Daily Digest: 2020 is getting closer
Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Here's the Digest.
1. O'Rourke campaigns in Minnesota. Former Texas U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke introduced himself to Minnesotans in his first visit to the state since announcing his 2020 campaign for president in March. "Thank you for receiving us and welcoming a stranger from far west Texas," he told a cafeteria full of Minnesotans at Edison High School in Northeast Minneapolis, during a town hall-style gathering that lasted more than an hour. O'Rourke drew national attention last year during his unsuccessful campaign against incumbent Republican Texas Sen. and former Presidential candidate Ted Cruz. In Minneapolis O'Rourke talked about a variety of issues ranging from universal health care to free community college. He said he would provide a path to citizenship for so-called "dreamers"- who were brought to United States as children by undocumented immigrant parents. He also said he is for a federal minimum wage hike to $15 per hour. Some of the biggest cheers came when O'Rourke discussed Tuesday's deadly Denver-area school shooting. "We can look to those states that have adopted universal background checks where gun violence has dropped by 50 percent and extend them to every single state in this union," he said. (MPR News)
2. Klobuchar defends progressive record at Fox News town hall. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., defended her views and record at a Fox News town hall on Wednesday, saying progressives should support her bid for the presidency in 2020 because she is a “proven progressive.” Many view Klobuchar as a more moderate Democratic presidential candidate among the nearly two dozen hopefuls in the race. During the town hall, that distinction formed the underpinnings of one question from an audience member, who asked why progressives should support the senator and noted her “unwillingness to support” Medicare for all or free college for all. “Progressives should support me because I'm a proven progressive. The last time I checked, if you want to be a progressive and support progressives, then you are supposed to make progress. All right? And that is what I have done. That it is what I've done my whole life,” Kobuchar told the Wisconsin audience. (Fox News)
3. Lawmakers try to get a handle on rising prescription drug prices. The morning before heading into negotiations over Minnesota’s health and human services budget, Michelle Benson heard a news story about a new wonder drug that could potentially cure spinal muscular atrophy, a crippling and often fatal disease in babies. The only problem? It could cost $2 million a dose. “These are the debates that we end up having as policy makers: Who pays for that?” said Benson, a Republican state senator and chair of the Health and Human Services Finance Committee. “The miracles that are created in the pharmaceutical industry, we celebrate, but they also need to treat consumers fairly.” It’s not just the miracle drugs. The price of brand-name oral prescription drugs already on the market rose more than 9 percent a year between 2008 and 2016, according to a recent report in the Journal on Health Affairs, while the annual cost of injected drugs rose more than 15 percent. The price of insulin doubled between 2012 and 2016, according to the Health Care Cost Institute. This session, Minnesota lawmakers are trying to get their hands around skyrocketing drug prices and the complex pharmaceutical industry that sets the prices. Bills have been introduced to tackle the problem, from anti-price gouging efforts to new reporting requirements for drug companies when prices suddenly spike. (MPR News)
4. Companies call for action on climate change. Nine major companies with headquarters or operations in Minnesota are urging state lawmakers to address climate change as part of final policy and spending negotiations at the Capitol. The DFL-controlled state House has included in its energy bill a requirement that all electricity in the state be produced from carbon-free sources by 2050, but that policy does not appear in the energy bill passed by the Republican-controlled Senate. DFL Gov. Tim Walz proposed the measure. While the companies did not specifically endorse the 100 percent carbon-free mandate, they argue in a letter to Walz and state lawmakers that reducing carbon emissions will boost Minnesota's economy by attracting businesses that are already working to address climate change on their own. "We support decarbonization strategies because they will help us ensure prolonged profitability, reduce risk, safeguard the resilience of our supply chains and allow us to better meet the growing demands of our customers and investors," the companies wrote. (MPR News)
5. Grossell charged with another misdemeanor. A state lawmaker is now charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly scuffling with a security guard at a St. Paul bar, hours before he was cited for refusing to leave a nearby hospital. Rep. Matt Grossell, who was arrested Saturday, pushed a security guard several times before pulling him to the ground, according to the misdemeanor charged filed in Ramsey County District Court Tuesday. “Rep. Grossell is remorseful about his conduct that night; it does not reflect his true character or the hard work he gives to the state of Minnesota,” his attorney, Ryan Garry, said Wednesday. “We will address the legality of any citations in court.” Police cited Grossell, R-Clearbrook, on Saturday for trespassing after they said he wouldn’t leave Regions Hospital. It’s unclear whether Grossell will face consequences at the Legislature for his arrest, but there were no signs any were being seriously considered as of Wednesday. There is no firm precedence or policy for alleged transgressions by lawmakers that occur outside the Capitol and do not involve fellow state employees or sexual allegations. The Republican Party is in the minority in the House, and Grossell holds no leadership position in the caucus, so it’s uncertain how the caucus could sanction him. (Pioneer Press)
6. Ramsey County commissioner resigns. Ramsey County Commissioner Blake Huffman announced his intent to resign Wednesday night, citing fallout from missteps with his nonprofit, Journey Home Minnesota. The charity, which provided single-family homes for veterans and other families in need, starting dissolving in January after he fell behind on property taxes and struggled to repay three contractors more than $160,000 for construction and design work dating back to 2017. A county review found that the sale of two residential properties funded through $60,000 in Community Development Block Grants had violated the terms of Huffman's Housing and Redevelopment Authority agreement and constituted an "improper conflict of interest," according to a letter sent Tuesday to county leaders. During a time of financial distress, Huffman hired his son Alex as a real estate agent to help offload the properties in New Brighton and White Bear Lake. The New Brighton home was sold to his other son, Zach, without prior approval from the County Board, the review found. Alex Huffman made commissions on both sales. Blake Huffman announced his intent to retire from politics one day after the letter outlining the violations was delivered. (Star Tribune)
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