Kirkland Politics 1/4/16

Anna Kirkland

Local– A Sanders national campaign office opened in Rochester at 2130 S. Broadway Suite 120. For further information regarding Sanders and his campaign visit berniesanders.com. The Republican Party in Olmsted County is struggling to find a willing candidate for the Minnesota Legislature for the upcoming elections in November, but remains positive. A special legislative session may be needed to address the Real ID issue in Minnesota. Currently, Minnesota driver’s licenses do not fit the requirements of the Real ID law, meaning they will not be able to be used as ID for flights in the upcoming months, a passport or Enhanced Driver’s License will be required to fly according to the Post Bulletin.

National– Armed gunmen took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon on Jan. 2 to create a safe haven for fellow “patriots” and anti-federal government supporters throughout the U.S., according to the Huffington Post. The issue began over the Hammonds re-imprisonment for arson. The standoff is led by Cliven Bundy’s two sons (he had a standoff with the federal government over letting his cattle graze on federal land), but has turned more toward being a militia safe haven for those angry at the U.S. government. Multiple U.S. government agencies are involved- FBI, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon State Police- but no action has been taken yet. Obama has announced a plan to use executive action on gun control in the U.S. placing background checks.
International– According to the New York Times, Sweden and Denmark added border patrol checks due to their immigration patrol systems being over worked. The checks are meant to stop immigrants from entering the countries in unchecked numbers. This is another break in the Schengen Plan- the open border policy in the E.U. A similar occurrence happened in France following the Paris attacks as well as when Germany closed its borders for a short time to limit the number of refugees entering the country. As migrants continue to flood the E.U., Schengen faces disbandment as countries are becoming more right-wing and fearful of immigrants (Economist).