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FIRST
ICE: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Federal authorities are preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that would primarily focus on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the U.S., a move that comes as President Donald Trump has escalated rhetoric about the state’s Somali community, according to a person familiar with the planning. The operation could begin in the coming days and is expected to zero in on people in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area who have final orders of deportation, the person said. Teams of immigration agents would spread across the Twin Cities in what the person described as a directed, high-priority sweep, though the plans remain subject to change.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48wWwNQ
MORE: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “During a news conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara all emphasized that police in their cities will not collaborate on immigration enforcement. ‘We are not given advance notice or inside information about these kinds of operations, but here’s what we can promise: We will not compromise our values here in Minneapolis,’ Frey said. ‘Our values and our commitment to the Somali community, to every community of immigrants and people in our city, is rock-solid and will be unwavering.’ The municipal leaders had not received any confirmation from federal officials about any planned operation, and a DHS spokesperson said the agency does not comment on ‘future or potential operations.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4an2Cmo
POLLING
MEDICARE FOR ALL: Via Data for Progress, VERBATIM: “In a new survey, Data for Progress finds that 65% of voters support a Medicare for All system — described as a ‘national health insurance program…that would cover all Americans and replace most private health insurance plans.’ This includes majorities of Democrats (78%) and Independents (71%), and a plurality of Republicans (49%).”
“Next, respondents were provided with more details about what a Medicare for All system would entail: that it would ‘eliminate most private insurance plans and replace premiums with higher taxes, while guaranteeing health coverage for everyone and eliminating most out-of-pocket costs like copays and deductibles.’ After receiving this information, a similar majority of voters (63%) support Medicare for All — including 64% of Independents and a slight plurality of Republicans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Kk1NQP
CARE COSTS: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “A POLITICO Poll conducted in mid-November found that nearly half of adults in the U.S. report finding it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to afford health care. Americans who voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and those who plan to vote for Democrats in the midterms reported more difficulty with the costs. Of respondents who voted for Harris, 47 percent reported some degree of difficulty affording health care, compared with 44 percent of respondents who voted for President Donald Trump. Additionally, half of people who plan to vote for Democrats in the midterms reported having trouble affording health care, compared with 43 percent of respondents who plan to vote for Republicans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XvBeuQ
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
MEDICAID SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF US: Medicaid keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan — regardless of income or health status — can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3FtrCuH (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
IN THE COMMUNITY
VENTILATORS: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “A KFF Health News investigation found widespread flaws and gaps in care for some of the country’s most debilitated people: those who cannot breathe on their own. Spinal cord injuries, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis have left tens of thousands of Americans permanently dependent on ventilators. The barriers these patients face offer a stark example of how the United States’ disjointed health care system makes dealing with severe illness so much harder.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48eWdbt
MASS SHOOTINGS: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “A shooting last weekend at a children’s birthday party in California that left four dead was the 17th mass killing this year — the lowest number recorded since 2006, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. Experts warn that the drop doesn’t necessarily mean safer days are here to stay and that it could simply represent a return to average levels.” QUOTE: “Sir Isaac Newton never studied crime, but he says ‘What goes up must come down,’” said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University. The current drop in numbers is more likely what statisticians call a “regression to the mean,” he said, representing a return to more average crime levels after an unusual spike in mass killings in 2018 and 2019.
“Will 2026 see a decline?” Fox said. “I wouldn’t bet on it. What goes down must also go back up.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pJOvvU
HEALTH HEADLINES
HEPATITIS B: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisory panel appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to discuss and vote on the hepatitis B birth dose recommendation during its two-day meeting starting Dec. 4, potentially limiting children’s access. On Tucker Carlson’s podcast in June, Kennedy falsely claimed that the hepatitis B birth dose is a ‘likely culprit’ of autism.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48qlH4w
JELLYFISH: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The sight stopped Kate Lucas mid-paddle. Lucas, a water resource scientist at Barr Engineering, was out on the Richfield lake in late October with colleague Kevin Menken during a routine water-quality survey for the city. As their canoe glided between sampling points on the lake just south of Highway 62 and west of Cedar Avenue, she saw a flicker of light as the jellyfish rose to the surface. ‘I just saw it float past our canoe,’ Lucas said. ‘I yelled. It was very exciting.’ Freshwater jellyfish, Craspedacusta sowerbii, are rarely seen in Minnesota — not only because their swimming ‘medusa’ stage is short-lived, but because the species itself is generally uncommon in the state. According to the DNR, most years pass without a single verified sighting.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48fJg1e
MEDS: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “The American Hospital Association and several hospital systems have filed a lawsuit seeking to halt an upcoming pilot program that would alter payments for medicines purchased through a controversial federal drug discount program. At issue is the 340B discount program, which was created to help hospitals and clinics care for low-income and rural patients. Drugmakers that want to take part in Medicare or Medicaid must offer their medicines at a discount — typically, 25% to 50%, but sometimes higher — to participating hospitals and clinics.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XvqjBq
UK: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “The U.K. has secured a 0% tariff rate for all U.K. medicines exported to the U.S. for at least three years, officials said Monday, in return for the U.K. spending more on new medicines. Under the deal, the U.S. agreed to exempt U.K.-origin pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical ingredients, and medical technology from import taxes. The Trump administration said in return U.K. drugs firms committed to invest more in the U.S. and create more jobs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MbooQ5
AIDS DAY: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “The State Department issued a terse statement last week saying, ‘an awareness day is not a strategy.’ The result is that on December 1, the United States is not commemorating World AIDS Day. It’s the first time the U.S. has not participated since the World Health Organization created this day in 1988 to remember the millions of people who have died of AIDS-related illnesses and recommit to fighting the epidemic that still claims the lives of more than half a million people each year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/444vDQ1
DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF RURAL HEALTH CARE, ESSENTIA IS RECOGNIZED FOR PROVIDING TOP CLINICAL CARE: According to the latest report from Minnesota Community Measurement, a statewide resource on health care quality, costs and equity, Essentia ranked as a high performer with 19 of 20 clinical quality metrics scoring above statewide averages. According to Dr. Maria Beaver, chief quality and patient safety officer at Essentia: “This is a testament to the amazing care provided by all our clinical care teams and all our colleagues who support them.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dCxy1D (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
WORKFORCE
COVID IMPACT: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “A new study finds that the COVID-19 pandemic narrowed the wage gap between high and low paid workers in the health care industry, as the lowest earners saw the biggest boost in pay in the years since the pandemic began. The findings show a sharp disruption of a decades-long trend in which the wage gap had consistently widened, with high income earners enjoying the biggest pay gains. Janette Dill, an associate health policy professor at the University of Minnesota, co-authored the Health Affairs study. She said her team at the U of M’s School of Public Health had witnessed this narrowing wage gap pattern in other industries and wanted to determine if it was also happening in the health care industry.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pi2Rnx
911: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “More Twin Cities area metro counties are embedding social workers into 911 call centers to field calls from those struggling with problems like mental health, homelessness and substance use. One is Melanie Yang, who began working as an embedded social worker in the Minneapolis 911 call center this fall through a pilot program partnership between the city and Hennepin County. 911 call takers are often the first people that those in crisis interact with when they seek help, but call takers may not have the expertise or time to best assist them in that moment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ivSMk6
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
INNOVATION
MAYO: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic researchers have developed and tested a new 3D surface scanning approach that gives neurosurgeons even greater precision when operating deep inside the brain. The system aligns a patient’s head, facial features and surgical head frame with brain images, achieving sub-millimeter accuracy — a level of precision that can make a critical difference in delicate procedures.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pbg951
WEIGHT LOSS: Via ABC News, VERBATIM: “The World Health Organization on Monday released new guidance on GLP-1 medications for adults with obesity, recommending their long-term, continuous use when clinically appropriate. The medications covered include semaglutide (Wegovy), liraglutide (Saxenda) and tirzepatide (Zepbound). The recommendations, published in the medical journal JAMA, emphasize that these medications alone are not a solution to treating the global obesity epidemic. Obesity is a chronic disease that needs lifelong care and is best treated with long-term GLP-1 use combined with a structured program that includes healthy eating, regular movement and ongoing counseling to lose and maintain weight loss, according to the WHO.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48wbm7d
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
PARKINSON’S: From Johns Hopkins via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “A high-speed ‘zap-and-freeze’ method is giving scientists their clearest view yet of how brain cells send messages. By freezing tissue at the instant a signal fires, researchers revealed how synaptic vesicles behave in both mouse and human neurons. These insights could help explain why most Parkinson’s cases emerge without inherited genetic changes. The technique may also point to promising new research paths for therapy development.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pcHRhI
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