Indigenous Day and Columbus Day today.
The final living Israeli hostages were released. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/3WGlNiR
Amy Klobuchar was portrayed by Ashley Padilla on Saturday Night Live this weekend. WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/43aLf3L
The president announced a 100% tariff on Chinese imports starting Nov. 1, if not sooner. CBS: https://fluence-media.co/4nHFgf7
Donald Trump did not win a Nobel Peace Prize, but the winner accepted it “in his name.” FOX: http://fluence-media.co/46UVx9a
Oscar winner Diane Keaton has died at 79. ABC: http://fluence-media.co/492a59H
Yesterday on Sunday Take, State Demographer Susan Brower warns of slow growth and increased pressure on public budgets. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42Bprhz
It’s National Kick Butt Day!.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
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What are the headwinds and tailwinds of the regional economy? - Sunday Take featured UMN’s Myles Shaver discussing the current state of the headquarters economy in Minnesota. LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/3IPKVR8
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MAYOR: via news release from the Fateh for Mayor campaign, VERBATIM: “Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is proud to announce her endorsement of current State Senator Omar Fateh for Mayor of Minneapolis. OMAR: “I am thrilled to announce my support for Omar Fateh to be the next Mayor of Minneapolis. The City of Minneapolis deserves new, bold leadership that meets this pivotal moment our city is in. For many years, we have seen the concerns my neighbors and I are facing—about public safety, housing, affordability, and so much more—be met with the same tired solutions or, frankly, none at all.
GAZA: Via Sahan Journal, a look at how Muslim and Jewish Minnesotans are reacting to the news of a ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war. VERBATIM: “Taher Herzallah, who’s the director of outreach and grassroots organizing at American Muslims for Palestine, said that he’s relieved [by] the news of the ceasefire deal signed by Israel and Hamas. … [But] Herzallah is deeply skeptical of the ceasefire, brokered by the Trump Administration. … Nadiyah Salawdeh, co-chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network’s Twin Cities chapter said she, too, is ‘cautiously optimistic.’ … There’s skepticism among the Twin Cities’ Jewish community, too. … ‘Every single deal that has happened, it’s been with their fingers crossed behind their back,’ said Michelle Rennie, member of Jewish Voice for Peace.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4h4rbWy
REVENUE: via an OMB press release, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s net general fund receipts for the first quarter of FY 2026 are now estimated to total $7.721 billion, $90 million (1.2 percent) less than forecast in the February 2025 Budget and Economic Forecast. Net receipts exceeded the forecast amounts for individual income tax, sales tax, and other revenues while corporate franchise tax revenues were below forecast. … Minnesota’s net general fund receipts for FY 2025 are now estimated to total $31.981 billion, $914 million (2.9 percent) more than projected in the February 2025 Budget and Economic Forecast. Net receipts from individual income taxes and other revenues were above forecast, offsetting lower than expected revenues from corporate franchise and sales tax.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/46P1eHd
From Friday’s lunch take:
EXPORTS: via a DEED press release, VERBATIM: “Minnesota exports of agricultural, mining and manufactured products were valued at $5.8 billion in the second quarter of 2025, a drop of 19% ($1.3 billion) over the second quarter of 2024, according to data released today by the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Mineral fuel and oil exports to Canada accounted for more than half of the decline. VARILEK: ‘Minnesota’s export statistics were particularly sensitive to changes in the oil market this quarter, but overall declines to our biggest export markets illustrate the risk of tariff uncertainty to our economy,’ said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mWWh3y
HENNCTYATTY: According to sources, the Anders Folk campaign for Hennepin County Attorney is off to a fast start. He raised $36k in the first 24 hours
CD6: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District has been colored red since 2003, and on Saturday, Oct. 11, potential DFL candidates and their supporters met for a forum at Apollo High School and hoped that this time, after so many lackluster efforts against their Republican counterparts, voters might be ready for change. U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., has represented the district [since] 2015. … To turn the district blue, the DFL will focus on listening to voters, said Chantal Oechsle, DFL 6th Congressional District Chair. ‘We really want to connect with people and see where they’re coming from,’ Oechsle said. … Candidates Anson Amberson and Doug Chapin addressed veterans’ issues, healthcare, immigration and human rights [at the event]. Jeanne Hendricks, who previously received the endorsement and ran unsuccessfully against Emmer in 2022 and 2024, was scheduled to attend…before recently deciding not to run.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3W4Wrer
MAYOR RACE: St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter spoke to WCCO-TV on Sunday to discuss his third-term bid. Carter said he understands voters’ concerns about rising costs and property taxes, but he wants to incentivize new development to help offset these increases. CARTER: “We have to do everything we can to build as much as possible, so our goal is to expand. … Honestly, I think we have a significant opportunity. We have over $1 billion in development projects underway right now in downtown alone. … One of our goals is to be able to absorb a lot of that [tax increase] by building as much as we can and expanding our tax base.” WATCH: http://fluence-media.co/42xPFSc
SPENDING: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “Some of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey‘s wealthiest supporters have mounted their own half-million-dollar campaign to bolster Frey’s reelection effort — and to swing City Council races in his favor. The independent expenditure effort gives Frey a financial edge on his opponents. … In Frey’s corner: ‘All of Mpls’…has spent nearly $344,000 on swaying city races as of late September. An offshoot group, ‘Thrive Mpls,’ spent another $46,000. A third group, ‘We Love Minneapolis PAC’…has spent nearly $122,000 to bolster Frey-aligned council candidates.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KIdkJt
STP MAYOR: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The Capitol City’s five official mayoral candidates gathered [to] air their differences before a live audience, making their case on massive issues like downtown’s shaky future and immigrant protections, as well as the literal nuts and bolts of city leadership. The forum, the second in 24 hours as the campaigns hit their race pace, featured incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter, his most-prominent challenger, DFL state Rep. Kaohly Her, along with Yan Chen, Adam Dullinger and Mike Hilborn. … Every candidate agreed that St. Paul needs more housing, and soon, but the field split on how to make it happen. … The evening’s tensest moments came as candidates described how they’d shield St. Paul’s most vulnerable communities from overzealous federal law enforcement agencies.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4q2zCG1
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TRANSSPORTS:: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “In a letter to the Trump Administration, the state’s solicitor general wrote that there would be no substantive response because of a lack of clarity while the federal government is shut down. The state was critical of the Title IX investigation and the suggestion that Minnesota would lose federal funds if it didn’t comply. … Nearly 200 Minnesota high school school board members signed a petition urging the state to comply. But a group of Minnesota school board members and candidates came out Friday against attempts to exclude trans youth participation in athletics.” READ/LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/3J8kMgs
SHUTDOWN: Rep. Angie Craig (D-2nd) sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson demanding that he reconvene the U.S. House to vote on a bipartisan compromise that would end the federal shutdown and restore healthcare funding that’s otherwise scheduled to end this year. CRAIG: “As we enter the second week of the federal government shutdown, we write to you with immediate urgency to call the House back into session. … Let us remind you that for every American who makes the difficult decision to go without health coverage, the costs to our health care system — and to all of us — increase.” LETTER: http://fluence-media.co/3L76ywR
HEALTHCARE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison, D-3rd District, [has] made the Democrats’ push for health care funding in the fight over funding the government personal. She attacked [Donald] Trump this week for posting an AI-generated video of Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought as the grim reaper. … Not because the video is another attempt by Trump to threaten mass firings during the shutdown, but because ‘at the very center of this funding fight is whether people will be able to get health care,’ Morrison said.” MORRISON: “Joking about Americans dying is not funny. … The Republican health care policies will literally kill people.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/470K4F9
VOTERS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon is supporting a new bill before Congress to prohibit removal of people from state voter rolls without evidence of a change in status. Simon joined Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, of California, and Rep. Joyce Beatty, of Ohio, to introduce what’s being called the Voter Purge Protection Act. … Simon said voters shouldn’t be removed unless there is reliable evidence they died or moved to another state.” SIMON: “It would ensure that voters will at least be provided the information about their registration status and an opportunity to correct the record before Election Day. It is the bare minimum to protect voters from being stripped of their rights to vote through no fault of their own.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4n3ht8a
PRISONS: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “As essential employees, federal prison workers in Minnesota are working through the shutdown without pay. Minnesota has four Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities, all located in Greater Minnesota: Rochester, Duluth, Waseca and Sandstone. At least 619 federal employees worked at the facilities as of 2024. … In an already stressful workplace, morale drops fast during a shutdown, said Sandy Parr, who served as a local and national union leader during her 26-year career at Rochester’s federal medical center for BOP inmates.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/47lzfPs
BROADBAND: Comcast is rewriting the broadband playbook in the Twin Cities. From neighborhood networks to next-gen tech, we’re delivering community-first internet connectivity with no contracts, no surprises. The new Xfinity package means unlimited data, blazing-fast, reliable speeds and a 5-year price guarantee, plus free mobile for a year. It’s not the old Comcast — it’s a bold new era of connection. Let’s power the future, together. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/Comcast2025-1 (SPONSORED: Comcast)
METRO TRANSIT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The final sections of track have been laid on the Green Line Extension, otherwise known as Southwest LRT, and the project is now 85% complete. Crews installed the final pieces of track in late September at the West Lake Street Station, seven years after construction began. … Metro Transit will soon begin testing, so expect to see light rail vehicles moving slowly on the segment between Eden Prairie and St. Louis Park, said spokesman Drew Kerr. Testing on the segment passing through Minneapolis will begin in 2026.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3WB9x3c
FEED FRAUD: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A defendant in the Feeding Our Future case on Friday pleaded guilty just four days before jury selection was set to begin in his trial. Abdiwahab Ahmed Mohamud admitted to charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud. Federal prosecutors are expected to dismiss five additional counts when he’s sentenced. Mohamud’s plea agreement calls for a prison term of 11 to 14 years, but the ultimate decision is up to U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3J59pWF
DWI: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has ordered statewide law enforcement to stop using DataMaster breath tests until agencies can ensure that data on the instruments has been entered correctly. Several counties, including Aitkin, Winona and Chippewa, recently learned that the validity of the tests might have been compromised because of operator error. Late Friday, the BCA added Olmsted and Hennepin counties to that list. The BCA said that because of the potential for human error, it would immediately take over maintenance of instruments across the state.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3KKD9Zq
OCT 30: via AgriGrowth, VERBATIM: “Economic data from the first quarter of 2025 showed that Minnesota’s GDP decreased by 2.42% from the previous year, driven by mounting challenges in the agriculture industry. Minnesota’s agriculture and food sector has been a cornerstone of the state’s economic growth, often mitigating or cushioning recessions. To strengthen our agriculture and food economy, change is required. Minnesota AgriGrowth’s fall summit will continue the hard questions being asked at kitchen tables and board rooms: ‘How do we build a robust agriculture and food economy in Minnesota by 2040?’” AGENDA: https://fluence-media.co/3L2utxu (SPONSORED: AgriGrowth)
1ST RESPONDERS: via a Sen. Amy Klobuchar press release, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the Senate’s passage of the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote. The bipartisan legislation, which passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in May, will expand access to federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who pass away or become permanently disabled from service-related cancers.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4n1VPBh
TRIBES: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Well-informed policy and business decisions depend on trustworthy data. State and metro leaders can turn to scores of regularly updated sources…[but] tribal nations have never been able to count on the same level of data. … The Center for Indian Country Development at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve has spent 10 years working to fill those gaps. At a celebration [last] week of the center’s first decade, policymakers, business owners and tribal advocates emphasized the importance of having access to the socioeconomic data collected by the research institute.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/3KPlWxS
UKRAINE: via a Sen. Amy Klobuchar press release, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced that their bipartisan Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act passed the Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. This legislation now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote. … The [bill] would increase support for Ukraine’s efforts to investigate and track the more than 19,000 Ukrainian children who have been abducted during Putin’s brutal invasion, assist with the rehabilitation and reintegration of children who are returned, and provide justice and accountability for perpetrators of these abductions.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/496EsMa
SUMMER SAVINGS: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “Home cooling can account for about half of your summertime electric bill. Here are five simple, effective ways to boost energy efficiency in your home and save money.
1. Ceiling fans cool you, not the room.
2. When away, adjust your thermostat.
3. Hot air belongs outside.
4. Cook smarter to stay cooler.
5. Let nature dry your clothes — plus, your chores can wait until evening.”
(SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
WILDFIRE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Firefighters were strengthening the containment line around the Crosby Fire in George H. Crosby Manitou State Park along the North Shore on Sunday. Minnesota Interagency Fire Center officials said that the fire, which was detected Wednesday, was caused by a lighting strike. … Officials said Sunday that the fire grew from about 260 acres to 300 acres in the past day, but it’s also now 50 percent contained — 5 percent more than Saturday.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4qeQV6X
DEER: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Four years ago, deer infected by chronic wasting disease were illegally dumped on public land in Beltrami County. Since then, a team from the University of Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach has been studying CWD’s effects on the environment. MNPRO’s study site is in rural Beltrami County, near Hines. … MNPRO associate director Marc Schwabenlander [said] one of the most important discoveries MNPRO’s research has found at the study site is that CWD appears to cling to the sediments in water. And that leads to more accurate testing of the disease in the environment.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4nMAi0y
HENN CTY: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “With most major downtown employers requiring in-office work again, some leaders are pressuring Hennepin County to do the same. The county, with nearly 6,200 workers, is downtown [Minneapolis]’s third largest employer. Its hybrid work policy only requires about one day per month. ‘Get Hennepin County to bring their employees back,’ City Council Member Michael Rainville, who represents downtown, said at the RE Journals summit. … Hennepin County deputy administrator Dan Rogan wrote in an email [that] ‘Our hybrid work policy is focused on employee results, rather than their work location.’” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4nYDw0Y
ST PAUL: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A remarkable shift is under way in St. Paul. The city is on track for a 70 percent drop in homicides by the end of 2025, and they’re solving more than 70 percent of crimes. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi credits a new non-fatal shooting initiative and recently spoke to the Minneapolis City Council about what’s working in St. Paul, in hopes the cities might be able to learn from each other.” CHOI: “It’s about actually collaborating, truly collaborating with one another. No one agency can make this change themselves, and so we had some really hard conversations at the beginning part of the pandemic, where we were blaming each other for some of the uptakes.” READ/LISTEN: http://fluence-media.co/3IKTDjI
BLOOMINGTON: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The sleek new bathroom at Bloomington City Hall is airy and modern, with sensor-operated sinks and fully enclosed individual stalls, their status indicated with strips of light: green for vacant and red for occupied. … The city paid for the remodel with $980,000 in federal pandemic relief money it received through the American Rescue Plan Act, a fact that’s irritating some residents who contend the costly upgrade wasn’t necessary. … Bloomington officials say the restroom needed an upgrade, and they note that national guidelines allowed them to spend the pandemic cash infusion on the project.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/46OLEv9
40 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP: Flint Hills Resources and Ducks Unlimited (DU) are celebrating 40 years of partnership, a longevity landmark that makes Flint Hills one of DU’s longest-standing corporate partners. Working together over the past four decades, Flint Hills and DU have contributed to conserving more than 250,000 acres of wildlife habitat and natural areas in Minnesota and over 900,000 acres across North America. LEARN MORE: Flint Hills Resources and Ducks Unlimited Celebrate 40 Years of Partnership (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
STEARNS CTY: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “The debate over how to regulate noise has become one of Stearns County’s most contentious issues this year, balancing the growth of rural businesses with residents’ desire for peace and quiet. It began in February when commissioners approved a permit for Sunny Mary Meadow in St. Joseph to build an event space. County officials said they followed proper procedure, but neighbors and Commissioner Joe Perske argued the public wasn’t given a chance to raise concerns. … Since then, the topic has leaked into commissioner meetings and workshops as well as public discourse.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4q5J0IL
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Rochester’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Commission will weigh in Monday as options for downtown city streets are being considered amid Mayo Clinic’s ‘Bold. Forward. Unbound. In Rochester.’ expansion. The advisory group of city residents is slated to review the latest efforts during their regular meeting. … With portions of Third and Fourth avenues being closed for the creation of new clinical buildings, the city is considering changes to nearby streets to create north-south bike routes through downtown.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/4n3v13F
SLAYTON: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Wonder World Preschool [is] the only licensed child care center in Murray County. … But time may be running out for Wonder World. A surprise eviction notice from its landlord, the local Catholic church, followed by a bewildering funding reversal from county officials, has left supporters of the child care center in this southwestern Minnesota town scrambling to stave off closure. It has also ignited debate about whether public money should be used to support private child care facilities.” READ: http://fluence-media.co/48tx11C
From Friday’s Fluence newsletters:
FATEH: Via Minnesota Reformer, state Sen. Omar Fateh has threatened to leave the DFL party on at least three occasions as a form of leverage for his political priorities. VERBATIM: “He never left the Senate DFL caucus, but the implied threat underscores Fateh’s political style — marked by a refusal to be a typical go-along-to-get-along lawmaker and a willingness to aggravate his colleagues and big players at the Minnesota Capitol if that’s what it takes to get his priorities through.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oc10Q7
NATL GUARD: Via Court Listener, a bipartisan group of former governors, including former Minnesota Govs. Arne Carlson and Mark Dayton, filed a brief advocating against the president’s use of the National Guard for domestic law enforcement. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ohoELa
TODAY: via news advisory from the Fateh campaign VERBATIM: “Senator Omar Fateh will host a press conference to announce a key endorsement from Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the Minneapolis mayoral race. The press conference is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. CT on Monday and will be held near City Hall at Government Plaza.”
TODAY: via news advisory from We Make Minnesota, VERBATIM: At 12:00 p.m. on Oct. 13, at the MSP Airport, Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, Rep. Emma Greenman, educators and other Minnesotans will speak out about their frustration as the Trump/MAGA shutdown is causing stress and concerns about flight delays for Minnesota families ahead of the busy MEA travel weekend.
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will attend a Sunrise Ceremony for Indigenous Peoples Day, have regular check-ins with the Secretary of State and the State Auditor, have a phone call with the President and CEO of American Crystal Sugar Company Tom Astrup, and interview a candidate for chair of the Metropolitan Council.
WEDNESDAY: via a CTUL advisory, VERBATIM: “Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL) and North Star Policy Action (NSPA) will host a press conference at Minneapolis City Hall to release a new report outlining how the City can partner with community organizations to eliminate abuse in the non-unionized construction industry, [including] issues such as wage theft, misclassification, and assault.” The event is at 10:00 a.m.
SATURDAY: via Indivisible Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “On Saturday, October 18th at 1 PM, Twin Citians will join together at The Commons for a nonviolent rally and march at the second No Kings Twin Cities day of action. … Thousands of events, across Minnesota — from International Falls and Bemidji to Saint Cloud and Winona — and nationwide from Bangor, Maine to San Diego are already scheduled, with more events added daily.”
BDAYS: communicator Lisa Hertel, insurance guy Nick Davis, campaign comms pro Anne Papenfus, attorney Scott Strand, great guy John Wodele
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