Daily Digest for July 21, 2020 Posted at 11:00 a.m. by Cody Nelson |
Good morning. It’s Tuesday Capitol View time.
A sweeping proposal to change the culture and oversight of Minnesota law enforcement is on its way to Gov. Tim Walz after lawmakers passed it early Tuesday before adjourning their special session. MPR News reporter Brian Bakst writes, "It governs how police are trained, how they’re held accountable for bad behavior and what happens when they use deadly force."
The Minnesota House has declared racism a public health crisis. “We cannot undo 400 years of systemic racism in a resolution or with a single special session, but this resolution goes beyond acknowledgement and calls for concrete steps to be taken,” said Rep. Ruth Richardson, DFL-Mendota Heights, who said the resolution would force lawmakers to be more attentive to the effect of policies they pass on addressing systemic inequality.
One Republican, though, said the move was “forcing an opinion.” Rep. Ron Kresha, GOP-Little Falls, abstained from the vote: “This resolution is forcing an opinion based on words,” he said. “This resolution is forcing members to decide if they agree to all the words on the page rather than how to actually solve the real-world issue.”
A new coronavirus aid bill is in the works, and the president will once again have daily briefings. Via NPR : “President Donald Trump met with Republican congressional leaders Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Kevin McCarthy on Monday to discuss the next round of coronavirus relief funding, saying he hoped the next package would help small businesses. Trump also said he would revive his daily 5 p.m. coronavirus briefings, likely starting Tuesday, noting the need to get out information with the surge in cases. ‘We have had this big flare-up in Florida, Texas, a couple of other places,’ he said. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the priorities for the next round of coronavirus aid would be ‘kids and jobs,’ starting with a trillion-dollar offer. Mnuchin said he would brief Republicans on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and would reach out to Democrats to begin talks.”
Joe Biden is getting some new prominent supporters. Via AP : “Democrat Joe Biden urged Muslim Americans on Monday to join him in the fight to defeat President Donald Trump as he addressed an online summit hosted by the advocacy organization Emgage Action to mobilize Muslim voters ahead of the presidential election. ‘I want to earn your vote not just because he’s not worthy of being president,’ the presumptive presidential nominee told participants. ‘I want to work in partnership with you, make sure your voices are included in the decision-making process as we work to rebuild our nation.’ Biden also reiterated a pledge to overturn a Trump administration ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries, calling it ‘vile.’”
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