Good morning, and happy Tuesday.
More than one million Minnesotans will get payments of about $487 each from the state this week for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, state officials said Monday. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports the money is from a pool of $500 million set aside by the Legislature and governor for bonuses to those who worked in health care, child care, retail, food processing and other professions where working from home wasn’t an option. “These workers deserve our thanks and I’m grateful to be part of the program that gives them a token of our appreciation,” Nicole Blissenbach, who has spearheaded the program as temporary commissioner, Department of Labor and Industry. The money will be sent out beginning this week in the form of direct deposit, debit cards or paper checks depending on a recipient’s preference.
Republicans at the state Capitol on Monday urged Minnesota pollution agency leaders to steer clear of tougher tailpipe emission rules laid out in California as the state considers its next steps. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports Minnesota last year adopted rules that require auto manufacturers that operate in the state to make more electric and hybrid vehicles available starting in 2024. The standards are based on California requirements and were approved to help Minnesota get back in line with 2007 guidelines for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But after California announced that it would update its rules and require that all new cars, pickups and SUVs run on hydrogen or electric power sources by 2035, states with policies tied to California’s have had to decide if they’d follow the same path, or opt to follow federal guidelines. The decision also comes as car manufacturers face supply shortages that have resulted in longer waitlists and delays for consumers hoping to buy electric or hybrid cars in Minnesota.
At a campaign event last week Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen was filmed saying that some school districts have litter boxes for students to urinate in. “Why are we telling elementary kids that they get to choose their gender this week? Why do we have litter boxes in some of the school districts so kids can pee in them because they identify as a furry? We’ve lost our minds,” he said on a video first shared by CNN. Jensen’s campaign isn’t commenting. MPR’s Sam Stroozas reports that Darwin Forsyth, a spokesperson for Gov. Walz’s campaign, released a statement saying: “Spreading these conspiracy theories about our schools makes it even harder for teachers and principals to do their jobs. We can't afford to elect a governor who will undermine our public schools and spread lies in an effort to cut funding for public education.” Communications Director Kevin Burns told MPR News, “The Minnesota Department of Education is not aware of even a single school that has such a thing.”
Democrats continue to focus on Republican attorney general candidate Jim Schultz’s views on abortion.The Star Tribune reports lawyers for the DFL and the GOP candidate have exchanged letters over the DFL's claim that Schultz wants to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. As evidence, the DFL cited a Minnesota Family Council questionnaire. But Schultz said he never filled out the questionnaire and the council admitted it had "inferred" his position. Schultz has supported "very very extreme anti-abortion" views and it wasn't until last summer that Schultz said he'd support an abortion ban after 20 weeks as opposed to more stringent bans earlier in pregnancies, DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said at a news conference Monday.
The Minnesota Supreme Court said Monday that Ramsey County can correct ballots incorrectly listing a dead candidate's name for House District 67A. On the first day of early voting, election officials noticed the error, but the county had to wait for the Supreme Court to approve the changes. The incorrect ballots were printed with deceased GOP candidate Beverly Peterson's name instead of the newly-nominated candidate Scott Hesselgrave's name. Election officials will mail new ballots to voters who received incorrect absentee ballots and haven't yet returned their ballots. The county must also contact any voter who submitted the incorrect ballot so they can receive a replacement, according to the Supreme Court order.
The United States Supreme Court says it won’t intervene in a lawsuit in which Dominion Voting Systems accused MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell of defamation for falsely accusing the company of rigging the 2020 presidential election against former President Donald Trump.The Associated Press reports as is typical, the high court did not say anything Monday about the case in rejecting it among a host of others. Monday is the first day the high court is hearing arguments after taking a summer break. Lindell is part of a case in which Dominion also accused Trump allies Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani of defamation for falsely claiming that the election was “stolen.” The Denver, Colorado-based Dominion has sought $1.3 billion in damages from the trio. | 