Good morning, and welcome to Wednesday.
If you missed the State of the Union last night, the message President Joe Biden repeated was, “Let’s finish the job,” which could be heard either as a call for bipartisanship with the Republican House majority or as a possible 2024 reelection theme. The New York Times has a writeup of what will probably be most remembered about the speech: President Biden was about midway through a speech of about 7,218-words on Tuesday when a Republican lawmaker tried to shut him down with a single one: “Liar!” It was Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, whom the president had baited by accusing Republicans of wanting to threaten entitlement programs like Social Security. Later in the speech, when Mr. Biden called for an end to the fentanyl crisis in the United States, another lawmaker yelled out, “It’s your fault!” — a reference to the amount of drugs that are smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border. Another lawmaker yelled out an expletive. His second State of the Union address was punctuated by outbursts, jeers and peals of mocking laughter, but Mr. Biden turned the tables on his Republican opponents and argued in real time with the insurgents. It appeared to be the start of his re-election campaign. When the Republicans shouted back that no, they were not threatening Social Security, Mr. Biden smiled, appearing to relish the scrimmage, and ad-libbed that he was pleased they all agreed. “I’m glad to see — no, I tell you, I enjoy conversion,” Mr. Biden said.
As for Minnesota representatives’ reaction, no surprise, they fell along party lines. “I agree with the President: If we’re going to defend our freedoms, support our middle class, honor our financial obligations, and deliver public safety for all, our Congress must come together to govern, not gripe,” said DFL Rep. Dean Phillips in a statement. “We can’t legislate decency, but like-minded Americans of principle and integrity can restore the soul of this great nation together.” Republican Rep. Pete Stauber summed up the Republican reaction. “When Biden took office, inflation was 1.4 percent and gas prices were averaging $2.39. Today, inflation is 6.5 percent and gas prices are averaging $3.45. This is not a cause for celebration,” Stauber said. “His far-left agenda has led to inflation that’s crushing American families, a wide-open southern border and a crime crisis debilitating our cities.”
Closer to home, Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday signed a bill that requires the state’s electrical utilities to transition to 100 percent carbon-free energy sources by 2040. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports the move puts the state on a 17-year timeline to transition electrical utilities away from power sources such as coal and natural gas that produce carbon dioxide. In that time, utilities also have to boost the amount of electricity that they generate from renewable sources including solar, wind, hydropower and biomass. But the new law has brought a threat of a lawsuit from North Dakota, where officials say the Minnesota measure goes too far to limit commerce among states. Minnesota joins 21 other states, along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, that have set goals to reach 100 percent carbon-free energy generation by 2050. In 2021, 29 percent of Minnesota’s electricity came from renewable sources, while 26 percent came from coal and 21 percent from natural gas. Another 24 percent came from nuclear power, which does not emit carbon.
The governor also signed a bill that gives Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office about $4.3 million over the next two years to increase staff in his office to help county attorneys prosecute violent crime. "This bill provides the critical resources necessary to bolster the state’s ability to fight violent crime, bring justice to victims, and support communities across Minnesota. We will continue to work with counties to make neighborhoods across the state safer for everyone," Walz said in a news release. “The final passage of this bill is a long time coming. It is a yes to county attorneys, communities, and victims who need justice and closure. It’s a yes to the people of Minnesota,” Ellison said.
Minnesota lawmakers are taking another run at clamping down on catalytic converter transactions to deter theft of the valuable car exhaust devices. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports the proposal includes a new set of criminal penalties around catalytic converter theft as well as better tracking when the devices change hands. “It's long overdue,” Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, said Tuesday before his bill was approved by the Commerce Committee and sent to another Senate panel. Insurance industry statistics put Minnesota among the states with the most catalytic converter thefts. That’s despite efforts to break up theft rings and encourage scrap dealers to be more discerning. Replacing them is expensive for vehicle owners, especially those whose auto insurance doesn’t cover it.
What’s next for Sen. Amy Klobuchar? Politico reports she could make another run for president or continue her rise in Senate leadership: After rising quietly but steadily since dropping out of the White House hunt nearly three years ago to endorse President Joe Biden, Klobuchar now chairs the Senate Rules Committee and, as chief of the Democratic Steering Committee, sits fourth in the leadership hierarchy. The 62-year-old could keep testing how big her internal clout can get within the Democratic caucus. The caucus is already abuzz about who will replace retiring No. 3 Democratic leader Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Klobuchar’s possible ascension to that spot, according to a person briefed on internal conversations.
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