THE WEEKEND
Gov. Tim Walz has proclaimed today, Unity Day.
Another peaceful night in the city. It’s been a long month, I mean week.
Wild and Wolves win. Go Hoosiers. The Frost host the Torrent on Sunday, see you there.
ICYMI, Polling on what Minnesotans think about their sports owners yesterday in sports take READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LrCsF5
Five Republicans helped pass a war powers resolution to rein in the president’s military action in Venezuela. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/49KFMUW
The family of Renee Good is planning to release a statement about her death soon. KSTP: https://fluence-media.co/4synLk4
Minnesota ranked 6th overall and 1st in the Midwest in United Health Foundation’s report on the healthiest U.S. states. REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4aMpdZV
Greyhound is launching a new bus route from Minneapolis to Green Bay, Milwaukee, Chicago and more. KSTP: https://fluence-media.co/4qLhxMi
Today is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
The Fluence Forum - The State of Energy is Jan. 21.
DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek discussed the state’s new paid leave program on Sunday Take. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3NuT7Ig
Health Care will remain a top issue into 2026, the State of Health Care Fluence Forum panels from last week are now available in podcast form. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/FluenceForumPodcast
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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/
THE LATEST
OVERNIGHT: via City of Mpls news release, VERBATIM: “Keeping streets clear is a critical part of the City’s responsibility to protect lives, property, and first responders during emergencies. Blocking streets is a serious concern for fire and emergency medical response because it can delay response times and restrict access for emergency vehicles…To ensure emergency access, the City is removing the barriers currently blocking streets in the area of Wednesday’s shooting at East 34th Street and Portland Avenue.”
TODAY: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today proclaimed Friday, January 9, 2026, as a Day of Unity, inviting all Minnesotans and Americans to participate in acts of service in honor and remembrance of Renee Nicole Good. … Walz encourages individuals, businesses, faith institutions, and organizations to observe a moment of silence at 10:00 a.m.”
TODAY: via MNLEG, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis city and state leaders will speak to the press Friday morning, calling for transparency and accountability in the killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer. They will call on [the] FBI to allow Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to coordinate in the investigation.” Mayor Jacob Frey and representatives of Good’s neighborhood will attend. The event is at 9:00 a.m.
TODAY: via news release from MFT, ISAIAH and others at 10AMA VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Public Schools families and educators are holding a press conference to demand: ICE OUT of our schools, ICE OUT of Minnesota.”
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz’s schedule will remain fluid as he monitors events throughout the day.
AGENT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 is Jonathan Ross, the same officer who was dragged and injured by a fleeing driver in a separate incident last year. … Five use-of-force experts interviewed by the Star Tribune questioned the agent’s decision to shoot at a moving vehicle, with some outright calling it a ‘bad shooting.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jzqkyj
NATL GUARD: Gov. Tim Walz signed three executive orders to prepare the National Guard for possible operations in Minneapolis. ORDERS: “Executive Order 26-01 provides the ability for the Minnesota National Guard to protect critical infrastructure and to assist local law enforcement with additional tasks as requested. … Executive Order 26-01 authorizes the Adjutant General to place National Guard personnel, equipment, and facilities on state active duty to coordinate and support public safety. … Executive Order 26-01 provides access to an additional tool that can include preparation and planning in support of local and state law enforcement and emergency management agencies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45338mh
MEANWHILE: GOP Rep. Pete Stauber criticized Gov. Tim Walz for readying the National Guard and saying at a press conference that “the nation is looking to us to hold the line on democracy,” but Stauber’s comments also provoked condemnation from DFL Sen. Tina Smith.
STAUBER: “In a time when Minnesotans need calm, reasonable, and steady leadership, Tim Walz threatens to use our National Guard sons and daughters to wage a Civil War against the federal government. Minnesotans deserve so much better than Tim Walz.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/45ov8B1
SMITH: “Just stop it. You know full well the National Guard is on standby should they be needed to protect public safety. Why don’t you tell people the truth? You’d criticize the Governor if he didn’t take this step. Spreading misinformation/fear in this way should be below even you.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4prtzZV
INVESTIGATION: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Thursday it’s no longer part of the investigation into the killing of a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent. Authorities [previously] said the BCA would be working jointly with the FBI on the investigation. … The BCA said the FBI reversed course and that the federal agency would be the sole investigative unit. That means the BCA will no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews. … Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the BCA did not have jurisdiction.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qoCsEQ BCA: https://fluence-media.co/3LwLmRw
MORE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Minnesota attorneys who specialize in police misconduct cases say the federal government is unlikely to be able to block state or local prosecution of a federal agent — though Trump Administration comments [may] suggest they would vigorously fight any attempt to do so.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qLbYgS
RESPONSE: Speaking to reporters, Gov. Tim Walz demanded a state investigation into Renee Good’s death. WALZ: “It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome. And I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment. From the president, to the vice president, to Kristi Noem, [they] have stood and told you things that are verifiably false.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/451OWKf
MORE: via Hennepin County Atty. Mary Moriarty, STATEMENT: “Our office immediately began exploring all options to ensure a state level investigation can continue. If the FBI is the sole investigative agency, the State will not receive the investigative findings, and our community may never learn about its contents.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49bK4EO
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THE FEED…
SCHOOLS: via KARE 11, VERBATIM:” Fridley Public Schools and Cannon Falls Area Schools announced they will not have in-person classes Friday. They join Minneapolis Public Schools, which did not hold classes on Thursday and will not on Friday either. Harvest Best Academy, Twin Cities Academy, Twin Lakes STEM Academy and Minnesota Transitions Charter School have also cancelled classes.” WATCH/READ: https://fluence-media.co/49bk2S4
MORE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Public Schools are offering students the option to learn from home through Feb. 12 in the aftermath of Renee Good being fatally shot in Minneapolis by an ICE agent. Classes are canceled Friday out of an abundance of caution, with civil unrest anticipated. … Marcia Howard, the President of the Federation of Teachers, said they brought the idea to the school district.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4jDnqJa
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The St. Paul school district called off field trips to Minneapolis and student participation in athletic events there on Thursday and Friday. The decision meant Como Park High could not send students to a Minnesota Youth In Government event beginning Thursday and running through the weekend, district spokeswoman Erica Wacker said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YvNI6k
ICYMI: Yesterday’s lunch take had more coverage of Thursday’s anti-ICE protests and some ensuing arrests. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qiWKje
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)
RHETORIC
VENTURA: FOX 9 interviewed former Gov. Jesse Ventura, a graduate of Roosevelt High School, about ICE activity at his alma mater, as seen in yesterday’s morning take. QUOTE: “I’m so proud of Roosevelt High School and how they stood up for what is supposed to be America and freedom. And freedom is not arresting people without warrants. … We have leadership now that has destroyed the Constitution. They don’t follow it, they could care less about it. … I took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I view, after Jan. 6, the Republican Party as a domestic enemy to our Constitution.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4pzvU53
O’HARA: via CNN, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara [said] when he asked about any other injuries at [the] shooting scene, he was told ‘only the woman’ was hurt, although it’s not immediately clear which agency he got that information from. … O’Hara said the [MPD] is at an elevated state of readiness.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Z3pbpi
TRUMP: During a New York Times interview, Pres. Donald Trump was directly shown footage of Renee Good’s killing that contradicted his previous claims about her running someone over. Trump responded: “Well, I — the way I look at it…it’s a terrible scene. I think it’s horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qJtt0W
VANCE: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Vice President JD Vance defended the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday, calling her death ‘a tragedy of her own making.’ … The Vice President was asked if he was drawing conclusions too early, as the investigation is ongoing. … ‘I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it’s a tragedy of her own making,’ [Vance] said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qdqpdF
BONDI: via an Atty. General Pam Bondi post, BONDI: “MINNESOTA: Peacefully protesting is a sacred American right protected by the First Amendment. Obstructing, impeding, or attacking federal law enforcement is a federal crime. So is damaging federal property. If you cross that red line, you will be arrested and prosecuted. Do not test our resolve.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4sx8yjf
OTHER
SUBSIDIES: via Axios, VERBATIM: “A Democrat bill to revive enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years passed in the House Thursday with the help of 17 Republicans. The dramatic 230-196 vote marked a rare rebuke by some Republicans of their own leadership, driven by concerns about spiking health care costs. … Although the subsidy extension is expected to die in the Senate, the vote does put pressure on the upper chamber to try to come to a bipartisan agreement. … Four House Republicans in December signed a Democratic discharge petition to force the matter, going around Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45KRTyV
MINING: via Reuters, VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration and U.S. Congress are launching a plan this week to overturn former President Joe Biden’s mining ban in northern Minnesota and prevent future administrations from taking similar steps. … Congressman Pete Stauber, a Republican who represents northern Minnesota, plans by Friday to introduce legislation aiming to reject the mining ban. If Congress [approves], a future president could not replicate Biden’s ban because of a provision in the 1996 Congressional Review Act. … If the mining ban is lifted, the Trump Administration would then be free to reissue mining leases for Chile-based Antofagasta.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aKLbMS
RESPONSES: GOP Rep. Pete Stauber and DFL Rep. Betty McCollum issued dueling statements in response to the plan for allowing mining near the Boundary Waters.
STAUBER: “This dangerous and illegal mining ban was thrust upon my constituents and our way of life in Northern Minnesota and put our nation’s mineral security in jeopardy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49cCJEX
McCOLLUM: “The repeated efforts by the Trump Administration and Congressman Stauber to overturn this withdrawal are anti-science and ignore the public input which overwhelmingly supported these protections.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4syp42s
FREEZE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “As part of ongoing efforts to prevent and combat the fraud that has roiled social services programs meant to help Minnesotans in need, the state Department of Human Services announced Thursday, Jan. 8, that it will freeze enrollment of new providers in 13 Medicaid services considered high risk for fraud. Services include integrated community supports, intensive residential treatment services and adult day services.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qKpscC
FRAUD: via CBS News, VERBATIM: “Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the Trump Administration is creating a new assistant attorney general position focused on investigating fraud. … The assistant attorney general will not work out of the Justice Department, the vice president said. Instead, the position will be run out of the White House and overseen by President Donald Trump and Vance. … The [position] will likely remain in place until the end of the Trump Administration, according to Vance. He said the official will have ‘nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud,’ but efforts will begin and be focused primarily on Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NzQEMK
AUDITOR: via Wolgamott for State Auditor, VERBATIM: “State Representative (DFL–St. Cloud) and candidate for State Auditor Dan Wolgamott announced that his campaign raised $124,912 in 2025.”
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE: Flint Hills Resources was just awarded the 2025 Large Business of the Year award from the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce at their annual Business Excellence Awards celebration. The award celebrates the outstanding achievements of businesses that exemplify the thriving and growing spirit of Dakota County. The businesses honored make an impact and contribute to the continued success of our community. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/46lTpIs (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
LOCAL
ST PAUL: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Mayor Kaohly Her attended a training for constitutional observers Thursday evening at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. About 300 people attended the training organized by the Immigrant Defense Network. … Her said she is carrying her passport card, and said her sister worries about their parents shopping at Hmong Village. Council Member HwaJeong Kim, who represents the city’s North End, also spoke.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YvNI6k
DULUTH: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “A federal judge paused a Trump Administration plan that would have redirected funding from permanent or long-term housing to transitional housing and affected some 1,600 beds in Northeastern Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4syytaj
ROCHESTER: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “ICE officers have branched out from the Twin Cities into greater Minnesota, with at least five arrests in Rochester as of Thursday morning, according to state Rep. Andy Smith, DFL-Rochester. Smith said community organizers are confirming ICE agent sightings across the city. … At the Gates of Rochester apartments, Smith saw two unmarked vehicles with about six ICE agents, which he recorded and posted online. He approached them and was told it was an ‘enforcement targeted operation.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YvNI6k
WHAT’S NEXT
TODAY: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “Xcel Energy CEO Bob Frenzel will join Neel Kashkari, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, to discuss how data centers and AI are changing the electric grid, what the future of nuclear energy looks like and other topics at the forefront of the energy industry. This fireside chat on the economic challenges and opportunities in the energy sector is part of the Minneapolis Fed’s ninth annual Regional Economic Conditions Conference.” The event is at 9:00 a.m.
TODAY: DFL Rep. Ned Carroll is hosting GOP Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar in Plymouth as part of the latest “Minnesota Legislative Exchange” trip organized by Citizens League. The pair will be available for interviews at 1:00 p.m.
TUESDAY: The Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security will meet at 2:00 p.m. with an unannounced agenda.
WEDNESDAY: Clean Elections MN will host a webinar with Sec. Steve Simon and Atty. General Keith Ellison discussing “what’s being done to keep our elections safe, fair and secure,” per a release. The event is at 7:00 p.m.
THURSDAY: The subcommittee on federal impacts will meet at 10:00 a.m. with an unannounced agenda.
BDAYS: Rep. Max Rymer, Flanagan advisor Dominic McQuerry, MNDOT Spox Mike Dougherty, fmr. Duluth Mayor Don Ness SAT: actress Marissa Coughlan, St. Paul booster Donna Swanson, professor Jeannie Entenza SUN: fmr. St. Paul councilmember Chris Tolbert, advocate Matthew Flory, retired golfer Jim McCorkell
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