The Daily Digest

Welcome to the Daily Digest, where the MN Chamber says it won't get involved in the same-sex marriage amendment debate, a vote on the St. Croix bridge isn't looking good, and Bachmann announces a tour of Iowa's 99 counties.

Around Minnesota

Starkey Hearing Technologies executive Brandon Sawalich will run for top spot of the Republican Party of Minnesota.

Mike Vekich will help the party deal with its financial woes.

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The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is for now staying out of the debate over a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, the Post-Bulletin reports.

Medronic will pay $23.5 million to settle accusations that the company paid doctors kickbacks.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is proposing lowering the property tax increase he proposed earlier this year.

Anoka-Hennepin's 'controversial topics' measure leaves both sides unhappy, MPR reports.

Gov. Mark Dayton will be on Midday today at 11 am.

In Washington

A vote this year on a new bridge over the St. Croix isn't looking likely.

The Supreme Court will review Arizona's new immigration law. It's the third controversial case the court has decided to take up this year, and their deliberations will have an impact on the 2012 elections, the Washington Post reports.

Rep. Keith Ellison is among those criticizing Lowe's home improvement store for pulling its ads from a show about Muslims living in America.

Lowe's is standing by its decision.

Though American troops may be leaving Iraq, President Barack Obama said Iraqi people "will not stand alone."

He met with Iraq's prime minister on Monday.

Congress is working on a $1 trillion spending bill.

The nation's farmers are having a good year.

Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar are urging against proposed post office closures.

On the Campaign Trail

Rep. Michele Bachmann is planning to tour all of Iowa's 99 counties.

A Grand Forks, N.D., tea party group wants to name Bachmann "Person of the Year."

After maintaining a relatively cordial tone, Newt Gingrich challenged Romney on his business background, MSNBC reports.

Gingrich's tax plan would make the deficit worse.

Romney was challenged on his views about gays in the military.

Iowa's conservative evangelicals are torn over the GOP candidates, the New York Times reports.

A new poll shows that Obama's support in battleground states is waning.

Graphic of the Day

WaPo's Dan Balz has a good article on how candidates are spending less time and money in Iowa this year, and what it all means. But I'm more interested in this cool accompanying graphic that shows where the candidates have been, and how many stops they've made in the early primary states.

Bachmann's made 127 visits to Iowa, coming in second behind Rick Santorum, who has made 214 visits. Huntsman comes in last with one visit.