VACCINATIONS: From UCare via Instagram, VERBATIM: “The most life-saving vaccines of 2025-26 will probably be the flu and COVID shots. Don't forget to get vaccinated this fall! National Immunization Awareness Month.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3HVEmvO (SPONSORED: UCare)
All Fluence tipsheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
SURVEY: Via The Harvard Gazette, VERBATIM: “As anxiety and depression persist at alarming rates among U.S. teens, less than a third of the nation’s public schools conduct mental health screenings, and a significant number of those that do say it’s hard to meet students’ needs, according to a new survey of principals. With staffing that includes counselors and nurses, public schools are uniquely positioned to help address the youth mental health crisis declared in 2021 by the U.S. surgeon general, according to Harvard Medical School’s Hao Yu, a co-author of the study.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mZ6ME4
CRIME: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “As armed National Guard troops patrol the nation’s capital as part of an unprecedented federal takeover of Washington’s police department, handling crime is now a relative strength for President Donald Trump, according to the latest AP-NORC poll. Americans are generally not happy about the Republican president’s handling of issues like immigration and the economy but are more positive about his tough-on-crime approach, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lLCoMn
SPECIALISTS: Via Healthgrades, VERBATIM: “Allergists and immunologists top the list as the most optimistic specialists, while emergency medicine specialists come last. Medscape’s Physician Mental Health and Well-Being Report 2025 surveyed more than 5,700 physicians in 29 specialties over 2024. While an average of 76% of physicians across specialties believed happiness and balance were possible, responses from individual specialties ranged from 94% to 63%.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mzU3b5
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
SHOOTING: Via news release from NAMI, VERBATIM: “NAMI National and NAMI Minnesota, the national and state offices of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, are deeply saddened by the devastating shooting and loss of life at Annunciation Church and School in Minneapolis. With each school shooting, there is a lasting and far-reaching impact on the mental health of the people in the community – and across the country. NAMI stands ready to support everyone impacted by this trauma.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45X83om
MORE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Sarah Jerstad, psychologist and medical director of outpatient mental health services at Children’s Minnesota, spoke with MPR News senior health reporter Erica Zurek about how to help children process and manage their feelings of distress related to school shootings.” JERSTAD: “First of all, hear their story and understand what they have been through. Many kids observe situations like this on TV or hear about them through the news. They often feel significant fear because most kids go to school and think, ‘This could happen to me.’ Even if a kid has not experienced it directly, many will struggle with going to school and feeling safe.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4p4U60r
RFK JR: Via New York Post, VERBATIM: “Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed Thursday that he has ordered an investigation into whether drugs that transgender shooter Robin Westman was taking during his transition could have played ‘a role’ in his depraved violence.” KENNEDY: “We are doing those kind of studies now,” he told “Fox & Friends” when asked if it was possible drugs taken during Westman’s transition played “a role” in him shooting up his former Catholic school’s first Mass of the year Wednesday. “We are launching studies into their potential contribution.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nbnBfj
MORE: From Sen. Tina Smith sharing a clip from the RFK Jr. interview via X, VERBATIM: “I dare you to go to Annunciation School and tell our grieving community, in effect, guns don’t kill kids, antidepressants do. Just shut up. Stop peddling bullshit. You should be fired.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4g1tl95
NOTE: This isn’t the first time the Senator and Kennedy have sparred over this issue. Smith asked him about it at his confirmation hearing. Via YouTube, WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4fYvORz
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)
FIRST LADY: Via Newsweek, VERBATIM: “First lady Melania Trump said there is a ‘need for preemptive intervention in identifying potential school shooters’ following the fatal incident at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday.” TRUMP: “Early warning signs are often evident, with many individuals exhibiting concerning behaviors and making violent threats online prior to their actions. To prevent future tragedies, it is crucial we look into behavioral threat assessments across all levels of society—beginning in our homes, extending through school districts and of course, social media platforms.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46dqS7S
PHARMACISTS: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “A pair of Minnesota pharmacists is suing the state and Walgreens, claiming they were punished for declining to dispense drugs that cause abortions or facilitate gender transition. The lawsuit, filed by the Upper Midwest Law Center, says that both pharmacists have deep religious objections to dispensing those types of prescriptions and had colleagues fill them for years. However, they claims that Walgreens recently told them that the religious accommodations violated Minnesota law.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3UQl7Xu
MED SCHOOL: Via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota Medical School’s Duluth Campus has welcomed the first group of students who will be able to complete all four years of medical training and education right here in Duluth . . . For over 50 years, the Duluth campus of the university’s medical school has offered students a two-year program where they learn basic training and clinical skills before transferring to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities to finish their clinical training.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4n8sS7i
CDC: Via Stat, VERBATIM: “Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suffers from ‘malaise’ and questioned the importance of vaccines as a medical intervention in a television appearance Thursday, one day after he abruptly fired the CDC’s director, an appointee of President Trump, and several top officials at the agency resigned in protest, with one citing Kennedy’s ‘weaponization of public health.’” KENNEDY: “What I will say is President Trump has very ambitious hopes for the CDC right now,” Kennedy said on the Fox News show “Fox & Friends.” “CDC has problems. We saw the misinformation coming out of Covid, they got the testing wrong, they got the social distancing, the masks, the school closures that have done so much harm to the American people. Today, on the CDC’s website right now, they list the 10 top advances, the 10 greatest advances in medical science and one of them is abortion, another is fluoridation, and another is vaccines. So we need to look at the priorities of the agency.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41u4MeO
NEXT: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “Senators will soon get a chance to question Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about Wednesday’s sudden shakeup at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy will testify before the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 4, two people granted anonymity to describe the plans first told POLITICO Thursday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HxYAf9
FOOD POISONING: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Federal health officials have dramatically scaled back a program that has tracked food poisoning infections in the U.S. for three decades. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as FoodNet, has cut required monitoring to just two pathogens that cause infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's down from eight.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/469T8s6
ESSENTIA HEALTH INVESTS IN TWIN PORTS NURSES: Total payroll for Essentia Health Duluth-Superior nurses is $164 million, with $53 million paid in salary increases over the past 3 years. Essentia Health has also increased clinical support staff by 10% over the past 3 years, providing additional support for those nurses. Over half of Duluth area nurses have been with us for over 5 years and enjoy exceptional work-life balance. To join our team at Essentia Health, search for openings HERE: https://fluence-media.co/3FzLe0i (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
VACCINATIONS: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “With school nearly back in session for most students, Hennepin County is offering free walk-in vaccine clinics for anyone age 18 and younger. The clinic will offer vaccines to protect kids from measles, mumps, pertussis and diphtheria. There is currently a measles outbreak in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4g0gZhd
KIDS: Via The Daily Beast, VERBATIM: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can’t seem to walk past children without noticing something wrong with them. The Health Secretary said he has been noticing something off about kids as he joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in Austin for the signing of Make America Healthy Again bills on Wednesday.” KENNEDY: “I’m looking at kids as I walk through the airports today, as I walk down the street and I see these kids that are just overburdened with mitochondrial challenges, with inflammation, you can tell from their faces, from their body movements, and from their lack of social connection, and I know that that’s not how our children are supposed to look.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HVry8M
SEX ED: Via States Newsroom, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump’s administration demanded Tuesday that dozens of states remove from sex education materials any references to a person’s gender departing from their sex assigned at birth, or lose federal funding. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families warned in letters to 40 states, the District of Columbia and several territories that they could lose a total of $81.3 million in remaining federal funds for the Personal Responsibility Education Program, or PREP, if they do not get rid of these references within 60 days.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3JBqWWf
MORE: Via Administration for Children & Families, the letters, including the one addressed to the Minnesota Department of Health. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/41XOSJM
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)
MEASLES: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “Measles, also called rubeola, is caused by a virus that spreads easily through the air and settles on surfaces. Symptoms, which show up about one to two weeks after getting infected, include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes, and a telltale rash that starts on the face and neck, then spreads to the rest of the body. Most people recover from measles, but sometimes it can cause serious complications and can even be fatal.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3VoWkKe
ALLERGIES: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “If your fall allergies are already acting up, you don't need to be told ragweed pollen counts are high these days. In fact, they're very high. Dr. Gary Berman with Asthma and Allergy Specialists in Minneapolis says most people can find relief with over-the-counter medications and nose sprays, but some may need to stay indoors.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/41uYtaV
AIRIVER: Via news release from Brooklyn Park-based Airiver, VERBATIM: “Airiver Medical, a clinical stage company developing technologies to help patients who suffer from certain respiratory tract conditions, received investigational device exemption (IDE) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), enabling the company to begin a pivotal clinical trial of the Airiver Pulmonary Drug Coated Balloon (DCB) to treat central airway stenosis. This is the company's first IDE study submission and approval.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47eXsHH
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
DIET: From Mass General Brigham via Science Daily, VERBATIM: “A Mediterranean-style diet was linked to lower dementia risk, especially in people with high-risk Alzheimer’s genes. The strongest benefits were seen in those with two APOE4 copies, showing diet may help offset genetic vulnerability. Researchers say food may influence key metabolic pathways that protect memory and cognitive function.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41oJRtB
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