Pope Francis has passed. White Smoke Watch begins.
Wild lose in Vegas. Wolves and Wild play tomorrow.
Twins are 7-15 in 4th place.
The first pro women’s rugby team in Minnesota launches its inaugural season this week. KARE: https://fluence-media.co/3EwtnY0
Paisley Park will have free admission today to mark the 9th anniversary of Prince’s death. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/4ily9p7
Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth allegedly shared military plans in a Signal group chat again. NYT: https://fluence-media.co/42BubTw
Make your Monday amazing.
Blois
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GOP Rep. Dave Baker and DFL Sen. Nick Frentz were on Sunday Take to discuss the final stretch of the legislative session. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3ElxhTu
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MNDELEGATION: Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Tom Emmer were both on CNN’s “State of the Union” yesterday to discuss immigration law, tariffs and more. Notably, they shared opposing perspectives on the controversial deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia despite court orders, with Klobuchar saying the U.S. is “getting closer and closer to a constitutional crisis” and Emmer saying that Pres. Donald Trump’s actions are “absolutely legal.”
● KLOBUCHAR: “The [courts] made clear when you have something you did wrong — which the government did here, they admitted they shouldn’t have deported [Kilmar Abrego Garcia], it was a mistake — then you make it right. … If the Justice Department won’t do anything, a court can actually appoint a prosecutor on their own — an outside prosecutor — because they have the power to hold people in contempt, [and they should]. … That’s the way our law works.” CLIP: https://fluence-media.co/4it0zO9
● EMMER: “[Kilmar Abrego Garcia] actually did have due process in an asylum hearing, where his request for asylum was rejected. … An illegal alien was transported back to El Salvador. The administration initially thought it was a mistake. Subsequently, it said it was not a mistake. … The United States can’t go in and extract people from [other] countries. This is going to be up to the president of El Salvador, not the Trump Administration.” CLIP: https://fluence-media.co/4jmj2gD
MORE: Via Washington Post, Kilmar Abrego Garcia had his request for asylum rejected in 2019, as Rep. Tom Emmer claimed yesterday, but the same judge ruled that Abrego Garcia still could not be deported because he had a “well-grounded fear of future persecution” in his home country. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jrbuJC
WALZ: Yesterday on Sunday Take, DFL Chair Richard Carlbom says he believes Gov. Tim Walz will run for re-election and shares plans the DFL has to organize in greater Minnesota. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Y7faYd
BUDGET: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “There is a budget battle brewing when the Minnesota Legislature returns to the state capitol on Monday after a week-long break, as the sprint to the finish line in mid-May begins. No matter how the final spending plans shake out, cuts are coming because of a [possible] $6 billion deficit in future years if lawmakers don't act wisely. Negotiations have already begun among legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz, [but] there are wide gaps between some of the proposals. … Former DFL Senator Dick Cohen [said] this Legislature will need to have a particularly close eye on the future budget years…because of uncertainty clouding federal funding.” COHEN: “Over the more recent years, you quite often have had legislative sessions lapse into a short special session. This year [is] tailor-made for a lengthier special session.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YbyvHQ
BONDING: via the Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “As usual, local governments, state agencies and public universities are pushing for the Minnesota Legislature to pass a big borrowing bill to fund infrastructure and maintenance projects this year…Will they get their wish? If recent history is any indication, they shouldn’t expect an all-encompassing bill… This year could be different. Republicans now have a 67-67 tie with the DFL in the House, giving them a little more bargaining power. There was optimism about a bonding deal after a meeting between Gov. Tim Walz and key leaders of both parties in the House and Senate on April 10….” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RoTRO7
MEDICAID SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF US: Medicaid keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan — regardless of income or health status — can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3FtrCuH (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
VETERANS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Two dozen people in Eagan, Minnesota on Thursday — many of them veterans themselves or who have family who served in the military — rallied against proposed workforce reductions in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Last month, the VA announced plans to cut roughly 72,000 workers. … [Michael] Brenner is one of more than 285,000 veterans in Minnesota. More than half of them are enrolled in the VA health care system, according to data from the department. He said is already noticing changes to service and worries what could follow. … Rep. Angie Craig, who represents the Second Congressional District including Eagan, stopped by to lend her support on Thursday.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43USdv7
EL SALVADOR: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Protesters gathered outside El Salvador’s consulate in St. Paul on Wednesday to demand the return of a man who was mistakenly sent to a prison in the Central American nation. … Kilmar Abrego Garcia — who is from El Salvador but had lived in the U.S. for about 14 years — was detained in Maryland last month, [but] officials with President Donald Trump’s administration later described Abrego Garcia’s deportation as ‘an administrative error.’ … Organizers estimated [the protest] drew about 500 people.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42zBOKh
SANCTUARIES: via a Rep. Brad Finstad press release, VERBATIM: “Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) introduced the Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities Act, legislation that would remove and relocate U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offices located in jurisdictions that have adopted sanctuary policies. … If an office is currently in a state that is not a sanctuary jurisdiction, it will be relocated to another area within that same state. … The [bill] defines ‘sanctuary jurisdiction’ as any state or political subdivision of a state that has in effect policies that prohibit or restrict immigration enforcement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4inXa2W
IMMIGRATION: via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “An immigration judge rejected a bid Thursday to throw out deportation proceedings against a Marshall man from Indonesia who studied business and environmental science. … Immigration Judge Sarah Mazzie said she found Aditya Harsono, 33, ‘removable under clear and convincing evidence.’ She will hear arguments on May 1 about why he should be allowed to stay in the country. … Harsono was arrested by ICE at his workplace on March 25, after the government revoked his student visa without his knowledge two days earlier.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EsHHAM
MORE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “An international student facing deportation was granted bond by a judge earlier this week. However, he will stay locked up after the Department of Homeland Security filed an appeal. … [Doğukan] Günaydın will remain in custody until his next hearing, which is scheduled for the first week of May. … He’s been detained at the Sherburne County Jail since March 27.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jvm2qo
BETTING POLL: Support is surging among Minnesotans who want legal wagering on sporting events. New polling by the Sports Betting Alliance of Minnesota indicates 60% of voters in the state support the legalization of sports betting. The survey of 1,000 Minnesota voters also revealed overwhelming support for legal wagering among 18–29-year-olds, with 75% of females and 73% of males in favor of allowing sports betting in Minnesota — something that is available in 39 states. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/49uj4OF (SPONSORED: Sports Betting Alliance)
PROTESTS: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration took to the streets in Minnesota and across the U.S. on Saturday, decrying what they see as threats to the nation’s democratic ideals. In St. Paul, a large crowd protesting Trump’s policies and the impact of climate change marched from downtown to the state Capitol carrying signs that read ‘Divest from fossil fuels’ and ‘No kings.’ An encore of the ‘Hands Off’ protest from earlier this month, Saturday’s demonstration was orchestrated by the People’s Earth Day Coalition. The Minnesota State Patrol estimated between 8,000 and 10,000 people [attended] the event.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RsHYXp
MORE: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Chants and honking cars echoed down Broadway Avenue [in Rochester] as hundreds marched from Soldiers Field Park protesting actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration. The rally, organized by Indivisible 507, was attended by an estimated 500 people on Saturday morning, April 19. The event was publicized on social media as a rally supporting veterans and constitutional rights.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RWqMtp
MORE: Via morning take’s Mike Maybay, a sign you would only see in Minnesota was spotted at Saturday’s protest in St. Paul. PHOTO: https://fluence-media.co/3GkZwCv
CONGRESS: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “A Minneapolis man has been indicted for threatening to murder a member of Congress, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota said Friday. On March 26, Michael Paul Lewis, 52, left a voicemail for the Congress member, threatening murder, a press release said. The press release didn’t identify the member but referenced the pronoun ‘her.’ It was also unclear whether the member was from Minnesota. In Minnesota, there are seven women in the state’s congressional delegation: Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith as well as Reps. Betty McCollum, Angie Craig, Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Michelle Fischbach.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Rr6t7q
MORE: The press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota is available to read online. READ: https://fluence-media.co/44x0KEC
UNION: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Negotiations kicked off [last] week between the state of Minnesota and tens of thousands of its unionized workers in what may shape up to be the most contentious round of contract talks in recent memory. … [MAPE] continues to hold protests against Gov. Tim Walz’s order for most workers to return to the office 50% of the time beginning on June 1. The union has called for a full repeal of the rule and raised the prospect of a strike, though the soonest one could happen wouldn’t be until late in the summer. … Rules on layoffs will also be a key sticking point for the two sides, as the state stares down the likelihood of large federal funding cuts on top of a gloomy budget forecast.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RsGxrZ
POT: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Over at My Little CBD Co., owner Lynn Bialick sells natural, low-dose CBD and THC products out of her Hopkins, MN home. While 4/20 is a celebratory time for her, Bialick said she is surprised at how long it's taking just to set up a cannabis marketplace. … Eric Taubel, Interim Director at the Office of Cannabis Management, said licenses will be issued in the coming weeks, thanks to recently released rules. … What will still take time is for the product supply chain to catch up with market demand. Taubel said on Sunday that he anticipates a robust cannabis market by the fall.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3EDKQxF
MPLS: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis officials announced more than $225 million in planned infrastructure improvements, including everything from reducing commute times to improving water quality. Overall, the 66 projects represent 9.3 miles of street resurfacing, 1.6 miles of street reconstruction, the reconstruction of two Greenway bridges, the replacement of 823 lead water service lines and the rehabilitation of 16 miles of water main. … Among the city’s highlighted projects: repairing and rehabilitating ‘Bridge 9’ over the Dinkytown Greenway bike trail, the second phase of a massive Hennepin Avenue reconstruction project and adding new sidewalks and other features to First Avenue.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3EuTMWd
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Feedback from the public is helping city leaders pinpoint where to focus projects designed to reduce speeding and make neighborhoods safer. It’s called traffic calming, and this is the third season of construction for projects that include speed bumps and traffic circles. … Tim Sexton, Minneapolis Public Works director, [said] this year, they’ll spend $1.5 million on projects. The city is expected to address 120 requests from the public, up from 50 last year. … Work is set to begin this summer and fall.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4it1YUV
MPRB: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “A century-old city park in south Minneapolis is getting a new name. … The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) voted to strip the name ‘Sibley’ from Sibley Park and its facilities, and tentatively rename the site as 40th Street Park. … It was named for Gen. Henry Hastings Sibley, the first regional governor of Minnesota. … A campaign to rename the park began in 2016…due to the former governor's support of violence against the Dakota people.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3RZBGyC
ST PAUL: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “For the second time in five months, the St. Paul City Council was unable to take an override vote on a veto issued by Mayor Melvin Carter due to a timing snafu. [Last week], Carter vetoed the council’s move to block trash services company FCC Environmental from using and developing a site at 560 Randolph Ave. … Generally, the council has 30 days to override a veto. That clock was still ticking, but there was a lesser-known deadline linked to a state law over zoning appeals that was fast approaching. And on the same day Carter issued his veto, that 60-day window lapsed. This means the council cannot act any more on the zoning dispute around the FCC Environmental site.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jLrS7w
IT’S POSSIBLE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY UPHOLD ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY AND GROW OUR ECONOMY: Minnesota’s lengthy and uncertain permitting process has frustrated businesses for decades. A recent report found that air permitting in Minnesota can take up to six times longer than comparable states. A coalition of business and labor groups are advocating for reform that will shorten timelines and increase certainty while maintaining our strong environmental standards. Contact your legislators and tell them to support streamlining the permitting process. CONTACT: https://fluence-media.co/3Ea5Tbe (SPONSORED: Minnesota Chamber of Commerce)
INSURANCE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “A prominent insurance company has repeatedly raised rates on Minnesotans with long-term care policies, offered policy buy-outs at a fraction of their worth, and pressured people to walk away from insurance policies they paid into for decades. … In the 1990s, long-term care insurance was a booming business. Insurance companies sold policies to tens of thousands of Minnesotans as a way to plan for the future. … However, over the last nine years, CNA has requested Minnesota to allow the company to increase rates on consumers by up to 345%. Minnesota’s Department of Commerce rejected that request, but approved CNA to increase rates up to 97% over that same timeframe. … [Now], CNA is facing a class-action lawsuit which claims the company has ‘schemed to maximize profits and recoup losses’ at the expense of policy-holders.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43WEPGN
GUARDIANS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota does not have enough guardians ad litem, the adults designated to fight for the best interest of an abused or neglected child in court. Last year, Minnesota was poised to become the second state in the nation not to use volunteers to help do the work, favoring a shift to paid employees only. Then, amid pushback, the board overseeing the program reversed course. For the first time since the pandemic hit, a new group of eight volunteer guardians ad litem is being trained. But it will be a long road to build their diminished ranks, which have fallen from more than 260 volunteers in 2017…to just 12 people [today].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/444pwfm
MENTAL HEALTH: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Law enforcement [has] the legal authority to take a mentally ill individual into custody and transport them to a treatment facility. But police records show repeated resistance from the Golden Valley Police Department to take [a vulnerable adult] to get help. … There is nothing in Minnesota law that requires officers to honor transportation holds that are written by mental health professionals, said Sue Abderholden, executive director of NAMI Minnesota. … ‘The statute says the officer ‘may’ provide the transportation personally or may arrange to have the person transported by a suitable medical or mental health transportation provider,’ she said in an interview. ‘So it’s not ‘must’ or ‘shall,’ it’s ‘may.’’ … Abderholden said that one word is now being used to justify law enforcement’s refusal to transport people. She said her office is getting several calls every month from families, crisis workers and others with stories of police declining to take people to treatment.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Gi30FS
PUSH BACK AGAINST TAX BREAKS FOR BIG TECH DATA CENTERS: Our tax money should be going to essential services for Minnesotans, like education, health care, and infrastructure — not subsidies for billionaire owned data centers. The current tax credit has already cost our state an estimated $5 million a year since 2011. In 2025 it will be over $100 million. It’s time to stop these skyrocketing numbers. Tell your legislators, ‘No big tax breaks for Big Tech.’ LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3ErmQh8 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy)
CHARTERS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Charter schools receive more than $1 billion a year from taxpayers, but the people who run and oversee these schools often act more like members of a private club. … Administrators have put family members and other insiders on the payroll despite hiring rules and conflict-of-interest provisions. … Parents and teachers have been barred from speaking at public school board meetings. … Board members at multiple schools have gone into closed session to negotiate contracts with school leaders in violation of the state’s Open Meeting Law, [and more]. … Altogether, 53 of 91 compliance reviews conducted in the past five years documented significant governance problems in Minnesota’s charter school sector.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Y8xVKZ
TRAFFIC: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Congestion has gotten worse in Minnesota, and one study has found that an increase in the number of trucks and SUVs on the road is partly to blame. A recent study out of the University of Sydney in Australia cited research that shows trucks and SUVs tend to have longer following distances, slower speeds and longer merge times. And, according to the study, trucks and SUVs have increased in popularity in Minnesota as some drivers choose larger vehicles for enhanced safety.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RYawIp
NONPROFITS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Staff and volunteers serving up Easter lunches on Sunday at the Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place campus were a well-oiled machine. About 350 people were served for the holiday meal. … This year, the holiday tradition was shadowed by a financial pinch facing nonprofits across the country. In its latest report from an annual survey, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits said the vast majority of organizations faced a threat to financial stability, and 79% of organizations are ‘less than 12 months’ from financial distress. … [But] despite the statewide statistical trend, donations to Catholic Charities have grown by about $1.5 million over the last two years.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4jBUFel
LISTENING, LEARNING AND REDEFINING INDIGENOUS PARTNERSHIPS: “We want to build partnerships with Indigenous Nations. We continue to listen to and learn from Indigenous leaders and communities, and that’s informing how we engage communities in B.C. and across North America,” said CEO Greg Ebel of Enbridge’s approach to be the “first-choice partner” for Indigenous Nations interested in pursuing energy infrastructure opportunities. READ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3Yht20R (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
ELECTIONS: via Office of the Sec. of State, VERBATIM: “The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State held a two-day Election Security Conference for county election and IT officials at Camp Ripley in Morrison County. The conference included tabletop training exercises, panel discussions, workshops, and focus groups. Election and IT officials from 42 counties attended the conference and heard presentations from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State and state and federal partners.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42FYjgu
MORE: Sec. Steve Simon was interviewed by WCCO-TV to discuss the passage of the SAVE Act in the Republican-controlled U.S. House. If passed, the bill would require additional documentation when registering to vote, among other things. Simon said he is strongly opposed to it, calling it an unnecessary burden on eligible voters. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YDJDNI
JUDGE: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointment of Kelly Staples as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s First Judicial District. Staples will replace the Honorable David L. Knutson and will be chambered in Hastings in Dakota County. … Staples is a court-appointed counsel in paternity, child support, and civil commitment matters and a volunteer conciliation court referee in Dakota County.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4impP8v
PERMITTING REFORM FOR RESPONSIBLE INDUSTRIES: Jobs for Minnesotans is committed to advancing responsible industrial projects through a predictable, timely and transparent permitting process. Broad permitting reform for all responsible industries is essential to strengthening Minnesota’s communities and advancing our state’s clean energy future. (SPONSORED: Jobs for Minnesotans)
RAMSEY CTY: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The family of a man who died after being held in the Ramsey County jail in 2022 may soon be getting a settlement from the county. … A lawsuit argues jail staff did not report [Dillon Dean Bakke’s] condition to medical personnel. … At their next meeting on Tuesday, the Ramsey County Board will vote to approve a settlement totaling $3.6 million to Bakke's next of kin.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/42FgS4o
ORONO/LONGLAKE: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A protracted legal feud over fire services between Orono and Long Lake appears to be coming to an end, thanks to a newly announced agreement between city leaders. … The mayors of Orono and Long Lake — Bob Tunheim and Charlie Miner, respectively — announced a ‘shared vision’ to collaborate on the formation of a ‘consolidated’ inter-city fire department. This signals a breakthrough in a legal conflict that began in 2023, when Orono created its own fire department after years of receiving fire services from neighboring Long Lake.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RowjJd
HOPKINS: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “The City of Hopkins announced a proclamation to honor the accomplishments of Paige Bueckers by naming the city after her for one day next month. The city will be [officially] called ‘Paige Bueckers’ on May 16. … Bueckers played basketball at Hopkins High School before launching her professional career. Bueckers was a top pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and will play her first game of the season on May 16. … City businesses will have themed specials and air the game to celebrate the season opener.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4lAAhfH
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “A $592,000 upgrade to audio-visual equipment in the shared Rochester and Olmsted County chambers of the city-county Government Center will be reviewed Monday. The Rochester City Council will be asked to approve funding $346,000 of the cost, using the majority of the $390,000 the city has collected through quarterly cable franchise fees from Charter Communications, which provides service through the Spectrum brand. The county would also pay for about less than half the cost.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RrC34U
DULUTH: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A huge wastewater treatment plant serving Duluth and surrounding communities has installed a new system to generate electricity from the gasses captured during the sewage treatment process, part of a growing trend to harness renewable energy from waste. … The project wasn’t cheap. It cost about $19 million and took over a decade to design, plan and build. But the electricity generated will save Resource Renew about $100,000 a month on its electric bill.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cJmy1V
BOVEY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A project is underway to permanently prevent the Canisteo Mine Pit in northern Minnesota from overflowing into the nearby city of Bovey. … Bovey is directly south of the 5-mile-long pit and near one of the first spots where water could overflow. The DNR has managed water levels by pumping more than 4.7 billion gallons from the Itasca County site and is now building an outlet. When finished, it will allow water to flow to the Prairie River, maintaining Canisteo’s levels year-round without relying on seasonal pumping. Work should be mostly complete by August, the DNR said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lG46eJ
PRODUCING THE FUELS THAT HELP KEEP MINNESOTA MOVING: Flint Hills Resources, one of the Midwest’s leading producers of transportation fuels is hiring! With openings in IT, accounting, engineering, operations, procurement and asset management, Flint Hills Resources’ goal is to match talented individuals with their passions and interests to truly shine. APPLY TODAY: Flint Hills jobs (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
From Friday’s Fluence newsletters:
MNLEG: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The 2025 Minnesota Legislature got off to a slow start with a nearly month-long boycott by DFL House members, [but] that slow start will have to result in a rapid-fire finish if lawmakers are going to finish work on the budget by the May 19 deadline. So far, they’ve only passed four bills in three months. … In 2023, the previous budget year, 26 bills had passed by mid-April. … When lawmakers return to work after the Easter/Passover break next week, they’ll have 28 days left to craft a nearly $70 billion two-year budget for 2026-27. At this point, none of the budget bills are in conference committees where compromises will be worked out. … Since 2015, every legislative session where there has been divided government [has needed] a special session.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4is2qTj
ICE: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota, where a graduate student was detained and stripped of his student visa late last month, is the country’s only university actively contracted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, having leased its gun range to the agency since 2022 according to public federal spending data. A Minnesota Reformer analysis of ICE contracts also found that a gun range jointly owned by the cities of Cottage Grove and Woodbury holds one of the largest contracts for gun range leasing to ICE in the country, while a manufacturer in Anoka, Minn. provides more ammunition to the agency than any other contractor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jxDPgM
EYEWITNESSES: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “FOX 9 has obtained a copy of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office new policy on Eyewitness Identification Evidence. The 10-page policy is the first time County Attorney Mary Moriarty has put the office’s best practices into writing. Experts say faulty eyewitness identification is the leading cause of sending innocent people to prison. Moriarty tells FOX 9 her team has learned from past mistakes, including the first-degree murder conviction of Marvin Haynes that was eventually tossed out. Haynes spent nearly 20 years in prison for a Minneapolis murder he did not commit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42wIlFu
SESSION: House floor session at 12:00 noon. No Senate floor session. HOUSE: Ways & Means will hear the finance omnibus bills for agriculture, legacy, and veterans and military affairs. Higher Education hears its policy omnibus. Taxes will hear the transportation budget omnibus. SENATE: Finance hears appropriations for the Departments of Commerce, Labor & Industry, Corrections and more. Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband & Rural Dev. will hear bills on packaged food testing, Black farmers, solar, and pesticides. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/4jg7UBD
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will receive a briefing from the Minnesota National Guard.
TODAY: via City of St. Paul, VERBATIM: “Mayor Melvin Carter will deliver his 2025 State of Our City Address Monday, April 21, 10 a.m., at the new North End Community Center. … His address will highlight the city’s shared success and outline key initiatives that will guide the future of our community. Following the address, all are welcome to stay for tours of the new North End Community Center, which will begin at approximately 11:30 a.m.”
TODAY: via a Senate GOP advisory, VERBATIM: “GOP lawmakers [will hold] a press conference to sound the alarm on the surge of illegal immigrants enrolling for free health care, paid for by Minnesota taxpayers, since Democrats opened access in January.” Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, Sen. Paul Utke, Rep. Isaac Schultz and Rep. Jeff Backer will attend. The event is at 1:00 p.m.
THIS WEEK: Rep. Angie Craig announced that she will host in-person town halls outside her district next week. She will visit Grand Rapids on Monday, St. Cloud on Wednesday, Willmar on Thursday and Mankato on Friday. All events are at 6:00 p.m.
TODAY: via a Rep. Kelly Morrison advisory, VERBATIM: “Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) will hold a press conference in Zumbrota, MN announcing new efforts to continue pressuring the Trump-Vance Administration to provide immediate relief for small business owners [regarding] trade wars.” The event is at 2:30 p.m.
TODAY: Rep. Ilhan Omar announced that she will host a DFL town hall in Minneapolis on Monday, April 21. Attendees include House Majority Leader Jamie Long, Senators Omar Fateh and Doron Clark, and Representatives Esther Agbaje, Emma Greenman, Katie Jones, Sydney Jordan, Samantha Sencer-Mura, Aisha Gomez, Michael Howard, and Anquam Mahamoud. The event is at 7:00 p.m.
TODAY: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will participate in a town hall today in Hinckley, MN as part of her Senate campaign.
TODAY-TMRW: via People Not Polluters, VERBATIM: “To mark Earth Day, People Not Polluters, a partnership of 19 organizations, will deliver over 1,000 petitions to state legislative leaders at the state capitol. … On Monday, April 21 at 12:00 noon we will pull Minnesota House leaders off the floor. … On Tuesday, April 22 at 2:00 p.m. we will pull Minnesota Senate leaders off the floor and then will join the Earth Day Rally afterwards.”
TOMORROW: via a Rep. Ilhan Omar advisory, VERBATIM: “On Tuesday, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar will hold a press conference on protecting Social Security, which over 1.1 million Minnesotans rely on. She will be joined by Minnesota seniors from the Fifth District who will share personal testimonies on the potential impact of these proposed cuts.” The event is at 5:30 p.m. in St. Anthony.
TOMORROW: The DFL will host local lawmakers at a town hall in Stillwater as part of a statewide tour. Rep. Betty McCollum will attend. The event is at 6:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “On Wednesday, April 23…Governor Tim Walz will deliver the State of the State Address to a joint session of the Minnesota State Legislature, beginning at 7:00pm.”
SATURDAY: Via a joint press release, Iron Range officials — including Sen. Robert Farnsworth, Sen. Grant Hauschild and Rep. Cal Warwas — will host an event to oppose moving the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame from Eveleth, MN to the Twin Cities. The event is at 4:00 p.m. in Eveleth.
APRIL 28-29: via an FFA advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota FFA State Convention takes place at the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Monday and Tuesday, April 28 and 29. This year’s theme is Stand as One, selected by the FFA’s State Officers.”
MAY 6: via City of Minneapolis, VERBATIM: “On Tuesday, May 6, Mayor Jacob Frey will give his 2025 State of the City address at 11:30 a.m. in Minneapolis. … The address will be hosted in person and will be live streamed on the City’s YouTube page.”
MAY 12: The MN GOP announced its annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner will be held on Monday, May 12 with presidential adviser Alina Habba as the keynote speaker. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/41WJ7LK
JUNE 13: The MN DFL announced its annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner will be held on Friday, June 13 with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker as the keynote speaker. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4iiEa5R
BDAYS: lobbyist Robin Rowen, GOP operative Brad Biers, fmr. Senator and Commissioner Shiela Kiscaden, Ramsey county stalwart Darren Tobolt
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