The Daily Digest (Vikings challenge rejected, Daudt survives no confidence vote)

Good morning!

In Minnesota

The Minnesota Supreme Court has thrown out a legal challenge to the state’s financing plan for a new Vikings stadium. (MPR News)

House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt unexpectedly appeared at a meeting of local GOP activists Tuesday night and derailed a planned “no confidence” vote. Daudt raised the ire of District 31 Republicans by not talking to them about his recent brief arrest in Montana and falling short of their expectations he would lead the party on a path of fiscal conservatism, local leaders had said before the planned vote. (Star Tribune)

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Although President Obama suggested last weekend that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol, Gov. Mark Dayton said Tuesday he still opposes legalizing pot for medical purposes in Minnesota. (Pioneer Press)

Too many paintings of Civil War battles and white men -- that's what Gov. Dayton thinks of the art on display in the Minnesota Capitol and says the renovations underway could be an opportunity to highlight Minnesota more fully. (MPR News)

Gentleman farm, philosopher, former state legislator and convicted tax violater Win Borden has died at age 70. (MPR News)

In Congress/National Politics

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell were indicted in federal court Tuesday on 14 counts of fraud, conspiracy and obstructing federal investigators, all stemming from a gift-giving scandal that clouded the governor’s final months in office. (Politico)

Senator David Vitter, a Republican once tarred by scandal, announced on Tuesday that he will run for governor of Louisiana. (New York Times)

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty has a message for the Republican Party: the party needs to do much more to broaden its appeal to women, young people and minorities. And despite all the talk of re-examining and revamping GOP policies after losing those constituencies by wide margins in 2008 and 2012, the party still has not done enough. (USA Today)

U.S. Rep. John Kline put pressure on David Gerson, who's challenging Kline for the Republican endorsement, after Gerson fired a staffer after a series of violent and expletive-filled tweets written by the staffer were uncovered. Some of the tweets included comments critical of the military and the Marines. Kline served 25 years in the Marines and his son is in the Army. “The comments made by David Gerson campaign staff are outrageous and disgusting and Mr. Gerson is showing a complete lack of understanding and extremely poor judgment by downplaying the hate-filled words from his campaign," said Kline's campaign.

DFL U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is proposing a kill switch for smartphones be enforced at the federal level. This would allow anyone whose smartphone was stolen to render the phone useless to the thief, making it nothing more than an expensive paperweight. (KSTP)

As the precinct caucuses draw closer, 6th District Republican candidate Tom Emmer released his first ad, an online video directed at GOP activists in the district. It's available from Emmer's campaign website. 

On the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, DFL U.S. Sen. Al Franken used the occasion to aggressively raise money from his supporters. (MinnPost)