Daily Digest: Dean to announce for governor

Good morning, and happy Thursday. Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate that you read this every morning? Well, I do. Thanks. Here's the Digest.

1. Republican state Rep. Matt Dean of Dellwood will announce Thursday that he will run for Minnesota governor next year, saying he has a track record of “solving problems and making things work again.” Five Democrats and five other Republicans have already announced, but Dean is the first Republican in the Legislature to announce. Dean, 51, is an architect and former House majority leader. First elected to the House in 2004, he was picked as majority leader after he helped Republicans win control of the House in 2010. The GOP lost control two years later. (Pioneer Press)

2. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton issued a warning Wednesday that he will veto any bill that includes private school vouchers. The threat could put a tax bill, which contains tax breaks for donations to private school scholarships, in jeopardy. Dayton’s latest veto pledge comes with less than a month left in the 2017 legislative session. It also follows Republican criticism that he is not yet fully engaged in budget bill negotiations. But with the growing list of threatened vetoes, Dayton has sent strong signals about some of his key objections. (MPR News)

3. The year-and-a-half-long hunt for a new chief of the Minnesota Lottery ended with the selection of a former Minneapolis Public Schools official, state leaders said Wednesday. Robert Doty will take the helm at the nearly $600 million-a-year enterprise, which saw its last permanent executive director resign amid expense report questions. The lottery has been led by a caretaker director during a search that took far longer than expected. He begins the new job on Monday. (MPR News)

4. Dismissing concerns about ballooning federal deficits, President Donald Trump on Wednesday proposed dramatic tax cuts for U.S. businesses and individuals -- outlining an overhaul his administration promises will spur economic growth and simplify America's tangle of tax code rules.His proposal, a one-page sketch short on detail, would reduce the top corporate tax rate by 20 percentage points and allow private business owners to claim the new lower rate for their take-home pay. It would whittle the number of tax brackets for individuals from seven to three, lower the top tax rate from 39.6 percent to 35 percent and double the standard amount taxpayers could deduct. (AP)

5. Former President Barack Obama has agreed to accept $400,000 to speak at a health care conference this year sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald, a Wall Street investment bank. Out of office for about three months, Mr. Obama has begun the process of cashing in. In February, he and his wife, Michelle, each signed book deals worth tens of millions of dollars. And Mr. Obama’s spokesman confirmed last week that he is beginning the paid-speech circuit. A $400,000 speaking fee for addressing the Cantor Fitzgerald conference is a sharp increase from the amounts typically paid to his predecessors. Former President Bill Clinton averaged about $200,000 per speech while former President George W. Bush is reportedly paid $100,000 to $175,000 for each appearance. (New York Times)

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