A massive crowd gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday for the 46th annual statewide March for Life on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The march began with a prayer service up the hill from the Capitol Building at the Cathedral of St. Paul, which was packed full and…
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A group of state Democratic senators want to amend the Minnesota education statutes to mandate a “cultural competency training” on topics such as “gender identity” and “implicit bias” for all public school teachers. According to Senate File (SF) 289, the training program would promote “self-reflection, effective interaction with people of…
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The superintendent of a rural Minnesota school district cancelled a high school basketball team’s scheduled participation in a Monday tournament because a few student fans recently brought a Trump flag to a game. Last week, students at Jordan High School showed up to a game with a flag that said:…
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Minnesota Senate Democrats recently introduced a bill that would lower Light Rail fares to 25 cents in an effort to increase transit ridership. As The Minnesota Sun has reported extensively, the Twin Cities Light Rail accounts for just 1.4 percent of all passenger miles, compared to the 95 percent of…
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Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) rejected President Donald Trump’s offer Saturday to provide temporary protections for DACA recipients in exchange for border-wall cash, and Minnesota’s congressional delegation promptly followed suit. “Democrats were hopeful that the president was finally willing to re-open government and proceed with a much-needed discussion to protect the…
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Republican House leaders are calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to denounce Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement after she was appointed to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “I finally have committee assignments and I am excited. 1st choice—House Foreign Affairs Committee: The Foreign…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was the only elected official to speak at this year’s Women’s March Minnesota, and was invited to speak despite the organization’s recent condemnation of “those who have engaged in anti-Semitic, anti-woman, and anti-LGBTQ hate speech.” The national Women’s March has been roiled by controversies surrounding anti-Semitic…
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The Minnesota Senate has introduced 394 bills since the opening day of the 2019 regular session, and among them is a DFL-backed bill that would make Minnesota a sanctuary state. Senate File (SF) 231, co-sponsored by five DFL state senators, would restrict “state and local officials from cooperating with federal…
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Nearly every DFL member of the Minnesota House signed their name to a letter sent to President Donald Trump Thursday urging him to “end this shutdown immediately.” “The ongoing federal government shutdown—now the longest in the history of our nation—is threatening the well-being of Minnesotans, putting our state tax dollars…
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A Brainerd public official has become the first in the nation to successfully challenge her union’s “window period” scheme in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Janus v. AFSCME decision. Sandra Anderson, a clerk for the City of Brainerd Police Department, filed suit against the International Brotherhood of…
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A Wednesday press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol kicked off what is sure to be an emotional and divisive debate over the legalization of marijuana. The press conference was called by Smart Approaches to Marijuana Minnesota, and both Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom and Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie…
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Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) joined a small group of Democratic lawmakers Wednesday for a meeting with President Donald Trump in search of negotiations on ending the government shutdown. Seven Democratic members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, including Phillips, agreed to attend the meeting, though White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee…
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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) hosted a private dinner in Detroit after being sworn into Congress last week, and among her guests was a man who has expressed praise for the leaders and members of Hezbollah, a terrorist organization. “I was honored to be at Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib swearing in ceremony…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) said during a recent appearance on MSNBC that Senate efforts to combat the “discriminatory economic warfare against the Jewish state” are “unconstitutional.” Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) “Combating BDS Act” was included in a package of bills introduced in early January under a title of “Strengthening America’s…
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The Minnesota Republican Party called out Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Tuesday after she indicated that she is leaning towards launching a presidential campaign. But during her 2018 Senate reelection campaign, Klobuchar promised to finish her full six-year term if reelected. “Of course I will. I think my track record shows…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) was joined by a large cohort of bipartisan lawmakers, top administrative officials, and local faith leaders Tuesday to discuss the impact of the partial government shutdown on Minnesota. According to Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans, the state receives roughly $1 billion in federal funding…
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Minnesota’s Department of Education is currently in the process of rewriting its K-12 academic standards in science to give teachers greater autonomy over discussing climate change in the classroom. The Department of Education announced the formation of a Science Standards Committee in March 2018, and held its first full committee…
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Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) introduced his first bill Monday in an effort to provide “legal certainty” to PolyMet Mining’s proposed copper-nickel mine in Stauber’s district. “This bipartisan legislation provides legal certainty by codifying the land exchange between PolyMet Mining, Inc. and the U.S. Forest Service into statute. The legislation will…
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Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) recently introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would make health care a right for all American citizens. The Health Care for All Amendment, H.J. Res. 17, is currently co-sponsored by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02) and states “health care, including care to prevent and treat…
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Minnesota received an overall C grade in parent empowerment on the Center for Education Reform’s annual Parent Power Index, which factors school choice, charter schools, personalized learning, teacher quality, and transparency into its grading system. With two school-choice programs, Minnesota received an F grading in the area of school choice,…
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Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN-07) told Fox News that the overwhelming majority of calls his office is receiving are from constituents who support President Donald Trump’s border wall. “From what I can tell, they’re still hanging with the president. Today, we got 67 calls for building the wall and five…
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued a statement Wednesday night after she and her Democratic colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee were apparently denied meetings with President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William Barr. Barr is set to testify before the committee this week, but it is already shaping up…
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) issued an executive directive Tuesday aimed at closing the “gender wage-gap” within state government agencies. Executive Directive 2019-10 prohibits state agencies from inquiring “about a job applicant’s current or previous salaries unless and until the department or agency first makes a conditional offer of employment,” and…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) fired off dozens of tweets this week in response to President Donald Trump’s Tuesday address to the nation, nearly outpacing the president himself in tweets about the southern border wall. Before Trump’s Oval Office address even began, Omar was exasperated with the fact that Trump would…
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Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), a Catholic, has a rating of 100 percent from the pro-choice organization NARAL, and a corresponding zero percent from National Right to Life. According to the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Liberty, McCollum has voted with pro-choice causes 100 percent of the time. Between 2015…
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The Minnesota State Senate plans to introduce 92 new pieces of legislation Monday, several of which are backed by the DFL, and focus on LGBT or race issues. Senate File (SF) 95, for instance, urges President Donald Trump and Congress to direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “revise…
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An amendment to the Twin Cities Met Council’s 2040 Transportation Policy Plan includes $2 billion in funding for a modern streetcar route that would be just 11 miles in length. The Met Council hosted a public hearing Wednesday for its Riverview Modern Streetcar project, which would stretch from Union Depot…
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Minnesota’s Republican-controlled Senate hit the ground running Thursday by introducing 91 pieces of legislation. Many of the items correspond with the top five priorities Republicans outlined at a Tuesday press conference, though there were several noteworthy outliers. Senate File (SF) 80, for instance, would impose “aid reductions” on sanctuary cities…
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Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) announced Wednesday that he will forego his congressional salary during the government shutdown “in solidarity with hard-working federal employees who are working without pay or on furlough.” “I have officially requested that my salary be withheld until the shutdown ends. I’ll divide my shutdown pay equally,…
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The Minnesota House Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party unveiled its first ten bills Wednesday, two of which deal with gun control, while DFLers in Congress are signing their names to a national gun-control measure. At a Wednesday morning press conference, the state House DFL released House Files (HF) one through 10, which…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) issued his first executive order Wednesday morning and established a “One Minnesota Council on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity,” which he will oversee. “In an effort to include voices from all different backgrounds, the order builds on a council formed by Gov. Mark Dayton, expanding its scope…
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Minnesota Senate Republicans unveiled their top five priorities Tuesday as the new legislative session kicked off, promising a platform of “equity, fairness, and common sense.” “It’s a new opportunity. We have a new governor. We have new House leadership, but we’re still the same. You know what we’re going to…
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In a highly anticipated prime-time event, President Donald Trump delivered his first Oval Office address Tuesday night to discuss the continued battle over funding for his border wall. “This is just common sense. The border wall would very quickly pay for itself. The cost of illegal drugs exceeds $500 billion…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) faced his first test Monday just hours after being sworn in when protesters opposed to the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline project disrupted his reception at the State Capitol. This isn’t the first time anti-pipeline activists have caused a public disruption. In November, they shut down a…
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Minnesota’s newly elected constitutional officers were sworn in Monday, including now Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D-MN), and Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN). All five officials inaugurated are members of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, a grim reminder to the Minnesota GOP that it failed to win a…
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Now former Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) officially left office Monday afternoon as moving trucks were spotted outside the Governor’s Mansion over the weekend. In his final exit interview with TPT Almanac, Dayton was asked by host Mary Lahammer for his opinion on the divisiveness in American politics today. “So much…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was pictured with anti-Semite and alleged Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer Linda Sarsour on Thursday, Omar’s first official day in Congress. “These past two years have been difficult. So much heartache, exhaustion, pain, losses, drama, bad policy after bad policy yet today was all worth it. Today was…
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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) is doubling down on her controversial call to “impeach the motherf—” even after both Democrats and Republicans alike described her language as unhelpful. Tlaib sat down with WDIV-TV Detroit on Friday to discuss her comments, but only after she was recorded Thursday running away from reporters…
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Former Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and iconic Minnesota Public Radio host Garrison Keillor were among the biggest names brought down by the #MeToo Movement, but both are plotting comebacks as the dust begins to settle. Franken, a one-time SNL cast member, is trying his hand at podcasts, and has so…
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Attorney General-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN) continued his statewide listening tour Thursday in North Minneapolis where he said his office will sue President Donald Trump if it has to. During the Minneapolis stop, Ellison began to outline his agenda for when he takes over as Minnesota attorney general next week. His…
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Minnesota State Rep.-elect Jay Xiong (D-St. Paul) hasn’t been sworn into office yet, but he’s already vowing to oppose the nation’s “vile president” and stand against “bigotry and racism, sexism and all other isms.” On Friday, Xiong released a statement discussing the actions of President Donald Trump as well as…
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The State of California settled a lawsuit with the Election Integrity Project California (EIPCa) Friday and has agreed to remove as many as 1.5 million inactive registrants from the Los Angeles County voter rolls. EIPCa filed suit against the state in August 2017 and alleged that California was not “following…
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Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) named Sarah Strommen his commissioner for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Thursday in a move some Republicans say raises “red flags.” Strommen has worked in various roles in her more than 20-year career of interacting with the DNR, and most recently served as the assistant…
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Keith Ellison accuser Karen Monahan claimed Friday that she has received several “confidential messages” regarding other acts of “abuse and bullying” committed by Ellison since coming forward with her allegations. “Every single one has told me to protect my family from Keith [and] his people. There is so much fear…
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Secretary of State Steve Simon (D-MN) unveiled his “Investing in Democracy” 2019 agenda during a Thursday press conference where he announced plans to restore voting rights to felons after they are released from prison. Currently, Minnesota is one of 22 states that revokes voting rights for felons during incarceration and…
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The St. Louis Tea Party is organizing a rally for Saturday in support of President Donald Trump as he continues to fight for the border wall. According to a press release, the rally was organized by the St. Louis Tea Party and the Gateway Pundit, Jim Hoft. “Our president needs…
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Both Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02) voted for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) as the next speaker of the house Thursday in one of their first official acts as members of Congress. Craig and Phillips both indicated on the campaign trail that they would like to see…
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Amelia Bonow, co-founder of the popular pro-choice “Shout Your Abortion” organization, recently released a video of her discussing her abortion with children, and said she plans to release a children’s book on abortion in 2020. “I let a bunch of kids grill me about my abortion and it was great.…
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Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) daughter helped organize an upcoming rally at the Minnesota Capitol to urge the incoming governor to “issue an executive order limiting greenhouse gas emissions.” In a recent tweet, Isra Hirsi announced that “young people from across the state” will protest on January 9 to ask Gov.-elect…
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Violent crimes increased by more than 50 percent in 2018 in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, nicknamed “little Mogadishu,” which authorities attribute to Somali gang activity in the area. Buried in a recent Star Tribune article was the fact that violent crimes jumped from 54 in 2010 to 84 in 2018, an…
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