12,000 Minnesota jobs at stake in transportation bill

A group of mayors around the state is urging Congress to allow work to continue on various transportation projects. The work will end if action isn't taken before the bill expires on Sept. 30.

Nationally, the Star Tribune's Jim Spencer reports, "about 847,000 existing jobs -- more than 12,000 in Minnesota -- would be disrupted if the legislation isn't approved. The campaign for the bill reflects the new reality in the nation's capital, where what would have been a routine extension is instead in limbo, as both parties debate spending priorities."

"There are no such things as routine matters now," said Norman Ornstein, a political analyst with the American Enterprise Institute. "There is a specific Republican tactic to take what was routine and turn it into a confrontation. It will be true of the surface transportation act, as it was for the debt ceiling."

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The Bachmann Files

Bachmann campaign shake up

Bachmann's campaign saw a shake up over the weekend in the loss of her campaign manager, Ed Rollins who previously worked for President Ronald Reagan and Republican candidates Ross Perot and Mike Huckabee.

The official line from the Bachmann campaign is that health problems prevented Rollins from overseeing the campaign but that he will remain a "senior advisor." A campaign press release called the move "a planned restructuring strategy."

There's probably a lot more to the shake-up, said Larry Jacobs, University of Minnesota political science professor.

"If things were going well, we would not be seeing this sort of press release," he said.

(MPR News)

Bachmann faces doubts going into Wednesday's GOP debate

Amid falling poll numbers, she must take on Romney and Perry (Star Tribune).

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