Schedule of Events for Presidential Inauguration

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be sworn in for their second and final terms.

Hennepin County to Provide Security Deputies for President's Inauguration

The inauguration is Monday, Jan. 21, 2013 in Washington D.C.

Editor's Note: The following is a Hennepin County Sheriff's Office press release. Tomorrow, a group of Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office deputies and supervisors will travel to Washington D.C. to prepare to work at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 21, 2013. The Sheriff’s Office is sending 40 personnel to the inauguration where they will provide security along the route of the Inaugural Parade.  Sheriff’s personnel are officially sworn-in as deputy marshals during their security assignment. “It is certainly an honor for the Sheriff’s Office to be selected to work at this national event,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, “I know our deputies will proudly represent Hennepin County in our nation’s capital on an …

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The Fifth District Report

Ellison at Odds with President Obama Over Fiscal Cliff Plan

The Minnesota Congressman took issue with $400 billion in proposed entitlement cuts to programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) is at odds with President Barack Obama over proposed cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to help pull the U.S. economy back from the "fiscal cliff." With less than a month to go before the economy teeters over the edge of that "fiscal cliff"—a term used to describe the quandry the U.S. government faces at the end of 2012, when the terms of the Budget Control Act of 2011 will go into effect—the White House offered up a deal last week estimated to produce $1.2 trillion in new tax revenue and make $400 billion in entitlement cuts to programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security over the next decade. Ellison was critical of the proposed changes to the aforementioned programs, saying progressive …

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Twin Cities Area Voters Take to Social Media To Talk Election

Minnesota voters young and old used Twitter to talk about their Minnesota Election decisions, particularly on the proposed Marriage Amendment.

We followed a few common topics around the Twin Cities, including both sides of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment vote, and found what people were talking about on social media this Election Day.  A reminder, though, that Tweeting a photo of your ballot, filled out, is stongly discouraged by the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office.  Take a look. 

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Twin Cities Reaction: Who Won the Presidential Debate?

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney duked it out in Denver, CO.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney duked it out tonight in their first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado. Patch live-blogged the debate, which featured the candidates touching on domestic issues like health care, PBS funding, and America's energy sources. You can watch the entire debate on YouTube Politics. Some of the points that resonated with our live-blog panelists were split on who came out on top: Here's a sampling of responses on Twitter:

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rob_h78

11:30 am on Monday, October 8, 2012

A couple of points. 1) Almost every incumbent President has lost the first debate since they have been televised, the only exception was Bill Clinton. 2) I remember in 2008 watching folks talk about how Obama lost debates to Hillary Clinton and how he lost debates to John McCain and yet he was the guy who took the oath of office at the end. I don't know if he will be re-elected, but, so far there…   more ›

The Fifth District Report

After American Deaths in Libya, Ellison Defends Obama's Foreign Policy Choices

The congressman has been making the rounds on various news programs following the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya.

Following the deaths of four Americans killed in attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya last Tuesday, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) appeared as part of a roundtable on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday morning to discuss the ongoing events in the Middle East and their impact on U.S. foreign policy. Ellison defended President Obama's foreign policy skills after New York Republican congressman and chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Peter King, accused the president's policies of being confusing, apologetic and misguided.  "The president has been consistent, he's been steady," Ellison said. "The last thing we need is to start making quick, emotionally-charged decisions. We need consistent steady leadership like the president …

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DNC Day 3: President Barack Obama Speaks; Celebrities Rumored to Attend

The full schedule is being kept quiet, but big names are expected to speak and perform.

President Barack Obama will cap the final night of the Democratic National Convention Thursday with his acceptance speech. Unlike previous days of the convention, the DNC is keeping Thursday night’s schedule quiet. The convention’s website only lists the morning and afternoon caucus sessions, but other media sources report that acclaimed actresses and other entertainers will be in attendance before the president officially accepts the nomination. CNN reports that President Barack Obama’s speech will focus heavily on the economy. The keynote speakers this week have been during the 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. (CST) hour. So who else is speaking? The Daily Beast has a list of things to watch at tonight’s ceremony, including speeches from former Florida…

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Obama, DUI Suspect and Barn Swallows Controversy: Pick of Our Patches

This week's selection includes confusion over tornado sirens, a teen's 'survival bracelets,' Franken in Minnetonka and a Maple Grove senior battling Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Editor’s Note: Every week we will bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. (Click on the headline to read the full story.) Obama Talks About Jobs For Vets While in Twin Cities Obama urged Congress to pass legislation that would create a Veterans Job Corp, an initiative that would help veterans find jobs as police officers and firefighters, and in other service rolls. 'Thrill of a Lifetime' to See Obama The Robbinsdale Cooper Chamber Singers found out late Wednesday they would sing the National Anthem at the event. DUI Suspect Turns Himself In, Tells Police, “Take Me to Jail.” Hopkins police say a…

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Jablonski, Best Buy and Nadia Cakes: Pick of Our Patches

Our West Metro Patches covered those stories this week, and a mini library, a mission to Haiti, higher hunting fees and opposition to the proposed same-sex marriage ban.

Editor’s Note: Every week we will bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. (Click on the headline to read the full story.) Jack Jablonski Returns Home, Albeit Briefly The Benilde-St. Margaret's sophomore hockey player, who sustained a serious spinal cord injury during a game on Dec. 30, went home for a family barbecue on March 18, according to his CaringBridge page. West Metro Effort to Re-elect President Obama Kicks Off At the event, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said, “We will not give up one inch of the western suburbs. I am obsessed with winning this and with winning this (3rd District) …

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The Ellison Report

Ellison Defends Obama's 2012 Candidacy

Some Democrats frustrated with the president.

President Barack Obama has undeniably miffed some of his more liberal supporters during his last three years in office. The Guantanamo Bay prison remains open, financial institutions blamed for the sub-prime mortgage mess are again living high on the hog, and, recently, the administration shot down proposed tougher regulations on carbon dioxide designed to fight global warming. Despite it all, though, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) said he still thinks a Progressive primary challenge to Obama would only hurt the president's reelection chances in 2012. Ellison, together with his fellow co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus pushed back against calls from Democrats like the left-leaning Rep. Denis Kucinich (D-OH) for someone to dispute their …

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