HUMP DAY HANGOVER
Timberwolves win.
That was a long speech, well produced but the real question is – can Republicans change the mood of America, the economic headwinds for the majority.
Almost predictably, Rep. Ilhan Omar verbally sparred with President Donald Trump last night during the speech. The reaction and algorithms will linger today, like a headache after a big night out.
Last night a MNSider Brief on the Tests and Future of Mayor Jacob Frey. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s8IOc7
Connor Hellebuyck, goaltender for Team USA, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his 41 saves against Canada. HILL: https://fluence-media.co/4cNSyUB
More Republicans watch the speech which could explain the post speech poll results from CNN, nearly two-thirds of speech-watchers said they had at least a somewhat positive reaction to Trump’s speech, with a smaller 38% offering a very positive response. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4aCkyt7
Two different “every people” I’ve encountered, one Trump voter and one non-Trump voter have both said that they can’t deal with the division anymore and are tuned out right now.
The DOJ reportedly deleted and withheld Epstein files relating to allegations against the president that were deemed credible by the FBI. NPR: https://fluence-media.co/4b6I3uh
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Sunday Take dug into Minnesota’s housing situation with DFL Rep. Esther Agbaje and James Vagle, ED of First Housing. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4cImGAP
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DIVIDED REACTIONS
POLL: Via CBS News, the most common word Americans used to describe the nation ahead of the State of the Union was “divided” at 66% — similarly, 63% said federal policies favor Republican-led states. Overall views of Pres. Donald Trump’s second term were negative: 53% said things have gotten worse over the past year, 57% said the economy is bad, and 60% said Trump makes the economy sound better than it really is. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4tPEQH7
SOTU: Pres. Donald Trump gave his 2026 State of the Union address last night — the longest in history at nearly two hours. Trump mentioned Minnesota both directly and indirectly, saying “Somali pirates” have “ransacked Minnesota” and Vice Pres. JD Vance will lead a “war on fraud” that “started four months ago.” The full address can be viewed online. TRUMP: “The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception. Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA. … We’re going to take care of this problem. We are not playing games.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3MOwIWD
HECKLING: DFL Rep. Ilhan Omar was heckling Pres. Donald Trump during a portion of his speech that focused on ending “sanctuary cities” and enacting “serious penalties for public officials who blocked the removal of criminal aliens.” Omar yelled at Trump: “You have killed Americans.” CLIP: https://fluence-media.co/46kwZY0
REACTIONS: Minnesota officials reacted to Pres. Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on party lines. Every member of Minnesota’s delegation attended the speech except for DFL Sen. Tina Smith.
· Via GOP Rep. Tom Emmer post, EMMER: “No president has pursued and accomplished peace around the globe like President Trump — the president of PEACE. [Trump] deserves the Nobel Prize for all the wars he’s ended!”
· Via DFL Rep. Betty McCollum, VERBATIM: “Team USA made us proud as Americans – especially our fellow Minnesotans who led the nation to earn the most medals at this year’s games…Unfortunately, those who had the patience to listen to the President’s speech tonight had to endure more than 100 minutes of rambling self-aggrandizement and division…When it comes to the reality of the state of our union, we choose to believe our eyes rather than the lies.”
· Via GOP Rep. Michelle Fischbach post, FISCHBACH: “Minnesotans have watched billions in hard-earned tax dollars vanish under Governor [Tim] Walz and AG [Keith] Ellison. Taxpayers deserve to know where every cent is going. I am thrilled President Trump has tapped the VP to lead the War on Fraud. It is time for real oversight and accountability for the leaders who let this happen. We’re going to protect your paycheck.”
· Via GOP Rep. Pete Stauber post, STAUBER: “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to end the era of open borders that let drugs flow into our streets and cost innocent Americans their lives. Trump is keeping our streets safe.”
REBUTTAL: Sen. Tina Smith spoke at the “People’s State of the Union” rebuttal event hosted by MoveOn last night, while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey flew in to attend the “State of the Swamp” rebuttal event hosted by DEFIANCE. SMITH: “I am so glad I’m out here with all of you instead of inside that Capitol right now. Inside the Capitol, Donald Trump is lying about the state of this nation. … We want to tell the real story about what is happening in this country — what is really, really going on. And we’re here to offer an alternative that is not about sticking up for the billionaires. It is about fighting for [the] hard-working people in this country.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4rB2NAn
FREY: In Washington D.C. last night, reporters asked Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey if he plans to seek a higher office. Frey said he has nothing specific lined up, but “things change.” QUOTE: “I’m in my third term now — just starting it. It’s a term I want to complete. … I don’t have plans beyond that, [but] obviously things change. … And that could be in anything. It could be in business, it could be in politics. Maybe I’ll be a shepherd.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4aR957I
MORE: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was asked by reporters to comment on Congressional Democrats who boycotted the State of the Union. Frey, who was attending a boycott event, said Congress is “our house” but he respects lawmakers who skip the speech in protest. QUOTE: “This is about standing up for these foundational principles of our democracy, like due process and First Amendment speech and that no leader is above the law.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/40rcfdx
Why is Frey now one of the DFL’s rising stars? - a MNSider Brief on the Tests and Future of Mayor Jacob Frey. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s8IOc7
A new level of insight and information….
The MNSider Brief: State of the Governor’s race – READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r3ACtF
SESSION
OIG: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “A second attempt to get an Office of Inspector General bill through a House committee struck out, but optimism remains that a third time could be the charm. There was at least some progress Tuesday by the House State Government Finance and Policy Committee, although the result was the same. Members again voted along party lines, failing to advance. … Two of nine amendments to the delete-all amendment were adopted: one to change effective dates from 2026 to 2027 and one to [increase] ‘information sharing between agencies’ and ‘alerting other agencies when a person suspected of committing fraud…may also be participating in, or applying to participate in, a program administered by another agency.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3N368ci
RESPONSE: DFL Sen. Heather Gustafson, lead author of the Senate bill to create an OIG, called for the House to cooperate on the issue. GUSTAFSON: “While I understand the challenges presented by a 67-67 tied House and evenly split committees, Minnesotans have seen that we can all work together across the aisles in a productive manner to prevent fraud. … Our bill to create an independent Office of Inspector General passed overwhelmingly in the Senate. I urge the House to work together so an OIG bill can become law this session.”
CIVIL RIGHTS: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “There are no well-defined legal pathways for a person whose civil rights are violated by federal agents to get legal relief. House DFL Floor Leader Jamie Long (DFL-Mpls) sponsors a bill that would change state law to allow for such legal remedies. … The bill would permit a person with a cause of legal action against either a state or federal authority who deprives them of their federal or state civil rights. No criminal penalties are prescribed. … The bill failed to gain committee approval via a party-line vote.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46mCdCC
MEDICAID: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “During a Minnesota House hearing, state and county officials shared the upcoming changes to Medicaid due to last year’s federal [Big Beautiful Bill] — and what impact those changes will have on local governments and their workforces. … Elyse Bailey, budget director for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, [said] new work reporting requirements [will] result in some people losing their coverage and will increase administrative costs. … Bailey said lawmakers would need to update state law in order to comply with the federal changes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qZcMhz
MASSAGES: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Legislators are debating a House bill that seeks to standardize licensure for massage therapists in Minnesota. Massage therapists are largely regulated by cities and counties that issue their own business licenses. … Many legislators in the hearing were divided on the legislation. Supporters like Rep. John Huot, DFL-Rosemount, say clients need to be held more accountable to prevent sexual assault in massage therapy businesses. Others like Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, say the bill will raise the barrier for entry in the field and put many massage therapists out of work.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cesfHa
GROOMING: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “[GOP Rep. Peggy] Bennett sponsors HF3489, which would define grooming as a felony, compel the creation of training for mandatory reporters, and bar teachers, contractors and volunteers from being alone with a student during field trips. The House Education Policy Committee approved the bill Tuesday and sent it to the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s8rAvm
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)
GUNS
GUN LAWS: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The governor is using whatever political capital he has left to cajole the Legislature into passing new gun laws, [but] on Tuesday, his maiden effort could not get off the ground in a Minnesota House committee split evenly between DFLers and Republicans. A bill introduced by Rep. Emma Freeman, DFL-Minneapolis, to ban semiautomatic weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines failed on a 10-10 party line vote in the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee. A bill that only banned large-capacity magazines also did not pass on a party line vote.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZVqCXm
MORE: Gov. Tim Walz’s gun violence prevention proposals are now available online. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/473rrBd
ANNUNCIATION: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “The Annunciation Catholic School community sang for change at the Minnesota state capitol on Tuesday, six months after the mass shooting in south Minneapolis. The crowd also read the names of Minnesota legislators, in between songs sending a message of ‘goodwill’ and ‘hope’ to capitol lawmakers. … One of the young victims of the Annunciation shooting spoke out in support of more regulations to guns in the state.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4tRHvQm
MORE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “After a proposed gun safety bill failed to get out of a House committee in a 10-10 vote Tuesday, parents of Annunciation students impacted by the Aug. 27, 2025, mass shooting at the school confronted Rob Doar, the President of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center. … [Doar] argued that the proposed laws would not have prevented the Annunciation attack.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4cJcg3R
SAFETY: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Sponsored by [GOP Rep. Bidal] Duran, HF3492 would provide $25 million in Fiscal Year 2027 for school safety facility grants, with individual schools eligible for up to $500,000 for the design and construction of improvements. … The House Education Finance Committee laid over the bill Tuesday for possible omnibus bill inclusion.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kZOgvI
KIRK: Senate Republicans have written legislation that would build a statue on the University of Minnesota campus in memory of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist shot and killed in Utah last year. BILL: https://fluence-media.co/3ZUVh7k
STORAGE: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Some gun shops, storage units and law enforcement entities [now] offer voluntary firearm storage — an option that is not as well-known, nor commonly requested. But in a state in which most of its firearm deaths are due to suicide, some health professionals see voluntary out-of-home storage as a suicide prevention tool.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sduXBu
OTHER NEWS
ELECTIONS: via Politico, VERBATIM: “Democratic attorneys general are bracing for President Donald Trump to interfere in the midterm elections. … They’re preparing for the administration to potentially confiscate ballots and voting machines [or] send military members and immigration agents to polling locations to intimidate voters. … White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt [said] she hadn’t ‘heard the president discuss any formal plans to put ICE outside of polling locations.’ … Democrats aren’t reassured, [said] Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota.” ELLISON: “If the president said, ‘Look, I want my ICE people to protect American elections, [so] go to all these polling places and stand out in front with guns,’ I think they would do it. And I think we all need to be prepared to deal with that problem.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tPlm5r
SCHOOLS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Two Minnesota school districts and a teachers union are seeking an emergency order to stop federal agents from [operating] around public schools. Fridley Public Schools, Duluth Public Schools and Education Minnesota filed a lawsuit in early February arguing that the Department of Homeland Security violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it stripped longstanding protections that limited immigration enforcement in ‘sensitive locations,’ such as schools. [This week’s] motion asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota to restore the ‘sensitive locations’ policy while litigation continues.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/47brtqP
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)
ACROSS MN
GREATER MN: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Even with the drawdown of federal immigration agents, some communities outside the Twin Cities are struggling with how far they should go to regulate enforcement or articulate a public stance, as residents continue to worry that agents are headed their way. … In Duluth, councilors ultimately voted in favor of asking [the state] for rental assistance. … In Mankato, where advocates say about 10 people have been detained in the surge, the City Council passed an emergency ordinance Monday that would force law enforcement officers to unmask.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MOLsoq
COTTAGE GROVE: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The Park Grove Library in Cottage Grove will close later this month for a $13.5 million makeover and will reopen to the public in early 2027. The majority of the existing building structure at 7900 Hemingway Ave. S. will remain, but the front entrance will be reconstructed to create a more usable and flexible layout, county officials say.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tVnwAe
BEMIDJI: via Bemidji Pioneer, VERBATIM: “Bemidji may see the closure of another beloved school in the near future. Amid an ongoing struggle to balance the district’s budget, the Bemidji Area Schools Board of Education is considering options to avoid a potential $3.5 million deficit for the 2026-2027 school year. … The [potential] closure of J.W. Smith Elementary brought much vigor and passion to the district office board room as staff and community members rallied for the school they love during the board’s regular session.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4saaFsv
WHAT’S NEXT
SESSION: House floor session at 12:15 p.m. No Senate floor session. HOUSE: Human Services will hear a requirement to release unredacted Optum reports. Elections & Govt. Ops. will hear a repeal of the state preemption over local firearm regulations. Health hears exceptions to the hospital construction moratorium and the creation of a task force on “female genital mutilation.” Transportation hears a requirement to stop for school buses’ flashing red lights. Children & Families will hear several bills on SNAP and food banks. SENATE: Education Policy hears restrictions on federal agents accessing schools. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/4kWRY9g
TOMORROW: Annunciation community members will hold a “Sing Together” event advocating for gun violence prevention in the Capitol Rotunda at 8:30 a.m.
FRIDAY: MMB Commissioner Erin Campbell will present Minnesota’s next Budget and Economic Forecast on Friday, Feb. 27 at 12:30 p.m.
NEXT WEEK: The Idaho Democratic Party will host Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin as keynote speakers for its Frank & Bethune Church Gala on Saturday, March 7 in Boise, ID.
BDAYS: lobbyist Quinn Cheney, retired golf guy Steve Sherwood, Walz insider Josh Syrjamaki, hockey guy Dave Schwartz, lobbyist Cullen Sheehan
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.