The Stanley Cup will be a rematch of last year – Edmonton vs. Florida.
Twins at Seattle this weekend. MNUFC at Seattle Sunday. Lynx at Phoenix tonight.
Wildfire smoke will hit northern Minnesota with dangerous air quality starting tomorrow. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/44VaIju
USA Today readers ranked Gooseberry Falls in Two Harbors as the 3rd best state park in the nation. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/43E6vOW
Check out the Flint Hills Family Festival this weekend in St. Paul.
Enjoy the weather, we’ll have Sunday Take at 9AM on WCCO Radio.
Blois
TIPS: BloisOlson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured reflections on the 5th anniversary of George Floyd’s murder from activist Nekima Levy Armstrong and Star Tribune’s Andy Mannix. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4dwy7tH
Sponsorships available – to reach over 25,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheet and website www.TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com
WALZ: Gov. Tim Walz will travel to South Carolina today and speak state Democratic Party conventions in South Carolina and California tomorrow. After he speaks in South Carolina Saturday morning, Walz will travel to Anaheim to speak at the California state convention in Anaheim.
Walz’s invitation to South Carolina is notable because it’s an early primary state, and he’s not the only potential 2028 presidential contender making the rounds. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will speak at South Carolina’s convention today. Walz sources say he was invited by Rep. Jim Clyburn.
TAKE: It’s natural for Gov. Tim Walz to try to sustain a national profile after his run for Vice President. No political figure would pass up the national stage – especially this early in the cycle. Walz will want to build on a newly found national fundraising base and test his messages. The question remains, does Walz have an actual strategy, and can he find a message that is appealing beyond trashing Trump. His tweet yesterday ripping Elon Musk’s role at the federal level is tone deaf to the majority of Minnesotans who have followed and are aware of the fraud under his watch in Minnesota. He sent the tweet under his official account, another tone deaf moment that got engagement, but doesn’t have credibility from his voice.
There remains a missing awareness from Walz, and his team on key issues from his appeal to independent voters, and his own leadership style. As national Democrats spend $20 million to find a message for male voters, Walz isn’t the answer. As Walz looks to seek a third term, he will not be able to run the rose garden strategy of 2022, and his messages have to be focused on Minnesota – not national politics. And before he gets there, he still must navigate a rocky road to a budget solution and labor issues in the next month. His road isn’t clear, but his ambitions are.
STAUBER: Rep. Pete Stauber (R-8th) was a featured guest on Better Bad Ideas, the podcast hosted by Teamsters Pres. Sean O’Brien. Stauber discussed his thoughts on the current state of Minnesota politics in an episode titled “Is Minnesota done with Tim Walz?” PODCAST: https://fluence-media.co/3ZGCA7n
TAKE: While Rep. Pete Stauber has announced he is running for re-election, he remains a potential Republican candidate against Walz in 2026. Stauber could get in late to the race, as late as this fall or even January and become the immediate front runner for the GOP.
ST PAUL: Local business owner Mike Hilborn officially launched a campaign for St. Paul mayor last night during an event at Patrick McGovern’s Pub. Via his website, Hilborn’s campaign slogan is “One Saint Paul,” echoing Gov. Tim Walz’s “One Minnesota” slogan during his gubernatorial campaigns. Hilborn’s listed policy priorities include cutting property taxes by 50% and doubling the ranks of the St. Paul Police Department. WEBSITE: https://fluence-media.co/43LlS8q
BUDGET: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders met again at the capitol on Thursday afternoon to put the finishing touches on the state budget. … [During a press conference], Walz briefly addressed the status of the budget and said he now hopes to schedule a special session next week. Although he set a goal of completing most of the work by late Wednesday evening, he said the legislature still has to sort out a few more areas of the budget. … House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman said the tax bill is ‘probably the biggest outstanding bill’ in the legislature right now, along with other items such as health and education.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kAecfM
MORE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Legislators missed at least their fourth budget deadline in the last two weeks on Thursday, but with some tangible progress starting to come to light. Finalized environment and commerce bills got public viewing on Thursday, while transportation and education bills also sounded complete, but the details were mostly kept private. … Leadership predicted a full agreement soon and a special session sometime next week.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/450GWd9
BONDING: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “A bill to fund critical public works projects — including upgrading the state’s roads, protecting Minnesota’s drinking water and expanding city sewers — is dead this year, legislative leaders said Thursday. … Last year, the Legislature failed to pass a bonding bill. Democrats at the time blamed Republicans for making their necessary votes contingent on Democrats killing the Equal Rights Amendment. House DFL caucus leader Melissa Hortman on Thursday told reporters that Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, is trying the same tactics this year. … ‘There will again not be a bonding bill,’ Hortman said, laying the blame on Senate Republicans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HfZWum
RESPONSE: via a Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson statement, JOHNSON: “Bonding bills require cooperation and compromise, and that’s why our proposals have included bipartisan bills and ideas. I have not received a single counter proposal from Democrats. Democrats are the only ones unwilling to work together to pass [a] bonding bill and are playing political blame games to appease their activist base. … Democrats are ignoring our good-faith efforts at compromise, and in doing so, they ignore the needs of hardworking Minnesotans.”
MORE: On social media, Senate bonding lead Karin Housley (R-Stillwater) accused Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy of telling “one big fat lie” in response to Murphy’s claim that Senate Republicans were not “engaging on the issue” of bonding. TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4kFWt6C
UNIONS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s public employee union members are again in an uncomfortable spot. Some might get layoff notices soon due to an incomplete budget. Contract talks are off to a bumpy start, according to union officials. A return-to-office policy change sets in next week. All of it has union members riled up. Bart Andersen, executive director of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 5, [accused] elected officials of shirking their duty to keep the state operating. ‘There is no excuse for holding workers hostage due to political inaction,’ Andersen said. … Layoffs could come July 1 if parts of the new budget aren’t enacted, and some might happen anyway because of tighter agency funding.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SnlTtQ
MORE: via Megan Dayton, president of the MAPE union, STATEMENT: “Layoff notices will go out to state employees next week because the Legislature has not passed a budget. These notices may be conditional, but the harm is real. Workers will have to prepare for lost income, disrupted lives and a government shutdown. … We hoped our elected officials in Minnesota would serve as a barrier to the dysfunction and chaos coming out of Washington. Instead, they’re choosing to compound the harm by putting political gridlock ahead of the stability our state deserves.”
FIXMN: We call on our state leaders to get back to work and pass a construction jobs bill immediately. See the Fix MN Failure Counter: www.fixmn.org (SPONSORED by LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota)
MED FRAUD: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has suspended Medicaid payments to Leo Human Services, a company previously featured in a KARE 11 investigation that uncovered allegations of fraudulent billing and forged client documents. … [The company] billed Medicaid millions of dollars for services designed to help vulnerable Minnesotans secure and maintain housing, records show. But several clients told KARE 11 they never received the services for which their taxpayer-funded insurance was billed. … DHS confirmed it has active investigations into Leo Human Services, North Home Health Care, South Home Health Care, and Liberty Plus.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3SqRoTK
KEYS: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Lawmakers finalized a commerce budget deal Thursday that would give a reprieve on lead in keys and create a new ombudsperson to facilitate disputes between residents and homeowner associations. It would also boost staffing in the Department of Commerce’s securities unit, create a task force to study property insurance affordability and continue the reinsurance program that lowers premiums for residents who buy their health insurance on the individual marketplace. … The agreement proposes several changes to the state’s lead and cadmium ban, [exempting] keys containing lead equal to or less than 1.5% by total weight [and] artist materials, including paints.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/455rzAl
TRANSPORTATION: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “A transportation bill is also done, although its [details] haven’t become public. Sources from the working groups tell FOX 9 it includes funding for a study on using autonomous lawn mowers along state highways, and for a new State Patrol headquarters.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/450GWd9
ENVIRONMENT: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Several budget agreements have turned to raising fees or adding surcharges to state services to meet their lean targets, [including] the environment and natural resources budget. … An agreement would increase the aquatic invasive species surcharge for watercraft from a flat $10.60. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, surcharges would range from $14 to $62. … The DNR would also increase large groundwater-use permit fees and water appropriation permit application fees, including a rise from $150 to $600 for a business to apply for a permit. … On Thursday, the environment and natural resources working group walked through the agreement that shows those fee increases and other policy changes, plus an agreed-upon spreadsheet outlining proposed appropriations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kzDQBe
HOT TUBS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In 2021, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) published rules that described hot tubs at vacation-home rentals as ‘public pools.’ Same for residential swimming pools being rented through sharing-economy apps or other platforms. … In the years since, government agencies have been cracking down on non-compliant spas and pools in an inconsistent manner…[so] Rep. Isaac Schultz, a Republican from Elmdale Township, [has] brought what he calls the ‘free the hot tub bill’ to the Legislature, where he expects it to be included in a sweeping health budget bill in a special session.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SoR2gv
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)
SENATE RACE: via NOTUS, VERBATIM: “Democrats’ progressive and centrist factions are on track for a major showdown in Minnesota next year. In the primary to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith, two leading candidates from Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party — Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig — have emerged with clashing views of how to rebuild the party after Donald Trump’s second White House victory. … Their differing approaches are representative of a larger split in the Democratic Party in the second Trump era, as the party debates how it can recover from last November’s defeats. The Minnesota Senate primary will be an indicator of what a winning message looks like for Democrats: appealing to the center or leaning into progressivism. ‘This is a test case for the Democratic Party over the next two years,’ said Abou Amara, a Minnesota-based Democratic strategist.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45yxg9T
WFH: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Starting Monday, state workers will be coming back to the office at least 50% of the time. Some workers have complained, but there are others who are excited to have them back, especially a shop owner at the State Capitol. Eric Harms [operates] Eagle Eye Vending and Gifts on the Capitol grounds. When workers left during the pandemic, it ate away at his profitable business. … Right now, he has about 50 to 75 customers a day. ‘The store used to have 200 people come through a day before the pandemic,’ said Harms. But with the changes starting in June, Harms is ready to stock shelves.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4juaCTn
MORE: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “As Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's order for all state workers to return to the office at least 50% of the time takes effect next week, the buzz of employees in downtown Minneapolis continues to pick up. Downtown business leaders say the in-office presence is at about 70% of pre-pandemic levels. However, there's still a void without the thousands of Target Corporation employees filling the streets at lunchtime. But Minneapolis Downtown Council President and CEO Adam Duininck says they are coming back — slowly but surely.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3SXa11J
Thank You Lawmakers For Listening to Minnesotans and Funding Reinsurance without Raising Taxes on Essential Safety-Net Coverage: Now that lawmakers have come together on a bipartisan framework to fund state government that includes funding for the state’s individual healthcare market, it’s critical that lawmakers stand firm in their agreement to not create a new Minnesota Insurance Coverage Tax. Non-medical safety-net insurance products aren't a luxury. It’s coverage that provides critical protection for families during some of life’s most difficult and unpredictable moments. In the upcoming special session, please continue to stand with Minnesota families, small businesses, and seniors to ensure coverage remains accessible to those that need it most. Learn More: ProtectOurCoverage.com (SPONSORED: Minnesota Insurance and Financial Services Council)
TARIFFS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Uncertainty buffeted Minnesota business owners Thursday as the Trump Administration’s on-again, off-again tariff program experienced its latest turbulence in the courts. A day after the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that many of President Donald Trump’s tariffs are illegal, a federal appeals court handed the administration a victory [Thursday] by pausing that injunction. … Appeals might ultimately take the case to the Supreme Court. … Beth Fynbo Benike, who founded Oronoco, Minn.-based Busy Baby, [said] her small business is stuck in limbo. Although Wednesday night’s decision brought some comfort…when her cargo ship of goods arrives from China in July, Benike said, ‘I am still going to have to pay tariffs on it unless the Supreme Court rules otherwise.’ … Before the trade court’s ruling was stayed, Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen had called it ‘welcome news.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jw9aQH
RESPONSE: via an Attorney General Keith Ellison statement, ELLISON: “If [Donald] Trump wants to impose tariffs, the Constitution requires him to work through Congress to do so. Even this Congress would be reluctant to sign off on Trump’s tariffs, which were expected to cost families thousands of dollars a year. … Trump abused the powers of his office by attempting to circumvent Congress and impose his tariffs anyway. I am proud to have won a lawsuit blocking this clear violation of the law.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43Eb1Nu
MORE: via a Sen. Amy Klobuchar statement, KLOBUCHAR: “This unanimous verdict by judges appointed by Presidents Trump, Obama, and Reagan restores sanity and stability to our trade policies. Instead of raising costs by nearly $3,000 per family, we should bring relief to the American people who have faced higher costs and chaos for far too long under Trump’s tariff taxes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HhvWOQ
DEVELOPMENT: via a Sen. Tina Smith press release, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to jumpstart economic development and address disparities in access to capital. The bill would strengthen and expand Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI), which play a critical role in bringing capital and financial services to a wide range of small businesses, homeowners and housing developers. … This legislation will expand and improve a successful program that operates at no cost to [the] taxpayer and allows CDFIs to access long-term, stable funding.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44ZdJ2n
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)
US BUDGET: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “U.S. Sen. Tina Smith dropped by the Minnesota Capitol yesterday to criticize congressional Republicans' gigantic tax bill. … Smith, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election, warned changes to Medicaid and food assistance contained in the legislation would harm needy families in Minnesota and across the country. At the same time, the tax cuts in the legislation primarily benefit the highest-income earners, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. … Smith noted estimates that more than 250,000 Minnesotans could lose access to health care.” SMITH: “Let's be clear – there is nothing beautiful about this bill. … We're talking about children, pregnant moms and new babies, working parents, older Minnesotans, people with disabilities and those living in nursing homes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZIB30D
CLEAN ENERGY: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz vigorously leveraged federal ‘green’ tax credits — for electric cars, solar panels and other clean energy technologies and projects — that are now on the chopping block as Congress moves forward on President Donald Trump’s game-changing budget. … Canadian company Heliene, a maker of panels and other components of solar energy systems, said it’s holding off on its decision to build a new plant in Minnesota until the fate of the tax credits is clear.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kzlDnA
STUDENTS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration wants to remove Chinese students from the U.S., with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on Wednesday that the country would ‘aggressively revoke visas,’ especially for [students] in critical fields. … Minnesota will feel an impact. In 2024, students from China made up 19.2% of the nearly 15,000 international students enrolled at the state’s colleges and universities, or nearly 2,900 students, according to Open Doors data. The greatest number — 2,160 students — attend the University of Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kj0LBm
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)
WILDFIRES: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Massive wildfires that have burned more than 40 square miles of forest in northeast Minnesota are now largely contained, but state officials are warning of increased fire danger in the weeks and months ahead. The Camp House fire near Brimson is now 98 percent contained, and the Jenkins Creek and Munger Shaw fires both sit at 95 percent containment. … But while firefighting efforts are winding down, Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials held a news conference Thursday to warn Minnesotans not to get complacent.” WALZ: “We're moving into some pretty hot, dry conditions coming up. Conditions are ripe for these things to take off again. There are going to be more of these over the summer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HiIW6G
HEAT: via an MDH press release, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will kick off a statewide campaign on Friday, May 30, to help protect Minnesotans from extreme heat, which kills more people in the U.S. than tornadoes, hurricanes and flooding combined. The STAY COOL MN campaign encourages Minnesotans to follow tips to stay safe when it’s hot outside. … The multi-media campaign includes digital ads, social media content, a new webpage and printed materials.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45ytb5E
SUPPORT SF 2929 AND HF 2677: Third-party lawsuit funding (TPLF) — or “lawsuit lending” — is a growing and extremely concerning trend in courts across the state and throughout the country that encourages frivolous lawsuits and threatens to drive up the costs of products, services, and insurance for Minnesota consumers. Fortunately, lawmakers are considering legislation — the Consumers in Crisis Protection Act (SF 2929 & HF 2677) — to increase transparency around this highly secretive practice and reasonably regulate third-party lawsuit funders to protect consumers and help keep premiums low. MORE INFO: https://fluence-media.co/4jivOfT (SPONSORED: ASPCIA)
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Thieves continue to gut public streetlight poles and make off with their precious copper innards, leaving neighborhoods eerily darkened in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis is committing $1 million of contingency funding to the problem, officials said Thursday. … Minneapolis has about 22,000 streetlights. About 450 of them are out — from the Midtown Greenway to Lake of the Isles Parkway to the Bancroft neighborhood on the city’s south side, where officials held their news conference.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43GYoB7
ROSEMOUNT: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Community members are invited this weekend for a behind-the-scenes look at Rosemount’s new multi-million dollar Police and Public Works campus. The 20-acre campus, which cost around $58.2 million and officially opened in December after six years in the making, will be open to the public for tours and a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sunday. … Prior to the new campus opening, the city’s Public Works Department had to lease storage facilities and operate from multiple locations, as a result of the limited space.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mBKitq
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)
DULUTH: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Faith leaders in Duluth are rallying to try to save a program that provides a secure place for people experiencing homelessness to sleep in their vehicles after a group of residents filed an appeal challenging the city’s approval of a permit to allow the program to relocate to a church parking lot. … ‘Safe Bay is a simple yet profound response to a growing crisis. It offers dignity, security and stability to those who have few options,’ said Sister Bevery Raway, the Prioress at St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth. Sr. Raway is one of several faith leaders from around the city who held a news conference in the Vineyard Church parking lot Wednesday to rally community support for the unique program. They’ve also launched an email campaign urging Duluth city council members to approve Safe Bay’s relocation permit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kKiZeQ
McKINLEY: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “An Iron Range city councilor who has a ‘long and contentious history with Minnesota Power’ allegedly cut a wire on his property last week, knocking out power to three towns. Joseph Christopher Vaida, 63, of McKinley, faces three felony charges after reportedly disrupting the utility’s service to the city and neighboring communities of Gilbert and Biwabik. Vaida, according to a criminal complaint, had demanded Minnesota Power remove the wire from his property a week earlier. He was reportedly arrested near the scene with wire cutters and an ax.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FzDNql
FREE AND LOW-COST FAMILY FUN: The beloved Flint Hills Family Festival is celebrating 25 years in downtown Saint Paul, May 30-31. This year’s festival, presented by the Ordway and Flint Hills Resources, welcomes outstanding headliners, including Grammy winners Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band and Ada Twist, Scientist, as well as the returning NOOMA, an Opera for Babies. Bring kids of all ages to enjoy free outdoor entertainment and activities, visit food trucks and take in an indoor show where tickets start at just $8. GET TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/FHFestival (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
ENROLLMENT: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “Nearly 44,000 Twin Cities students crossed over into another district to attend school this year — a number that has grown every year for at least a decade, according to an Axios analysis. The steady rise of ‘open enrollment’ is the result of years of work by Minnesota policymakers to give parents more control over where to send their kids to school. … Nearly 40% of Minnetonka Public Schools' students live in other districts, as do roughly a third of the students attending Fridley, Orono, Columbia Heights, Mahtomedi, St. Anthony and Hopkins schools.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kJKkOj
SNAP: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Roughly 45,000 Minnesotans would be at risk of losing all of their federal food assistance, and tens of thousands more could lose some of that assistance under cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) approved by Republicans in the U.S. House. … All told, 11 million people nationwide would be at risk of losing some food aid under the $230 billion in cuts approved by House Republicans, according to a recent estimate by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43D0sKz
SOLAR: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “When Marty Morud opened his solar installation business 15 years ago in Minnesota, his customer base included early adopters and climate-conscious believers. Now, Morud’s company, TruNorth Solar out of Arden Hills, puts solar panels on barns and schools. This evolution in the industry, he said, came with a change in how Americans view green energy. And the federal government was in lock-step, with tax credits boosting the shift. Now, however, Congress is on the cusp of passing a budget bill that effectively vaporizes green energy tax credits, including those used to finance solar panel manufacturers to wind farms and geothermal home-heating systems.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43kW04e
SESSION: A special session is still pending, and there are no working group meetings on the public calendar yet. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/3Hjo4fO
TODAY: Gov. Tim Walz will travel to South Carolina.
TOMORROW: Attorney General Keith Ellison announced he will host a community forum in Worthington on Saturday, May 31 at 11:30 a.m. Per a release, Ellison will discuss his efforts “to protect Minnesotans from federal attacks on citizenship, privacy, funding, immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and more.” DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/43q1NEf
TOMORROW: Rep. Betty McCollum announced she will host a “Medicaid Town Hall” in Stillwater on Saturday, May 31 at 11:00 a.m. Per a release, McCollum will join “a panel of special guests to discuss the importance of Medicaid for Minnesota seniors, children, and working parents.”
MONDAY: via Office of the Sec. of State, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon will recognize three election workers for their outstanding service to the State of Minnesota at a first-of-its-kind event. The event will be the kickoff of a new Election Worker Appreciation initiative aimed at highlighting the essential contributions of election workers across the state. … This event was previously scheduled and announced for May 9.” The event is at 12:30 p.m.
THURSDAY: Former national security advisor and Minneapolis native Jake Sullivan will speak before the UMN Humphrey School of Public Affairs to “reflect on the Biden Administration’s policies and the future of America on the world stage,” per a release. The event is at 12:00 noon. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/45uhKMe
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
JUNE 14: Sen. Amy Klobuchar will be the keynote speaker at a New Hampshire Democratic Party dinner on June 14. She is reportedly traveling to support Chris Pappas’ Senate campaign. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/3HiY83C
JULY 14: via Indivisible Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “On June 14th, a local coalition including Indivisible Twin Cities, MN50501, Women’s March Minnesota, and MN AFL-CIO are organizing No Kings — Twin Cities, the largest rally in Minnesota to support this all-in moment for the pro-democracy, pro-worker movement. NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization.” The event is at 11:00 a.m. in St. Paul.
JULY 12: Gov. Tim Walz will be the keynote speaker at the South Dakota Democratic Party’s annual McGovern Day dinner on July 12 in Sioux Falls, SD.
BDAYS: Rep. Brad Finstad, lobbyist Matt Lemke, auctioneer Glen Fladeboe. SUN: nonprofit leader Tom Weaver, Sanneh Foundation’s Tony Sanneh, lobbyist Tom Poul, attorney Jason Tarasek, cable leader Melissa Wolf, soccer coach Buzz Lagos, radio personality Colleen Lindstrom.
TIPS: How do we get the best news and most buzzed about stories? Send us your tips at BloisOlson@gmail.com
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