Daily Digest: Movement on guns?
Good morning and welcome to Thursday. It's been a busy 24 hours, so let's get right to the Digest.
1. The head of a Minneapolis nonprofit who was forced out and then charged with misusing public money is expected to change his plea to guilty in federal court today. Bill Davis was charged with 16 counts related to alleged fraud and theft at Community Action of Minneapolis. He is a longtime DFL Party insider, and his trial was set to start next week. (MPR News)
2. Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders met again Wednesday but seemed no closer to a special session. Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt said the big hangup is still Democrat's requirement for funding for metro mass transit, including for the Southwest Light Rail line. House DFL leader Paul Thissen says Republicans won't put their offers on paper, which makes it hard to negotiate. (MPR News)
3. Valeria Silva may be on her way out as superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools. The St. Paul school board issued a statement saying it's exploring options for a "transition" of Silva out of her superintendent role. If the board removes Silva before her contract ends in December 2018, the district must continue to pay her current salary and benefits. Critics have blamed Silva for student behavior problems, including several incidents involving injuries to teachers. Silva's supporters say she has been trying to reduce racial disparities in discipline and academic achievement. (Pioneer Press)
4.While some Republican candidates are distancing themselves from Donald Trump, at least one Minnesota congressional hopeful sounds a little like him on terrorism. First District candidate Jim Hagedorn is calling for a temporary ban on refugees entering the U.S. in response to the Orlando shooting that took place last Sunday, even though the Orlando killer was a U.S. citizen who was born in New York. Unlike Trump, Hagedorn stopped short of saying he would support a ban on all Muslims coming to the country. But he said the U.S. needs to close its borders in order to reform its process in accepting immigrants and refugees. (Mankato Free Press)
5. Donald Trump said via Twitter Wednesday that he wants to meet with the NRA to talk about how to prevent people on watch lists from buying guns. That's a move the NRA has opposed up until now. Some Republican senators also signaled a willingness to move on gun control, but it's not clear if the rest of the party will follow. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats launched a filibuster to pressure Republicans into voting on two gun measures. It ended after 15 hours when they said GOP leaders agreed to a vote. (Washington Post)
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