March 1, 2021 - The Minnesota Sun

Efforts Underway in Key Battleground States to Return Voting Systems to Pre-2020 Rules

March 1, 2021May 18, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Significant legislative attempts are underway in multiple U.S. states, including key battleground states, to roll back major changes in voting rules and regulations to various pre-2020 status quo antes. The efforts come after an historically chaotic election process that has left millions of Americans doubtful of election fairness, security, transparency and accountability.

Changes to election rules — some of them enacted prior to 2020 and others put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic last year — have included expansive mail-in voting, expanded early voting, relaxation of verification rules, and extensions to ballot receipt deadlines.

Cuomo’s Troubles Deepen as N.Y. Attorney General Seeks Subpoena Power in Sex Harassment Probe

March 1, 2021May 18, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

After a rollercoaster weekend of reversals, recriminations and apologies, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s legal troubles are deepening as New York’s top law enforcement officer prepares to secure subpoena powers to investigate allegations of sexual harassment.

Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, announced Sunday night she will deputize an outside law firm to investigate the allegations by two former Cuomo aides after the governor’s effort to fashion his own investigation led by a former federal judge backfired.

Website Tracks Which Colleges Embrace Training in Critical Race Theory

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

It takes only a few clicks to see that critical race theory is influencing hundreds of college campuses and universities across America.

A new website called Critical Race Training in Education allows users to quickly access information about more than 230 schools and the ways in which those schools are instituting critical race theory on campus.

Critical race theory holds that whites use their social status or their legal and economic advantages to create or maintain power over people of color.

Commentary: Don’t Turn 2020’s Election Problems into Law

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights that we as citizens can exercise. We select the individuals who will lead us and the policies we will live under in our daily lives. Yet the system is broken.

Growing up as a Black teen during the 1960s, I knew of the tremendous sacrifices and the dangers that my friends and relatives endured to secure the right to vote for Black people. So before I go any further, let me be clear: I have zero interest in disenfranchising or suppressing the vote of any portion of the population. I am keenly aware of our country’s history of doing just that – from poll taxes to literacy tests and other obstacles that were constructed in the South to prevent Blacks from voting.

If a Person Had COVID, One Dose of the Pfizer Vaccine May Be Enough, Studies Suggest

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

A single dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine may offer sufficient protection against the virus for people who have already had COVID-19, two studies show.

“This could potentially accelerate vaccine rollout,” researchers at University College of London and Public Health England said in the first study. “With increasing variants, wider coverage without compromising vaccine-induced immunity could help reduce variant emergence.”

Trump Vows to Help Elect ‘Strong, Tough, and Smart Republican Leaders’ at CPAC Appearance

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Former President Donald Trump returned Sunday to the public arena for the first time since leaving office, promising an enthusiastic audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that he will help Republicans win “a historic struggle for America’s future.”

“As we gather this week we’re in the middle of a historic struggle for America’s future, America’s culture and America’s institutions, borders and most cherished principles,” he said.

Twitter Bans Nearly 400 Accounts for Allegedly ‘Undermining NATO’

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

On Tuesday, Big Tech giant Twitter announced that it had banned approximately 373 accounts for allegedly posting content that “undermined faith in the NATO alliance and its stability,” as reported by Breitbart.

Twitter claimed that the accounts in question were part of “state-linked information operations” that were supposedly linked to the governments of Russia, Iran, and Armenia. Of the 373, 130 were targeted “based on intel provided by the FBI” that claimed the accounts had attempted to “disrupt the public conversation during the first 2020 U.S. presidential debate.”

The John Fredericks Radio Network Expands to Atlanta Monday, Syndicates The Doug Collins Show

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Starting Monday, Atlanta has a new talk radio station that will broadcast shows featuring, among others, hosts Steve Bannon, Dave Ramsey, and former U.S. Republican Congressman Doug Collins. The John Fredericks Radio Network (JFRN), headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, announced the new talk radio station will broadcast in Metro Atlanta starting March 1.

U.S. House Passes ‘Equality Act’ Which Religious Conservatives Say Is ‘Conscience-Crushing’

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Equality Act” — a piece of legislation that critics say poses a threat to Christian universities.

The Equality Act seeks to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation” by providing the “full range of remedies available under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

Commentary: Planned Parenthood Is Providing Fewer Breast Screenings, Wellness Exams, and More Abortions, Transgender Services

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

This month, Planned Parenthood Federation of America quietly released its 2019-20 annual report to little fanfare.

Like previous years, both the total number of abortions as well as taxpayer funding increased. Meanwhile, the amount of private funding and active individual contributors decreased—the latter dramatically so.

National Association Optimistic on Sales Growth for 2021

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 The Center Square

Retail sales in the U.S. could rise between 6.5% and 8.2% to more than $4.3 trillion this year as more people get the COVID-19 vaccine and the economy reopens, according to the National Retail Federation.

NRF president Matthew Shay said the economy is expected to see its fastest growth in over two decades.

Biden Administration Expects Neera Tanden to Meet ‘High Bar of Civility,’ Psaki Says

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that President Joe Biden’s administration expects Neera Tanden to meet “a high bar of civility.”

“Well, first I’ll note that when Neera Tanden testified just a few weeks ago, she apologized for her past comments and that she would be joining an administration, whereas we’ve noted in here, there’s an expectation of a high bar of civility and engagement, whether that’s on social media or in person,” Psaki said. “We certainly expect she would meet that bar.”

Joe Biden Reportedly Will Keep Trump’s Sanctions on Chinese Tech Threats

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Joe Biden will reportedly keep a rule proposed by the previous administration that would allow government officials to stop some Chinese technology transactions, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Biden will allow the Commerce Department to impose the rule even as his administration continues its broad review of former President Donald Trump’s outstanding executive orders related to China, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.

Costco Raises Minimum Wage to $16, But Won’t Advocate for All Businesses to Follow

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Costco will raise its company-wide minimum wage to $16 per hour, a one-dollar increase that raises its wages higher than its fellow big-box retailers, the company’s CEO said during a congressional hearing Thursday.

Costco plans to raise its minimum wage from $15 to $16 because it is committed to paying workers “very competitive retail wages,” CEO Craig Jelinek said during a Senate Budget Committee hearing Thursday. Jelinek stopped short of advocating in favor of a federal minimum wage overhaul, instead saying he was solely focused on Costco.

Commentary: Biden Wants Unity Moving into the Democratic Party

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Mainstream voters in both parties feel that neither major party represents them, and that their opinions and wishes hold little sway over government policy.

Establishment Republicans failed the average American by becoming captive to extreme Libertarian ideology that is divorced from the reality of most people’s lives.

State Democrats Now Want $300 Million for Twin Cities Riot Damage

March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Minnesota Democrats want $300 million for riot-damaged businesses, double what Gov. Tim Walz requested in his budget proposal.

Last summer’s riots caused an estimated $500 million in damage across the Twin Cities, but the debate over who will pay for the repairs has raged on ever since.

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