Welcome to the Monday Capitol View, and good morning. After an acrimonious end to a first special session, the Minnesota Legislature returns Monday for another try.
The agenda for the open-ended session is expected to be limited and familiar:
- A public infrastructure borrowing bill, often called the bonding bill.
- A set of police accountability measures that gained steam after George Floyd’s killing
- Some budget and tax measures that didn’t get settled during the Legislature’s regular session or the June special session.
- A review of steps taken to control the coronavirus, and a debate over how schools conduct classes in the fall.
More on the special session from MPR News reporter Brian Bakst.
Feds have denied Minnesota's request for aid to clean up and rebuild in the Twin Cities. The federal government has denied a request from the state of Minnesota for a disaster declaration and accompanying financial support, to help clean up and repair fire damage from unrest following the police killing of George Floyd. Gov. Tim Walz's office said it received the denial on Friday, eight days after Walz had submitted the request. A Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson said the agency had determined the damage was something local and state governments could handle on their own. In a letter to President Trump on July 2, Walz had noted more than $15 million in damage and cleanup costs that could be eligible for federal reimbursement. The state has estimated total damages at more than $500 million. Hundreds of buildings were looted, damaged or destroyed by fires in the Twin Cities, primarily in Minneapolis and St. Paul, after Floyd was killed on May 25.
Iowa isn't out of this election cycle, even with the caucuses done. Via Clay Masters from Iowa Public Radio : "It's been a little more than five months since the debacle that was the Iowa caucuses. That first contest to pick a Democratic presidential nominee went horribly wrong thanks to a faulty smart phone app. Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg claimed victory before the night was over and counting the results took days. The contest was one many in the Democratic Party were ready to put behind them. Not so fast. Both Republicans and Democrats are giving the state a lot of attention and money in the run-up to November. Many political watchers are calling the state a "toss-up.'"
The coronavirus still ravaging his country with no end in sight, President Trump has finally worn a mask in public. Via the AP: "Trump flew by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington to meet wounded servicemembers and health care providers caring for COVID-19 patients. As he left the White House, he told reporters: 'When you're in a hospital, especially ... I think it’s a great thing to wear a mask.'"
The president is also under fire for commuting Roger Stone's prison sentence. Via NPR: Since Trump granted clemency to his longtime confidant Friday night, Democratic lawmakers have described it as "appalling," "despicable," an abuse of power and a "mockery of our democracy."
Yet some harsh words Saturday came from a voice within his own party as well.
"An American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president," Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, tweeted Saturday morning, describing the move as "unprecedented, historic corruption."
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