SLOW NEWS YEAR ™️
Just a few stories from yesterday, interim police chief, Demuth running, Star Tribune layoffs…we try to keep up.
Twins win. Golden Knights win. NBA Finals start tonight.
Scott Pelley fired from 60 Minutes. Spencer Pratt and Karen Bass will face off in the LA general election.
The catch-and-release state record for lake trout has been broken twice this season. BMTN: https://fluence-media.co/43cf7MQ
At least three children were injured when a school bus crashed into Hamline University. KSTP: https://fluence-media.co/4o21bP4
The U.S. Coast Guard is trying to find out who stole a Twin Ports lighthouse beacon. KARE: https://fluence-media.co/43cBq51
The new acting head of U.S. spy agencies has no prior experience in intelligence work. NBC: https://fluence-media.co/4o4eBKg
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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
Sunday Take recapped the GOP state convention with candidates Kendall Qualls, Adam Schwarze and Mike Lindell in Duluth. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/432x94b
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GOP SPLIT SCREEN
From April 28th WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “This is one of the greatest applause lines at Republican events is to go back to the old flag, especially in races for governor,” Olson said. “I’ve said for months that races, none of these races are going to be won or lost by a debate over the flag. But I do think this is very telling of the mood of Minnesota. And the reason is because it’s the latest piece that many Minnesotans feel was forced upon them by government.”
NEWS…
STRIB: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Star Tribune will cut its workforce by 15% through buyouts and layoffs. … Chief executive Steve Grove also signaled a potential new ownership structure, [aiming] to place the Star Tribune under foundation ownership. … The Star Tribune employs around 495 people and the cuts will be made across every department. The newsroom has just under 200 journalists and will decline to about 175. … Jeff Day, a reporter and co-chair of the Star Tribune’s guild, said the union, which represents most of the newsroom, would be looking for ways to fight this decision.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QlnanH
According to a memo from publisher Steve Grove, VERBATIM: “These layoffs will affect teams across the company, including the newsroom. However, journalists who focus on news gathering (including reporters, photographers and videographers) are not among the affected groups… We’re making this decision because it is necessary to position us for growth as a digital media company. For the past three years, we’ve been sprinting towards a new future. Today, we have more digital revenue sources than we’ve ever had before, and they’re growing. We have twice as many digital subscribers as print, and most of our revenue now comes from digital products and services. We’ve grown digital subscriptions by over 25%, after several years of stagnation before that.”
Impacted employees will be told this morning, and there will be a companywide townhall (virtually) today at 12 noon.
Please sign-up for our premium subscription MNSider to continue to build a media growing outlet in Minnesota.
Here are the two MNSiders from the weekend, with insight from the conventions.
SAT: https://fluence-media.co/49se3rS
SUN: https://fluence-media.co/4u5nHIc
THE MNLEG BATTLE
TRACKER: The Fluence Election Tracker is fully updated with current filings. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
FILING: The filing period for 2026 campaigns ended yesterday, but candidates can still withdraw from their races until Thursday.
PRIMARIES: In the House there will be 11 DFL primaries and 10 Republican primaries. In the Senate there will be 11 DFL primaries and 8 GOP primaries.
NORACE: DFLers have a candidate in every legislative district, and Republicans lack candidates in 17 House seats and 4 4 DFL-held Senate seats.
REMATCHES: Via MPR, here are some of the closest Minnesota House and Senate races from 2022 and 2024 that will be repeated this year with the same candidates. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3PQ3isJ
SD3: Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL) vs. Andrea Zupancich (GOP). Hauschild previously won 50.8% to 49.1%.
SD41: Sen. Judy Seeberger (DFL) vs. Rep. Tom Dippel (GOP). Seeberger previously won 50.3% to 49.6%.
35B: Rep. Kari Rehrauer (DFL) vs. Steve Pape (GOP). Rehrauer previously won 50.5% to 49.2%.
48B: Rep. Lucy Rehm (DFL) vs. Caleb Steffenhagen (GOP). Rehm previously won 50.4% to 49.5%.
54A: Rep. Brad Tabke (DFL) vs. Aaron Paul (GOP). Tabke previously won 49.95% to 49.89%.
36A: Via Star Tribune’s Walker Orenstein, GOP Rep. Elliott Engen has filed to run for reelection, setting up a primary against Sebastian Stoss, the Republican-endorsed candidate in District 36A. Engen had previously been running for state auditor, but dropped out. Jim DeMay is the DFL candidate in the race. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3SglXyw
RESPONSE: via Sebastian Stoss’s campaign, STATEMENT: “It is disappointing after previously announcing he would not seek reelection in House District 36A, Elliott Engen has decided to primary the endorsed Republican candidate, which will damage the Republican party and enhance the chances of the Democrats taking control of the State House. … It is therefore incumbent upon Elliott Engen to do the right thing and withdraw his primary challenge immediately.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eiuQjD
SD10: Little Falls business owner Deb Holthaus is running in Senate District 10 as a Republican. Via her announcement, HOLTHAUS: “I want to leave our district in a better place at the end of four years. I will work to pass legislation that is important to our district. I will listen to the constituents and community leaders and my work in the legislature will reflect the district and the conservative values we have here.” WEBSITE: https://fluence-media.co/3PE3sn3
SD25: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “DFL Reps. Kim Hicks and Andy Smith and Sen. Liz Boldon [will face] GOP challengers with last-minute filings. … Brad Trahan, a professional search recruiter [and] one-time Rochester mayoral candidate, filed to run in House District 25A and will run against Hicks. … Wes Lund filed to run in House District 25B, setting up a rematch [with] Smith. … John Howie filed to run in Senate District 25 and will run against Boldon.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RMZ9Gu
SENATE RACE: via MPR, VERBATIM: “GOP-endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate Adam Schwarze says his campaign is centered on restoring common sense and helping President Donald Trump advance his policy objectives. The former Navy SEAL spoke with [MPR] and said Republican candidates who win the party’s endorsement have a strong record of advancing, even when they face primary challengers. ‘No candidate who has ever earned the support of the grassroots has ever gone on to lose the primary to a D.C. candidate,’ Schwarze said, referring to challenger and former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya. … He said he is a more reliable ally to the president than Tafoya is.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PQ3isJ
ICYMI: Yesterday’s lunch take had extensive coverage of Speaker Lisa Demuth filing for the GOP gubernatorial primary and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s pick for interim police chief. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/49B8U0H
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
STATE STUFF
POLICE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “A proven program aimed at filling Minnesota’s depleted police force has been paused after failing to secure additional funding this legislative session. Since 2024, [ICPOET] has supported more than 50 law enforcement agencies in helping more than 100 people seeking a new career in law enforcement join their forces. … With budgets much tighter last session, lawmakers who support it say there just wasn’t enough to go around. … Rep. John Huot, D-Rosemount, [said] ‘I was proud to do this bill. I will do it again. It’s unfortunate that we were not able to find the funds.’ … Rep. Paul Novotny, R-Elk River, [said] ‘I hope it can be funded by the next legislature.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4eg10MN
SUMMER JOBS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minnesota teens face a tougher summer job market this year, with unemployment nearly double last summer’s level. According to [DEED], teen unemployment in Minnesota is 13.2%. … Most teens work in food service and accommodation, [and] those industries, along with entertainment and recreation, have slowed recently. However, there is an influx in demand for childcare and summer camp workers compared to recent summers.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4uciNcE
CIVIL LAW: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison has authored a new article in the Minnesota Law Review [arguing] that civil law is an effective and often underutilized tool to improve public safety. In his article, titled ‘Preventing Harm at the Source: The Case for Regulatory Justice,’ Attorney General Ellison discusses how civil law, including consumer-protection law, can be used to hold corporations accountable when they facilitate criminal harm.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dKnWUe
MED FRAUD: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “A man convicted of stealing Medicaid money in Minnesota is no longer on probation, even though he still owes nearly $1.7 million in restitution. Records show he made only minimum monthly payments, and authorities say it is unlikely he will ever pay back the full amount. … The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office argued [the man] should have remained on probation until he paid back more of what he stole, [saying] this is a prime example of why the state’s restitution laws need more teeth.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/437pTUH
GRAND OLD DAY: Flint Hills Resources is thrilled to be this year’s sponsor of the Grand Old Day parade. Flint Hills employees, families and friends will be showing their Saint Paul pride as they hand out giveaways alongside one of the Pine Bend refinery’s fire trucks. New this year, Flint Hills Resources engineers will demonstrate how science is really fun (and tasty) at the Future Innovators Zone. Kids can learn how to make their very own ice cream at home. Be sure to stop by on June 7! LEARN MORE: Grand Old Day (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery)
PARDON: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The Department of Homeland Security and Republican lawmakers are criticizing a recent decision made by the Minnesota Board of Pardons. … Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson voted to pardon Jai Vang’s aggravated robbery conviction from 1994. Vang was 18 at the time and served four years behind bars. … In his pardon application, he ‘vowed to change his life’ after his release. He’s a father now and says he helps families cope and mourn their lost loved ones during funeral rituals. … DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a written statement, ‘It’s absolutely insane that Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota sanctuary politicians would pardon this violent criminal illegal alien.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4uLn0Vw
FT SNELLING: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The official posting of more than six dozen cases to be heard in one session marked a stunning shift in court procedure that immigration lawyers and advocates had for weeks feared would reach the Fort Snelling court after being tried in other jurisdictions. The innovation of the ‘mega’ hearing had finally arrived in Minnesota. … Fort Snelling has now joined immigration courts in Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. in cramming as many as 100 or more respondents’ initial hearings into one block of time, often with little notice of the change being given to immigrants. A disproportionate number of those in mega hearings are unrepresented by lawyers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fhL8dH
CHARGES: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The St. Paul City Attorney’s Office will not file charges in a protest at a St. Paul church that resulted in federal charges against dozens of people, the city attorney said Tuesday. … St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao said they conducted ‘a thorough review of the evidence submitted by law enforcement’ [and] ‘the current evidence is insufficient to meet that standard for criminal charges under Minnesota state statutes.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oa0PGm
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)
ACROSS MN
WASH CTY: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Washington County voters will vote this November on whether to approve a tax increase to renew a program to protect the county’s waterways and conserve undeveloped land. The Washington County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted 4-1 to approve a ballot question that, if approved, would authorize the county to sell $40 million in general obligation bonds over the next two decades to fund the county’s Land and Water Legacy Program.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4dUmrBG
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Nine candidates are [running] to become Rochester’s next mayor. … The nine candidates for mayor are business owner Benjamin Zastrow, local artist Ayub HajiOmar, health coach Jerrod Lucker, business owner Joe Powers, clinical psychologist Jess Garcia, former Rochester City Council member Molly Dennis, NAACP Branch President Walé Elegbede, IT engineer Valmik Patel and business analytics consultant Axe Abdimadid Ahmed. In addition to the mayoral race, a primary is expected in the Ward 5 Rochester City Council race. Incumbent Shaun Palmer is being challenged by statistical programmer Ruchi Gupta and social work student Acacia Ward.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aofYOi
VADNAIS HGTS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Vadnais Heights leaders think the city needs some help communicating as it faces a public vote petition from upset taxpayers. They’re unhappy with the city’s plan to build a new $33 to $37 million fire station instead of renovating the existing one, and are circulating a petition to force a public vote on the bonding issue. The city administrator recommended hiring both an attorney and a PR firm.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4uPjjOT
SANDSTONE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A beloved, deteriorating high school built from this region’s signature stone stood near the center of the town for decades, abandoned. The old Sandstone High School’s roof partially collapsed and grass grew inside. … [But] its new, transformed life starts in mid-June. Minneapolis real estate development company Jillpine, which specializes in historic properties, is in the final stages of a $17.7 million project to turn the once-abandoned structure, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, into 32 rental units of workforce housing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uaDbKY
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)
DAYBOOK
FRIDAY: Via Minneapolis Fed, Regional Outreach Director Erick Garcia Luna will host a webinar discussing results from the spring survey of construction firms across the Ninth District. The event is at 9:00 a.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4wFjTjv
FRIDAY: Advocates with the GFS Community Visioning Council will hold a press conference calling on the City of Minneapolis to stop construction at George Floyd Square until they have addressed “community concerns,” per a release. The event is at 1:00 p.m.
FRIDAY: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will speak at the DFL’s annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner in Minneapolis on Friday, June 5. The event is at 6:00 p.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4ehO614
NEXT WEEK: Attorney General Keith Ellison is hosting a community forum on the proposed acquisition of North Memorial Health by Sanford Health. The event is in Robbinsdale on Monday, June 8 at 6:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: ambassador Sam Kaplan, radio host Sam Sansavere, labor guy Brad Lehto
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.
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.