Thursday,  May 15, 2014 • Vol. 16--No. 301 • 25 of 35

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• Standards for organic products are strict in the United States, compared to China, he said. "What we have in the United States is what they want."
• Kathleen Fairfax, the assistant vice president for international affairs and outreach at South Dakota State, joined the cohort to promote South Dakota's public universities and online programs. She said online degrees aren't yet popular in China or promoted by the Chinese education ministry.
• "Online education is viewed with a little bit of trepidation," Fairfax said.
• She said that online courses could first gain traction in business training programs and workshops and also for test preparation.
• Daugaard also met with officials of the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia to establish a sister state for South Dakota. He said he received a warm welcome from officials who met with him on Sunday, a day they usually have off.
• A sister state relationship can help with economic development as well as education and tourism exchange. He said the province of Inner Mongolia has interests in dairy and animal husbandry similar to South Dakota.
• "They're more rural, more like us," Daugaard said about parts of Mongolia, as compared to the urban centers of Shanghai and Beijing where the delegation is spending most of its time.
• The delegation is to return on Friday. The seven-day trip will cost the state about $93,000. Daugaard said the schedule has been packed.
• "We're definitely trying to milk every moment of our time here," he said.

Weiland takes issue with Rounds' Medicare ad

• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rick Weiland is taking issue with former Gov. Mike Rounds' wording in a television advertisement about the nation's new health care law.
• Rounds is seeking the GOP nomination for the seat. He says in the ad that President Barack Obama "is taking over $700 billion from Medicare to fund Obamacare."
• The number refers to cuts to Medicare Advantage, a private program that pays insurance companies a high reimbursement rate.
• Weiland says the ad is misleading because the act reduces overpayments to health insurance companies and hospitals and, by doing so, actually extends the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by 10 years.
• Rounds says that Medicare Advantage is part of Medicare, and the cuts could limit health care for seniors.

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