Star Tribune
As he prepares to leave leadership, McConnell challenges Trump on foreign policy
Trump should ”commit to a significant and sustained increase in defense spending,” McConnell recommended, as well as investments in the defense industry and access to new military capabilities.
McConnell’s essay comes after years of an intensely complicated relationship with Trump, aligning with him when it served his purposes in the Senate while criticizing him behind his back and, to a lesser extent, in public. He did not speak to Trump for more than three years after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump’s supporters, but endorsed him earlier this year after it became clear that he would be the GOP presidential nominee.
The essay also comes as there is speculation about McConnell’s new role as a rank-and-file member, whether he will oppose some of Trump’s nominees and otherwise challenge him publicly now that he is freed from the responsibilities of leadership.
However that may play out, McConnell has made clear that he wants to cement his legacy by pushing the party to embrace the U.S. role as a global leader.
He writes that Trump will ”no doubt hear from some that he should prioritize a single theater and downgrade U.S. interests and commitments elsewhere,” including by elevating Asia at the expense of interests in Europe and the Middle East. But if ”the United States continues to retreat, its enemies will be only too happy to fill the void.”
‘’A Russian victory would not only damage the United States’ interest in European security and increase U.S. military requirements in Europe; it would also compound the threats from China, Iran, and North Korea,’’ McConnell writes.
Star Tribune
Angie Craig wins approval of panel to serve as ranking Democrat on House Agriculture Committee
A U.S. House panel that decides committee assignments has recommended Rep. Angie Craig serve as the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Agriculture Committee.
The House Steering and Policy Committee’s decision to back Craig was made on the first ballot. The Minnesota congresswoman was locked in a tight three-way race with incumbent ranking member Georgia Rep. David Scott and longtime California Democrat Rep. Jim Costa. A source familiar with the race said Craig received 34 votes, Costa 22 and Scott just 5.
“I am humbled to have earned the recommendation of the Steering and Policy Committee to serve as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture. I’m ready to help us win back rural Americans, and with them, a strong Democratic Majority. I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues across the full Democratic caucus tomorrow,” Craig said in a statement.
Though the House Steering and Policy Committee has made its recommendation, the contentious ranking member race is not over yet.
The full House Democratic caucus will need to vote on committee leadership elections, a vote that is expected to take place on Tuesday. The full caucus can vote differently from the House Steering and Policy, but Craig’s strong support from committee gives her an advantage.
Heading into Monday’s panel vote, some members of the House Agriculture Committee said Craig was a strong contender and had been working hard behind the scenes to earn their support.
Republicans will remain in charge of the House Agriculture Committee in the next Congress, as the GOP retained control of Congress in the November elections. The current chair of that committee is Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania. Scott is the first African-American to lead the committee, but he has been plagued by health issues.
Reporter Christopher Vondracek contributed to this report.
Star Tribune
A two-vehicle crash Monday morning in a Minneapolis neighborhood has left at least one person dead and other injured, officials said.
The vehicle on Emerson was occupied by a man and a woman, and they were taken by emergency medical responders to a hospital with critical injuries.
Lolo Samuelson told the Star Tribune she was walking to the store when she came upon the crash scene moments after impact.
She said one of the vehicles slammed into a Metro Transit bus stop, while the other ended up in a yard at the intersection. On the pavement was someone who was at the shelter when it was struck, she said.
Samuelson, 18, said she approached the station and saw a vehicle was on fire with one person inside “who wasn’t moving or anything like that. A lady, she was making noises, so I knew she was alive.”
Samuelson said she didn’t hesitate before going up to the burning vehicle.
“In that type of situation, you just want to make sure people are going to be OK,” she said. “Just give me a sign that you’re still responsive, that you’re still here.”
Some Minnesota Democrats are planning to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony of President-Elect Donald Trump, but others plan to sit it out or are still weighing whether to attend.
Trump’s inauguration will coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, a fierce critic of Trump, told Axios she plans to attend MLK events that day instead. “Why risk any chaos that might be up here?” the Minnesota Democrat said.
Omar won’t be the only Democrat ditching Trump’s inauguration. Axios reports that more than a dozen other congressional Democrats will not go.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who chairs the bipartisan Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, plans to attend Trump’s inauguration. The committee she leads is responsible for planning the event, working on everything from picking the inaugural theme to choosing who gets a speaker slot on inauguration day.
Rep. Angie Craig’s office confirmed she plans to attend Trump’s inauguration, as does incoming Rep. Kelly Morrison.
Sen. Tina Smith’s office said the senator is still finalizing her schedule and does not yet know if she will attend.
Rep. Betty McCollum is also still weighing whether to attend, but if she does not go, it will be for logistical reasons, her office said.
Minnesota’s four Republican members of Congress backed Trump’s 2024 White House and all four plan to attend.
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Angie Craig wins approval of panel to serve as ranking Democrat on House Agriculture Committee