All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
Want to manage your subscription to TheDailyAgenda.com? HERE: https://fluence-media.co/managesubscription
POLLING
TRUST: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “As Congress considers President Trump’s nomination of Erica Schwartz to lead the CDC, the latest KFF poll finds that about half of the public (51%) express at least a fair amount of trust in the CDC to provide reliable health information, similar to the share who said so in January. The same share (51%) express trust in the FDA, also steady since January. Trust is lower for other sources, with fewer than half of adults saying they trust their state government officials, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., or President Trump to provide reliable health information.”
“Doctors and health care providers stand out as the one source trusted by large majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike. However, when it comes to some other sources of health information, partisans diverge.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fwprFd
MCCONNELL: Via Daily Mail, VERBATIM: “American voters are demanding answers about Mitch McConnell‘s health after he was loaded into the back of an ambulance and disappeared from the public. A Daily Mail/JL Partners poll found that just 9 percent of voters are very confident the 84-year-old Kentucky senator will survive to the end of his term.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TPELFC
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 HEADLINES
CYCLOSPORA: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Food and Drug and Administration said Wednesday it is investigating an additional cyclospora outbreak that the agency said has sickened at least 72 people. It is the latest of four continuing cyclospora outbreaks being investigated by the FDA. The largest involves at least 1,644 cases, which have been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and served at Taco Bell in five states.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TfUmyg
TEEN SUICIDE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Brainerd-Baxter community is grieving after two middle-school students died by suicide within a few weeks. The deaths have sparked difficult conversations about bullying and mental health, along with the roles of schools and communities in protecting young people.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4wXD5rU
MORE: Via Lakeland PBS, the Brainerd School District hosted a public meeting to discuss plans to address student needs. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4wkSzGM
PREGNANCY: Via Stateline, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration has a new plan for teenagers learning about pregnancy: Beginning this summer, it will steer millions of dollars toward organizations that focus on anatomy, fertility tracking, hormonal production and ‘reproductive goals counseling.’ The plan will also emphasize abstinence from sex and the importance of marriage. In doing so, it will pivot away from programs that serve populations in areas with the greatest need and that use particular evidence-based programming to reduce teen pregnancies — and some say the new language puts a greater focus on planning for pregnancy rather than preventing it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pE7itM
CHILD CARE: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Terri Boettcher knows all too well the challenges of finding care for children with complex mental and developmental health needs . . . Across Minnesota, thousands of families like the ones Boettcher works with wait for months or longer to access care for their children with developmental and mental health challenges. In recent years, the need has been rising, making the availability of care even more scarce. In downtown Minneapolis, a long-awaited expansion of St. David’s Developmental and Therapeutic Services will begin to alleviate the challenge by opening up additional, much-needed classrooms and therapeutic spaces for children with complex mental and developmental health needs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wQNJ3Q
AED: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Essentia Health donated an AED and gave CPR training to the Arrowhead Youth Soccer Association on Wednesday night. Dozens of coaches and parents from the Arrowhead Youth Soccer Association were in attendance, getting hands-on training for CPR and AED use.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4wp067m
(DISCLOSURE: Essentia is a Fluence sponsor)
INSULIN: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Bipartisan legislation to cap the cost of insulin at $35 for people with private health insurance advanced through a key Senate committee Wednesday, but its future remains uncertain. The measure cleared the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee by a bipartisan 17-5 vote, with six Republicans joining every Democrat on the panel.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fEkV7Q
SURPRISE BILLS: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “A controversial process for arbitrating medical billing disputes awarded nearly $15 billion in payouts to healthcare providers last year, according to new federal data analyzed by The Wall Street Journal, more than triple the total for 2024. Doctor groups representing radiologists, anesthesiologists and emergency-room physicians have been among the winners under the setup, which was created under a 2020 law meant to protect patients from surprise medical bills. Insurers have to make the awarded payouts, and they have generally ended up on the losing end since arbitration began four years ago.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fuC97d
MORE: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration wants to reform a federal system for resolving medical billing disputes it says is being ‘gamed,’ a Medicare spokesman said Wednesday . . . ‘The system is being gamed to get higher prices, and C.M.S. is actively working to clean it up,’ said Christopher Krepich, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs the program and published new data on cases and payments Wednesday. The agency declined to comment on any specific actions officials were pursuing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vPSTvY
DEI: Via KFF Health News, VERBATIM: “On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” It stated that the Biden administration ‘forced illegal and immoral discrimination’ through diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. In an emailed statement, EPA spokesperson Mike Bastasch said the administration is ‘fully committed to being a great steward of taxpayer dollars.’ He added that the “radical agenda” of DEI and environmental justice ‘preferencing’ are not within the agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment. Environmental health advocates argue, though, that the decision to cut the grants was not rooted in science.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wp1CX6
MINNEAPOLIS: Via Allina, VERBATIM: “Allina Health celebrated the upcoming opening of the Richard M. Schulze Surgical and Critical Care Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, marking the completion of the largest infrastructure project in the organization’s history. The new facility will expand critical care capacity, advance surgical care and enhance the patient and family experience through modern care environments and advanced technology.”
TOMORROW: Allina will host a ribbon cutting at the hospital from Friday.
ESSENTIA HEALTH SUPPORTS FREE CLINIC IN VIRGINIA, SERVING INCREASED NUMBER OF UNINSURED MINNESOTANS: Every Thursday night, physicians and care team members from Essentia Health-Virginia volunteer at the Project Care Free Clinic, providing treatment, screenings, and preventive care to patients who are uninsured or may be struggling to afford health care premiums. Essentia also provides lab and X-ray services at no cost to the clinic or its patients. Essentia is proud to support the clinic, ensuring everyone in the community can get the care they need. READ MORE: By volunteering at a free clinic, Essentia providers in Virginia ensure access to care for all | Essentia Health (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
INNOVATION & RESEARCH
SCIENCE: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “President Trump’s science adviser told lawmakers on Wednesday that the Trump administration intended to drastically overhaul the country’s approach to scientific research, including by shifting research funding away from universities toward individual researchers and private companies. At a House hearing, Michael Kratsios echoed points he laid out in a report released Tuesday, titled ‘Science: A New Golden Age.’ He said the administration would prioritize artificial intelligence, robotics and nuclear energy while reducing the government’s focus on what he called ‘life sciences.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fPKy6B
MEDICATION: Via Bora, VERBATIM: “Bora Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (TWSE: 6472; OTCQX: BORAY), a global leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing, and Onconic Therapeutics (KOSDAQ: 476060), a Korea-based biopharmaceutical company, have entered into a manufacturing agreement to support the U.S. clinical development of JAQBO potassium-competitive acid blocker tablets, or P-CAB, treatment for GERD, which affects approximately 20% of the U.S. population . . . Under the agreement, Bora’s newest OSD facility in Maple Grove, Minn., will also support quality control, stability testing, and the preparation of related chemistry, manufacturing, and controls documentation for Onconic’s planned U.S. Phase 3 clinical trial of JAQBO.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wnw43Y
CANCER: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “You may have heard that colorectal cancer is increasingly affecting young adults. However, it is not the only gastrointestinal (GI) cancer that doctors are diagnosing in patients below the age of 50, explains Christina Wu, M.D., an oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Arizona.” QUOTE: “People under 50 are not too young to develop gastrointestinal cancers,” Dr. Wu says. “If young adults notice new or persistent symptoms, it’s important to get them worked up.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wZt8dM
ANTIBIOTIC: Via Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, VERBATIM: “Scientists have found a way to revive vancomycin, a powerful antibiotic that some dangerous bacteria have learned to resist. Instead of creating an entirely new drug, researchers paired vancomycin with a small molecule called pghi-4, which blocks a bacterial enzyme linked to resistance. The combination restored the antibiotic’s ability to kill drug-resistant E. faecium, raising hopes that similar chemical helpers could rescue other failing medicines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4x0vDfP
MINI BRAINS: Via Johns Hopkins, VERBATIM: “Miniature brain models grown from patients’ cells revealed striking differences in how Alzheimer’s-related tissue responds to an antidepressant. The organoids and the particles they release could eventually guide more personalized treatments and provide new clues for diagnosing the disease.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Tle0c0
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
SUSTAINABILITY: Via Allina, VERBATIM: “Allina Health earned national recognition from Practice Greenhealth for its sustainability efforts. The system and individual sites, including all its hospitals, received awards.”
MORE: Via Practice Greenhealth, the complete lists of winners. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4fwUzV0
Copyright © 2026 Fluence Media, All rights reserved.
You signed up or are media / a public official interested in health care news from Fluence Media.
Our mailing address is:
Fluence Media
PO Box 270031
Minneapolis, MN 55427