Lynx and Twins lost.
Here are Jason DeRusha’s new food ratings from Day 1 at the State Fair. MNMONTHLY: http://fluence-media.co/45x80AJ
Minnesota may see the coolest August temperatures in eight years this weekend. FORECAST: http://fluence-media.co/3HCCeZW
A record-breaking 451 pieces of crop art are on display at the State Fair this year. PHOTOS: http://fluence-media.co/479pwMu
The State Fair’s pedestrian bridge has been removed for 2025 over structural concerns. BMTN: http://fluence-media.co/4mNUkHa
Stop by and say hello, Sunday Take will be live at the Fair both Sunday mornings. This Sunday a bipartisan conversation with Rep. Keith Allen and Sen. Doron Clark. Join me live at 9AM at WCCO Radio at the Fair.
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AUDIENCE: Sponsorships are available to reach over 30,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheets and website, TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com.
Sunday Take featured Molly Coleman discussing her election to the St. Paul City Council and Rep. Kaohly Her sharing why she’s running for St. Paul mayor. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3UBcf7Y
MAYOR: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “After a chaotic and controversial endorsement of State Sen. Omar Fateh for mayor in Minneapolis' DFL Convention in July, the party is reconsidering…DFL Party Chairman Richard Carlbom released a statement Thursday afternoon saying the convention's rules and bylaws were not followed, and they are vacating the endorsement of Fateh. CARLBOM: “After a thoughtful and transparent review of the challenges, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee found substantial failures in the Minneapolis Convention’s voting process on July 19th, including an acknowledgement that a mayoral candidate was errantly eliminated from contention," says Carlbom. "As a result, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee has vacated the mayoral endorsement."…WCCO Political Analyst Blois Olson says going back to the convention, there were several issues that cropped up. OLSON: "One was the voting system. That was very tough for delegates to use," says Olson. "Then there was an inappropriate drop of a candidate because of the voting system. And then finally there was not quorum remaining at the convention when Omar Fateh was endorsed, only by a raise of ballot credentials or your name tag from the delegates. So multiple reasons that the state DFL has said that they've revoked the endorsement of Omar Fateh." READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mYrqEw
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Along with revoking [Omar] Fateh’s endorsement, the state DFL committee barred the Minneapolis DFL from holding another endorsing convention this year. It also placed the Minneapolis DFL on probation for two years and said it must be supervised by the state DFL’s executive committee during that period. The Minneapolis DFL must submit best practices and compliance plans to the state party for approval.” Additionally, the Minneapolis park board endorsements from the same July convention will all stand. READ: http://fluence-media.co/4lFZyDQ
REPORT: The DFL’s draft report on the endorsement is available to read online. A final report will be released later today. DRAFT: http://fluence-media.co/4732cQx
RESPONSE: via a Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey statement, FREY: “I am proud to be a member of a party that believes in correcting our mistakes, and I am glad that this inaccurate and obviously flawed process was set aside. I look forward to having a full and honest debate with Senator [Omar] Fateh about our city's future, with the outcome now resting squarely where it should — with all the people of Minneapolis.”
MORE: Sen. Omar Fateh’s campaign sent a fundraising email to supporters regarding the DFL’s un-endorsement. EXCERPT: “When the party insiders and donors can’t win with the people, they turn to money and lawyers. … [Jacob] Frey’s allies have had a team of pro bono lawyers and party insiders working around the clock for weeks to overturn the will of thousands of Minneapolis caucus goers. … They’re leaning on their insiders because they know they still don’t have the people.”
MORE: via Mike Erlandson, former DFL Chair and lead challenger to the endorsement, ERLANDSON: “This was an anti-democratic convention designed to manipulate results, not reflect the will of the delegates. … We will not allow Minneapolis DFL insiders to run coordinated campaigns on the back of endorsements produced through fraud. This is a victory for every delegate who refused to be silenced and for every citizen who believes democracy belongs to the people, not party insiders.”
PUSHBACK: via news release from Rep. Ilhan Omar’s campaign, VERBATIM: “Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) joined a group of Minneapolis DFL elected officials to condemn the DFL Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee’s decision to revoke the endorsement of Omar Fateh. A full list of signers is included below the statement…. We strongly condemn the DFL’s Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee’s (CBRC) decision to revoke the DFL endorsement from Omar Fateh. Last month, thousands of caucus-goers and delegates across Minneapolis gathered to participate in the Minneapolis DFL Convention. Now, a month later, a small group of DFL board members, a majority living outside Minneapolis, met privately to overturn the will of Minneapolis delegates who volunteered, organized, and participated in a months-long DFL process. It is inexcusable to overturn the results weeks after the convention because board members did not like the outcome. Not only does this decision set an extremely dangerous precedent, it will undermine the DFL endorsing process going forward and fails to center the will of delegates.” WHO: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar , State Senator Zaynab Mohamed, State Senator Doron Clark, State Rep. Aisha Gomez, State Rep. Fue Lee, State Rep. Mohamud Noor, State Rep. Sydney Jordan, State Rep. Esther Agbaje, Hennepin County Commissioner Irene Fernando, Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene, Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley, City Council President Elliott Payne, City Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai, City Council Member Jamal Osman, City Council Member Jason Chavez, City Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, Minneapolis School Board Member Greta Callahan.”
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On Monday, Fluence Advisory hosted a cannabis forum on the “State of Cannabis in Minnesota including an interview with Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management Eric Taubel.
DFL: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Minnesota House Democrats will elect a new leader on Sept. 8, according to multiple DFL sources. The House DFL caucus has been leaderless since Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman was killed on June 14. … The top contenders are Reps. Zack Stephenson of Coon Rapids and Jamie Long of Minneapolis, who are both already in caucus leadership roles. Other names in the mix are Reps. Tina Liebling of Rochester, Dave Pinto of St. Paul and Cheryl Youakim of Hopkins. The DFL legislators will meet via Zoom a few days prior to the Sept. 8 caucus election so candidates can make the pitch to their colleagues.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3Ve66yK
NOTE: A fundraiser at the Twins game for the House DFL was missing both Reps. Zack Stephenson and Jamie Long.
SIMON: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says the state's tradition of mail-in voting is solid, despite President Donald Trump's push to abolish the practice nationwide. Simon [said] at the Minnesota State Fair Thursday that it's a secure system, with strict rules that require voters to submit personal, protected information at two different points in the process. … Simon also says Minnesota will not be complying with a recent request from the Trump Administration for detailed voter information.” QUOTE: “Both Minnesota law and federal law here say what my course of action needs to be, which is what I've just described. We've got privacy around that data in Minnesota, and even under federal law.” READ/LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/3HJhKP4
ICYMI: Yesterday’s lunch take featured extensive coverage and photos from the first day of the Minnesota State Fair. READ: http://fluence-media.co/4mMPqdA
TAKE: Numerous people who listened to Gov. Tim Walz interview on WCCO Radio overwhelmingly sensed he’s not going to run for re-election. The reality may be that Walz doesn’t want to run again, but the pressure to run is keeping him from making his decision public. The reality is that while the DFL has dominated statewide races and has an edge next year – the party dynamics are going to be very different. The potential for a tough Senate primary between Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan sets up a scenario that party leaders and donors don’t want – an added contentious gubernatorial primary.
A gubernatorial would sap resources and create intra-party fissures that would be tougher to overcome. The intra-party issues are worse today than they were yesterday when the state DFL revoked the Minneapolis DFL’s endorsement. DFL Chair Richard Carlbom will be tested to find unity, as the DSA and far left DFLers will hold a deep grudge going into 2026.
Carlbom and the DFL leaders may be wise to do away with the endorsement, and downplaying the caucuses, to avoid the drama. Afterall, party leaders have been hoping to move away from caucuses and have a June primary for years. A concept some Republicans would like to do too.
Walz decision deserves to be on his terms, but if he doesn’t have the fire, or a refreshed vision of the state, it could be painful to watch him give a half-effort for the next year.
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UMN: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The union representing more than 1,400 University of Minnesota service workers is urging its members to vote ‘no’ on the university’s ‘last, best and final’ offer, raising the likelihood of a strike as students begin the fall semester. … Workers will vote on the proposal by mail and in person over the next week, with votes to be counted the day the university’s offer expires on Sept. 5. In the event that members follow their union leaders’ cue and reject the offer, workers could head to the picket lines or decide to go back to the negotiating table.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4mXUBHN
TRANSIT: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “A final decision on federal funding for the Blue Line Extension could still be more than a year away, but a leading member of Congress from Minnesota is stepping up his calls to kill the controversial light rail project before construction ever begins. U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., now predicts the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will decline to cover more than $1 billion of the Blue Line Extension’s projected $3.2 billion price tag. … The FTA has not responded to requests for comment about Emmer’s prediction, [but] the congressman has already counted victories with two other commuter rail lines that he targeted as ‘financially irresponsible.’” EMMER: “They’re going to put the dollars, the limited dollars that the federal government has, to the best use possible. That is not trains.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/47CYNbm
ELECTIONS: Via Star Tribune, Gov. Tim Walz told reporters that the electoral college is one of the topics he will discuss with the Democratic National Committee during their meetings in Minneapolis next week. Last year, Walz criticized the electoral college during his vice presidential campaign before publicly walking back his statements. WALZ: “I think we cannot run presidential campaigns in seven states, and I think every state needs to be relevant. So, I'll have my discussion again about the Electoral College. I think you have to have a discussion around that to make people feel more engaged.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3JqEDYc
SUMMER SAVINGS: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “Home cooling can account for about half of your summertime electric bill. Here are five simple, effective ways to boost energy efficiency in your home and save money.
1. Ceiling fans cool you, not the room.
2. When away, adjust your thermostat.
3. Hot air belongs outside.
4. Cook smarter to stay cooler.
5. Let nature dry your clothes — plus, your chores can wait until evening.”
(SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
FEED FRAUD: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Said Farah, a defendant in the first Feeding Our Future trial who was found not guilty in the underlying fraud case, pleaded guilty on Thursday to trying to bribe a juror. … Farah, 43, became the last of the five [bribery suspects] to plead guilty. … Since 2022, federal prosecutors have charged 73 people with taking part in a conspiracy centered around the now-defunct Twin Cities nonprofit Feeding Our Future.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4fO5Q2R
POT: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management has now licensed several retailers, but none of them have opened because they have no cannabis to sell. State law requires they only sell cannabis grown in Minnesota, but cultivators were in line for licenses with everybody else, so the first crop can't come until this fall. Other sources — like tribes and medical cannabis providers — are not ready to distribute cannabis either, so retailers are left holding the bag.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/4oLd0Jh
MORE: via a DEED press release, VERBATIM: “DEED today announced $3.6 million in funding to help businesses enter Minnesota's new adult-use cannabis industry, and to train workers for jobs in the cannabis field. Two of DEED's programs – CanNavigate and CanStartup – will provide technical assistance and increase access to capital for business owners looking to start and expand cannabis businesses in Minnesota. The third – CanTrain – provides grants to workforce training organizations.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3Vj9F6J
HOCKEY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “On Thursday in Edina, Andrew Heydt and a ‘who’s who’ of Minnesota hockey took to a stage to announce plans to open a Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame in the Twin Cities area by spring 2028. If built, the roughly $70 million project will be funded by a combination of backing from a development partner, corporate sponsorships and contributions. Heydt, a former team services professional with the Minnesota Twins and Wild, will serve as president of the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame. … Envisioned in artist renderings presented to media Thursday, the 120,000-square-foot facility would be located in a Twin Cities suburb announced at a later date.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3Jt3jzm
MPLS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Public Works says a years-long safety issue is on the mend, and the department is on track to complete the project under budget. Traffic Division Project Manager Joe Laurin oversees street light maintenance for public works. As of late May, he was saddled with a backlog of 450 street light outages after copper wire was ripped from them. That’s when the city council approved using $1 million of the city’s contingency fund to turn the lights back on. [Now], Laurin said public works has repaired about 300 of the lights, with roughly 150 left to go. ‘We are tracking to get that number very close to zero by the end of the year,’ Laurin said.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/45LDulg
ST PAUL: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The recent closing of a St. Paul pain clinic is causing both physical and emotional headaches for patients. In a letter to patients sent earlier this summer, Allina Health announced the permanent closure of the United Pain Center, [saying] the closure was a result of ‘significant staffing issues.’ … While the closure of the pain center is the first of its kind locally, it does follow a trend of health systems citing costs and staffing to cut services. … Colleen Zufall, of Isanti, is among the affected patients, and she said it's been difficult to move forward. ‘I don't want to be asking doctors all over the place to give me narcotics because then they think you're a drug seeker,’ Zufall said.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/45Ts0fU
WASH CTY: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Washington County residents have the chance to weigh in on how county parks are funded in the future. The county launched an online survey asking people about their park usage and options for park funding. The parks director said it is the first time they have issued a public survey on this topic. The questions include whether to increase vehicle permit fees, increase property taxes or neither. The survey also asks how much more money people would feel comfortable paying for either option.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/4fRBDAb
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO CELEBRATE: Flint Hills Resources and its employees are proud of the company they keep, including many community partners that help make Minnesota a better place to live and learn. Not only is the Pine Bend refinery celebrating 70 years, many of the company’s long-time partnerships have milestones in 2025 — 25 years of the Flint Hills Family Festival in partnership with the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 25 years with Friends of the Mississippi River to restore critical habitat, 30 years with the Minnesota Zoo, and 40 years with Ducks Unlimited. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3ZfDkjY (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
LYON CTY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Once again, residents across southern Minnesota are cleaning up after severe weather this summer. … In Lyon County, a powerful storm system over the weekend brought high winds that exceeded 70 miles per hour and torrential rain that dumped about half a foot of water. … In response, the Lyon County Board signed its second state of emergency declaration of the summer. … The county’s emergency management director, Emily Coequyt, said the weekend storm caused at least $60,000 in damage to public infrastructure, with the full assessment to come when roads are no longer underwater.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4lGu3JZ
ST CLOUD: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Eleven of the St. Cloud Area School District’s 18 school buildings had work done over the summer, [said] Matthew Boucher, district executive director of operations. … Boucher updated the ISD 742 school board during its [latest] meeting on how the construction projects were going. … Superintendent Laurie Putnam also told the board [that] the district is seeing an increase in enrollment. … The district’s projected kindergarten enrollment for the school year was 680 students. However, there are currently 759 students enrolled, which led the district to hire two new teachers, Putnam told the board.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4fRh4DW
LINO LAKES: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Elevated levels of lead were found in three of 10 water samples taken from the Lino Lakes prison. … The Department of Corrections [said] the prison has been part of a state-mandated water surveillance program after lead levels were detected there in 2023. … The DOC says it immediately shared the results with the inmates and staff and passed along MDH guidance on how to reduce lead exposure. The state aims to replace lead pipes in aging public infrastructure by 2033, the DOC said.” READ/WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/4lCRMdO
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
WALZ: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “Is Governor Tim Walz (DFL) planning to run for the office for a third consecutive term? ‘Come on, you're here on WCCO Radio, we want to hear it,’ asked Vineeta Sawkar on the Morning News Thursday at the Minnesota State Fair. ‘I do have a big announcement,’ said Walz. ‘The bison meatball sub at Farmers Union is to die for. So go have that one.’ Probably not the answer Minnesota was looking for, but Walz yet again kicked that can down the road, saying he's not to the point of making a decision yet.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4lHlYVk
KLOBUCHAR: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “We had the chance to sit down with Senator Amy Klobuchar and chat about a variety of topics from the recent New York Times op ed, a recent viral and vulgar deep fake video, does she think [Gov. Tim] Walz will run again for governor and more.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/41MpeYm
MEDIA: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Ted Almen woke up with back spasms in the middle of the night Tuesday. As terrible as the pain was, the deadline clock for his Kerkhoven Banner newspaper to go to press wasn’t going to stop ticking. … The Almens are the only full-time staffers at their paper. About 16 miles to the west in Benson, the Anfinson family runs the Swift County-Monitor News. Another 25 miles further west is the Appleton Press run by the Ehrenberg family. All three of the local, family-owned newspapers operate in a county with fewer than 10,000 residents, making Swift County’s news density notable in a time when local sources aren’t a given.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47HE4Dh
TODAY: Gov. Tim Walz will be at the State Fair again today,
TODAY: via Flanagan for Senate, VERBATIM: “Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan announced U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) will head to Minnesota to support Flanagan’s campaign for U.S. Senate. The two will hold a rally in Minneapolis on August 22nd to share their plans on how to change the status quo in Washington.”
TODAY: via Citizens League, VERBATIM: “Reps. Dave Baker and Mary Frances Clardy pioneered the Minnesota Legislative Exchange on the program’s inaugural visit [in June], and will also be the first bipartisan pair of legislators to complete a reciprocal trip. … Baker and Clardy will be spending the day together in the Inver Grove Heights area, visiting with civic and community leaders; touring local businesses and community organizations; and building camaraderie.” The pair will be available for interviews at 2:15 p.m.
TODAY-SUN: via U.S. Navy advisory, VERBATIM: “At the Minnesota State Fair, the U.S. Navy will showcase its new Strike Group multi-scenario, mobile mixed-reality experience, which is designed to demonstrate the breadth and depth of Navy STEM careers. … Players will test their skills on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in a five-person mixed-reality game.” The event runs 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. each day.
SUN-WED: The Democratic National Committee will hold a number of meetings in Minneapolis from Sunday, Aug. 24 to Wednesday, Aug. 27, beginning with a welcome reception at the State Fair hosted by DNC Chair Ken Martin at 6:00 p.m. SCHEDULE: http://fluence-media.co/3HcuwFv
TUESDAY: Primaries for the upcoming special elections in Senate Districts 29 and 47 will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 26. The winners of these primaries will be on special election ballots Nov. 4.
SEPT 3-4: The Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture is hosting two virtual sessions to gather public input and ideas for the 2026 legislative session. The first is Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 12:00 noon. The second is Thursday, Sept. 4 at 5:00 p.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/46W26Kr
BDAYS: Hospitality MN’s Angie Whitcomb, MN Corn’s Adam Birr, fmr. Sen. Ember Junge, writer Steve Dornfeld. SAT: business guy Andrew Eklund, public affairs guy Todd Rapp, SUN: social media consultant Arik Hanson, Mille Lacs leader Jamie Edwards, food and drink aficionado Dan Bredahl turns 50!
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