Good morning, and welcome to the last Thursday of September.
Food shelves in Minnesota and around the country are bracing for a possible federal government shutdown, especially one that could last more than a few weeks.MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports: One of the nation’s largest food banks is Brooklyn Center-based Second Harvest Heartland. Its CEO, Allison O’Toole, said the hunger relief network is already struggling to meet historic demand for its services and expecting to help even more people if the federal government shuts down. “You know, we're talking about moms and babies and little kids and moms to be,” O’Toole said of the WIC program that could run out of funding in a prolonged shutdown. “This benefit provides fruits and veggies and peanut butter and cereal formula, the basic staples we need to help families thrive.” O’Toole said food banks, which have been asking for more help since the pandemic, will have to increase their outreach efforts to attract volunteers and keep shelves stocked with food.
Another impact of a shutdown would be on federal workers. The Star Tribune reports: A shutdown could sideline some of the nearly 17,000 Minnesotans employed by the federal government and cause a number of disruptions to services. States across the country are already scrambling to try to fill in any potential gaps. Minnesota has fewer federal employees than many states, and not all will be affected by a potential shutdown in the same way. Some workers will be furloughed, while others will have to continue working without pay, including Transportation Security Administration employees at the airport and guards at the state's federal prisons. Federal workers will get back pay once a shutdown ends thanks to a law passed in 2019. Workers can collect unemployment during the shutdown, but they have to return the benefits after the shutdown ends.
A hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill put a spotlight on the potential for advanced technology to manipulate political campaigns and ways to prevent it. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar chaired the hearing of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. Experts explained how artificial intelligence poses threats to deceive voters through fake videos and related content. Klobuchar is pushing for a federal law to ban the use of the AI to generate materially deceptive content. She said she hopes to pass a bill into law this year ahead of the 2024 election. “We don't have time to mess around here,” Klobuchar said. “Because if we don't act, AI has the potential to undermine our democracy. We're already seeing this technology being used to generate viral misleading content, both inside and outside of politics, and spread disinformation.” Klobuchar said exceptions for clearly identified parody or satirical material could help allay free-speech concerns. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon told the committee about a Minnesota law that attempts to crack down on deep fakes where AI is used to spread disinformation. “Instead of stilted communications with poor grammar, generative AI can provide apparent precision and clarity,” Simon said. “The potential threat to the administration of elections is real. We're talking about an old problem, namely election misinformation and disinformation, that can now more easily be amplified.” Skeptics about government regulation told senators that AI is already ingrained in political content and would be difficult to police. They also raised First Amendment concerns.
Meanwhile, Simon is asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to rule by Jan. 5 of next year on whether former President Donald Trump is eligible to be on the state's ballot again. Earlier this money a group of voters including former Secretary of State Joan Growe and former Supreme Court Justice Paul Anderson filed suit, contending that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution makes Trump ineligible to again hold federal office. That's because they say he took part in an insurrection against the government. In a court filing Wednesday, Simon said he's not taking sides on that question, but he needs an answer from the court in time to get ready for the March 5th presidential primary and the general election. Early voting begins in mid-January.
Minnesota Republicans have also responded in the case against Trump.The Star Tribune reports: The state GOP response said the petition seeking to bar Trump from the ballot asks the state Supreme Court to "flip federalism on its head and usurp federal authority by asserting that this court and the secretary of state have the authority to disqualify a candidate for federal office." The state GOP response mirrored the Trump camp's answer to a similar case in Colorado by saying the First Amendment protects the former president. Trump's own lawyers also filed a response later saying, among other things, the matter doesn't belong in a Minnesota court and they disputed that Trump did anything other than encourage a peaceful protest on Jan. 6. They asked the court to dismiss the petition as meritless. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case on Nov. 2.
Right now, four different state agencies oversee programs for young children: the Department of Human Services, Department of Education, Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health. MPR’s Kyra Miles reports that during this year’s legislative session, a proposal for a new state agency was passed to consolidate those programs under one jurisdiction: the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families. “It's also going to help families find their resources,” child care provider Amanda Schillinger said. “Even paying for child care isn't under one department. That falls into two different areas as well. So kind of getting us all organized so that we can find our answers and find our needs and find our supports in one place instead of having to go so far to look for things.” Schillinger was a part of listening sessions and testified to legislators with the statewide coalition “Kids Count on Us” to advocate for the new agency and she’s excited for what it means for providers to have a seat at the table. “We all have the same goal,” she said. “We want to see children grow and learn and be supported in their development. And that works best when everybody involved is working together.”
As someone who has moderated a few political debates, I can tell you it’s not easy. That was demonstrated last night in the second meeting of the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, which was filled with candidates shouting over each other and the moderators mostly unsuccessfully trying to regain control. Once again, the frontrunner Donald Trump did not attend. The Associated Press reports: The candidates often went after Trump on their own, hoping to distinguish themselves at a critical moment with less than four months before the Iowa caucuses launch the presidential nomination process. Trump has continued to dominate the field even as he faces a range of vulnerabilities, including four criminal cases that raise the prospect of decades in prison. | 