Good morning. It's Wednesday Digest time.

1. Klobuchar tries to break out of pack.  In her opening statement, Amy Klobuchar said, “Let’s get real.” You’re going to hear a lot of promises up here. But I’m going to tell you this: Yes, I have bold ideas, but they are grounded in reality,” the Minnesota senator and Democratic presidential candidate said. Later Klobuchar explained why she opposes eliminating private health insurance, leaving an expanded Medicare as the only health care option. “Do I think that we are going to end up voting for a plan that kicks half of America off of their current insurance in four years? No, I don't think we're going to do that,” Klobuchar said in contrast to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Klobuchar favors allowing people to buy into government health insurance if they wish to. And she promoted free two-year community college as an alternative higher education proposal to four years tuition-free. (MPR News)

2. Officials discussed Google deal months before it became public knowledge.  Nearly three months before most Minnesotans knew that Google was interested in building a large data center in Sherburne County, local officials were already putting together a public subsidy package for the multi-billion-dollar company. New documents obtained by Saint Paul-based non-profit Public Record Media (PRM) show that the broad outlines of an agreement with Google were being discussed while public officials agreed to be under a non-disclosure agreement that they interpreted as preventing them from publicly speaking about the project.  Other documents indicate that the talks with Google began more than a year before the project was officially announced. County officials, along with city officials in Becker, Minnesota, signed a non-disclosure agreement in September 2018 with Jet Stream LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Google.  Internal e-mails obtained by PRM show that during the time the project was being kept secret, both city and county officials referred to the endeavor as “Project Pine” without naming Google.  The project – and Google’s association with it — became public in January 2019, four months after the signing of the non-disclosure agreement. (Public Record Media)

3. Walz interested in opening Legislature to data practices laws.  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the top Republican in the state Legislature have talked about requiring lawmakers to follow the same open records laws that cover the rest of state government, although the GOP leader remains opposed. The discussion was disclosed in a letter this week from Walz to Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, raising concerns about a new Senate Republican Caucus web page soliciting complaints from state employees. Walz argued that while he welcomes legislative oversight of state government, creating a party mechanism for reporting government waste, fraud or abuse would be a “departure from neutral investigatory principles.” Walz’s letter, dated Monday, noted the governor’s interest in continuing the discussion about opening the Legislature to the Minnesota Data Practices Act to make the legislative process more transparent. It is an issue that came into sharp focus in May amid the closed-door budget negotiations between the governor and legislative leaders. “Transparency is also [a] bipartisan issue,” Walz wrote. “That’s why I am grateful for your willingness to have an additional discussion about passing legislation next session subjecting the State Legislature to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA).” ( Star Tribune)

4. Frey finds himself between chief, council on hiring more cops.  In the coming weeks, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will face what could be the trickiest political maneuvering of his first term: hiring more police officers. As he drafts his budget, Frey risks rebuking the police chief — an important political ally — or alienating already-skeptical City Council members who have the power to reject his request. Chief Medaria Arradondo reopened the divisive topic of police staffing this month when he told reporters he needed 400 additional patrol officers by 2025 — a whopping 45% increase from today’s total force. The politics of policing is delicate in Minneapolis, made more so this year after the largest police-misconduct payout in Minnesota history. While downtown groups call for more officers to curb the latest spike in street violence, others say public safety must be addressed through a holistic approach that incorporates better funding for programs like affordable housing, drug treatment and youth-violence intervention. As reports of Arradondo’s request spread throughout City Hall, council members were quick to set the tone for a fight ahead. (Star Tribune)

5. Ex-corrections official pushes back.  The former Minnesota corrections official who resigned while under investigation released an extended defense of her actions Tuesday, in which she also asserts she was marginalized after expressing concerns “regarding ethics and flagrant mismanagement.” Meanwhile, Gov. Tim Walz said he has full confidence in Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell, whom the first-year governor has tasked with changing culture at the agency that operates Minnesota’s prisons. One of Schnell’s main advisers, Sarah Walker, left her post as deputy corrections commissioner earlier this month. Last week, the agency released details of an incomplete investigation into allegations against her. They include claims Walker lobbied for a nonprofit connected to her husband on state time and that she released confidential information about a coworker. In a statement posted online, Walker said the narrative surrounding her departure is “untethered to the facts.” The investigation was never completed because Walker resigned before that occurred. (MPR News)

The Daily Digest will take a break the next couple of days, back Monday.