Good morning. We can expect sunny skies with highs in the mid-50s to lower 60s northeast, to mid 60s to lower 70s southwest. Updraft Did you catch the debate? Don't worry, we'll catch you up. There were heated exchanges at times, but overall the debate was a far more respectful affair than the opening presidential debate eight days earlier.
Vice President Mike Pence defended the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans Wednesday night, while his Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris, condemned “the greatest failure of any presidential administration” during a largely civil debate dominated by the coronavirus.
With the virus sweeping through the highest levels of government and Trump just days out of the hospital, Pence acknowledged that “our nation’s gone through a very challenging time this year.”
But he added, “I want the American people to know, from the very first day, President Trump has put the health of America first.” He promised millions of doses of a yet-to-be-announced treatment before the end of the year.
Harris assailed Trump’s consistent downplaying of the pandemic’s threat, insisting she would not take a vaccine if the Republican president endorsed it without the backing of medical professionals.
“Frankly this administration has forfeited their right to reelection based on this,” she charged.
Catch the full coverage, plus updates and fact-checks from NPR.
COVID-19 is a topic where Minnesota is perfectly OK not being ranked No. 1. The state has seen its COVID-19 cases grow lately — but this real increase is small compared to other states in the Upper Midwest.
On Sept. 1, Minnesota was reporting around 140 new cases per million residents per day. This week, that figure is up around 185.
Wisconsin was seeing around 130 new cases per million residents per day on Sept. 1, similar to Minnesota. That’s now up to nearly 420 — more than three times higher. The situation has become so concerning that Wisconsin on Wednesday said it would open a field hospital near Milwaukee.
North and South Dakota have similarly seen their cases per capita skyrocket far above Minnesota’s levels.
Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:
- 2,101 deaths
- 106,651 positive cases, 96,616 off isolation
- 2,195,882 tests, 1,511,141 people tested
- 5 percent seven-day positive testing rate
While the growth of new COVID-19 cases has leveled off in the Twin Cities metro area, it continues to surge in greater Minnesota, especially across the northern third of the state, which over the last week has averaged the most cases per capita.
Let's take a look at state politics next. All 201 legislative seats are on the ballot this year, but much of the attention is on the 67 seats in the state Senate. That is where Republicans hold a narrow 35-32 advantage.
The battle for control of the Minnesota Senate is being fought in just a handful of districts. The results could determine whether state government remains divided. But in a few of the battleground districts, there are third-party candidates who could affect the outcome of close contests.
Gov. Tim Walz sent the crews west after Oregon officials requested their help through a 50-state mutual aid compact. They included firefighters from several suburban Twin Cities departments as well as Bemidji, Crosslake, and other communities. MPR News reporter Matt Sepic caught up with them after they returned home.
-- Matt Mikus, MPR News @mikusmatt |
