TINA SMITH

Democrats are hoping that Congress is nearing the finish line in its seven-month trek on President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion social and environment package.

Minneapolis voters have rejected a proposal to replace the city’s police department with a new Department of Public Safety — an idea that arose from the May 2020 death of George Floyd.

Minnesota’s Congressional delegation on Monday is introducing a resolution to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to pop superstar Prince, citing his “indelible mark on Minnesota and American culture,” The Associated Press has learned.

The key climate element of President Biden's $3.5 trillion budget proposal appears to be in jeopardy, threatening environmental goals and global credibility.

Biden has relieved some student loan debt, but Democrats want to go bigger to undo some of the nation's $1.7 trillion in student loan debt.

Environmental groups hailed a sweeping $3.5 trillion domestic spending plan announced by Democrats, saying it would make “transformational investments” in clean energy and put the nation on a path to cut greenhouse emissions by at least 50% by 2030.

In a story June 18, 2021, story about companies facing pressure to offer a paid day off for Juneteenth, The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of the CEO of Ichor Strategies.

Black Americans are rejoicing after President Joe Biden signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

The bill to make Juneteenth the 12th federal holiday sailed through Congress, paving the way for President Joe Biden to sign it into law.

The U.S. faced shortages for drugs used to treat Covid-19 patients during the pandemic as demand surged but supply.

ROANOKE, Va. – The Virginia Department of Corrections is investigating the death of one of its inmates who was serving a life sentence. Jeffrey Easley died on Monday while at Twin County Regional Hospital in Galax, Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections. In December 2010 in Roanoke County, Easley killed Tina Smith and kidnapped her then 12-year-old daughter, leading State Police to issue an Amber Alert. On Feb. 28, 2012, he pleaded no contest to the capital murder charge against him and received a life sentence. Easley was an inmate at River North Correctional Center in Independence, Virginia, prior to his death.

As temperatures plunged and snow and ice whipped the state, much of Texas' power grid collapsed, followed by its water systems. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)WASHINGTON – The House Oversight Committee is investigating the agency that operates the Texas power grid, seeking information and documents about the lack of preparation for the recent winter storm that caused millions of power outages and dozens of deaths across the state. AdSevere winter storms in Texas “have occurred repeatedly over decades, and ERCOT has been unprepared for them,” Khanna wrote in a letter to ERCOT CEO Bill Magness. Last month's storm followed similar winter storms in 1989 and 2011 that also caused massive outages, Khanna said. “It appears that lessons learned (again) in 2011 were not implemented either, leaving Texas vulnerable to extreme winter weather again in 2021,'' he wrote.

Senator Tina Smith calls for investigation into gas price hikes during Arctic freeze After the Polar Vortex descended on the U.S., natural gas customers began to see price hikes of up to 100 times normal rates. Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota joins CBSN to explain why she's calling for an investigation into possible price gouging.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has called a special meeting Tuesday to investigate what caused the dramatic spikes in natural gas prices in that state. Natural gas hit a record $600 per million British thermal units in Oklahoma, while Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he’s asked the state attorney general to investigate complaints of price gouging of natural gas in that state. Smith, in her letter to regulators, urged them to investigate conditions in the natural gas market over the last week, including any price gouging by natural gas producers and suppliers. Smith also urged officials to invoke emergency authorities, including under the Natural Gas Policy Act and the Defense Production Act, to ensure natural gas is sold at fair prices during the current crisis.

Thousands had gathered that day as Congress voted to formally certify President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in November. Hawley and Cruz led objections in the Senate to Biden’s victory, despite the widespread recognition that the effort would fail. And both senators used their objections for political fundraising,” the Democratic senators said in their letter. Cruz helped force a vote on Biden's victory in Arizona, while Hawley helped force one on Biden's victory in Pennsylvania. “This latest effort is a flagrant abuse of the Senate ethics process and a flagrant attempt to exact partisan revenge."

Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Tina Smith, D-Minn., have informed the secretary of Health and Human Services they have discovered "significant gaps in COVID-19 testing capacity." In a letter this week to HHS chief Alex Azar, Warren and Smith said they made the discovery after contacting five of the worlds largest Covid testing labs: Quest, BioReference, ARUP Labs, LabCorp., and Mayo Clinic. They said the labs informed them that they experienced a "large spike in COVID-19 diagnostic testing needs" during the summer surge. The letter also touched on a separate probe into the availability of coronavirus pediatric testing. Warren and Smith, acknowledged that pediatric testing is becoming more widely available but "most retail providers are not offering testing for young children."

Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks with union carpenters in front of a Minnesota state flag during a tour of the Jerry Alander Carpenter Training Center before a campaign event in Hermantown, a suburb of Duluth, Minnesota, U.S., September 18, 2020. Democratic nominee Joe Biden is projected to win Minnesota's 10 Electoral College votes, according to NBC News. The state has chosen Democratic presidential candidates for the last 11 elections. Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is also projected to hold onto her seat after facing a challenge from Republican Jason Lewis. WATCH: Here's how the electoral college looks as of 2am EST

The former astronaut defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally, who was appointed to the seat after McCain’s death in 2018. Daines’ first election in 2014 broke a Democratic lock on the Senate seat that had lasted more than 100 years. The six-term congressman from northern New Mexico defeated Republican Mark Ronchetti, a former television meteorologist, and Libertarian Bob Walsh. Reed cruised to victory over Waters, an investment consultant who mounted earlier unsuccessful campaigns for state Senate and U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. Warner defeated Republican challenger Daniel Gade in a low-key race in which the incumbent had a massive cash advantage.

She flew to Michigan to rally with shutdown protesters and launched a run for the Texas Senate, hammering Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over virus restrictions. There is skepticism that angst over lockdown measures is enough for underdog GOP candidates to narrow the gap. In Texas, where Democrats are running closer races than they have in a generation in a longtime GOP stronghold, GOP incumbents in battleground seats have focused on the recovery rather than rail against past lockdowns. ___This story has been corrected to show that it was Jason Lewis, not Tina Smith, who criticized coronavirus restrictions.

Omar, seeking her second term in November, easily defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney and mediator who raised millions in anti-Omar money. Omar rejected Melton-Meaux’s attacks, saying they were funded by interests who wanted to get her out of Congress because she’s effective. Melton-Meaux didn't support that but did support shifting some funding away from police to more social service-oriented programs. Both touched on the issue in personal ways, with Omar saying she wanted her son to grow up safely. I have some reservations.”John Hildebrand, a 47-year-old teacher in Minneapolis who voted for Omar, said her national profile is an advantage.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell echoed what most in the homebuilding industry have been complaining about all year. While the nation sinks into a severe housing shortage, homebuilders are struggling against high costs for labor and materials. Powell replied, "That's what we hear from homebuilders. The homebuilders feel almost like they've been hit by a perfect storm here." The lack of sufficient home construction, especially at affordable price points, has led to a severe housing shortage.