carlos curbelo, thank you. happy thanksgiving once again. and some things that could affect the congressional map. pete welch threw his hat into the race this week. he already got the endorsement of vermont s other senator bernie sanders, so he likely will head off any serious primary challenges. and a fun bit of trivia for your thanksgiving table, patrick leahy is the only democrat elected to the senate from vermont since the state joined the union back in 1791. welch is the 17th house democrat who will not seek re-election next year. and another democrat who joined that list is texas democrat and house science committee chair eddie bernice johnson, she was first elected to her seat in 1993 and will turn 86, can you believe it, next month. coming up, what you need to know heading into black friday as global supply chain issues mean that things on your shopping list won t be in stock
An island idyll on Lake Minnetonka On an island where time stands still, a local couple built a new lake home in keeping with the unique, closely knit community. August 6, 2012 10:25am Text size Copy shortlink:
Paul and Mary Reyelts were introduced to tiny Crane Island and its bucolic setting years ago, when they would hop a boat and spend the day at their friends century-old yellow cottage. We never wanted to leave, said Mary.
There, they discovered a unique, close-knit community of 14 cottages dotting the perimeter of the densely wooded island on Lake Minnetonka s Upper Lake.
Even though it s only a 30-minute drive from downtown Minneapolis, the island is very much like it was when local businessman Charles Woodward founded it in 1906: a rustic summer getaway.
hackers. now the washington post first reported this story, citing a senior obama administration official. your colleague from vermont, pete welch, said in a statement, this shows how, quote, rampant russian hacking is. do you agree with that assessment? i think absolutely. we know that they are not just interested in hacking into the national committees of our parties, but they re very interested in being able to take very aggressive action against us if they are so inclined. so hacking into the electric grid in vermont, trying to shut down the financial services system, doing any number of things to show their prowess is what is what russia is really all about. senator john mccain is scheduled an armed services committee hearing next week. it s focusing on cyber threats to the u.s. will the american people learn more about russia s intentions here, do you think?
it s also what eric shinseki s ordered for the 1,700 vets forgotten in the phoenix va. right now, a big meeting is expected at the va offices in washington, with shinseki, top veterans groups and rob nabors, the man president obama has put in charge of getting to the bottom of the va misconduct. in 5 1/2 years, obama has never fired a cabinet secretary. but pressure is mounting for him to use the ax. the white house says shinseki is on thin ice. republicans john mccain and jeff layton stand by shinseki and now say he s got to go. key committees agree, including the only iraq war veteran. the veteran groups are calling for a successor. all of this after the inspector general said inappropriate scheduling practices are systemic across the entire va system. 42 medical facilities are now under investigation. at the phoenix va, 1,700 vets are seeking care, were never put on any waiting lists and are at risk of being lost or forgotten in the system. top administrators received bonu