Welcome to the last day of January! Here's your Friday Digest.
1. As Iowans near a decision, Klobuchar is 'right there.' The crowds for Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s events are getting bigger, and some voters say they are moving from undecided or dumping other presidential contenders to support her. One of them is Jean Boot, 70, of Ames who said Klobuchar’s last two debate performances convinced her to jump ship from another candidate who’s been drawing large crowds for months and raising a lot more money than Klobuchar. "Amy has that experience of working across the aisle, working with others, not just the Democrats to get things done,” Boot said. “And she’s a woman and I think that plays a big part in it, too.” MPR News 2. Minnesota battle over insulin aid to continue in 2020 legislative session. "Diabetes advocates, Democratic legislators and Gov. Tim Walz gathered Thursday to present the latest version of a bill they plan to push during the legislative session that starts Feb. 11. The deaths of Minnesotans who could not afford insulin triggered several high-profile calls for action at the State Capitol in recent years. But legislative debates, followed by months of closed-door deal-making over the past year, have failed to produce an aid program." Star Tribune 3. Tina Smith blames Trump for stalled Moorhead underpass project. Smith wrote in an opinion piece published on CNN.com Thursday that the Moorhead underpass shouldn't have been passed over for federal funding. “Minnesotans know it’s wrong for a President of any party to put his own personal interests ahead of the public good,” Smith wrote. “And now my constituents have reason to be concerned that the Trump administration’s desire to return to the ‘spoils system’ may be directly and unfairly affecting their economic security.” The White House press office has not yet responded to a request for comment. The Forum of Fargo
4. Collin Peterson works to expand CBD market as hemp production booms. Enthusiastic hemp farmers have appeared to flood the market, dpressing prices. One solution: loosen the Food and Drug Administration's grip on CBD products. Peterson says his bill, H.R.5587 , would allow CBD to be marketed as a dietary supplement. The bill would also direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study the hemp market. “I know folks in my district that are excited about the potential for hemp, and while I want them to recognize that there’s still a ways to go yet, I also want to help establish a roadmap to get there,” said Peterson, chair of the House Agriculture Committee. MinnPost 5. Amy Klobuchar struggles to win over young voters. "While the three-term Minnesota Senator is modestly popular with middle-aged Americans—she polls at 6% among people ages 50 to 64, according to a December Quinnipiac poll—she’s not even on the board among voters under 30. She is polling at zero percent among those under 35, and at 1% among the entire 35 to 49 set. In the days before the first caucuses in Iowa on Feb. 3, those dismal numbers matter." TIME | 