Minnesota House Democrats call on President Trump, Senate Majority Leader McConnell to return to COVID negotiation

House DFL logo

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — On Tuesday, DFL members and members-elect of the Minnesota House of Representatives sent a letter to President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, calling on them to return to negotiations for COVID-19 economic relief legislation.  

“The election is over. A record number of Americans expressed their voice through vote and the results are clear. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 global pandemic is far from over,” wrote the DFL legislators. “In Minnesota and across our country, the virus is surging and people are suffering. We urge you to return to the negotiating table to help people who are desperate for your leadership amidst a pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 2,700 Minnesotans and 200,000 Americans.” 

The letter comes at a time when Minnesota is experiencing record-breaking cases of COVID-19, hospitals are under enormous strain, homelessness is increasing, Minnesotans are struggling to afford their rent, and small businesses continue to struggle in the midst of a global pandemic. All the while, a new COVID relief package has passed the U.S. House of Representatives, and awaits action from the U.S. Senate.  

Along with urging action on a new COVID relief package, legislators are requesting more flexibility to utilize resources allocated to state and local governments in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. 

“The need for the pandemic response in Minnesota will continue well into 2021 and the lack of flexibility to continue using CARES Act funds for expenses beyond Dec. 30 will impede our response as we confront a significant state budget shortfall. We request that you approve an extension so that states like Minnesota can continue to utilize dollars approved in the CARES Act to combat the virus and help weather these economic storms.”  

The letter and its 44 signatories can be found here

Trump to declare a national emergency in response to coronavirus

Washington Post logoPresident Trump plans to declare a national emergency Friday, as public life in America continues to grind to a halt. Concerns about the coronavirus pandemic rippled across the globe, as more events were canceled and more landmarks were shuttered; U.S. schools closed to millions of students; Louisiana delayed its presidential primary until summer; and the Group of Seven leaders planned a virtual crisis conference.

Here are some other significant developments:

  • The World Health Organization warned that Europe “has now become the epicenter” of the pandemic, and more European Union nations took action — shutting down schools, implementing travel restrictions and passing other emergency measures.
  • Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he tested positive for the virus after attending an event in Florida with a Brazilian government aide, who has also tested positive. A top Australian official also tested positive just days after meeting with U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr in Washington.
  • After facing heated, bipartisan criticism over U.S. testing, the Trump administration announced a series of steps to boost the availability of tests and said it would partner with the private sector to set up drive-through testing sites.
  • Scientists have found that the coronavirus can stay infectious for days on some surfaces. They also discovered that the coronavirus can be shed by people before they develop symptoms and can linger in the body for many weeks.

Question Paulsen’s support of Trump

In a recent fundraising letter, Congressman Erik Paulsen went beyond his usual partisan talking points and sprinkling of half-truths and waded into the territory of unfounded conspiracy theory.

He warned against a “flood” of outside “paid liberal activists” and labeled opposition in his district as “all the paid volunteers George Soros’ money can buy”. This is the same language used by extreme-right conspiracy theory sites like Info Wars and Breitbart.

Of course, there’s no evidence to back up these claims, and it’s insulting to his constituents to dismiss their concerns this way. It’s deeply cynical and un-American to falsely claim that those engaged in the political process are only doing so because they’re being paid. Continue reading “Question Paulsen’s support of Trump”

Joe Biden Says Donald Trump Makes The World Dangerous

The following article by Matthew Cooper of Newsweek was posted on the National Memo website October 18, 2017:

Former Vice President Joe Biden took aim at Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying that the president “doesn’t understand governance” and claimed that one European prime minister had told him that the mogul reminds him of Mussolini, the Italian Fascist.

The 74-year-old made his comments at a University of Delaware bipartisanship forum alongside 2016 GOP presidential candidate John Kasich, who has also been critical of the president. Continue reading “Joe Biden Says Donald Trump Makes The World Dangerous”

A trifecta of criticism for President Trump with this message: Change your behavior

The following article by Dan Balz was posted on the Washington Post website July 27, 2017:

Credit:  Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

President Trump recorded a remarkable trifecta on Thursday. In fewer than 24 hours, he was rebuked by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the chief scout executive for the Boy Scouts of America.

On a day when so many eyes and ears in Washington were riveted on the escalating feud between White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and new White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, no one should lose sight of the incoming fire that arrived at the White House.

It didn’t come from the hard left or the Democratic resistance. Instead, it came from people who represent communities or constituencies considered friendly to the president: the Republican Party, the military, and a civic organization known for its promotion of patriotism and traditional values. Continue reading “A trifecta of criticism for President Trump with this message: Change your behavior”

Young Democrats Call Upon Minnesota Members of Congress to Fight Back Against Trump’s Muslim Ban

The following statement comes from Conrad Zbikowski, President of the Minnesota Youg Democrats and Jacob D. Multer, Chair of the College Democrats of Minnesota:

As he promised in the third person over a year ago, President Trump signed an Executive Order on Friday banning Muslims from seven countries that Trump conveniently has no business interests in (NYT). As Rudy Giuliani made clear on Fox News (WaPo), the Muslim Ban was written to be a Muslim Ban. The Muslim Ban was written by two white-supremacist, Trump inner-circle advisors named Steve, Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon (CNN).

On Monday morning, Conrad Zbikowski, President of the Minnesota Young DFL, and Jacob Multer, Chair of the College Democrats of Minnesota issued the following joint statement: Continue reading “Young Democrats Call Upon Minnesota Members of Congress to Fight Back Against Trump’s Muslim Ban”

Paul Krugman Just Said What We’re All Thinking About Trump’s Mental Health

The following article by Natalie Dickinson was posted on the Occupy Democrats website January 24, 2017:

Since taking office, President Trump’s behavior has become increasingly unhinged. Since ascending to the Oval Office, he has thrown a tantrum over the size of the Women’s March following his inauguration because it dwarfed his pitiful turnout and insisted to multiple audiences that his inauguration was massive despite the obvious photographic evidence to the contrary. Aides reporthe grows furiously angry over angry Twitter messages and grows bored with his work, instead preferring to watch television. 

The erratic temper of an old man? Or a sign of something else? New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is fed up with Trump’s rage-and-pony show and told us all how he really feels in one sledgehammer of a tweet: Continue reading “Paul Krugman Just Said What We’re All Thinking About Trump’s Mental Health”

Fact-checking President Trump’s inaugural address

The following article by Glenn Kessler and Michelle Ye Hee Lee was posted on the Washington Post website January 20, 2017:

Generally, inaugural addresses are not designed to be fact-checked. But President Trump’s address was nothing if not unique, presenting a portrait of the United States that often was at variance with reality. Here’s a guide to understanding whether the facts back up his rhetoric.

“Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed.”

Continue reading “Fact-checking President Trump’s inaugural address”

A New Presidency Of Disrespect And Disinformation Begins

The following article by Cynthia Tucker Haynes was posted on the National Memo website January 20, 2017:

President-elect Donald Trump addresses the “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration” at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

It begins.

We have officially entered the Age of Trump, an era that may be the most contentious and most dangerous to the health of the republic since the Civil War. We are two nations of nearly equal count, divided by opposing views on race, religion, pluralism, sexual orientation, feminism and even science. Each side believes the other is corrupt, mendacious and malicious.

This troubling divide would be difficult to bridge for a personality more temperamentally suited to the task. The imperturbable Barack Obama was sorely tested by the challenge of appealing to critics who insisted he was illegitimate. Hillary Clinton, had she become his successor, would have been confronted with a disloyal opposition that had already promised to embroil her in partisan investigations and spurious lawsuits. She, too, would have been pushed to the limits of her patience. Continue reading “A New Presidency Of Disrespect And Disinformation Begins”