The Daily Digest: Cuban bombshell

Good morning!

In Minnesota

Ramsey County prosecutors have charged four people with running a public benefits fraud scheme that bilked the state and investors out of more than $4 million. (MPR News)

About 135,000 Minnesota adults ages 18 to 64 years old secured health coverage between 2013 and 2014, a jump that cut the uninsured rate for that group to a record low 6.7 percent. (MPR News)

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But state officials are still struggling to transfer the enrollment data that insurance companies need to enroll thousands of residents in coverage. (AP via Pioneer Press)

National Politics

The United States and Cuba ended more than a half-century of enmity, announcing that they would reestablish diplomatic relations and begin dismantling the last pillar of the Cold War. (Washington Post)

U.S Rep. Michele Bachmann denounced the move to restore diplomatic ties with Cuba as "inexplicable" and called the lengthy embargo of the Communist-run island effective. (MPR News)

The announcement drew praise from some Minnesota residents and companies who would like to see more opportunities to do business in Cuba. (MPR News)

This will probably be a good year for tax cheats. The IRS will freeze hiring and stop overtime as a result of the budget cuts just passed by Congress. (Politico)

After a veterans suicide prevention bill was blocked in the Senate, 1st District DFL Rep. Tim Walz speaks out. (MPR News)

Republicans in Congress have plenty of nice things to say about Jeb Bush. But influential lawmakers aren’t about to jump on the Bush presidential bandwagon just yet — or bow out of possibly running against him. (Politico)