This morning in two images:
From MPR, an interview with a St. Thomas Researcher about how oceans impact climate here in Minnesota. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4sKuZBC
Much has been made about members of Congress making money on stock trades. From Benzinga, two congressmen who may have lost money on recent sales of Netflix stock – they sold just ahead of the network’s record-setting viewership of the Lions-Vikings game on Christmas. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LGt0h3
Monday is the federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In a must listen, Legislative Auditor Judy Randall joined Sunday Take to discuss fraud in state programs. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3YTziND
The Fluence Forum - The State of Energy is Jan. 21.
Health Care will remain a top issue into 2026, the State of Health Care Fluence Forum panels from last week are now available in podcast form. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/FluenceForumPodcast
Want to manage your subscription to TheDailyAgenda.com? HERE: https://fluence-media.co/managesubscription
The latest insight from Fluence Advisory on the loss of institutional knowledge from the Minnesota Legislature. READ: https://fluence-advisory.com/insights/
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
NEW THIS MORNING
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE: “As President Donald J. Trump delivers on the promise that secured his overwhelming re-election, Minnesota’s ‘leaders’ have chosen defiance over partnership. Instead of working with the Trump Administration to uphold the law and protect public safety, the state’s Democrat politicians have repeatedly boasted of their so-called ‘sanctuary’ status, encouraged resistance, and smeared ICE officers. This toxic combination of ‘sanctuary’ policies and anti-ICE rhetoric has created a climate of hostility that endangers federal officers and incites violence. Make no mistake: the responsibility for the enhanced enforcement operations in Minnesota — and the tension and violence — lies squarely with these officials who refuse to partner with the Trump Administration and instead put their Radical Left agenda over public safety and the rule of law.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b42wR1
CONGRESSIONAL HEARING: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal hosted a hearing Friday in St. Paul with about 30 other Democratic representatives from around the country to discuss ICE operations in the Twin Cities.” OMAR: “It is increasingly clear that the purpose of these actions is to provoke chaos and fear in order to justify invoking the Insurrection Act and expand the president’s ability to rain terror upon American cities who do not vote for him.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/45YFQy7
MORE: Via Fox9, more from the hearing, including statements from Senator Tina Smith and Representative Betty McCollum. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4sOswq4
TOMORROW: From Indivisible Twin Cities via Facebook, VERBATIM: “We have heard that hate groups are planning a march in MPLS for Sat. We and other community leaders urge you to stay home.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qA1j8X
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
SMALL BUSINESS: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Manny González‘s torta stand in the Midtown Global Market survived the burning and looting of Lake Street in 2020, but might not make it through the flood of ICE agents in the immigrant-heavy neighborhood. ‘This is worse,’ González said. Why it matters: ICE’s unprecedented surge into diverse Twin Cities neighborhoods has battered small businesses that had been inching back toward normal after 2020.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YIdBzW
BIG BUSINESSES: Reuters reports none of the Minnesota-based Fortune 500 companies it asked were willing to speak on the record regarding ICE activity in their home state. VERBATIM: “Their silence, according to Bill George, a Minneapolis-based former executive and current Harvard Business School fellow, is a mistake.” GEORGE: “A lot of them are very silent and I think it’s not a good time to be silent,” he told Reuters. He added he has spoken with numerous executives in the Minneapolis area who have expressed concerns about the toll on business, with many still in the process of formulating guidance to workers. “It is disappointing to me that we don’t hear their voices. They’re charged with the safety, security and well-being of their employees.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qtgRvc
AFTER THE SHOOTINGS
SHOOTING 1: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Records of police and emergency operators released late Thursday contain fragmentary, confused and profane reports from the scene in south Minneapolis and the efforts of the city police to contend with a crisis not of their making. The documents — about 60 pages of 911 call transcripts and police and fire department incident reports — sketch the visceral shock of bystanders, reduced to dry transcripts and terse entries in the shorthand of the police scanner. The calls to 911 began at 9:38 a.m. on Jan. 7, shortly after an Immigration and Customs and Enforcement officer fired a gun into Ms. Good’s maroon Honda Pilot as observers and protesters confronted federal agents. The frantic calls persisted for about an hour.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qj2qtw
SHOOTING 2: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The FBI is offering a reward of $100,000 to recover items it says were taken from federal vehicles in the wake of Wednesday’s shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. FBI Director Kash Patel issued the reward offer on Thursday afternoon ‘for information leading to the recovery of stolen government property and/or the arrest of individuals responsible for the destruction and theft of government property in Minneapolis.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r0z1o4
DEBATING PROTESTS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The interactions between protesters and ICE agents have become increasingly charged in the week after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good. Yet even before the second shooting, the divergent views among the protest movement — about how and how aggressively to combat the federal government’s presence — have been on display in group chats and street protests, as well as at training events designed to welcome a new wave of volunteers inspired by Good’s death.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NugSjN
RAMSEY COUNTY: Via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “If a federal officer shoots someone in St. Paul or Ramsey County, the county attorney is asking local law enforcement chiefs to independently secure evidence and immediately call in the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. John Choi’s request and suggested guidance came six days after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good, 37, in Minneapolis. The BCA and FBI were initially going to conduct a joint investigation, but the BCA said the U.S. Attorney’s Office ‘reversed course’ and they were informed the FBI would solely lead the investigation.” CHOI: “I think what happened is they had things worked out, then the rug got pulled out from underneath whatever agreements were made,” Choi said in an interview. “That woke us up to recognize that we can’t assume that cooperation is the standard anymore, and so we need to take measures to protect our processes and to protect the public interest.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qq4SyB
BROADBAND: Comcast is rewriting the broadband playbook in the Twin Cities. From neighborhood networks to next-gen tech, we’re delivering community-first internet connectivity with no contracts, no surprises. The new Xfinity package means unlimited data, blazing-fast, reliable speeds and a 5-year price guarantee, plus free mobile for a year. It’s not the old Comcast — it’s a bold new era of connection. Let’s power the future, together. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/Comcast2025-1 (SPONSORED: Comcast)
AWAY FROM THE WHISTLES
QUIETER ARRESTS: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Across the Twin Cities, journalists, activists and influencers have taken to the streets to document the actions of the thousands of immigration agents that have flooded the state. Photographers have documented violent arrests, and livestreamers have broadcast clashes between protesters and agents, painting an authentic and repetitive scene of federal actions in Minnesota. But an untold number of immigrants, like the man in the bus shelter, have been arrested without the whistles and cameras — plucked out of their lives in an instant.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4sKsjUA
SCHOOL THREATS: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “The small Minneapolis charter school where Renee Good sent her 6-year-old son has switched to online learning out of safety concerns after receiving multiple phone and email threats, the school told Sahan Journal.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Nk11EB
WHITE EARTH: Via Detroit Lakes Tribune, VERBATIM: “The White Earth Tribal Council, the White Earth Department of Public Safety, and the White Earth Police Department posted on Facebook on Wednesday that they are aware of recent reports and social media posts regarding federal immigration enforcement activity occurring in surrounding communities, including Pelican Rapids and Detroit Lakes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jPua6Q
MANKATO: Via Mankato Free Press, VERBATIM: “The weather dipped below 30 degrees, not accounting for the wind, and clouds covered the sun. And yet, Cole Koets stood outside for an hour and a half with no hat and just one glove. He was leading the latest protest against ICE’s presence in Minnesota . . . The protest took place in Minnesota State University’s Centennial Student Union Mall. It was organized by Mavericks for Change with Koets as president.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NmtZ6I
STILLWATER: From MPR at the World Snow Sculpting Championships, VERBATIM: “Many participating artists say Team Calima of Mexico is the team to beat. They’re creating a sculpture of an astronaut — the size of an elephant — tripping, falling backwards and creating a splash. ‘It’s about the feeling when you are doing something very hard in your life and you trip and you feel like you’re not going to be able to continue,’ says team leader Carlos Miguel Ramirez Pereyra. Many artists say the makeshift international artist village in Lowell Park has been filled with discussion about coming to Minnesota amid ICE raids in the state and President Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act, both of which have made international headlines. ‘It’s a little scary, but we are surrounded with beautiful people,’ Ramirez Pereyra says.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZhSPXW
CLEAN | RELIABLE | AFFORDABLE: Via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “We’re powering the Upper Midwest with clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy. For more than 50 years, our Prairie Island Nuclear Plant, located near Red Wing, MN, has been a workhorse of reliable, carbon-free energy. With two pressurized water reactors producing about 1,100 megawatts, Prairie Island generates enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes across the Upper Midwest. Unlike sources that depend on weather, nuclear energy delivers 24/7 reliability—providing the power we need today while protecting the environment for tomorrow.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4oCHdK9 (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
CITY NEWS
PLYMOUTH: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “The Plymouth City Council opened its meeting Tuesday with one of its members providing a statement on the large-scale operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota. Plymouth City Council Member Joel Spoonheim shared perspectives that he says he heard from residents and employers due to ICE activity.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YIVgCH
DULUTH: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Many urban downtowns continue to struggle with post-Covid 19 challenges, and Duluth is certainly no exception. But the energized, mostly younger crowd that gathered Jan. 8 for the ‘Building the Future of Duluth’ panel discussion expressed cautious confidence about where the central city is heading. Indeed, many of those attendees are helping to construct that future. The gathering sponsored by Gardner Builders took place in the event room of Blacklist Brewery, itself an example of downtown entrepreneurship.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sHrg7R
ARMORED VEHICLE: Via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “The city has finally received its long-awaited armored rescue vehicle. The Duluth Police Department recently took delivery of a Lenco Bearcat G3, the first vehicle of its type in the department’s fleet. It is described as a ‘state-of-the-art emergency response vehicle designed to provide ballistic protection and operational mobility in life-threatening situations.’ In announcing plans to purchase the vehicle in 2023, officials stressed that it would only be deployed in high-risk situations, such as armed standoffs and arrests of homicide suspects.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49GNONx
MORE NON-ICE NEWS
POWER LINE: Via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “A proposed power line expansion along Interstate 94 from North Dakota to central Minnesota will maintain a reliable electric grid by meeting the region’s growing electricity needs, continuing to improve reliability and saving energy users’ money by accessing low-cost power. On Jan. 15, five Upper Midwest energy companies applied to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for a Certificate of Need to add a second transmission line circuit to the existing power line that runs mainly along Interstate 94 between Fargo and Alexandria.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3LPdzmP
(DISCLOSURE: Xcel is a Fluence sponsor)
BASEBALL: The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports Bloomington-based DQ has decided to end its sponsorship of Major League Baseball. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r2XysF
BASKETBALL: Via Timberwolves, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx today announced a multiyear partnership with Wings Credit Union as the official credit union of both teams . . . Together, the Timberwolves, Lynx and Wings will collaborate on a community-focused initiative to support local hunger-relief efforts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bzsiwC
Want more good news stories? Minnesota Good comes out later today. Read the archive HERE: https://fluence-media.co/43q02bc
DEEP THOUGHTS: Via Lakeland PBS, VERBATIM: “A Minnesota group has released its annual philosophy question that will lead to one entrant being named America’s Greatest Thinker for 2026. The stage is set for the 33rd annual Great American Think-Off, a nationally renowned philosophy competition that invites participants of all backgrounds to wrestle with life’s most profound questions.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/45YrPAv
WILD ABOUT READING: Join more than 800 Minnesota classrooms and 30,000 students participating in the “Wild About Reading” program, a partnership with Flint Hills Resources which encourages students to read more using Minnesota Wild-branded posters, reading logs, and bookmarks. Teachers set weekly reading goals and give certificates to students who complete the four-week program. Fun program incentives include classroom visits from the Wild’s mascot, Nordy – and the team dog, Paulie; a pair of tickets to a Wild home game, player signed pucks and photos; and a pizza party for a classroom. LEARN MORE: Wild About Reading (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
WEAPONS AND TACTICS
TRAINING: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Bloomington, Minnesota Police Chief Booker Hodges says he’s astounded by what’s happened in Minnesota over the last week with ICE. He tells WCCO’s Chad Hartman he’d like to see federal agents act in a more professional manner.” HODGES: “These tactics are not what we’ve been trained on,” says Hodges. “A lot of this stuff is quite frankly unbelievable that we’re witnessing here for some of these folks. I mean, basically, a lot of this stuff that I’m seeing is stuff that we stopped doing 20 years ago.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4jGTETP
CHEMICALS: At the scene of the ICE shooting in north Minneapolis Wednesday, chemical irritants were used to help disperse the crowd of protestors. MinnPost collected some of the empty canisters and asked experts more about them. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pBnBFX
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)
COMMERCE
SHIPPING: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “The 2025 Great Lakes shipping season ended Thursday night with the closing of the Soo Locks, capping a difficult year for the Twin Ports. Total tonnage passing through the Duluth-Superior port was down in 2025 compared to the five-season average, according to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. The decline came alongside a series of closures and setbacks for the port. City of Superior Port Director Jason Serck says those working at the port have been hit the hardest by the rough year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49GHwgT
DATA BREACH: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Blaze Credit Union’s marketing and communications vendor–Georgia-based Marquis Software Solutions–said last month it experienced a data security incident in which an unauthorized third-party vendor potentially viewed or copied certain files on the Marquis network that contained Blaze’s 253,000 members’ personal information, including their Social Security numbers . . . The credit union industry has historically consisted of small institutions that offered limited services. The industry has been consolidating in Minnesota (Blaze is the result of the 2024 merger of Hi-Way and Spire credit unions), in part, to offer a wider array of financial services along the lines of banks. Still, many credit unions still rely on third parties for key functions. TCB reached out to multiple credit unions and banks in the state to see if they employ the same practices.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NzCaMZ
NEW CEO: Via Woodbury-based Kindeva, VERBATIM: “Effective January 1, 2026, David Stevens, most recently President at Kindeva, has assumed the role of CEO for the company.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qOlfVa
NEW VP: Via Hormel, VERBATIM: “Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, today announced the appointment of Domenic Borrelli as executive vice president of Retail, effective February 23, 2026.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NmtI3I
NEW FUNDING: Via TipRanks, VERBATIM: “[Minneapolis-based] Otto Sport AI has raised $16.5 million in seed funding, co-led by Mamba Growth Equity and Rally Ventures, to speed development of its AI-powered operating system for the U.S. youth sports market, an industry where families spend an estimated $30–$40 billion annually.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NxlYvE
WHAT’S NEXT?
NEXT MONTH: Via Brooklyn Park-based Protolabs, VERBATIM: “Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB) announced today that it will issue its fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results before the opening of the market on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pL74iZ
APRIL: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “This April, Galleria is turning over a new leaf with the debut of Fleurs de Villes Flora at Galleria Edina, a 10-day immersive floral exhibition produced by Fleurs de Villes, a floral art and experiential events company known for its fashion-forward approach to blooms.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r1GKlQ
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
DRY JANUARY: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “If you’re still attempting Dry January, I visited six spots last week in search of the best non-alcoholic beverages in the Twin Cities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/459tpzm
BDAYS: Lifetime’s Natalie Bushaw, fmr. Chief John Harrington. SAT: weather guy Sven Sundgaard, Sen. John Hoffman, SUN: agency leader Matt Burgess, Xcel’s Rob Clark, ranger Justin Perpich
Fluence Media curates, produces and distributes specialized media products to thought leadership audiences across the Midwest and about the region. Our publications cover, politics, public policy, health care, agriculture, business, real estate, sports and more. Visit www.fluence-media.com to learn more.
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