NEWS THRUST
Timberwolves win. All-Star Break starts now.
Men’s hockey starts today for the US, and Team Casper with morning take reader Rich Ruhnonen hopes to continue their winning streak in curling. Short track speed skating is my favorite for the Olympics. Sports Take out later today.
Some Minnesota Girl Scouts will be selling their cookies online due to ICE concerns. PIPRESS: https://fluence-media.co/4654flL
As suggested yesterday’s lunch take, maybe we should start measuring the trust in our leaders rather than approval… Gallup is ending its presidential approval polls after 88 years of surveys. HILL: https://fluence-media.co/4tB3pHG
Nationally NBC News finds that 43% support reforming ICE, 29% support abolishing it and 29% want no changes. However, 81% want local police to cooperate with ICE in at least some cases. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4kt1cty
The dissection of Gov. Tim Walz political collapse will be the subject of the next MNSider Brief for premium subscribers.
It’s National Tortellini Day – the best pasta. Yesterday was National Latte Day, and some readers mentioned it should have been mentioned.
Pace your news diet today.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Lunde and HCMC co-CEO J. Kevin Crosston discussing how the state can help stabilize the healthcare sector. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4qnLZeM
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The latest insight from Fluence Advisory on the loss of institutional knowledge from the Minnesota Legislature. READ: https://fluence-advisory.com/insights/
LEADING THURSDAY
Today’s news flood will include news conferences early that will shape the days discussion…
“Border Czar” Tom Homan will hold a press conference in Minneapolis at 8:00 a.m. No additional details were provided, but Homan is likely to address the governor’s claim of an impending federal drawdown.
Later, Gov. Tim Walz will propose a “federal surge response package” to support impacted local businesses at 9:45 a.m.
In DC, a U.S. Senate homeland security committee hearing on Thursday, including U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, Attorney General Keith Ellison, state Rep. Harry Niska and Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell. The hearing on local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, is at 8:00 a.m. central.
The mood of Minnesota and America is fickle, via Axios “President Trump has become so politically toxic that voters now say Joe Biden — whose unpopularity forced him into early retirement — did a better job as president, according to three new polls.” Memories are short, but remember how unpopular Biden was…READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ODGCL5
Too many Republicans will be in denial or double down on unpopular policies and the implementation of popular policies like immigration but it’s a sure sign that whether right or wrong – the political disaster that is shaping up in November could be like Nixon for Republicans. Reader RG will still be in denial, but you can’t help everone.
Findnig the signals rather than being distracted by the noise is a constructive exercise during these times, in DC the Republicans flipping on President Trump related to Canadian tariffs and Rep. Thomas Massie’s pushback against Attorney General Pam Bondi shows cracks in the MAGA foundation that will grow before November.
Meanwhile in Minnesota, Nekima Levy-Armstrong criticizes DFL leaders for being “complicit” with the Trump administration...I think most Minnesotans wouldn’t see it that way. That is also the sense of some Minneapolis City Council members and legislators – which suggests that Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey are caught in the middle and can’t ever appease the far-left.
That’s the challenge for DNC Chair Ken Martin as highlighted by the ever insightful and observant Mark Liebovich in a new profile in The Atlantic entitled “The Democrats Aren’t Built For This”. Thanks to LL for the heads on the great read. Liebovich once quoted me on Walz in a way that lingers in the heads of Team Tim to this day.
VERBATIM: “...the DNC would be ending its generous work-from-home guidelines. Everyone would be expected to return to headquarters full-time, Martin told his staff, starting in February…This did not go over well. Thumbs-down emoji filled the Zoom screen. Employees pelted Martin with questions. He told me that he sympathized, but observed that most major public- and private-sector organizations had long since compelled their employees to return to their offices… The squabble underscored how the Democrats can’t help but keep playing to a stubborn stereotype—a soft and pampered bunch, unwilling to make the gritty sacrifices (such as getting dressed) necessary to prevail in their “existential” campaign to save democracy….” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kxwjEd
The Minnesota DFLers have clearly broken out of this stereotype, but they stay tuned for the frequent reminders of their battle against ICE in the upcoming legislative session.
HYPE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis City Council member Soren Stevenson took to social media to tell people about five [federal] vehicles that were parked in a bike lane and [MPD] spots outside of city hall. … He checked with the mayor’s office about the incident, and Mayor Jacob Frey’s chief of staff told him that Border Czar Tom Homan was there for a meeting with the mayor. However, Stevenson then accused the city of violating the city’s separation ordinance. … The City of Minneapolis refutes this claim, [saying] that it was for a meeting, and the ICE agents were not enforcing immigration laws.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4anR0xP
MORE: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “Community groups are condemning local leaders for cooperating with federal agencies during ‘Operation Metro Surge.’ Advocates who spoke inside Hennepin County Government Center on Wednesday [called] for the immediate withdrawal of federal agents from Minnesota. But they are also taking aim at local leaders, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, for negotiating with federal leaders.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/404ZJAd
SESSION: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “The Legislature will convene at the Capitol for the 2026 session Tuesday with the state facing heavy challenges, a new caucus leader, several new members and nearly two-dozen members already announcing they won’t be back in 2027. … Legislators need to wrap up their work by May 18, and all bills need to be bipartisan with the House remaining tied. … Legislators will also be heading into the session with the November forecast projecting a $2.96 billion deficit. … Gov. Tim Walz is pushing for a $907 million capital investment plan. Rep. Paul Torkelson [said] there’s potential for a bonding bill, but legislators will need to find savings in the budget to fund it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4axe6lL
OIG: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Sen. Heather Gustafson’s [2025] bill to create an independent statewide Office of the Inspector General [will likely] get a vote during the 2026 Legislative Session. … However, December meeting minutes from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Coordinating Council, created by Gov. Tim Walz, [said] the council is seeking a ‘workable solution…vs. the Gustafson bill.’ As 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS worked to find out what that means, Sen. Gustafson wondered why no one on the OIG Coordinating Council called her. … A spokesperson ultimately confirmed [Walz] still supports a statewide OIG, adding the OIG Coordinating Council ‘wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t thinking critically about how to make anti-fraud efforts as effective as they can be.’ … ‘That’s the first I’ve heard that. … I’m glad it’s in a statement that we can refer back to when we’re trying to get this to go to the floor,’ Gustafson said.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4bQ22OU
REVENUE: The state government’s income was over $500 million above expectations last month. Via MMB advisory, VERBATIM: “Net general fund revenues totaled $3.578 billion in January, $513 million (16.7 percent) more than forecast. Net receipts from individual income tax, corporate franchise tax, and other revenues were above forecast. Net receipts from general sales and use taxes were slightly below forecast. For fiscal year 2026, year-to-date receipts are now $19.441 billion, $558 million (3.1 percent) more than forecast.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZQP0tn
MORE: via MPR, VERBATIM: “This is the last monthly tax collection look ahead of a comprehensive economic forecast that reviews both past and future patterns in revenue and spending. The January report on its own righted what had been a fiscal year-to-date shortage of about half-a-billion dollars. The individual income tax was the main driver of last month’s positive collections — a cool $479 million above prior estimates. Corporate and sales taxes were largely flat.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cpnBpF
NOTE: Watch for what if anything happens with unspent funds due to the freeze on certain programs.
SECURITY: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “For the first time in history, metal detectors will be in the [State Capitol] to screen for guns and other weapons…[but] Minnesota state law allows permit holders to carry guns at the Capitol. … At the screening checkpoints, people with a permit to carry will be allowed in the Capitol with their gun. However, if someone shows up with a gun and no permit, they could be arrested. … Republican Rep. Jim Nash [is] concerned about the cost of the metal detector program because no money was specifically budgeted for it. ‘I was told this will be in the millions,’ he said. … The money will come out of the Department of Public Safety’s existing budget.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4rJ8agi
Via Caroline Cummings on X a photo of one of the metal detectors. TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4txEnco
A new level of insight and information….
The MNSider Brief: State of the Governor’s race – READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r3ACtF
TENSIONS
DOJ CHARGES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The federal government accused dozens of Minnesota’s anti-ICE protesters of attacking law enforcement agents and ramming their cars into federal vehicles [in] January. … Yet weeks later, federal prosecutors quietly charged the protesters with less serious crimes in about 20 cases. In at least three instances, charges were dismissed. Former federal prosecutors say it’s unprecedented to allege assault on a law enforcement agent and then charge it as a misdemeanor rather than a felony.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tEfLij
CDC GRANTS: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison today joined attorneys general from California, Colorado, and Illinois in suing the Trump Administration over [cutting] more than $600 million in [CDC] grants. … [This] would claw back over $42 million in grants already awarded to the state of Minnesota. … The critical grant funding, which could be terminated as soon as Feb. 12, allows states to track disease outbreaks, maintain and improve their data systems, and collect basic public health data. … These funding cuts would also force states to lay off hundreds of trained public health professionals.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46IOT6E
RESPONSE: via DFL Rep. Kaela Berg statement, BERG: “I know what it’s like to not have health insurance. … That’s a particular kind of fear that no one should have to go through. … Our families need leaders who will fight to lower costs and expand access, not politicians who use health care as a bargaining chip. I’m calling on the Trump Administration to immediately reverse these cuts.”
SBA LOANS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A new Trump Administration rule limits Small Business Administration loans to U.S. citizens [only], barring green card holders from applying. The new rule, which goes into effect March 1, surprised many lenders because it reversed decades of government lending policies. … Bankers estimate that two-thirds of new jobs each year are created by small companies, and the immigrant community often has the highest rates of entrepreneurship among any group in the nation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4coD7lE
VA: Rep. Kelly Morrison was one of several Democrats at a congressional hearing yesterday who grilled Veterans Affairs Sec. Doug Collins over his statements in the wake of VA nurse Alex Pretti’s killing last month. Morrison asked Collins: “What evidence do you have to blame the violent death of one of your employees on state and local officials?” Collins responded that “there’s nothing else for me to say” and did not retract his statements. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4axmfXn
CLEAN | RELIABLE | AFFORDABLE: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “We’re powering the Upper Midwest with clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy. For more than 50 years, our Prairie Island Nuclear Plant, located near Red Wing, MN, has been a workhorse of reliable, carbon-free energy. With two pressurized water reactors producing about 1,100 megawatts, Prairie Island generates enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes across the Upper Midwest. Unlike sources that depend on weather, nuclear energy delivers 24/7 reliability — providing the power we need today while protecting the environment for tomorrow.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4oCHdK9 (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
CONGRESS
VOTING: via NBC News, VERBATIM: “The Republican-controlled House voted Wednesday to pass the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election bill that President Donald Trump is pushing Congress to enact. The vote was 218-213. … The 32-page legislation would require states to obtain documentary proof-of-citizenship ‘in person,’ such as an American passport or birth certificate, from someone in order to register them to vote. … The bill, which was revised from an earlier version to include new demands from Trump, also requires voters to show [eligible] photo identification in order to cast a ballot.” Minnesota’s delegation voted on party lines. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4qCsuPN
RESPONSE: Prior to the vote, several DFL state lawmakers sent a joint letter to Minnesota’s congressional delegation, urging them to vote against the SAVE America Act. EXCERPT: “Only about half of Americans have U.S. passports, and only approximately 15% of Minnesotans have enhanced drivers’ licenses, and Real IDs would not suffice. … Many voters, including the nearly 70 million women nationwide who changed their names after marriage, would face additional hurdles that could strip them of their right to vote.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/3M8Z7Xb
MORE: Before yesterday’s vote, Sec. Steve Simon issued a statement condemning the SAVE America Act. SIMON: “As written, [the bill] would change the foundation of state-run election systems without providing the time or money needed to make these changes. … The SAVE America Act would effectively end online voter registration and drastically reduce the availability of mail-in voting. … I urge Congress to vote ‘no.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ablxQK
TARIFFS: via Politico, VERBATIM: “The House on Wednesday voted to block President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, with six Republicans joining the Democrats in the symbolic rebuke. The resolution to disapprove of the national emergency Trump declared to raise tariffs on Canada was approved 219-211.” Minnesota’s delegation voted on party lines. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rPnk40
RESPONSE: via Sen. Amy Klobuchar statement, KLOBUCHAR: “Congress has sent this Administration a clear, bipartisan message: they cannot continue to abuse their power to wage a trade war against one of our strongest allies. Canada is Minnesota’s top trading partner, but these chaotic tariffs are jeopardizing that relationship. … We can’t afford to keep raising costs, hurting businesses, and eliminating jobs by attacking our neighbor and ally.”
STATE STUFF
FRAUD: GOP Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the House fraud committee, issued a response to the Walz Administration’s new website addressing facts and figures for fraud in state programs. ROBBINS: “This is another clear example of how the Walz Administration attempts to downplay and ignore the massive fraud they have enabled. There is ample of evidence of fraud – not only from the hearings in our Committee, but from years of reports from the Office of Legislative Auditor, credible whistleblowers, court documents and actual convictions. The scale of the fraud in Minnesota is unfathomable.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kClRM2
SECLUSION: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid attorneys on Wednesday released a report showing spartan conditions in school seclusion rooms across Minnesota as they urged lawmakers to continue the state’s ban. … Minnesota in 2023 banned seclusion rooms for students in kindergarten through third grade. Legal Aid attorneys believe lawmakers will try to end the ban in the upcoming legislative session, [so they] visited 80 of the state’s 194 registered seclusion rooms last fall to take photos and videos. While most met minimum state requirements, [they] were mostly cinder block walls with concrete floors [and] nothing inside them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rgpREq
OTHER NEWS
DEEPFAKES: via MPR, VERBATIM: “A second federal court has left intact a Minnesota law banning deepfakes designed to be politically deceptive. … The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel has declined to suspend the 2023 state law. Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, had sued over the law, saying it infringes on free speech and shouldn’t be enforced. Her underlying case is still pending, but two courts have declined to impose preliminary injunctions. … The appeals court noted in its opinion that Franson voted for the 2023 law.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cpnBpF
DISASTER: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced the authorization of emergency assistance in response to a cyber incident that disrupted digital services in Saint Paul beginning July 29, 2025. … The magnitude and complexity of the cybersecurity incident exceeded the city’s response capacity. State disaster assistance totaling $1.2 million will provide necessary resources to respond to the incident and restore critical systems.”
JUDGE: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointment of Susan DeVos as a District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Fifth Judicial District. DeVos will replace the Honorable Krista J. Jass and will be chambered in Mankato in Blue Earth County.”
WILD ABOUT READING: Join more than 800 Minnesota classrooms and 30,000 students 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, Paulie; a pair of tickets to a Wild home game, player-signed pucks and photos; and a pizza party for a classroom. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/49AHNSE (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
AROUND MN
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The St. Paul City Council is urging the city’s hotels to not house federal immigration agents. Members unanimously passed a resolution at Wednesday’s council meeting [saying] ‘the presence of these federal personnel housed in local hotels has caused significant public safety concerns.’ … Council Member Nelsie Yang said while there isn’t any action they can take requiring hotels to refuse service to federal agents, the council can send a message.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ttYWq4
HCMC: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Hennepin Healthcare is planning to reduce its volume of hospital care at HCMC in Minneapolis to help close a $50 million budget gap by the end of March. Currently, patients are using 435 of 490 total beds at the safety net hospital, officials said, but the volume going forward will be capped at just 390 beds. The reduction will come as patients are discharged.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MkJewU
FOREST LAKE: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “It’s been 3½ months since Luke Hagglund resigned from the Forest Lake Area School Board, leaving it deadlocked 3-3. Despite multiple attempts to appoint a new member, the remaining six board members have not been able to come to consensus. … According to state statute, any vacancy on the board ‘must be filled by board appointment at a regular or special meeting,’ but the statute does not provide a timetable regarding when that appointment must be made. Hagglund’s term is set to expire at the end of this year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kvowa5
COMING UP
TODAY: Several Minnesota officials are expected to testify at a U.S. Senate homeland security committee hearing on Thursday, including U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, Attorney General Keith Ellison, state Rep. Harry Niska and Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell. The hearing, which will focus on local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, is at 8:00 a.m. central.
TODAY: A delegation of 50 Minnesotans, including DFL Sen. Erin Maye Quade and DFL Rep. Brad Tabke, will hold a press conference and rally in Washington, D.C. at 9:00 a.m. central to advocate against funding ICE.
TODAY: COPAL will host a press conference on “defending immigrant families and human rights,” per a release. The event is at 11:00 a.m. in Minneapolis.
TODAY: MN Independent Pharmacists will hold a press conference discussing a report on pharmacy access that documents “accelerating pharmacy closures and the growing pharmacy desert crisis across Minnesota,” per a release. The event is at 11:00 a.m. in St. Paul.
TODAY: The IRRR Board will meet on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Eveleth.
TODAY: DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger will host an in-person town hall in Lake Elmo at 5:30 p.m.
TOMORROW: via Everytown, VERBATIM: “Minnesota mental health professionals will gather at the State Capitol for a Healers Demand Action Rally [on] the ripple effects of gun violence. … Organizers will present a letter signed by over 1,000 Minnesota mental health professionals, educators, and community members urging state lawmakers to take meaningful action on gun violence.” The event is at 9:45 a.m.
SATURDAY: DFL Sen. Ann Rest will hold the first of three “Saturday Listening Sessions” with constituents in New Hope. The event is at 11:00 a.m.
SUNDAY: The Rochester DFL delegation — Sen. Liz Boldon and Reps. Kim Hicks, Andy Smith and Tina Liebling — will host a virtual town hall at 3:00 p.m.
TUESDAY: The Minnesota Legislature’s 2026 session will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 12:00 noon.
TUESDAY: The MN Chamber of Commerce will outline its policy priorities for the 2026 legislative session on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 4:00 p.m. Numerous state leaders and gubernatorial candidates will attend.
BDAYS: Axios founder Jim VandeHei, Smith advisor Ed Shelleby, marketer Maggie Romens, Sub 70 founder Jason Hiland
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.