NBA playoffs begin tomorrow – Wolves storylines. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4lGH4Ve
Are Americans aware of recent tariffs? It depends on how old they are. MORNING CONSULT: https://fluence-media.co/4jjrEod
10,000 pages of RFK assassination papers were made public this morning. AP: https://fluence-media.co/42PiNVg
Did you read Sports Take yesterday? Good stuff. SPORTSTAKE: https://fluence-media.co/42ZId1F
Sunday Take’s guest will be new DFL Chair Richard Carlbom. Tune in at 9AM on WCCO Radio Sunday morning.
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)
ICE: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota, where a graduate student was detained and stripped of his student visa late last month, is the country’s only university actively contracted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, having leased its gun range to the agency since 2022 according to public federal spending data. A Minnesota Reformer analysis of ICE contracts also found that a gun range jointly owned by the cities of Cottage Grove and Woodbury holds one of the largest contracts for gun range leasing to ICE in the country, while a manufacturer in Anoka, Minn. provides more ammunition to the agency than any other contractor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jxDPgM
CUTS: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration is considering eliminating funding for two key federal programs that help millions of low-income Americans educate their young children and heat their homes. A draft of President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for the coming fiscal year calls for ending support for Head Start, which provides early childhood education and other services to nearly 800,000 kids, and for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, which assists about 6 million households with their utility bills. The move is part of a draft plan, which CNN has reviewed, to slash roughly a third of the discretionary federal health budget, eliminate dozens of programs and greatly shrink health agencies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42Plmqm
MORE: Via news release from Sen. Tina Smith, responses from Sen. Smith and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. KLOBUCHAR: “The Administration is doubling down on threats to eliminate Head Start, which provides more than 10,000 kids in Minnesota with pre-school and child care. After the Administration withheld nearly $20 million in federal funds and closed Head Start regional offices, pre-schools across the country have already been forced to shutter – hurting our children, working parents, and local economies.” SMITH: “In the hierarchy of terrible ideas, this one is pretty high up there. Whenever I’m travelling the state, whether it be the Northland, Greater Minnesota or the Metro, nowhere do I hear that we have too much funding for early childhood education. In fact, I hear the exact opposite.”
EYEWITNESSES: Via KMSP-TV, VERBATIM: “FOX 9 has obtained a copy of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office new policy on Eyewitness Identification Evidence. The 10-page policy is the first time County Attorney Mary Moriarty has put the office’s best practices into writing. Experts say faulty eyewitness identification is the leading cause of sending innocent people to prison. Moriarty tells FOX 9 her team has learned from past mistakes, including the first-degree murder conviction of Marvin Haynes that was eventually tossed out. Haynes spent nearly 20 years in prison for a Minneapolis murder he did not commit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42wIlFu
MOVE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Spirit Airlines tapped a rival airline executive as its chief executive officer, part of the struggling budget carrier’s effort to chart a new course after emerging from bankruptcy. Dave Davis, most recently president and chief financial officer at Sun Country, will take the reins at Spirit starting Monday, the company said Thursday. Davis has held a number of senior roles in the airline industry, including finance chief for Northwest Airlines before it was acquired by Delta.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42wOSju
TARGET: Via The Guardian, VERBATIM: “On Thursday morning, the Rev Al Sharpton met with Brian Cornell, the Target CEO, to discuss the fallout from the company’s decision to walk back its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts earlier this year. The meeting happened in New York at Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN) headquarters, and also included the NAN national board chair Dr W Franklyn Richardson and the NAN senior adviser Carra Wallace. In January, activists in Minnesota called for a boycott of Target following the Minneapolis-based company’s decision to eliminate their DEI initiatives. Though Sharpton, one of the most prominent civil-rights activists in the US, did not directly call for a Target boycott, he supported the efforts of others to boycott, and, prior to the meeting, indicated that he would be open to calling for such an action depending on how the meeting went.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RTGPrV
MORE: From National Action Network via Facebook, from Rev. Sharpton, QUOTE: “This morning, I had a very constructive and candid meeting with Brian Cornell that included NAN National Board Chair Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson and NAN Senior Advisor Carra Wallace. I am going to inform our allies, including Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, of our discussion, what my feelings are, and we will go from there.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42Btn0Z
REAL ID: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Starting May 7, people will need a Real ID, passport or other federally approved identification for domestic air travel. That deadline has led to a run on license centers across the state. On a cool morning earlier this week, a line of people snaked outside the Washington County License Center in Woodbury before its doors opened at 8:30. ‘I have been here since 8:20, before they opened and now I'm done at like 10 now,’ said Debalke Gebeyehu from Oakdale. He expected getting a Real ID would take a while — he took time off from work for it — but thought maybe an hour at most. By the time he arrived, he said there were already about 50 people in line.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/440sAsW
MORE: Via Minnesota DPS, information about getting a Real ID, which, in lieu of a passport, will be required for domestic air travel beginning next month. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RqVpXQ
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)
KLOBUCHAR: Via KEYC-TV, VERBATIM: “An opportunity to meet and share concerns, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D - Minnesota) paid a visit to VINE Faith in Action in Mankato Thursday. The visit is a part of Klobuchar’s ongoing tour of 19 southern Minnesota counties . . . Topics of the meeting included proposed cuts to federal programs like Medicaid, which Klobuchar said she opposes, citing half of all residents in assisted living facilities rely on Medicaid support.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4lzdtN8
CHURCH FIRE: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Lightning is believed to be the culprit for a fire at a church in St. Paul on Thursday evening. The church located at 515 N Farrington Street was reported to be on fire just before 5:30 p.m., and St. Paul Fire Department responded to find the steeple of the church engulfed in flames.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Y6KshR
MORE: Via Historic Saint Paul, the history of the church, established in 1885 with the building built in 1902. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4inmWEq
HIGHER ED: Via Southwest Minnesota State University, from President Kumara Jayasuriya, QUOTE: “It is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement as President of Southwest Minnesota State University, effective following the May commencement. Serving as your President has been an incredible honor, and I am deeply proud of all that we have accomplished together. During my tenure, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing remarkable growth and achievement across our university.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Gsk4c5
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)
BAXTER: Via Brainerd Dispatch, VERBATIM: “Visit Brainerd will continue to serve as the city of Baxter’s marketing organization and visitor’s bureau. After extended discussions and a somewhat tumultuous period beginning in the summer of 2024, the city and Visit Brainerd agreed to terms for a contract during a Tuesday, April 16, council meeting.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RrR9HD
BASEBALL: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Sitting on a frontage road perched above the interstate, hemmed by roads and nondescript government buildings near the Capitol, 12th and Robert streets in St. Paul isn’t much to look at. But in 1903, this was the place to be if you loved baseball. There, the St. Paul Saints and the St. Paul Colored Gophers — two of the city’s historic baseball teams — played at the Pillbox . . . [Baseball historian Stew Thornley] has applied to put up a memorial plaque next to the Minnesota Department of Health laboratory where the park once stood.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RWOYMi
THIS WEEKEND: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “As many celebrate 420 this weekend, the THC industry continues to boom. Due to the Easter holiday, 420 is actually more of a 419 this year. At Utepils, THC beverages have soared according to their Director of Taproom Operations, Addison Memmel.” QUOTE: "Non-alcoholic beverages, THC beverages, have taken over a bigger portion of our percentage of sales like our product mix," says Memmel. "I wouldn't say it's tipped the scales drastically, but enough where, you know, we're going through a few cases a weekend. It's probably getting close to about 3% at this point, which is significant for for that type of product." LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4is5Wx4
ROBBINSDALE: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “At a Robbinsdale store, creativity and color are all centered around chocolate. Cocoa Flake chocolate shop is offering handcrafted bunnies, chicks and eggs ahead of Easter, all of which are painted to edible perfection . . . While the Easter isn’t as busy as Christmas or Valentine’s Day, [Owner Daniela Rain] said business is picking up.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4jrJBRi
TOMORROW: The Time Travelers Vintage Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/42ZPZbR
TOMORROW: Via Minnesota Historical Society, an Easter Egg Hunt at the James J. Hill House in St. Paul. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4iowkIc
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
MAYO: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Mayo Clinic is changing the name of its Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity. It will now be called the Office of Belonging, according to internal communication to staff. People with EID titles will now have ‘Belonging’ titles, according to the notice sent this week. Internal and external websites related to the EID office will also be updated. ‘Since 2020, Mayo Clinic has intentionally focused on belonging as a cornerstone of staff wellbeing. In keeping with this focus and recent national events, we’re embracing an opportunity to accelerate Mayo Clinic’s belonging journey to reflect our culture of collaboration and respect and support positive patient experiences,’ said a statement from Mayo Clinic provided by spokesperson Andrea Kalmanovitz.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GfyOva
UNITEDHEALTH: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Dillman Clinic & Lab was finally at a point where the one-doctor practice in Lakeville could start thinking about hiring another physician. Then, all of a sudden, the clinic was walloped by the aftermath of a major cyberattack at Change Healthcare, the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary hacked in February 2024. The breach, which affected the data of 1 in 2 Americans, prompted the Eden Prairie-based health care giant to shut down a widely used computer system ‘clearinghouse’ for processing claims that precipitated a nationwide cash flow crisis for health care providers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ElLz6J
ICYMI… UnitedHealth cut its forecast this morning blaming surprising Medicare Advantage care use. Read about it at The Daily Agenda. READ: https://fluence-media.co/TheDailyAgenda
EMBOLISM: Via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “About five years ago, in the thick of COVID, Tony and Annie Sterle went to the hospital eager to meet their son. But things didn't go as planned . . . During labor, Annie Sterle suffered an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE). ‘It's considered a catastrophic complication of delivery,’ Minneapolis Heart Institute Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Michael Mooney said. Mooney says AFE is rare, but it's also one of the most fatal complications in childbirth. It's when amniotic fluid enters the bloodstream, causing devastating bleeding and, often, heart failure.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4iiM3IE
BIRTH CENTER: Via The Imprint, VERBATIM: “When considering what Indigenous mothers might need when they are about to give birth, Ruth Buffalo pictures a warm community-based center, full of laughter and love. Relatives are singing soft lullabies in their Native languages. Family members could dance ceremonially around mother and baby after birth . . . Buffalo, of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation, serves as the CEO of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center. She has been helping plan the Birth Center, which involves weekly and monthly meetings, coordinating community listening sessions and creating a strategic planning document with to-do lists and deadlines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jFc6Lm
Subscribe to other Fluence newsletters: https://fluence-media.co/TheDailyAgenda
BREMER: Via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “After more than 12 years as the public face of Bremer Bank, Jeanne Crain has announced she will retire from the role of president and chief executive officer on May 16, days after the St. Paul-based farm lender is scheduled to complete a planned merger with Old National Bank.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42ChCrc
US BANK: Via ABF Journal, VERBATIM: “U.S. Bancorp has promoted Adam Graves to senior executive vice president and head of enterprise strategy and administration, the company announced Thursday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RlRADl
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
PAINTINGS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “At a gallery in the St. Paul Vandalia Tower, Dan Smith runs around adjusting spotlights and straightening paintings. He’s putting on an impromptu art retrospective featuring hundreds of artworks by his mother, Lucy Kreisler Smith, who died in 2022 at the age of 89.” SMITH: “A lot of her painting was influenced by the Holocaust, but there’s only a couple of them that I could say are directly about the Holocaust,” Dan Smith says. “There’s a lot of political things in her drawings, some of which are quite relevant today.” READ/PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4cHeBdR
COFFEE: Via Eater, recommended coffee shops around the Twin Cities. LIST/MAP: https://fluence-media.co/2Izvnhx
BDAYS: lobbyist Todd Hill, Rep. Jim Joy, Cloquet’s only Archie Chelseth, WCCO-TV’s John Lauritsen. SAT: wine proprietor Page Knudsen Cowles, teacher Lisa Johnson, operative Linden Zakula. SUN: energizer bunny Tom Hauser, nonprofit leader Ethelind Kaba, fmr. Commissioner Gail Dorfman, AI leader Gia Vitali, lobbyist Scott McMahon
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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