(AP) — Former U.S. Senator David Durenberger, a Minnesota Republican who espoused a progressive brand of politics and criticized the GOP after his political career, died Tuesday at age 88. Durenberger’s health had declined in recent months, his longtime spokesperson Tom Horner said. Horner told The Associated Press that Durenberger died Tuesday morning of natural causes. He was at his…
Duluth, Minn. — Jen McEwen the DFL Senator from Duluth was the author of the bill. After the bill passed in the Senate, she said this, “Today (Saturday), the Minnesota Senate demonstrated that we will not simply put our faith in individual judges to uphold our rights and freedoms – we will also enshrine those rights into state statute. Minnesotans…
Duluth, Minn. — After 15 hours of debate, the Minnesota Senate passed the Protect Reproduction Options bill, known as the PRO bill. It wasn’t until about 3 AM Saturday morning that the Senate voted. The vote went straight along party lines, DFLers 34, Republicans 33. Democrats had fast tracked the bill to codify the abortion rights in the state. Proponents…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Senate began debate Friday on a bill to write broad protections for abortion rights into state statutes, which would make it difficult for future courts to roll back. Democratic legislative leaders have fast-tracked the bill as one of their top priorities for the 2023 session — in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last summer to reverse Roe…
(AP) — Video released publicly Friday shows the husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fighting with his assailant for control of a hammer moments before he was struck in the head during a brutal attack in the couple’s San Francisco home last year. The body-camera footage shows suspect David DePape wrest the tool from Paul Pelosi, 82, and…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Representative Pete Stauber (MN-08) said on Thursday that the Biden administration’s decision to section off 350-square miles of the Superior National Forest from mining projects for 20 years means that the U.S. could rely on child labor overseas. The decision was made due to environmental concerns of potential mining near the Rainy River Watershed close to…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A liberal judge running in a pivotal race to determine majority control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court touts her support for abortion rights in the first two television ads of the closely watched race launched Thursday. The winner of the April 4 election will determine whether the court remains under control of conservative justices or flips to a…
NEW YORK (AP) — Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home last week, his lawyer told the National Archives in a letter — the latest in a string of discoveries of confidential information in private residences. The records “appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed…
DULUTH, Minn. – As of Monday, there are three candidates who have confirmed their run: Current Mayor Emily Larson, former Duluth lawmaker Roger Reinert and Robert Schieve, a veteran who is retired. Shieve is the latest person to announce he’s running. He told FOX 21 Monday that he wants to give the city back to the community when it comes…
DULUTH, Minn. – As a third candidate says he’s running for Duluth’s next mayor, FOX 21 is confirming if anyone on the Duluth city council – current and former – is up for the challenge. Over the past week, we’ve heard back from all but one city councilor on whether they are running or thinking of running for mayor this…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four members of the Oath Keepers were convicted Monday of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack in the second major trial of far-right extremists accused of plotting to forcibly keep President Donald Trump in power. The verdict against Joseph Hackett of Sarasota, Florida; Roberto Minuta of Prosper, Texas; David Moerschel of Punta Gorda, Florida; and Edward…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI searched President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday and located additional documents with classified markings and also took possession of some of his handwritten notes, the president’s lawyer said Saturday. The president voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home, but the lack of a search warrant did not dim the extraordinary nature of…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Minnesota House Democrats passed an abortion bill during a floor vote Thursday night as the U.S. health and human services secretary visited the state to promote the move. The bill was passed on a 69-65 vote, with all Republicans and one Democrat (Gene Pelowski of Winona) voting no. The measure would guarantee abortion access in state law….
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Thursday it has not determined who leaked a draft of the court’s opinion overturning abortion rights, but that the investigation continues. Eight months after Politico published its explosive leak detailing the draft of Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, the court said its investigative team “has to date been unable to identify a person responsible…
DULUTH, Minn. – Councilor Janet Kennedy is making history as the first Black president of the city council. It was a unanimous vote by the council to elect Kennedy for the top spot. She replaces Arik Forsman, who remains on the council. “This is an historic time for all Duluthians and this election lifts up the voices of our African…
SUPERIOR, Wis. – Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez were on the campus of University of Wisconsin Superior Tuesday. They were there as part of a college campus listening tour before the Governor presents his budget proposal next month. There were about two dozen people who came to talk with the Governor and Lt. Governor about the…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House brushed aside criticism Tuesday of its fragmented disclosures about the discovery of classified documents and official records at President Joe Biden’s home and former office, saying it may withhold information to protect the Justice Department’s investigation. Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, told reporters that the White House was releasing information as…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to host Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for talks as the U.S. administration looks to persuade the Netherlands to further limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors with export restrictions. Tuesday’s wide-ranging talks are also expected to cover the countries’ efforts to thwart Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and an upcoming democracy summit, according to the White…
DULUTH, Minn. — As the Duluth mayoral race heats up, Mayor Emily Larson is squashing rumors that she and her husband, Doug, do not live in Duluth full time, but that she may actually live sometimes in Twin Cities. Below is Larson’s full post on Facebook Monday afternoon: (can’t actually believe I need to say this but here goes…) YES…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress on Friday that the U.S. is projected to reach its debt limit on Thursday and will then resort to “extraordinary measures” to avoid default. In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Yellen said her actions will buy time until Congress can pass legislation that will either raise the nation’s $31.4 trillion borrowing…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz signed his first bill of the 2023 session Thursday, legislation to simplify tax filing and save money for hundreds of thousands of Minnesota residents and businesses, including people with student loans and companies that received pandemic aid. The bill brings Minnesota’s tax code into conformity with federal tax rules. It’s one of several…
DULUTH, Minn. — After the official announcement from Roger Reinert about his campaign for Duluth mayor, Mayor Emily Larson release the follow statement, as well as highlights of her accomplishments over the past two terms: “Who leads the city matters. How they lead it matters more. Duluth needs a leader focused on solving problems. A leader with good, consistent values…
DULUTH, Minn. — Roger Reinert made it official Thursday morning in Duluth. He is running for Mayor. FOX 21’s Dan Hanger first reported the news Wednesday, and today Reinert appeared with supporters to say he would campaign under the slogan, “Expect More-Do Better.” The announcement ended any chance that Mayor Emily Larson will run unopposed this November. Reinert made his…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel to investigate the presence of documents with classified markings found at President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at an office in Washington. The announcement followed Biden’s acknowledgement Thursday morning that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his personal library,…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden acknowledged on Thursday that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his “personal library” at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, along with other documents found in his garage, days after it was disclosed that sensitive documents were also found at the office of his former institute in Washington. Biden…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is moving forward with a proposal that would lower student debt payments for millions of Americans now and in the future, offering a new route to repay federal loans under far more generous terms. President Joe Biden announced the repayment plan in August, but it was overshadowed by his sweeping plan to slash or eliminate…
WASHINGTON (AP) — After an epic 15-ballot election to become House speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy faces his next big test in governing a fractious, slim majority: passing a rules package to govern the House. The drafting and approval of a set of rules is normally a fairly routine legislative affair, but in these times, it’s the next showdown for the embattled McCarthy. To become speaker…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Such are the fractures in the country, between the political parties and inside the Republican Party itself, that one time-honored specialty of Washington — memorializing and coming together over national trauma — isn’t what it used to be. Friday’s moment of silence at the Capitol to contemplate the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on it was expected to draw mostly…
A group of Minnesota lawmakers and others are pushing to legalize marijuana this legislative session. They gathered in St. Paul to say Minnesotans want marijuana legal for adults. The group also includes growers, business owners and those who want to sell cannabis. A key part of the legislation would expunge criminal records of pot-related charges or convictions. Sen. Clare Oumou…
WASHINGTON (AP) — For a long and frustrating third day, divided Republicans left the speaker’s chair of the U.S. House sitting empty Thursday, as party leader Kevin McCarthy failed and failed again in an excruciating string of ballots to win enough GOP votes to seize the chamber’s gavel. Pressure was building as McCarthy lost a seventh, eighth and historic ninth round of…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday said it would immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, a major expansion of an existing effort to stop Venezuelans attempting to enter the U.S. Instead, the administration will accept 30,000 people per month from the four nations for two years and offer the ability to legally…
The Minnesota DFL party has the Governor’s office, and the majority in both the House and Senate. And party leaders said Wednesday they are all on the same page when it comes to priorities. At a joint press briefing of the House and Senate at the Capitol, DFL leaders said allowing women to make their own decisions about abortion will…
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans flailed through a second day of multiple balloting Wednesday, unable to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker or to come up with a new strategy to end the political chaos that has tarnished the start of their new majority. For a fifth time, Republicans nominated McCarthy as their speaker as the House plunged deeper into disarray….
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was dealt a historic defeat in first-round voting Tuesday to become House speaker, vowing to try again but sending the new Congress into opening day tumult as conservative colleagues opposed his leadership. McCarthy had pledged a “battle on the floor” for as long as it takes to overcome right-flank fellow Republicans who were refusing to…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took his oath of office for a second term Monday, calling for new spending on public education as Democrats take full control of state government. Walz was sworn in after the four other statewide officers, including his lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan. Democrats will take control of the state Legislature during lawmakers’ swearing-in on…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Destroyed documents. Suggestions of pardoning violent rioters. Quiet talks among cabinet officials about whether then-President Donald Trump should be removed from office. Interview transcripts released by House investigators in recent days — more than 100 so far — give further insight into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and the weeks leading up to it, as Trump tried to overturn…
(AP) — Democrats in Congress released six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, the culmination of a yearslong effort to learn more about the finances of a onetime business mogul who broke decades of political precedent when he refused to voluntarily release the information as he sought the White House. The returns, which include redactions of some…
DULUTH, Minn. – Senator Amy Klobuchar visited the DECC Thursday to highlight federal funding secured last week that will go to projects in the Northland. This funding is through the Fiscal Year 2023 federal budget and will be used to improve infrastructure, expand housing resources, and support workforce development. Specific projects include giving CHUM $2 million dollars to help with…
DULUTH, Minn. – Mayor Emily Larson held a news conference Tuesday to provide a year-end progress report. (Click here for the city’s press release on the report) Her priorities fell into four categories this year, as she outlined in her State of the City address earlier in the year: Economic development, public safety, connectivity and sustainability. While she said she’s…
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The co-leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years in prison for conspiring to abduct the Democrat and blow up a bridge to ease an escape. Adam Fox’s sentence is the longest of anyone convicted in the plot so far, though it’s significantly shorter than the life sentence that…
WASHINGTON (AP) — When he ran for the White House, Joe Biden told voters his presidency would be a bridge to the next generation. His first two years on the job have revealed it to be a much more ambitious venture. As he nears the halfway mark on his first term, Biden is pointing to legacy-defining achievements on climate change, domestic manufacturing…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed a nearly $858 billion defense spending bill into law Friday despite his opposition to a Republican-backed provision in the legislation that repeals the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for U.S. troops. Biden had agreed with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s determination that lifting the mandate was not in the best interest of troops or the military,…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee’s final report asserts that Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol, concluding an extraordinary 18-month investigation into the former president and the violent insurrection two years ago. Trump “lit that fire,”…
DULUTH. Minn. — Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar was a member of the Congressional Escort Committee for Zelenskyy’s Visit. She briefly met with Ukraine’s president and reiterated the United States support for Ukraine. The senator said “…congress is coming together before the end of the year to provide additional security and humanitarian assistance…” Tina Smith, Minnesota’s other senator said, “It was…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill Thursday that finances federal agencies through September and provides another large round of aid to Ukraine one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dramatic address to a joint meeting of Congress. The bill, which runs for 4,155 pages, includes about $772.5 billion for domestic programs and $858 billion…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The idea of a daring wartime trip by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington had percolated for some time before the surprise visit was revealed just hours ahead of the Ukrainian president’s arrival. During an October summit in Zagreb, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed with her counterpart in the Ukrainian parliament the prospect of Zelenskyy addressing the U.S. Congress. Biden administration officials…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid a defiant wartime visit to Washington on Wednesday to thank U.S. leaders and “ordinary Americans” for their support in fighting off Russia’s invasion and to press for continued aid in the brutal months to come. President Joe Biden and Congress responded with billions in new assistance and a pledge to help Ukraine…
NEW YORK (AP) — The Republican Party quickly and forcefully rallied behind Donald Trump in the hours after federal agents seized classified documents from his Florida estate this summer. Four months later, that sense of intensity and urgency was missing — at least for now — after the Jan. 6 House committee voted to recommend the Justice Department bring criminal charges against him. Leading…
DULUTH, Minn. — Teamsters Local 320, which represents plow drivers and other public works employees with St. Louis County, voted Monday night to authorize an intent to strike. Union President Erik Skoog told FOX 21 the vote was 99 percent in favor for the potential strike. Skoog said the only change in the offer over the weekend by email…
The U.S. House committee has been investigating the violent insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and held a final hearing at 12 p.m. Monday. The committee voted on possible criminal referrals to the Justice Department. The final report will be published Wednesday. The referral is from the Associated Press below. (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee has…
