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Capitol View®
Jon Collins

The Daily Digest (Costs rise in Brodkorb suit, Sivarajah to run in 6th CD, Franken urges transparency of surveillance programs)

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Welcome to the new and improved Daily Digest (and to the first sunny day in recent memory)!

Our roundup today includes a look at the rising cost of a lawsuit brought by former GOP Senate staffer Michael Brodkorb. And yet another GOP candidate has thrown her hat into the ring in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.

On the national level, controversy continues to build about the government's use of secret surveillance programs to collect information on millions of Americans. Senator Al Franken told MPR News yesterday that he planned to offer a proposal that would require the government to release portions of court orders allowing the surveillance.

Minnesota

Senate legal bill tops $226,000 in Brodkorb suit (MPR News) The lawsuit challenging the firing of state Senate staffer Michael Brodkorb has already cost taxpayers $226,000. Brodkorb was fired for having an affair with then-Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch. He’s arguing that female staffers have been treated differently when affairs with men were revealed.

Sivarajah says she’s running for 6th District seat (MPR News) Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah has leapt into the fray to succeed Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District. She said she’ll pursue the Republican endorsement, but may also run in the primary.

Mpls. tries to fix voting system delays (MPR News) Minneapolis is breaking out new voting machines and software that they hope will eliminate some delays associated with the city’s ranked-choice voting system. They’re also planning to staff up voting precincts to reduce wait times.

National

Franken calls for more transparency for FISA court (MPR News) Senator Al Franken is part of a bipartisan group pushing for the government to publicly release court rulings that allow the government to conduct surveillance programs.

Leaker Snowden's allegations about US hacking give China new edge in cyber war of words (Associated Press via Star Tribune)

A former National Security Agency contractor who leaked documents verifying that the government secretly collects phone data of Americans has alleged that the U.S. targets Hong Kong and China in hacking operations.

NSA director says dozens of attacks were stopped by surveillance programs (Washington Post) In testimony before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, NSA head Gen. Keith Alexander said recent revelations that the government has secretly been collecting phone and internet data on millions of Americans have done “great harm” to national security.

Obama Backs Bill to Overhaul Immigration as Debate Is Set (New York Times) President Barack Obama has cautiously thrown his weight behind the bill, which is expected to be debated in the U.S. Senate for the next month. Already, some Republicans leaders have expressed concerns that the compromise bill doesn’t put more emphasis on border security.

House Panel Advances Bill to Restrict Abortions (New York Times) The bill banning abortions after 22 weeks will move to the House floor after advancing through a committee on a partisan vote. It doesn’t include an exception for rape victims, and the hearing turned contentious after Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona said “the incidents of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low.” The bill isn't expected to make headway in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

McCollum denied recorded vote on CIA drone strikes (Star Tribune) An amendment that would have transferred responsibility for the CIA’s drone program to the Pentagon was rejected in a committee on Wednesday. Representative Betty McCollum said the administration wants to continue what she described as an “assassination program,” without Congressional oversight, transparency or accountability. McCollum said she plans to offer the amendment again on the House floor.

NFL rejects McCollum's push to have Washington Redskins renamed (Star Tribune) In a response to members of Congress who requested the Washington Redskins change their name, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell argued that many Americans, even those of Native American descent, are not offended by the name. Rep. Betty McCollum said Goodell’s letter was yet another attempt to “justify a racial slur.”

50th anniversary of assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers (MPR News) This American RadioWorks documentary details efforts to win civil rights for African Americans in Mississippi, and the pushback, which included the murder of NAACP activist Medgar Evers, from some in the white population.