“A Minneapolis City Council candidate encouraged those who “feel like burning shit down” to target the city’s wealthiest residents instead of causing further damage to poor communities.  “Just a personal thought — just in case y’all feel like burning shit down, the poor community is not your oppressors. FYI — lake of the isles has more then [sic] needed and won’t be missed,” Rita Ortega wrote on her personal Facebook page, which is under her full name of Margarita, according to screenshots shared widely on social media Friday.”

“One of Jensen’s former Democratic colleagues, Sen. Matt Klein, called TikTok’s ban a "necessary public safety measure to restrain my former friend."”

“One lawmaker filed a bill seeking to end the Northstar Commuter Rail line and use that money to rebuild businesses rioters wrecked following the death of George Floyd.”   Thanks, Alpha News

“In a rare move, a federal judge allowed claims brought against Gov. Tim Walz by two religious organizations to move forward late last month.  Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, both named as defendants in the lawsuit, frequently boast about winning every case brought against the governor’s COVID-19 restrictions, which limited the number of people who could attend religious services.”  Thanks, Alpha News.

“If nothing changes, the state will tax businesses that took PPP loans as income at the corporate tax rate of 9.8%, which could leave a business that received $500,000 in PPP loans with a roughly $50,000 tax bill.  After Minnesota projected a $1.6 billion budget surplus for the next two years, Republicans in a Monday press conference said the state taxing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans is “unconscionable.”"

“Minneapolis has canceled its plan to pay social media influencers $2,000 apiece to share city-approved information during the upcoming Derek Chauvin trial, officials said Monday.  The Minneapolis City Council approved a proposal Friday to spend $1.1 million on “engagement services related to the upcoming trials in the killing of George Floyd.”  According to WCCO, $12,000 was going to be spent on six social media influencers who would “share public information with cultural communities” and “help dispel potential misinformation.””

Thanks Alpha News.

“An indictment was unsealed this week which charged 45-year-old Chinese national Cheng Bo (AKA Joe Cheng) with violating U.S. export laws to illegally ship controlled power amplifiers to China. The power amplifiers in question have potential military applications, according to Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of the National Security Division.”

“Flu cases are unusually low for the 2020-2021 season compared to previous years, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Health.”

“New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and seven other Democratic governors are demanding additional coronavirus vaccine doses, even though their states have struggled to use doses from their current stockpiles.”

“Carjackings in Minneapolis during November were up 537% from the same month last year amid an ongoing spike in violent crime in the city since George Floyd’s death in late May.  “The numbers are staggering,” Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder told the Star Tribune. “It defies all civility and any shred of common human decency.” "