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John Wodele

The week in politics

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Daily Circuit Friday Roundtable
Daily Circuit illustration

On this week's Friday Roundtable, our guests take on politics from Minnesota to Washington to Fort Lee, NJ.

READ UP ON THE WEEK IN POLITICS:

• White House preoccupied by NSA surveillance controversy

The behind-the-scenes effort to manage the fallout from the Snowden leaks has been so wide-ranging and time-consuming that officials from the George W. Bush and Obama administrations compare it to White House deliberations over the 9/11 and Iraq intelligence commissions' reports, the U.S. military surge in Afghanistan, and the WikiLeaks disclosures. (Washington Post)

• Senate committee approves tentative plans for $90 million office building

A Minnesota Senate committee on Wednesday approved plans to move forward with the design and planning of a $90 million legislative office building, despite opposition by Republican leadership who claimed they were never informed of the project's close ties to the $272 million restoration of the State Capitol. (Star Tribune)

• N.S.A. Devises Radio Pathway Into Computers

The radio frequency technology has helped solve one of the biggest problems facing American intelligence agencies for years: getting into computers that adversaries, and some American partners, have tried to make impervious to spying or cyberattack. In most cases, the radio frequency hardware must be physically inserted by a spy, a manufacturer or an unwitting user. (New York Times)

• Does Minnesota need a lieutenant governor?

Prettner Solon, like a few others before her, expressed frustration at not being tapped by her boss to play a more significant role. She said the two of them hardly ever talked. And she advocated for significant and specific lieutenant governor duties. "I think we need to beef it up a little bit, give it more definition (and) identify better in the Constitution or in statute what the role of the lieutenant governor is," she said in announcing her resignation on Tuesday. (Duluth News Tribune)

• Dayton's bonding wish list: Civic landmarks, bridges, higher ed take lead

Gov. Mark Dayton released a $986 million plan for public works construction projects today. The largest single item is $126 million for the remaining work on the state Capitol building. Dayton, a Democrat, also suggests funding for several local projects, the kind former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty usually opposed. (MPR News)