The Daily Digest (Presidential politics comes to MN, Gauthier gets a DFL challenger, Special Session talks)

Presidential politics will be front and center in Minnesota this week.

Vice President Joe Biden will campaign in Minneapolis and Rochester on Tuesday.

Mitt Romney will be holding a fundraiser in Minnetonka Beach on Thursday. No word on whether Romney will hold any public events during his visit.

Both campaigns are fighting for an edge on Medicare.

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Paul Ryan paid a higher income tax rate than Mitt Romney.

President Obama is keeping up the drumbeat for Romney to release his taxes.

Meanwhile, Romney is keeping up his welfare attacks against Obama.

Ryan is also being targeted for his stance on women's issues.

Romney's advisers are working on convention planning. The Washington Post says the focus will be to turn Romney into someone they like professionally. The New York Times says they hope to reveal a "warm Mitt Romney."

Under the Dome

Gov. Dayton is scheduled to meet with legislative leaders today to discuss a special session for northeastern Minnesota flood relief.

The Small Business Association is allowing individuals to access disaster loans.

A federal judge dismissed a suit aimed at ending Same-Day voter registration.

Minnesota health insurance agents worry the health insurance exchange will cost them commissions.

Minnesota sanctioned four big life insurers.

Race for Legislature

A Duluth City Council member says he'll wage a write-in campaign to challenge DFL Rep. Kerry Gauthier.

GOP House Speaker Kurt Zellers is calling on Gauthier to resign. (Updated post to fix error.)

Gauthier, who admitted to police of having sexual relations with a 17-year-old, has not made any public comments after the information was made public.

The Pi Press takes a look at how Foung Hawj won the DFL primary in Senate District 67.

Constitutional Amendment to Ban Same-Sex Marriage

An employee at a Catholic organization is allowed to make an anonymous donation after suggesting the donation could cost the individual to be dismissed.

The Star Tribune says the marriage fight is dividing the state's Catholics.

Economy

The economy is showing some fresh signs of momentum.

Hubert Joly is the new CEO of Best Buy. Carlson Companies announced yesterday that he was leaving that company. Carlson's CFO Trudy Rautio has been promoted to CEO.

Meanwhile, Best Buy founder Richard Schulze has rejected a bid to delay his attempted takeover of his former company.

Congress

AP says the problems plaguing Social Security could be fixed with modest but politically tough changes.

An attack on U.S. troops prompts NATO to shift its policy.

President Obama released transportation earmark funds in the hopes of boosting infrastructure jobs.

A bill would expand fertility coverage for veterans.

Politico reports that the FBI investigated a "late-night swim in the Sea of Galilee that involved drinking, numerous GOP freshmen lawmakers, top leadership staff - and one nude member of Congress..."

GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack criticizes EPA rules on emissions.

The move comes after the EPA set a hearing on haze rules.

Cravaack also revealed that his New Hampshire home is worth $500,000.

Here are details from the other financial filings of Minnesota's delegation.

Race for Congress

The Washington Post says the gulf between political parties has never been wider.

The PoliGraph says Republican Allen Quist's budget claims overstates the impact of the debt.

The Twin West Chamber is backing GOP Rep. Erik Paulsen for reelection.

GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann is being left out of the limelight of the RNC.

Race for U.S. Senate

Republican Kurt Bills shrugged off his poor primary performance. He garnered 51 percent of the vote.

Bills and DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar agreed to appear at a debate on the Sunday before Election Day.

Klobuchar and DFL Rep. Tim Walz will campaign in Worthington today.

Rep. Todd Akin, R-MO, set off a firestorm in his state by suggesting that legitimate rape rarely results in pregnancy. He's running for the Senate against Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO.