Today, the House of Representatives is expected to give final passage to a $1.9 billion COVID-19 relief bill, sending it to President Joe Biden's desk for a signature. Congressional Republicans remain united in opposition to the bill, so Democrats have a narrow margin of error here. Moderate Democrats in the 50-50 Senate secured a range of changes to the bill from the original version passed by the House of Representatives. But it doesn't sound like the Senate's changes will cause a significant number of House progressives to pull their support. The result will be Biden's first legislative victory as president. [ Read more from The Associated Press]
Back in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz's Education commissioner, Mary Cathryn Ricker, announced her resignation effective April 1. A former teacher, she said she wanted to get back into the classroom. Deputy commissioner Heather Mueller will be the new commissioner. Ricker's resignation follows that of Human Services Commissioner Tony Lourey, Revenue Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly and MMB Commissioner Myron Frans, since the start of Walz's term. He's also had two commissioners rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate. [ Read more from Elizabeth Shockman]
Former President Donald Trump has been tussling with the Republican National Committee over the use of his name and likeness to raise money. Experts agree they probably have the legal right to do so, but RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel moved to smooth things over and give Trump "prior approval" over future uses of his name. At issue is the question of where the millions of pro-Trump Republicans will send their donations, with Trump encouraging them to donate directly to his political action committee. [ Read more from NPR News' Domenico Montanaro]
A new poll from KSTP found a majority of Minnesotans approve of how both Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden are handling the coronavirus pandemic. The approval isn't overwhelming, especially compared to the sky-high ratings Walz got last May, in the rally-round-the-flag early days of the pandemic. But it's a healthy majority, including pluralities of groups hard-hit by the pandemic and pandemic restrictions such as seniors and parents. [Read more from KSTP's Tom Hauser]
There was a furrible security breach at the White House Monday, as a member of the Biden family turned on a Secret Service agent. No, not Hunter. The pugnacious culprit? Three-year-old First Doggo Major Biden took a bite out of one of his dad's bodyguards. The agent suffered only minor injuries, but Major's in the doghouse for a bit. He'll be leaving town for Delaware in the hopes of circumventing the legal paw-cess. [Read more from The Associated Press]
Something completely different: If you follow politics, you probably read a lot of D.C.-based media. If so, get ready to get a lot of news about cicadas. A truly massive swarm of the periodical insects, Brood X (for "10"), is about to emerge after 17 years underground over much of the eastern half of the country. “It’s going to be pretty remarkable, come the latter half of May,” said University of Maryland entomologist Mike Raupp. “The densities of these things is going be phenomenal, about 1.5 million per acre. It blows your mind.” The insects create an impressive ruckus and get underfoot, but aren't generally a menace to crops or gardens like their cousins the locusts. Minnesota, for what it's worth, isn't home to any periodical cicada broods. [Read more from the Washington Post's Darryl Fears]
