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Strange bedfellows on Capitol Hill, ranging from Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to Rep. Jeff Landry (R-La.), are joining forces to change controversial detainee language that was signed into law by President Obama last month.

The bipartisan effort is a clear indication that the debate on the government’s power to detain suspected terrorists, including U.S. citizens, will continue into 2012.

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Sen. Al Franken is the latest celebrity to make a web ad promoting marriage equality in a campaign sponsored by Americans for Marriage Equality.

It’s a national campaign, but the issue has heated up in Minnesota with a November vote coming on a state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in the state.

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In June, we went on record on these pages in support of an imperfect solution to a real problem. The solution is a four-lane freeway-style bridge crossing the St. Croix River south of Stillwater that would help solve the town’s longstanding traffic-congestion problems. It needed exemption from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to allow the project to go forward.

The bridge, with an estimated price tag of $574 million to $690 million, took a major step toward construction Monday with approval in the U.S. Senate. The St. Croix River Crossing Project Authorization Act, spearheaded by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, was passed on a voice vote under a unanimous consent procedure used to expedite proceedings on legislation not considered controversial. That label belies the history of the long-delayed project, but we welcome the move nonetheless.

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On Monday, a bipartisan bill that would allow the St. Croix River bridge project to move forward was unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate and will now face a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill, which had bipartisan support and was cosponsored by Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, of Minnesota, and Herb Kohl, of Wisconsin, also has the support of both Gov. Mark Dayton and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

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U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) made a stop at Sappi Fine Paper in Cloquet Wednesday as part of his statewide manufacturing tour. During his one-hour visit at the mill, he met with company leaders and toured a portion of the mill, which employs approximately 750 people.

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Friends,

As you may know, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has decided not to bring the PROTECT IP Act (the Senate’s version of SOPA) up for a vote next week.  And since I’ve heard from many of you about this issue, I wanted to take a moment to share why I support copyright protection legislation — as well as why I believe holding off on this bill is the right thing to do.

As someone who has worked hard to protect net neutrality, I understand as well as anyone the importance of keeping the Internet free from undue corporate influence.  There are millions of Americans who rely on a free and open Internet to learn, communicate with friends and family, and do business.
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As he addressed Duluth business leaders at the DECC Wednesday night, Senator Al Franken said that right now our national debt is 93 percent of our GDP. After World War II, he said that number was much larger, at 121 percent. Back then we invested in infrastructure,manufacturing, education, and innovation, like the space program.

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Nothing is better than coming home to the reality of Minnesota, Sen. Al Franken said Wednesday night as the keynote speaker at the Duluth Greater Downtown Council’s annual dinner at the DECC.

Given the dire economy and the gridlock in Washington, he likes talking to Minnesotans of all stripes to gain perspective on his work.

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Sen. Al Franken slipped on a pair of plastic boots to get an up-close view of Minnesota agriculture at Rolling J Farm.

Ed and Lynn Jostock and their family operate Rolling J Farm near Hammond.

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