Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush presents his state’s formula for student achievement, then holds a news conference together with Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and House Speaker Kurt Zellers (GOP). DFL legislators then respond.
The top U.S. and NATO Commander in Afghanistan General David Patraeus spoke out Sunday against Florida pastor Terry Jone’s burning of the Holy Quran last month. The action sparked violence protest and death in Afghanistan.
“We condemn the action of an individual in the United States who burned a holy Quran. That action was hateful, intolerant and it was extremely disrespectful. And again we condemn it in the strongest manner possible,” said Patraeus.
Campaign Cash Watch
by Zach Carter, Media Consortium
Welcome to the final edition of Campaign Cash, which tracked political spending during this year’s midterm elections. Stay tuned for more reporting on money in politics from members of The Media Consortium. To see more stories on campaign funding, follow the Twitter hashtag #campaigncash.
Anonymous millionaires just helped elect dozens of ultraconservative congressional candidates, by pumping millions of dollars into national Tea Party organizations. And guess what’s at the top of the legislative to-do list for those same Tea Party groups? Blocking campaign finance reform legislation.
As Stephanie Mencimer explains for Mother Jones, one of the nation’s largest Tea Party organizations, the Tea Party Patriots, is already coming out guns-a-blazing against any lame duck effort to crack down on secret corporate spending in elections.
And with good cause. The Tea Party’s appeal, after all, is based on its populist, grassroots image. If anybody knew that secret right-wing millionaires were bankrolling the entire operation, the “movement” would lose its luster.
But whether reformers are able to force front-groups to disclose their donors or not, the broader effort to eliminate undue corporate influence from the political process will take years.
A baby Sperm whale will likely be euthanized because it appears to be injured and its mother can not be found. The nine-foot whale was spotted at the Miami Beach Marina on Tuesday around mid-day.
Injured in the head, dorsal area and tail flukes, the calf might have been hurt by a boat, said Liz Tuohy-Sheen, assistant stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s southeast region.
Orphaned and in poor health, the decision was made to euthanize the whale, said Shelley Dawicki, spokeswoman for NOAA fisheries.
But then the calf swam out the marina and into Biscayne Bay making it difficult to safely euthanize it, Dawicki said.
Members of NOAA’s marine animal stranding network will monitor the whale until Wednesday.
President Obama and his family enjoy a “pressure packed” game of mini golf while vacationing in Florida.
Perido Key, Florida – The Lee Boy Sand Shark beach cleaning machine was demonstrated on the beaches of the National Park, Aug. 10, 2010. The owner of the company that makes the machine, Kelly Majeskie describes how the Sand Shark works.
Photo: President Barack Obama and daughter Sasha swim at Alligator Point in Panama City Beach, Fla. The President traveled to Panama City Beach with First Lady Michelle Obama and Sasha to meet with local business owners and officials and to encourage Americans to travel to the Gulf Coast beaches. August 14, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Video: President Obama speaks from Panama City, Florida on the efforts that succeeded in containing the BP oil spill and reminds Americans that beaches along the Gulf Coast are open and that Gulf seafood is being tested and confirmed to be safe to eat.
Central Florida McCain Chairman Lewis Oliver on ACORN, paid volunteers, republicans limiting hours and locations of polling stations in Florida, and voter turn out tactics used by the McCain campaign.
Video by Sam Mayfield
Despite polls that show Barack Obama ahead, one McCain stratagist sees a scenerio that will give victory to John McCain. Lewis Oliver is the Chairman of McCain’s campaign in Central Florida. He says little things such as Palin on Saturday Night Live and gaffs by Joe Biden have given McCain momentum and undecideds will break towards the candidate who looks like he is going to win.
The federal government and 49 state attorneys general have reached a landmark $25 billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers to address mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuses.
President Obama announces ten states have agreed to implement bold reforms around standards and accountability will receive flexibility from the most burdensome mandates of the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind.
The President meets an 8th grader named Joey from Phoenix, AZ at the White House Science Fair and the two launch a marshmallow across the state dining room with Joey’s science project – an air cannon.
The housing crisis has been the single largest drag on America’s economic recovery. President Obama wants to fix that fairly for homeowners who have been responsible, but not the ones who took out huge mortgages or bought multiple homes.
Netflix’s top lawyer tries to convince a US Senate committee that laws need to be changed so it can offer a video sharing app on Facebook. A University of Minnesota Law Professor says that’s not so.
A bill recently passed in the US House could make it easier for video companies to disclose viewer information. Who should know what you’re watching? Senator Al Franken leads a hearing.
“One senator gumming up the works for the whole country is certainly not what our founding fathers envisioned.”— President Obama about Utah Senator Mike Lee in his weekly address
President Obama unveils his proposal to keep college costs lower and provide students with enough financial aid so they can attend. He speaks at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
President Obama is on a five state tour promoting the economic proposals he made in his State of The Union address. He started in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at Conveyer Engineering and then into Arizona to an Intel plant. Thursday he want to Las Vegas and Denver.
Representative Giffords recently resigned from congress to focus on her recovery from an assassination attempt last year.
More than 300 Minnesotans gathered at the State Capitol and at Wells Fargo Place in downtown Saint Paul to raise their voices in opposition to the proposed photo ID amendment.
Governor Dayton announced he is vetoing a set of Republican authored bills aimed at making it harder to sue in court. Legislative leaders react to the Governor’s veto.
Joe Webb wants his mentally ill son to live closer to home. But cuts made last year in Minnesota’s mental health budget are preventing that.
Senator Barb Goodwin raises objections to H.F. 1467 Defense of Dwelling and Person Act.
She says it should have another hearing since a New York Times article showed that Minnesota has problems with felons easily getting back their firearms once they are released from prison.
Senator Julianne Ortman’s bill to shorten Minnesota’s statute of limitations passes despite her saying some of the issues in it could go back to the Judiciary committee
Hear what DFL caucus goers are concerned and optimistic about.
Vouchers for college? Minnesota’s Higher Education Director Larry Pogemiller says he’s open to the idea.
TakeAction Minnesota releases a report outlining Minnesota-based financial interests behind efforts to secure a photo ID amendment on the state’s November 2012 ballot.
It’s not often that a half dozen religious leaders come calling with a cadre of television cameras in tow to Senate Majority Leader David Senjem’s office.
Religious leaders of various faiths hold a press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol voicing their opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment requiring a photo ID for the purpose of voting.
The Northside Economic Opportunity Network works with small businesses and micro-businesses in North Minneapolis to help them achieve success.
As we’ve been reporting for the past six months, many tornado victims who need help still haven’t gotten it.
Occupy MN is occupying Monique White’s house at 3310 N. 6th St. in the city’s downtrodden North Minneapolis neighborhood. In doing so, Occupy MN instantly made itself more diverse, and more relevant.
When administrators revealed a plan last spring to shut down North High School — one of only two public schools on Minneapolis’ embattled north side — MN Neighborhoods Organizing for Change and other activists answered the call.
North Minneapolis food entrepreneurs use Kindred Kitchen to learn about starting their own business, making their food safely and legally in a commercial kitchen, and marketing it within the community.
Voters should pick their politicians, not the other way around. That’s the thought behind Draw The Line Minnesota, a citizen group that is working to draw the maps for congressional and legislative districts.
This year’s FLOW art crawl was all about recognizing thousands of volunteers that helped with the clean-up and recovery efforts after the May 22nd tornado. Leaders hope the positive can-do attitude of the cleanup can power a rebirth of the Northside.
After their home in North Minneapolis was destroyed by the May 22 tornado, Dennis and Deborah were forced to seek refuge in the local Armory and at the North Commons Recreation Center. For weeks, they and their five children slept on cots on the floor of a gymnasium.
Her home destroyed and now condemned, north Minneapolis tornado victim Joyce Chineth feels abandoned by the system.
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