The ramp connecting northbound 35W to eastbound 94 closed this morning and will remain closed for much of September. READ: https://fluence-media.co/41uoK9h
A federal judge, this morning, ruled the Trump administration’s military troop deployment to southern California was illegal. NYTIMES: https://fluence-media.co/3JJ6vGY
Today’s WCCO Radio morning take at 6:20 with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4p8C5yg
Sunday Take featured Republicans Kendall Qualls and Rep. Kristin Robbins discussing their campaigns for governor at the State Fair. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mIGp5F
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Fluence Advisory hosted a cannabis forum on the “State of Cannabis in Minnesota including an interview with Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management Eric Taubel.
SPECIAL SESSION: via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “The governor didn’t get into specifics but said he plans to release a proposal for lawmakers to consider in the coming days. That proposal is likely to focus on types of weapons, red-flag reporters, mental health and safe storage. WALZ: “There’s a package I’ll put out in the next day or so that I think is very comprehensive, it’s been done in other places, it’s been done without infringements on people’s Second Amendment rights, but it’s proven that it will help protect our students,” Walz said…. Walz said he plans to reach out to Republicans this week, adding, WALZ: “I’m gonna hear where they’re at on this, I’m gonna ask them. They have not put out any solutions, they just seem to say things that we can’t do and they have not put out any things that we can do. If they’ve got suggestions, I’m open to it.”…With a split Legislature, lawmakers will need to work together to get anything passed, something Walz acknowledged. WALZ: “I can call a special session, I can’t run a special session, to be candid just in a very evenly divided, I’m gonna need some Republicans to break with the orthodoxy and say that we need to do something on guns,” he said….Regardless, though, it appears the governor will bring lawmakers back to St. Paul, and may issue his order later this week.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/46p4hV9
MORE: Via Minnesota House GOP, VERBATIM: “House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, released the following statement after the governor announced he would call a special session even though he had not reached out to legislative leaders about it.” DEMUTH: “As disappointing as it is that the governor is doing this in such an overtly political way, House Republicans stand ready to protect students and schools. I hope we can have a real conversation about all aspects of safety - including things like the school security funding that was denied by the DFL trifecta in 2023 and more funding for desperately needed mental health resources - instead of vague demands for policies that have not stopped gun violence in other states.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4mTglor
POLL: Via Emerson College, VERBATIM: “California Governor Gavin Newsom leads in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary with 25% support, a 13-point increase from the Emerson June national poll. Sixteen percent support former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, 11% former Vice President Kamala Harris, 5% Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and 4% support Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, respectively.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46dLE7v
MORE: The full poll results show Governor Tim Walz at 2.2%, up from 1.7% in June. CURRENT: https://fluence-media.co/4oZ1b2B JUNE: https://fluence-media.co/4g4tvw7
ROBBINS: GOP candidate for governor Rep. Kristin Robbins will report $500K raised without any personal loans for the first 2 weeks of her campaign.
SECURITY: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday announced it will allot $110 million to more than 600 faith-based organizations and nonprofits for security improvements. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s announcement follows a deadly shooting at a Catholic school in Minnesota that killed two and injured 18 others. Police say the 23-year-old shooter ‘expressed hate towards almost every group imaginable.’” NOEM: “In the face of violent criminals and radical organizations intent on hurting American communities, the Trump Administration is helping houses of worship, schools and community centers to harden their defenses against attacks and protect themselves.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45MtLg1
PREVENTION: Via CNN, VERBATIM: “The month before a shooter opened fire on children gathered in a Minnesota church this week, the Trump administration cut funding in the state for efforts to identify potential mass shooters and head off their violence. The grants were ended as part of $18.5 million in cuts to a Homeland Security program that the Trump administration decried as partisan and unsuccessful — but which some experts and lawmakers say bolsters work to spot early warning signs of mass shooters like Robin Westman, who died of self-inflicted wounds after killing two children and wounding 18 others at a Catholic Mass on Wednesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HWDcjM
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)
OMAR: Via the right-leaning Washington Free Beacon, VERBATIM: “Rep. Ilhan Omar’s personal fortune exploded to upwards of $30 million in 2024, the Minnesota Democrat disclosed just months after telling the press it is ‘ridiculous’ and ‘categorically false’ to say she is worth millions of dollars. Omar reported in her latest financial disclosure that she and her husband, former political consultant Tim Mynett, accumulated a net worth at the end of 2024 ranging from at least $6 million to $30 million. Their wealth is derived almost entirely from the value of Mynett’s ownership stake in his two companies that, together, were worth no more than $51,000 at the end of 2023.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mU9wmo
MORE: Via House Committee on Oversight, Rep. Omar’s two most recent Financial Disclosure Statements. 2023: https://fluence-media.co/4626gOI 2024: https://fluence-media.co/4mfhF45
SENATE: Via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Democrats across the country continue to grapple with what went wrong in 2024 — when [Lt. Governor and U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan’s] governing partner, Gov. Tim Walz, was on the national ticket — and how to win voters back in 2026. For Flanagan, it starts with a fighting stance. ‘I know resiliency, and survival, and fight, and overcoming challenges and any obstacle that people put in our way,’ she said. Flanagan’s opponent in the Democratic primary is U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, a moderate who has represented the south metro in Congress since 2019. As Flanagan courts the party’s progressive grassroots, Craig has long appealed to centrist suburban and rural voters, emphasizing her record supporting law enforcement, border security, agriculture and collaboration across the aisle.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47qpvEc
POLITICAL VIOLENCE: Stateline writes from last month’s National Conference of State Legislatures summit in Boston about the impact of the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. VERBATIM: “The June shooting hung over this year’s meeting of the NCSL, a group that labors to maintain a reputation for bipartisan and nonpartisan work. Lawmakers in attendance on the left and the right repeatedly lamented the toxicity of American politics and the growing threat of political violence at local levels of government. Many lawmakers raised questions about whether public service is still worth it, how state governments can buck the partisanship that defines Washington, D.C., and what measures lawmakers should take to keep members safe.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47prN6m
SPPS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Like many Minnesota districts, St. Paul Public School leaders sent an email last week letting parents know they had plans in place to keep students safe. ‘School security is not only one of our district’s top priorities, but one of my personal priorities as well,’ superintendent Stacie Stanley wrote. Stanley detailed St. Paul’s emergency operations plan, its tools for reporting safety concerns and its long-established relationship with the St. Paul Police Department. For the past several years, the state’s second largest district has been working on an innovative approach to prevent violence, one that is more complex than a quick, reassuring email could describe.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47UO0cC
IMMIGRATION: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “Come Oct. 25, Kerby Hilaire isn’t sure what he’ll do. Hilaire, 38, came to the United States from Haiti in October 2023 via humanitarian parole, a program that allowed people from countries in crisis to temporarily live and work in America. It allowed Haitians with sponsors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents to come to this country. In May, President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it was ending humanitarian parole for people from Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela. Hilaire received word that his parole status, and ability to legally work in the United States, will end in late October.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46783Cj
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)
BACK TO WORK: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “If you've found yourself on Facebook Tuesday, you know thousands of school kids are heading back to the classroom this week. Back-to-school, that annual tradition of photos at the bus stop, is well-known. Did you see any photos of mom and dad heading back to the office though? Thousands of workers at some of the Twin Cities largest companies are heading back to the office - whether they like it or not.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4p8C2CA
HELIUM: Via news release from Portugal-based Pulsar, VERBATIM: “Pulsar Helium Inc. (AIM: PLSR, TSXV: PLSR, OTCQB: PSRHF), a leading helium project development company, is pleased to announce that it has signed a non-binding term sheet to acquire up to 100% of Quantum Hydrogen Inc. in an all-share transaction. Quantum holds exclusive mineral rights for non-hydrocarbon gases in Minnesota (59,100 gross acres) that are located in St Louis and Itasca Counties, to the west of Pulsar’s flagship Topaz project.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3JOmH9X
DORSEY: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Attorney Peter Nelson joined the Minneapolis-based Dorsey law firm in 2008, which was defined by the Great Recession. In July, he became the firm’s managing partner, who’s now charged with growing the firm’s business during the Trump administration, which has demonstrated an appetite for constant changes in government, business, and the economy. For instance, U.S. companies and consumers are attempting to adapt to the highest tariffs in the nation’s history since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Nelson, a banking industry lawyer who graduated with a history degree from Carleton College in Northfield, acknowledges the extreme uncertainty during this period in U.S. history.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41QeI2z
AI: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Many Minnesota school districts that were initially suspicious of AI tools like ChatGPT are now working to embrace them — while also trying to guard against the risks that they'll inspire cheaters or invade students' privacy. Why it matters: ‘The reality is AI is going to redefine the workforce that all of our students are going to step into,’ Anthony Padrnos, a board member for the education technology organization CoSN Minnesota, told Axios. Plus, Anoka-Hennepin schools instructional technology coordinator Justin Wewers adds, ‘If we're not talking about it as educators to students, then who is?’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mHZNj1
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)
MADE IN MN: Via Minnesota Chamber, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with BMO, today revealed the 64 products competing in the 2025 ‘Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota’ contest. The public is once again invited to vote in a head-to-head, bracket-style competition to determine which product claims the title.” QUOTE: “Minnesota manufacturers create products that touch lives here at home and across the globe,” said Doug Loon, President and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “This contest is a chance to shine a spotlight on the innovation, creativity and quality that set Minnesota apart.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4mLrasJ
(DISCLOSURE: Minnesota Chamber is a Fluence sponsor)
GEN MILLS: Via RTTNews, VERBATIM: “Ahead of the 2025 Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference later on Tuesday, branded food company General Mills, Inc. reaffirmed its adjusted earnings growth and organic net sales growth outlook for the full-year 2026.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46oYq27
SOUL GRAIN: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Liza Maya is a Twin Cities nutritionist; Sylvia Williams is a local pastry chef. For years, the two friends dreamed about cooking up a healthy snack brand with flavor. In 2022, they launched Soul Grain with a mission to add color, diversity, and unique flavors to the granola aisle. Started as a granola bar, their recipe quickly became deconstructed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mxGJnC
COFFEE: Via The Minneapolis Egotist, VERBATIM: “Caribou Coffee has been a Midwest favorite since 1992, inspiring coffee drinkers to embrace life and stay awake for it. As a coffeehouse brand second only in size to Starbucks, Caribou has continued to grow beyond the Upper Midwest. Leadership saw the need to evolve its signature packaging to become more universally approachable, get credit as a leader in premium and specialty coffee, and appeal to younger coffee drinkers.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/41x7Cja
TOMORROW: Via news release from Minneapolis-based Regis, VERBATIM: “Regis Corporation (NasdaqGM:RGS), a leader in the haircare industry, will issue financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter and full year ended June 30, 2025, before the market opens on September 3, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41JSJdm
THURSDAY: Via Bloomington-based Toro, VERBATIM: “The Toro Company (NYSE: TTC), a leading global provider of solutions for the outdoor environment, today announced that it will release its fiscal 2025 third quarter results on Thursday, September 4, at approximately 7:30 a.m. CT.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41LkB0z
NEXT MONTH: Via The Minneapolis Egotist, VERBATIM: “Rally your team, classmates, or design besties — and join Design Camp on October 11, 2025, at Coco in the historic Grain Exchange Building in downtown Minneapolis.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4n9WAJ2
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
BAKERIES: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Where can you find the Twin Cities’ best cakes and cookies, babkas and baos, conchas and croissants, and the rest of our many other flour-powered delights? Come along and see the absolute vitality and brilliant creativity from some of the best at this moment in time, when Mill City is rising, and rising some more, as it always has, and hopefully always will.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3K02QEM
BDAYS: Minneapolis Councilmember LaTrisha Vetaw, MOA leader Jill Renslow, MinnPost’s Tanner Curl
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