Daily Digest: Gun hearing draws a crowd

Good morning, and, look at that, it's Thursday already. Let's hope the wind has died down as we get on with the Digest.

1. Gun rights supporters and gun control advocates debated two bills at the Capitol Wednesday. There was no vote. One bill would eliminate the state's permit-to-carry requirement and the other would expand a person's right to use deadly force in self-defense. Under current law, Minnesotans need to be trained by a certified instructor before they can get a permit to carry a handgun. Opponents of the proposal to eliminate that requirement said it makes no sense to allow people to carry guns in public without first undergoing training, but supporters said they don't think they people should have to get a government-issued license to exercise a constitutional right. (MPR News)

2. It took three officers, a “knee strike” and a chemical spray to subdue Linwood Kaine after he was identified as one of the counterprotesters who allegedly used fireworks or a smoke bomb to disrupt a rally in support of President Donald Trump at the Minnesota State Capitol, according to police spokesman Steve Linders. Kaine is the son of former Democratic vice presidential candidate and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine.  He attended Carleton College and lives in Minneapolis. He and four others were arrested on suspicion of second-degree riot after the “March 4 Trump” rally in St. Paul. A sixth person was cited for disorderly conduct. None of the five has been charged. (Pioneer Press)

3. Incumbent Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and five challengers spent 90 minutes answering questions ranging from a city minimum wage to affordable housing from several hundred people gathered at Calvary Baptist Church in Minneapolis. In November, voters will again pick a mayor through ranked-choice voting. In 2013, they chose among 35 names. While additional candidates could still file for this year, such a lengthy ballot is less likely because the filing fee went up from $20 to $500. (MPR News)

4. So far President Trump has been good for business. The private payroll processing company ADP estimated businesses added 298,000 jobs last month. More than 100,000 of those new hires were made by small businesses. The government will put out its numbers tomorrow. Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist at the National Federation of Independent Business, said this is the most optimistic he’s seen firms he’s in touch with in more than 40 years. “These numbers are really good, and we’re hoping that they translate into hiring and spending and all those good things that will make the economy grow even faster,” he said. (Marketplace)

5. In Washington House committees began work on the Republican replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile all major hospital groups, including the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Catholic Health Association of the United States and the Children’s Hospital Association, came out against the Republican bill. “As organizations that take care of every individual who walks through our doors, both due to our mission and our obligations under federal law, we are committed to ensuring health care coverage is available and affordable for all,” they wrote. “As a result, we cannot support the American Health Care Act as currently written.” The American Medical Association also came out against the plan. (New York Times)

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