Capitol View for July 3

Gov. Tim Walz and other Democratic governors will meet with President Joe Biden today. Concerns about the president’s struggling approval ratings were aired on a call Monday organized by Walz, the head of the Democratic Governors Association (Walz clarified that the call with governors included multiple topics). The meeting is the strongest indication yet that Biden is attempting to quell fears among some Democrats who worry he may not be up to continuing the campaign following his poor debate performance. Publicly, Walz has given no indication he would support a push to replace Biden as the nominee. “Talk turned a little bit to what was obviously a poor performance in last Thursday’s debate and governors asking questions about what is the plan, how are you going to do this, how are you going to message this,” Walz recounted to reporters at the site of the Rapidan Dam yesterday. More here from Clay Masters.

Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case has been postponed at least until September. The judge in the case agreed yesterday to weigh the possible impact of Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Trump was originally scheduled to face sentencing July 11 on his New York conviction. The postponement sets the sentencing for Sept. 18 at the earliest, well after this month’s Republican National Convention, where Trump is poised to accept the party’s nomination. The court’s ruling granted broad immunity to presidents and also restricted prosecutors from citing any official acts as evidence in trying to prove a president's unofficial actions violated the law. Trump’s attorneys have already requested that the judge set aside the guilty verdict and delay sentencing to consider how the court’s decision impacts the hush money case.

Speaking of delays: The next court hearing for a Minnesota state senator has been moved again – from next week until late August. Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, is seeking to have a felony burglary case dismissed. Filings yesterday in Becker County District Court indicate there is a new presiding judge and a later date for a hearing on motions in the case. It's on Aug. 30. That one is not set in stone either and could be changed if there are additional motions. Mitchell has not entered a plea to the charge of breaking into her stepmother's home in Detroit Lakes. She disputes that she committed any crime in retrieving items of her late father. The delay could also mean a parallel ethics committee investigation into Mitchell’s Senate status gets pushed out as well.

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and U.S. Sen Amy Klobuchar have announced new federal legislation aimed at preventing drug trafficking on social media. The legislation is named after Devin Norring of Hastings who died in 2020 after buying pills laced with fentanyl off of Snapchat. The bill requires social media companies to alert law enforcement when illicit drug dealings happen on their sites. The law would carry several criminal and civil penalties if broken. Clay wrote about the bill.

Authorities say the Golden Valley fire that damaged several conservative-leaning businesses in January was intentionally set. The building housed the Upper Midwest Law Center, the American Experiment and Take Charge, three conservative political operations.

How will Minneapolis respond to homelessness after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sleeping outside can be a crime? Last Friday, the court ruled bans on people sleeping outside did not amount to an Eighth Amendment violation, or cruel and unusual punishment, even when shelter space is scarce. Minneapolis has long struggled in addressing homelessness in the city. Public camping is illegal in Minneapolis but it doesn’t amount to any criminal consequences. Enrique Velázquez, the city’s director of regulatory services who oversees the city’s response to homeless encampments, said he does not envision the city issuing a criminal penalty or citation to individuals experiencing homelessness.

The U.S. Parole Commission has denied parole to American Indian activist Leonard Peltier. Peltier was convicted in 1977 for the murders of two FBI agents during a standoff on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in 1975. Supporters say the now-79-year-old Peltier was wrongly convicted and is in poor health, while current and former members of the FBI continue to dispute claims of Peltier's innocence. The Parole Commission said Peltier will be eligible for another parole hearing in 2026. A request for clemency signed by members of Congress is currently before President Joe Biden.

A reminder that there will be no Capitol View in your inbox again until Monday. Have a great and safe holiday weekend.