The Minnesota Department of Health had previously not disclosed the number of known cases and deaths at individual facilities, citing patient privacy. But it reversed course Friday after Republican Sen. Karin Housley threatened to subpoena the department for the data.
Walz’s latest order goes further in easing rules aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 than state officials had previously predicted.
Senate Republicans have been pushing a bill that would require legislative approval for the spending of federal CARES Act money. Walz opposes that, since the current process allows him to spend the federal dollars as he wishes, with a requirement only that he notify the Legislature.
Eric Black Ink
In a smart essay for The Atlantic, the great James Fallows drifted into a Richard Nixon comparison, and then turned to Donald Trump.
D.C. Memo
This week from Washington, the president uses police to attack protestors; Republicans endorse Jason Lewis; and Dean Phillips talks about his PPP legislation.
Community Sketchbook
Michelle Gross has been a police accountability activist for 40 years, but she’s never seen the kind of intensity that exploded around the death of George Floyd.
State Government
In a letter to the agency, state Sen. Karin Housley said the Senate’s Family Care and Aging Committee, which Housley chairs, has tried to learn more from the Minnesota Department of Health about the spread of COVID-19 in the state’s long-term care facilities, to little avail.
National
The board is modeled on the National Transportation Safety Board, which was created in 1967 to review civil transportation accidents.
Eric Black Ink
Just a brief, humorous follow-up to my post of this morning about Gen. James Mattis, who finally decided to say a few of the many critical things about Trump that he might have said over recent years.
Metro
The investigation will seek to determine if MPD policies or training lead to race-based discrimination. If so, the state can require changes, enforceable through the courts.
Eric Black Ink
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try,” wrote Gen. James Mattis. “Instead he tries to divide us.”
Metro
A look at what we learned from Ellison’s remarks about the case, and from Gov. Tim Walz, who spoke to reporters after the charges against the officers became public.
Eric Black Ink
I recently wrote about a little book called “A Brief History of Fascist Lies” by Federico Finchelstein, who was asked about Trump’s behavior Monday night outside the White House.
