Tom Harkin

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison has introduced a bill that would extend Minnesota-style, same-day voting rights to all eligible Americans in federal elections.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken is the featured speaker at the Harkin Steak Fry in Iowa today. He is scheduled to take the podium at 3:10 p.m., right after event namesake Sen. Tom Harkin. The hourlong program should start at 2:30 p.m. Live streaming video after the jump.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is due back at work today following a mysterious several-day absence. For Minnesotans whose memories extend to the 1970s, news of an AWOL governor evokes the early days of Gov. Rudy Perpich’s first term in office — days Perpich spent out of the office, whereabouts (then) unknown.

So much for dreams of a Secretary of Agriculture Mark Ritchie. Today, the AP confirms that Barack Obama will be naming Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to the top USDA post. Ritchie, currently Minnesota Secretary of State, told the Minnesota Independent he wasn’t interested in the job, which he was suggested for by a bevy of [...]