Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. Joe Biden is now officially Democratic presidential nominee. The roll-call vote was held all virtually on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, and for Minnesota, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter shared the duty of making the state’s roll call speech. Last night’s programming also featured speeches from former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and Colin Powell joined other Republicans who have endorsed Biden. Read more on the key takeaways and highlights from the Night 2 of the DNC here. Big names tonight: It’s Kamala Harris’ night; Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton return to DNC. The vice presidential nominee is the main speaker, but Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are also in the lineup. Watch or listen live to the Night 3 of the DNC live on MPR News. Speaking of big names: Kanye West may end up on Minnesota’s presidential ballot. The rapper’s bid to be on the state’s Nov. 3 ballot is under review by the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office. West’s ballot qualifications as an independent presidential candidate are also being closely examined in other states. In several key states, Democrats have accused West of coordinating with President Trump in an attempt to siphon votes from Biden in November battlegrounds. Elections panel staff: Keep Kanye West off Wisconsin ballot AP: The staff determined that West and running mate Michelle Tidball missed a 5 p.m. deadline on Aug. 5, the last day for independent presidential candidates to submit the required 2,000 signatures of Wisconsin voters to get on the ballot. The panel split 3-3 along party lines if West should be on the Wisconsin ballot.
Walz administration to appeal Line 3 via MPR News' Dan Kraker: Gov. Tim Walz’s administration is wading deeper into the contentious, long-simmering debate over the proposed Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project. The Minnesota Department of Commerce announced plans Tuesday to appeal state utility regulators’ decision earlier this year to approve Enbridge Energy’s proposal to replace a deteriorating pipeline that crosses northern Minnesota with a new, larger pipe along a different route. In a statement released late Tuesday, the Commerce Department said its decision was consistent with previous agency actions.
Minnesota joins suit to protect election mail via Star Tribune's Jim Spencer and Randy Furst : “Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined 12 other state attorneys general Tuesday in a lawsuit to block U.S. Postal Service policies that they say could keep mail-in ballots from being counted in time for the upcoming presidential election. The suit was filed around the time that U.S. Post Master General Louis DeJoy announced that he was suspending those policies until after the election to ‘avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.’”
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