NUT ROLLS NO MORE
Rain this AM but the drought is growing.
Twins walk-off on the day Sen. Ann Rest throws out the first pitch! They head to Seattle.
Saturday AND Sunday for Summer Slam.
The Pearson’s factory in St. Paul is closing.
Hennepin County is letting kids design official buttons for its election judges this year. WCCO: https://fluence-media.co/4xdJpvD
St. Paul’s historic Rondo neighborhood can now be explored in digital form via Roblox. SAHAN: https://fluence-media.co/4wzpiIv
CNN finds that 73% of U.S. adults, a record high, think Pres. Donald Trump has not paid enough attention to the nation’s biggest issues. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4wygKkU
AP-NORC finds that only 28% of U.S. adults approve of how the White House is handling Iran. That includes 61% of Republicans — down from 71% in June. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/45wUKep
FarmFest next week, and Senate candidate Adam Schwarze on the Sunday Take.
Happy National Avocado Day.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured Rep. Angie Craig discussing her Senate campaign, the Iran war, the state of agriculture and more. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4wZg8od
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CASH CALLS
TOSS-UPS: Via MinnPost, an analysis of candidate finances in the Minnesota Legislature’s most competitive races shows that many DFLers in “toss-up” districts have advantages over their GOP opponents in cash on hand, even in some races with a Republican incumbent. Findings are summarized below. READ/DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4w06DnU
SD3: DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild has $230,274 on hand. GOP challenger Andrea Zupancich has $79,334 on hand.
SD4: DFL Sen. Rob Kupec has $71,657 on hand. GOP challenger Austin Peterson has $2,473 on hand.
SD24: In this open seat, DFLer Simon Glaser has $60,538 on hand. Republican Nels Pierson has $4,242 on hand.
SD35: GOP Sen. Jim Abeler has $100,092 on hand. DFL challenger Angela Nelson has $44,440 on hand.
SD37: In this open seat, DFLer Kristy Janigo has $98,255 on hand. Republican Bradey Hoag has $19,970 on hand.
SD41: DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger has $81,000 on hand. GOP Rep. Tom Dippel has $3,000 on hand.
SD58: GOP Sen. Bill Lieske has $23,432 on hand. DFL challenger Mark Legvold has $69,717 on hand.
03B: GOP Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar has $49,000 on hand. DFL challenger Aaron Schweiger has $44,000 on hand.
54A: DFL Rep. Brad Tabke has $32,000 on hand. GOP challenger Aaron Paul has $18,000 on hand.
PRIMARIES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “On Aug. 11, 10 incumbent [state] legislators are trying to survive primary challenges. … The highest-profile contest pits DFL Sen. Ron Latz against former St. Louis Park City Council member Lynette Dumalag. Latz, the influential Senate judiciary committee chair, failed to win his local party’s endorsement. … The Senate DFL Caucus has spent more than $40,000 backing Latz. That spending has frustrated some activists in Latz’s district [because] it’s by far the largest investment any legislative caucus has made in a primary this cycle. … The Republican Senate Victory Fund has yet to report a single independent expenditure or direct contribution to a candidate committee despite having three GOP incumbent senators facing challengers. The Republican and DFL caucuses in the House have also limited their spending so far.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wa76Eo
HEALTHCARE: Strong communities depend on sustainable nonprofit healthcare. By planning to join leading, nonprofit healthcare system Sutter Health, Allina Health will be better positioned to expand access to high-quality, innovative care in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin - supporting patients, caregivers, and communities for generations to come. Learn more about the Allina-Sutter partnership.. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/AllinaHealth (SPONSORED: Allina Health)
TRAIL TALK
PACS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Usually by now, Democratic aligned groups have been up with ads to take on the potential GOP rivals for governor. But it’s been mostly quiet on that front as the heated Senate primary takes center stage. … The We All Do Better PAC (named for the rallying cry of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone) had $900,000 as of the start of June. The group has taken in $1 million since. … We haven’t seen We All Do Better deploy any money yet, but we’ll keep an eye out. The Alliance for a Better Minnesota, which has been the recipient of past We All Do Better money, was sitting on $740,000 as of July 20.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xg7ORp
MORE: Yesterday’s morning take featured additional charts and data on PAC spending so far this year. ICYMI: https://fluence-media.co/4fHugf3
NEWAD: Speaker Lisa Demuth is airing a new ad for her governor campaign, titled “Spearheaded.” The ad focuses on Minnesota’s fraud scandals and Demuth’s efforts to address them. DEMUTH: “Amy Klobuchar won’t end the fraud. I will.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3RCcUbt
NEWAD2: Minnesotans for Justice have launched an ad against Attorney General Keith Ellison about the pardon of Tou Lue Vang. VERBATIM: “Our kids are not safe with him” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4g51kih
GOV RACE: Republican Mike Lindell spoke to KSTP about his campaign for governor, his plans for adjusting the state budget with “a Minnesota DOGE,” and more. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4bps8qR
TURNOUT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In Minnesota’s last statewide primary election two years ago, older Minnesotans voted at more than four times the rate of voters under age 30. … [Activists] who work with younger voters hope this trend might shift in the upcoming Aug. 11 primary as a result of high political energy among young people. … But Minnesotans [under 30] cast just 8% of 2024 primary ballots. At the other end of the age spectrum, voters age 70 and over accounted for more than one-third of the ballots in the primary, even though they make up 15% of the adult population.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44YzM8a
FRANK ISSUES
HER: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A second high-ranking St. Paul police officer has claimed that St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her created a sexualized work environment, alleging the mayor commented on her breasts and made vulgar noises in the police gym. … As more details began to trickle out about the nature of Her’s comments to staff, she released a statement saying the police force had welcomed her into their circle and was now manipulating that trust.” QUOTE: “The way this is being portrayed in the media does not reflect what I understood to be mutual communication. I am disappointed that I was invited and brought into their space and culture and now this is the outcome.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Ro3CzP
MORE: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “St. Paul City Council Member Molly Coleman is demanding to know why the council was never notified that the city had hired a legal firm to conduct a sexual harassment investigation of the mayor. … [But] the mayor’s office and some council members have maintained that hiring an outside legal firm to launch an investigation did not require approval by or notification to the council.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4carX2U
A deep dive into the CD1 race between Rep. Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson for MNSider subscribers. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/49OqNJu
NEW LAWS
FRAUD: Via KSTP, two stories from Thursday about preventing fraud in state programs.
FELONIES: “Attorney General Keith Ellison has said his office has won more than 300 convictions against Medicaid fraudsters since he took office six years ago. … But a 5 INVESTIGATES analysis of those cases found that only a portion of those charged with felony-level fraud ended up with a felony on their record. … Plea agreement and sentencing documents revealed nearly 80% of the offenders received sentences that would reduce or dismiss the felony conviction after probation. … Ellison argued there are other long-term consequences in these cases.” ELLISON: “It is life-ruining to be charged with Medicaid fraud, even if you somehow manage to complete probation without a permanent felony.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3TwqkpZ
LANGUAGE: “A new Minnesota law lets state agencies share information about suspected fraud, [but] it does not say that they ‘must.’ … 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS asked the bill author, Rep. Kristin Bahner, DFL-Maple Grove, why lawmakers decided against stronger language.” BAHNER: “There’s always a discussion about whether we should, and I think by leaving it a little bit more general, that does give departments a little bit more leeway to think about what their policies are and what’s appropriate.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4yH5SCO
NEW LAWS: Several new state laws go into effect tomorrow, as previewed in yesterday’s lunch take. Notable laws starting Aug. 1 include a ban on cryptocurrency kiosks, measures to protect minors from grooming, bigger penalties for impersonating a police officer, fraud prevention efforts, and more. A ban on prediction markets was supposed to go into effect tomorrow, but it has been temporarily blocked due to a lawsuit — a ban on AI “nudification” intended for Aug. 1 is facing similar legal challenges. DETAILS: AXIOS | KSTP | WCCO
NUDIFICATION: Speaker Lisa Demuth spoke to MPR about the lawsuit against the state’s pending ban on AI “nudification,” clarifying that she has not examined the court filing, but she did vote for the bill. DEMUTH: “When we’re looking at AI, we need to keep people safe. I voted for that bill specifically in the House, and that was passed and signed into law by the governor in an effort to keep people safe, and I think we really need to recognize that. Of course, there is [the] First Amendment and things that we need to absolutely support and provide for. But there is also a safety element when it comes to adults, but especially children.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xg7ORp
MOVE: MMB announced that Raymond Robertson will succeed Anthony Becker as the new state economist on Aug. 4, 2026.
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)
WASHINGTON
ICE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “The federal government must pay legal fees for immigrants wrongfully detained by ICE during Operation Metro Surge after federal judges ruled the detentions violated constitutional rights. … FOX 9 Investigators identified at least 18 cases where the government must now pay immigration attorneys. … The fees range from $1,125 in one case to $17,505 — [totaling] more than $106,000. … The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota recently argued they shouldn’t have to pay some of the legal fees and asked Chief Judge Eric Tostrud to hold off on billing the government until the Supreme Court can weigh in on the issue. Judge Tostrud denied that request.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3TvduZ4
IMMIGRANTS: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “For years, Isuroon has helped Somali women and their families find housing, food, jobs and other essential services. … Now, the nonprofit is seeing more than twice as many people seeking mental health services compared with last year. ‘We haven’t seen this before,’ Isuroon CEO Fartun Weli said. … Isuroon is also facing additional pressure as the Department of Human Services works to recertify Medicaid providers.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4wagms8
HAITI: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The end of [TPS] protections for Haiti this week is creating uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the United States. While Minnesota has a relatively small Haitian population, immigration attorneys and business leaders say the decision is being closely watched here because of what it could signal for TPS holders from other countries and for employers that rely on immigrant workers. There are an estimated 4,000 Haitians who live in Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fRH7vk
FEED FRAUD: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The newest defendant in the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal pleaded guilty to his role in the massive scheme just over a week after his charge was filed. Mahamoud Warsame, 41, admitted in federal court in Minneapolis on Thursday that he purchased property and vehicles using illicit proceeds. … Warsame is the 80th person charged in the food fraud case.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xgi8sD
HABITAT RESTORATION: Flint Hills Resources has earned Tandem Global WHC Gold Certification for habitat restoration at its Cottage Grove fuel terminal. The certification comes after two years of work in partnership with Friends of the Mississippi River to implement a restoration and monitoring plan to re-establish the 6.5-acre site’s natural prairie and savannah. Flint Hills has held gold certification for its work done with community partners over the past 25 years to restore more than 200 acres of the Pine Bend Bluffs, a critical natural area along the Mississippi River that is adjacent to Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery. This makes two Flint Hills gold-certified sites in Minnesota and the first two gold-certified sites ever in the Twin Cities. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3VASKg4 (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
MSP
BUDGET: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The official kickoff of Minneapolis’ 2027 budget process may be weeks away, but public officials are already floating trial balloons and making ominous proclamations as Mayor Jacob Frey’s annual budget address draws near. City staff shared with the City Council’s budget committee that the projected gap between revenue and expenses sits somewhere between $28-$32 million dollars. … Police and other spending will be under a microscope, and the parks board is hoping to reclaim a larger share of city dollars.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hGyCFI
FIRE CHIEF: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Dr. Reginald Freeman will be Minneapolis’ next fire chief. The Minneapolis City Council voted to confirm Freeman on Thursday after being nominated by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey back in May. … Despite a 10-2 vote, some council members said they were hesitant to confirm him for a variety of reasons, including a gender-discrimination lawsuit that was filed against his previous department in Hartford; however, Freeman was not personally named or cited.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3RKEaV3
MPD: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis City Council approved a request to apply for a $300,000 federal grant to upgrade police ballistic technology on a 7-5 vote Thursday. Some council members raised concerns about accepting Department of Justice money and possible ties to federal immigration enforcement, [but] the city attorney said the grant would not require Minneapolis to assist with immigration enforcement.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/450Mjb7
SAFETY: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The City of Minneapolis is sharing new data that shows how its violence interrupter program is monitored, offering the most detailed public view yet of how community groups work to prevent shootings. … The city spends millions of dollars each year on contracts with violence interrupter groups, [but] Amanda Harrington, director of the Neighborhood Safety Department, [said] shootings have dropped significantly since the program began.” HARRINGTON: “From 2021 to 2025, there was a 53% decrease in shootings in the city. … If I just look at the Phillips neighborhood, their shootings went down from 53 in 2022 to 25 in 2025.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4frrlrW
HOMELESS: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “A fire at Pig’s Eye Park encampment in St. Paul, where approximately 140 unhoused residents are set to be evicted next week, destroyed one man’s belongings early Thursday. … Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Smith said the 30 by 30 foot fire destroyed at least 5 or 6 tents. … Crews are set to begin clearing the city’s largest homeless encampments on Aug. 5.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45z5YPu
PEARSON’S: Via MSP Business Journal, the Pearson’s Candy factory in St. Paul — where Salted Nut Rolls and other treats have been produced since 1959 — will close on Sept. 28. According to a WARN Notice, the closure will result in 80 layoffs. The candy maker’s parent company has not said if it will continue operations elsewhere. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fDYuiY
FOUNDRY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Northern Iron and Machine [will] close by the end of the year after a series of phased lay-offs beginning Oct. 1. Approximately 86 employees will lose their jobs, including 50 members of the United Steel Workers, who maintain bumping rights.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xivODv
LOOKING AHEAD
TODAY: Via SEIU, unionized condo workers in Minneapolis will picket at 7:15 a.m. and announce a strike deadline of Aug. 14 during a rally and press conference at 8:00 a.m.
TODAY: BCA Superintendent Drew Evans and other officials will host a media event in Woodbury at 10:00 a.m. to highlight a new state law banning cryptocurrency kiosks, which goes into effect on Saturday.
TODAY: DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild and GOP Rep. Roger Skraba will host a roundtable with the Cook County Chamber of Commerce to discuss the economic impact of wildfires this summer. The event is in Grand Marais at 11:30 a.m.
TODAY: DFL Sen. Erin Maye Quade will hold a press conference at 12:00 noon discussing a new state law going into effect Saturday that will “protect young Minnesotans from grooming,” per a release.
NEXT WEEK: Minnesota Farmfest runs from Aug. 4 to Aug. 6 in Redwood County. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/4pQIEGw
NEXT WEEK: Fluence sponsor Xcel Energy and industry partners will host a series of open houses on their planned “PowerOn Midwest” electric transmission projects from Aug. 4 to Aug. 13. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/4yHUlDi
SEPT 9: The IRRR Board is hosting its third annual “State of the Range” event in Chisholm on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 4:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: community leader Scott Peterseon, attorney Matt Mankey, lobbyist Joe Lally. SAT: hair pro Amanda Steele, golfing guy Blake Smith, fmr. Sen. Terri Bonnof, DFL operative Ellen Perrault SUN: ag leader Ashley Kohls, real estate leader Stu Ackerberg, business leader Pady Regnier, Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson, fmr. Rep. John Ward, General Mills’ Lee Anderson
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.