SHORT WEEK
Kids coming home, three days of work, should be a good week. Friday’s post by President Trump re: Somalian immigration status will drive news today. Expect a turkey to be pardoned in Minnesota this week which will provide the first media questions to Gov. Tim Walz in over 10 days. There’s a petition circulating to name the State Office Building for the late Speaker Melissa Hortman.
The release of an outline on health care by the Trump administration should make passing the stuffing a good conversation starter this week.
Loons play tonight. Wolves play tonight. Wild win. Vikings don’t.
Sports Take special tomorrow…what you need to be smart over pumpkin pie and a nap this weekend.
Light snow before Thanksgiving is looking increasingly likely. NWS: https://fluence-media.co/3XQw1ha
The best airport, MSP expects 47,000 travelers Wednesday and 49,000 on Sunday — remember to show up early. BMTN: https://fluence-media.co/4oe7LAv
CBS finds that 58% of Americans think grocery prices have increased in the last few weeks. Only 32% say the economy is good right now — the lowest rating of 2025 so far. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/47XvPTr
Rep. Brad Finstad was on Sunday Take discussing agriculture, immigration, the government shutdown and more. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/48BQRpV
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Rep. Brad Finstad was on Sunday Take discussing agriculture, immigration, the government shutdown and more. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/48BQRpV
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The latest insight from Fluence Advisory on the loss of institutional knowledge from the Minnesota Legislature. READ:https://fluence-advisory.com/insights/
FIRST
QUAM: via news release this AM, VERBATIM: “Lois Quam today announced her candidacy for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 64A, pledging to bring her decades of leadership in government, global health, and nonprofit management.”
MCGRATH: Yesterday via Facebook, Dan McGrath announced he’s running for House in HD64A as well. VERBATIM: “I’m running for the Minnesota State House of Representatives for Saint Paul (64A)...In my 25 years as a community and labor organizer I have learned that what makes more possible inside the state capitol is the organizing that happens outside the state capitol.”
TAKE: The race on the DFL side in 64A is going to be heated among very seasoned candidates and a test to see if the DSA can be successful in St. Paul.
SD13: Sen. Jeff Howe announced that he won’t run in 2026.
The quiet part is starting to be louder…via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Publicly and privately, a number of Democrats are questioning whether [Tim] Walz’s attempt to become the first Minnesota governor to win three consecutive four-year terms could endanger their party’s hold on the office, as he faces declining support outside the metro and scrutiny for fraud cases. … Sen. Judy Seeberger may face a tough re-election next year after winning her previous race by a few hundred votes, but it’s the top of the ticket she’s worried about. SEEBERGER: ‘A lot of us who have sort of talked about it are hoping that it’s the right decision.’ … Sen. Rob Kupec, DFL-Moorhead, praised Walz’s achievements while expressing concern about his decision to run again. KUPEC: ‘He knows how to talk to rural voters. I’m not sure that he has done it enough.’ … But in Minnesota, it’s unclear if next year’s election will be as much a referendum on Trump as on Walz.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4agxkgO
DEMUTH: Speaker Lisa Demuth discussed her run for governor with FOX 9 this weekend, saying that improving test scores at Minnesota public schools is a top priority. QUOTE: “We need to actually focus on local control, allowing schools to do what they need for their learners in those areas. We can have state standards, but right now we’ve gone too broad in other things that aren’t getting down to the basics of reading and math.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3M2SEMO
ROBBINS: Rep. Kristin Robbins told WCCO-TV yesterday why she thinks fraud will be a defining issue of the governor race. QUOTE: “Fraud is an enormous problem in Minnesota. Billions of our tax dollars have been stolen under Tim Walz. … Our federal partners [have] done a terrific job in prosecuting these cases, but I think we are still just at the tip of the iceberg in understanding all the layers of fraud at DHS.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3LUTg7i
ELECTIONS: via AP News, VERBATIM: “Since 2018, the federal government’s cybersecurity agency has helped warn state and local election officials about potential threats, [but] the agency was largely absent from that space for elections this month in several states — a potential preview for the 2026 midterms. … ‘We do not have a sense of whether we can rely on CISA for these services as we approach a big election year in 2026,’ said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat who until recently led the bipartisan National Association of Secretaries of State. The association’s leaders sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in February asking her to preserve the cybersecurity agency’s core election functions. … Simon said secretaries of state are still waiting to hear about the agency’s plans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iqEQbi
CAPITOL: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Advisory Committee on Capitol Security is finalizing its key safety recommendations ahead of the upcoming legislative session. … These recommendations, along with a third-party security assessment, will inform the final list of [proposals] set to be discussed sometime next month. Recommendations include tighter decorum rules for hearings, restricting public disruptions like clapping or signs, [and] safety drills [for] all elected officials and staff. … The group’s final recommendation report is set to be discussed in their next meeting sometime in December.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Xeczec
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STATUS
TODAY: via news advisory from CAIR-MN, VERBATIM: “On Monday, November 24, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN), along with Muslim community leaders, legal professionals and advocates, will hold a press conference to address escalating Islamophobic attacks targeting Minnesota’s Muslim and Somali communities, including the federal government’s recent termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali immigrants.”
INVESTIGATION: via X a letter Friday from Republicans in the Minnesota delegation Reps. Tom Emmer, Pete Stauber, Michelle Fischbach and Brad Finstad to new US Attorney Daniel Rosen asking to investigate allegations that some fraud helped fund Al-Shabab, LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/3LV9Hk4
TPS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump said Friday night that he’s ‘immediately’ terminating temporary legal protections for Somali migrants living in Minnesota [due to] ‘fraudulent money laundering activity.’ … But how many migrants would be affected by Trump’s announcement that he wants to end temporary protective status (TPS) could be very small. A report produced for Congress in August put the number of Somalis covered by the program at just 705 nationwide. … As of March 2023, there were 430 beneficiaries [in Minnesota]. … Julia Decker, a spokesperson for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, explained that typically, TPS terminations [are] not done state-by-state. … Sari Long, an immigration lawyer from Minnesota, [said] that decision is the sole authority of the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4igZCdb
MORE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Hundreds packed a hall of Karmel Mall on Sunday to gather in solidarity with the Somali community after President Donald Trump called for elimination of a program that offers temporary protective status for people from the country. … U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem suggested that the move wouldn’t be immediate during a Sunday visit to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Instead, she said federal officials would assess whether Somalia should remain on the list of designated countries.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3K6fJOc
RESPONSE: via an Attorney General Keith Ellison post, ELLISON: “Trump’s announcement of termination of Somali TPS holders in Minnesota is legally problematic — while a president does have a lot of authority to designate and revoke TPS, he cannot legally wield that power to discriminate against an ethnic group or to target a state, like MN. This ain’t over.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4ihWnSV
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)
TSA + THE POPE
TSA: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem awarded $10,000 bonus checks to several dozen Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport TSA agents on Sunday and announced that her department will be spending $1 billion to improve TSA technology and operations. Noem praised the Minnesota workers’ dedication during the government shutdown despite hardships that came from working without pay. … Nationally, only 776 air traffic controllers and technicians who had perfect attendance during the government shutdown will receive $10,000 bonuses, while nearly 20,000 other workers will be left out.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XaY5f9
ANNUNCIATION: via Reuters, VERBATIM: “Pope Leo XIV was presented on Friday with a copy of a U.S. Senate resolution commemorating the victims of a shooting in August at a Minnesota Catholic Church and school, given to him by Senator Amy Klobuchar, one of the bill’s co-sponsors. … Klobuchar was taking part on Friday in a meeting at the Vatican between Leo and Ukrainian children who were rescued from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48k0eKD
MORE: Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office shared additional info and photos from her meeting with Pope Leo XIV Friday. KLOBUCHAR: “Pope Leo is a true moral force for peace and justice and a champion for children around the world. It was an honor to meet him. … We should all heed Pope Leo’s example of serving those in need, pursuing the common good, and calling for peace.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4rp5OEj
HEALTHCARE
SUBSIDIES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A married couple approaching retirement in Blue Earth County, with income fairly typical for their age, could get about $18,000 worth of federal subsidies this year for their health insurance using the MNsure exchange. All of that financial assistance could disappear in January — leaving the family with a $25,000 increase in insurance costs for 2026, state officials say — depending on the results of an ongoing debate in Congress. … People across Minnesota will see price increases averaging about $3,400. Nearly 20,000 will lose all subsidies, and some likely will go without insurance.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48BK2EP
MORE: Sen. Amy Klobuchar told NBC that Democrats are still planning to extend expiring ACA subsidies through negotiations — or, if that fails, winning big in the midterms. KLOBUCHAR: “The president refused to negotiate. He still has an opportunity to do that. … We’re either going to get it done by forcing votes or by putting it on legislation. Or we’re going to march into the midterms against their resistance and win.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4innVq8
VACCINES: via New York Times, VERBATIM: “Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in an interview that he personally instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to abandon its longstanding position that vaccines do not cause autism — a move that underscores his determination to challenge scientific consensus. … Kennedy acknowledged that large-scale epidemiological studies of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine had found no link to autism…but he cited gaps in vaccine safety science. He said he ordered the C.D.C. to change its guidance [last week].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aaa0Bs
RESPONSE: via Rep. Kelly Morrison advisory, VERBATIM: “Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) and her fellow members of the Democratic Doctors Caucus led 65 other members to demand that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. immediately correct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s website after it was updated to promote the widely disproven and dangerous claim that vaccines may cause autism.” MORRISON: “As a doctor, I am shocked that our top health officials are putting American families at risk like this. The politicization of science and public health must stop before more harm is done.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/48vkTwu
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)
ISSUES
UMN: via Attorney General Keith Ellison advisory, ELLISON: “The University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and M Physicians are returning to the negotiating table in a process that I will continue to manage with a mutually agreed-upon mediator to be selected shortly. … Time is of the essence in bringing this matter to closure in a way that secures continuity of high-quality patient care, retention of world-class physicians, and long-term support for the Medical School that trains 70% of all doctors in Minnesota. This has always been and continues to be the goal.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44nznvV
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “For [UMN] President Dr. Rebecca Cunningham…the Fairview standoff represents both a defining test and potential breaking point. The physician now faces growing concern from some doctors, donors and one of the state’s largest hospital systems over her handling of the university’s medical system. While the U’s regents and others continue to support Cunningham’s stance, her effort to assert control over a complex, politically sensitive health partnership has also exposed fractures inside her administration about her leadership style.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4inBCFw
BWCAW: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Nearly 50 years after the creation of the Boundary Waters, the state of Minnesota will sell more than 80,000 acres it owns inside the wilderness area to the U.S. Forest Service. The sale will at last resolve a congressional order from the 1978 act establishing the BWCA to compensate the state for the loss of access to its land. It also ends any hope, however faint, Iron Range lawmakers had for trading the state’s Boundary Waters land for federal land that could one day support a new taconite mine. … The money from the sale, expected to fall somewhere between $20 million to $40 million, will go to the state’s Permanent School Trust, [which] sends cash each year to every school district in the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4o7aVWB
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE: Flint Hills Resources was just awarded the 2025 Large Business of the Year award from the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce at their annual Business Excellence Awards celebration. The award celebrates the outstanding achievements of businesses that exemplify the thriving and growing spirit of Dakota County. The businesses honored make an impact and contribute to the continued success of our community. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/46lTpIs (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
FOOD + AG
FOOD AID: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “State leaders are raising awareness about the continued need for food aid, despite the federal shutdown ending earlier this month. … Minnesota officials said there will not be any disruptions to SNAP benefits in December, [but] the hunger crisis is not over. … ‘We are still recovering, even though the shutdown is over,’ said Tikki Brown, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Brown spoke at a press conference on Saturday at Second Harvest Heartland, where state leaders spent the morning volunteering and packing food. … Brown said food aid leaders are preparing for a possible shutdown in the future, though they hope it doesn’t come to that again.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48fuINN
MEAT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The meat business, especially beef, is facing a storm of circumstances, trade experts say, including a multiyear drought, thinning cattle herds, higher processing costs and fewer agricultural workers. Meat markets everywhere are facing pressure. In rural areas, markets with smaller customer bases operate on thinner margins than their urban and suburban counterparts. … With costs unlikely to ease any time soon, butchers and markets across Minnesota are preparing for industry conditions to get even worse. Some also blame excessive state and federal mandates.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XLUmop
GRAIN: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Hansen-Mueller Co., which has grain elevator operations in Minnesota, has filed for bankruptcy. The Omaha, Neb.-based company is expected to owe hundreds of millions of dollars to farmers and creditors nationwide. … Hansen-Mueller Co. cited Wayzata-based Cargill as one of its largest creditors. It owes the Minnesota company over $2.5 million. … The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is advising affected producers to file a claim with the agency to recover money [through] the state’s grain indemnity fund. … The nearly $11 million fund has remained chiefly intact since its inception. But now, [it] will face its first test.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ij5Qtc
STATEWIDE
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “When Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley began pursuing a carbon fee in 2022, she saw it as a promising way to cut the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and raise revenue for climate-related projects. Wonsley succeeded in passing the carbon fee last year, making Minneapolis the only major city in the Midwest to do so. … [But] the fee will likely have little effect on climate change. … The office of Mayor Jacob Frey estimates that Minneapolis’ new carbon fee will reduce annual emissions by 1,000 tons. That’s compared to 3.6 million tons of CO2 the city released into the atmosphere last year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ptdQtZ
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Axel Henry became St. Paul’s police chief when the murder rate was high for the city and the department was understaffed. Halfway into his six-year term, violence is down more significantly than what’s been seen nationally. … Hiring still hasn’t kept up with the pace of retirements and departures, though the police department has recently held academies twice a year to try to address that. … New mayors often inherit a current police chief. State Rep. Kaohly Her, elected mayor this month, [said] she and Henry have ‘had a great working relationship.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4abcH5L
RED LAKE CTY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A Red Lake Falls family whose daughter was denied the chance to play basketball at a neighboring school where her male classmates play has filed a lawsuit accusing its school of sexual discrimination and violating Title IX. … [Parents] asked the Red Lake Falls school board to let their daughter play for Red Lake County Central High School‘s varsity team, about 25 miles east, because Red Lake Falls didn’t have enough players for a girls varsity team. … The schools northeast of Crookston have co-op agreements to combine teams for boys sports, but the Red Lake Falls school board voted against a co-op for girls basketball. … The dispute raises questions about parity in co-ops between high schools, which are formed mostly in rural areas.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XepLzG
THE WEEK
TODAY: The Minnesota Senate subcommittee on federal impacts will hold a hearing covering issues for “industry and statewide energy services” at 10:00 a.m.
TODAY: via SEIU, VERBATIM: “On Monday, November 24th at 9:00 a.m. on Zoom…Duluth area residents and elected officials will host a Zoom press conference to call out Rep. Stauber and other Republicans for refusing to even consider fixes to lower healthcare costs for Duluth families.”
TOMORROW: via House GOP, VERBATIM: “Representative Dawn Gillman (R–Dassel) announced today that she will join students, educators, and community members at Glencoe-Silver Lake School to celebrate the district’s FFA Chapter winning the National FFA Chapter Title. … The celebration will take place on Tuesday [at] 9:50 a.m.”
SUNDAY: via MNLEG advisory, VERBATIM: “On Sunday, November 30, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. (Parks’ Birthday), Rep. Samakab Hussein (DFL-Saint Paul), DFL Vice Chair of the House Legacy Committee, and Minnesota Senate Legacy Committee Chair Sen. Foung Hawj (DFL-Saint Paul), will be joined by Dr. Robin Hickman -Winfield, executive producer and CEO of SoulTouch Productions, Amy Mino, executive director of the Landmark Center, community members and legislative leaders at the Landmark Center to honor the legacy of Gordon Parks.”
BDAYS: belated to Stephanie Shimp and Jake Blumberg, TODAY: mining advocate Ryan Sistad, CD2 candidate Matt Little
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take from now to the future is in memory of Melissa Hortman her accessibility, leadership and commitment to public service.
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