Daily Digest: Budget meltdown
Good morning, and welcome to Wednesday. There's a lot happening, so let's get to the Digest.
1. Republican legislative leaders made good Tuesday on threats to push ahead with passing their budget bills despite certain vetoes from DFL Gov. Mark Dayton. Dayton said that he won't resume talks with GOP leaders until the veto process plays out. The standoff could complicate efforts to craft a new two-year budget by the required adjournment date of May 22. Missing that mark would force the Legislature into special session with a possible government shutdown on the horizon weeks later. (MPR News)
2. Some members of Minnesota's congressional delegation are reacting to President Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey. "This is clear: We need an independent commission and a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of Russian interference in our election,” said DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar. "We cannot trust an investigation led by this administration," said DFL Sen. Al Franken. (Pioneer Press)
3. A rally at the state Capitol to protect pensions was the place to be seen Tuesday for leading Minnesota Democrats, including the crop of declared or potential candidates for governor. U.S. Reps. Rick Nolan and Tim Walz, state Reps. Erin Murphy and Paul Thissen and Attorney General Lori Swanson all addressed the crowd of pensioners wearing shirts and holding up signs with the slogan “Stop The Pension Cuts.” Rally organizers were pushing a new proposal in Congress that would add pension guarantees and provide a bailout to a troubled pension insurance system. The bill would shore up the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which is increasingly under strain and feeding worries of benefit cuts. (MPR News)
4. Wayzata High School students on Tuesday got to ask President Trump's nominee to the 8th Circuit United States Court of Appeals some questions. The president announced David Stras' nomination to the circuit Monday. The Wayzata event was a previously arranged visit by the Minnesota Supreme Court to the school. Asked how he learns to control personal biases when making a ruling, Stras said everyone is a product of their experiences and a good judge can bring those experiences to bear on the questions before them. "One way to control your biases is to understand that you have them, right? If you understand that you have them, and you know what they are, then you can put them aside when you're trying to decide cases." (MPR News)
5. A menacing Facebook comment on U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer’s page has triggered a social media dust-up and prompted the congressman’s staff to call for an apology from the city of Lino Lakes. Melissa Maher, a member of the Lino Lakes City Council, left the comment in a post about Emmer’s recent visit to an alfalfa farm in Wright County. She wrote: “If I were you Emmer, I’d avoid people who have a lot of deadly objects at hand. Selling us all out was not a good plan for your future. You’re a coward and a party whore.” An official on Emmer’s staff confirmed that Maher’s post has been reported to police at the Capitol due to its threatening undertones. She says she regrets the comments, and she intends to apologize. (Star Tribune)
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