January 14, 2022 - The Minnesota Sun

Judge Rules Absentee Ballot Drop Boxes Illegal in Wisconsin, Regulators Must Retract Guidance

January 14, 2022January 14, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

People at a voting location, voting early at polls

A Wisconsin judge has ruled that the absentee ballot drop boxes widely deployed during the 2020 election are not allowed under state law, a decision that could dramatically impact voting ahead of the swing state’s midterm elections.

Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren ordered on Thursday the Wisconsin Elections Commission to retract its instructions to election officials on how to use drop boxes. Bohren declared that the WEC had overstepped its authority in issuing the guidance in the first place.

Bohren called the WEC’s guidance a “major policy decision that alter[s] how our absentee ballot process operates,” that was significant enough that it should have required approval by the Legislature.

458 Police Officers Died on Duty in 2021, the Deadliest Year on Record

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

The year 2021 saw the highest number of police officers killed in the line of duty in modern history, with 458 officers dying over the course of the year.

As reported by Fox News, the number is the highest since record-keeping first began, surpassing the previous high of 1930, which saw 312 officers killed on the job. The report was released on Tuesday by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), pointing out that the numbers reflected an increase of 55 percent over the 2020 total of 295 deaths. The comprehensive report includes officers at every level, including municipal, county, state, and federal, as well as military, territorial, campus, and tribal law enforcement.

Commentary: Politicizing COVID-19 from the Start

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

From the moment COVID-19 appeared, the pandemic became inseparable from politics.

Political frenzy was inevitable since the SARS-CoV-2 virus likely escaped from a level-4 security virology lab in Wuhan, China.

Biden Administration Is Implementing Trump’s Remain in Mexico Policy After Fighting It

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Biden administration is returning migrants in small numbers to Mexico as it rolls out the resumption of the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), it fought for months to end.

The policy requires border officials to return asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while waiting for immigration court hearings.

Report: More Than 50,000 Illegal Immigrants Released into U.S. Don’t Show for Court Hearings

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022 The Center Square

More than 50,000 illegal immigrants released into the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement failed to report to their deportation proceedings during a five-month period analyzed last year, according to a report provided by the Department of Homeland Security to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. The report also states that ICE doesn’t have court information on more than 40,000 individuals it’s supposed to prosecute.

“Between March and August 2021, as a result of the Biden Administration’s failed border policies, over 270,000 illegal aliens have been dispersed into the United States with little chance for removal,” Johnson said in an announcement accompanying the report, which didn’t include data from the other seven months of the year.

Biden’s Approval Rating Hits New Low, Least Popular Among Hispanics

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Joe Biden’s approval rating continues to drop as voters grow increasingly dissatisfied with his handling of key issues, according to the results of a new poll.

Biden’s approval rating dropped to a new low of 33%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, with 53% of Americans saying they disapprove of the president’s performance. The rating is down 3% since November 2021, when Biden held a 36% approval rating.

Another Key Inflation Indicator Surges to Record High in 2021

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures inflation at the wholesale level, surged to 9.7% on a year-over-year basis as of December 2021, marking the highest rate in history, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced Thursday.

The BLS reported that the PPI grew 0.2% in December as prices continued to soar amid growing supply chain disruptions and COVID-19 concerns. As of November, the measure grew 9.6% on a year-over basis and 0.8% in that month alone.

Thousands of Federal Workers to March Against Biden’s Vaccine Mandate

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

Thousands of federal employees will peacefully march in protest of President Biden’s vaccine mandate, Defeat The Mandates DC organizers announced in a press release Thursday.

Over 6,000 members of Feds For Medical Freedom, a national grassroots coalition consisting of federal workers, announced that they would join firefighters, first responders, medical professionals and more in the March to Defeat the Mandates in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23, the press release said.

Martha Boneta Commentary: Time to Curb Chinese Purchases of American Farmland

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

There’s an old saying that we should invest in land because there’s a limited amount of it, so it won’t lose its value.

But when it comes to farmland in the United States, there could be a more pressing reason to invest these days – national security.

State Rep. Munson Responds to New Minnesota COVID Vaccine Incentives for Kids: ‘Bribery and Coercion’

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022 Hayley Feland

State Representative Jeremy Munson (R-Lake Crystal) responded to Minnesota’s new COVID vaccine incentives for kids, calling it bribery and coercion. The State of Minnesota and Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced that they will be giving every family of 5 to 11 year old children $200 for getting fully vaccinated in the months of January and February.