The Week at a Glance
The Police Killing of Daunte Wright: On Sunday afternoon, Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black male, during a traffic stop. Wright is survived by his mother, Katie Wright, and his son, Daunte Wright Jr.
Police fatally shoot man, 20, in suburban Minneapolis, sparking protests, by Jared Goyette and Andrea Salcedo of The Washington Post
via Nick Woltman and Kristi Belcamino of The Pioneer Press, “Looters ransacked businesses and protesters clashed with police Sunday night in Brooklyn Center after an officer shot and killed a man in the Minneapolis suburb during a traffic stop.”
Police officer who killed Daunte Wright will face second-degree manslaughter charges, by Kim Bellware, Mark Berman, and Sheila Regan of The Washington Post
The Brooklyn Center City Council voted 3-2 to give Mayor Mike Elliott command authority over the Police Department. Authority over the police department was previously vested in the city manager, who the Mayor fired along with the police chief.
(WARNING: GRAPHIC) Bodycam footage available on Youtube via MSNBC
The Trial of Derek Chauvin:
New public opinion polling from Rasmussen Reports on the expected outcome of the Chauvin trial
Derek Chauvin trial recap: Minneapolis police chief, medical experts testify, by Katrina Pross of The Pioneer Press
Medical expert: 'In a vise,' George Floyd did everything he could as he struggled to breathe, by Rochelle Olson and Paul Walsh of Star Tribune
Chauvin decides not to testify; defense rests its case as jury heads into deliberations next week.
COVID-19: Seven-day rolling average is 2093 cases per day. Positive test rate is 5.9%. Over 2.1 million Minnesotans have received at least one vaccine dose.
Fourth virus wave is feared in Upper Midwest, by Madeleine Ngo and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times
FDA and CDC put a pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccinations.
Last Weekend
Saturday, April 10: To the surprise of nobody, Minnesota GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan was re-elected to a third term as chair of the state party. Read the recent profile of Carnahan by the Star Tribune, Jennifer Carnahan fights to stay atop Minnesota Republican Party.
Sunday, April 11: Daunte Wright was shot and killed by a Brooklyn Center police officer, sparking protests.
Key Events, Court Rulings & Executive Branch Developments
Monday, April 12: via Joe Nelson of Bring Me The News, “As the race between COVID-19 variants of concern and vaccination continues, Gov. Tim Walz is not yet ready to impose any new restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus. ‘At this point in time, we're in a hold pattern,’ Walz said this week, according to Fox 9.”
Monday, April 12: via Josh Verges of The Pioneer Press, “Minnesota schools must administer statewide math and reading tests this spring, but the results likely will not be used to identify struggling schools.”
Tuesday, April 13: Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, and Mayor Carter gave a press briefing on Tuesday to address the police killing of Daunte Wright.
Governor Walz issued a state of emergency for the seven-county metro area; Mayor Frey and Mayor Carter also instituted local curfews.
via The Recount, Governor Walz demands that the legislature take up public safety and police accountability bills: “We can stop pretending that this is just the natural order of the universe and things happen this way.”
Tuesday, April 13: Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Harrington told residents of Minneapolis to expect a strong presence of the National Guard around the city.
Wednesday, April 14: via Dareh Gregorian of NBC News, “President Joe Biden called for ‘peace and calm’ Monday in the wake of the ‘tragic’ fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota. ‘I haven't called Daunte Wright's family, but my prayers are with the family. It's really a tragic thing that happened,’ Biden told reporters in the Oval Office about Wright's death Sunday.”
Wednesday, April 14: via press release, “The Minnesota DFL Party is pleased to announce the hiring of Heidi Kraus Kaplan to serve as the party’s new Executive Director.”
Thursday, April 15: via Fred Melo of The Pioneer Press, “With the stated goal of creating housing for a wide range of income levels, Mayor Melvin Carter on Wednesday vetoed a recent St. Paul City Council vote against a major housing development planned near the intersection of Lexington Parkway and University Avenue.”
Friday, April 16: Union activists boot MN National Guard from St. Paul Labor Center, by Fred Melo of The Pioneer Press
Friday, April 16: via press release, “As community organizations who live and organize in Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis, and across the Twin Cities, we call on Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, Mayor Carter and Sheriff Hutchinson to stop ‘Operation Safety Net’ immediately. We are horrified by the state’s preemptive force against its people, and the compounding trauma caused by the state against Black, brown, and Indigenous communities. Executive leaders are fully in charge of this force and have the power to stop this harmful approach.”
Update from the Minnesota Legislature
Monday, April 12: via Brian Bakst of MPR News, “Minnesota lawmakers settle in this week for the part of session where they grind through budget votes — a process that will mean marathon floor sessions to debate sprawling bills.”
Monday, April 12: via Briana Bierschbach of Star Tribune, Minnesota’s 72 female legislators are playing a crucial role in creating policy and shaping the budget at the legislature.
Monday, April 12: via Tim Walker of Session Daily, “Helping business and employees weather and ultimately fully recover from economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is the ‘heart and soul’ of the House omnibus workforce and business development finance bill. So says Rep. Mohamud Noor (DFL-Mpls), who sponsors the bill and chairs the House Workforce and Business Development Finance and Policy Committee, which approved HF 1342 Friday, but not before tweaking it a bit with several amendments.”
Tuesday, April 13: Track progress on big issues at the Minnesota Legislature during the final five weeks of session, via Briana Bierschbach, Jessie Van Berkel, Stephen Montemayor and Patrick Condon of Star Tribune.
Follow The Session Slog from MPR for similar bill tracking during the final weeks of session.
Tuesday, April 13: So-called “vaccine passports” are not gaining steam among state lawmakers. Governor Walz says he has "no intention of doing vaccine passports."
Tuesday, April 13: via The Pioneer Press from Forum News Service, “The Minnesota Senate on Monday voted 46-21 to approve a plan to transition the state out of its eviction moratorium in an effort to allow landlords to have more flexibility to remove problem tenants.”
Wednesday, April 14: via Nate Gotlieb of Session Daily, “Minnesota's marijuana growers, distributors and sellers would need to meet environmental standards under the bill to legalize recreational cannabis, members of the House Environment and Natural Resource Finance and Policy Committee learned Monday.”
Wednesday, April 14: The Minnesota House passed the Energy Conservation and Optimization (ECO) Act of 2021 yesterday by a vote of 82-50. The bill is chief authored by Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids).
Wednesday, April 14: via press release from the Senate POCI caucus, “We are calling on Leader Gazelka, Speaker Hortman, and Governor Walz to suspend all policy and budget negotiations until both the House and Senate have heard and adopted legislation on police accountability. We will not tolerate delays and we will not allow Leader Gazelka to use Black lives as a bargaining chip during budget negotiations on the final days of session. Our communities cannot wait any longer.”
WATCH: POCI caucus hosts press conference outside of Brooklyn Center police department
Thursday, April 15: DFL Senators hosted a press conference with FairVote to discuss Ranked Choice Voting.
Thursday, April 15: via Tim Pugmire of MPR News, “In the aftermath of Sunday’s fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, a Minnesota House committee met Wednesday to take up four bills aimed at changing how police operate in the state.”
Thursday, April 15: via Ashley Hackett of MinnPost, “Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul Thissen, who wrote the unanimous opinion in the case, State of Minnesota v. Khalil, emphasized that the ‘intoxication loophole’ is a legislative problem, and that it can be fixed by Minnesota lawmakers instead of the court. A bipartisan bill sponsored by state Representatives Kelly Moller (DFL – Shoreview) and Marion O’Neill (R-Maple Lake) attempts to do that. The bill has been approved by the public safety and judiciary committees in the House, and the Senate is considering adding the change in law to its budget bill for the courts and public safety.”
Friday, April 16: via public letter, the Minnesota AFL-CIO commented on the presence of national guardsmen at the Saint Paul Labor Center: “As Labor leaders, we honor and respect the National Guard's service and commitment to our community, state, and country. In fact, many of these men and women are also proud union members. At the same time, for a significant portion of union members, their lived experiences in both foreign countries and this one, have made the military symbols of oppression in their eyes.”
Friday, April 16: via Twitter, House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt expressed support for Governor Walz’s firm stance on the presence of the national guard in the Twin Cities: “Thank you Governor Walz. This isn’t a partisan issue—our National Guardsmen deserve respect and thanks for keeping Minnesota safe. The unions involved in this incident need to apologize. #mnleg”
Congressional Delegation Update
Monday, April 12: via Dene Dryden of KNSI, “Minnesota’s Sixth District Congressman Tom Emmer and three other U.S. Representatives have sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to reconsider the proposed capital gains tax increase that would impact farmers.”
Monday, April 12: via Ashley Hackett of MinnPost, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are pushing the Marshall Plan for Moms, which would address child care funding, paid family leave, and systemic issues faced by mothers in the workforce.
Monday, April 12: via press release, “This week, U.S. Representative Angie Craig sent a letter to President Biden outlining her concerns related to the Administration's recent actions taken against employees who disclosed past cannabis use on employee background checks. In the letter, Representative Craig urges the President to clarify employment policies at the White House and remove past cannabis use as a potential disqualifier.”
Monday, April 12: via press release, Congresswoman Betty McCollum expressed support for President Biden’s budget proposals, stating, “I applaud President Biden’s proposed budget for its strong and responsible investments in critical domestic priorities and essential national security needs.”
Tuesday, April 13: via Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, “We are sick and heartbroken. In the closing days of Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, Brooklyn Center police killed 20 year old Daunte Wright, another Black man, during a traffic stop. This violence is a basic part of police interactions with communities of color. It must stop.”
Wednesday, April 14: via The Hill, “Apple will send an executive to testify later this month at a Senate antitrust subcommittee hearing after pushback from the top senators on the Judiciary subcommittee, the lawmakers said Monday.” U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar chairs the Senate antitrust subcommittee.
Wednesday, April 14: via WDIO, Congressman Pete Stauber says he does not support President Biden’s infrastructure plan “because only 6% is dedicated to roads and bridges and ports.”
Thursday, April 15: U.S. Senator Tina Smith joined The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss violence by law enforcement, police accountability, and the civil unrest in Brooklyn Center.
Thursday, April 15: via Mike Lillis of The Hill, Members of Congress are taking action to address racial inequities and police violence.
Thursday, April 15: via press release, Congressman Dean Phillips and members of the Problem Solvers Caucus had a meeting at the White House to discuss bipartisan solutions regarding infrastructure with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.
Friday, April 16: via Peter Callaghan of MinnPost, “More than $400 million for rental assistance is heading to Minnesota from the COVID relief act passed by Congress in December. Additional money — at least $152 million — is promised by the American Rescue Plan passed in March.”
Friday, April 16: via Oma Seddiq of Business Insider, Rep. Ilhan Omar shares details about her warm relationship with 'Auntie' Nancy Pelosi