Aurora semifinal on Saturday.
The death toll from last week’s Texas flooding has climbed to over 100 people. FOX: http://fluence-media.co/4lzXb62
Donald Trump announced new tariffs of 25% or more on Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, South Africa and 10 other countries. AP: http://fluence-media.co/4eBooDb
TikTok is planning a U.S.-exclusive version of the app to comply with federal law. REUTERS: http://fluence-media.co/4eDphuU
The latest YouGov/Yahoo poll, conducted between June 26-30 among 1,597 adults, shows that among Gen Z voters, his net rating has deteriorated sharply, falling from -23 points in May to -41 points in June. NEWSEEEK: https://fluence-media.co/40HgTVl
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TIPS: bloisolson@gmail.com
On Sunday Take, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer discussed the passage and local impact of the “Big Bill”. LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/44i2ph1
Sponsorships available – to reach over 25,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheet and website www.TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com
SENATE RACE: via Craig for Senate, VERBATIM: “Today, Congresswoman Angie Craig announced that her campaign will report over $2.4 million raised in her launch quarter to become Minnesota’s next U.S. Senator. Craig has been in the race for Minnesota’s open U.S. Senate seat for just over two months.” CRAIG: “I’m humbled and honored to have the early support of so many Minnesotans in my campaign for the open U.S. Senate seat.”
NOTE: Craig transferred nearly $590K from her House campaign account.
WALZ: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz on Monday gave his strongest signal yet that he intends to seek a third consecutive term next year, confidently predicting he will win if he runs again and warning possible challengers they’d face the ‘best fundraiser that ever sat in this office.’ … Walz said he believes Republicans will face a poor midterm election outlook next year due to the unpopularity of President Donald Trump and his signature tax and spending bill. … Walz said he may have to call the Legislature back for a special session to deal with the effects of the federal cuts on the state budget. … Asked when he’ll formally announce his re-election plans, [Walz] said he will decide soon.” QUOTE: “It won’t be me against a theoretical Republican. It will be one of theirs who will bend the knee to Donald Trump. … I’m working for Minnesota. They’re working for Donald Trump.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4nHfcBi
MORE: During his interview with the Star Tribune, Gov. Tim Walz also discussed how he wants to improve security for state lawmakers. VERBATIM: “On his recent comments that carrying guns at the Capitol is ‘inappropriate,’ Walz clarified that he’s not proposing legislation to limit guns at the Capitol, just that he’s putting it out there.” QUOTE: “No one is talking about taking your guns away. Just leave it in your car if you’re going to come in this building. We do that in other businesses. I don’t understand it — why you would need that.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/46gLtsL
HOFFMAN: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Three weeks after surviving being shot in his home, Minnesota DFL State Senator John Hoffman was able to leave the ICU on Monday. … [Hoffman] was shot nine times, including near his heart, and was in critical condition for days. … He is going to an acute care facility for several more weeks and will undergo multiple surgeries in the coming months.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/45Z64l0
SD37: via Janigo for MN, VERBATIM: “Maple Grove City Councilmember Kristy Janigo is announcing her run for state Senate in District 37. … Janigo’s platform includes keeping neighborhoods safe, investing in infrastructure, increasing transparency and trust in government, creating well-paying jobs, growing the economy, and standing up for Minnesota veterans. … As the legislative chair for the American Legion Department of Minnesota…she collaborates with lawmakers of both parties.” WEBSITE: http://fluence-media.co/3Toww01
MORE: Expect SD37 to be one of the DFL top targets. In 2020 part of this district was the most expensive race, where Sen. Warren Limmer survived the challenge. Limmer is expected to run again.
SECURITY: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he sent two letters addressing concerns related to security at the Minnesota State Capitol and the safety of lawmakers following the tragic shooting deaths of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and the attempted murders of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette… In a July 1 letter to Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan and the Capitol Security Committee, Sheriff Fletcher recommended metal detectors at four different checkpoints at the Capitol. FLETCHER: “Can you imagine carrying an automatic weapon into the gallery of the Minnesota Senate or Minnesota House up above? As of right now, that could happen,” said Fletcher.” WATCH/READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eNTtDB
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota legislators participated in Fourth of July festivities as usual, but [June’s] attacks on their colleagues hung over the events. … Waiting in a lineup of floats ready to embark on Eagan’s annual July Fourth parade, DFL Rep. John Huot flinched when he heard a loud pop. It was a balloon tied to a van behind him, bursting from the heat. But Huot and his family felt a little on edge. … A conversation with local police convinced him it would be safe to participate. Still, he and other lawmakers were being careful about their plans, sure not to divulge their locations publicly before the festivities. … [Huot] said the slayings have made him question whether to run for a fifth term — though as of now, he’s still running.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4m1LQMr
DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF RURAL HEALTH CARE, ESSENTIA IS RECOGNIZED FOR PROVIDING TOP CLINICAL CARE: According to the latest report from Minnesota Community Measurement, a statewide resource on health care quality, costs and equity, Essentia ranked as a high performer with 19 of 20 clinical quality metrics scoring above statewide averages. According to Dr. Maria Beaver, chief quality and patient safety officer at Essentia: “This is a testament to the amazing care provided by all our clinical care teams and all our colleagues who support them.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dCxy1D (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
HOSPITALS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota won’t gain the full $1 billion windfall in federal Medicaid dollars that officials hoped would stabilize hospitals across the state…The federal budget bill President Donald Trump signed Friday clamps down on so-called directed payment programs where hospitals pay special taxes to states to unlock much larger federal Medicaid reimbursements. Minnesota on Thursday filed an application to join more than 40 states that have already used the financing mechanism, but state leaders are no longer optimistic it will shore up their hospitals…The changes under the budget “will severely limit us in Minnesota,” said Joe Schindler, vice president of finance policy for the Minnesota Hospital Association, in an interview Monday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45TDgKI
MEDICAID: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Minnesota state officials warned the bill would cut $500 million a year in reimbursements for hospital and nursing home coverage. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates 152,000 to 253,000 Minnesotans could lose their health insurance coverage. The cuts would shift costs to state and county governments, a move that could lead to higher local taxes. … Hennepin Healthcare in downtown Minneapolis [estimated] it will lose $145 million in funding a year. … However, the hospital will still be required to treat all patients regardless of their ability to pay. The predicted result: long lines in the ER and cuts to major specialty programs.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/3TpnQXh
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In February, 14 Republican state legislators sent a letter to [Donald] Trump and the state’s congressional Republicans asking them not to make ‘drastic reductions’ to Medicaid funding. … Sen. Paul Utke of Park Rapids said he now supports Trump’s bill and would probably not sign the letter today. ‘I fully agree with what they’re doing,’ Utke said of congressional Republicans, adding that too many Americans are on Medicaid and that he likes the work requirement provision. … Republican Reps. Dave Baker, R-Willmar, and Danny Nadeau, R-Rogers, said they stand by what they said in that letter. ‘I’m not happy with it,’ Nadeau said of the bill.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/44woUgT
GLP-1: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Facing a massive increase in employee health insurance rates, leaders at Anoka-Hennepin Area Schools last May asked a question out loud: Should the district stop paying for Ozempic and other popular new weight loss drugs? … Ultimately, Anoka-Hennepin agreed to keep the coverage in next year’s budget. The problem of rapidly rising employee insurance costs, however, remains unsolved at the state’s largest district and in districts across the state. … In Rochester Public Schools, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are only 2 percent of the prescription drugs that school employees use. But they account for 56 percent of what the district is spending on prescriptions.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4eDbjZN
JAIL MEDS: The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has responded to the news seen in yesterday’s morning take that a coalition of sheriffs, counties and others are suing the state to block a new law requiring jails to give inmates prescription medications. Via Sue Abderholden, executive director of NAMI Minnesota, STATEMENT: “Reading the lawsuit makes me wonder if the plaintiffs read the law since the law clearly provides exemptions. … This legislation is long overdue. Too many people with mental illnesses have been denied access to their medications in jail, or have had their medications changed abruptly, often inappropriately.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/45XuJqf
Sign up for health take: https://fluence-media.co/4eZwLa7
EMMER: Via WCCO Radio, Rep. Tom Emmer responded to backlash against the president’s budget bill on this week’s Sunday Take by saying that critics are just “guessing” about what it could do. VERBATIM: “Emmer points out critics are saying the bill ‘could’ result in [Medicaid] cuts and increases in the deficit, noting that no one is saying these things ‘will’ happen. … Emmer also says there's 'something for everyone' in the bill.” QUOTE: “You got a child tax credit increase. Imagine how that's gonna help middle class families that are trying to make ends meet. … A year from now, they are going to be very happy about where the country is and where it's headed.” READ/LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/463moBr
MORE: Rep. Tom Emmer’s full interview on Sunday Take is available online. LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/44i2ph1
TARIFFS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “New tariff rates are set to go live next month, but the effects on Minnesota small business owners could be felt in a matter of days. … Paul Vaaler, a trade law professor from the University of Minnesota, [said] if the 3-month tariff pause lifts later this week, things could change fast. … He's particularly worried about imported metals and all the Canadian fuel for energy, which could mean big problems for small businesses.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/44BLVz9
EUROPE: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced he will lead a trade mission to Switzerland and Germany in November of 2025. The delegation will travel to major business centers Zürich, Düsseldorf, and Berlin. The mission will focus on growing the state’s exports of goods and services, showcasing Minnesota as a top destination for business investment, developing new partnership opportunities, and strengthening existing trade and diplomatic ties. … Governor Walz will lead a delegation of representatives from businesses and organizations within Minnesota’s medical technology, cleantech, food and agriculture, and higher education sectors.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4ez6gJW
WOLVES/LYNX: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “A common theme among Minneapolis mayoral candidates is that they want the Wolves and Lynx in Minneapolis, but they lack interest in spending public money to help build an arena. … Mayor Jacob Frey [said] ‘I don't support public subsidy for an arena.’ He didn't address whether a property tax exemption counts as a subsidy. … Omar Fateh opposes both direct subsidies and property tax exemptions. … Jazz Hampton opposes direct subsidies, listing higher priorities for schools, housing and public safety. Hampton said he's open to transferring the property tax exemption for Target Center to a new site, but ‘only if the current Target Center property brings in new property tax revenue that is at least equal to, or greater than, the property tax revenue generated by the new location.’ DeWayne Davis [said] ‘I just go into this with real skepticism, because I just have not seen that the city gets a good deal on these kinds of things.’” READ: http://fluence-media.co/44z60pT
WALLEYE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Described by Gov. Tim Walz as the ‘Queen of Walleye,’ [Genevieve] Furtner sometimes works at all hours to keep the old hatchery running. … The space where Furtner works needs improvement, some advocates and lawmakers say. In a drab basement in the DNR’s Central Region Headquarters on the east side of St. Paul, the fish lab has duct-taped pipes and black mold growing in corners. … A bipartisan bill in the Legislature would have allocated $17.8 million toward replacing the hatchery, but the measure did not make it into the 2025 bonding bill.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3GrMWSs
CELEBRATING 70 YEARS: The Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount is a landmark like no other – the tall columns, bright lights and steam during cold winter days can be seen from miles away. Generations of workers have helped operate, maintain and transform the refinery, making it one of the nation’s most innovative and efficient energy facilities of its kind. This year, Flint Hills Resources celebrates 70 years of dedicated employees at the Pine Bend refinery who have produced the fuels that help move us forward. LEARN MORE: About the Pine Bend refinery (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
KANDIYOHI CTY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Fourth of July was subdued this year on the shores of Big Kandiyohi Lake near Willmar, after flooding caused by heavy June rains. This year, the annual boat parade was canceled, plans to barbecue on the beach were postponed, and some homeowners spent their holiday sandbagging against high water. … The high waters are part of heavy rain in Kandiyohi County that has led to more than $1.4 million in damage since mid-June, said Ace Bonnema, the county’s emergency management coordinator.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3GyD2OI
STEARNS CTY: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Stearns County commissioners will review and consider changing county ordinances for agriculture-related business and the conditional and interim land use permitting process in a work session following their regular Tuesday, July 8, meeting. Tensions over the permitting process have been simmering at the county level for months.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3TptloT
STILLWATER: via an SEIU Healthcare press release, VERBATIM: “Healthcare workers at HealthPartners Stillwater Medical Group (SMG) who are members of SEIU Healthcare MN & IA will begin their 4-day Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike on July 8th following another round of unsuccessful bargaining today. The workers will picket in front of the facility starting at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, and will hold a rally on the picket line with supporters at noon on the first day of the strike.”
DETROIT LAKES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Old Glory is the only flag flying outside Detroit Lakes City Hall. You won’t see the Minnesota state flag — the retired one or the new one that a number of communities refuse to hoist on flagpoles. … Detroit Lakes is the latest city to oppose flying the new state flag in north-central Minnesota. … Pequot Lakes is still flying the retired state flag and doesn’t plan on raising the new one. … Crosslake is also supporting the old state flag. In May, the council unanimously voted not to fly the new one. The cities are in Becker and Crow Wing counties, which also don’t fly the new state flag.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4lp1di4
TODAY: via a House GOP advisory, VERBATIM: “Members of the MN House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee [will hold a] committee hearing with the Department of Human Services to discuss the interplay between the Office of Inspector General and the commissioners as well as Medicaid eligibility.” The event is at 10:00 a.m.
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz has no public events scheduled.
TODAY: The Minneapolis City Council “Committee of the Whole” will vote on adjusting the state consent decree with the city police department to include provisions from the now-defunct federal consent decree, per a release. The event is at 1:30 p.m. with media availability after the meeting.
THURSDAY: Protect Minnesota announced that a Minnesota Suicide Prevention Roundtable will be held in Rochester on Thursday at 12:00 noon. Officials with the John Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions will attend.
SATURDAY: Gov. Tim Walz will be the keynote speaker at the South Dakota Democratic Party’s annual McGovern Day dinner on July 12 in Sioux Falls, SD.
BDAYS: city of St. Paul’s Nicole McPherson, Anoka County’s David Schwenk, communication veteran Leslie Kupchella
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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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