The Daily Digest: State of emergency over bird flu

Good morning!

In Minnesota

Gov. Mark Dayton declared a peacetime state of emergency to strengthen the state's response to an unprecedented avian influenza outbreak. (MPR News)

Minnesota House Republicans have ended the DFL's attempt to increase education spending by $800 million. (AP via Star Tribune)

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In their $2 billion package of tax cuts, Republicans who control the Minnesota House would more than double the amount of money Minnesotans would have to amass before their estates are subject to taxes. (MPR News)

Minnesota Democrats are welcomed Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his likely presidential campaign to Minnesota by pointing out Minnesota’s economy is performing better than Wisconsin’s. (MPR News)

Dayton says he'll veto any bill that would legalize gun silencers after the GOP-controlled House passed legislation earlier in the month to expand access to firearms. (AP via MPR News)

National Politics

President Obama has apologized for a CIA drone strike against suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan that also killed an American and Italian hostage. (Washington Post)

After one of the longest confirmation fights ever, the U.S. Senate has voted to confirm Loretta Lynch as the next Attorney General. Both of Minnesota's senators voted for Lynch. (New York Times)

GOP presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, was the only senator to miss the vote. Despite being one of Lynch's fiercest critics, he attended a fundraiser in Texas instead of voting. (Politico)

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has hired its first Minnesota staffer. (Star Tribune)

She's also been asked to testify about her private email account before a U.S. House committee. (Bloomberg News)

Sen. Al Franken will likely have something to celebrate today if Comcast calls off its long-planned merger with Time Warner. The deal failed despite one of the largest and most sophisticated lobbying campaigns ever to hit Washington. (Bloomberg News)