What happens when lightning strikes a TV station mid-newscast? KARE viewers found out on Sunday. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/49cgYEV
The federal funding cuts are being felt at NPR – newsroom jobs are getting cut. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Rg4UMJ
The Minnesota State Fair is 100 days away.
Want to manage your subscription to TheDailyAgenda.com? HERE: https://fluence-media.co/managesubscription
Follow the 2026 Minnesota election’s up close with the Fluence ElectionTracker. FluenceElectionTracker.com
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4uVO3NK
Sunday Take covered the final days of session and the lack of a 340B bill with Rahul Koranne of the Minnesota Hospital Association. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4wGysn4
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
TUESDAY FEED
POLLING PLACES: Via Defiance.org, VERBATIM: “A nationwide coalition of locally elected prosecutors today put the Trump administration on notice: any federal agent who shows up at a polling place in violation of state or federal law will be investigated and prosecuted under the laws of the jurisdiction in which they act . . . Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who has already brought charges against federal agents in Minnesota and is currently litigating against the Department of Homeland Security over the administration’s deployment of federal forces in Minneapolis, said the coalition is prepared to move quickly.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nGWUjZ
TARGET: Via Retail Dive, VERBATIM: “A group of activist investors is urging Target shareholders to vote against the reelection of Executive Chair Brian Cornell and Lead Independent Director Christine Leahy at the retailer’s annual shareholder meeting in June. Among the reasons cited is Leahy’s oversight of the decision to retain former CEO Cornell as executive chair and special adviser, per a letter to shareholders filed in a notice of exempt solicitation on Friday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dt4VEo
TOMORROW: Via Zacks, VERBATIM: “With Target Corporation TGT set to announce its first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings results on May 20, before the market opens, investors are faced with a critical question: Can TGT continue its streak of surprising results, or will challenges in the retail space temper growth? The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter revenues stands at $24.37 billion, indicating a 2.2% increase from the prior-year reported figure.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4feXkMr
MIZRAHI: Via WWD, VERBATIM: “Michael Fiddelke stepped up as Target Corp.’s new chief executive officer in February promising to bring back the discounter’s style and design savvy. And it looks like he’s going to do it with at least one very familiar face. Isaac Mizrahi is due to return to Target in a major way, three industry sources told WWD, although it could not be learned if a contract had been signed or exactly what the relationship would be.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PxaVUz
OBSERVATORY: Via Finance & Commerce, VERBATIM: “University of Minnesota officials are seeking design services for a new research facility at the Large Lakes Observatory on the Duluth campus, a project that would advance the scientific study of critical freshwater systems. In a request for proposals, the U of M says the project will provide a ‘permanent home for field research vessels’ on Lake Superior and offer ‘contemporary research laboratories, offices and support functions.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wFv1Nf
JUDGES: Via news release from the Governor’s office, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointment of Justice Theodora Gaïtas to serve as chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Gaïtas will fill the vacancy that will occur upon the retirement of Chief Justice Natalie Hudson in September. Governor Walz also announced the appointment of Judge Reynaldo Aligada, Jr. to serve as associate justice. Aligada will fill the vacancy that will occur upon Justice Gaïtas’s elevation to chief justice.”
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)
MORE NEWS…
MEDIA: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “Meteorologist John Zeigler has been named KARE 11’s new chief meteorologist, the station announced Tuesday.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/498ickt
SPORTS: Twin Cities Business looks at the uncertainty about how to watch local sports teams now that Fan Duel Sports North is gone. VERBATIM: “Just a couple years ago, watching sports was simple. Most games aired on cable and over-the-air. But cord-cutting brought a demand for streaming, which begat streaming-only channels, which began to acquire exclusive rights to national and local games. It took root a couple years ago, when Major League Soccer moved most of its games to AppleTV+. So having an expensive all-in cable or satellite package was not enough and left fans watching Prime or Peacock over Russian Reddit streams. The mess peaked this spring, as Timberwolves playoff games disappeared into the streamers’ maw.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RixDR5
TICKETS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “They are not hard to spot — drivers texting, scrolling and even engaging in video chats while at stop signs, waiting at traffic signals or rolling down the road. Law enforcement across the state ticketed nearly 5,500 motorists for violating state law during April’s Distracted Driving Awareness month.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43fkZ7Z
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)
HOUSING
NUMBERS: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Minnesota gained 18,283 housing units from July 2024 to July 2025, according to recent Census estimates. That 0.7% increase, which mostly comes from housing construction but also includes small losses from demolition and natural disaster, is a sharp drop from the growth of around 30,000 units in 2022. Minnesota lags behind nationwide housing growth, which was 1% from 2024 to 2025, and ranks 35th among all states during that time.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fpKzys
FOR SALE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “There are more houses for sale in Minnesota this spring as compared to last, but high mortgage rates, renewed inflation and difficult economic conditions are continuing to affect the real estate market in the Twin Cities and statewide. That’s according to a new report from Minnesota Realtors, an association representing more than 21,000 realtors.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4f12Z8J
LEGISLATION: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Despite beginning the session with seemingly irreconcilable positions, state DFL and Republican lawmakers found a path last week to agreeing on a $165 million housing policy bill. Given tight margins and the parties’ disagreement over the state’s priorities in a year that saw economic and social disruptions due to Operation Metro Surge, there was no guarantee that the final product would include tens of millions of dollars in rental assistance, affordable home construction, and improvements to manufactured homes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eQemQF
GRANDMAS RIDE ATVs TOO! Check out Donna’s story - a powerful reminder that ATV riding is about more than trails...it’s about people, community, and connection. Donna’s message reflects what so many riders across Minnesota believe: responsible riding, strong local economies, and protecting access for future generations all go hand in hand. Check out Donna’s story: https://fluence-media.co/4tDeK9r Thank you, Donna, for sharing your story and helping put a face to what “I Ride” truly means. (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
MORE FROM ST PAUL…
THE PROCESS: Via MN Center for Fiscal Excellence, VERBATIM: “The 2026 tax bill arrived in a way that has become increasingly familiar: absent the usual hearings, mark ups, and side by side negotiations, and unveiled only in the final moments and rushed through both chambers before the clock struck twelve. With no House companion to anchor the process, a defunct transportation bill was repurposed as the vehicle, doubling as a catch all for orphaned provisions ranging from a half million dollar nuclear energy study to a $75 million transfer from the Driver and Vehicle Services account to make the General Fund math work. It was, in form and timing, another reminder of how far 2026 lawmaking has drifted from traditional process.”
SCHOOLS: Via Take Action Minnesota, VERBATIM: “Now that Minnesota’s legislative session has ended, families are celebrating the inclusion of $10 million in Compensatory Aid for Minnesota schools in the final budget deal – while acknowledging it’s nowhere near the transformative investments Minnesota’s public education system needs. The Compensatory Aid-Hold Harmless policy championed by the Senate (SF4368) provides crucial need-based aid to schools while ensuring the Compensatory Revenue Task Force has more time to fix a legislative mistake that impacts how that aid is calculated. Without this policy, Minnesota schools would have seen even deeper cuts to their budgets this year.”
PROJECTS: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Lawmakers met a deadline Sunday night to ensure nearly $200 million for conservation projects can go live on July 1. The projects were approved by a bipartisan council appointed by the governor and Legislature, but needed the House and Senate to pass an appropriations bill before Sunday night. Conservationists feared the vote might not happen due to partisan squabbling in the 67-67 deadlocked Minnesota House.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PRAVu2
NE MN: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Two dozen northeastern Minnesota projects are getting help from a bonding bill that passed in the final minutes of the legislative session. One of the biggest projects is at the DECC, which will get more than $4 million to make urgent repairs to pipes.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/49akcc0
CRYPTO: Via CCN, VERBATIM: “Minnesota banks and credit unions will soon be able to hold crypto for customers, giving local financial institutions a clearer role in the digital asset market. Gov. Tim Walz signed HF 3709 into law on May 15. The measure, now Chapter 93 of Minnesota’s 2026 session laws, allows eligible state financial institutions to safeguard digital assets and private keys from Aug. 1, 2026.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PLoSOZ
PEACE: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “The Brooklyn Park community is mourning former state lawmaker Rep. Michael Nelson, who passed away, according to family and legislative leaders. Lawmakers and others posted tributes to Nelson on social media over the weekend. He was 71 years old. Nelson spent 22 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives as a DFLer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Pbyy5d
FLINT HILLS FAMILY FESTIVAL: Kick off the summer in downtown Saint Paul with the Flint Hills Family Festival May 29-30, one of the largest and longest-standing events of its kind. The Festival offers free fun for people of all ages in Rice Park and Landmark Plaza, with performances and activities that provide something for everyone, along with world-class shows inside the Ordway for just $8! Now in its 26th year, this year’s Festival lineup includes Cirque Mechanics: TILT!, NOOMA: an opera for babies, and Click Clack Moo! More than one million people have experienced the Festival, including hundreds of thousands of students who have visited on field trips during the Festival’s School Days. Join us this year! LEARN MORE: Flint Hills Family Festival (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
COMMERCE
POT: Via MMJ Daily, VERBATIM: “A member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe has become the first licensed cannabis cultivator within the reservation, Lakeland PBS reports. Delman Jones, owner of Jones Cannabis Company, received his license by the end of April. The company currently runs roughly 100 plants in a 500-square-foot indoor space, built at a cost of $400,000. Both White Earth and Red Lake Nation operate self-regulated cultivation facilities tied to their respective dispensaries. Leech Lake’s approval of Delman is the tribe’s first such license issued to a Band member.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nCx4O1
VALLEYFAIR: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Valleyfair’s seven-acre Superior Shores Waterpark has expanded just in time for a fun-filled summer for families. The waterpark has added 13 new slides and attractions, bringing the grand total to 24, as it’s set to open on May 23. Many new attractions are tailored for all ages and junior parkgoers alike. Lighthouse Landing houses a 60-foot, multilayered tower with a dual-mat racing slide and tube slides. Minnow Bay is a kid-friendly area featuring eight slides and interactive water play all within a little lagoon. There’s also the Breakers Bay Wave Pool, Great Lake Launchers, the Ripple Rapids lazy river, and more.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42Le5qZ
RAMEN: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “When Yuichiro Matthew Kazama came to Minnesota from his native Matsue, Japan (100 miles north of Hiroshima), he was a rising-star drummer with his bands the Birthday Suits and Sweet J.A.P., the latter shining out from the cover of Maximum Rocknroll and named the best local rock band by City Pages. Then everyone grew up, and Kazama turned his intense focus from rock and roll to ramen. ‘Every day, we make six kinds of ramen, and I put 100 percent effort into each one,’ Kazama explains.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wy6t8N
NEW EVP: Via Target, VERBATIM: “Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) today announced that Jeff England will join the company as executive vice president, chief global supply chain and logistics officer, effective May 31.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nAlqmG
MORE: Via Freight Waves, VERBATIM: “England joins Minneapolis-based Target (NYSE: TGT) from building products distributor QXO, where he served as chief supply chain officer under former XPO logistics chief Brad Jacobs. and is credited with improving inventory availability, reduced transportation costs and strengthening operational performance. From February 2022 to August 2024, he was chief supply chain officer at Genuine Parts Co. England spent more than 18 years at Walmart in a variety of operations, strategy and finance roles, culminating as senior vice president supply chain.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nGXz4X
GLOBAL TRADE BOLSTERS AG ECONOMIES: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Each year, Minnesota’s exports of corn, ethanol, corn-fed meat, and dried distillers grains (DDGS) alone support over 11,500 jobs and add billions to the state’s economy. They also help ensure that consumers around the world have access to affordable protein and dairy products. In May, during World Trade Month, Minnesota Corn celebrates that important role trade plays in all our lives—in the U.S. and abroad. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dqEqB1 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
WHAT’S NEXT?
THIS WEEK: Duluth Dylan Fest continues. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/49UN73W
THIS WEEK: The Minnesota State Fair Kickoff to Summer at the Fair begins Thursday. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3RO2AN2
SEP 21: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “After making their Lollapalooza debut in Chicago last year, South Korean indie rock band Wave to Earth will head back to the Midwest on their 2026 world tour.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wEne2f
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
DESIGN: Via Greenspring Media, VERBATIM: “Greenspring Media, publisher of Midwest Design magazine, has officially opened entries for the 6th Annual Midwest Design Awards (MDA)—widely regarded as the Midwest’s premier recognition program for excellence in residential and commercial design. Now through 11:59 p.m. on July 31, 2026, architects, builders, remodelers, interior designers, landscape architects, artisans, and creative professionals across the region are invited to submit projects in 73 residential and commercial categories at MidwestDesignAwards.com.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tG06xt
BDAYS: Rep. Tom Dippel, Cozen’s Steve Silton, DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek, MNDOT’s Sara Severs, photographer Richard Tsong-Taaatarii, filmaker Norah Shapiro, pastor Caitlyn Stenerson
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.
about morning take- Founded in 2010, morning take has grown to become the leading Minnesota morning newsletter on politics and news of the day. Published by Fluence Media since 2012 the mission is to "make you smarter" before breakfast.
Copyright © 2026 Lunch Take, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Fluence Media
PO Box 270031
Golden Valley, MN 55427