Month: July 2020

Kendall Qualls, a Republican Candidate for US Congress, has more campaign funds on hand than his opponent, incumbent Dean Phillips.

Qualls, who is running to represent MN’s 3rd Congressional District, has nearly $500,000 on hand, while Democrat incumbent Phillips is still $250,000 in debt from his previous campaign.

Commentary: Democrats Don’t Have the Winning Hand

It may be premature (as well as unoriginal), but I believe, in one of the Democrats’ former favorite phrases, that “the walls are closing in” on Joe Biden. The Rasmussen poll—one of the only regular polls consistently accurate in 2016 and one that tends to lead fluctuations in the current polling—has recorded a six-point gain for President Trump in the past 10 days.

11 Incidents in Which Lawful Gun Owners Made a Difference

July 19, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

As the Supreme Court continued its decadelong silence in protecting the Second Amendment, Americans last month nevertheless proved that they understand the importance of the right to keep and bear arms.

The FBI conducted a record-high 3.9 million background checks for firearms sales and transfers in June. The previous record of 3.7 million was set just this past March.

‘Anti-Catholic Bigotry’: Rep Banks Demands Investigations into Anti-Catholic Crimes

July 19, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks denounced incidents of vandalism of Catholic churches that have occurred throughout the United States in a Friday statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation, and called on the Department of Justice to investigate the attacks.

The Indiana representative spoke out Friday following repeated instances of apparently anti-Catholic attacks in Florida, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and many more locations. Banks said that as hate crimes increase throughout the country, not every hate crime is given the same amount of attention.

Guest Lineups for the Sunday News Shows

July 19, 2020July 18, 2020 The Associated Press

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Govs. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., and Jared Polis, D-Colo.; Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla.; Grenita Lathan, interim superintendent of the Houston Independent School District.
NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Polis; Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.; Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health; Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio; Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md.; Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta; Dr. Michael Drake, incoming president of the University of California.
CNN’s “State of the Union” — Clyburn; Mayors Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles and Ted Wheeler of Portland, Oregon; Gov. Tate Reeves, R-Miss.; Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
“Fox News Sunday” — President Donald Trump.

Commentary: Why Sweden Succeeded in ‘Flattening the Curve’ and New York Failed

Coronavirus deaths have slowed to a crawl in Sweden. With the exception of a single death on July 13, no deaths in this nation of 10 million have been reported since July 10.

But the debate over Sweden’s approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, which relied on individual responsibility instead of government coercion to maintain social distancing, is far from over.

Pandemic Triggered Massive Decline in US Prison Population: Report

More than 100,000 state and federal prisoners were released from custody between March and June as the coronavirus spread nationwide, according to analysis from a criminal justice organization.

The overall U.S. prison population declined by 8% over the course of those four months compared to the 2.2% decrease that occurred in the entirety of 2019, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press. The decrease was mostly a result of prisons not accepting individuals from county jails to stop the virus from spreading and court closures, although some facilities did elect to release some prisoners early, The AP reported.

Vandalizing American History: A List of 64 Toppled, Defaced, or Removed Statues

The list of American statues and other monuments that have been toppled, decapitated, defaced, or removed since the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis grew longer almost daily through June and into July.

A mob cheered as it pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In Washington, D.C., rioters used ropes to tear down a bronze depiction of Albert Pike, a Confederate general, and then set the 11-foot statue on fire.

All These Major American Companies with Hong Kong Footprints Weighed in on George Floyd’s Death, but Not China’s Hong Kong Takeover

Major American companies were quick to issue statements in support of Black Lives Matter or social justice causes in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, but dozens of those same firms that have operations in Hong Kong have yet to weigh in on the Chinese Communist Party’s de facto takeover of the city.

Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Marriott, McDonalds, Nike and Scholastic are among the dozens of major American companies with footholds in Hong Kong that weighed in after Floyd’s death but have yet to weigh in on the new security law Beijing recently imposed on the city, which impacts its employees working in the city and which critics say is designed to crack down on dissent of the ruling Communist Party.

FBI Tore Apart NYT Report on Trump-Russia Contacts in Newly Declassified Memo

An FBI document released Friday details at least 14 inaccuracies in a New York Times report from early 2017 that leveled shocking allegations of Trump associates’ contacts with Russian intelligence officers.

The document shows then-FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok’s comments on a Feb. 14, 2017 article entitled “Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence.”

Walz Must Answer Abuse of Emergency Powers Charge Over COVID-19 Orders in Lawsuit

Over a dozen Minnesota state legislators have joined ranks with the Free Minnesota Small Business Coalition to stop what they argue are Governor Tim Walz’s unconstitutional abuses of power. A hearing in the case will take place, July 16, 2020, in Minnesota District Court.

Minneapolis attorney Erick Kaardal of Mohrman, Kaardal & Erickson, P.A. is representing the group in a lawsuit against Governor Walz, whom they are charging with overstepping his bounds and interfering in the legislative process, violating civil liberties of legislators, business owners, and the 5.6 million Minnesotans.

Out of 8,000 Federal Donations Made to PACs and Politicians by CDC Employees in the Last Five Years, FEC Records Show Only Five Went to Republican Causes

July 18, 2020July 18, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made more than 8,000 contributions totaling over $285,000 to Democratic candidates and causes since 2015, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of political contributions.

Only five contributions were sent to a Republican PAC or candidate. Out of these five contributions, which totaled just over $1,000, three sent money to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign efforts, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records indicate.

Commentary: Trump Remains the Only Man in Washington to See the Danger

Donald Trump is still the only man in Washington who understands that America is in trouble and the nature of the trouble it is in.

We were reminded of this during his moving speech at Mount Rushmore, in which he honored our greatest of all statesmen while calling on Americans to defend—without apology—our home, our people, our heritage, and our principles.

Fighting Back: America’s Global Takedown of the CCP with Miles Guo

An all new LIVE STREAM of Descent Into Hell starts at 9 a.m. Central Time on Saturday.

The two-hour special takes a closer look at the life of everyday Chinese citizens under the Chinese Communist Party and will air live on the John Fredericks Radio Network, America’s Voice Network, Dish TV Channel 219, The Epoch Times, ND TV, GTV and GNews in Mandarin.

Commentary: The Left Uses Junk Studies to Show Racism

On March 23, 1989, a room full of reporters and scientists was buzzing in anticipation of an announcement of a breakthrough that, if it panned out, would propel humanity into a new era of unlimited pollution-free energy. The University of Utah’s vice president for research introduced two scientists, Dr. Stan Pons, and Dr. Martin Fleishman. The scientists then announced that a simple device using palladium and heavy water could generate energy from a type of cold fusion resulting from chemical reactions.

Commentary: Are the State-Led Pandemic Shutdowns a Trial Run for the Green New Deal?

At the height of the state-led COVID-19 pandemic economic shutdowns in April, 25.3 million Americans had lost their jobs as businesses shuttered up and families stayed behind closed doors, waiting for the worst of the virus to pass.

While working from home or being furloughed, millions of Americans stayed off the roads, driving much less and monthly fuel consumption down 47.1 percent in April, according to the Energy Information Agency.

AG Barr Lashes Out at ‘Double Standard’ in How Big Tech Treats US Versus the Chinese Communist Party

Attorney General Bill Barr lambasted Apple Thursday, suggesting the iPhone maker’s business ties in China reveal a double standard in how tech companies treat U.S. officials versus the Chinese Communist Party.

China’s goal is to “raid” the United States and bilk American businesses, Barr said during a speech in Michigan. He also suggested there could be serious repercussions for Silicon Valley companies that give deference to China over the U.S.

Antone Melton-Meaux Outraises Ilhan Omar in 2020’s Second Quarter Just Ahead of the August 11 Democratic Primary

July 18, 2020July 17, 2020 Patrick McCloskey

Democratic congressional candidate Antone Melton-Meaux experienced big fundraising numbers in 2020’s second quarter as he tries to unseat Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) at the August 11 primary.

The winner will face Lacy Johnson, the Republican candidate, in November’s general election to represent Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.

Man Arrested After Illegally Obtaining $8.5 Million in Coronavirus Relief

A California man was arrested on Thursday after being charged with fraudulently claiming $8.5 million in coronavirus relief funds through the Payment Protection Program (PPP) and spending hundreds of thousands at a Las Vegas casino, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

The criminal complaint charges Andrew Marnell, 40, of Los Angeles, CA, with submitting fake documents in the PPP funding application, lying about the expenses and business operations of several businesses and using fake aliases to obtain these federal government sourced funds.

Pentagon Bans Confederate Flag

July 18, 2020July 17, 2020 The Associated Press

After weeks of wrangling, the Pentagon is banning displays of the Confederate flag on military installations, in a carefully worded policy that doesn’t mention the word ban or that specific flag. The policy, laid out in a memo released Friday, was described by officials as a creative way to bar the flag’s display without openly contradicting or angering President Donald Trump, who has defended people’s rights to display it.

Rep Eliot Engel Officially Loses Primary to Jamaal Bowman

New York Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel officially lost his primary in the state’s 16th congressional district Friday to Jamaal Bowman, a middle school principal from the Bronx, 55% to 40%.

The final result was reported nearly a month after New York’s primary elections June 23. Bowman, a progressive who was endorsed by the likes of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, beat the 16-term incumbent and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee by nearly 12,000 votes.

Justice Ginsburg Says Cancer Has Returned, but Won’t Retire

July 18, 2020July 17, 2020 The Associated Press

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Friday she is receiving chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer, but has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court.

The 87-year-old Ginsburg, who has had four earlier bouts with cancer including pancreatic cancer last year, said her treatment so far has succeeded in reducing lesions on her liver and she will continue chemotherapy sessions every two weeks “to keep my cancer at bay.”

Legislators, Gov. Walz Face off Over Emergency Powers via Zoom Court Battle

The result of a court hearing Thursday could impact the daily lives of about 5.6 million Minnesotans.

Ramsey County District Court Judge Thomas Gilligan heard from Minnesota Solicitor General Liz Kramer and Erick Kaardal, who’s representing more than a dozen state legislators and the Free Minnesota Small Business Coalition that claim harm under Gov. Tim Walz’s executive orders.

Minnesota Unemployment in June Rises 3,006 from Prior Week

Minnesota unemployment rose by 3,006 new claims last week, bringing the state’s total number of unemployment claims to 345,575.

The week-over-week unemployment tally in Minnesota rose from 19,362 new claims in the week ending July 4 to 22,368 new claims in the week ending July 11, according to U.S. Department of Labor data.

Commentary: School Board Elections May Be Your Most Important Decision This Year

Our late friend Phyllis Schlafly, the First Lady of the Conservative Movement, was fond of saying that the most important election wasn’t President, it was Republican Precinct Committeeman, because that was the gateway to the Republican Party organization, and through it the ability to endorse candidates and set the GOP Platform.

Commentary: Where Did ‘Cancel Culture’ Begin?

Bari Weiss was not the first victim of “cancel culture,” and certainly she will not be the last, but her exit from the opinion pages of the New York Times has finally focused national attention on the steadily increasing toll of intellectual intolerance among the soi-disant progressive elite. Ms. Weiss’s public resignation letter, which described “constant bullying by colleagues who disagree with my views,” with her superiors at the newspaper evidently condoning this harassment, exposed a cult-like climate of ideological conformity at the Times. Because she is rather young — she was born in 1984, the year Ronald Reagan was reelected — Ms. Weiss is not old enough to remember when liberals posed as champions of free speech and open debate. Some of us are old enough to remember, however, and have a duty to teach young people how it was that liberalism slowly succumbed to totalitarianism.

List of National Retail Chains Requiring Masks Is Growing

July 17, 2020July 16, 2020 The Associated Press

Target, CVS Health and Publix Super Markets on Thursday joined the growing list of national chains that will require customers to wear face masks regardless of where cities or states stand on the issue.

Target’s mandatory face mask policy will go into effect Aug. 1, and all CVS stores will begin requiring them on Monday. Publix Super Markets Inc., based in Lakeland, Florida, said that its rule will kick in on Tuesday at all 1,200 stores.

Hawley Seeks Civil Rights Probe in Case of St. Louis Couple

July 17, 2020July 16, 2020 The Associated Press

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday urged Attorney General William Barr to launch a federal civil rights investigation of St. Louis’ elected prosecutor, accusing her of abuse of power in her investigation of a white couple who wielded guns while defending their home during a protest.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey are under Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s scrutiny for the June 28 confrontation when several hundred protesters marched by their $1.15 million mansion. The couple accused protesters of knocking down an iron gate marked with “No Trespassing” and “Private Street” signs.

Georgia Governor Kemp Overrides All Local Mask Mandates

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order Wednesday prohibiting local municipalities from establishing mask mandates for people who go out in public.

His order prevents any municipality from enforcing a mask order that is more restrictive than the one at the state level, The Hill reported.

Democratic Challengers in 10 Key Senate Races Outraise Republicans by $34 Million

Democrats hoping to unseat Republicans in 10 key U.S. Senate races outraised their opponents by $34 million over the three month quarter ending June 30, Federal Election Commission filings show.

The 10 Democrats raised a total of $86 million compared to the $52 million that Republicans raised, Reuters reported. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky were outraised by approximately $5.6 million and $5.2 million respectively, FEC filings show.

GOP Caps Attendance for Convention Over Coronavirus Concerns

The Republican National Committee announced Thursday morning that it would restrict attendance for the party’s convention next month in Jacksonville, Florida.

The announcement comes a day after the RNC announced that they would move the convention outdoors due to growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, The Hill reported. The decision comes as positive cases are skyrocketing across the state, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.

MS-13 Members Charged with Crimes Ranging from Terrorism to Murder

One suspected MS-13 member has been charged with terrorism, another faces the death penalty and other reported gang leaders face charges of kidnapping, murder and racketeering, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

The investigation and indictments targeted leaders of the MS-13, and represent the first time a member of the organization has been charged with terrorism, according to a DOJ press release.

Ilhan Omar Has Paid Her Husband’s Firm Over $1.1 Million, New Records Show

Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s total campaign payments to her husband’s consulting firm now exceed seven figures after reporting additional funds paid to the company in the second quarter of 2020.

Omar’s campaign reported payments totaling $228,000 to E Street Group, the consulting firm run by her husband, Tim Mynett, in a filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) released Tuesday, bringing her total payments to the company to more than $1.1 million since August 2018.

More Than a Million Americans File New Unemployment Claims

July 16, 2020July 16, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Four months into the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional 1.3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, according to U.S. Department of Labor data released Thursday.

That’s down 10,000 from the previous week but still significantly higher than pre-pandemic figures.

Biden Adds Three Campaign Staffers in Minnesota

July 16, 2020July 15, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign hired three full-time staffers this week to oversee its campaign operations in Minnesota.

According to ABC News, Ryan Doyle, who managed Keith Ellison’s campaign for attorney general, will serve as Biden’s Minnesota state director.

Commentary: Has-Beens for Biden

Over the weekend a flurry of articles appeared, enthusing about the awesome machinery being put together across the country to defeat President Donald Trump in this fall’s presidential election. The machinery is being put together not by Democrats but by that most curious of political animals, the Never Trumpers. I have pored over all the reports and noted all the data. Reporters spent a lot of time interviewing the Never Trumpers and noting all their grand designs. It looked to me like it was curtains for Donald, except for two problems facing the valiant Never Trumpers.

Biden Plans to Spend $2 Trillion on Climate Change if Elected

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced Tuesday a $2 trillion budget to combat climate change reform and create jobs, according to The New York Times.

Biden said during his campaign speech in Delaware the $2 trillion budget will be spent in four years to create jobs while increasing clean energy use in the transportation, electricity and building industries, according to the Times. Biden plans to have an “emissions-free power sector” by 2035.

Walmart to Require Face Masks for All Customers

Walmart will require all customers to wear face coverings inside its stores beginning July 20, the company announced Wednesday.

“As the number of confirmed cases has spiked in communities across the country recently, so have the number and types of face covering mandates being implemented,” the retailer said in a press release.

Commentary: The Republican Party Needs a Voter Fraud Task Force in Every State

The news that the Republican Party of Connecticut has created a citizen task force to record and investigate cases of potential voter fraud ahead of the 2020 presidential election is a welcome sign that some Republican leaders understand how the Democrats intend to create Election Day chaos to ensure that President Trump is defeated.

Biden, Gates, Other Twitter Accounts Hacked in Bitcoin Scam

July 16, 2020July 15, 2020 The Associated Press

Unidentified hackers broke into the Twitter accounts of technology moguls, politicians, celebrities and major companies Wednesday in an apparent Bitcoin scam.

The ruse included bogus tweets from former President Barack Obama, Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and a number of tech billionaires including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Celebrities Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, were also hacked. The fake tweets tweets offered to send $2,000 for every $1,000 sent to an anonymous Bitcoin address.

Analysis: Black People Do Not Suffer Disproportionately from Police Brutality

A recent New York Times article by Jeremy W. Peters claims it is a “fact” “that black people suffer disproportionately from police brutality.” He also asserts that President Trump’s rejection of this accusation is “racially inflammatory” and “racially divisive.” To the contrary, comprehensive facts show that this allegation against police is false. Furthermore, this deception has stoked racial divides and driven people to despise and even murder police officers.

Pompeo Imposes Visa Restrictions on Staff of Chinese Tech Companies That Support the Chinese Communist Party

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has imposed visa restrictions on employees at Chinese tech companies that provide support to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

An alien cannot gain access to the United States if the secretary of state believes the person’s entry “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States,” the Department of State said in a press statement Wednesday, citing a section from the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Chaotic Protests Prompt Soul-Searching in Portland, Oregon

July 16, 2020July 15, 2020 The Associated Press

Nearly two months of nightly protests that have devolved into violent clashes with police have prompted soul-searching in Portland, Oregon, a city that prides itself on its progressive reputation but is increasingly polarized over how to handle the unrest.

President Donald Trump recently deployed federal agents to “quell” the demonstrations in Portland that began after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, shining an unwelcome spotlight as the city struggles to find a way forward. The national attention comes as divisions deepen among elected officials about the legitimacy of the more violent protests — striking at the heart of Portland’s identity as an ultraliberal haven where protest is seen as a badge of honor.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Released from Hospital

July 16, 2020July 15, 2020 The Associated Press

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was discharged from a hospital after being treated for a possible infection.

A court spokeswoman said in an emailed statement that the 87-year-old Ginsburg was “home and doing well.”

Commentary: Fake News Media Continues to Focus on the Wrong Things During the Coronavirus Pandemic