The Daily Digest: GOP transportation plan
Good morning!
In Minnesota
Republican legislative leaders will unveil a "10-year, comprehensive" transportation plan later today that spends less than Gov. Mark Dayton's plan and includes no tax increases. (Pioneer Press)
More than two-thirds of Minnesotans believe performance, not seniority, should be the deciding factor in determining which teachers keep their jobs when public schools conduct layoffs. (Star Tribune)
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
The chief House author of a bill involving video taken by cameras worn by police officers says the House is unlikely to take up the issue this year. (MPR News)
The Pioneer Press profiles Rep. Jim Knoblach, who returned from an eight year absence in the legislature to chair its most powerful committee. (Pioneer Press)
The PoliGraph checks out claims made by Gov. Mark Dayton about his supplemental budget request. (MPR News)
A proposed network of facilities intended to reduce the number of mentally ill people who languish in county jails is facing resistance from mental health advocates, who say Minnesota should focus instead on a statewide expansion of proven intervention programs. (Star Tribune)
National Politics
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will announce that he's running for president later today, the first official candidate of the 2016 election cycle. The first term Republican has served in the Senate just two years. (Washington Post)
Democrats are welcoming news that Cruz is officially jumping into the presidential race, saying his candidacy will pull the Republicans even further to the right and make it harder for them to win a general election. (USA Today)
Another likely GOP candidate, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, may find that his relationship with former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman, who's a lobbyist for Saudi Arabia, may complicate his bid. (BuzzFeed)
Congress is set to vote this week on a major bipartisan deal to revamp Medicare payment rates and extend an insurance program for children. (New York Times)
Former Minnesota U.S. Attorney and current Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, B. Todd Jones, is stepping down to take a private sector job. (AP via MPR News)
...and shades of Tim Pawlenty's presidential bid: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker no longer says “Wiscahnsin” on the campaign trial. (New York Times)