sign you order helps us fight back by funding the DFL Party’s grassroots organizing program! 


Check out our Biden-Harris Campaign merchandise in the DFL Store!
Click here to see our new shirts, signs, and stickers!

Donald Trump and Mike Pence 
Trump intensifies assault on rule of law as he fights for reelection, CNN
War is ‘a last resort,’ Army chief says after Trump’s comments, Politico
Trump visibly distressed over Atlantic story fallout from claims he disparaged the military, CNN
Trump campaign paying to repair damage to White House grounds from RNC events, NBC News

Continue reading “In the Know: September 9, 2020”