The Daily Digest

There was hope that a special session would be held as early as today to end the state government shutdown. But that won't happen as Gov. Dayton and the GOP controlled Legilsature continue to try to hammer out the details of the budget bills.

There is agreement on the HHS budget bill. Want to know what's in it? So does the press. Bills haven't been posted yet.

Tidbit: Negotiations are being held in private. The issues are being discussed behind closed doors in a Capitol that is closed to the public.

GOP leaders may be working to ensure they have the votes. Many lawmakers say they're taking a wait and see approach and are concerned about the level of spending in the bills.

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Another problem may be MCCL's opposition to the budget.

Tidbit: Two ways the GOP may argue they are "living within their means" is by directing the tobacco borrowing into the Health Care Access Fund and not counting the spending from the K12 school shift. Those two moves account for more than half of the money used to erase the state's $5 billion deficit.

Budget talks have lobbyists on high alert.

Economists are cautious about borrowing against tobacco bonds.

Dayton says there will be no route reductions from transit and no cuts in subsidized health insurance. He says there will be employee lay-offs because of cuts in state agencies.

MinnPost says DFLers are dismayed by the budget deal.

The Star Tribune says some laid off social service workers stayed on the job despite the lack of a paycheck.

The budget deal will likely ease financial pain for the U of M and MnSCU.

Restarting state government is more than just flipping a switch. AP and the Pi Press have stories.

Money is tight for some contractors.

Congress

President Obama and lawmakers will resume debt talk negotiations today.

Congress is working to find a solution to the debt ceiling fight. DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar and DFL Sen. Al Franken are mentioned.

The debt talks are bringing out strains in the GOP ranks.

Farmers are worried about the cuts to Ag programs.

GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack hints that he'll oppose efforts to raise the debt ceiling.

Cravaack says his family is moving to New Hampshire. He says he'll spend a day in the district in Saturday and with his family in New Hampshire on Sunday.

Tidbit: Republicans criticized DFL Rep. Jim Oberstar, who lost to Cravaack, for not spending enough time in the district.

A push for a balanced budget amendment by the GOP is short on details.

President Obama picked the ex-Attorney General of Ohio to head the consumer financial protection bureau.

Klobuchar asks Delta to reconsider its decision to drop flights to 24 cities.

The health care law encourages collaboration but some antitrust concerns are there.

Race for Congress

DFL Rep. Tim Walz doubles his 2012 war chest.

Race for President

GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann is in Iowa and South Carolina today. Tim Pawlenty is in Iowa.

Bachmann plans to sign a pledge that refuses to raise the debt limit unless certain conditions are met.

AP says going after GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann has its risks.

AP also takes a look at the fundraising reports to determine the viability of the candidates.

The L.A. Times says the GOP candidates spent money to make money.

The New York Times says Pawlenty struggled to raise money nationwide.

The New York Times takes a look at Bachmann's push to ban same sex marriage in MN.

Bachmann officially left her church at the request of the pastor.

Bachmann campaigned in Iowa over the weekend. She said Ames is "Ground Zero" for 2012.

Pawlenty talks with Bloomberg's Al Hunt.

He says the U.S. should pay outside creditors before the U.S. military.

Pawlenty's campaign manager tries to reassure the staff that the campaign isn't tanking.

The Des Moines Register quotes a GOP operative who says the Iowa Straw poll is only critical for one candidate: Tim Pawlenty.

Former Gov. Arne Carlson, who says he's still a Republican, wrote an op-ed in the Des Moines Register criticizing Pawlenty's accounting tricks to balance Minnesota's budget.

Tidbit: It's interesting that Pawlenty claimed the shutdown but said little about the final budget deal.

ThinkProgress reports that Pawlenty rips Freddie Mac while his campaign co-chair lobbies for Freddie Mac.

Evangelicals are urging Texas Gov. Rick Perry to get in the race.

AP says Perry's credentials are as conservative as they come.

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani is hinting at a possible run.