Biden pledges help for middle class
Good morning, and happy Wednesday. Welcome to the last month of 2021.
President Biden told a small audience at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount Tuesday that the infrastructure funding law he signed will revitalize American competitiveness and help rebuild the middle class. In his first trip to the state as president Biden said U.S. infrastructure used to be the best in the world, but that it’s been slipping. He said the $1.2 trillion measure will change that. “We’re going to help America win the competition for the 21st Century,” Biden said. “We’re getting back in the game.” Using a semi-truck as a background, Biden stressed the need for skilled workers and said schools like the technical college can provide them. He said technical and community colleges are a key part of his plan. “Places like this, we're going to train the next generation of workers to do the jobs that my infrastructure law and our Build Back Better Act are going to put into even greater demand,” Biden said. “We're going to need more qualified people.” Biden said the jobs would include electric vehicle mechanics, line workers to improve the power grid, commercial electricians to install vehicle charging stations, and construction managers.
Minnesota Republicans ramped up their criticism of Biden ahead of the visit . They blamed the president for inflation, high fuel prices and other economic woes. Republican 8th District U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber said people are hurting. “We’re paying more for our groceries, more for our gas, more for our everyday items,” Stauber said. “And it’s hurting middle-class Minnesotans’ and middle-class Americans’ pocketbooks.” State Rep. Kurt Daudt, the Republican minority leader in the Minnesota House, said Biden’s visit is a good reminder to Minnesotans about the president’s economic policies. “We certainly want to welcome President Biden to Minnesota,” Daudt said. “We welcome the opportunity to contrast our ideas with these failed ideas.”
MPR’s Brian Bakst reportsa legal case that affects the voting rights of more than 50,000 Minnesotans with active felony records awaits a decision from the state Supreme Court after a hearing Tuesday that left justices wrestling with their role. The challenge involves a constitutional clause and its interaction with a 1963 law that requires felons to complete time in custody, on supervised release or on probation before they can vote again. The people and groups behind the lawsuit argue the system disproportionately hurts communities of color because their punishments tend to trail them longer. They want voting eligibility to automatically be restored upon release from incarceration.
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar on Tuesday played a harrowing death threat recently left for her by voicemail, while imploring House Republican leaders to do more to tamp down "anti-Muslim hatred" in their ranks and "hold those who perpetuate it accountable." Omar, one of only a handful of Muslim members of Congress, has been the subject of repeated attacks by conservative pundits and some Republicans in Congress, which she says have led to an increase in the number of death threats she receives. The most recent instance came after a video of first-term Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert calling Omar a member of the "jihad squad" and likening her to a bomb-carrying terrorist went viral. More here from the Associated Press.
The Minnesota DFL issued an unusually harsh criticism of a Republican state senator Tuesday over his social media activity. MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports that DFL officials accuse Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, of far-right extremism and white nationalist activity. They point to a recent social media post that Chamberlin “liked.” The post said “retweet if you’re a pureblood.” DFL Party Chair Ken Martin accused Chamberlain of being a “fascist sympathizing white nationalist.” He said it was the latest example of such activity by the lawmaker. Martin called on Senate GOP leaders to address Chamberlain's behavior. Earlier this year, the DFL claimed Chamberlain was promoting a book that contains racism, sexism, homophobia and Islamophobia. A Senate Republican spokeswoman said that neither Chamberlain nor caucus leaders would comment on the matter.
The United States Supreme Court will hear a case today that could result in a reversal of the court's nearly half-century-old Roe v. Wade decision and subsequent decisions declaring that women have a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. We’ll air the hearing live this morning at 9 on MPR News. In the meantime, here’s some background. | |
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