The Daily Digest: Two weeks of session left

Good morning!

In Minnesota

With two and a half weeks to go until the deadline to finish their work, Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders are still far apart on major issues despite a $1.9 billion surplus. The pot of money is so big — and the political philosophies so different — that a way out seems hard to find. (MPR News)

After a group of DFL senators asked that some controversial policy provisions be stripped from an environment finance bill, the cities that support some of the provisions are defending the measures. (MPR News)

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Minnesota' Medicaid program is aggressively fighting fraud. (Star Tribune)

The Minnesota House unanimously passed a bill that allows terminally ill people to explore last-ditch treatment options. (MPR News)

Gov. Mark Dayton signed a liquor policy bill into law that will allow the sale of beer growlers on Sundays. (MPR News)

The PoliGraph scrutinizes DFL claims about the Health and Human Services budget. (MPR News)

National Politics

Another day, another presidential announcement. This time it's retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson who's running for the GOP nomination. (USA Today)

After a close associate of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pleaded guilty to charges related to illegally closing lanes on the George Washington Bridge to punish a political opponent, the Republican presidential hopeful's campaign is trying argue Christie still has a shot at the nomination. (New York Times)

A potential Democratic presidential candidate, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, is trying to argue that the recent unrest in Baltimore isn't his fault. (Washington Post)

The chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission says she's largely given up hope of reining in abuses in raising and spending money in the 2016 presidential campaign and calls the agency she oversees "worse than dysfunctional." (AP via MPR News)

The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued tougher safety regulations on oil train tank cars after a series of fiery accidents. (Politico)