Good morning. It’s going to turn around soon for the Twins, right?
The family of Ricky Cobb II has filed a federal lawsuit against two state troopers.Cobb’s family alleges the pair used excessive force and violated Cobb’s civil rights during a traffic stop last year that ended with state trooper Ryan Londregan shooting and killing Cobb. Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County attorney, has come under intense scrutiny for charging Londregan with murder and manslaughter in Cobb’s killing, with many critics demanding the case be turned over to the attorney general’s office. Gov. Tim Walz is weighing whether to assign the case to Attorney General Keith Ellison. He told reporters on Wednesday he’s waiting to see what happens in another upcoming hearing.
Uber and Lyft say they support one piece of the state legislature’s rideshare fix. MPR’s Clay Masters reports lawmakers came to a solution around insurance coverage , something both rideshare drivers and companies want settled. But other loose ends remain before a regulatory package gets settled. The insurance provisions were one part of a stakeholder working group that’s been meeting since Gov. Tim Walz vetoed a statewide rideshare bill last year. Representatives from Uber and Lyft were in support of the change but stressed it’s not enough for them without more provisions that address pay. Company representatives say they can support the lower rate from the state’s study but not the city’s higher rate.
The Minnesota House is likely to vote soon on a proposal to replace one of Minnesota’s statues in the U.S. Capitol with another political figure. Dana reports that the proposal seeks to swap out a statue of former Sen. Henry Mower Rice with former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey in the Statuary Hall in Washington. House Majority Leader Jamie Long says his bill would cost the state $300,000 to recast the Humphrey statue and transport it to the U.S. Capitol. The Rice statue would be turned over to the Minnesota Historical Society. The bill has not yet moved to a Senate Committee.
The impeachment trial of the Homeland Security secretary is over. The U.S. Senate quickly dismissed the case against Alejandro Mayorkas. The dismissal was along party lines and brought an end to the proceedings initiated on a party-line House vote in February. The issue of immigration will remain in the spotlight this election year, however. The Mayorkas impeachment was the first involving a cabinet secretary in 150 years.
President Joe Biden wants to triple tariffs on imports of Chinese steel and aluminum. For the most part, since taking office in 2020, Biden has retained many of the signature tariff and trade policies of former President Donald Trump. Biden wants to use the tariffs to encourage production of U.S.-made steel and aluminum, which could have a dramatic impact on mines and factories in the Iron Range. Currently, Chinese subsidies and programs mean its steel prices are 40 percent lower than U.S. prices.
A state House elections committee voted to let cities choose to adopt ranked-choice voting. Under the proposal, cities, counties and school districts would be able to adopt ranked-choice voting starting next year. The bill moves next to another House committee.
Gov. Tim Walz and St. Paul city leaders pressed the case for help dealing with copper theft from light posts. Legislation that would make it harder to sell stolen copper from lampposts and aid cities in fixing those that lack wiring is pending at the Capitol. As Cari Spencer reports , Gov. Tim Walz said the sale portion is modeled after efforts to combat catalytic converter thefts. “You show up with a bunch of copper wire you stole, you’re going to have a hell of a time selling it. And should you buy it, there will be serious penalties,” Walz said at a press event at Como Regional Park. “I will certainly support that legislation when it gets to me.” | 