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POLLING
TRACKING POLL: From a Morning Consult tracking poll of the President and other key political leaders as well as the importance of specific issues:
FULL POLL RESULTS: https://fluence-media.co/3WCPQbY
OPTIMISM: Via Gallup, VERBATIM: “The percentage of U.S. adults who anticipate high-quality lives in five years declined to 59.2% in 2025, the lowest level since measurement began nearly two decades ago.”
“Since 2020, future life ratings have fallen a total of 9.1 percentage points, projecting to an estimated 24.5 million fewer people who are optimistic about the future now versus then. Most of that decline occurred between 2021 and 2023, but the ratings dropped 3.5 points between 2024 and 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4anaMcP
VACCINES: Via Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease, VERBATIM: “An overwhelming majority of Americans across political leanings say vaccines are essential for public health and want policies that ensure continued access and expert guidance, according to new bipartisan polling conducted by Echelon Insights and Impact Research. The poll examined more than 1,000 voters’ views on vaccine access, guidance, and decision-making.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4akBh2x
CDC: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “In the weeks following the Trump administration’s announcement of changes to the recommended childhood vaccine schedule, the public’s trust in the CDC remains at its lowest point since the COVID-19 pandemic, including a 9-percentage point drop among Democrats in recent months saying they trust the CDC for reliable vaccine information. Just over half (55%) of Democrats and fewer Republicans (43%) and independents (46%) now say they trust the agency for vaccine information. In addition, fewer than half of adults (44%) express confidence in U.S. federal health agencies to make recommendations about the childhood vaccine schedule.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tuMSox
HEART HEALTH: Via Medical Xpress, VERBATIM: “Americans could be facing an uphill battle when it comes to protecting their heart health as they age, a new Cleveland Clinic poll reveals. Nearly 3 of 4 Americans (72%) feel confident in their ability to maintain heart health as they age, the survey found. But nearly as many (69%) also report that they have at least one known risk factor for heart disease.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZZubM7
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)
DC + MN
FED FUNDING: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration plans to rescind $600 million in public health funds from four states led by Democrats because it finds the grants ‘inconsistent with agency priorities,’ according to documents reviewed by The New York Times. The programs slated to be cut are in California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. They include grants to state and local public health departments as well as to some nongovernmental organizations. A list of the cuts was shared with relevant congressional committees on Monday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tp26LT
TRANSPLANT: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A kidney transplant recipient from Minnesota now in [ICE] custody in Texas is finally getting some of the his life-saving medications he needs to prevent his body from rejecting the donated kidney, according to the man’s wife and his attorney. But they say federal authorities still are not giving him the correct dosage and full regimen of the medications.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rGcGfI
HUNGER: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “A number of people working at hunger relief organizations and in education, who asked not to be identified for the record for fear of retribution, said the food instability and lack of access to social services are not simply a byproduct of the ICE crackdown but rather part of the agency’s strategy, essentially weaponizing food. Among other tactics, they said, the agency is tracking food delivery volunteers and staking out donation distribution centers. Many of the affected families are simultaneously struggling with new restrictions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that went into effect nationwide on Jan. 1.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45VIBAr
KIDS: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The nation’s conscience has been shocked by high-profile incidents of federal immigration enforcement agents engaging children, including apprehending preschooler Liam Ramos on his way home from school. But the impact on children and their families extend beyond these viral incidents, affecting the lives of children and families broadly across race, immigration status and economic class in the Twin Cities. The ongoing immigration surge of around 2,300 federal agents has created a climate of fear — not just for the criminals and undocumented immigrants they claim to be targeting — but for ordinary families trying to maintain the routines and normalcy of childhood.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tAVBFV
SCHOOLS: Via The 74, VERBATIM: “When COVID forced schools to close in 2020, everyone — students, teachers, classroom aides and administrators — was forced online together. Everyone scrambled to figure out the technology, everyone hungered for human connection. Today, with thousands of federal agents targeting Minnesota schools, bus stops, day care centers and other places where immigrant parents gather with their children, remote learning options have been revived in numerous districts, with varying degrees of success. And, unlike the pandemic-era emergency measures, the steps schools are taking to keep kids safe are anything but uniform.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rbspDK
CRASHES: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “Minnesota traffic fatalities dropped by more than 20% last year, reaching their lowest levels since 2019, according to the annual Advisory Council on Traffic Safety (ACTS) report submitted to the legislature on Jan. 15. The report credited the decline to a multi-agency approach involving infrastructure investment, focused enforcement, and the work of first responders.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4009iAm
HCMC: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “For Hennepin Healthcare, the year kicked off with about 100 layoffs and the removal of five medical programs at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC). The goal? Slashing $50 million from its budget to tackle a cash flow crisis at its doors. Hennepin Healthcare, downtown Minneapolis’ largest employer, is also Minnesota’s biggest public safety-net hospital. This mess is far from a recent development. Back in 2017, HCMC laid off 2% of its full-time staff, citing rising costs in medical equipment and staffing, along with a decline in public reimbursement support. Since then, the nonprofit hospital has suffered an operating net loss in seven of the past eight years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MdVpLT
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)
HEALTHCARE IN AMERICA
ACA: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “House Judiciary Committee Republicans have subpoenaed eight Affordable Care Act health insurers for documents as part of a widening investigation of potential fraud surrounding the use of premium subsidies in the individual market, Axios has learned. Why it matters: Enhanced premium tax credits for ACA coverage expired on Jan. 1. But Republicans are pressing forward with their probe of the Obamacare market — and putting heat on the entire health insurance industry.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45ZFOX3
SIGN-UPS: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “More Americans than expected enrolled in Affordable Care Act health insurance plans for this year, after premium subsidies were dramatically cut — but it remains to be seen whether they’ll keep the coverage as their costs mount. It’s all part of a drama that roiled the ACA’s 2026 open enrollment period. Congressional debate over whether to extend more generous subsidies made available under the Biden administration led to the longest-ever government shutdown and focused public attention on rising health care costs and the affordability issue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ktWonT
MN SIGN-UPS: Via MNsure, VERBATIM: “More Minnesotans turned to MNsure for help finding private health insurance plans, even though fewer enrolled in those plans due to the loss of enhanced tax credits and resulting higher premiums. Enrollment in private health insurance plans fell by 8% during MNsure’s recent annual open enrollment period. At the end of open enrollment on January 15, there were 139,251 Minnesotans enrolled in 2026 coverage through MNsure compared to 151,512 last year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4600b6o
FLU: Via UofM CIDRAP, VERBATIM: “The most recent FluView report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows an additional eight pediatric deaths last week, raising the season’s total to 60 pediatric deaths from flu complications. Approximately 90% of the 60 children were not fully vaccinated against influenza.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tuYgkb
CDC: Via NPR, VERBATIM: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been alerting the nation about health threats much less frequently since President Trump returned to office, raising concerns among doctors and public health authorities. The CDC issued just six alerts from the agency’s Health Alert Network in 2025. The number of these HANs, as the alerts are known, varies from year to year. But the agency typically issues many more – sometimes dozens.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4bNutgi
POLITICS: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “The leader of the political engine behind Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement plans to favor candidates endorsed by President Donald Trump in this year’s elections. MAHA will work with candidates Trump supports to get ‘the best possible outcome for public health, for the issues that MAHA has been backing over the last year,’ said Tony Lyons, president of the political group MAHA Action, at an event held by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington Monday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qvFR4b
THE LATEST RESEARCH
STUDY: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “A Mayo Clinic study is providing new insights into how treatment sequence can affect survival in patients with early-stage pancreatic cancer, suggesting that many patients may benefit from receiving chemotherapy before surgery. The findings, published in the JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, were based on more than 1,400 patients treated across Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MmFkmY
ALZHEIMER’S: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Divergent diagnoses for Alzheimer’s are the result of different criteria for diagnosing the disease. Some doctors worry the differing approaches can result in patients going misdiagnosed, or worse, being prescribed medications with potential negative health effects. The problem highlights a larger question: How should Alzheimer’s disease be defined? Is it a biological disease based solely on the presence of brain proteins? Or is it a more complicated diagnosis that involves weighing risk and other factors?” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4axGzrQ
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
AI: Via University of Michigan, VERBATIM: “Researchers at the University of Michigan have created an AI system that can interpret brain MRI scans in just seconds, accurately identifying a wide range of neurological conditions and determining which cases need urgent care. Trained on hundreds of thousands of real-world scans along with patient histories, the model achieved accuracy as high as 97.5% and outperformed other advanced AI tools.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rHuYgu
CANCER: Via Université de Genève, VERBATIM: “Scientists have uncovered a surprising way tumors turn the immune system to their advantage. Researchers at the University of Geneva found that neutrophils—normally frontline defenders against infection—can be reprogrammed inside tumors to fuel cancer growth instead. Once exposed to the tumor environment, these immune cells begin producing a molecule called CCL3 that actively promotes tumor progression.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O9W1CP
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