The Daily Digest (Snowbound edition)
Welcome to the Daily Digest.
News flash: We have snow. A lot of it. Be careful out there.
Minnesota:
GOP U.S. Senate hopeful Mike McFadden is pushing back against critics who say he's been ducking the issues. (MPR News)
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People who support legalizing medical marijuana in Minnesota are considering a new approach in the 2014 session that focuses on allowing non-narcotic, marijuana-derived chemicals. (MPR News)
The Minnesota Action Network, which is a partner of the Washington, D.C. -based American Action Network formed by former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, has formed a state political fund. The money could be used in the governor's race or in state House races. (MPR News)
President Barack Obama will be in Minnesota next Wednesday to for an event on the economy. (MPR News)
A federal judge on Thursday declined to dismiss a lawsuit against the Minnesota Sex Offender Program, in which offenders deemed too dangerous for release are detained under civil commitment. (MPR News)
Questions about promises made about the Affordable Care Act befuddled members of the state's Washington delegation. (MPR News)
Leaders in the Minnesota House were on the Daily Circuit to discuss the upcoming legislative session. (MPR News)
Yet another twist in the effort to find an acceptable route for the Southwest Corridor LRT line. (Star Tribune)
Washington:
President Obama's 2015 budget will exclude a provision to keep Social Security costs under control. Obama offered the proposal in a previous budget blueprint to win support from Republicans. But an administration spokesperson said the GOP hadn't budged in backing Obama's budget, so it would be left out this year as a result.
Democrats hailed Obama's decision - and they won't have to take a tough vote on scaling back Social Security in an election year. (The New York Times)
Public sector jobs are being scaled back to avoid penalties under the Affordable Care Act (The New York Times)
Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann said that American isn't ready for a female president. She made the comments in an interview about potential 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton. Bachmann ran for president in 2012. (Politico)