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Capitol View®
Brett Neely

The Daily Digest (Medical marijuana, Don Shelby weighs House bid and more Congressional dysfunction)

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Happy Friday!

Medical marijuana could be on the legislative agenda next year; former WCCO anchor Don Shelby is weighing a bid for Congress and a reporter asks why Al Franken isn't funny anymore.

In Minnesota

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers aims to pass a law next year that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients with debilitating ailments, setting up a fight with the law enforcement community. (MPR News)

GOP State Sen. Dave Thompson, who's running for governor, wants to put limits on public employee unions. (St. Cloud Times)

Today is the last day for Minnesotans to apply for marriage licenses in order to get married on Aug. 1 -- the same day that same-sex marriage becomes legal in the state. (MPR News)

President Barack Obama has signed a disaster declaration for 18 counties in Minnesota, making millions of dollars in federal aid available to help the state recover from June storms. (MPR News)

The 2013 legislative session may have ended more than two months ago, but the partisan bickering over state government finances is still going strong. (MPR News)

And here's some  weekend reading about what the Mayo Clinic and the Vikings have in common. (The New Republic)

National Politics/Washington

Former WCCO anchor Don Shelby is being recruited to run as a Democrat against 3rd District U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen though Shelby is undecided about whether to take the plunge. (MPR News)

In other House race news, a Montevideo businessman confirms that he's thinking about running as a Republican to take on 7th District U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson. (MPR News)

A reporter who obviously doesn't cover Al Franken that much asks why the former comedian is no longer funny now that he's a senator. (Salon)

Pretty much any bill that attempts to be comprehensive appears dead in Congress these days. (MPR News)

In the vein of congressional dysfunction, Republican-allied campaign trackers have taken to following lawmakers through the Capitol complex with video cameras, a major breach of what was left of congressional etiquette. (Buzzfeed)

DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar attended a fundraiser for Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis in Washington. (Houston Chronicle)

Following the Supreme Court's decision to strike down parts of the Voting Rights Act, the Department of Justice is taking a new approach and asking a federal court to require Texas to seek the federal government's approval before making changes to its voting system. (New York Times)

The Federal Election Commission says that legally married same-sex couples must be treated in the same manner as opposite-sex couples under election law, reversing its position in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act. (Washington Post)

And finally: Minnesota's congressional delegation is old, the second oldest ever according to a new analysis. (Smart Politics blog)

Have a good weekend!