SUNNY MONDAY
73 as a high today, put out the patio furniture yesterday. Also found a trash panda that didn’t make it through winter in the patio furniture.
The Final and Frozen Four’s are set…why does everyone cheer against Duke?
Paychecks for TSA agents could come as soon as today following an executive order. KSTP: https://fluence-media.co/4bZC89X
Billionaire Mark Cuban paid for a Minnesota baby’s medical treatment after insurance denied the mother’s claim. BMTN: https://fluence-media.co/4bFVjXm
Sunday Take featured texts from listeners in a discussion about the “Mood of Minnesota” and how it could influence the 2026 elections. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4s5LFlE
Today is National Take a Walk in the Park Day…
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
It’s BACK! The TwinWest Legislative Breakfast is on April 17, featuring Senate Min. Ldr. Mark Johnson, House DFL Flr. Ldr. Jamie Long, Senate Asst. Maj. Ldr. Nick Frentz and House GOP Flr. Ldr. Harry Niska in a mid-session discussion moderated by Blois Olson and presented by Fluence Advisory. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/4lWWmFM
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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/
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MIDSESSION MOOD
SHENANIGANS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “A 2025 handshake deal to avoid ‘shenanigans’ may be moot. Then-House Ways and Means Co-Chair Zack Stephenson and Ways and Means Republican Co-Chair Paul Torkelson made a deal last year to avoid any antics as they sat down with legislative leaders to negotiate a two-year budget. But now that Stephenson has become House DFL leader, he’s shifted out of the prior role. He said he’ll continue to uphold the commitment, but current DFL Ways and Means Co-Chair Cedrick Frazier might not. … Torkelson is in his final session before retirement and Frazier is running for Hennepin County attorney, so they’re both in a short-term committee leadership partnership.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47r8glh
JOBS & ECON: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee [heard] a bill to establish a $100 million program to make zero-interest loans to businesses affected by Operation Metro Surge. … But the bill failed to clear the committee after a dispute arose between two Minneapolis DFLers — committee chair Sen. Bobby Joe Champion [and] Sen. Zaynab Mohamed. … Under Champion’s bill, businesses would’ve applied for loans distributed by nonprofits through a process overseen by the state, [but] Mohamed wanted to amend the bill to send $10 million directly to the Lake Street Council. … Mohamed [said] committee members will have more time to discuss the bill before an April deadline for financial bills. But the meeting ended with Champion saying the legislation would not come back and his committee would not meet again.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lXG5QR
LINDELL: Republican Mike Lindell spoke to MPR about his campaign for governor and his thoughts on other statewide candidates. VERBATIM: “Lindell describes himself as ‘all in’ the race regardless of whether President Donald Trump opts to endorse someone else. Lindell said he has scooped up $1 million since joining the race. … He [also] talked about inviting Kid Rock, Rudy Giuliani and Brett Favre to upcoming campaign rallies. … He’s got an upcoming event with U.S. Senate candidate Royce White, whom Lindell said he’s endorsed and expects to get a reciprocal endorsement. Lindell is sour on Michele Tafoya as the potential GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, saying her prior stances on abortion are ‘going to be a big problem for her.’ He said she could struggle to excite the MAGA base.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47r8glh
MORE: GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell was a guest speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, and he said on social media that he received CPAC’s “endorsement.” Via his speech at CPAC, LINDELL: “Here’s what’s going on in Minnesota right now: you wouldn’t even know I’m running. The media there…they’re not even attacking me. So I need CPAC once again. … I need your support and help to get the word out that I’m running. I’m following our great president’s campaign strategy.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4dhG882
TRANSPARENCY
MPD: Via Bloomberg, the City of Minneapolis released 332 pages of internal documents, including emails from MPD Chief Brian O’Hara, following a public records request about Operation Metro Surge. VERBATIM: “The [files] don’t reveal new details about the FBI’s refusal to work with state law enforcement officials. … Still, the documents contain noteworthy bits of information. For example, there’s a set of talking points the Minneapolis Police Department’s public information officer wrote for O’Hara in advance of a press conference on Jan. 24 after [Alex] Pretti’s killing. Some of the messaging appears to be more pointed than the city’s public comments. … Other documents reveal details about ICE’s activities in the city, including police logs that captured citizens’ calls to police during clashes with protesters.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bEv6Z5
MORE: Bloomberg has publicly released all 332 pages of emails and other files from law enforcement in January 2026. FILES: https://fluence-media.co/41lrnKd
FRAUD: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “Vice President JD Vance on Friday held the inaugural meeting of a new anti-fraud task force he’s leading as the Trump Administration seeks to show it’s cracking down on potential misuse of social programs, especially in Minnesota. … Vance [said] the federal government for decades had not taken the issue of fraud seriously and that it needed to be tackled with ‘a whole-government approach.’ … The task force, which includes about half the president’s Cabinet, the leader of a new Justice Department division focused on prosecuting fraud and Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, are set to meet regularly.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4sBr7Cx
A new level of insight and information….
PROTESTS
ATTENDANCE: Via Star Tribune, attendance estimates for the latest St. Paul “No Kings” rally varied greatly between sources. Protest organizers claimed there were more than 200,000 attendees, but the Minnesota State Patrol estimated that only 100,000 attended. National organizers chose St. Paul as their “flagship” rally — worldwide, organizers said millions protested at over 3,000 demonstrations. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4teDmVF
MORE: Via MinnPost, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also appeared at St. Paul’s “No Kings” rally Saturday along with several celebrity guests. Sanders quoted the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone in his rally speech. SANDERS: “We will not allow this country to descend into authoritarianism or oligarchy. We will create an economy that works for all Americans, not just the 1%. … We all do better when we all do better.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sHG2vb
NO KINGS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “People across Minnesota and the U.S. took part in protests Saturday against [the] Trump Administration. The ‘No Kings’ protest in St. Paul drew thousands of people to the State Capitol. … While on stage Saturday, Gov. Tim Walz spoke about Operation Metro Surge. … There were multiple other speakers at the event, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, Rep. Ilhan Omar [and more].” WALZ: “Don’t ever mistake our kindness for weakness. We demand justice for Renee Good and Alex Pretti. We demand justice for every single person who was hurt or traumatized. We will never forget what they did here.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3PQxQtQ
SUNDAY: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Thousands of Christians filled the grounds of the Minnesota State Capitol on Palm Sunday, joining together in a show of faith and protest against what they describe as the Trump Administration’s betrayal of Christian values. The event, part of a series of demonstrations across 17 states, followed Saturday’s ‘No Kings’ rally. … Those in attendance cited a range of concerns — from cuts to healthcare programs to immigration enforcement and the ongoing war in Iran. Many carried signs referencing biblical themes of compassion, mercy, and justice.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3PD4mQk
41B: Republicans endorsed William Beck in the House District 41B race this weekend. The district’s current representative, Tom Dippel, is running for a seat in the state Senate. 41B includes parts of Cottage Grove and Hastings.
YOUR NEIGHBORS RIDE ATVs: From the Twin Cities to the Iron Range, thousands of Minnesotans own and ride ATVs. They are families, veterans, teachers and small business owners who rely on Minnesota’s trail system for recreation, tourism, and economic activity. ATV riders aren’t just “up north” — they live in the Twin Cities metro area, and they care deeply about maintaining safe, well-managed trails. As the legislature considers trail policy, funding, and land-use decisions this session, ask them to support Minnesota’s ATV community and the outdoor opportunities they value. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4u4dGw9 (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
MNLEG DYNAMICS
FREEDOM CAUCUS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Rep. Marj Fogelman [is] the newest member of the Freedom Caucus in the state Legislature and its first female member. … Her addition to the caucus comes as it had initially launched with no female membership, which was a point of contention from some Republican lawmakers. But Fogelman thinks there’s an opportunity for more women to join.” FOGELMAN: “Since it’s such a new club, I think they’re taking a slow walk and not taking a bunch of members without vetting them. I think it’s a good thing because we want more conservative members.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lXG5QR
SECURITY: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Minnesota lawmakers want to create a commission to study issues related to their security. … DFL Sen. Bonnie Westlin says lawmaker security outside of the Capitol is a concern. … [But] some say the commission would duplicate an existing Capitol area security board. … ‘I’m not going to rely on 12 members of the Legislature to protect me,’ said Republican Sen. Warren Limmer. … The proposal was moved from a Senate Rules Committee to another committee for consideration. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL- St. Paul, said her caucus would also prioritize funding to keep new Capitol security measures and enhanced staffing in place.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47r8glh
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)
MORE MNLEG
SUSPENSIONS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Assaults on school staff members could lead to a partial rollback of Minnesota’s ban on suspending students in grades K-3. … Altogether, 142 classrooms in kindergarten through third grade in the state’s largest school district have been cleared in 2025-26 due to students threatening the safety of others. … Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, inserted into the Senate’s education policy bill a return of one-day suspensions for the state’s youngest students. But in a compromise with anti-suspension student advocates, he agreed the action could be taken only in instances of serious injuries or the potential of serious injuries.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tlG77L
ATV: via MN Senate news relese, VERBATIM: “Senator Jen McEwen (DFL-Duluth) presented a bill (SF 1245) before the Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee [last week] to improve and standardize guidelines around ATV trails. The bill would give communities, lands, and waters the same protections statewide and help ATV riders know where to ride [and] reduce illegal trails. … SF 1245 applies only to state-owned lands. The bill would apply consistent regulations statewide.” BILL: https://fluence-media.co/3Q6R9iB
(DISCLOSURE: ATV Minnesota is a Fluence sponsor)
NOTE: This shows neighboring Senate districts with DFLers where the not aligned on an issue that will be a talker during the election if passed.
NUCLEAR: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Advocates for nuclear energy hope this is the year Minnesota takes a step toward lifting its 32-year-old moratorium. … Some state lawmakers are backing a bill authorizing a study of the potential to build new nuclear plants, including small, modular reactors. … The study would examine costs, federal regulations, technological advances, location issues and environmental impacts, among other factors. The proposal received a mixed response [at] the Minnesota Capitol. … [But] this year’s bill has the support of the Prairie Island Indian Community, which lawmakers from both parties see as essential to its passage.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/412fpEX
(DISCLOSURE: Xcel Energy is a Fluence sponsor)
BLUE LINE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “House Republicans zeroed in [last] week on the planned $3.2 billion Blue Line Extension. … Republican legislators pressed Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene on why the county was committed to funding much of the project while also asking the Legislature for financial help for its cash-strapped hospital. … ‘The county can do two things at once,’ Greene said in reply. … Republicans [were] pushing for it to be abandoned in favor of cheaper bus rapid transit instead. … But Democrats all voted against the bills, which failed on a party-line vote.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lXG5QR
REJECT 340B EXPANSION: A new Minnesota Department of Health report shows hospitals made at least $1 billion dollars from a federal drug discount program known as 340B. The program should help patients, but experts say there is little accountability for where the money goes. The report was delayed and only recently released, showing the program isn’t working as intended. But Minnesota politicians are fast tracking a bill to expand the 340B program anyway. Lawmakers: reject House File 3609 / Senate File 3769. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4uUobCQ (SPONSORED: Community Action for Responsible Hospitals)
CONGRESS
HEMP: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In less than eight months, the fizzy THC seltzers found in Minnesota breweries and liquor stores could vanish. Hemp-derived gummies could disappear with them. An impending federal ban on intoxicating hemp products is quickly approaching, and attempts to reverse or delay it have stalled in Washington. As Minnesota Democrats in Congress continue to push for a fix, makers of hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles warn the impact of the ban could be felt months before it takes effect. … Sen. Amy Klobuchar [said] a two-year delay proposal has drawn 17 Republican co-sponsors in the House. Klobuchar said she hopes the measure will be added to the Farm Bill or another budget bill.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dRviWl
(DISCLOSURE: Plift is a Fluence client)
DHS: via Stateline, VERBATIM: “The two chambers of Congress, both controlled by Republicans, were at odds Friday over how to fund the Department of Homeland Security, prolonging the shutdown. … The Senate voted before dawn to approve a funding bill that would have reopened every agency within the department impacted by the funding lapse, but that legislation didn’t include additional money for [ICE] or Border Patrol. House GOP leaders, infuriated by their colleagues’ decision to leave out that money, didn’t put it on the floor for a vote. They chose instead to take up an eight-week stopgap spending bill for the department, which has little chance of moving through the Senate. … Both chambers are now out of session for a two-week spring break.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bODKmI
RESPONSE: via GOP Rep. Brad Finstad statement, FINSTAD: “We’ve done our job in the House, having now voted four times to fund DHS in its entirety. I supported this legislation which will ensure all of DHS, including immigration enforcement and border patrol, are fully funded, while also restoring pay for the federal workers who have had to pay the price of this reckless shutdown.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41zb503
340B HOSPITAL MARKUPS HURT PATIENTS: Minnesota’s latest 340B report shows covered entities generated $1.34 billion IN PROFIT in 2024, including an estimated $261 million from Medicaid prescriptions. Independent research finds the program raises costs for patients, taxpayers, and employers statewide. Minnesota should sunset the 340B mandate and Congress should fix the federal 340B program, so it actually helps patients. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3OLZOGG(SPONSORED: PhRMA)
ECONOMY…
HOSPITALS: Via MPR News, former Minnesota health commissioner Jan Malcolm and Minnesota Hospital Association CEO Rahul Koranne discussed why many hospitals in the state are in crisis, including HCMC, and what they see as possible solutions. KORANNE: “Some of the hospitals in the state are literally out of cash to make payroll. Those hospitals could just blink out of existence. Thirty-one hospitals that are in financial distress across the state of Minnesota at one time is a systemic crisis.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3O8Szsn
MINING: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Mesabi Metallics’ iron ore mine this summer will be the first to open in Minnesota in 50 years — a $2.4 billion investment bringing nearly 350 full-time jobs to the western end of the Iron Range. … But 14 months into President Donald Trump’s second term — a return in part boosted by promises to bring jobs to factory and mining towns like Chisholm and Nashwauk — some worry that a chance at resurgence for the Range’s mining economy might be slipping away. … Despite Trump’s call for more domestic steel, companies like the Range’s largest player, Cleveland-Cliffs, are reeling from big slowdowns in domestic auto manufacturing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O8CCm0
TUITION: via AP News, VERBATIM: “Minnesota public universities can continue to offer in-state tuition and scholarships to some immigrants in the country without legal status, a federal judge ruled on Friday, dismissing a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice. … District Judge Katherine Menendez said in her decision that the federal government failed to prove that programs offering in-state tuition for immigrants without legal status discriminated against U.S. citizens.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PFWWeW
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)
STATWIDE STUFF
DOWNTOWN: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “St. Paul’s biggest office towers lost value again this year, raising new concerns about taxes and the city’s financial outlook. The top seven taxable office buildings in downtown St. Paul took an average 16.5% hit to their estimated sale price this year, according to the Ramsey County Assessor’s Office. Among them, Wells Fargo Plaza was down 16%, Ecolab Tower dropped 12%, and the First National Bank Building’s assessed value fell more than 29%.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4mi2Cbv
MENDOTA HGTS: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “At Mendota Heights City Hall, city officials have long been trying to find ways to properly deliver services in a location where they say needs have outgrown current square footage. After years of study, Mendota Heights officials are embarking on plans for a new city hall and police department facility, dubbed the Mendota Heights Municipal Campus Project. … Early plans are for construction to begin in 2027, with the new facility opening in fall 2028. … The new city hall and police department could cost between $30 million and $35 million. Mendota Heights has submitted a state bonding request for $12 million to help offset costs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NTKkjU
WARROAD: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Roseau County Sheriff’s Office said a train derailment between the northern Minnesota town of Warroad and the Canadian border is under control and that there is no threat to the public. … There were no reported leaks, injuries or fires. The sheriff’s office said 42 cars derailed and two of them are classified as ‘dangerous goods cars.’ Authorities evacuated a stretch of Highway 313 on Saturday morning after the derailment. Warroad fire chief Damien McMillin [said] emergency services were treating the area with extra caution.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sFefLI
HIBBING: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Hibbing School Board will meet Monday, March 30, for a special session to vote on a resolution that would close Greenhaven Elementary just days after community members voiced opposition to the plan at a public hearing. The closure of the elementary school, which would leave the district with three remaining school buildings, has been proposed as the district searches for solutions to an unexpected $2 million budget deficit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sCdSS7
CRITICAL MARKETS FOR MINNESOTA: via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s 24,000 family corn farmers export hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of corn, ethanol, and dried distillers grains (DDG) to Canada and Mexico each year. Those exports support consumers in those countries and account for thousands of Minnesota jobs and over $1 billion in economic activity. That’s why the Minnesota Corn Growers Association supports a full renewal of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the landmark trade agreement that modernized North American agricultural trade.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dqEqB1 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
AHEAD
SESSION: The Minnesota Legislature is on break for Easter and Passover until the morning of Tuesday, April 7.
TODAY: Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy and DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild will host a roundtable discussion in Hermantown at 12:00 noon. They will be “highlighting the Senate DFL Family Budget Plan,” per a release.
TODAY: DFL Rep. Ilhan Omar will host a CD5 town hall in Spring Lake Park on Monday, March 30 at 6:00 p.m.
TOMORROW: DFL state Rep. Aric Putnam will host an SD14 town hall in St. Cloud on Tuesday, March 31 at 6:00 p.m.
TOMORROW: via MDA advisory, VERBATIM: “Network with agricultural leaders at the 28th annual Women’s Agricultural Leadership Conference (WALC) on Tuesday, March 31 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. This year’s WALC theme, ‘Local Leadership: Global Impact,’ will focus on developing and uplifting women in agriculture.”
APRIL 28: Gov. Tim Walz will deliver his final State of the State address before a joint session of the Minnesota Legislature on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m.
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