Republican Senate candidate Jason Lewis placed the blame for the coronavirus pandemic squarely on China’s shoulders in a new commercial released Monday.
Read MoreSenate Candidate Jason Lewis: ‘China Is Responsible for This Pandemic’
Category: Battleground States
Walz Launches ‘Bias and Discrimination’ Helpline for Reporting Incidents to the State
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that his office has created a “discrimination helpline” amid “rising reports of discrimination from the Asian American community.”
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan claimed that America has a “distinct pattern” of “increased discrimination during uncertain and trying times, of needing someone to blame.”
“This is unacceptable and, as Minnesotans, we must work to break this cycle,” she added.
Read MoreGov. Walz Unveils COVID-19 Data Website and Priorities
Gov. Tim Walz unveiled a COVID-19 dashboard that tracks the most recent available data on ventilators, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, personal protective equipment (PPE), and testing.
Read MoreMinnesota Governor Walz’s Ten Minute State of the State Focused Only on Coronavirus
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz touched on nothing but the coronavirus pandemic during his second State of the State address Sunday night.
The address was originally scheduled to take place March 23 before a joint meeting of the House and Senate, but was canceled because of the pandemic. Instead, Walz delivered a televised address from the Governor’s Residence that was just over 10 minutes long.
Read MoreGov. Walz Refuses to Take Down ‘Communist’ Hotline for Reporting Stay at Home Violations
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has rejected requests from Republican lawmakers to suspend a “communist” hotline that allows residents to report violations of the governor’s stay-at-home order.
Read MoreIllegal Immigrants Eligible for Minneapolis’ Coronavirus Relief Funds
Minneapolis will provide financial relief to residents “irrespective of immigration or documentation status,” the city announced Friday.
Read MoreTrump Clashes with 3M After Accusations That Foreign Countries Are Getting Face Masks First
President Donald Trump warned 3M on Twitter Thursday night that it will “have a big price to pay” after the company was accused of various wrongdoings surrounding its production of N95 respirator masks.
Read MoreMinnesota Health Officials Will Release Info on Nursing Homes with Coronavirus After Facing Criticism
State Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point) said the Minnesota Department of Health’s decision to withhold information about the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on nursing homes “only brings unnecessary grief and frustration to many Minnesota families.”
Read MoreMinnesota Secretary of State Says Statewide Vote by Mail Possible for 2020 Election
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said his office is exploring a number of “pandemic election options,” including conducting the entire presidential election by mail-in ballots.
“The current public health crisis has been a serious test for all Minnesotans. It has also been a test for our democracy. I’ve heard from many Minnesotans who wonder how, or even if, we will vote in this high-stakes election year,” Simon said in a statement released last week.
Read MoreTreatment for Cancer Patients Delayed But Abortions Allowed to Continue in Minnesota
House Republican leaders sent a letter Friday to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asking him to clarify the status of surgical abortions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read MoreFox News Poll Shows Biden/Klobuchar Ticket Beating Trump
A new Fox News poll predicts that voters would support a Joe Biden/Amy Klobuchar ticket over reelecting President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
The poll was conducted between March 21 and 24 and shows Biden beating President Trump by nine percentage points in November. Since Biden promised to pick a female running mate, the poll examined his odds with Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as vice president.
Read MoreTrump Campaign Digitized Entire Operation in 24 Hours, Contacted 100,000 Minnesota Voters Virtually
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign digitized its entire field operation within 24 hours after staffers were forced to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic, sources told The Minnesota Sun.
Read MoreMinnesota Group Wants Unemployment Insurance for Illegal Immigrants
A progressive group in Minnesota wants state and national lawmakers to pass a “stronger unemployment insurance package” that includes benefits for illegal immigrants.
TakeAction Minnesota, a progressive community organizing group, released a list of policy proposals that it would like to see included in any stimulus package passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read MoreDutch Government Recalls More than a Half-Million Faulty Chinese-Made N95 Masks for Treating COVID-19 Patients
Hundreds of thousands of Chinese-made KN95 protective masks distributed to hospitals treating the COVID-19 Chinese coronavirus in the Netherlands have proven to be unreliable and are being recalled, according to a report.
Read MorePresident Trump Extends COVID-19 distancing and other guidelines to April 30, Predicts Death Peak in Two Weeks
President Donald Trump on Sunday said the federal government is extending to April 30 its guidelines on social distancing and other measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 2,300 Americans. “The better you do, the faster this whole nightmare will end,” Trump…
Read MoreWorkers Win $30,000 Settlement After Being Fired for Refusing to Join Union
Two Minnesota construction employees won a settlement against OMG Midwest, an Iowa-based company with a business in Belle Plaine. The men alleged the company illegally fired them after they refused to join the Teamsters Local 120 union.
Read MoreMinnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Wages War on Price Gouging During Coronavirus Pandemic: ‘My Office and I Are Coming After You’
Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office received more than 500 complaints about price gouging in Minnesota last week alone.
The influx of complaints is part of Ellison’s effort to stop companies from hiking their prices on essential products during the coronavirus pandemic. Doing so is now illegal under an executive order issued by Gov. Tim Walz, which will remain in effect for the duration of Minnesota’s peacetime emergency.
Ellison’s office announced a statewide crackdown on businesses engaged in “pandemic profiteering” last week and encouraged Minnesotans to report instances of price gouging to his office.
Read MoreKlobuchar Says Husband Is Recovering from Coronavirus, Slams Trump for Response
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said her husband is now recovering from home after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Read MoreRepublican Lawmakers Blast Minnesota’s Coronavirus Omnibus Bill: ‘Zero Transparency’
The Minnesota Legislature passed a $330 million omnibus bill this week to address the coronavirus pandemic, but some Republican lawmakers were frustrated with the unprecedented lack of transparency in the process.
Read MoreShelter in Place Order Now in Effect in Minnesota: Here’s What You Need to Know
Gov. Tim Walz has issued a statewide shelter-in-place order for Minnesota to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The order took effect Friday at midnight and will remain in effect until 5:00 p.m. on April 10. As opposed to a complete lockdown, a shelter-in-place order still allows for many everyday activities and permits numerous industries to continuing working.
Read MoreOmar and Bernie Ask Bezos for Answers About Amazon’s Efforts to Slow COVID-19 Spread
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) sent a letter Friday to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos asking for “detailed information” about his plans to protect warehouse workers from the coronavirus.
Read MoreStar Tribune Was Refusing to Run Ad Warning of Economic Consequences of Walz’s Coronavirus Response
The Star Tribune initially refused to run an advertisement in its print edition that was critical of Gov. Tim Walz’s “severe reactions” to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read MoreMinnesota Had 116,000 New Unemployment Claims Last Week
Minnesota has seen 182,000 workers apply for unemployment insurance since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove said Thursday.
Read MoreGov. Walz Issues Shelter in Place Order for Minnesota
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced during his Wednesday press briefing that he is issuing a statewide shelter-in-place order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The stay-at-home order, as the governor is calling it, will go into effect at midnight Friday and will remain in effect until 5:00 p.m. on April 10.
“What our objective is now is to move the infection rate or slow it down and buy time,” Walz said during the press conference. The governor noted that the order won’t necessarily reduce the infection rate, but will postpone the peak of the outbreak while the state prepares.
Read MoreMyPillow Now Manufacturing Face Masks to Help With COVID-19 Response
MyPillow announced Tuesday that it is now manufacturing face masks for hospitals across the country to help alleviate the national shortage of N95 respirator masks.
Read MoreDoctor in Minnesota Senate Warns That Reaction to Coronavirus Could Be More Dangerous Than Virus Itself
A doctor in the Minnesota Senate warned leaders Monday that the reaction to the coronavirus pandemic could be more harmful than the virus itself.
Sen. Scott Jensen (R-Chaska), a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and founder of Catalyst Medical Clinic, said that the disruption to everyday routines could have devastating consequences for people with underlying medical conditions.
“Scaring people to death isn’t helping us. We are going to in short order, if not already now, have supply chains get interrupted and some of these are critical supply chains. We need to be careful,” Jensen said in a video posted to Facebook.
Read MoreWalz Predicts 40 to 80 Percent of Minnesotans Will Be Infected
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said during a Monday press briefing that he predicts 40 to 80 percent of the state’s population will be infected with the coronavirus.
Read MoreGov. Walz Self-Quarantines After Contact with COVID-19 Patient
Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday morning that he is in self-quarantine at the Governor’s Residence after contacting someone with the coronavirus. “After learning I had contact with someone who has COVID-19, I plan to lead by example and work from home. I currently have no symptoms and will continue…
Read MoreTennessee’s Second Coronavirus Death Was Brother of Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor
Tennessee’s second confirmed COVID-19 death was the brother of Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, according to a statement Flanagan posted to Instagram Sunday night.
Read MoreKlobuchar’s Husband Hospitalized After Testing Positive for COVID-19
Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday that her husband (pictured right) has been hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Klobuchar said her family received the test results early Monday morning and said her husband, John, is currently “cut off from all visitors.”
He started to feel sick when the senator was in Minnesota and he was in Washington, D.C. for his teaching job. According to Klobuchar, her husband was “checked into a hospital in Virginia” after he “started coughing up blood.”
Read MorePakistani Doctor Arrested in MN, Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS
The US Attorney for the District of Minnesota today announced charges against a former Rochester MN doctor for allegedly providing material support to ISIS. Muhammad Masood, 28, was taken into custody on Thursday atthe Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to the Dept. of Justice press release. According to the…
Read MoreConnecticut Relents, Orders All Labs to Report Negative Coronavirus Test Results, Leaving Ohio One of Two States to Fail to Comply With Federal Law
The State of Connecticut has gotten on board with the CDC to report negative test results to help the agency better track the spread of the coronavirus, leaving Ohio and Maryland as the only holdouts in complying with federal law.
Read MoreSenate Leaders Signal Disagreement with Walz’s ‘Unilateral and Unchecked’ Coronavirus Actions
Gov. Tim Walz has issued 12 executive orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but Senate Republicans think some of his actions aren’t within his constitutional authority.
Read MoreShelter in Place Order Possible for Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz said Friday morning that a statewide “shelter in place” order is possible after Minnesota saw its number of confirmed COVID-19 cases soar past 100.
“Well, I certainly think it is a possibility,” the governor said during an interview with WCCO Radio. “We have to have every tool in the toolbox.”
Read More2.9 Percent of Minnesotans Tested for COVID-19 Have Tested Positive
An average of 2.9 percent of Minnesotans who have been tested for COVID-19 ended up testing positive, according to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Read MoreIs the Ohio Department of Health Refusing to Release Coronavirus Test Data to Conceal Lower Than National Average Percentage of Positive Tests?
During the coronavirus pandemic, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Amy Acton have taken a number of actions, some controversial, designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Just in the last ten days, DeWine has closed bars and schools, postponed primaries and banned mass gatherings.…
Read MoreMinnesota House Confirms COVID-19 Case, Governor Walz Cancels State of State
State lawmakers said Wednesday that an employee of the Minnesota House of Representatives has tested positive for COVID-19.
Read MoreACLU Asks Minnesota Government to ‘Limit Arrests to Most Serious Offenses’ During COVID-19 Pandemic
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota has asked the state government to “aggressively” limit arrests to “the most serious offenses” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read MoreIlhan Omar Defends Dispersing Campaign Funds to Husband’s Consulting Firm
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) took to Twitter this week to “clear the air” regarding her marriage to Tim Mynett, a political consultant whose firm has received close to $600,000 from his wife’s campaign committee.
Read MoreAntimalarial Drug Chloroquine Shows Promise in Treating COVID-19 Coronavirus in China, South Korea
Chloroquine, a common antimalarial drug, has shown promising results in treating COVID-19 coronavirus in South Korea and China, according to a white paper.
Read MoreMinnesota Lawmakers Call Walz’s Order Closing Private Businesses ‘An Overreach That Will Be Devastating’
Republican lawmakers said they appreciate Gov. Tim Walz’s leadership in responding to the coronavirus outbreak, but think his executive order closing most private businesses is “an overreach that will be devastating.”
Read MoreMinnesota Limits Testing Because of ‘National Shortage’ of COVID-19 Testing Materials
The Minnesota Department of Health said Tuesday that it is tightening its “testing criteria” for the coronavirus because of a “national shortage of COVID-19 laboratory testing materials.”
Read MoreMinnesota Legislature Will Meet on As Needed Basis for Next 30 Days, Bars and Restaurants Ordered Shut
The Minnesota Legislature will be meeting on an “on-call” basis for the next 30 days, leaders announced Monday morning.
During that time, much of their legislative work will focus on responding to the coronavirus outbreak, which reached 54 confirmed cases in the state as of Monday afternoon.
“Over the next few weeks, the Minnesota Legislature will continue to work, but by alternative means. We expect to operate efficiently and safely to aid Minnesotans with COVID-19 preparedness and response, and to continue our work to address other pressing needs of the state,” leaders of both the House and Senate said in a joint statement.
Read MoreMinnesota’s Saint Paul Teachers End Strike
Minnesota Teachers in Saint Paul were on strike from March 10th to March 13th. They announced their intentions beforehand to both warn parents to find childcare and for their children and to pressure the Saint Paul school district into signing a new contract.
Read MoreGovernor Walz Orders Closure of All Public Schools, Confirmed Cases Jumps to 35
Gov. Tim Walz ordered the temporary closure of all K-12 public schools in Minnesota Sunday in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Under the executive order, all schools will be closed to students by Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, March 27 to accommodate teachers and administrators as they devise a long-term plan for responding to the virus.
Read MoreBill Seeks to Close Minnesota’s ‘Gender Wage Gap’ by Banning Employers from Asking About Pay History
A DFL bill seeks to close Minnesota’s “gender wage gap” by prohibiting employers from asking about an applicant’s past pay.
Read MoreGovernor Walz Declares Peacetime Emergency, COVID-19 Spreads to Rural Counties
Health officials identified seven new cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota Saturday morning, including the first case in a rural county.
Read MoreOhio Governor’s Alarming Claim About the Number of Coronavirus Cases Was Based on a ‘Guesstimate’
A top Ohio health department official who said Thursday that 100,000 or more people in the state have coronavirus now says she was “guesstimating” to arrive at the alarming number.
Read MoreRepublicans Ask for Ethics Investigation of Kurt Daudt for Accepting Position with Lobbying Firm
Members of Minnesota’s New House Republican Caucus called for an ethics investigation into House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) in a Thursday letter.
Read MoreRashida Tlaib Wears T-Shirt That Erases Israel from the Map
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) recently posted a picture of herself wearing a T-shirt that erases Israel from the map.
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