Daily Digest (Dayton video, seal appeal, executive orders)
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It's Friday, so we're going to let the Digest speak for itself. Here goes:
Minnesota:
Gov. Dayton meets Friday to extend an emergency declaration to deal with the propane shortage and price hikes. The Department of Public Safety set up a hotline on Thursday. Meanwhile, the federal government is releasing an additional $15.8 mil. in emergency funds. Rural Minnesota businesses and residents are still struggling to pay to at least partly fill propane tanks. (MPR News)
The Metropolitan Council is again considering re-routing freight rail traffic from Minneapolis to St. Louis Park to make way for the Southwest Light Rail Line. The St. Louis Park option is back on the table after a new engineering study identified it as one of two viable routes for the freight trains. The other viable option would be to keep the trains in Minneapolis. (MPR News)
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Gov. Dayton’s campaign released this new video that makes the governor’s re-election theme clear: It’s morning in Minnesota. (Not wild about the fact that they swiped those first three clips of audio though).
Sen. Dave Thompson, R-Lakevile, did indeed choose fellow Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake, as his running mate as he seeks to become governor. Benson says Thompson is "uniquely qualified to serve as governor. Not just because he is a confident advocate for his beliefs, but because from those bedrock principles he can and will work with anyone to fix our state.” (MPR News)
Less than a week before precinct caucuses State Sen. Julianne Ortman says she will abide by the Republican Party endorsement. " I challenge any serious candidate who would run with the Republican brand and banner to respect the work of these activists and abide by their endorsement," she said. "I also urge party and community leaders to do all in their power to work to unite our party from one end of the political spectrum to the other without delay– we have mutual goals that we must accomplish, including the urgent goal of removing Al Franken from office." (MPR News)
MNsure's interim director says the average wait time for the call center is now down to 18 minutes. He also says no more performance bonuses. (KARE TV)
The Como Zoo has proposed a $14.8 million face-lift for one of its most popular attractions: the sea lion exhibit that hosts Sparky shows, a fixture at the zoo for more than 50 years.Zoo officials are seeking taxpayer support for most of the project, largely through general obligation bonds. They plan to raise $1 million from private sources. (MPR News)
Hard to resist the grounding of the beer drone. (NPR)
Washington:
Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is supporting a resolution that takes President Obama to task for his use of executive orders. (Star Tribune)
The numbers show that Obama has actually issued fewer executive orders than any president in about 100 years. Really. Here are the numbers. (The American Presidency Project)
NPR sheds a little more light on executive orders: "For all their complaints about Obama's high-handedness, though, what they're really objecting to is the substance of the policies he's pursuing. A president's use of executive authority to make policy end-runs around Congress is one of those issues where the out-of-power party is always going to disapprove." (NPR)
Congressional Republicans released a one page document that lists their "standards for immigration reform." It calls for a path to legal status for people in the country illegally, but not for citizenship. It's also dividing Republicans. (New York Times)
Finally:
Put-upon art historians suffer another uncalled-for political shot. What did they do to deserve this? When will it end? (Washington Post)