The Daily Digest
Welcome to the Daily Digest, where Minnesota lawmakers talk gun rights, a deal on the fiscal cliff appears closer to reality, and some unlikely Democrats are backing new gun controls.
Around Minnesota
In the aftermath of the Connecticut shooting, Gov. Mark Dayton says he's not sure there's much he can do to regulate guns in Minnesota, but he said he's willing to consider all options.
Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder plans to introduce legislation next session that would allow teachers to carry guns in school.
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Dayton says doing so "defies common sense."
A committee calls for added security at the State Capitol.
Two more electronic pull-tab makers have been approved.
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers want to award Minnesota's 10 electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes.
The Star Tribune reports that Corey Day, executive director of the Minnesota DFL Party, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of drunken driving.
The Duluth News Tribune reports that the Minnesota Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower-court ruling that upholds the state's limit on sulfate in wild rice waters.
Caribou Coffee has been sold, but will remain headquartered in Minnesota.
In Washington
President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner appear close to a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.
Obama is demanding less in terms of a tax increase. He has offered to raise revenues by $1.2 trillion, but would extend the Bush-era tax rates for households earnings less than $400,000.
Obama's proposal would cut spending by $1.22 trillion which is up slightly from the $1.2 trillion Republicans had initially demanded.
Some of those savings would come from adopting the chained-CPI to slow government benefits, including Social Security.
Rep. Keith Ellison, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, opposes the idea.
"Everyone has a grandparent, a friend or a neighbor who relies on the Social Security benefits they earned to pay for medical care, food and housing. A move towards chained CPI would be a long-term benefit cut for every single person who receives a Social Security check," Ellison said in a statement Monday night.
In the wake of the Connecticut shooting, some unlikely Democrats are saying they're open to stricter gun rules, the New York Times reports.
The Washington Post Fact Checker looks at whether concealed-weapon laws result in less crime.
NPR looks at what gun control could look like.
After Obama told mourners in Connecticut that he would use "whatever power this office holds," to stem gun violence, he has directed his Cabinet member to draft gun control proposals including one that would reinstate a ban on assault rifles, the Washington Post reports.
Representative Tim Scott will replace Jim DeMint in the United States Senate. DeMint is resigning to lead the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Nine news outlets are contesting expenses billed to their reporters by the Mitt Romney campaign, according to Buzzfeed.
A Senate committee approved Sen. Al Franken's smartphone tracking privacy bill, Bloomberg reports.
Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye died at the age of 88.