Government & Politics
The Minnesota GOP is broke and struggling to contain the fringe
The Minnesota Republican Party is struggling with money, messaging and MAGA.
Growing threat of political violence looms over 2024, former members of Congress warn
Former members of Congress are deeply concerned about political violence ahead of the 2024 presidential election, former Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama and former Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia said at a joint appearance this week sponsored by the liberal Center for American Progress and the nonpartisan McCain Institute. Jones, a moderate Democrat who lost […]
Divided over immigration, U.S. Senate blocks advancing aid for Ukraine, Israel
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate failed to move forward Wednesday with a $111 billion spending package that would have bolstered aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the Southern border amid deep disagreement about immigration policy. The 49-51 procedural vote, which needed at least 60 senators to advance the bill toward final passage, represents a significant […]
Biden meets with leaders of tribal nations, signs order easing access to federal funds
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday that would make it easier for tribal nations to access and invest federal funding on their own terms. “It’s hard work to heal the wrongs of the past and change the course and move forward,” Biden said. “But the actions we are taking today are […]
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy to exit Congress, along with a flock of other lawmakers
WASHINGTON — Former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Wednesday joined the growing list of Congress members heading for the U.S. Capitol exits. McCarthy’s planned departure by year’s end, following the expulsion of disgraced New York Republican Congressman George Santos, will leave the House GOP with a razor-thin majority in 2024. The California Republican’s announcement also […]
State projects $2.4 billion surplus, but potential budget deficit looms
Minnesota’s budget agency on Wednesday predicted that the Legislature next session will sit on a $2.4 billion surplus, but if current trends continue, the state government will spend more than it takes in during the two-year period beginning July 1, 2025. The rapidly emptying punch bowl came as something of a shock to a political […]
State employee group suspended over alleged comments made at meeting on Israel-Hamas war
The war in Gaza continues to roil Minnesota politics and government, most recently causing a sharp division among a group of state employees who meet regularly to discuss racial justice issues. The Equity Justice Black Caucus is one of several state government “employee resource groups” in which state workers meet to discuss ways to support […]
Democrat Bianca Virnig wins special election for Minnesota House seat
Local school board member Bianca Virnig won a special election on Tuesday to replace former Rep. Ruth Richardson, DFL-Mendota Heights, maintaining the Democrats’ current 70-64 advantage in the House. Over 6,500 people in the east metro suburban district, which encompasses Mendota, Mendota Heights and a majority of Eagan, voted Tuesday, according to unofficial election results. […]
Tuberville relents on months-long blockade of most military nominees, blaming Democrats
WASHINGTON — After blocking hundreds of U.S. military promotions for most of 2023 in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said Tuesday he will lift his holds on all of them except for a handful of four-star general nominees. The senator, who sits on the Senate Committee on Armed Forces, […]
Commission selects loon-centric design for new Minnesota state seal
The new Minnesota state seal will feature a loon, the North Star, wild rice, lake water and the state motto, “l’étoile du nord.” The State Emblems Redesign Commission voted Tuesday to select the final design for the state seal, landing unanimously on design S224. “This symbol represents the abundance of natural resources that are the […]
For Amara Strande’s friends, the PFAS work goes on
Amara Strande may be gone — she died of cancer in April at age 20 — but her voice will still be heard in the halls of the Minnesota Capitol on PFAS issues this session.
Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War would receive Congressional Gold Medal under push by lawmakers
WASHINGTON — Members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation are leading a bipartisan effort to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency recruited the Hmong people as soldiers to help combat communism’s spread through Southeast Asia. The Hmong, who lived and worked as […]