SUMMER MONDAYS
Such a nice weekend, warm days and cool nights as a reminder why we live and work here.
Next Saturday the Special Olympics opening ceremony at US Bank Stadium – The motto “Cheer Like a Champion”
Twins win. Lynx host Portland tonight.
Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup, and Knicks with the NBA title.
Now we wait for hockey season again. The World Cup will fill the void for a bit.
The U.S. and Iran say they have agreed to a new ceasefire deal, but details are scarce and Israel has not commented yet. AP: https://fluence-media.co/4uUUcJP
UFC hosted at the White House yesterday to celebrate the president’s 80th birthday, but Reuters finds that only 16% of Americans think it was “appropriate.” POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4vNu6Ji
Sunday Take featured DFL Reps. Kelly Moller and Mike Howard remembering the life and legacy of Melissa Hortman one year after her passing. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gfrsri
It’s National Foam Party Day which seems aggressive for Monday.
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SMARTER: Long Term Care – Is Minnesota Ready? Care Providers Minnesota and LeadingAge Minnesota hosted providers, Senator Grant Hauschild (03, DFL), Representative Natalie Zeleznikar (03B, GOP), and Representative Nathan Nelson (11B, GOP) for a conversation about the future of careing for our seniors. This coming week the conversation moves to St. Cloud. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ue3YXA
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A new poll this morning, VERBATIM: “U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has a significant lead in the race for governor over her potential Republican opponents, illustrating the Democrat’s continued strength as a statewide candidate in Minnesota…The results of The Star Tribune/KARE 11/Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication Minnesota Poll show Klobuchar polling well with independent voters, complicating Republican hopes to win the governor’s race for the first time since 2006 by capitalizing on frustration with fraud in state government.
MORE: via the Star Tribune, “Democrats have an early lead in the U.S. Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith…About half of voters polled said they would back a Democrat running for U.S. Senate while 41% said they would back a Republican. Importantly, Democrats had an edge with self-described independents.”
The full results are here: https://fluence-media.co/3QkBOvy
The real measure of the Governor’s race this week? Fundraising totals will come out through May 31.
This morning the Craig for Senate campaign releases its first ads. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4vcFLBK
Restore Sanity PAC released a new 2-minute video of support for Speaker Lisa Demuth’s campaign for governor. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4e98pNZ
Over the weekend Rep. Cedrick Frazier won the DFL endorsement for Hennepin County Attorney. Frazier will face others in the race including Ander Folk. Via statement from Frazier, VERBATIM: “We are building the largest coalition ever assembled for a countywide race in Minnesota. I look forward to carrying this momentum into August and November. Voters are making it clear that they don’t want to go backward. We must keep pushing forward.”
The DFL did not endorse for Hennepin County Sheriff.
A deep dive into the CD1 race between Rep. Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson for MNSider subscribers. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/49OqNJu
REMEMBERING
HORTMANS: Sunday marked one year since the assassination of former Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. Officials and advocates from across the state and the political spectrum paid tribute to the Hortman’s yesterday.
DFL: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz remembered the Hortmans as ‘kind, hopeful, and dedicated.’ … Rep. Angie Craig wrote that Minnesota has had a hard year as a state, and ‘it’s impossible to not feel her absence.’ … Sen. Amy Klobuchar called on Minnesotans to keep the Hortmans in their memory today and to ‘do something good.’ St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her released a statement saying she’s still filled with ‘immense sadness,’ while Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the best way to pay tribute to her is to ‘continue the work she devoted her life to: serving others, treating people with dignity, and building a Minnesota where everyone can thrive.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4emEnFb
GOP: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, said he’s usually bad at remembering dates like birthdays and anniversaries, but this one has been ‘a specter in my mind’ as it approaches. ‘Because of the tragedy, because of how visceral it is, because of how close it hit,’ he said. … ‘I was hopeful that the rhetoric could be toned down, but that hasn’t been, in my opinion, what we’ve experienced in our state, yet. But I believe that is still what needs to happen,’ said House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fM0588
CHILDREN: The two children of the Hortman family, Colin Hortman and Sophie Hortman, spoke to WCCO-TV for their first joint interview. They discussed how the assassination impacted them, how they want their parents to be remembered and more. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4xzEJRY
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)
PUBLIC SAFETY
BOELTER: Via KSTP, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen disputed reports that the U.S. Dept. of Justice had fully ruled out a death sentence for Vance Boelter, explaining that it was only taken off the table because Boelter pleaded guilty. ROSEN: “The direction that we had was that we will not seek the death penalty provided that Mr. Boelter enters into the plea agreement. … [Boelter] was certainly death penalty eligible, and we would’ve prevailed. … [But] when you have a defendant who is prepared to plead guilty to consecutive life terms plus, to ensure that he never sees freedom again in his entire life, that is an opportunity that we just could not pass up.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4xk80Qt
ICYMI: Yesterday’s lunch take featured additional info on Vance Boelter’s guilty plea. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4fCuPZb
HORTMANS: Sunday, June 14 will mark one year since Melissa and Mark Hortman’s passing. Via FOX 9, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith honored the Hortmans’ legacy with speeches in Congress yesterday. VERBATIM: “Klobuchar stood in front of a family portrait of the Hortman family as she spoke about the victims of the shootings. … [Smith] highlighted the good Melissa did during her time in the Minnesota legislature, including passing the bill for free school lunches and much more.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4v1m7bH
REVIEW: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said after attending [Vance] Boelter’s plea hearing [that] an after-action review is underway and nearing completion regarding the murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman. … The review is being conducted through the International Association of Chiefs of Police. … The cost of the study is being shared by Brooklyn Park, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the cities of New Hope and Champlin, where Boelter showed up at the homes of lawmakers.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4eB7QfY
SECURITY: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A year out from the political assassination of one of their colleagues, Minnesota lawmakers are honoring her memory [by trying] to prevent future tragedies. … State legislators approved new funding to keep new security in place at the Capitol. They’re also adding new threat response measures as menacing and often violent comments directed at them have surged. … State public safety officials said the new tools will help them root out and address potential risks sooner.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4voLdSd
TRANSIT: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Metro Transit police are increasing their presence across the system this summer as ridership grows and calls for service continue to rise. The agency said riders are noticing improvements as more officers, Community Service Officers, TRIP agents and security staff are deployed across trains, buses and stations.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4xq8Gn4
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
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CD + MN
WALZ: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz bounded onto the stage in Portland, Maine last month to applause and campaign music, [demonstrating] the current paradox of Walz’s political life. … Nationally, Walz remains a popular Democratic surrogate whose next move is the subject of constant speculation. In Minnesota, his political influence is no longer in high demand. … Walz skipped the DFL state convention in Rochester last month, and he has yet to endorse Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s bid to succeed him. … Walz has said he would endorse Klobuchar if asked. So far, it seems she hasn’t.” QUOTE: “I tell people, ‘Look, if it’s good to campaign with me, campaign with me. If it’s good for you not to know me, that’s good too.’ … That is simply the way it is.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xt8eEF
SENATE RACE: Speaking to Semafor, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would not say who his preferred candidate is in Minnesota’s upcoming DFL primary for U.S. Senate. VERBATIM: “[Schumer] did not choose sides in the interview between Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is more antagonistic to Schumer’s leadership. He simply said his party would win Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43wFTQi
BALLOTS: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Postal Service has issued a new rule that could impact Minnesota’s mail-in and absentee ballots ahead of this year’s midterm election. It offers states a dire choice: give the USPS lists of all voters who would receive mail ballots or risk losing the ability to mail those ballots. More than 1.3 million Minnesotans voted by mail or absentee ballot in the 2024 election. … Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who has resisted Trump Administration requests for information about state voters, said the president does not have the authority to make unilateral changes to election laws.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oB0rRq
EARLY VOTING: via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Upper Midwest Law Center announced [that] they are suing Minneapolis to ensure election judges will staff early voting locations. The lawsuit alleges Minneapolis is only hiring bipartisan election judges for Election Day, not for the 18 days of early voting. … The petition is headed straight to the Minnesota Supreme Court and petitioners are asking for a decision before the general election.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eJq4fe
JUDGES: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointment of Theresa Bea, Nicole Blissenbach, and Sean Cahill as District Court Judges in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. These seats will be chambered in Minneapolis in Hennepin County. … Bea will replace the Honorable Laurie J. Miller. … Blissenbach will replace the Honorable Bev Benson. … Cahill will replace the Honorable Edward T. Wahl.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uzDNdi
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Several Minnesota agencies may soon get new leadership after the end of Gov. Tim Walz’s term early next year. However, at least one of those agency leaders will still have a prominent role in Hennepin County [after] Walz appointed the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, [Nicole Blissenbach], as a Fourth District judge.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4vJfDxZ
HABITAT RESTORATION: Flint Hills Resources has earned Tandem Global WHC Gold Certification for habitat restoration at its Cottage Grove fuel terminal. The certification comes after two years of work in partnership with Friends of the Mississippi River to implement a restoration and monitoring plan to re-establish the 6.5-acre site’s natural prairie and savannah. Flint Hills has held gold certification for its work done with community partners over the past 25 years to restore more than 200 acres of the Pine Bend Bluffs, a critical natural area along the Mississippi River that is adjacent to Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery. This makes two Flint Hills gold-certified sites in Minnesota and the first two gold-certified sites ever in the Twin Cities. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3VASKg4 (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
STATE STREAM
UMN: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The U of M is considering raising tuition across its campuses starting in the fall. It’s part of a bigger budget issue, with the school also looking to make $44 million in cuts and maybe sell a century-old golf course. On Friday, the Board of Regents got an earful about the cuts during public comment. … For in-state undergrads, the tuition increase would be 3.8%, [while] out-of-state students would pay a 4.5% percent increase. … A final vote on the tuition increase is expected at a special meeting on June 26.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4eGd2iG
ICE: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Federal immigration agents descended on a housing development in Bemidji [last week], detaining several people. … Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince confirmed the operation took place [and] did not involve any local law enforcement or city staff. … Republican State Rep. Bidal Duran said he had spoken with ICE and claims he was told it ‘was a targeted enforcement operation focused on specific individuals with prior removal orders or other immigration violations.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eple5O
FERTILIZER: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Nitrogen fertilizers used by Minnesota farmers are typically produced abroad and rely on fossil fuels, [so] for the past two years, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has offered grants to ag co-ops interested in investing in green fertilizer manufacturing. But so far, they haven’t been able to find competitive applicants. … Starting up a domestic fertilizer industry in Minnesota could help provide farmers with local, price-stable fertilizer options.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fHzbyd
WEATHER: via MDA advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has expanded the Minnesota Ag Weather Network (MAWN) with three new weather stations in East Central Minnesota. The stations — located in Isanti, Kanabec, and Mille Lacs counties — add important coverage in an area where producers have needed more localized environmental data. … All new stations are expected to be fully operational by the end of the growing season.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4e5NU4M
ACROSS MN
TRANSIT: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Metro Transit is seeing more people riding buses and trains as gas prices climb, with four straight months of growth this spring. … Ridership was down 5% in January compared to the previous January, but then rebounded with a 3% increase in February. March saw a 2% rise, and both April and May posted 3% gains.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4osHgc8
BLUE LINE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The controversial Blue Line Extension project is still years away from starting service, but the cost continues to increase. Already estimated at more than $3.2 billion, the budget has again been revised up by $336 million. … The new total projected cost [is] just shy of $3.6 billion. … Service was previously slated to begin in 2030, but the latest update from the Metropolitan Council says major construction isn’t expected to finish until 2032, with revenue service not starting for another year after that.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4vajUux
HOMELESS: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “Twin Cities homeless shelter leaders say they are under constant strain amid an escalating affordable housing crisis. CEO of People Serving People Hoang Murphy says a persistent lack of affordable housing and reduced federal aid have left family shelters operating at peak capacity. … He says local shelters need more support from the city to be able to continue their work.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4uFBg1b
EDINA: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A major bridge construction project in Edina is set to wrap up after a months-long delay. The City of Edina recently announced that the Vernon Avenue and Highway 100 Interchange project will finish later this month, [and] the opening will be celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 25. … [Work] was delayed into 2026 because crews ‘struck a buried power line’ that wasn’t expected to be there.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aOQkCB
CHISAGO CTY: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Teamsters Local 320 members who work for Chisago County have been on strike since May 1. On Saturday, that means workers have been striking for 43 days. … The county’s striking employees are divided into two groups: health and human services workers and government center professionals. … The strike will soon surpass one of the longer [public sector] strikes in recent history, [which] was 45 days in 2023, when Hastings Public Schools food service workers were on strike.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vmazQg
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “A proposal to issue up to $70 million in bonds to support financing a roughly 250-unit affordable housing project in northwest Rochester will be considered Monday. The Rochester City Council will be asked to approve the bonds, which were provided by the state earlier this year to support the planned project.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4osI2WA
BLACKDUCK: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “[Blackduck] has had a Police Department since 1910, [but] with just one squad car, a part-time police chief and one part-time officer, the city of 800 people north of Bemidji is calling it quits on its Police Department. Council members voted unanimously on the closure [last] week, becoming the latest in a long line of Minnesota cities to make the move. Since 2016, around 40 police agencies have closed in the state. It’s a trend most pronounced across rural areas.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vbepvJ
RUSH CITY: via MPR, VERBATIM: “A canteen strike started at Rush City prison [last week]. More than 100 men serving time at Rush City are boycotting the canteen to protest conditions. At a press conference held by advocates yesterday, Hannah Spaid said her loved ones serving time at Rush City are often locked in their cells for more than 20 hours a day, they have limited access to medical care and rehabilitative programming and gangs monopolize prison phones. … Advocates and incarcerated men say their complaints haven’t led to change, necessitating a strike.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eJq4fe
OTTERTAIL: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Child care access tops the list of challenges for working parents and business owners, [but] a solution is brewing in Ottertail, a lakeside town of 707 people. … Four independently operated child care businesses opened their doors in two new townhomes just down the road from Ottertail’s two-block main street. Each business eventually will take as many as a dozen children. The $1.2 million project more than doubles Ottertail’s child care capacity and provides a model for solving this long-vexing problem in rural Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aPU1Ie
PROUD TO CHAMPION ATHLETES EVERYWHERE: Minnesota’s 24,000 family corn farmers may come from different fields than the athletes participating in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, which are set for June 20-26 in Minnesota. But they share the same values, including dedication, hard work, and perseverance. This summer, Minnesota Corn salutes the talented athletes participating in the games. We’ll be cheering them on from our fields as they shine in yours. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.