All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
POLLING
VACCINES: Via Pew, VERBATIM: “A majority of Americans (63%) are highly confident that childhood vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness. And majorities say these vaccines protect both vaccinated children (69%) and the wider community (65%), though larger shares of Democrats than Republicans hold these views. By comparison, smaller shares of U.S. adults – and Republicans in particular – are extremely or very confident that childhood vaccines have gotten enough safety testing (53%) or that the vaccine schedule is safe (51%).”
“Overwhelming majorities of both Democrats (92%) and Republicans (78%) say the benefits of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine outweigh the risks. Still, among Republicans, this share is down from 91% in 2016.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3X7Tlac
IMMIGRANTS: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “More than half of immigrants (53%), including majorities of naturalized citizens and lawfully present immigrants, are not confident they or a family member would receive fair treatment by the U.S. legal system if detained on immigration-related charges. Living with these fears, three in ten immigrants, including about three in four likely undocumented immigrants and about one-third of lawfully present immigrants, report avoiding traveling, seeking medical care, or going to work or other public spaces.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Me5ec7
WALKING: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Many Axios Twin Cities readers love to walk, but how much they do it for utility depends on where they live. Here’s a sampling of what some of them said in response to our recent report on Minnesotans’ walking habits.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4a2jizh
INSURANCE: Via news release from St. Paul-based Securian, VERBATIM: “Securian Financial’s July 2025 survey, ‘Insurance Needs and Views of Younger Generations,’ of nearly 300 Gen Z (ages 22–28) and younger millennials (ages 29–32), revealed that: Almost two-thirds Gen Z and younger millennials recognize the value of life insurance, yet about 20 percent believe they don’t need it until they are older. More than 30 percent think insurance is too expensive, not realizing that premiums are often lower when purchased at a younger age.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4a55Uul
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)
HEALTH IN MINNESOTA…
NEXT MONTH: Via MDH, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will hold a public hearing from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, covering several changes in services provided at Allina Health Faribault Medical Center.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ibs4wU
OPIOID$: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Minnesota cities and counties spent millions of opioid settlement payouts in 2024 largely on treatment, support for those in addiction recovery, education and administrative costs. Some Minnesota counties spent the cash on law enforcement expenditures intended to weed out drug stashes and bolster criminal investigations: Three spent money on K-9 units, and at least two counties used the funds to pay the salaries of agents investigating drug-related crimes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LRFUIS
HEALTHCARE: Via MPR, what happens to UCare enrollees now that the organization is handing them off to Medica. VERBATIM: “Lisa Erickson, CEO of Medica, is promising a seamless transition, saying currently enrolled UCare members won’t see any changes to their coverage next year during the transition. She said UCare plans will automatically transfer to Medica, and enrollees will keep the same in-network providers, while premiums and deductibles will remain the same, too. That goes for Medicaid plans and for those who have original Medicare coverage, Erickson said.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3JVPUAl
(DISCLOSURE: UCare is a Fluence client)
RECALL
THE LATEST: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “As cases of potentially deadly botulism in babies who drank ByHeart infant formula continue to grow, state officials say they are still finding the recalled product on some store shelves. Meanwhile the company reported late Wednesday that laboratory tests confirmed that some samples of formula were contaminated with the type of bacteria that has sickened more than 30 babies in the outbreak.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3X4YRdF
MORE: The CDC shows 31 cases in 15 states including two cases in Minnesota. STATS: https://fluence-media.co/4o3cR2p MAP: https://fluence-media.co/48d1Rtr
DC
CDC: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage that previously made the case that vaccines don’t cause autism now says they might. The contents of the webpage came up during Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Senate confirmation process. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.) in February said Kennedy had assured him that, if he was confirmed, the CDC would ‘not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o3dt8d
MORE: From the CDC site:
SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4ic46BX
POWER STRUGGLE: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “A top aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is locked in a power struggle with his boss and the White House over vaccine policy and personnel, according to two senior administration officials. For now, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, Marty Makary, still has his job, but the dispute — which centers on how the agency will examine vaccine side effects — is unresolved, the officials said. Both were granted anonymity to discuss confidential deliberations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ifj7mv
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)
NEW RESEARCH…
FLUORIDE: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “The longstanding public health practice of adding fluoride to community drinking water is facing heavy scrutiny in the United States over questions about whether the benefits outweigh the potential risks. But new research challenges recent claims about the risks of fluoride in drinking water — and instead suggests that it may have additional positive effects.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/489IPEe
EPILEPSY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new, personalized approach to deep brain stimulation (DBS) for people with drug-resistant epilepsy. By mapping each patient’s unique brain wave patterns, the method allows physicians to target the precise area in the brain where stimulation is most effective, moving beyond the traditional one-size-fits-all approach.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o5KPTW
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)
HEALTH HEADLINES…
FLU: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The United States may be headed for a rough flu season, with a virus that causes more severe symptoms than the one last year and seems to be spreading more rapidly and earlier than usual. On Friday, one day after they returned to work from the government shutdown, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted data suggesting that flu infections are still low but rising in 39 states.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ifbI6E
GONORRHEA: Via UofM CIDRAP, VERBATIM: “New data released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) highlight rising levels of drug-resistant gonorrhea. The data from the WHO’s Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (ESGAP) report show that resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime—the two antibiotics currently recommended for first-line treatment—rose from 0.8% to 5% and from 1.7% to 11%, respectively, from 2022 to 2024.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LTFlOH
PREGNANCY: Via Newsweek, VERBATIM: “Around two thirds of pregnancies involve weight gain outside the recommended range, new data has found. The analysis, published in the BMJ, pooled data on 1.6 million women worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for updated standards for healthy weight gain in pregnancy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43FL0y0
PROCESSED FOODS: Via ABC News, VERBATIM: “The global rise of ultra-processed foods in diets worldwide poses a major public health threat, according to experts who published a series of papers in medical journal The Lancet. The authors cite studies that show ultra-processed diets are linked to chronic health conditions like increased risk of becoming overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic kidney disease and overall higher death rates.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XE4jEj
FIBER: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Americans have been boosting their protein intake for years; even Pop-Tarts and Starbucks are selling protein-enhanced products. But the number of new products promoted with high or added fiber saw a big uptick in the U.S. this year, according to market research firm Mintel. Hundreds of videos on social media celebrate the benefits of dietary fiber and share recipes to help viewers get more of it. There’s even a term for trying to meet or exceed the recommended daily fiber intake: fibermaxxing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3JOifZn
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CANCER: From NYU via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “Researchers uncovered a powerful weakness in lung cancer by shutting down a protein that helps tumors survive stress. When this protein, FSP1, was blocked, lung tumors in mice shrank dramatically, with many cancer cells essentially triggering their own self-destruct mode. The work points to a fresh strategy for targeting stubborn lung cancers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LOAe2l
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