Daily Digest: Abortion bills pass

Good morning, and happy Tuesday. Let's take a look at the Digest.

1. The Republican-controlled Minnesota House passed a pair of abortion measures Monday that DFL Gov. Mark Dayton has threatened to veto. One bill would prohibit taxpayer funding of abortions under state-sponsored health care programs. The other would set new licensing and inspection requirements for clinics where abortions are performed. Supporters of the licensing bill, including the group Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, say it is not aimed at restricting abortions. They say it will ensure the safety of patients. Dayton vetoed a similar bill in 2012. (MPR News)

2. A Minneapolis city council committee approved a plan Monday to cover the city's costs associated with the Super Bowl in 2018. The city has to coordinate law enforcement — some of which will come from other cities, and the state and federal governments — as well as things like health inspections and special traffic signs. The total excess cost to the city was estimated at $5 million. The tentative agreement calls for the Super Bowl's host committee to cover certain city expenses incurred during events that are scheduled to run from Jan. 26 through game day on Feb. 4. "We're really fortunate to have a lot of corporate partners who have stepped up to make this event possible in our market," said Andrea Mokros, vice president of the host committee. "We're always looking for more. This will be an effort that goes on throughout the year." (MPR News)

3. Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said Monday she is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. In a post on the Facebook page of “Survivors of the Twin Cities: You are not alone,” Hodges said she was breaking her silence so that other abuse survivors know they are not alone. “I was abused by adults unrelated to me for many years, starting when I was eight years old,” Hodges wrote. “My family did not know. I believed — was threatened into believing — that the slightest indication that anything was amiss would jeopardize the safety of everyone and everything I loved. No one knew until I told them early in my sobriety — not my friends, not my family.” She said the abuse helps explain how she could have been an alcoholic by the age of 19. “No one has ever really asked me how one gets to be that far gone that young,” she said. (Star Tribune)

4. An article on a State Department website about President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort has been removed after criticism that it was an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds. Critics complained that resources were being used to tout the for-profit club, which Trump refers to as the Winter White House. The club, in Palm Beach, Fla., is held in Trump's trust, of which he is the sole beneficiary.

"The intention of the article was to inform the public about where the president has been hosting world leaders. We regret any misperception and have removed the post," a State Department official said in a statement that has now replaced the original article. (NPR)

5. President Trump has instructed advisers to drastically cut the corporate tax rate even though doing so will expand the deficit and grow the national debt. Trump wants the corporate tax rate to be lowered from 35 percent to 15 percent, a senior White House official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. This is the same rate that Trump pursued during his 2016 campaign, but officials had not signaled since the election whether he would stick to the pledge. By doing so — but not committing to measures that would offset the revenue loss — Trump is making clear he is putting a priority on cutting taxes over the national debt. It also potentially creates a tension point with House Republicans, who have spent years advancing a vision for tax restructuring of their own. (Washington Post)

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