TURN TAIL TUESDAY
Still chilly, but a clear shift in the tone and team for the federal presence in the Minnesota. Court cases continue, but the political fallout will likely last longer, and impact any policy discussion in the upcoming legislative session.
Usually the top story would have been Capitol security and the executive order from Gov. Tim Walz yesterday banning firearms – but gets news gets buried.
We’re one week from caucuses and 280 days from election day.
Overnight in Maple Grove disruptions at a hotel where ICE was reportedly staying. The gathering became aggressive and required the state patrol to make arrests.
Timberwolves break their losing streak. Wild host Chicago tonight.
Timberwolves and Frost games are getting political as fans break into anti-ICE chants and athletes make statements. BMTN: https://fluence-media.co/4sZN7Yz
Bonnie Raitt will kick off the 2026 Grandstand concerts at the Minnesota State Fair. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/4bgolNp
It’s National Chocolate Cake Day – the Pattycake at Yum, or anything at Café Latte will suffice and satisfy.
Blois - feedback + tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Today’s morning take on WCCO Radio with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/46hPlsm
Wordle in 5.
With Michele Tafoya’s entrance into the US Senate race, the latest MNSider analysis for premium subscribers came out Friday. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/3NEy8Di
Sunday Take covered the impact of Alex Pretti’s killing and ICE activity in Greater Minnesota with Rep. Dave Baker (R-Willmar). LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Zxvvpi
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/
THE LATEST
TODAY: Special elections will be held in House Districts 47A and 64A today. In 47A, DFLer Shelley Buck will run unopposed. In 64A, DFLer Meg Luger-Nikolai will face off against Republican Dan Walsh. Both seats are DFL-favored, which would tie the House 67-67 again ahead of the legislative session.
LEAVING: via CNN, VERBATIM: “Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are expected to leave Minneapolis [today] and return to their respective sectors. … The move comes after President Donald Trump announced he was dispatching White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis. … The Department of Homeland Security also suspended Bovino’s access to his social media accounts [after] Bovino had scrapped with lawmakers online, responding to their posts on X about the [Saturday] shooting. One official said it was a ‘mutual decision’ to have Bovino depart. Some Border Patrol agents are expected to remain in the city.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3O7lXyI
MORE: via The Atlantic, VERBATIM: “Gregory Bovino has been removed from his role as Border Patrol ‘commander at large’ and will return to his former job in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon, according to a DHS official and two people with knowledge of the change. … Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her close adviser Corey Lewandowski, who were Bovino’s biggest backers at DHS, are also at risk of losing their jobs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k1QZUQ
WALZ: After Gov. Tim Walz spoke to Pres. Donald Trump yesterday, as seen in lunch take, Walz told MPR News that Trump pledged to “do things differently.” He added that he also plans to speak to “border czar” Tom Homan, and he was reassured that Border Patrol’s Greg Bovino and Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem will not be returning to the Twin Cities during Operation Metro Surge. WALZ: “Whether it was morality or bad optics and poll numbers, whatever has happened here, there’s a definite change of tone. There’s definitely a more collaborative tone. I’m going to take them for their word right now.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4rdr5Qf
MORE: Gov. Tim Walz’s office released a statement with more details on his call with the president, calling it “productive.” STATEMENT: “The governor made the case that we need impartial investigations of the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, and that we need to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota. The president agreed that he would talk to his Department of Homeland Security about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZxJnzN
FREY: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also spoke to Pres. Donald Trump yesterday. Via a statement, FREY: “The president agreed that the present situation cannot continue. Some federal agents will begin leaving the area [today], and I will continue pushing for the rest involved in this operation to go. … I plan to meet with Border Czar Tom Homan [today] to further discuss next steps.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Z3GCpR
KLOBUCHAR: Sen. Amy Klobuchar told KSTP that she is postponing an official announcement about running for governor while she focuses on responding to ICE. QUOTE: “With what’s happening in our towns — and not just Minneapolis and St. Paul, but with ICE in the suburbs and in Greater Minnesota — that’s what my focus is right now. But stay tuned.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jYvjJ4
A new level of insight and information….
Fluence Media introduces more - Insider Analysis & Insight from TheDailyAgenda.com
Regular deep-dive political analysis and breaking news
Monthly insight-filled briefing memo on Minnesota and Midwest economy
Early access to our Fluence Forum audio and video assets.
A morning take mug
DOCKET
Driving today’s court and national news, via KSTP, VERBATIM: ”The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been ordered to appear in person before Minnesota’s chief federal judge over his agency’s failure to comply with judicial orders…U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz filed his order to ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, on Monday…The order from Schiltz, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, stems from the arrest of an Ecuadorian citizen in Minnesota.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3NOGyI4
CASE 1 – ICE TACTICS: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The Court of Appeals has sided with the federal government, putting a judge’s ruling on hold that would have prevented federal agents from tear-gassing protesters and detaining peaceful protestors. … The Court of Appeals on Monday said the order to stop using chemical irritants can’t go into effect unless the party suing wins the lawsuit. They also said, ‘In addition to being too broad, the injunction is too vague.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49G3MZA
CASE2 – PRESENCE: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “A judge is asking for a supplemental briefing from all parties in a federal lawsuit requesting that federal immigration enforcement officers leave Minnesota. The request comes two days after an agent shot and killed a man Saturday in south Minneapolis.
Minneapolis, St. Paul, and five other metro suburbs have signed on to the lawsuit, led by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. He filed for a temporary restraining order to stop federal agents from enforcing “Operation Metro Surge.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qIPy03
CASE3 - EVIDENCE via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Attorneys argued Monday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul over whether the state of Minnesota can trust the federal government to preserve and maintain evidence from the shooting death of Alex Pretti. The court had granted the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office a temporary restraining order Saturday night, [and] Judge Eric Tostrud took the issue under advisement at the end of Monday’s hearing and promised a swift resolution.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qHiB3Y
BODYCAMS: via NBC News, VERBATIM: “Investigators are reviewing body-camera videos from immigration agents in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to NBC News. Homeland Security investigators have videos recorded by cameras worn by multiple agents. … The existence of body-camera video could help clarify some of the basic facts of the shooting and potentially serve as evidence in legal proceedings related to the weekend violence.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4qOsb5o
CHARGES: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Two women have been charged after allegedly biting the fingers of U.S. Border Patrol agents in the moments that followed the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. … [They’re] charged with assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4sYHMRa
A statement of Ron Schutz, GOP candidate for attorney general, SCHUTZ: “If I were Attorney General, I would use the influence of the office to coordinate between federal and local authorities. … Minnesotans are entitled to a complete and thorough investigation of these shootings. And that investigation needs to be a joint effort between federal and cooperative local law enforcement officials. … Local law enforcement officials should be those who would actually seek the truth and not simply attack federal officials.”
FALLOUT
HOLOCAUST: Gov. Tim Walz was rebuked by the U.S. Holocaust Museum, state GOP Chair Alex Plechash and numerous federal Republicans for viral comments he made on Sunday comparing children hiding from ICE in Minnesota to Anne Frank.
WALZ: “We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside. Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Somebody’s going to write that children’s story about Minnesota.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/49TtlFd
MUSEUM: “Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish. Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable. Despite tensions in Minneapolis, exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/49NwkPq
REPUTATION: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Recent news happening in the Twin Cities is impacting the perception of Minnesota around the nation. Minneapolis public relations expert Stacy Bettison says the deaths of two Minnesotans by federal agents, along with the murder of George Floyd, have created heartbreaking headlines. ‘I would say Minnesota has a PR problem right now,’ Bettison said. ‘There is a perception that this is a place that is unsafe.’ … The events could take a toll on the state for years to come, in things like tourism and even home prices.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3M44k2i
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)
STATE STUFF
CAPITOL: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today issued an executive order implementing weapons screening at the Minnesota State Capitol. The implementation follows the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security (ACCAS) based on an independent security assessment commissioned by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. … It will remain in effect until rescinded by proper authority or until the end of the 2026 legislative session.” ORDER: https://fluence-media.co/45yUdJs
UMN: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that the University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and University of Minnesota Physicians (M Physicians) have reached a 10-year mediation agreement. … It provides funding support for the University of Minnesota Medical School, including the training of future physicians and care providers, and support for its acclaimed medical research programs. … Importantly, the agreement ensures continuity of care between patients and their doctors and care providers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jYpmvI
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The funding agreement, which was not immediately released, creates a framework for three distinct contracts that are not yet finished. … The lack of detail leaves questions unanswered about how the parties are resolving years of acrimony…[but] Fairview will take more financial responsibility for certain clinic services, bringing the minimum financial commitment to $600 million over a decade — the comparable figure announced in November was $500 million.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bV5RCd
GAMING: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Supreme Court has settled a dispute between a tribal nation and a racetrack casino over what’s called ‘dealer assist’ electronic table games in favor of the racetrack. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community challenged a 2023 decision by the Minnesota Racing Commission approving a plan by Running Aces Hotel, Casino & Racetrack to add another ‘dealer assist’ table to its card room in Columbus. … The justices split 3-3 on the merits of the tribe’s challenge to the racing commission, affirming the lower court’s decision.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45SzQqX
DC + MN
SHUTDOWN: via Axios, VERBATIM: “Most Senate Democrats seem prepared to shut down the federal government over funding for DHS. But internally, they’re facing a debate over how hard a line to draw. … A group of around 10 Senate Democrats is coalescing around a list of demands for changes at DHS, including requiring warrants for arrests and mandating that federal agents identify themselves. … The group also wants to demand that DHS cooperate with state and local investigations. … But some moderate Democrats might not be willing to go that far.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bQsO9F
MORE: via AP News, VERBATIM: “Democrats have awakened to what they see as a moral moment for the country, refusing funds for the Department of Homeland Security’s military-style immigration enforcement operations unless there are new restraints. Two former presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, have broken from retirement to speak out. At the same time, Republicans who have championed President Donald Trump’s tough approach to immigration are signaling second thoughts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pZdHhy
BACKLASH: via CNN, VERBATIM: “Administration officials were left deeply frustrated this weekend over how [CBP’s Greg] Bovino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem handled the fallout over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, sources said. According to one official, [Donald] Trump spent several hours Sunday and Monday watching news coverage and was unhappy with how his administration was coming across. … Aides were also irked after Noem labeled Pretti a ‘domestic terrorist.’ … Press secretary Karoline Leavitt distanced the White House from the domestic terrorist label during Monday’s briefing, arguing it was not a position Trump himself has personally taken.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3O7lXyI
MORE: via CBS News, VERBATIM: “Statements by senior administration officials, many of which have been directly contradicted by videos of the incident and witness accounts, have caused internal frustration among some at DHS who are increasingly concerned about the agency’s reputation. … One U.S. government official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said top DHS officials were mishandling the public messaging around the deadly incident. … ‘It was a terrible miscalculation,’ the U.S. official said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bmit5m
LGBTQ: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are referring their case against Minnesota and its transgender policies to the U.S. Department of Justice. … The federal agencies informed the state Monday that they are now sending the case to the Justice Department for ‘enforcement action.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49Z1FPx
ACROSS MN
HCMC: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Hennepin Healthcare is cutting five medical programs and about 100 full-time positions to address a $50 million budget shortfall by the end of March. Dr. Kevin Croston, the co-interim administrator of Hennepin Healthcare, said Monday that the health system is currently facing a financial crisis. … Patients will either be directed to their primary care doctor for services or to an external provider. Employees in affected service areas were notified on Monday and will receive more details over the coming weeks.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bh9rGJ
MPLS: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis City Council is adjusting its meeting schedule in response to the ongoing federal immigration crackdown. … The council announced Monday that it has canceled regular committee meetings scheduled over the next few weeks, with items normally referred to standing committees instead referred to Committee of the Whole meetings on Feb. 3 and Feb. 17. … Meetings of the entire City Council are expected to move forward as planned on Feb. 5 and Feb. 19.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qjWOi5
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Rochester Public Schools has postponed two meetings this week focused on the potential merger of schools. … RPS Communications Director Mamisoa Knutson said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution due to the concern many families have been expressing about [ICE]. … There is currently no time planned for when the meetings will be rescheduled.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pWvc25
ST CLOUD: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “The St. Cloud City Council [drew] a large crowd for its Monday, Jan. 26, meeting as two resolutions — one ‘affirming support for law enforcement and the rule of law’ and the other ‘reaffirming support for a just and welcoming community’ — [were] brought forth. … The resolutions are in response to events Jan. 12, when ICE agents descended on the city en masse, made several arrests and pepper-sprayed observers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NQ79V7
FORWARD
TODAY: Three education committee members — Sen. Mary Kunesh, Sen. Steve Cwodzinski and Rep. Mary Frances Clardy — will “address the impact of ICE’s presence near Minnesota schools,” per a release. The event is at 2:00 p.m.
TODAY: Rep. Ilhan Omar will host an in-person town hall in north Minneapolis on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
THURSDAY: The Senate subcommittee on federal impacts will hold a hearing discussing “the impacts of ICE actions on Minnesotans” at 10:00 a.m.
FRIDAY: via DEED advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Trade Office (MTO) is delighted to invite you to join Governor Tim Walz, Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Varilek and Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen at a luncheon event to honor this year’s recipients of the Governor’s International Trade Awards.”
FEB 3: Precinct caucuses to decide on party-endorsed candidates will begin Tuesday, Feb. 3.
BDAYS: Minneapolis insider Lisa Goodman, Dakota Electric’s Peggy Johnson, mortgage maven Lisa Wells, St. Paul’s Robert Humphrey
SPEAKER: If you’re looking for a speaker about the “Signal vs. Noise” dynamic of today’s politics and the 2026 election. EMAIL: BloisOlson@gmail.com.
SPONSORS: Sponsorships are available to reach over 30,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheets and website, TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com.
Send us your tips at BloisOlson@gmail.com
IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.