On board: Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler has joined more than a dozen secretaries of state from across the country to re-establish the National Association of Secretaries of State Task Force on Business Identity Theft. According to a news release, the task force is a bipartisan effort aimed at combating the spread of business impersonation and other ID-related fraud. In a statement, North Carolina Secretary of State and task force co-chair Elaine F. Marshall says there has been an increase in sophisticated attempts to hijack business identities. The task force has been tapped with reviewing state business identity theft prevention and security practices, and addressing new issues that have emerged since the original task force ended operations in 2012.
A step closer: Pinnacle Entertainment Inc., the parent company of L’Auberge Casino and Hotel in Baton Rouge, says the Nevada Gaming Commission has unanimously approved a shareholder-backed real estate transaction with Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. According to a news release, the parties to the transaction now have approvals in four of the six states needed to complete the transaction. Applications related to the transaction are expected to be considered at the Missouri Gaming Commission meeting next week and at the Louisiana Gaming Control Board in April. Along with the Baton Rouge casino, Pinnacle owns and operates 14 others in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada and Ohio. Read the full announcement.
Foreign relations: President Obama starts his first full day in Cuba today in the Plaza of the Revolution, where Fidel Castro once delivered stem-winding speeches denouncing U.S. imperialism, The Washington Post reports. Obama’s presence there, to lay a wreath at the monument to 19th century Cuban independence hero José Martí, underscores the remarkable nature of his visit. Later today, Obama will participate in a meeting between U.S. business leaders—part of the massive presence of Americans here this week—and Cuban entrepreneurs who are part of the private sector the administration hopes to aid with a loosening of the continuing U.S. trade embargo. Read the full story.
