FULL AGENDA
Wild wins. Wolves and Twins lose.
Welcome to another Monday, hopefully there was rest, recharge and family for your weekend.
It’s Master’s week, which is a spiritual experience for many – including myself. The weekend in New York was a great reminder of how small the world is, and how much culture there is to observe and take in.
American culture is probably the thing that is so dynamic that the algorithm you live in doesn’t do you favors. Only planes or exposure to something different than is in your feed can help. The sell-out of Madison Square Garden for a PWHL game was energizing, and new lens that deserves to be seen.
Maybe Happy Endings was the Sunday matinee, the stagecraft was spectacular, the story was thought provoking. Things that don’t influence my brain if I’m in Minnesota for the weekend – but now we’re back at it.
Newark is by far the best airport to fly in and out of NYC in.
Multiple audiences this week from the Economic Club, the Insurance Federation and news from Hospitality Minnesota.
The disruption strategy continues, effective?...St. Paul police arrested a woman for protesting outside Cities Church on Easter Sunday. MPR: https://fluence-media.co/4cnDL2p
U.S. forces rescued an airman behind enemy lines after he was shot down by Iran. CNN: https://fluence-media.co/4tvdOns
The president threatened strikes on Iran’s civilian infrastructure unless they “open the f**kin’ strait” this week. POLITICO: https://fluence-media.co/4tPigO7
On Sunday Take, GOP Floor Leader Harry Niska and DFL Rep. Matt Norris discussed what the Legislature did on break and what they expect to get done this session. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3O830wr
Happy National Carbonara Day
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured texts from listeners in a discussion about the “Mood of Minnesota” and how it could influence the 2026 elections. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4s5LFlE
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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/
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Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
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HALF WAY
The Minnesota Legislature is back in session starting tomorrow morning. Lawmakers will have a week and a half to wrap up their committee work on major finance bills before the next legislative deadline on Friday, April 17.
One issue that will spark some chatter this week is a “wealth tax” bill presented by the DFL with 14 authors, led by House Tax Chair Aisha Gomez. – it’s another example that is more about noise than actually passing it. Imagine a year from now, if the “loud left” tries to press a new Governor Amy Klobuchar to sign such a bill. Unlikely, but worth the question before Minnesota votes. Here’s the bill: https://fluence-media.co/4c37pdn
Another is the lead up to finance reports in federal races, CD2 and CD1, as well as the first report from Republican Michele Tafoya. What will the GOP money race look like and does it match the delegate battle?
Meanwhile, morning take has a release going out later this morning from Rep. Angie Craig’s Senate campaign. VERBATIM: “Today, Congresswoman Angie Craig announced that her campaign raised $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2026 with nearly $5 million cash on hand – her strongest quarter to date. Craig has received donations from all 87 Minnesota counties, including 15,000 new donors – with 96% of donations being $100 or less. Craig received first-time grassroots support from hard-working Minnesotans including educators, flight attendants, trade workers and farmers. CRAIG: “We’re gaining momentum because Minnesotans know I will show up everywhere and talk to everyone to deliver results for them,” said Craig. “Minnesotans want a Senator who will fight the Trump Administration’s reckless policies and work with their colleagues when possible to lower costs and keep our communities safe. I’ve got a record that shows that in the Congress and am ready to go on day one to fight in the Senate.”
MNLEG: Via Minnesota Reformer, an analysis of how backlash to Pres. Donald Trump could influence state election results this year. VERBATIM: “On the Senate side, three Republicans are representing districts won by Kamala Harris: Sens. Jim Abeler; Julia Coleman; and Karin Housley. A fourth is represented by Sen. Warren Limmer, [who] is retiring. … Two Democrats are running in Trump districts — Sens. Grant Hauschild and Rob Kupec. [Meanwhile], 66 out of 67 sitting House Democrats are in districts won by Harris. Six Republicans are in districts won by Harris. If Democrats simply win the Harris seats, they’ll get to 72 and a majority. There’s a handful of other GOP seats where Trump failed to get 50%.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vv73Uz
FRAUD: via Politico, VERBATIM: “Republicans have found their health care message for the midterms: fraud. … Republicans argue it will help shift the spotlight off complaints about health care affordability [and] counter Democratic attacks over the more than $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts. … Republicans also point to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to not run for a third term as proof that the administration’s messaging on fraud is working. … Senate candidate Michele Tafoya, a former broadcast sports journalist, has highlighted fraud in her campaign. … But [Democrats] are skeptical it will sway many voters at a time when Americans are fixated on the rising cost of living.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47Fh5bh
US AG: Via Star Tribune, a look at how Minnesota’s senators could impact the selection of a U.S. Attorney General to replace Pam Bondi following her ousting last week. VERBATIM: “[Pres. Donald] Trump’s pick will face the Senate Judiciary Committee for a confirmation hearing. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is a member of the committee and will have a front-row seat in the next attorney general’s confirmation process. Last year, Klobuchar opposed Bondi’s confirmation out of the Judiciary Committee and when her confirmation came before the full Senate for a vote. [Tina] Smith also opposed Bondi’s confirmation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Q51njA
PROPERTY TAX: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “As St. Paul property owners struggle with recently arriving tax bills some have called eye-popping, debate over how to stabilize property tax increases and grow the city’s tax base continues. … St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker [has] raised questions about a modest number of city and county positions with redundant or overlapping duties, [but] ‘For the most part, we’re pretty lean.’ … From expanding industrial development, getting more out of vacant or underdeveloped property to revisiting tax-increment financing and making downtown St. Paul a more vibrant place, there are a number of options policymakers are looking at.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4drnD0Q
A new level of insight and information….
BILLS
CRIME: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Minnesota lawmakers are considering legislation to establish a dedicated state fund to provide financial support and services for crime victims. The proposed fund would finance client assistance, support staff, hotel stays, prevention programs, and other victim services. The bill has strong DFL support and some bipartisan backing, with a Republican co-author on the House version. … The funding would come from fines and penalties collected during sentencing [or] through general fund transfers.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3PR6u7a
FOSTERS: via Foster Advocates, VERBATIM: “Counties in Minnesota routinely take federal [SSI] and survivor benefits that belong to fosters, roughly $6-11 million every year, to reimburse themselves for foster care costs. … About 1,400 fosters are impacted annually. … SF 4635 [addresses this] by creating protected financial accounts for youth with state reimbursement. … Foster leaders will testify in support of SF 4635 [on] Wednesday, April 8.”
STICKERS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s red ‘I Voted’ sticker could soon have company. A bill at the Legislature would allow elections officials across Minnesota to hold competitions for new designs of the state’s standard ‘I Voted’ sticker. … The bill, carried by DFL Sen. Bonnie Westlin, was the idea of St. Anthony Village high schooler Maitreya Reeder, who told the Senate Elections Committee recently that new sticker designs could help motivate young people to vote. … One Republican on the committee worried designs could be politically charged. The bill, however, says designs cannot advocate for or against any party, candidate or issue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Q51njA
TAKE: The red sticker is iconic, and we don’t need any new designs.
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)
DC+ MN
FED FUNDS: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump [has] intimated that the states should bear the full burden of subsidized daycare for low-income families. … Trump also suggested that other programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, should be left to the states, which he said could raise taxes to cover the expense. … Trump’s musings on cost-shifting to the states were largely prompted by the cost of the Iran war. The White House is expected to soon ask Congress for $200 billion to cover the cost of that conflict. … Rep. Betty McCollum, D-4th, [said] she will oppose the White House’s request for more money for the war. ‘President Trump’s war in Iran is a strategic and diplomatic failure,’ McCollum said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tmKCyS
VOTERS: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of 22 other attorneys general and one governor sued President Donald Trump over his [Executive Order] restricting voter eligibility and mail voting to lists of voters pre-authorized by the federal government. … The U.S. Constitution gives states the primary authority to administer elections, [therefore] the coalition asks the court to prevent the federal government from implementing or enforcing the Executive Order.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tzEOSS
TARIFFS: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of ‘Liberation Day,’ the day President Donald Trump unveiled his global tariff plan. … A group of Democratic state finance officials said [last] week that the duties have caused lasting damage to businesses and consumers. … Minnesota Auditor Julie Blaha [said] Trump’s tariffs have hit Minnesota farmers especially hard. … Blaha insists the Trump Administration should pay reparations to all who were hurt by the president’s tariff policies, including consumers who paid higher prices for many goods, [but] failed to say how that would be done.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tsQypZ
TAKE: In only outgoing Auditor Blaha would have been as vocal about the impacts of the fraud in the state. She’s quick to criticize the President but hasn’t said anything out loud critical of Gov. Tim Walz. Auditors should be consistent.
REJECT 340B EXPANSION: A new Minnesota Department of Health report shows hospitals made at least $1 billion dollars from a federal drug discount program known as 340B. The program should help patients, but experts say there is little accountability for where the money goes. The report was delayed and only recently released, showing the program isn’t working as intended. But Minnesota politicians are fast tracking a bill to expand the 340B program anyway. Lawmakers: reject House File 3609 / Senate File 3769. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4uUobCQ (SPONSORED: Community Action for Responsible Hospitals)
ICE + MN
COOPERATION: via NPR, VERBATIM: “A shift appears to be underway in how the federal government does immigration enforcement – away from the high-profile show of force seen during the [ICE] operation in Minnesota and toward a less visible approach, relying more on local police. … [There’s] increased emphasis on the federal 287(g) program, which allows state and local law enforcement officers to take on some of the duties of ICE officers. … In 2019, there were only 45 agreements. … Now, there are more than 1,600 agreements across 39 states.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4e3OfVN
PROSECUTION: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A federal judge in Minneapolis is set to decide whether the government may use military attorneys to prosecute civilians. The Justice Department has sent lawyers from the armed services to the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s office following a wave of resignations there. … The case [centers on] the Posse Comitatus Act, [an] 1878 law which largely bans the military from performing civilian law enforcement duties. … There are approximately 25 military attorneys working at the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m9x5Im
SURGE: The Star Tribune interviewed numerous Minnesota leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, for a retrospective on Operation Metro Surge. VERBATIM: “As tension between federal and state officials continued to rise, Walz said he was speaking regularly with Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, [but] Walz and his aides were skeptical they could sway the White House. … Ellison reached out to federal officials for help. [Daniel] Rosen never returned his calls. Attorney General Pam Bondi didn’t either. He got a hold of GOP Rep. Tom Emmer, [but] ‘All he did was rant on the phone about how if we would have cooperated with ICE, none of this would have happened,’ Ellison said. … Ellison also met with JD Vance.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41fM5uQ
340B HOSPITAL MARKUPS HURT PATIENTS: Minnesota’s latest 340B report shows covered entities generated $1.34 billion IN PROFIT in 2024, including an estimated $261 million from Medicaid prescriptions. Independent research finds the program raises costs for patients, taxpayers, and employers statewide. Minnesota should sunset the 340B mandate and Congress should fix the federal 340B program, so it actually helps patients. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3OLZOGG(SPONSORED: PhRMA)
ISSUES
MEDICARE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Surging medical costs drove big financial losses last year at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and prompted the Eagan-based health insurer to set aside $150 million for ongoing cost challenges, particularly in the Medicare program. … [It] suggests another turbulent open enrollment season could be coming this fall for seniors. Health insurers across the country were already raising alarms over the prospect of diminished coverage next year [because] federal officials in January proposed not raising 2027 payment rates to private Medicare Advantage health plans. … The ongoing losses could foreshadow reductions in Medicare benefits for 2027.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NZ3p4j
FUEL COSTS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, gas prices continue to rise — including jet fuel. That’s causing the average summer airfare to rise by more than 17%, according to Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4sVdkXS
HCMC: Via Star Tribune, an update on the HCMC resignation from last week. VERBATIM: “The co-administrator who resigned [last] week from running HCMC’s health system in Minneapolis cited ‘micromanagement’ by Hennepin County commissioners in his decision to step down after less than four months on the job. Dr. J. Kevin Croston wrote in a resignation email [that] it was impossible for him to continue running the health system when county commissioners overruled his professional expertise and operational decisions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tnPP9w
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 NEWS
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Construction at George Floyd Square [is] expected to begin this summer as the city moves forward with plans to redesign the area. Street and infrastructure improvements around the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue are scheduled to begin in June, with substantial completion expected in 2027, city officials said. … City officials say community gathering space will remain available during construction, although locations may shift as work progresses.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cdCOsp
MPD: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara is facing a new batch of conduct complaints, and he believes many of them are directly related to Operation Metro Surge. … There have been a total of 30 complaints levied against O’Hara over the course of his tenure, [and] 15 of them were made since September. … O’Hara [said] he faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum for how he responded to federal immigration operations, which is what he believes is behind the newer complaints.” O’HARA: “Apparently since the surge, the number of complaints have doubled, which I think that says something about it right there.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4cpgehw
A MUST ATTEND EVENT!….It’s BACK! The TwinWest Legislative Breakfast is on April 17, featuring Senate Min. Ldr. Mark Johnson, House DFL Flr. Ldr. Jamie Long, Senate Asst. Maj. Ldr. Nick Frentz and House GOP Flr. Ldr. Harry Niska in a mid-session discussion moderated by Blois Olson and presented by Fluence Advisory. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/4lWWmFM
NEWPORT: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The Newport City Council has given preliminary plan approval for a new single-family home development in the northern part of the city. Summergate Development, based in Lakeville, is proposing a residential development of 73 homes to be called Eastridge Heights. … Prices will range from around $650,000 to $1 million-plus. … Construction at the site is slated to begin in early summer; home construction should begin spring of next year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47LhokV
ST CLOUD: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “After rigorous interviews and conversations around town last fall, Greg Tomso [said] staff, alumni, business people and boosters had dropped any pretense in describing what they wanted in a new president to revitalize St. Cloud State University. … Tomso, now in the job for three months, is moving to fulfill their demands. He convened a first-of-its-kind group of school and community leaders who are tackling SCSU’s problems together. He’s also making difficult decisions on layoffs, dedicating more resources to student retention and lobbying to get money to revamp campus by removing unused buildings to create green space.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PJDbmX
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “The state’s largest homebuilder is asking the Rochester City Council for approval of a plat for creating 108 homes on 56 acres in the city’s northwest quadrant. Lennar Homes plans to continue work started by Rochester-based DeWitz Home Builders in the existing Pebble Creek development, and the latest request is proposed as one step in a larger development project. On Monday, the City Council will be asked to approve a final plat for the project, which is Lennar’s first site development project in Rochester.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tAcZd3
HERMANTOWN: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The placement of Google’s proposed data center in Hermantown could harm healthy, newly discovered brook trout streams flowing through the area’s watershed, according to a study by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. … Hermantown has authorized a new environmental study of the data center site, following a lawsuit by a grassroots opposition group and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41UqdoV
PRODUCTIVE FARMS, STEWARDSHIP GO HAND IN HAND: via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Corn farmers are demonstrating that productive agriculture and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. Through widespread adoption of practices such as reduced tillage, cover crops, crop rotations, and targeted nutrient management, farmers have improved soil health, reduced erosion, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and protected water quality across millions of acres in Minnesota. That’s all while implementing advances in seed genetics, fertility management, and precision technology that have improved on-farm productivity.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4stHjG5 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
AHEAD
SESSION: The Minnesota Legislature is on break for Easter and Passover until tomorrow morning.
TOMORROW: Xcel Energy CEO Bob Frenzel will speak at a “1st Tuesday” forum to discuss how AI and data centers are changing the electric grid, what the future of nuclear energy looks like and more. The event is at 11:30 a.m.
(DISCLOSURE: Xcel Energy is a Fluence sponsor)
WEDNESDAY: via Essentia advisory, VERBATIM: “On Wednesday, April 8, Essentia Health-Fosston will break ground on a new emergency department. Essentia Health leaders and staff will be joined by project leaders from Kraus-Anderson to celebrate the start of construction.” The event is at 1:30 p.m.
(DISCLOSURE: Essentia is a Fluence sponsor)
NEXT WEEK: The Center of the American Experiment is hosting a “School Choice Rally” to support private school voucher legislation at the MN Capitol on Tuesday, April 14 at 12:00 noon. The event is advertised as a response to the No Kings rallies, saying in a release: “They had ‘No Kings.’ Now it’s our turn.”
APRIL 28: Gov. Tim Walz will deliver his final State of the State address before a joint session of the Minnesota Legislature on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: Rep. Erin Koegel, SEIU’s Jamie Gulley, event pro Jeannette Cleland, retired lobbyist Jan Alswager
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.