For MPR, Mark Zdechlik and the AP report, “President Trump played up the benefits of his tax cuts on Monday’s tax filing day in a state where he’s aiming to turn a narrow defeat in the 2016 presidential race into a victory in his re-election bid next year. ‘We promised these tax cuts would be rocket fuel for the American economy and we were absolutely right,’ Trump told an audience at a trucking company where a red, white and blue banner exclaimed: ‘USA open for business.’”
The Star Tribune report by Patrick Condon and Miguel Otarola says, “He then touted the GOP tax cuts, which he called the ‘largest in history’ — a claim some economists dispute. ‘Over 80 percent of American families are now receiving benefits from the tax cut,’ Trump added. Outside the company gates, opposing groups of supporters and protesters confronted each other, shouting insults and pushing their signs in front of each other. Police officers, including from local departments and the sheriff’s office, surrounded the groups, which numbered several hundred people.”
For Reuters, Joey Peters reports, “Supporters of U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar rallied outside a Minnesota business visited by U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, after he launched a fresh attack on the Muslim-American lawmaker by calling her an ‘out of control’ purveyor of ‘hate’ speech. … Writing on Twitter earlier in the day, Trump blasted both Omar and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for defending her, after he tweeted a video on Friday suggesting Omar had been dismissive of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.”
In Politico, Rebecca Morin and Heather Caygle report: “President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his verbal attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar, less than 24 hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she is seeking protection for the Minnesota congresswoman due to increased death threats following tweets from the president. ‘Before Nancy, who has lost all control of Congress and is getting nothing done, decides to defend her leader, Rep. Omar, she should look at the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and ungrateful U.S. HATE statements Omar has made,” Trump tweeted. “She is out of control, except for her control of Nancy!’
WCCO-TV reports: “People who park on streets in downtown Minneapolis got a bit of a surprise Monday. The city updated parking meters in a number of zones. They changed parking times and hours of enforcement in some areas and updated rates in several zones. In the core of Minneapolis, meter rates changed from $2 to $3 an hour, with a maximum stay of two hours.”
For MPR, Riham Feshir and Jon Collins say, “Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said Monday he heard nothing about a thump or noise startling Mohamed Noor before the officer fired, killing 911 caller Justine Ruszczyk, and that the idea of a thump surfaced only days after the shooting. Arradondo also told prosecutors at Noor’s trial there were no concerns that night about Noor and his partner, officer Matthew Harrity, driving into a potential ambush in Ruszczyk’s Fulton neighborhood alley.”
Also from Reuters: “The man accused of seriously injuring a 5-year-old boy by throwing him from a balcony at Minnesota’s Mall of America last week told investigators he had initially intended to kill an adult, but it did not ‘work out,’ prosecutors said on Monday. … Aranda, 24, of Minneapolis, will face attempted premeditated first-degree murder charges when he appears in court on Tuesday, and prosecutors will ask that bail be set at $2 million, the complaint said.”
The Star Tribune’s Dee DePass says, “The convicted former president of Starkey Laboratories and his convicted associate received yet another extension on the date they must report for their prison sentences. Former Starkey President Jerry Ruzicka and former Sonion president W. Jeff Taylor — both convicted of fraud a year ago for their role embezzling funds from Starkey and supplier Sonion — were originally supposed to surrender to prison March 11. They received an extension until April 22. Now they have received a second extension to June 3, six months after they were sentenced, according to a court order filed Friday by U.S. District Chief Judge John Tunheim.”
The Chief has lost all credibility. Talk of possible ambushes was all over MPD preceding the incident. Telling a jury that officers “should have known” that the department meant other than something that it said is tantamount to throwing an officer under the bus. How many officers did the department discipline for not having their body cameras on all the time during that time period? Answer-one. Noor.
The idea that an ambush in that neighborhood justified this is what is a joke. Every cop involved should be fired.
‘Over 80 percent of American families are now receiving benefits from the tax cut
Not correct. 80% of American families that pay income tax are benefiting. No provisions for any redistribution to non-tax payers was included in the legislation.
Not correct. 79% of American families receive $100 from the new income tax. 1% of American rich and corporations receive billions more benefits.
I got a whole lot more than $100, and I’m no billionaire. Pretty sure the cut was proportional; pay more, save more. Makes sense to me.
Because the tax cut is 100% deficit financed, those who “save more” contribute more to the federal deficit, and the debt.
That’s conservatism in action!
The tax cuts are not financed; you don’t pay interest on money you don’t get, but I understand your point and I agree.
If we ever got a majority legislature that was serious about cutting the debt, and eliminating the deficit I’d be willing to do my part. But I don’t think that will happen until there’s a crisis.
Mr Senker: I’m happy for you if your Federal income tax went down this year. My wife and I are retired, living off SS, a small pension and savings. Our federal tax went UP about $1,000, because we lost the ability to itemize, and claim our charitable contributions, state income tax and property taxes and medical expenses.
I’m sorry to hear that Arthur.
You haven’t lost your ability to itemize, it’s just less effective. If you’re generous with your charitable giving, as my wife and I are, you might consider “bunching” your charitable donations in specific “bunch” years and limiting donations in other years.
When you bunch donations, you combine multiple years of regular annual charitable donations into a single year, thereby multiplying their deductible effect.
You might also consider lobbying your local and state legislators to lower your taxes. That is the very best way to get the full benefits of the new tax law. Of course, given the direction Minnesota is headed, the prospects of being successful with that lobbying are not encouraging, I aver.
In that case, you might consider moving to a lower taxed state. That worked out very well for my family
Best of luck, sir.
How sad for you that your charitable giving is nothing more that a tax write-off Mr. Senker. People who are charitable, and believe in the mission of the organizations they support aren’t going to cut off organizations they care about for 1-3 years in order to “bundle” their giving to ensure they maximize their tax benefit. They give because they care and the tax benefit is a nice addition. They also know that organizations (like MinnPost!) rely on their consistent annual donors to get by and stay in business and if too many people do your “bunching” method at the same time, the organization could go under.
The tax law changes have been deeply destructive. The benefits have mainly accrued at the top of the pyramid whereas people who work for a daily wage have gotten very little.
I have no need to bunch my charitable donations; I live in a state that practices tax sanity, and so have not had any adverse effects. To the contrary, as I have said, we saw a nice return this year.
But for people like Aurthur, living on fixed income in states so hungry for cash they even tax the meager SSI of elderly retired people, bundling charitable donations is a better solution than not making donations at all, I’m sure any charitable organization would agree.