Where things stand with mail delivery in Minnesota
Recent cuts at USPS have raised concerns about changes in service — and problems with vote-by-mail.
National
D.C. Memo: A big franking problem
This week from Washington, big spending in Hagedorn’s office, what’s going on at the RNC and an update on the CD-7 race.
The other mail scandal: Rep. Jim Hagedorn’s office spending problems, explained
Hagedorn recently made headlines for spending 40% of his congressional office’s annual budget in the first quarter of 2020 — much of it with a firm part-owned by one of his staffers.
With Fischbach on the ballot, can Republicans finally take Minnesota’s Seventh District?
Incumbent DFLer Rep. Collin Peterson’s margins of victory have been shrinking in recent elections. Will a better-known, better-funded opponent — and having Trump on the ballot — finally end his congressional career?
D.C. Memo: Conventional jokes
This week from Washington, the Democratic convention, Rep. Jim Hagedorn fires his chief of staff and Trump’s new unemployment payments aren’t coming any time soon.
Why Trump’s promised $400 extra unemployment benefit won’t reach Minnesotans any time soon
Minnesota officials are still waiting for guidance on how to implement the new program — if it’s even legal.
Who’s running for Congress in Minnesota in 2020
We’re tracking all the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
Omar’s primary victory affirms progressives’ control of Minnesota’s Fifth District
Omar’s decisive victory was driven by a progressive turnout machine built over the last decade.
D.C. Memo: The law of the letter
This week from Washington, Omar and Fischbach win their primary races, USPS gets a threat and Kamala Harris is the VP pick for Joe Biden.
How local governments are spending their share of Minnesota’s $841 million in federal COVID-19 aid
Under the federal government’s use-it-or-lose-it constraints, Minnesota cities and counties are quickly finding ways to spend the money.
In Farmfest forum, voters get a first look at the Tina Smith-Jason Lewis Senate contest
The wide-ranging debate touched on major issues like the environment, immigration and health care.
D.C. Memo: No relief
This week from Washington, we’re headed off of the unemployment benefits cliff, Motherboard obtains spy plane footage of Minneapolis and a look at the CD-7 race.
In Minnesota’s Seventh District, Republicans weigh who’s best to take on Collin Peterson
After a lengthy convention over Zoom, the party endorsed former Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach. But she now faces four primary challengers, including two-time previous candidate Dave Hughes.
The federal program that has been paying thousands of unemployed Minnesotans $600 per week is about to expire. Congress has no plan to replace it yet
Republicans have yet to come to an agreement inside their own party about what a new coronavirus-relief package should contain. And while it’s likely to contain an extension of the extra unemployment payment, the amount of the payment is expected to be much lower.
D.C. Memo: Person, woman, man, camera, TV
Jim Hagedorn votes to keep Confederate monuments up; tons of Fifth District news and a lot of legislation.
How political newcomer Antone Melton-Meaux managed to raise six times the money that Rep. Ilhan Omar did
Melton-Meaux has been able to raise funds from people who can make large contributions — including a range of local DFL notables who would normally be expected to support the incumbent.
Antone Melton-Meaux’s campaign paid almost $100,000 to two consulting companies — but won’t say who is involved or what work they do
Melton-Meaux’s campaign said they had signed nondisclosure agreements with the firms preventing them from revealing any further information on them.
D.C. Memo: Spilling the beans
A quick look at the fundraising in the Fifth Congressional District; Angie Craig passes two bills; and McCollum and Omar push for appropriations for the Twin Cities.
Angie Craig recently had two bills pass the House. One is now a law, the other won’t even get a debate in the Senate
The fate of the two bills is typical in a Congress where the Republican-controlled Senate is wary of giving House Democrats legislative wins in an election year.
D.C. Memo: Focus on the Fifth District
The Fifth District primary, Jason Lewis responds to MinnPost’s coverage and Andy Slavitt says something hopeful on COVID-19.
