The Daily Digest (MN GOP gets a new HQ, no sales tax rebates likely)
Good morning from Washington, D.C., where the 3-6 inches of snow that are expected this morning have shut the federal government, but not the Daily Digest.
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In Minnesota
St. John's Abbey on Monday released the names of 18 current and former monks who "likely have offended against minors." (MPR News)
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Both sides of the debate over whether Minnesota needs to rewrite its school bullying law said Monday they would redouble their efforts when lawmakers return to the Capitol in February. (Pioneer Press)
Minnesota senators will soon see a boost in their monthly expense reimbursements. (MPR News)
Don't count on a sales tax rebate check like the ones that became popular in prior years when Minnesota ran a budget surplus, the state's top senator said Monday. (AP via Pioneer Press)
A Minnesota task force studying a higher-tech voter verification process leaned away Monday from recommending that electronic poll books be mandatory in every precinct for the 2014 statewide election. (MPR News)
A Minnesota Senate panel voted Monday to pay the final legal bill related to the recently settled Michael Brodkorb lawsuit. (MPR News)
The Republican Party of Minnesota is moving its headquarters from near the Capitol in St. Paul to a Minneapolis neighborhood that is a DFL stronghold. (MPR News)
In Congress/National Politics
President Obama and many other world leaders are in South Africa at Nelson Mandela's memorial service. (New York Times)
After months of doubt, 7th District DFL Rep. Collin Peterson says lawmakers are a near a deal that would pave the way for passing a farm bill in the next month. (Fargo Forum)
In recent weeks, pro-immigration advocates have taken a decidedly sharper, more aggressive turn in their efforts to pressure lawmakers — primarily Republicans — on an immigration overhaul that would create a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants in the country. (Politico)
Not limiting their activities to the earthly realm, American and British spies have infiltrated the fantasy worlds of World of Warcraft and Second Life, conducting surveillance and scooping up data in the online games played by millions of people across the globe, according to newly disclosed classified documents. (New York Times)