October 31, 2005 - White House Rebuffs Calls for Shakeup
"The White House on Monday rebuffed calls for a staff shakeup, the firing of Karl Rove and an apology by President Bush for the role of senior administration officials in the unmasking of CIA operative Valerie Plame..."
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October 31, 2005 - War Powers in the Age of Terror
WHEN senators this month asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about possible military action against Syria or Iran, she recited the administration's standard response: all options remain "on the table." Pressed on whether any such action might require congressional authorization, Ms. Rice demurred. "I don't want to try and circumscribe presidential war powers," she said, adding that "the president retains those powers in the war on terrorism and in the war in Iraq."
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October 31, 2005 - Here's how to right America's listing fiscal ship
"It is not hard these days to find intelligent critiques of the budget policy and fiscal record of the Bush administration. Conservative and liberal think tanks alike grind out fresh analyses of the risks in the chronic refusal of the Republicans who govern the country to pay the bills they are amassing here and overseas..."
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October 31, 2005 - Bush nominates Alito for Supreme Court
"President Bush named Appeals Court Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court on Monday, hoping to usher in a historic new era of judicial conservatism while ending a Republican divide that doomed an earlier nomination..."
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October 30, 2005 - The House's Abuse of Patriotism
"In the national anguish after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Congress rushed to enact a formidable antiterrorism law - the Patriot Act - that significantly crimped civil liberties by expanding law enforcement's power to use wiretaps, search warrants and other surveillance techniques, often under the cloak of secrecy. There was virtually no public debate before these major changes to the nation's legal system were put into effect..."
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October 30, 2005 - Calls for White House shakeup focus on Karl Rove
"U.S. President George W. Bush, whose top adviser Karl Rove remains in jeopardy in a CIA-leak probe, needs to shake up his White House staff if he hopes to revive a presidency reeling from multiple setbacks, Republican and Democratic lawmakers said on Sunday..."
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October 30, 2005 - What happened to the Minnesota miracle?
"Who smothered the Minnesota Miracle — the legendary 1971 agreement between a Republican Legislature and a DFL governor to shift the bulk of K-12 school funding to the state level to provide fairness and stability to the school finance system? There are so many hands on that pillow we're afraid even Sherlock Holmes couldn't secure an indictment and make an arrest..."
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October 30, 2005 - Open space, taxes hang in balance
"It's up to Woodbury voters on Election Day to decide if they're willing to part with some green to gain some green — green space, that is..."
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October 29, 2005 - Libby indictment raises questions about Cheney, other officials
"The 22-page indictment against White House adviser I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby raises a host of questions that are likely to hang over the Bush administration for months, including whether Vice President Dick Cheney had a direct role in revealing the identity of a CIA employee..."
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October 29, 2005 - Ethics woes could hurt GOP in '06
"The indictment of a top White House aide Friday ratcheted up the likelihood that ethics in government will become a key theme in the midterm elections now just a year away..."
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October 28, 2005 - Editorial: Chris Coleman best choice for St. Paul
"Minnesota's capital city has made important strides in recent years. It benefits from attractive riverfront development, the addition of several thousand housing units and new transportation connections and enhancements..."
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October 28, 2005 - Government's largesse exposes small hypocrisy
"It's so easy to have a philosophy. But so hard to live it. Take the case of Ron Carey, who became chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota in June because many party activists feared that Gov. Tim (No New Taxes) Pawlenty was becoming too big a spender..."
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October 28, 2005 - Cheney aide Libby charged, resigns
"Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby, was indicted on Friday on five criminal counts of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements after a two-year investigation into the leak of a covert CIA operative's identity..."
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October 26, 2005 - State politicians skirt responsibility on property taxes
"What do record budget deficits, the need for new school funding and increased property taxes all have in common?.."
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October 28, 2005 - Bush views world through a closed mind
"One of the most important critiques of George W. Bush's foreign policy has just been put forward by a close friend of his father..."
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October 28, 2005 - House Mulls Cuts to Subsidies, Food Stamps
"A plan to curb spending on farm subsidies and food stamps faced a test in a House committee, as lawmakers will work Friday to finish drafting a broader plan to slow the automatic growth of federal spending programs..."
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October 27, 2005 - Entenza wants to be top dog
"Saying he intends to be the "consumer watchdog for Minnesota," state House Minority Leader Matt Entenza on Wednesday formally announced his candidacy for attorney general..."
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October 27, 2005 - White House Awaits Fitzgerald's Next Move
"Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald huddled with his legal team Thursday as two key White House aides awaited their fate in the CIA leak probe..."
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October 27, 2005 - 2,000 dead in Iraq a time for grief and realism
"When a U.S. soldier dies in Iraq, the pain that sears through his or her family is nearly unbearable. And a persistent question nags: Was it worth it?..."
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October 27, 2005 - Miers withdraws as Supreme Court nominee
"President George W. Bush's embattled nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, White House counsel Harriet Miers, announced on Thursday she was withdrawing her name from consideration..."
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October 26, 2005 - A duty to nation and to conscience: A conversation on refusing to fight
"On Monday, University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis sponsored a forum at the University of Minnesota about conscientious objection to military service..."
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October 26, 2005 - Mood is sour on Bush, Congress
"Americans are increasingly critical of President Bush and dissatisfied with the Republicans who have controlled Congress for a decade, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll finds..."
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October 26, 2005 - Americans give Democrats an edge on issues in Congress
"Jack Schrader and Kriss King exemplify the type of voters that the Democratic Party needs to win over in next year's elections..."
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October 25, 2005 - Families, Soldiers Feel Impact of 2,000 Casualty Mark in Iraq
"Two thousand U.S. servicemen and women have now died since the invasion of Iraq two-and-a-half years ago..."
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October 25, 2005 - Senate panel backs $10 billion in health care cuts
"The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved $10 billion in Medicaid and Medicare savings as part of a broader effort by congressional Republicans to trim spending and approve additional tax cuts..."
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October 25, 2005 - Lawmakers vote to allow privatizing US food stamps
"House and Senate negotiators working on a $100 billion agriculture spending bill voted on Tuesday to allow states to privatize the food stamp program, which helps 25 million people put food on the table monthly..."
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October 25, 2005 - Most Americans lack confidence in leaders - poll
"Seventy-three percent of Americans lack confidence in their leaders and a majority believe the country would be better off with more women in power, a survey showed on Tuesday..."
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October 25, 2005 - In Washington's scandal shuffle, perjury really isn't the point
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October 25, 2005 - Policy decisions drive widening income gap
"A new report adds more evidence to what Americans know but our leaders continue to ignore: The gap between the rich and poor continues to grow..."
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October 25, 2005 - Hatch makes his run official
"He is the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's leading vote-getter and its only elected statewide official. So when Attorney General Mike Hatch formally announced his long-expected candidacy for governor Monday, he became the immediate front-runner for the DFL nomination..."
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October 25, 2005 - White House Sidesteps Cheney Questions
"The White House on Tuesday sidestepped questions about whether Vice President Dick Cheney passed on to his top aide the identity of a CIA officer central to a federal grand jury probe..."
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October 25, 2005 - Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks dies
"Rosa Parks, the black seamstress whose refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man sparked a revolution in American race relations, died on Monday. The U.S. civil rights pioneer was 92..."
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October 24, 2005 - Congress seeks cuts as debt hits $8 trillion
"Republicans in Congress will try to pass spending cuts this week, after war, anti-terrorism efforts, hurricanes and big tax cuts helped push the government's debt load through the $8 trillion mark..."
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October 24, 2005 - 2006 candidates get early start
"State Senate candidate Scott Schulte is ringing doorbells in Coon Rapids, even though he doesn't have brochures to drop off yet..."
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October 24, 2005 - Judge races could soon get nasty
"In many states, supreme court candidates run hardball television ads accusing their opponents of releasing child molesters from prison and other unsavory behavior..."
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October 24, 2005 - eter Rogness: Making our deficit bigger, poor poorer and rich richer
"Webster defines the word "reconcile" as "to cause to be friendly again, to bring back to harmony." Strange, then, to see a host of leaders rise up from the religious and non-profit sectors to stand against reconciliation..."
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October 23, 2005 - War, hurricanes and probe add up to slump for Bush
"Nearly a year after his re-election, President George W. Bush is in a slump caused by the Iraq war, two hurricanes and a criminal investigation centering on two top White House aides. Republicans are nervously hoping for a rebound..."
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October 23, 2005 - There is still a lot of fat in the federal budget
"A few weeks ago, the Republican House leadership claimed the federal budget had been cut to the bone and there was no room for more spending reductions. Then, Majority Leader Tom DeLay was forced to step aside, producing a leadership shakeup. Suddenly the bones aren't as bare as previously thought..."
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October 23, 2005 - Mayor must make St. Paul best place in Midwest for small firms to grow
"St. Paul should be the best place in the Upper Midwest for a small company to grow. Those are the businesses that create the most jobs and the best jobs. They fit most easily into the existing fabric of our neighborhoods. And they provide opportunities for people of color and new immigrants to build community wealth..."
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October 21, 2005 -Fixing education's future:
"As Mary Cecconi spoke to area residents Thursday night about the future of public education, she wasn't surprised to see she was delivering her message to an audience whose grandchildren and great-grandchildren are in school..."
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October 20, 2005 - DeLay Booked in Houston on Charges
"Rep. Tom DeLay turned himself in Thursday at the sheriff's office and was fingerprinted, photographed and released on $10,000 bail on conspiracy and money-laundering charges..."
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October 20, 2005 - Blaming Media in Leak Case Not Working
"The evidence prosecutors have assembled in the CIA leak case suggests Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff sought out reporters in the weeks before an undercover operative's identity was compromised in the news media, casting doubt on one of the White House's main lines of defense..."
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October 20, 2005 - House passes gun lawsuit shield legislation
"The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed and sent to President George W. Bush for his signature legislation giving the U.S. gun industry sweeping protection from civil lawsuits..."
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October 20, 2005 - The evolution of creationism
"In 1987, the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that forbade teaching evolution in public schools unless creationism were also taught. The court found creationism to be a religious belief..."
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October 19, 2005 - Editorial: State should study school readiness
"Surveys of kindergartners in the last three years have been a canary-in-the-coal-mine indicator for Minnesota's future -- and a sputtering canary at that. That's why it's a shame the survey isn't being conducted this year. It wasn't funded by the 2005 Legislature..."
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October 19, 2005 - CIA Leak Scandal: Proof Bush Lied? A Final Report To Come?
"In a story posted on Tuesday night, The New York Times, citing unnamed government officials, said that special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, "is not expected to take any action" in the CIA leak case this week..."
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October 19, 2005 - Vote on spending cuts in flux
"House Republican leaders acknowledged Wednesday that they might not be able to round up the votes necessary this week to pass a budget amendment designed to increase planned cuts in federal benefit programs to $50 billion over five years..."
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October 19, 2005 - Mailing confirms Hatch's candidacy
"For years, Minnesota political insiders have expected Attorney General Mike Hatch to run for governor in 2006. Now, Hatch finally has confirmed that he will do so..."
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October 18, 2005 - President's tax panel suggests putting limits on popular deduction
"President Bush's tax panel on Tuesday backed two similar plans to overhaul the nation's income tax system that would eliminate or revise many current deductions and tax investment and business income more lightly..."
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October 18, 2005 - The relationship between evolution and income
"As the debate over "intelligent design" continues in a Pennsylvania courtroom comes this fascinating snapshot of American public opinion:..."
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October 18, 2005 - Yearning for learning
"Before Frank and Jill Roffers moved from their south Minneapolis home this year, they embarked on a targeted search. The main criterion: excellent schools for their children, ages 2 and 3. They found that, plus a house they liked, in Edina..."
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October 17, 2005 - What goes around ...
"We are on the verge of an extraordinary moment in American politics. The people running our government are about to face their day -- or days -- in court..."
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October 15, 2005 - Pawlenty rejects session — for now
"Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Friday he has decided not to call a special legislative session "at this time," after weeks of talks to push through plans for new sports stadiums, including a new on-campus football stadium for the University of Minnesota, apparently ended without a resolution..."
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October 15, 2005 - The Clean Water Act
"The Clean Water Act of 1972, one of the most successful and popular of the environmental laws enacted under Richard Nixon, will turn 33 next week. But what should be a celebratory moment is tinged by concern arising from the Supreme Court's decision this week to accept two cases that challenge the law's reach and constitutionality..."
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October 15, 2005 - License to Torture
"THE most profound issue that will face the Supreme Court in the coming years is not the one animating many of the conservatives angry at Harriet Miers's nomination to the court, abortion. It is presidential power..."
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October 15, 2005 - City not rejecting noise walls — yet
"Woodbury city officials are considering a policy opposing the construction of noise walls along commercial or residential streets unless another agency is willing to pay for them..."
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October 13, 2005 - George Latimer: Chris Coleman The former City Council member is a bridge builder who has the right priorities and can bring St. Paul together. Coleman is a bridge builder
"When asked to write a piece on my reasons for endorsing Chris Coleman for mayor of St. Paul, I revisited Mary Lethert Wingerd's excellent history of our city, "Claiming the City." In it, she details the primacy of place in shaping the city. Its hills and hollows, its river flats and bluffs created some parochialism, but also pride and a sense of belonging..."
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October 14, 2005 - Is impeachment a probability?
"If something newsworthy happens and no real investigative reporters are around to report on it, did it really happen? Probably not..."
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October 14, 2005 - Rove spends hours before grand jury
"U.S. President George W. Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, testified at length on Friday for a fourth time before a grand jury investigating the leak of a covert CIA operative's identity, as prosecutors neared a decision on whether to bring charges..."
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October 13, 2005 - Take another look at teachers' salaries
"In the midst of her rambling tirade, railing against the “education establishment,” Kate Carlsen implies that the priorities of District 834 are out of line because the average teacher salary ranks third out of 167 Minnesota districts..."
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October 13, 2005 - November election will address important questions
"Looming in November is a school board race of infinite proportions. Will the candidates assist us with high classroom sizes, the need for legislative buy-in of school funding, transportation funding, etc?"
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October 13, 2005 - Taxes could rise more than 15%
"Preliminary tax levies set by St. Paul, Ramsey County and the St. Paul school district would add up to property tax increases for homeowners of more than 15 percent next year, according to a new projection by the nonpartisan research staff of the Minnesota House..."
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October 13, 2005 - SEC subpoenas Frist in stock sale probe-sources
"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been subpoenaed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Comission to turn over records in a probe of possible insider trading, sources close to the case said on Thursday..."
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October 12, 2005 - The Nexus of Politics and Terror
"Last Thursday on Countdown, I referred to the latest terror threat - the reported bomb plot against the New York City subway system - in terms of its timing..."
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October 12, 2005 - Bush approval rating dips to 39 percent - poll
"President George W. Bush's job approval rating has fallen to a new low of 39 percent in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday..."
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October 12, 2005 - The Heat Death of American Dreams
" A number of news reports and commentary on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have linked the disasters to global warming. Almost nobody noticed a crucial scientific finding, two weeks earlier, that foreshadows disasters on a far greater scale in the decades to come..."
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October 12, 2005 - Beware government that spins the news
"It is wrong for the government to disguise positive commentary about its activities as news, and doubly wrong to hide its behind-the-scene manipulations of the data from audiences. When other governments do this — particularly those in authoritarian or communist countries — we denounce it as propaganda..."
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October 12, 2005 - NWA asks that labor contracts be rejected
"Northwest Airlines Corp. filed a motion Wednesday to have its labor contracts rejected if it can't agree to new terms with its unions. The move was expected as the company works through Chapter 11 bankruptcy..."
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October 12, 2005 - House GOP says no to fall session
"The prospects of the Minnesota Legislature returning to St. Paul this fall for a special session on stadiums went from slim to virtually none on Tuesday..."
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October 11, 2005 - What's The Matter With What's The Matter With Kansas
"I'm a Tom Frank fan. I think he's a wonderful and passionate writer. But, now a respected political scientist is arguing that the "Great Backlash" Frank chronicled in his last book, in which "conservatives won the heart of America" and created a "dominant political coalition" by convincing Kansans and blue-collar, working-class people to vote against their own economic interests in order to defend traditional cultural values against bicoastal elites "isn't actually happening--at least, not in anything like the way Frank portrays..."
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October 10, 2005 - All politics is local? Think again
"St. Paul may have a reputation for its colorful and sometimes quirky political leaders, but never has a mayor's race captured the attention of so many politicians on the national scene..."
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October 10, 2005 - Wetterling joins Senate race
" Patty Wetterling said Sunday the next step in her public journey, which began with her son Jacob's abduction in 1989, will be her run in the 2006 race for U.S. Senate..."
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October 10, 2005 - The Bush coalition is unraveling at the seams
"Three front-page headlines on a single day last week testified to the unraveling of the Bush presidency..."
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October 9, 2005 - Bush battles GOP split on Miers
"After a blistering week, the White House is scrambling to control a conservative uprising over the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. President Bush was pitching his choice directly to the public on Saturday as his Republican allies plotted strategy to shore up support..."
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October 9, 2005 - Are mortgage tax breaks in danger?
"Just as the U.S. housing boom appears to be slowing, debate is starting among policymakers about reining in one of the most sacred cows of U.S. public policy: the mortgage-interest deduction and other generous tax benefits granted to homeowners..."
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October 9, 2005 - Study says few children benefit from tax credits
"More than a quarter of U.S. children -- and half of black children -- belong to families too poor to fully qualify for the $1,000-a-year child tax credit that President Bush signed four years ago and has cited in arguing that his program of sweeping tax cuts helps low-income families, a new study has found..."
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October 8, 2005 - State to aid faith-based groups
"Minnesota will have its own state council on faith-based initiatives -- styled after the federal effort -- thanks to an executive order signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Friday..."
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October 7, 2005 - Arianna Huffington: Bush on Terror Plots: More Numbers that Don’t Add Up
"In his never-ending attempt to link Iraq and 9/11, the president made the claim this week that America had no choice but to remain in Iraq, lest Al Qaeda be able to use it as a terrorist base..."
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October 7, 2005 - Senate OKs $50 billion more for wars
"The Senate voted Friday to give President Bush $50 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and U.S. military efforts against terrorism, money that would push total spending for the operations beyond $350 billion..."
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October 7, 2005 - Oops!
"Should Gov. Tim Pawlenty be watching his "p's" and "f's"?..."
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October 7, 2005 - Editorial: Cold War II?/That's Bush's view on Iraq
"No one is quite certain why the White House made such an effort to frame President Bush's Thursday speech on terrorism as a "major address." There were no new policy initiatives to announce, no personnel changes or military actions to talk about..."
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October 7, 2005 - Nick Coleman: Pardon my French, but gov's slip was apropos
"Gov. Tim Pawlenty was just supposed to drop the puck, but he dropped something else at Wednesday night's return of professional hockey to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul: The effenheimer..."
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"The White House on Monday rebuffed calls for a staff shakeup, the firing of Karl Rove and an apology by President Bush for the role of senior administration officials in the unmasking of CIA operative Valerie Plame..."
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October 31, 2005 - War Powers in the Age of Terror
WHEN senators this month asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about possible military action against Syria or Iran, she recited the administration's standard response: all options remain "on the table." Pressed on whether any such action might require congressional authorization, Ms. Rice demurred. "I don't want to try and circumscribe presidential war powers," she said, adding that "the president retains those powers in the war on terrorism and in the war in Iraq."
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October 31, 2005 - Here's how to right America's listing fiscal ship
"It is not hard these days to find intelligent critiques of the budget policy and fiscal record of the Bush administration. Conservative and liberal think tanks alike grind out fresh analyses of the risks in the chronic refusal of the Republicans who govern the country to pay the bills they are amassing here and overseas..."
Read More....
October 31, 2005 - Bush nominates Alito for Supreme Court
"President Bush named Appeals Court Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court on Monday, hoping to usher in a historic new era of judicial conservatism while ending a Republican divide that doomed an earlier nomination..."
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October 30, 2005 - The House's Abuse of Patriotism
"In the national anguish after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Congress rushed to enact a formidable antiterrorism law - the Patriot Act - that significantly crimped civil liberties by expanding law enforcement's power to use wiretaps, search warrants and other surveillance techniques, often under the cloak of secrecy. There was virtually no public debate before these major changes to the nation's legal system were put into effect..."
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October 30, 2005 - Calls for White House shakeup focus on Karl Rove
"U.S. President George W. Bush, whose top adviser Karl Rove remains in jeopardy in a CIA-leak probe, needs to shake up his White House staff if he hopes to revive a presidency reeling from multiple setbacks, Republican and Democratic lawmakers said on Sunday..."
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October 30, 2005 - What happened to the Minnesota miracle?
"Who smothered the Minnesota Miracle — the legendary 1971 agreement between a Republican Legislature and a DFL governor to shift the bulk of K-12 school funding to the state level to provide fairness and stability to the school finance system? There are so many hands on that pillow we're afraid even Sherlock Holmes couldn't secure an indictment and make an arrest..."
Read More...
October 30, 2005 - Open space, taxes hang in balance
"It's up to Woodbury voters on Election Day to decide if they're willing to part with some green to gain some green — green space, that is..."
Read More...
October 29, 2005 - Libby indictment raises questions about Cheney, other officials
"The 22-page indictment against White House adviser I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby raises a host of questions that are likely to hang over the Bush administration for months, including whether Vice President Dick Cheney had a direct role in revealing the identity of a CIA employee..."
Read More...
October 29, 2005 - Ethics woes could hurt GOP in '06
"The indictment of a top White House aide Friday ratcheted up the likelihood that ethics in government will become a key theme in the midterm elections now just a year away..."
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October 28, 2005 - Editorial: Chris Coleman best choice for St. Paul
"Minnesota's capital city has made important strides in recent years. It benefits from attractive riverfront development, the addition of several thousand housing units and new transportation connections and enhancements..."
Read More...
October 28, 2005 - Government's largesse exposes small hypocrisy
"It's so easy to have a philosophy. But so hard to live it. Take the case of Ron Carey, who became chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota in June because many party activists feared that Gov. Tim (No New Taxes) Pawlenty was becoming too big a spender..."
Read More...
October 28, 2005 - Cheney aide Libby charged, resigns
"Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby, was indicted on Friday on five criminal counts of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements after a two-year investigation into the leak of a covert CIA operative's identity..."
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October 26, 2005 - State politicians skirt responsibility on property taxes
"What do record budget deficits, the need for new school funding and increased property taxes all have in common?.."
Read More...
October 28, 2005 - Bush views world through a closed mind
"One of the most important critiques of George W. Bush's foreign policy has just been put forward by a close friend of his father..."
Read More...
October 28, 2005 - House Mulls Cuts to Subsidies, Food Stamps
"A plan to curb spending on farm subsidies and food stamps faced a test in a House committee, as lawmakers will work Friday to finish drafting a broader plan to slow the automatic growth of federal spending programs..."
Read More...
October 27, 2005 - Entenza wants to be top dog
"Saying he intends to be the "consumer watchdog for Minnesota," state House Minority Leader Matt Entenza on Wednesday formally announced his candidacy for attorney general..."
Read More...
October 27, 2005 - White House Awaits Fitzgerald's Next Move
"Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald huddled with his legal team Thursday as two key White House aides awaited their fate in the CIA leak probe..."
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October 27, 2005 - 2,000 dead in Iraq a time for grief and realism
"When a U.S. soldier dies in Iraq, the pain that sears through his or her family is nearly unbearable. And a persistent question nags: Was it worth it?..."
Read More...
October 27, 2005 - Miers withdraws as Supreme Court nominee
"President George W. Bush's embattled nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, White House counsel Harriet Miers, announced on Thursday she was withdrawing her name from consideration..."
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October 26, 2005 - A duty to nation and to conscience: A conversation on refusing to fight
"On Monday, University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis sponsored a forum at the University of Minnesota about conscientious objection to military service..."
Read More...
October 26, 2005 - Mood is sour on Bush, Congress
"Americans are increasingly critical of President Bush and dissatisfied with the Republicans who have controlled Congress for a decade, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll finds..."
Read More...
October 26, 2005 - Americans give Democrats an edge on issues in Congress
"Jack Schrader and Kriss King exemplify the type of voters that the Democratic Party needs to win over in next year's elections..."
Read More...
October 25, 2005 - Families, Soldiers Feel Impact of 2,000 Casualty Mark in Iraq
"Two thousand U.S. servicemen and women have now died since the invasion of Iraq two-and-a-half years ago..."
Read More...
October 25, 2005 - Senate panel backs $10 billion in health care cuts
"The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved $10 billion in Medicaid and Medicare savings as part of a broader effort by congressional Republicans to trim spending and approve additional tax cuts..."
Read More...
October 25, 2005 - Lawmakers vote to allow privatizing US food stamps
"House and Senate negotiators working on a $100 billion agriculture spending bill voted on Tuesday to allow states to privatize the food stamp program, which helps 25 million people put food on the table monthly..."
Read More...
October 25, 2005 - Most Americans lack confidence in leaders - poll
"Seventy-three percent of Americans lack confidence in their leaders and a majority believe the country would be better off with more women in power, a survey showed on Tuesday..."
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October 25, 2005 - In Washington's scandal shuffle, perjury really isn't the point
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, prepare for a dance demonstration, a cute little jig performed in two parts by various parties and factions in this town in the name of team support and self-preservation. Yes, it's time for the scandal shuffle, where people on the right and left change sides in the admonishment/explanation game as each maintains they have the high ground..."
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October 25, 2005 - Policy decisions drive widening income gap
"A new report adds more evidence to what Americans know but our leaders continue to ignore: The gap between the rich and poor continues to grow..."
Read More...
October 25, 2005 - Hatch makes his run official
"He is the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's leading vote-getter and its only elected statewide official. So when Attorney General Mike Hatch formally announced his long-expected candidacy for governor Monday, he became the immediate front-runner for the DFL nomination..."
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October 25, 2005 - White House Sidesteps Cheney Questions
"The White House on Tuesday sidestepped questions about whether Vice President Dick Cheney passed on to his top aide the identity of a CIA officer central to a federal grand jury probe..."
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October 25, 2005 - Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks dies
"Rosa Parks, the black seamstress whose refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man sparked a revolution in American race relations, died on Monday. The U.S. civil rights pioneer was 92..."
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October 24, 2005 - Congress seeks cuts as debt hits $8 trillion
"Republicans in Congress will try to pass spending cuts this week, after war, anti-terrorism efforts, hurricanes and big tax cuts helped push the government's debt load through the $8 trillion mark..."
Read More...
October 24, 2005 - 2006 candidates get early start
"State Senate candidate Scott Schulte is ringing doorbells in Coon Rapids, even though he doesn't have brochures to drop off yet..."
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October 24, 2005 - Judge races could soon get nasty
"In many states, supreme court candidates run hardball television ads accusing their opponents of releasing child molesters from prison and other unsavory behavior..."
Read More...
October 24, 2005 - eter Rogness: Making our deficit bigger, poor poorer and rich richer
"Webster defines the word "reconcile" as "to cause to be friendly again, to bring back to harmony." Strange, then, to see a host of leaders rise up from the religious and non-profit sectors to stand against reconciliation..."
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October 23, 2005 - War, hurricanes and probe add up to slump for Bush
"Nearly a year after his re-election, President George W. Bush is in a slump caused by the Iraq war, two hurricanes and a criminal investigation centering on two top White House aides. Republicans are nervously hoping for a rebound..."
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October 23, 2005 - There is still a lot of fat in the federal budget
"A few weeks ago, the Republican House leadership claimed the federal budget had been cut to the bone and there was no room for more spending reductions. Then, Majority Leader Tom DeLay was forced to step aside, producing a leadership shakeup. Suddenly the bones aren't as bare as previously thought..."
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October 23, 2005 - Mayor must make St. Paul best place in Midwest for small firms to grow
"St. Paul should be the best place in the Upper Midwest for a small company to grow. Those are the businesses that create the most jobs and the best jobs. They fit most easily into the existing fabric of our neighborhoods. And they provide opportunities for people of color and new immigrants to build community wealth..."
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October 21, 2005 -Fixing education's future:
"As Mary Cecconi spoke to area residents Thursday night about the future of public education, she wasn't surprised to see she was delivering her message to an audience whose grandchildren and great-grandchildren are in school..."
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October 20, 2005 - DeLay Booked in Houston on Charges
"Rep. Tom DeLay turned himself in Thursday at the sheriff's office and was fingerprinted, photographed and released on $10,000 bail on conspiracy and money-laundering charges..."
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October 20, 2005 - Blaming Media in Leak Case Not Working
"The evidence prosecutors have assembled in the CIA leak case suggests Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff sought out reporters in the weeks before an undercover operative's identity was compromised in the news media, casting doubt on one of the White House's main lines of defense..."
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October 20, 2005 - House passes gun lawsuit shield legislation
"The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed and sent to President George W. Bush for his signature legislation giving the U.S. gun industry sweeping protection from civil lawsuits..."
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October 20, 2005 - The evolution of creationism
"In 1987, the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that forbade teaching evolution in public schools unless creationism were also taught. The court found creationism to be a religious belief..."
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October 19, 2005 - Editorial: State should study school readiness
"Surveys of kindergartners in the last three years have been a canary-in-the-coal-mine indicator for Minnesota's future -- and a sputtering canary at that. That's why it's a shame the survey isn't being conducted this year. It wasn't funded by the 2005 Legislature..."
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October 19, 2005 - CIA Leak Scandal: Proof Bush Lied? A Final Report To Come?
"In a story posted on Tuesday night, The New York Times, citing unnamed government officials, said that special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, "is not expected to take any action" in the CIA leak case this week..."
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October 19, 2005 - Vote on spending cuts in flux
"House Republican leaders acknowledged Wednesday that they might not be able to round up the votes necessary this week to pass a budget amendment designed to increase planned cuts in federal benefit programs to $50 billion over five years..."
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October 19, 2005 - Mailing confirms Hatch's candidacy
"For years, Minnesota political insiders have expected Attorney General Mike Hatch to run for governor in 2006. Now, Hatch finally has confirmed that he will do so..."
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October 18, 2005 - President's tax panel suggests putting limits on popular deduction
"President Bush's tax panel on Tuesday backed two similar plans to overhaul the nation's income tax system that would eliminate or revise many current deductions and tax investment and business income more lightly..."
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October 18, 2005 - The relationship between evolution and income
"As the debate over "intelligent design" continues in a Pennsylvania courtroom comes this fascinating snapshot of American public opinion:..."
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October 18, 2005 - Yearning for learning
"Before Frank and Jill Roffers moved from their south Minneapolis home this year, they embarked on a targeted search. The main criterion: excellent schools for their children, ages 2 and 3. They found that, plus a house they liked, in Edina..."
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October 17, 2005 - What goes around ...
"We are on the verge of an extraordinary moment in American politics. The people running our government are about to face their day -- or days -- in court..."
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October 15, 2005 - Pawlenty rejects session — for now
"Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Friday he has decided not to call a special legislative session "at this time," after weeks of talks to push through plans for new sports stadiums, including a new on-campus football stadium for the University of Minnesota, apparently ended without a resolution..."
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October 15, 2005 - The Clean Water Act
"The Clean Water Act of 1972, one of the most successful and popular of the environmental laws enacted under Richard Nixon, will turn 33 next week. But what should be a celebratory moment is tinged by concern arising from the Supreme Court's decision this week to accept two cases that challenge the law's reach and constitutionality..."
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October 15, 2005 - License to Torture
"THE most profound issue that will face the Supreme Court in the coming years is not the one animating many of the conservatives angry at Harriet Miers's nomination to the court, abortion. It is presidential power..."
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October 15, 2005 - City not rejecting noise walls — yet
"Woodbury city officials are considering a policy opposing the construction of noise walls along commercial or residential streets unless another agency is willing to pay for them..."
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October 13, 2005 - George Latimer: Chris Coleman The former City Council member is a bridge builder who has the right priorities and can bring St. Paul together. Coleman is a bridge builder
"When asked to write a piece on my reasons for endorsing Chris Coleman for mayor of St. Paul, I revisited Mary Lethert Wingerd's excellent history of our city, "Claiming the City." In it, she details the primacy of place in shaping the city. Its hills and hollows, its river flats and bluffs created some parochialism, but also pride and a sense of belonging..."
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October 14, 2005 - Is impeachment a probability?
"If something newsworthy happens and no real investigative reporters are around to report on it, did it really happen? Probably not..."
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October 14, 2005 - Rove spends hours before grand jury
"U.S. President George W. Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, testified at length on Friday for a fourth time before a grand jury investigating the leak of a covert CIA operative's identity, as prosecutors neared a decision on whether to bring charges..."
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October 13, 2005 - Take another look at teachers' salaries
"In the midst of her rambling tirade, railing against the “education establishment,” Kate Carlsen implies that the priorities of District 834 are out of line because the average teacher salary ranks third out of 167 Minnesota districts..."
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October 13, 2005 - November election will address important questions
"Looming in November is a school board race of infinite proportions. Will the candidates assist us with high classroom sizes, the need for legislative buy-in of school funding, transportation funding, etc?"
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October 13, 2005 - Taxes could rise more than 15%
"Preliminary tax levies set by St. Paul, Ramsey County and the St. Paul school district would add up to property tax increases for homeowners of more than 15 percent next year, according to a new projection by the nonpartisan research staff of the Minnesota House..."
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October 13, 2005 - SEC subpoenas Frist in stock sale probe-sources
"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been subpoenaed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Comission to turn over records in a probe of possible insider trading, sources close to the case said on Thursday..."
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October 12, 2005 - The Nexus of Politics and Terror
"Last Thursday on Countdown, I referred to the latest terror threat - the reported bomb plot against the New York City subway system - in terms of its timing..."
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October 12, 2005 - Bush approval rating dips to 39 percent - poll
"President George W. Bush's job approval rating has fallen to a new low of 39 percent in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday..."
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October 12, 2005 - The Heat Death of American Dreams
" A number of news reports and commentary on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have linked the disasters to global warming. Almost nobody noticed a crucial scientific finding, two weeks earlier, that foreshadows disasters on a far greater scale in the decades to come..."
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October 12, 2005 - Beware government that spins the news
"It is wrong for the government to disguise positive commentary about its activities as news, and doubly wrong to hide its behind-the-scene manipulations of the data from audiences. When other governments do this — particularly those in authoritarian or communist countries — we denounce it as propaganda..."
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October 12, 2005 - NWA asks that labor contracts be rejected
"Northwest Airlines Corp. filed a motion Wednesday to have its labor contracts rejected if it can't agree to new terms with its unions. The move was expected as the company works through Chapter 11 bankruptcy..."
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October 12, 2005 - House GOP says no to fall session
"The prospects of the Minnesota Legislature returning to St. Paul this fall for a special session on stadiums went from slim to virtually none on Tuesday..."
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October 11, 2005 - What's The Matter With What's The Matter With Kansas
"I'm a Tom Frank fan. I think he's a wonderful and passionate writer. But, now a respected political scientist is arguing that the "Great Backlash" Frank chronicled in his last book, in which "conservatives won the heart of America" and created a "dominant political coalition" by convincing Kansans and blue-collar, working-class people to vote against their own economic interests in order to defend traditional cultural values against bicoastal elites "isn't actually happening--at least, not in anything like the way Frank portrays..."
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October 10, 2005 - All politics is local? Think again
"St. Paul may have a reputation for its colorful and sometimes quirky political leaders, but never has a mayor's race captured the attention of so many politicians on the national scene..."
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October 10, 2005 - Wetterling joins Senate race
" Patty Wetterling said Sunday the next step in her public journey, which began with her son Jacob's abduction in 1989, will be her run in the 2006 race for U.S. Senate..."
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October 10, 2005 - The Bush coalition is unraveling at the seams
"Three front-page headlines on a single day last week testified to the unraveling of the Bush presidency..."
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October 9, 2005 - Bush battles GOP split on Miers
"After a blistering week, the White House is scrambling to control a conservative uprising over the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. President Bush was pitching his choice directly to the public on Saturday as his Republican allies plotted strategy to shore up support..."
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October 9, 2005 - Are mortgage tax breaks in danger?
"Just as the U.S. housing boom appears to be slowing, debate is starting among policymakers about reining in one of the most sacred cows of U.S. public policy: the mortgage-interest deduction and other generous tax benefits granted to homeowners..."
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October 9, 2005 - Study says few children benefit from tax credits
"More than a quarter of U.S. children -- and half of black children -- belong to families too poor to fully qualify for the $1,000-a-year child tax credit that President Bush signed four years ago and has cited in arguing that his program of sweeping tax cuts helps low-income families, a new study has found..."
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October 8, 2005 - State to aid faith-based groups
"Minnesota will have its own state council on faith-based initiatives -- styled after the federal effort -- thanks to an executive order signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Friday..."
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October 7, 2005 - Arianna Huffington: Bush on Terror Plots: More Numbers that Don’t Add Up
"In his never-ending attempt to link Iraq and 9/11, the president made the claim this week that America had no choice but to remain in Iraq, lest Al Qaeda be able to use it as a terrorist base..."
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October 7, 2005 - Senate OKs $50 billion more for wars
"The Senate voted Friday to give President Bush $50 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and U.S. military efforts against terrorism, money that would push total spending for the operations beyond $350 billion..."
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October 7, 2005 - Oops!
"Should Gov. Tim Pawlenty be watching his "p's" and "f's"?..."
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October 7, 2005 - Editorial: Cold War II?/That's Bush's view on Iraq
"No one is quite certain why the White House made such an effort to frame President Bush's Thursday speech on terrorism as a "major address." There were no new policy initiatives to announce, no personnel changes or military actions to talk about..."
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October 7, 2005 - Nick Coleman: Pardon my French, but gov's slip was apropos
"Gov. Tim Pawlenty was just supposed to drop the puck, but he dropped something else at Wednesday night's return of professional hockey to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul: The effenheimer..."
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October 6, 2005 - Take another look at teachers' salaries
"In the midst of her rambling tirade, railing against the “education establishment,” Kate Carlsen implies that the priorities of District 834 are out of line because the average teacher salary ranks third out of 167 Minnesota districts..."
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October 5, 2005 - Pawlenty misusing his authority
"It seems that our Governor wants to change the checks and balances system of the three branches of government..."
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October 5, 2005 - Why this nominee is a supremely bad choice
"George W. Bush has just rung the death knell for his presidency. For the Supreme Court of the United States, a president under fire for cronyism has chosen the ultimate crony..."
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October 5, 2005 - Editorial: 'Covert propaganda' isn't legal
"Last January, it came out that the Bush administration had paid columnist Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote the No Child Left Behind Act. Last week the Government Accountability Office said in a report on the case that the administration violated federal law when it did that..."
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October 4, 2005 - The President's Stealth Nominee
"It is a sign of the times that President Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court was greeted with so many sighs of relief. Ms. Miers's record is so thin that no one seems to have any idea of what she believes, and she was clearly chosen because of her close ties to the president, not her legal qualifications..."
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October 4, 2005 - Deadline for Pawlenty's special session 'menu' is today
"Response to Gov. Tim Pawlenty's "menu" suggests that legislative leaders aren't that hungry for a special session and new sports stadiums..."
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October 4, 2005 - Lourey may try again for governor
"Three years after her first gubernatorial bid ended in defeat at the state DFL endorsing convention, state Sen. Becky Lourey of Kerrick said Monday that she'll probably run for governor again..."
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October 3, 2005 - Government by task force
"While task forces are nothing new in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has used citizens advisory panels during his first term to tackle three of the knottiest policy issues the state faces. So far, the results are mixed..."
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October 3, 2005 - Nonprofit head decides to run for governor
"Advocating for education, an improved economy and environmental protection, DFLer Bud Philbrook officially announced his bid for the governor's office Sunday afternoon..."
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October 3, 2005 - Bush's Supreme Court pick known for staying out of limelight
"Among a host of qualities that White House counsel Harriet Ellan Miers shares with new Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts is the apparent lack of any personal legal agenda. Known for an exacting, no-nonsense style, Miers — like Roberts — tends to avoid the limelight..."
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October 2, 2005 - Wetterling backs troop withdrawal date
"U.S. Senate candidate Patty Wetterling on Saturday called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by Thanksgiving 2006, saying that the nation "can no longer afford to continue down the path we're on."..."
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October 2, 2005 - Intelligent Design debate damaging public's perception of science
"The most troublesome aspect of the current debate about teaching evolution or creationism may be less about either of those ideas than its effect on the public's understanding of how science works and what it can or can't do..."
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October 2, 2005 - BY THE NUMBERS
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October 2, 2005 - Future of labor depends on keeping card check
"The future of labor stands at a crossroads over the issue of "card check." An alternative process for labor organizing, card check requires an employer to bargain with a union if it presents signatures of a majority of employees seeking to join the union..."
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October 1, 2005 - Hurricanes force lawmakers to take hard look at spending cuts
"Sacrifice, or at least talk of it, has suddenly become politically fashionable in the nation's capital, thanks to the costly devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita..."
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October 1, 2005 - More Republicans sue over shutdown
"An expanded group of Republican lawmakers this week challenged the constitutionality of court orders that kept significant parts of Minnesota state government functioning for 13 days in July while legislators and Gov. Tim Pawlenty argued over a budget..."
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October 1, 2005 - Panel will help fill Minnesota high court seat
"Gov. Tim Pawlenty will consult with an ad hoc screening committee before appointing a successor for retiring Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz, spokesman Brian McClung said Friday..."
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October 1, 2005 - Coleman wavering on Arctic drilling
"As a Senate candidate in 2002, Norm Coleman called Alaska's wilderness a "little pristine piece of the world" and pledged to oppose a plan to allow drilling in the state's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But with a showdown vote expected later this month, environmentalists fear that they're about to lose the support of Minnesota's Republican senator if -- as expected -- the provision is tucked into a year-end budget bill..."
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October 1, 2005 - Evolution as Zero-Sum Game
"ACCORDING to the tired journalistic trope, the "intelligent design" trial in Harrisburg, Pa., is "Scopes II," or the latest cultural clash between science and religion. But that view obscures the issues at stake - issues I am happy to see the Pennsylvania trial raising, even though I am a religious believer who recognizes evolution and does not think intelligent design theory belongs in any school's science curriculum..."
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September 30, 2005 - Board certifies preliminary property tax levy
"The Stillwater Area Schools’ budget continues to shape up. Last Thursday, the School Board approved, 6-0, a preliminary levy that will cost area residents more than $24.3 million in property taxes..."
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September 29, 2005 - Oak Park Heights approves Lowes plan
"Oak Park Heights officials OK’d the concept plan for a Lowes home improvement store Tuesday..."
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September 29, 2005 - Editorial: Taking down Tom DeLay
"Local prosecutors don't usually deal in the affairs of state. It is their job to indict petty crooks and put them behind bars. But when the affairs of state are corrupted by petty crooks, sometimes only a local prosecutor has the skills - and the sense of duty - that is required to address the crisis..."
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