Tag: Minnesota

Keith Ellison Still Popular Among Dems Despite Abuse Allegations, Support of Cop Killers

Anthony Gockowski
Keith Ellison

Democrat Rep. Keith Ellison is facing accusations of domestic abuse from his former girlfriend, yet still managed to win in Tuesday’s primary for Minnesota attorney general. The outspoken critic of President Trump announced in June that he would be leaving his seat representing Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, which has remained a Democratic stronghold since at least 1979 when Martin Sabo took office. On Saturday, abuse accusations against Ellison surfaced on Facebook when his ex-girlfriend’s son claimed to have seen video of the Democrat caught in the act. Karen Monahan later confirmed that what her son was claiming was true, and that she had in fact been physically dragged off of a bed by Ellison while he screamed at her. Monahan, arguing that she shouldn’t need to release the video, claims that she put her “camera on to video him,” but Ellison and his campaign have denied the accusations. “Karen and I were in a long-term relationship, which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being. This video does not exist because I have never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false,” Ellison said in a statement, according to CBS. He also referenced the accusations…

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In Upset Over Pawlenty, Johnson Will Face Off Against Dem Walz in Minnesota Gubernatorial Race

Anthony Gockowski
Jeff Johnson, Tim Walz

After a shocking upset over former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Republican nominee Jeff Johnson is set to face off against Rep. Tim Walz in the Minnesota gubernatorial contest. Pawlenty, the last Republican to occupy the Governor’s mansion, failed to secure the nomination from the state party, but vastly outspent the Hennepin County commissioner in his bid for his old job. Throughout the campaign, Pawlenty struggled to distance himself from his criticism of President Trump, previously calling him “unhinged and unfit.” Although Johnson had issues of his own with Trump, he managed to position himself as the Trump-favorite along the campaign trail, earning the president’s “total endorsement” after his Tuesday night win. “Jeff Johnson of Minnesota had a big night in winning the Republican nomination for Governor against a very strong and well known opponent. Thanks for all the support you showed me,” Trump tweeted. “You have my complete and total endorsement. You will win in November!” Jeff Johnson of Minnesota had a big night in winning the Republican nomination for Governor against a very strong and well known opponent! Thanks for all of the support you showed me. You have my complete and total Endorsement. You will win in November! —…

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Wisconsin and New Jersey are Among the States Looking To Copy Minnesota Model Of Using Federal Funds To Lower Insurance Premiums

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Minnesota capitol

by Evie Fordham   Several states including Wisconsin and New Jersey are seeking to copy Minnesota’s model of federal reinsurance program funding that contributed to a 13-percent drop in premium rates in the state from 2017 to 2018. The Minnesota legislature adopted the program, which uses mostly federal funds to help insurers cover people with medical bills typically between $50,000 and $250,000, in 2017, reported Kaiser Health News. The program enables insurers to lower premiums and is a policy encouraged by the Trump administration. Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker is focusing his campaign on his health care accomplishments, including support for his state’s reinsurance program, reported RealClear Politics. He says premiums will be 11 percent lower than they would have been without the program in 2019, reported HealthLeaders Media. Minnesota’s 2018 reinsurance program received $131 million from the federal government, and many other states have applied or are applying for reinsurance program funding. Alaska and Oregon have programs similar to Minnesota’s in place. The main difference between Alaska’s program, which started in 2016, and other states’ is that Alaska’s covers all costs for people with “highest-cost conditions.” Wisconsin and Maine were approved in July, while Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland and New Jersey are working toward having programs set up by…

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DNC Breaks Silence On Keith Ellison Domestic Abuse Allegations

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Keith Ellison

by Peter Hasson    – The DNC is “reviewing” domestic abuse allegations against Minnesota Rep. and Deputy DNC Chairman Keith Ellison.  – Ellison is accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend, Sierra Club activist Karen Monahan.  – The DNC should have suspended Ellison “at a minimum,” according to the former DNC communications director. After more than 72 hours of silence, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) weighed in Tuesday evening on domestic allegations against deputy chairman and Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison. “These allegations recently came to light and we are reviewing them. All allegations of domestic abuse are disturbing and should be taken seriously,” the DNC said in a statement to NPR. The DNC’s statement didn’t go far enough, according to former DNC communications director Luis Miranda. “The party has no choice but to suspend him at a minimum until they figure out what’s going on,” Miranda told NPR. “Frankly, it would be malpractice not to. We’ve made it clear we’re going to take these accusations seriously, at a minimum. We set too high a standard not to take this seriously.” The NPR storywent live just hours before polls closed in the Minnesota primaries, where Ellisonis favored to win the Democratic nomination for attorney general. Ellison’s…

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Turnout in Minnesota, Wisconsin Primary Elections at a Twenty-Year High

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voters polling place

Reuters   Voter engagement in the 2018 U.S. midterm races remains feverish, primaries in notable swing states Wisconsin and Minnesota showed on Tuesday. Both states showed sharp increases in participation as voters picked candidates for Congress, Senate and governor, with Minnesota’s turnout surpassing a two-decade high and Wisconsin’s hitting levels not reached for a state primary since at least 2002. Democrats are hoping to replicate successes seen around the nation throughout the past 18 months in local and state special elections, where high levels of enthusiasm have propelled them to victories in races from Alabama’s Senate seat in December to a southwest Pennsylvania congressional district in March. The party is desperately seeking to flip control of Congress and capture more statehouses across the nation, as Republicans have control of both houses of Congress and the majority of state legislatures. In Minnesota, more than 900,000 voters turned out in a state known for high levels of voter engagement, according to unofficial state figures on Wednesday. That equals a turnout rate of roughly 22 percent, according to Minnesota’s secretary of state. It was also the highest for state primary nominating contests since 1994, not including presidential primaries, according to state data. More…

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Dept. of Homeland Security Agents Conduct Massive Worksite Raid In Two States, Arrest Business Owners For Employing Illegal Aliens

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ICE arrest

by Will Racke   Federal agents conducted a multi-state worksite raid at several Midwestern agricultural businesses on Wednesday, arresting more than 100 people including owners and supervisors who allegedly conspired to employ illegal aliens at the expense of American workers. Homeland Security Investigations — the investigative arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — led the operation against at least 11 companies in Nebraska and Minnesota, the Grand Island Independent reported. Along with more than 130 suspected illegal workers, agents arrested 14 business owners and managers for allegedly using bogus social security numbers to build a workforce of underpaid, exploitable illegal immigrants. Three other people involved in the scheme were also indicted but not taken into custody during the operation. The operation was one of the largest worksite raids in HSI’s 15-year history, according to Tracy Cormier, the special agent-in-charge of the agency’s St. Paul field office, which covers Minnesota and Nebraska. “I would say the amount of criminal warrants that are being executed will be one of the largest for HSI,” Cormier said, according to the Associated Press. “I’m not aware of a bigger one.” Wednesday’s operation is notable because is targeted business ownership and management, not just illegal workers. Two of HSI’s…

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Study: Minnesota’s Minimum Wage Hike Cost Teenagers Thousands Of Jobs

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minimum wage protest

by Tim Pearce   Minnesota’s minimum wage has cost young and low-skilled workers thousands of jobs in the fast-food restaurant sector since 2013, according to University of Wisconsin economics professor Noah Williams. Williams tracked and compared employment data in Minnesota and Wisconsin from 2014 to 2018, over which Minnesota’s minimum wage increased incrementally from $6 an hour to $9.65 in January 2018. Wisconsin’s minimum wage remained at the federal level of $7.25 an hour, the Minnesota Watchdog reported. Generally, as the minimum wage increases “businesses will demand less labor, which could mean fewer workers and/or shorter hours per worker,” Williams said, according to Minnesota Watchdog. “There were workers willing to work for wages that were less than the new, higher minimum wage and businesses that were willing to hire them for that … The distortion is that the minimum wage rules out mutually beneficial agreements between workers and firms.” The fast-food industries in both states were growing at similar paces in 2014 when the minimum wage of each rested on the federal level. As the Minnesota’s minimum continued to rise, a disparity between employment growth in each state’s fast-food industry developed and widened. “In total, from July 2014 to May 2018, employment…

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Senator Al Franken (D-MN): Resignation to be Effective January 2, 2018

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After a spate of so-called “#metoo” allegations of sexual harassment – along with photographic proof – former TV comic-turned-politician Senator Al Franken announced on the Senate floor last week that he would resign his office. In his Senate speech, however, he did not say when he would resign,  only that it would be in ‘the coming weeks.’ After Judge Roy Moore was defeated in Alabama in the special election to replace Senator Jeff Sessions by Democrat Doug Jones, speculation that Franken would ‘un-resign’ ran rampant across the media in what could only be described as a trial balloon to see if the idea could gain support from key Democrats and the public at large. That possibility came crashing down on Wednesday as Franken announced he would be taking leave of his elected office on January 2. The legal blog Legal Insurrestion has a comprehensive review on the details of the scandal that most likely marks the end of Senator Al Franken’s generally unremarkable political career: Just breaking, Al Franken’s office has announced that his previously announced resignation will be effective January 2, 2018. The snowball started rolling downhill for Franken when he was accused of groping and non-consensually tongue-kissing a woman on USO tour,…

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Senator Al Franken Will Resign ‘In a Couple of Weeks’ Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

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Sen. Al Franken on Thursday announced he was quitting the austere upper chamber amid mounting accusations that he forcibly kissed or groped women, bowing to resignation calls from at least 32 of his fellow Senate Democrats. However, he said he was stepping down despite knowing he was not guilty of the behavior described by his accusers. He said it was the right thing to do for the people of Minnesota.

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Dr. Fakhruddin Attar and Wife Arrested in Michigan on Female Genital Mutilation Charges

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Tennessee Star

  The FBI has identified a Female Genital Mutilation ring, where young daughters of resettled Somalis living in Minnesota take what’s called a ‘Girls Trip’ to Michigan to undergo the horrific procedure. TownHall.com’s Katie Pavlich reports: Doctor Fakhruddin Attar and wife Farida were arrested Friday near Detroit for conspiring to commit and aiding in female genital mutilation [FGM] of girls as young as six-years-old. The Attars allegedly allowed the procedure to be carried in their Livonia medical clinic. Mrs. Attar even held the hands of the girls screaming in pain. One alleged co-conspirator of Attar and his wife was Michigan emergency room physician Jumana Nagarwala. According to the criminal complaint from the Department of Justice, the couple conspired with Detroit emergency room doctor Jumana Nagarwala. Nagarwale was arrested last week for performing the procedure on a number of girls. It appears as though Attar’s role was to supply the facilities so that the little girls could be mutilated by Nagarwala. The complaint states (embedded below): This investigation has identified other children who may have been cut by Nagarwala at Attar’s clinic, MBC, between 2005 and 2017, including children in Michigan. On April 10, 2017, child forensic interviews employed by the FBI and HSI interviewed several minor…

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