Klobuchar in danger of not qualifying for third Democratic presidential debate

In the Star Tribune, Patrick Condon says, “Polling consistently in the low single digits, far behind the leaders, [Amy Klobuchar] has taken out a slew of Facebook ads and dispatched hometown supporters across the Twin Cities pleading for small dollar contributions to reach a minimum threshold of individual donors to qualify for the critical third round of debates in September. … To be included, candidates must reach at least 2% support in at least four national or early primary state polls from the end of June to the end of August. And they must amass at least 130,000 individual campaign donors. To date, Klobuchar’s campaign has not hit either mark.”

The AP reports, “Starkly injecting race into his criticism of liberal Democrats, President Donald Trump said Sunday that four congresswomen of color should go back to the ‘broken and crime infested’ countries they came from, ignoring the fact that all of the women are American citizens and three were born in the U.S. His attack drew a searing condemnation from Democrats who labeled the remarks racist and breathtakingly divisive. Following a familiar script, Republicans remained largely silent after Trump’s morning broadsides against the four women. … Trump, who has a long history of making racist remarks, was almost certainly referring to Ocasio-Cortez and her House allies in what’s become known as ‘the squad.’ The others are Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.”

At MPR, Ibrahim Hirsi reports, “Last Friday, al-Shabaab gunmen stormed the Asasey Hotel in Kismayo, Somalia, where [Hodan Nalayeh] the 43-year-old Somali-Canadian journalist was killed, along with her husband and more than two dozen others. Members of the Somali community in Minnesota and around the world are mourning her death. Nalayeh was a regular in the state, frequently visiting to keynote community events or to capture the inspiring stories of Somali-Americans.”

For KMSP-TV Alex Lehnert says, “A little more than five months ago, temperatures were frigid across the Midwest including the Twin Cities metro. With wind chills temperatures of nearly 60 below, it wasn’t pleasant if you had to head outdoors. Fast forward to Sunday, ‘feels like’ temperatures were climbing into the triple digits as sticky, warm weather swept through the region. … Over the course of the last 166 days our ‘feels like’ temperature has swung roughly 155 degrees.”

For MPR, Ron Trenda says, “Highs will reach 90 or the lower 90s across much of Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin on Monday. Afternoon dew points will be in the 70s in many locations, making it feel really steamy. A heat advisory continues until Monday evening in the Twin Cities metro area. … The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a slight risk of severe weather for much of Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin Monday and Monday night.”

Also at MPR, Dan Kraker says, “The [the Husky Energy oil refinery] explosion sent shrapnel flying, piercing an enormous asphalt tank, which caused the fire. But it missed a nearby tank storing hydrogen fluoride, a highly toxic chemical compound used to make high-octane gasoline. Hydrogen fluoride can be fatal if it’s inhaled. … On Monday, the Duluth City Council plans to vote on a resolution asking the federal Environmental Protection Agency to study the use of hydrogen fluoride in refineries to ensure the safety of communities like Duluth and Superior.”