Timberwolves win. Vikings do what they do.
Anthony Edwards was fined $50,000 for making an “obscene gesture” during Sunday's Timberwolves game. FOX: https://fluence-media.co/4fRA6IM
The Golden Gophers have earned their first women’s AP Top 25 ranking since 2019. WCCO: https://fluence-media.co/4akyp5A
Special Counsel Jack Smith released the first part of his report on President-elect Donald Trump via Politico, VERBATIM: “Trump is only off the hook, the special counsel wrote, because he won back the White House in 2024, forcing the Justice Department to shut down the historic prosecution.” POLITICO: https://fluence-media.co/40vOstL
From MinnPost’s Peter Callaghan, Minnesota is the first state in the U.S. to ever begin a legislative session without clear partisan majorities in either chamber. READ: https://fluence-media.co/40veoG5
At 7:20 House Republican Leader Lisa Demuth, and at 8:20 Republican Senate Leader Mark Johnson will join Vineeta Sawkar on WCCO Radio. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/WCCOLive
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On Sunday Take House Leaders Lisa Demuth and Melissa Hortman were guests to discuss the upcoming legislative session, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3DOnWD0
LASTEST: House DFL and Republican leaders met late into the evening, and they are reconvening at 9AM to attempt to find a last-minute deal.
TODAY: The Minnesota Legislature will begin its 2025 session today at 12:00 noon. A primary for the special election in Senate District 60 will conclude tonight — check tomorrow’s morning take for results.
5QUESTIONS: via MPR News, “Five key questions as the Minnesota Legislature starts its session.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DTYBI2
MEETING: Via Pioneer Press, GOP and DFL House leaders held a private meeting last night to try negotiating a last-minute power-sharing agreement. VERBATIM: “DFL House Speaker Designate Melissa Hortman said she hoped Republicans might accept a deal where they’d temporarily assume the majority on Tuesday, and then revert to a previously negotiated power-sharing agreement if the 67-67 tie returns [in February]. No agreement had been reached as of late Monday. … Secretary of State Steve Simon, a DFLer, said he would adjourn the House [today] if there aren’t enough votes for speaker…meaning the House may not conduct any business on the first day.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fYWFuW
QUORUM: As seen in yesterday’s lunch take, House GOP Leader Lisa Demuth sent a letter to Sec. Steve Simon criticizing his view that the Minnesota Legislature requires 68 members for quorum. Now, Simon has written a response letter saying he disagrees with Demuth’s legal arguments and his original opinion stands. EXCERPT: “You point to the debates and proceedings of the Republican delegates during the Minnesota Constitutional Convention. [But] any interpretation of the Constitution must start with the text and structure of the Constitution, rather than the records of the Constitutional Convention.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/3Wdo0CU
MORE: Yesterday’s letter from Rep. Lisa Demuth to Sec. Steve Simon is available to read online. LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/4hf746L
RECALLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Republicans have started a pressure campaign against Democrats, running ads in swing districts and promising to seek recalls against anyone who doesn’t show up at the start of session. … Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash and lawyer Ryan Wilson say they need to initially collect 25 signatures for each petition to submit to the state Supreme Court. If the court determines the grounds are valid, then it will turn over the petitions to a special master for review. … If the DFLers don’t show, Wilson said they will seek to recall the legislators for ‘nonfeasance.’ … The Republicans say they will pursue the petitions even if the DFLers show up for work later.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3C3poRF
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “DFL House leadership held a news conference Monday afternoon defending their plan to withhold a quorum. House Speaker-designate Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, expressed particular concern about Republicans’ intention to remove [Steve] Simon as presiding officer [and pursue recalls].” HORTMAN: “We’re very concerned that Republicans appear to be escalating this situation to the point that they’re going to take unlawful action on the first day. … If the Republicans declare kangaroo court and they're going to violate Minnesota statutes…we may have to consider recall petitions [against Republicans] for malfeasance.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Wjdcmu
NEW ADS: via Renew Minnesota, VERBATIM: “Today, Renew Minnesota announced the launch of a hard-hitting ad campaign pressuring DFL legislators to fulfill their duties and show up for work during the critical opening weeks of the 2025 legislative session. The campaign, featuring digital advertisements and targeted text messaging, focuses on vulnerable DFL legislators.” Renew Minnesota lists four examples of vulnerable representatives: Rep. Lucy Rehm (D-Chanhassen), Rep. Kari Rehrauer (D-Coon Rapids), Rep. Brad Tabke (D-Shakopee) and Rep. Andy Smith (D-Rochester). READ: https://fluence-media.co/40wpXg6 SEE: https://fluence-media.co/40gviqn
DHS: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today announced the resignation of Jodi Harpstead, Commissioner of the Department of Human Services (DHS). Harpstead will depart her position effective February 3, 2025.” WALZ: “I am especially proud of how Commissioner Harpstead supported the enterprise-wide work to separate DHS into three separate agencies, which will make each of them more effective, more accountable, and easier to manage.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/428538n
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “[Jodi Harpstead’s] departure…comes as the department has once again come under scrutiny for fraud in programs it oversees and as DHS is being split into three entities — a historic shake-up to the state’s largest agency. … The department, which serves some of Minnesota’s most vulnerable populations, has long been dogged by financial abuse of its programs. … A DHS spokeswoman said it was Harpstead’s decision to leave.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WhiEqc
RESPONSE: via a Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson statement, JOHNSON: “This is a prime opportunity for Governor Walz to demonstrate he will take fraud seriously. A new commissioner must create a culture of accountability, support investigatory activity, and make proper use of taxpayer dollars. They must hold grant recipients, state employees, and themselves to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.”
INSIGHT: Harpstead was likely to be called to Senate or House hearings on fraud. Now the Walz administration has removed her from questioning.
LEADERS: MPR News hosted all four Minnesota caucus leaders — House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman, House GOP Leader Lisa Demuth, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy and Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson — for joint interviews about the upcoming legislative session. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3DQGP8l
MORE: House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman told WCCO Radio yesterday that she had previously met her GOP counterpart Lisa Demuth on Sunday as well. Hortman put the odds at “50-50” on whether the DFL caucus will be in the House chambers today. HORTMAN: “Democrats have offered a compromise that would allow Republicans to conduct themselves as though they are a majority…for the weeks of the session where they have that one-seat edge, and then after we return to 67-67, we would revert to the power sharing agreement that we negotiated. … I'm very hopeful that we'll resolve this, [but] generally it's the last minute when folks reach an agreement.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3BWc4yx
MORE: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “[Rep. Lisa] Demuth told WCCO-TV that she would entertain last-minute negotiations, but Democrats' decision to take the oath of office [Sunday] had ‘tainted’ those discussions.” DEMUTH: “I think that is incredibly disrespectful to the constituents, to the voters and the people of Minnesota, and to the House of Representatives as an institution.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/40iLmbp
TABKE: As seen in yesterday’s morning take, every member of the DFL House caucus except Curtis Johnson (40B) participated in a private swearing-in ceremony Sunday — including Rep. Brad Tabke (54A), whose eligibility to serve was still being decided in an ongoing court case. Attorneys for Tabke and Republican Aaron Paul filed briefs in response. Paul’s attorney said this was “a direct attack on this court and its authority,” but Tabke’s attorney defended the action, saying “this court’s decision is purely advisory” and it “does not have the authority to [prevent] Tabke from taking the oath of office.” PAUL: https://fluence-media.co/40gu5PT TABKE: https://fluence-media.co/42dBuSP
MITCHELL: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Becker County Attorney Brian W. McDonald objects to state Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s motion to delay the start of her trial until after the legislative session ends in the late spring, according to a court filing. Mitchell’s jury trial is scheduled to start in just two weeks. … A Becker County judge will hear the arguments from both sides on the defense motion to continue the trial on Tuesday afternoon. The judge will allow [Mitchell] to attend Tuesday’s hearing remotely after a request by the defense.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/42dFWRx
PRIMARY: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “[It’s] primary election day for residents in the northeastern parts of Minneapolis as they decide [which] party will have control of the Minnesota State Senate. … Senate District 60 covers parts of Northeast Minneapolis, Cedar-Riverside and the area near the University of Minnesota, a heavily blue part of the city that will likely remain in DFL hands after a special election. … DFL candidate Mohamed Jama's name will be on the ballot, but he has since dropped out of the race. The City of Minneapolis said any votes cast for him will not be counted.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/40w95pF
UMN: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota president and the Board of Regents [outlined] their budget priorities on Monday, including a request of $235 million from the state. That money, if approved, will be used next year, and regents say tuition will need to increase without the funding. … $120 million will be used to invest in 26,000 employees living across the state, with another $30 million used for [aiding] more than 70,000 students. … Another $40 million will be for research, specifically in the biomanufacturing, agriculture, green energy and aerospace industries. There’s another $45 million for helping health science programs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PyPH5f
MORE: via an RCAC release, VERBATIM: “The Regent Candidate Advisory Council (RCAC) voted [to] recommend 14 candidates to the Regent Nomination Joint Legislative Committee for final consideration of election to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. The Joint Legislative Committee selects one candidate for each open Regent seat and submits this slate of candidates for consideration by the full Legislature sitting in Joint Convention. … The RCAC received a total of 40 applications for the four regent seats and interviewed 22 candidates.” Notable names on the list include Ellen Luger in CD5, and statewide candidates John Gibbs, Dan Wolter and fmr. interim U of MN President Jeff Ettinger. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3DMKDrd
DNC: via CBS News, VERBATIM: “A leading candidate to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee is heading into the final weeks of the campaign with a broad coalition of party faithful supporting him. The campaign for Ken Martin, the leader of Minnesota's arm of the Democratic Party, first revealed to CBS News that the Midwesterner now has 51 endorsements around the country from current state party chairs and vice chairs, including more than 20 who had not been publicly known.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3E3thq8
BRINGING SAFETY TO ‘THE NEXT LEVEL’: As part of Enbridge’s work on the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation in northern Minnesota, Enbridge has brought in family-owned and Indigenous-owned Northern Lights Family Outfitters to fully outfit project workers right on the job site with personal protective equipment (PPE) from its 48-foot mobile trailer. “Enbridge really brings safety to the next level,” says Patti, a project liaison for Enbridge and the Fond du Lac Band. “It’s really helpful to have a mobile unit, especially for this kind of work.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3OQYmjn (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
MPLS: Minneapolis Councilmember Latrisha Vetaw announced she is running for re-election.
ST PAUL: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Going into Christmas week, MinnPost was still trying to figure out which version of the [St. Paul] budget would be sent to the state Dec. 30: the first one passed by the City Council or a later version that included line-item vetoes by Mayor Melvin Carter. … The mayor claimed the council was a day too late to override his vetoes, [and] last week, Carter’s office restated in an email that the mayor’s line-item-vetoed budget had prevailed and the council’s override vote was rendered moot. … However, [Council President Mitra] Jalali maintained that the council had successfully overridden the budget. … MinnPost has [not clarified] this discrepancy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hgWiNH
FEED FRAUD: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The ‘main event,’ so to speak, in the Feeding our Future case is coming up [on Feb. 3]. … Four defendants set to stand trial include a former aid to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, the former owners of Safari Restaurant, [and] Aimee Bock, the former executive director of the nonprofit Feeding our Future. … Prosecutors say testimony in the upcoming trial will show [Bock] helped owners Salim Said and Abdulkadir Nur Salah set up Safari Restaurant as a meal site that [collected] $16 million in federal aid. … The four defendants are scheduled to be in court Thursday for the final pre-trial conference, then the trial is set to get underway on Feb. 3.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3WhvHYE
HOSPITALS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Access to health care when we need it most is something many of us have come to count on, but many communities are seeing cuts to services that limit that access. … [There’s] a growing trend around the state and across the country where patients are having to make tough decisions based on a hospital's stability. A months-long WCCO investigation found 19 hospitals in Minnesota slashing or relocating services since 2022, and they include everything from obstetrics to surgeries to mental health and beyond.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/409cGsu
(DISCLOSURE: Essentia Health is a client of Fluence Advisory)
ACCESS: via a Duluth News Tribune Editorial, EXCERPT: “Staff vacancies in Minnesota hospitals were nearly 13% this year, compared to about 4.7% pre-pandemic in 2019, according to the Minnesota Hospital Association. Making matters worse, nearly half of Minnesota nurses work part-time now, health systems outside the Twin Cities saw a 22% increase in nurse departures this year compared to last year, and a fourth of all doctors in the state will reach retirement age or turn older in the next decade. HERMAN: “The health care system was designed for the many to pay for the few, and the many to take care of the few. And we’ve flipped that upside down now where it’s the few paying for the many, and now it’s the few caring for the many,” Essentia’s Dr. David Herman said. Put simply, we’re older, patients and health care providers alike; sicker, with more chronic diseases that are expensively treatable; and living longer, which only adds to the burden on an already overtaxed system. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3C6sNix (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
POT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management on Monday published a draft of proposed rules for its upcoming cannabis industry. … Once the public comment period ends, the state will make changes to the proposed rules ‘based on reasonable feedback,’ a statement said. The Office of Cannabis Management will submit the updated draft to a state judge and then to the Secretary of State’s office and the governor. Gov. Tim Walz will have 14 days to issue vetoes to the rules. Afterwards, the rules will be adopted – which is anticipated to happen in the first quarter of 2025. Once rules are adopted, business licenses can be issued.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gRTB5j
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)
TRIBES: via a Sen. Tina Smith press release, VERBATIM: “Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced two grants for Tribal communities in Minnesota to make several sections of highway safer and more accessible for travelers. … Lower Sioux Indian Community will use a $25 million grant to reconstruct approximately ten miles of County State Aid Highway 2, construct a shared-use path, and construct an electric vehicle charging station. Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians will use a $25 million grant to reconstruct approximately 1.2 miles of Minnesota State Highway 1, rehabilitate 4 miles of existing pavement on Walking Shield Road, and extend Walking Shield Road 5.6 miles to the east.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DUIzNY
UTILITIES: via a CUB press release, VERBATIM: “The Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota (CUB) is excited to announce the launch of our newly redesigned website…to help Minnesotans save money, avoid utility disconnection, and make informed choices about their home energy. The revamped platform delivers an upgraded user experience and offers enhanced resources to help people statewide explore their energy options, lower utility bills, and better understand Minnesota energy policies.” WEBSITE: https://fluence-media.co/42819wf
ILLNESS: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “It wasn't just your imagination: A lot of people really were sick over the holidays, and we finally have numbers to prove it. Twin Cities hospitals have been packed as influenza spikes and COVID-19 and RSV cases rise. From Dec. 29 to Jan. 4, metro hospitals admitted more people with influenza than any week in at least the previous five years, according to the latest Minnesota Department of Health data.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3E3qhtQ
FARMINGTON: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Farmington city officials entered into a non-disclosure agreement with a data center developer more than six months before residents learned of a plan to build a sprawling facility on the outskirts of town, raising questions about transparency surrounding the controversial project. Five city leaders in October 2023 signed the three-page document, which the Minnesota Star Tribune obtained through a public records request. It bars them from sharing information about the project…including discussions related to service requirements and utility capacity.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ahONng
ELY: via a Rep. Pete Stauber press release, VERBATIM: “Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) sent a letter to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) urging the agency not to revoke the Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital’s (EBCH) designation as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH).” STAUBER: “Not only is the decision to take away the Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital’s Critical Access Hospital designation based on a technicality that is not accurate, but it would do significant harm to the Ely community.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gJmJLX
CHATFIELD: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “As Chatfield residents get ready to vote on a referendum in February, opinions are divided about whether granting the school district funding for a new gymnasium is worth the overall cost it will have for local taxpayers. Chatfield Public Schools held an information session on the proposal on Monday, Jan. 13. It’s just one of several that will be held in the lead-up to the referendum on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Voters will decide whether to approve an $11.03 million bond to finance the proposed gym. The school district says it has started to feel the crunch from having to work all its athletic programs and physical education classes around its already limited space.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4anPCuL
WILD ABOUT READING: More than 500 Minnesota classrooms and 15,000 students are participating in the “Wild About Reading” program, a partnership with Flint Hills Resources which encourages students to read more using Minnesota Wild-branded posters, reading logs, and bookmarks. Teachers set weekly reading goals and give certificates to students who complete the four-week program. Fun program incentives include classroom visits from the Wild’s mascot, Nordy – and the team dog, Rookie; a pair of tickets to a Wild home game, player signed pucks and photos; and a pizza party for a classroom. LEARN MORE: Wild About Reading SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
POT: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minnesota recreational marijuana dispensaries were supposed to open sometime in early 2025, but Sen. Mark Koran (R – North Branch) told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS there will likely be significant delays in the process. Koran said a recent court ruling stopped the issuance of licenses for people who wish to sell and grow marijuana for the adult recreational market until state lawmakers approve rules and policies for the program — which could take months. Koran also said, in his opinion, doors for those dispensaries are quite a ways off from opening soon.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4agghcU
AGRICULTURE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Once upon a time, Minnesota Democrats seemingly ran out of farm-conscious leaders. When Rep. Collin Peterson, a son of the Red River Valley and an agriculture committee chair, lost his seat in the U.S. House in 2020, he told supporters that was it for his party. ‘When I lost the election in 2020, I told some allies, ‘That’s the last time we’re ever going to have a head job in agriculture for Democrats in Minnesota,’’ Peterson said. But when Congress convened in Washington, D.C., this month, much to Peterson’s pleasant surprise, two Minnesota Democrats — Amy Klobuchar in the Senate and Angie Craig in the House — ascended to the ranking member spots on agriculture committees. What they’ll bring back to their home states will be twin-powered political leverage, ever crucial in a divided Congress.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3E4lWGP
HISTORY: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “When Democrats in the closely divided Minnesota House of Representatives signaled they might boycott the opening of the legislative session over a power-sharing dispute, it seemed like a new era of hardball politics had arrived in Minnesota. … You just need to go back to 1857 for the closest historical parallel. At the time, Minnesota was on the precipice of statehood, and lawmakers in the territorial government were arguing intensely over the proposed boundaries of the soon-to-be 32nd state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DUh9YI
ALL THE TAKES: Every day, we’re sharing significant political, business and other news in your inbox and on our new website, The Daily Agenda. If you love morning take, sign up for the other Fluence tip sheets and share our web content with your friends. SIGNUP: https://fluence-media.co/4eZwLa7
TODAY: Primaries will be held for the special election in Senate District 60.
TODAY: The Minnesota Latino Leadership Alliance (MiLLA) announced they will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. on the first day of session to discuss political priorities.
TODAY: Minnesota native Pete Hegseth and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will undergo confirmation hearings for their cabinet positions on Tuesday. In central time, Hegseth’s hearing is at 8:30 a.m. and Burgum’s is at 9:00 a.m.
TOMORROW: Former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will have a confirmation hearing for her cabinet position on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. central.
JAN 24: via a DEED advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Trade Office (MTO) is delighted to invite you to join Governor Tim Walz, Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Varilek and Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen at a luncheon event to honor this year’s recipients of the Governor’s International Trade Awards.” The event is at 11:30 a.m. in Bloomington. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4jdSQ8m
JAN 29: Via Jacob Frey for Our City, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will formally kick off his 2025 reelection campaign on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4h9lRjw
BDAYS: the MN Reformer is 5, fmr. Sen. Roger Chamerlain, St. Paul Parks leader Erica Prosser, Walz fundraiser Berrett Gall
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