The Daily Digest: Double Debate Day

Good morning!

In Minnesota

The U.S. Senate candidates will debate this morning at 8 AM while candidates for governor will debate this evening at 7:00. MPR News will be live blogging both events. Check back in at www.mprnews.org for the blogs and streaming coverage.

Minnesotans haven't heard a governor pledge support for the death penalty in over a decade, but if Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson wins in  October  November, that could change. (MPR News)

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A new TV ad from the Alliance for a Better Minnesota is critical of Johnson over the minimum wage issue. (Star Tribune)

Both Sen. Al Franken and his Republican opponent Mike McFadden say there's too much money in politics, but both are using sophisticated fundraising techniques that can give big donors plenty of opportunities to fund their campaigns. (MPR News)

What to look for when Franken and McFadden debate in Duluth today. (MinnPost)

In his re-election fight, Congressman Rick Nolan has an important ally and mentor in fellow Rep. Tim Walz. (Star Tribune)

Minnesota’s 10 member congressional delegation wants a meeting with Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald about the status of an internal investigation on whether the Minneapolis VA falsified records about veterans wait times. (MPR News)

Comedian Bill Maher will be in Northfield next Tuesday as part of his attempt to unseat Republican Congressman John Kline. (Northfield News)

State lawmakers heard testimony about congested freight rail service but a solution is likely years away. (MPR News)

National Politics

The head of the Secret Service got a grilling from lawmakers on Capitol Hill about White House security breaches and the agency's recent series of scandals and missteps. (Washington Post)

Republicans, including Stewart Mills in the 8th District, are criticizing Democrats for voting to raise the debt ceiling, a policy many House Republican, including its leaders voted for. Democrats say Republicans are being hypocritical. (Politico)

Speaker John Boehner is on a stronger footing with the House GOP rank and file than he has been in years. But when the new Congress convenes in January, that won’t stop the party’s anti-Boehner wing from staging another revolt. (Roll Call)

House Republicans have been destined for modest gains in the midterms despite a favorable political environment. Now, just five weeks until Election Day, the party is raising its ambitions, jumping into Democratic strongholds long thought to be beyond the GOP’s reach. The goal: Achieve their biggest House majority since Harry Truman’s presidency. (Politico)