The Daily Digest: 7-19-07

The Digest is in a teasing mood today. So guess who MAY be Gov. Pawlenty's second choice for President? Who was worried about her daughter's swimsuit drama? Why would we write about Torii Hunter on this blog. Read on because we're diving right in.

The Duluth News Tribune gets more than a "tens of millions" quote on the land around Lake Vermilion. The paper says the price of the proposed state park could cost $40 million. DFL Sen. Tom Bakk says it could cost $50 million.

The Met Council says the expected rate of growth in the Twin Cities may be smaller than initially projected.

The State Finance Department says there are $3.25 billion in bonding project requests.

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WCCO reality checks whether the Twins can keep Torii Hunter. The station cites studies saying baseball owners don't invest as heavily in players as they suggest once a new stadium opens.

Congress

The Senate stays up all night and nothing changes regarding the war in Iraq. GOP Sen. Norm Coleman is one of those who stays in the chamber all night but calls the move a "political stunt." He also got dry eyes.

DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar votes for the amendment.

Politico says anti-war and pro surge groups start turning the screws on Congress.

Coleman also backs changes to the No Child Left Behind Law.

President Bush creates an import safety panel. Klobuchar wants to know why inspectors aren't asking for more money.

Klobuchar is also mentioned in this Washington Post story on moms in Congress. She tells a story about helping her daughter buy a swimsuit while voting.

She will also take questions at the Washington Post site at 9 AM (central) on Friday.

DFL Rep. Keith Ellison pushes to reduce predatory lending.

A House Committee passes the Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act.

The House approves funding for the Winona's National Child Protection Training Center. DFL Rep. Tim Walz is mentioned.

Walz will also hold an economic summit in Austin.

GOP Rep. John Kline is one of those who criticize the cutting of union oversight funds.

GOP Rep. Jim Ramstad wants to make cancer screening cheaper.

Sugar growers are worried about proposals to cut the federal sugar program. DFL Rep. Collin Peterson is mentioned.

2008

The National Journal suggests that Pawlenty may be getting an affinity for Mitt Romney and could run against Klobuchar in 2012. He was in Washington yesterday.

Pawlenty talks about Romney as his presidential pick (John McCain) is working to keep his congressional supporters on board. Coleman is quoted in this story on those efforts.

An Iraq war vet could face GOP Rep. John Kline in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District.

CQ says Coleman raised the 2nd highest amount of money of Senate Republicans and has $4 million in the bank.

Larry Sabato says Minnesota's U.S. Senate race will be competitive but notes that Coleman will be tough to beat:

Minnesota presents an interesting electoral dynamic as the Democrats have a three-way race to pick their nominee and Senator Norm Coleman has also been threatened with a primary. Minnesota should vote Democratic in a presidential year--we'll leave aside for now the VP possibility of GOP Governor Tim Pawlenty--so Coleman will have his work cut out for him. The identity of the Democratic candidate really matters here, though, and the party needs a strong nominee. Coleman is aggressive, tenacious, and may be tougher to beat that Democrats now think.

DFL Senate candidate Al Franken is scheduled to speak at a DFL picnic.