MONDAY RESTART
Wyndham Clark is the US Open Champion.
Twins host the Dodgers starting tonight. They are 5-1 in the last 6.
NHL Draft is Friday and Saturday.
The U.S. is having its strongest start at the World Cup in decades. WSJ: https://fluence-media.co/448TC05
Year-long construction begins today on Highway 36 near Lake Elmo. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/3SoiBtx
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again and walked out of peace negotiations this weekend. AP: https://fluence-media.co/4aOGKQf
CBS News finds that 78% of Americans think the U.S. should focus on ending the Iran war, but opinions on the U.S.-Iran agreement are mixed — 22% think it’s better for the U.S., 37% think it’s better for Iran, and 41% say it’s “about equal for each.” POLL: https://fluence-media.co/3QRiV3w
Sunday Take covered the status of third parties in Minnesota with Chip Tangen, Libertarian candidate for secretary of state, and Jay Reeves, Forward Independence candidate for state auditor. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4uICwRf
Happy National Onion Rings Day!.
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LISTEN: Sunday Take featured DFL Reps. Kelly Moller and Mike Howard remembering the life and legacy of Melissa Hortman one year after her passing. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gfrsri
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SMARTER: Long Term Care – Is Minnesota Ready? Care Providers Minnesota and LeadingAge Minnesota hosted providers, Senator Grant Hauschild (03, DFL), Representative Natalie Zeleznikar (03B, GOP), and Representative Nathan Nelson (11B, GOP) for a conversation about the future of careing for our seniors. This coming week the conversation moves to St. Cloud. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ue3YXA
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Great weather weekends hit different, including on Sunday night and Monday morning. A little sleepier, but so worth it A trip to Stillwater yesterday was a great reminder about the other side of the cities – and how they also have to deal with road construction. A 90 sleep score this morning should provide a clear mind for a busy week.
Most Minnesotan’s don’t stay home on a Friday night to watch a debate, however, I was home in time Friday to watch Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. The conclusion is that we need more debates in all the races. Why?
Minnesota could have two new Senators come December or January, and will have a new Governor. The frustration of voters is clear, and playing it safe doesn’t give Minnesotans a clear idea of what candidates are really like under pressure.
Further more, a plan, a vision and a idea of where Minnesota is headed is more important than where we’ve been. Friday’s couch chat big takeaway is that Lt. Gov. Flanagan isn’t comfortable debating. She needs more practice and tough reps before she’s in DC where debates are daily. In the meantime, Rep. Craig what are the next things you want to do if elected?
The invite to debate on Sunday Take is open. FWIW – Republican Michele Tafoya’s campaign hasn’t accepted a primary debate invite yet either.
DEBATE: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig squared off Friday night in their first debate ahead of the August [DFL] primary. … Both candidates leaned into their political resumes and priorities, but also spent a substantial amount of time attacking the other on where they receive campaign funds from. Apart from campaign funds, a few hot-button topics included immigration enforcement, affordability, and fraud. … CRAIG: ‘It’s still stunning to me that the lieutenant governor continues to shift every bit of the blame to the governor for the fraud that has occurred in Minnesota,’ Craig said. … FLANAGAN: ‘My job is to make sure that I am making life more affordable for people in Minnesota,’ [Flanagan] said.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4gyLg9c
MORE: Via TPT Almanac, the hour-long debate between Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig can be viewed online. They will debate again on MPR next month. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4eoptzB
ENDORSEMENT: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Early voting for the Aug. 11 primary starts this Friday, and one of the most-watched races in Minnesota is the very tight contest for governor on the Republican side. … The president has not made a formal endorsement in the race, but he has said that Mike Lindell ‘deserves to be governor of Minnesota.’ Both [Kendall] Qualls and [Lisa] Demuth say they would like to get [Donald] Trump’s endorsement in the next few weeks.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4b1Id5I
MN GOP: via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “Rep. Peggy Bennett (R-Albert Lea) is calling for the resignation of three top Minnesota GOP officials, alleging ‘bias’ and ‘manipulation’ in the party’s gubernatorial race ahead of the August primary. Bennett, who suspended her campaign for governor earlier this year, [listed] MN GOP Chairman Alex Plechash, Political Director Jill Vujovich-Laabs, and Communications Director Noah Rouen by name as leaders she wants to step down. … Bennett said she received emails from Vujovich-Laabs inviting her to participate in a pre-convention forum. Yet three days before the convention, Plechash responded, telling her she was disqualified as a candidate.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4w08Xvs
MORE: Via Facebook, GOP Rep. Peggy Bennett’s social media video calling for leadership resignations is over nine minutes long with more than 480 likes as of Sunday evening. BENNETT: “The dysfunction, mismanagement, along with clear favoritism toward preselected candidates is just plain wrong.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Qjh9bj
RESPONSE: via GOP Chair Alex Plechash statement, PLECHASH: “Rep. Peggy Bennett’s characterization of what happened at the Republican State Convention is simply not accurate. We understand Rep. Bennett’s disappointment that her campaign did not gain the support she may have hoped for. That said, the rules and requirements applied to her were the same rules and requirements applied to every other candidate. … Bennett alone failed to follow the rules and meet the deadlines. For her to now claim the process was unfair is wrong and misleading.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w08Xvs
A deep dive into the CD1 race between Rep. Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson for MNSider subscribers. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/49OqNJu
THE ISSUES
ISSUE POLL: KSTP surveyed Minnesota voters about their top issues in the 2026 election, their thoughts on fraud, and more. Results are summarized below. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4eDxkbm
What’s your top issue? — 40% said inflation/costs, 12% immigration, 12% healthcare, 7% “other,” 6% gas prices, 5% Iran war, 4% education, 4% gun control, 3% abortion, 3% jobs, 2% crime.
How big of a problem is fraud? — 23% said it’s the biggest problem in Minnesota, 39% a major problem, 12% a minor problem, 1% not a problem, 5% unsure.
Who is most responsible for fraud? — 36% said criminals, 33% Gov. Tim Walz, 13% the state legislature, 11% unsure, 6% “someone else.”
Did they do enough to stop fraud? — For the governor, 14% said he has done enough, 73% said he needs to do more, 13% unsure. For the state legislature, 11% said they have done enough, 76% said they need to do more, 13% unsure.
Affordability is the most important issue across demographics, but immigration saw a significant partisan split — 24% of conservatives said it was their number one issue, while only 6% of moderates and 5% of liberals said the same.
FRAUD: Via FOX 9, two stories in two days about people being charged with Medicaid fraud by local authorities. VERBATIM: “Authorities are accusing a man of fraudulently billing Medicaid $182,000 for personal care services that were never provided. Shawki Mohamed Hamed Elsaid, 41, of Blaine, is charged with identity theft and theft by false representation. … [Also], Tremayne Lemar Jackson is charged with eight felony counts of theft by false representation in Ramsey County. Prosecutors allege Jackson submitted fraudulent time sheets for personal care services he did not provide, resulting in more than $125,000 in Medicaid payments.” 1ST: https://fluence-media.co/4b4fu0a 2ND: https://fluence-media.co/4b4fugG
ATTACKS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Since 2019, the number of officers attacked each year has increased more than 160%, with an average over the last few years of about 1,200 per year, which is up from 467 officers in 2019. … The effect of this issue is already being felt by agencies. … Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk said: ‘We’ve had to adjust wages to be competitive, and certainly on the entry side, we’re seeing a lot less candidates come into the profession.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4oGp9jf
SUGAR BEETS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Last year, when Joe Sullivan’s sugar beet fields were infected with a fungal disease called Cercospora leaf spot, he was devastated. Sullivan, who farms throughout Renville County, said the disease cut his yields by about a third. He had to dig into his farm’s savings to cover the losses. … Ashok Chanda, an associate professor and extension sugar beet pathologist at the University of Minnesota, said weather patterns are [to blame]. More storms are coming to Minnesota, which, when combined with heat, create humid conditions in which Cercospora thrives.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QssrKl
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)
FEDS
PREDICTIONS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “State lawyers are urging a court to reject an injunction request from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission aimed at halting a Minnesota law banning prediction markets. … Attorneys representing the state say the wagers barred under the law set to take effect on Aug. 1 aren’t in the CFTC’s purview and the agency is claiming harm that is ‘merely abstract.’ They also say that unlike in other states that have passed laws attempting to preempt federal law around the prediction markets that have been blocked in court, Minnesota’s proposal makes it a crime to host or advertise a prediction market. … A hearing in the case is set for early July.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ep1BMq
DISMISSALS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Federal prosecutors are continuing to dismiss charges initially brought against people in Minnesota for allegedly assaulting federal officers. … WCCO dug through court filings and identified at least 18 people whose cases are now dropped. A federal judge officially dismissed the charges for 15 of them; three are pending a judge’s approval. … Defense and government attorneys alike asked for case dismissals for a variety of reasons.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4xMymL6
MORE: via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “Since [2016], Minnesotans protesting local and federal law enforcement have been charged with a variety of riot-related crimes. But in both state and federal courts, many of those cases have been dismissed or had charges lowered to misdemeanor offenses. … That’s unusual. The federal government historically wins more than 90% of its criminal cases, [and] about 8% of DOJ [cases] get dismissed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oEc2Ps
FED FUNDS: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration reinstated a federal grant to Minnesota Power just months after terminating it. … The $50 million grant, awarded by the Biden Administration, is meant to help offset the cost of the Duluth-based utility company’s more than $900 million upgrade of an aging high-voltage, direct-current transmission line linking Hermantown and central North Dakota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w0eiD0
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
METRO
HENN CTY: via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Hennepin County Attorney’s race is heating up. Five candidates are vying to become the top law enforcement official in the state’s most populous county. The winner will take over for Mary Moriarty. … Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, overwhelmingly won the DFL endorsement. But the other candidates are still in the race: senior Ramsey County Attorney Hao Nguyen, former acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Anders Folk, defense attorney Matt Pelikan and assistant Hennepin County Attorney Diane Krenze. They all say, like Moriarty, they’ll prosecute federal agents if they committed crimes in Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ep1BMq
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Downtown Minneapolis building owners struggling with a glut of vacant office space are chasing data centers as a potential solution to their financial woes. But their bullishness is at odds with growing public opposition to data centers, a sentiment that prompted some city leaders to pause developments. … Several downtown offices, including the Sleep Number building, housed data centers for years to little fanfare. But the vast computing needs of artificial intelligence have simultaneously made them an exploding business opportunity and a hot-button political issue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4emgTBv
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker [said] the city has made an official commitment toward getting three long-shuttered sections of the downtown skyway system reopened. Though no firm reopening date has been announced, a spokesperson for St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her’s office said Friday that the mayor is on board with the general aim of returning foot traffic through the Alliance Bank Center, Central Station and the St. Paul Athletic Club. … [But] to reopen the skyways, the major barriers aren’t just financial. There are legal questions about ownership rights.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43OPRN8
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)
ACROSS MN
BLUE EARTH CTY: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Almost two years after severe flooding in southern Minnesota destroyed the County Road 9 bridge in Rapidan, Blue Earth County officials said they’re closer to constructing a new bridge. Ryan Thilges, Blue Earth County engineer and public works director, said they will open sealed bids to finalize a construction contract as soon as the county receives project approvals and permits. … Construction will likely start in early winter 2026 and last two years. The cost to build the new bridge [is] about $28.5 million, [but] the Federal Highway Administration is providing about $25 million.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44t4kON
BEMIDJI: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A year after the June 21 storm, Bemidji is still recovering, but vulnerable. Despite progress — including a tourism campaign promoting ‘We Are Open’ — residents remain on edge, struggling to reassemble their lives while facing persistent insurance delays and the threat of wildfires. … The widespread damage has created a cascading disaster: The area is now a tinderbox. Already this spring, a few small wildfires sparked up in flattened acres of forest. A new billboard alerts visitors of the increased wildfire risk due to the blowdown.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oDQ92G
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Two options are emerging as leading contenders for changes to Elton Hills Drive. The Rochester City Council will review the options and others on Monday, with a July decision expected on the potential changes. … Each of the two leading options proposed following public engagement efforts points to a reduction in vehicle travel lanes. Instead of two lanes in each direction, the proposals would provide a single lane in each direction, with a center turn lane designed to maintain traffic flow.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oJM1OS
PROUD TO CHAMPION ATHLETES EVERYWHERE: Minnesota’s 24,000 family corn farmers may come from different fields than the athletes participating in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, which are set for June 20-26 in Minnesota. But they share the same values, including dedication, hard work, and perseverance. This summer, Minnesota Corn salutes the talented athletes participating in the games. We’ll be cheering them on from our fields as they shine in yours. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
WHAT’S NEXT
TODAY: Advocates with Parents for Good will gather at the Anoka-Hennepin School Board meeting today and “announce they have successfully collected 3,000 signatures in support of placing a school funding referendum on the November ballot,” per a release.
TODAY: At 10 AM, via DJR, Novarum Development Partners and Mayor Jacob Frey will be joined by housing and healthcare partners to announce the redevelopment of the former Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Campus.
TOMORROW: Sen. Andrew Mathews and Rep. Shane Mekeland, both GOP, will host a town hall with representatives from Options, Inc. to discuss Medicaid provider revalidation and “the impacts state processing delays may have on services provided to vulnerable Minnesotans,” per a release. The event is in Big Lake at 6:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY: Independent evaluators at ELEFA will host a public meeting to answer questions about the Minneapolis Police Department’s settlement agreement. The event is at 6:00 p.m.
JULY 13: Attorney General Keith Ellison will host a community listening session on Monday, July 13 to discuss the proposed acquisition of Allina Health by Sutter Health. The event is in St. Paul at 6:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: journalist Jane McClure, nonprofit leader Tuleah Palmer, writer Jess Fleming, Cargill’s Matt Swenson, musician Ali Gray, lobbyist Cristine Almeida
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.