More than half of Americans believe legal immigrants enrich the country – and the percentage is even higher among those with higher incomes. MORNING CONSULT: https://fluence-media.co/3RvAAub
As expected, financial markets are reacting poorly to President Trump’s sweeping new tariffs. UPDATES: https://fluence-media.co/41Zgzm5
Twins home opener is this afternoon – see how the fan experience has changed this season. MPLSSTPAUL: https://fluence-media.co/3RwhlRh
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4cd3qZQ
Melisa López Franzen was on Sunday Take to discuss her upcoming Senate run, her plans if she wins, the political landscape of Minnesota and more. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4iOf4x5
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
All Fluence Media tip sheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
RESPONSIBLEGAMING: Legal sports betting platforms offer responsible game tools that offshore and illegal sports betting don’t offer. In fact, age verification is not required with most offshore providers. Learn more about why legalized sports betting is more responsible. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kgJoS4 (SPONSORED: Sports Betting Alliance)
BONDING: This morning, Senate DFL leaders held a news conference to announce a proposal for a $1.35 billion bonding bill.
MORE: From Coalition of Greater MN Cities via X, VERBATIM: “We’ve said it before & we’ll say it again - a bonding bill is not ‘dessert,’ it’s the table setting for clean drinking water, swimmable water, fishable water, & many other vital projects for communities statewide. #mnleg MUST pass a bonding bill this session!” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/42hhOMi
MORE: From Minnesota Senate Media Services via YouTube, this morning’s news conference. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4cl0hYb
MSU MANKATO: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Just days after one of his students was detained without warning by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Minnesota State University-Mankato President Edward Inch announced Wednesday that five international students have had their visas canceled by the Department of Homeland Security. Inch said neither the students nor the university had been informed that their student visa statuses had been terminated on the Student Exchange Visitor Information System, with the university only discovered it when it ran a status check.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DUAEki
MORE: Via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Inch reiterated Wednesday that he has reached out to elected officials, including Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, Rep. Brad Finstad and Gov. Tim Walz, in hopes of preventing any further ICE activity on campus.” QUOTE: "So that's what I know," Inch told the student government. "I honestly wish there was a better thing I could tell you." WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4i5c9Pf
WALZ: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz (D) spoke about the ICE detentions in Minnesota in a wide-ranging conversation with WCCO's Adam Carter Thursday morning, questioning the tactics and reasons for them.” QUOTE: "These folks are here legally," says Walz. "They're documented. They're attending higher education. Most of them are studying in the sciences, whether it be medicine, computer science, or whatever. And these are the folks that they're scooping up off the streets of Mankato." LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42f31Sh
MORE: From WCCO-Radio’s Adam Carter via X, VERBATIM: “@GovTimWalz told me he wonders if it’s just a coincidence that feds are targeting @MNSUMankato students, since that is where Walz did his grad work.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/42t1rxj
U OF M: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “A federal judge in St. Paul on Wednesday gave immigration officials two days to say why they're detaining a University of Minnesota graduate student. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Doğukan Günaydin outside his St. Paul home on March 27. After Günaydin filed suit against ICE, President Donald Trump, and other government officials, U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko ordered the government to explain why it’s continuing to keep Günaydin jailed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XEFyZm
MORE: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “Günaydın was in the U.S. on a student visa until the Department of Homeland Security canceled it Thursday. The petition alleges that action was illegal. It says he was held for several hours after his arrest without being told why, except that his F-1 student visa was ‘retroactively revoked.’ But the petition cites online records showing that his student visa wasn’t terminated until roughly seven hours after his arrest, with the only reason listed as ‘otherwise failing to maintain status.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ljNmKg
WFH: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Three Minnesota statewide elected officials plan to stick with existing telework policies rather than adopting a rule that their employees return to the office at least half of the time. It’s a departure from what Gov. Tim Walz has imposed for executive branch workers that is supposed to take effect in June. Attorney General Keith Ellison, Secretary of State Steve Simon and State Auditor Julie Blaha’s offices will maintain rules that allow employees to work remotely.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42g3Nyg
EMMER: Via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “After mounting pressure to meet with the public, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer hosted an hour-long telephone town hall on Wednesday, April 2. The 6th District Republican addressed the Trump administration’s tariffs, the media and fraud in the state and national government during his tele-town hall. ‘What he has done in 72 days is nothing short of incredible,’ Emmer said of President Donald Trump. ‘What [Congress] is going to do over the next couple of months is to codify that work. We’re going to enact the Trump agenda’ . . . Only constituents, not the media, were allowed to ask questions. He took questions from 10 callers, most that were friendly toward Emmer, Trump and Republicans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ljVUkg
CRYPTO: Via news release from Rep. Tom Emmer, VERBATIM: “Last night, Congressman Tom Emmer’s Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act passed out of the House Financial Services Committee markup and was reported favorably to the House floor, an important step toward passing the legislation through Congress. The legislation, which is supported by 114 of his House Republican colleagues, would prevent unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) that would undermine Americans’ right to privacy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43IM45b
RENT: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis recently became the fourth U.S. city to ban algorithmic rental price-fixing software, joining San Francisco, Philadelphia and Berkeley, California, in a growing wave of legislation aimed to protect renters from rental price-gouging. While momentum builds at the city level — with Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; and San Diego exploring similar laws — statewide bans have been slower to emerge. The legislation targets tools such as RealPage’s YieldStar, which uses landlord-shared data to recommend rent increases — a practice critics say worsens unaffordable housing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42a149G
MINING: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Once again, layoffs at iron ore mines on Minnesota’s Iron Range are prompting state lawmakers to consider longer unemployment benefits to ride out temporary closures. And once again, those benefits are being held out as political leverage. The replay this time comes as about 600 workers were laid off at Cleveland-Cliffs last month. The company temporarily ceased operations at two of its Minnesota mines. That has led to a pair of proposals in the Minnesota Legislature to extend unemployment insurance benefits for those workers until around Christmas if they’re still idled.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41Zes1D
SOLAR: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “Community solar gardens started with a 2013 state law and sparked the growth of solar in Minnesota. The program allowed third-party developers to build mid-sized solar arrays in Xcel territory. Subscribers receive credits for the energy produced for the grid. Minnesota’s original program was considered a national leader, but was criticized for not prioritizing residential customers and low-income households. The program was revamped by a new state law in 2023 that sought to direct it toward low- and moderate-income residential customers and to cap the amount of solar that could be installed each year. The overhauled program is still in its early stages. But now a newly proposed bipartisan bill seeks to end it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42fT3zQ
PRODUCING THE FUELS THAT HELP KEEP MINNESOTA MOVING: Flint Hills Resources, one of the Midwest’s leading producers of transportation fuels is hiring! With openings in IT, accounting, engineering, operations, procurement and asset management, Flint Hills Resources’ goal is to match talented individuals with their passions and interests to truly shine. APPLY TODAY: Flint Hills jobs (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
NAMING RIGHTS: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota is putting a piece of Williams Arena up for sale: its name. Gopher Athletics announced Thursday it has partnered with a firm in search of a naming-rights sponsor for the university’s oldest sports venue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XJoJfT
ROAD WORK: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Sorry, Minnesota drivers. Winter is over, and the orange cones cometh. The big picture: The Minnesota Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced the start of road construction season, with nearly 180 projects kicking off to shore up the state's roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure. Driving the news: The season starts with a bang late Friday in the heart of the Twin Cities, with all eastbound lanes of the Interstate 94 bridge linking Minneapolis to St. Paul set to shut down all weekend.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ckxfYE
MORE: This weekend’s closure is to do maintenance and repair on five bridges over I-94. Via MnDOT, SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3RwdFPt
JOBS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Thousands of workers have been fired, as the White House says it’s aiming to make the federal government more focused and efficient. Other federal workers may be looking to leave, amid the confusion and rhetoric. But whether they are forced or choose to leave their federal jobs — those workers, especially ones with specific skill sets, may find employers eager to hire them.” QUOTE: “We’re pushing up our [job] posting schedule to take advantage of this opportunity,” Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha said. “I hear that from my friends in state government, my friends in county, city, other local government areas, because we’re all struggling to fill vacancies right now.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42h1tY4
ICYMI… last week we shared new Minnesota employment numbers. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3Yj78vl
SD6: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “The filing period for the special election for Minnesota Senate District 6 is now closed, and nine candidates are officially in the race. That includes eight Republicans and one Democrat.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43F1Eic
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)
S ST PAUL: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “An outdoor sporting goods distribution center that got its start in South St. Paul decades ago is closing, laying off 57 employees. It marks the latest turn for Sportsman’s Guide, an online and catalog retailer of hunting gear, ammunitions, and outdoor sporting equipment that launched its first issue back in the ’70s and has traded hands a couple times over the years. The shutdown comes as Crecera Brands, Sportsman’s Guide’s parent company, consolidates its distribution operations to another facility in Greenfield, Indiana.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jh4PBc
CRYSTAL: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “The Crystal City Council voted unanimously to cap the number of off-sale liquor licenses and tobacco licenses in the city during its April 1 meeting. This caps the number of licenses within the city to four off-sale liquor licenses and 10 tobacco licenses. According to Crystal city officials, the city has nine stores with off-sale liquor licenses. For tobacco, that number is 20. Businesses that already have licenses will be allowed to continue their operations, but once they close, new businesses won’t have the license automatically renewed.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/42vfpig
MEDIA: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “After a short stretch of rolling without DJs to prepare for a revamp, KQRS is back on the air with DJs and a new format. The station relaunched on Thursday morning at 6 a.m. with an expanded musical focus, new on-air talent, and new shows. The new additions include former Cities 97.1 host Paul Fletcher and former Current music director Jade.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42smKiu
BRINGING SAFETY TO “THE NEXT LEVEL” - As part of Enbridge’s work on the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation in northern Minnesota, Enbridge has brought in family-owned and Indigenous-owned Northern Lights Family Outfitters to fully outfit project workers right on the job site with personal protective equipment (PPE) from its 48-foot mobile trailer. “Enbridge really brings safety to the next level,” says Patti, a project liaison for Enbridge and the Fond du Lac Band. “It’s really helpful to have a mobile unit, especially for this kind of work. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3OQYmjn (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
STUDY: From Minneapolis-based Entrust via Business Wire, VERBATIM: “Entrust, a global leader in providing identity-centric security solutions, and Docusign (Nasdaq: DOCU) released results of a joint global study examining the escalating costs of identity fraud and the trade-offs enterprises face between security and customer experience. The Future of Global Identity Verification research report reveals that identity fraud is a growing threat globally and across industries, with over two-thirds (69%) of organizations reporting increased fraud attempts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43ILcxr
PLAY: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Across the jungles and inlets of the Pacific theater during World War II, a unit of Japanese American soldiers tests its abilities as translators. Their mission is to intercept and interpret enemy communications — while their families remain held in U.S. internment camps. That tension is at the heart of Rick Shiomi’s new play, ‘Secret Warriors,’ now at the History Theatre in St. Paul and directed by Lily Tung Crystal.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4j8CQmU
POET: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “Junauda Petrus, the Minneapolis-based writer, activist and artist, is stepping into a new chapter of her literary journey as the city’s next poet laureate. Renowned for her evocative storytelling and commitment to elevating Black, queer, and Caribbean narratives, Petrus continues to inspire with her distinctive voice and powerful perspectives.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/449bN6N
APRIL10: Citizens League will honor Peter Bell, former Metropolitan Council Chair and Sharon McMahon, at the 2025 Civic Celebration. The annual Civic Celebration is an inspiring evening, gathering hundreds of Minnesotans from diverse backgrounds, parties and ideologies to celebrate our state’s enduring civic culture, leadership, and commitment to public service. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/41txP1p (SPONSORED: Citizens League)
APRIL 24: From Minneapolis-based Apogee via Business Wire, VERBATIM: “Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOG) will report its fiscal 2025 fourth quarter and full-year results on Thursday, April 24, 2025, before the market opens. The Company will also host a conference call to discuss its financial results. This conference call will be webcast beginning at 8:00 a.m. Central Time, on April 24, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DSSfcn
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
FEEDLOTS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A rulemaking process that will have implications for Minnesota livestock producers is underway. Minnesota Pork Producers Association director of public policy strategy and sustainability Lauren Servick tells Brownfield the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has initiated a public comment period for rules that govern feedlots in the state.” SERVICK: “Those rules haven’t been revised since 2000, so as part of some of the things that they’ve outlined and the activities that they’ll be doing to continue to review these rules involves reviewing the rules and going through this process.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3QXnQwr
TRUMP: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “In two months, the Trump administration has injected uncertainty into agriculture, an industry already struggling with low prices, high expenses and unpredictable—and at times, destructive—weather. Now, farmers—traditionally a key block of support for Trump—are also contending with a host of other challenges. USDA and foreign-aid funding is frozen or in limbo. Deportations are expected to squeeze an already tight agricultural-labor market. Tariffs are being aimed at the industry’s main trading partners: Canada, Mexico and China . . . ‘It’s kind of scary because I really don’t know what my new crop will be worth if we’re in the midst of a trade war, which we are,’ said David Legvold, who grows corn and soybeans on about 750 acres in Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Yey0fT
Subscribe to other Fluence newsletters: https://fluence-media.co/TheDailyAgenda
CRISP & GREEN: From Wayzata-based CRISP & GREEN via PRNewswire, VERBATIM: “CRISP & GREEN, a fast-casual dining destination known for its chef-crafted, health-focused menu, today formally announced the move to transition away from the original franchise model through strategic acquisitions of existing franchise groups and locations. This move also marks the return of Founder Steele Smiley back into the role of Chief Executive Officer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4clRZiK
CHS: Via Inver Grove Heights-based CHS, VERBATIM: “CHS Inc., the nation’s leading agribusiness cooperative, today released results for its second quarter of fiscal year 2025. The company reported a net loss of $75.8 million and revenues of $7.8 billion for the quarter that ended Feb. 28, 2025, compared to net income of $170.3 million and revenues of $9.1 billion in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42u6xtd
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
MOVIE: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Minnesota has a hold on writers and directors Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen. Jensen, who was born and raised in Detroit Lakes, and Blank, who attended college at Macalester and the University of Minnesota, are now based in Brooklyn. The two have amassed an impressive repertoire of work throughout their career so far (does The Exonerated sound familiar?), with projects in film, TV, and theater. When they got the opportunity to make a movie based in Minnesota, they took it and ran with it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ckBmE4
MORE: From Erik Jensen via Instagram, the trailer for “Brooklyn, Minnesota.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4leVr2L
BDAYS: fmr. Arden Hills mayor Bev Aplikowski,realtor John Schuster, car guy Nate Klitzke, big thinker Tom Mason, fmr. Rep. Marsha Swails
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