State Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point) said the Minnesota Department of Health’s decision to withhold information about the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on nursing homes “only brings unnecessary grief and frustration to many Minnesota families.”
Read the full storyAuthor: Anthony Gockowski
Governor Lee Issues Executive Order Requiring Residents to Stay Home
Gov. Bill Lee announced Thursday that he will sign an executive order requiring Tennesseans to stay home unless they are engaging in essential activities.
Lee issued an executive order Monday that urged, but didn’t require, residents to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Under his new order, staying at home isn’t “an option – it’s a requirement for the swift defeat of COVID-19,” said Lee.
The governor said data from the Tennessee Department of Transportation indicated that travel started trending upwards again on March 30 after traffic patterns showed a steep drop-off in vehicle movement between March 13 and 29.
Read the full storyFox News Poll Shows Biden/Klobuchar Ticket Beating Trump
A new Fox News poll predicts that voters would support a Joe Biden/Amy Klobuchar ticket over reelecting President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
The poll was conducted between March 21 and 24 and shows Biden beating President Trump by nine percentage points in November. Since Biden promised to pick a female running mate, the poll examined his odds with Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as vice president.
Read the full storyTreatment for Cancer Patients Delayed But Abortions Allowed to Continue in Minnesota
House Republican leaders sent a letter Friday to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asking him to clarify the status of surgical abortions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyModel Predicts 159 Tennesseans Will Die in Single Day at Peak of Coronavirus Pandemic
A new model produced by the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) predicts that 159 people will die in a single day at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in Tennessee.
Read the full storyWhole Foods Workers Call in Sick During National Crisis
Whole Foods workers across the country called in sick Tuesday as part of a national day of protest against the work conditions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyTrump Campaign Digitized Entire Operation in 24 Hours, Contacted 100,000 Minnesota Voters Virtually
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign digitized its entire field operation within 24 hours after staffers were forced to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic, sources told The Minnesota Sun.
Read the full storyNashville Mayor Reveals Plan to Raise Property Taxes Amid Tornado Devastation and Coronavirus Pandemic
Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced during his virtual State of the Metro address Tuesday that he plans to “sharply increase” the city’s property tax rate.
Cooper said the Nashville Finance Department predicts that revenue from sales taxes and other activities will be down between $200 and $300 million because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Because of the unusual circumstances, Cooper didn’t have a budget proposal to discuss but said the budget ordinance he plans to present to the Metro Council in April will “sharply” increase the city’s property tax rate. Cooper said the final rate will still be lower than other cities throughout Tennessee.
Read the full storyTennessee Nursing Home Sees Massive COVID-19 Outbreak
More than 100 residents and staff of a nursing home in Sumner County, Tennessee have tested positive for the coronavirus, Gov. Bill Lee’s office said Sunday.
Read the full storyLiberals Ask DeWine to ‘Reduce Incarcerated Populations Immediately,’ Prisoner Sues for Release
Several liberal organizations sent a letter to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Friday urging him to “immediately reduce state and local incarcerated populations” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyMinnesota Group Wants Unemployment Insurance for Illegal Immigrants
A progressive group in Minnesota wants state and national lawmakers to pass a “stronger unemployment insurance package” that includes benefits for illegal immigrants.
TakeAction Minnesota, a progressive community organizing group, released a list of policy proposals that it would like to see included in any stimulus package passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyFDA Allows Ohio Company to Make Unlimited Use of Face Mask Sterilizer After Trump, DeWine Intervene
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called an emergency press conference Sunday to express his “deep disappointment” with the Food and Drug Administration for limiting the use of a new technology to sterilize face masks.
Read the full storyMinnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Wages War on Price Gouging During Coronavirus Pandemic: ‘My Office and I Are Coming After You’
Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office received more than 500 complaints about price gouging in Minnesota last week alone.
The influx of complaints is part of Ellison’s effort to stop companies from hiking their prices on essential products during the coronavirus pandemic. Doing so is now illegal under an executive order issued by Gov. Tim Walz, which will remain in effect for the duration of Minnesota’s peacetime emergency.
Ellison’s office announced a statewide crackdown on businesses engaged in “pandemic profiteering” last week and encouraged Minnesotans to report instances of price gouging to his office.
Read the full storyTennessee Medical Association Asks All Mayors to Issue Shelter in Place Orders
The Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) sent a letter to every mayor in the state Friday asking them to request authority from Gov. Bill Lee to issue shelter-in-place orders for their communities.
Lee has thus far declined to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order, which prompted more than 2,000 health care workers to sign a petition asking him to change course, The Tennessee Star reported. As of Sunday, 26 states had issued stay-at-home orders, including the neighboring states of North Carolina and Kentucky.
Read the full storyRepublican Lawmakers Blast Minnesota’s Coronavirus Omnibus Bill: ‘Zero Transparency’
The Minnesota Legislature passed a $330 million omnibus bill this week to address the coronavirus pandemic, but some Republican lawmakers were frustrated with the unprecedented lack of transparency in the process.
Read the full storyKlobuchar Says Husband Is Recovering from Coronavirus, Slams Trump for Response
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said her husband is now recovering from home after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Read the full storyMore People Died of Suicide Than Coronavirus in Tennessee Last Week
More Tennesseans died from suicide than the coronavirus last week, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs revealed in a weekly update.
Read the full storyOmar and Bernie Ask Bezos for Answers About Amazon’s Efforts to Slow COVID-19 Spread
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) sent a letter Friday to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos asking for “detailed information” about his plans to protect warehouse workers from the coronavirus.
Read the full storyShelter in Place Order Now in Effect in Minnesota: Here’s What You Need to Know
Gov. Tim Walz has issued a statewide shelter-in-place order for Minnesota to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The order took effect Friday at midnight and will remain in effect until 5:00 p.m. on April 10. As opposed to a complete lockdown, a shelter-in-place order still allows for many everyday activities and permits numerous industries to continuing working.
Read the full storyTennessee Doctors Ask Gov. Lee to Issue Shelter in Place Order
At least 2,000 health care workers have signed a petition asking Gov. Bill Lee to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Read the full storyTrump Admin Plans to Identify COVID-19 Hotspots So Low-Risk Areas Can Reopen
President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration is working on a county-level approach to the coronavirus that will enable the government to identify hotspots across the nation.
Doing so will allow social distancing measures to be relaxed or tightened based on the number of confirmed cases in each county, Trump said in a letter sent Thursday to the nation’s governors.
Read the full storyStar Tribune Was Refusing to Run Ad Warning of Economic Consequences of Walz’s Coronavirus Response
The Star Tribune initially refused to run an advertisement in its print edition that was critical of Gov. Tim Walz’s “severe reactions” to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyMinnesota Had 116,000 New Unemployment Claims Last Week
Minnesota has seen 182,000 workers apply for unemployment insurance since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove said Thursday.
Read the full storyMyPillow Now Manufacturing Face Masks to Help With COVID-19 Response
MyPillow announced Tuesday that it is now manufacturing face masks for hospitals across the country to help alleviate the national shortage of N95 respirator masks.
Read the full storyGov. Walz Issues Shelter in Place Order for Minnesota
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced during his Wednesday press briefing that he is issuing a statewide shelter-in-place order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The stay-at-home order, as the governor is calling it, will go into effect at midnight Friday and will remain in effect until 5:00 p.m. on April 10.
“What our objective is now is to move the infection rate or slow it down and buy time,” Walz said during the press conference. The governor noted that the order won’t necessarily reduce the infection rate, but will postpone the peak of the outbreak while the state prepares.
Read the full storyGov. Lee Says His ‘Expectation’ Is That Abortion Clinics Would Cancel Procedures During Pandemic
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday that it is his “hope and expectation” that abortion clinics would cancel elective procedures during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lee issued an executive order Monday that requires all hospitals and surgical outpatient facilities to cancel or postpone all “non-essential procedures” through April 13. The intent of the order is to free up personal protective equipment for health care professionals on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
His executive order asks “non-hospital health care providers,” such as abortion facilities, to deliver any personal protective equipment in their possession to the nearest Tennessee National Guard Armory.
Read the full storyWalz Predicts 40 to 80 Percent of Minnesotans Will Be Infected
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said during a Monday press briefing that he predicts 40 to 80 percent of the state’s population will be infected with the coronavirus.
Read the full storyDoctor in Minnesota Senate Warns That Reaction to Coronavirus Could Be More Dangerous Than Virus Itself
A doctor in the Minnesota Senate warned leaders Monday that the reaction to the coronavirus pandemic could be more harmful than the virus itself.
Sen. Scott Jensen (R-Chaska), a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and founder of Catalyst Medical Clinic, said that the disruption to everyday routines could have devastating consequences for people with underlying medical conditions.
“Scaring people to death isn’t helping us. We are going to in short order, if not already now, have supply chains get interrupted and some of these are critical supply chains. We need to be careful,” Jensen said in a video posted to Facebook.
Read the full storyTennessee Democrats Urge Gov. Lee to Issue Statewide Shelter in Place Order
Democrats in the Tennessee Senate asked Gov. Bill Lee to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order Monday to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Read the full storyOhio Abortion Clinics Still Scheduling Surgical Abortions in Defiance of State Government
Abortion clinics across Ohio are continuing to schedule surgical abortions during the coronavirus pandemic despite being told not to by state government officials.
Read the full storyGov. Walz Self-Quarantines After Contact with COVID-19 Patient
Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday morning that he is in self-quarantine at the Governor’s Residence after contacting someone with the coronavirus. “After learning I had contact with someone who has COVID-19, I plan to lead by example and work from home. I currently have no symptoms and will continue working tirelessly to combat the spread of COVID-19,” Walz said on Twitter. After learning I had contact with someone who has COVID-19, I plan to lead by example and work from home. I currently have no symptoms and will continue working tirelessly to combat the spread of COVID-19. #StayHomeMN — Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) March 23, 2020 He later revealed that a member of his “dedicated” security detail tested positive for COVID-19 late Sunday night. “He did everything exactly right. I had been with him a few days prior, so according to the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health regulations, I am self-quarantined with my family here. We are operating everything as normal,” the governor said in a video message later in the day. This isn’t a typical Monday morning but we’re still hard at work to combat the #COVIDー19 crisis. Minnesotans have been through long winters before, we’ll get…
Read the full storyTennessee’s Second Coronavirus Death Was Brother of Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor
Tennessee’s second confirmed COVID-19 death was the brother of Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, according to a statement Flanagan posted to Instagram Sunday night.
Read the full storyKlobuchar’s Husband Hospitalized After Testing Positive for COVID-19
Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday that her husband (pictured right) has been hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Klobuchar said her family received the test results early Monday morning and said her husband, John, is currently “cut off from all visitors.”
He started to feel sick when the senator was in Minnesota and he was in Washington, D.C. for his teaching job. According to Klobuchar, her husband was “checked into a hospital in Virginia” after he “started coughing up blood.”
Read the full storySenate Candidate Bill Hagerty to Host Tele-Town Hall on Economy with Larry Kudlow
Bill Hagerty, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Tennessee, announced that he will be hosting a telephone town hall Wednesday with Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump’s director for the National Economic Council.
Read the full storyMayo Clinic Says It Can Now Perform Up to 4,000 COVID-19 Tests Daily
Mayo Clinic announced last week that it can now test up to 4,000 clinical samples for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on a daily basis.
Mayo officials said they now have the capacity to process COVID-19 test samples at all Mayo Clinic sites and have started processing test samples from their clients across the state, including eight major health systems.
Read the full storyOhio Dems Call Attorney General ‘Opportunistic’ and ‘Despicable’ for Telling Abortion Clinics to Close
Ohio Democrats called Attorney General Dave Yost “opportunistic” for urging abortion clinics to close during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health issued an executive order Tuesday that required health providers to cancel all non-essential or elective surgeries that utilize personal protective equipment (PPE).
Read the full storyGovernor Bill Lee Orders Bars And Restaurants to Close
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued an executive action Sunday ordering the closure of bars, restaurants, and other places of public accommodation in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created both an economic and a health crisis and our response must continue to address both aspects,” Lee said in a statement. “Our goal is to keep the public, especially vulnerable populations, safe while doing everything possible to keep Tennesseans in a financially stable position.”
Read the full storyOhio Attorney General Tells Planned Parenthood to Stop Performing Abortions During Coronavirus Pandemic
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has ordered abortion clinics to stop performing surgical abortions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storySenate Leaders Signal Disagreement with Walz’s ‘Unilateral and Unchecked’ Coronavirus Actions
Gov. Tim Walz has issued 12 executive orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but Senate Republicans think some of his actions aren’t within his constitutional authority.
Read the full storyHealth Officials Confirm First Coronavirus Death in Tennessee
Health officials in Nashville reported Tennessee’s first coronavirus death Friday evening.
Read the full story2.9 Percent of Minnesotans Tested for COVID-19 Have Tested Positive
An average of 2.9 percent of Minnesotans who have been tested for COVID-19 ended up testing positive, according to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Read the full storyShelter in Place Order Possible for Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz said Friday morning that a statewide “shelter in place” order is possible after Minnesota saw its number of confirmed COVID-19 cases soar past 100.
“Well, I certainly think it is a possibility,” the governor said during an interview with WCCO Radio. “We have to have every tool in the toolbox.”
Read the full storyGov. Lee Says Churches Are ‘Risking People’s Lives’ By Continuing to Hold Services
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said during a Friday press conference that churches that continue to hold services are putting people’s lives at risk.
“Churches that continue to meet and gather with elderly and putting groups of people in the same setting, quite frankly, they’re risking people’s lives,” Lee said during an update on the COVID-19 outbreak in Tennessee. “There are ways to worship and there are ways to serve without congregating people, and I’m urging and challenging churches to do just that.”
Read the full storyMinnesota House Confirms COVID-19 Case, Governor Walz Cancels State of State
State lawmakers said Wednesday that an employee of the Minnesota House of Representatives has tested positive for COVID-19.
Read the full storyJust Three States Account for Close to 70 Percent of All U.S. Coronavirus Deaths
Just three states account for close to 70 percent of all deaths caused by the coronavirus in the United States, according to the latest data available Thursday afternoon.
Read the full storyPresident Trump Says FDA Has Approved Testing of Anti-Malaria Drug Chloroquine for Treating Coronavirus
President Donald Trump announced during a Thursday press briefing that the anti-malarial drug chloroquine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a possible treatment for the coronavirus.
The announcement comes the day after Breitbart News reported that the medical establishment has known about chloroquine’s effectiveness in treating the virus since at least the 2005 SARS coronavirus outbreak.
“Clinical trials are already underway for many new therapies and we’re working on scaling these to allow many more Americans to access different drugs that have shown really good promise,” President Trump said.
Read the full storyIlhan Omar Defends Dispersing Campaign Funds to Husband’s Consulting Firm
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) took to Twitter this week to “clear the air” regarding her marriage to Tim Mynett, a political consultant whose firm has received close to $600,000 from his wife’s campaign committee.
Read the full storyOhio Democratic Party Sues Frank LaRose for Acting Without ‘Legal Authority’ in Setting New Primary Date
The Ohio Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit against Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose over the state’s chaotic postponement of the presidential primary.
Read the full storyACLU Asks Minnesota Government to ‘Limit Arrests to Most Serious Offenses’ During COVID-19 Pandemic
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota has asked the state government to “aggressively” limit arrests to “the most serious offenses” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyStudy Ranks Tennessee As Having One of Country’s Least Aggressive Responses to COVID-19
A new study ranked Tennessee as having one of the least aggressive responses in the country to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full story