HUMP DAY
Twins lose.
Rolling Stone’s list of the top 100 punk albums includes two Minnesota bands: The Replacements and Hüsker Dü. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4dF6Ndv
The wildfire near Two Harbors is fully contained, and another is at least 60% contained. Evacuation orders have been lifted. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/4upDORY
There are “people of interest” sought in the Flanders wildfire. FOX9: https://fluence-media.co/4nF1TkY
The Senate advanced a measure that could force the president to end hostilities in Iran. NBC: https://fluence-media.co/4nB8cWQ
Happy National Rescue Dog Day.
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SPEAKING Lobbyist and trade associations that are killing time waiting today, let me know if you want me to speak to your summer and fall events about the “Signals vs. Noise” of the election. bloisolson@gmail.com
Go deeper…Check out a Fluence Forum podcast. APPLE: https://fluence-media.co/FluenceForums
Get 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
Sunday Take covered the final days of session and the lack of a 340B bill with Rahul Koranne of the Minnesota Hospital Association. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4wGysn4
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TGT: via CNBC, VERBATIM: “Target on Wednesday posted earnings and revenue that beat Wall Street expectations, and reported that net sales grew more than 6% year over year as the retailer tries to win back customers amid slumping sales… The retailer said it saw broad-based strength across its categories, with traffic across stores and digital platforms growing 4.4% compared with the first fiscal quarter last year. Digital comparable sales increased 8.9%, growth the company attributed to same-day delivery through its membership, Target Circle 360.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4uoxslZ
FILING: Candidate filing periods have begun for all federal, state and county offices, along with many municipal positions like the Minneapolis school board — but there are some new rules this year. Via Office of the Sec. of State, VERBATIM: “This will be the first statewide candidate filing period where state and local candidates are required to show a photo ID and provide proof of residence. … Federal candidates, as well as candidates for judicial office, county attorney, and county sheriff are exempt from this requirement. Candidates also now have clearer instructions for keeping their address of residence private. … The filing period closes on June 2.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wFUW7y
SENGOP: GOP Senate candidate Mark York has released a video before next weekend’s GOP convention. York will abide by the endorsement, and despite his late entry could become a compromise candidate if Senate candidates Adam Schwarze or Michele Tafoya fail to unite the convention. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4tJAmAw
CD1: Jake Johnson, DFL challenger in the 1st District, announced that he submitted over 5,000 petition signatures to qualify for the ballot without paying a filing fee. Only 1,000 signatures are required…JOHNSON: “These 5,000 signatures represent real conversations with people across southern Minnesota who are ready for leadership that actually listens, shows up, and works to lower costs.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3RBtiIJ
GOV RACE: Republican candidate for governor Mike Lindell said on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast that a Minnesota gubernatorial poll will be released today. Lindell was Bannon’s guest multiple times this week — notably, he claimed that he was excluded from local debates, he called Minnesota “the tip of the spear where evil came in,” and he criticized Speaker Lisa Demuth and other local Republicans. LINDELL: “They have a big GOP endorsement where they have this big debate, and I’m not allowed to come. They’ve shut me out because the establishment doesn’t want me. … All this fraud happened under [Demuth’s] watch, too. Just because you have an R in front of your name, you should have screamed a lot louder.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3RwgFP5
SENATE RACE: Star Tribune’s Sydney Kashiwagi asked Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Kelly Morrison and Rep. Betty McCollum if they plan to endorse a candidate in the DFL primary for U.S. Senate after Sen. Tina Smith and Rep. Ilhan Omar both endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Spokespersons for both Klobuchar and Morrison said they do not make endorsements in primaries, but McCollum said she will endorse the candidate who wins the party endorsement in the May convention. McCOLLUM: “We have two excellent Senate candidates competing, and I will be supporting the candidate who earns the DFL endorsement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RByJY9
MORE: Star Tribune’s Sydney Kashiwagi also asked the three DFLers running to replace Rep. Angie Craig in CD2 — Matt Little, state Sen. Matt Klein and state Rep. Kaela Berg — if they still endorse Craig’s Senate campaign. Klein, the moderate, said Craig still has his full backing. Little and Berg, the progressives, were reportedly “not as enthusiastic about their support,” but they did not revoke their endorsements. LITTLE: “I think we all endorsed her out of respect for this seat, so that’s where I’m at right now.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RByJY9
FLINT HILLS FAMILY FESTIVAL: Kick off the summer in downtown Saint Paul with the Flint Hills Family Festival on May 29-30, one of the largest and longest-standing events of its kind. The Festival offers free fun for people of all ages in Rice Park and Landmark Plaza, with performances and activities that provide something for everyone, along with world-class shows inside the Ordway for just $8! Now in its 26th year, this year’s Festival lineup includes Cirque Mechanics: TILT!, NOOMA: an opera for babies, and Click Clack Moo! More than one million people have experienced the Festival, including hundreds of thousands of students who have visited on field trips during the Festival’s School Days. Join us this year! LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dhpdBM (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
SESSION FLOW
PREDICTIONS: After Minnesota became the first state in the nation to ban prediction markets this week, the Trump Administration is now suing the state to overturn the ban. Via CFTC, VERBATIM: “The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today filed a lawsuit against Minnesota to block a new state law, signed by Governor Tim Walz, that would make operating or assisting in the operation of a prediction market a criminal felony. The CFTC is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the law from going into effect on August 1, 2026. … The new legislation represents the most aggressive move by a state to shut down CFTC-regulated markets and undermine the federal regulatory regime.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tVD0Du
MORE: Via MPR, the governor is expected to sign a bill soon that will effectively replace a bill he signed Monday. VERBATIM: “A proposal to ban prediction markets like Kalshi and PolyMarket is headed for a rapid replacement. … Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis, sponsored the bill and said last-minute feedback led lawmakers to do a last-minute repeal and rewrite as part of a broader public safety bill. … Greenman said last-minute changes were aimed at tightening up the language and preventing unintended impacts on other areas.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dRngMK
MORE: Via NPR, the updated prediction market bill allows “trading on weather” because of “pushback from the agricultural industry, which has historically used futures trading on weather as a hedge against storms and other inclement weather that can affect a harvest.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PcVlxx
OMAR: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Vice President JD Vance claimed Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar. … [Vance] did not get into specifics surrounding the apparent investigation, adding that he did not want to ‘prejudge an investigation,’ but added [that] ‘it certainly seems like something fishy is there.’ There is no evidence that Omar committed immigration fraud, though Vance previously said Omar ‘definitely committed immigration fraud’ while appearing on [a] conservative podcast.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4fxTn5j
ICE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In pursuing state convictions against federal agents for acts carried out during Operation Metro Surge, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is bringing Minnesota into historic legal territory. She is the first and so far only county attorney in the nation alleging that some [ICE agents] were criminal. … Federal agents will argue that they should not be liable for criminal charges because they were carrying out the duties of the Trump Administration.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dBmaU0
STUDENT LOANS: via States Newsroom, VERBATIM: “A coalition of Democratic attorneys general [including Keith Ellison] sued the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday over forthcoming regulations that will impose new borrowing limits for students pursuing certain advanced degree programs. The lawsuit [challenges] a portion of the incoming federal student loan system overhaul that sets stricter loan caps for [certain] programs that do not fall under the department’s ‘professional’ classification, such as nursing, teaching and social work.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ulSCRs
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SIGNED: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today signed three bills. HF 3067 clarifies paraprofessional qualifications, making hiring standards clearer and addressing staffing shortages in schools. HF 4074 includes administrative changes, direct state aid, changes to employee contributions, appropriations from the general fund and trunk highway fund, and the creation of a new pension plan. HF 5074 financially compensates certain individuals who were wrongfully incarcerated.” LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4dTxsEr
TAXES: Via Center for Fiscal Excellence, an analysis of the tax omnibus lawmakers passed this week. EXCERPT: “The biggest victory was the amount of federal conformity accomplished, aided by the fact that conformity is a revenue raiser. … In business taxation alone, corporate income tax conformity is projected to generate $177 million in FY28–29. … Decoupling decisions followed two themes: protecting the Minnesota base by rejecting federal changes that would reduce revenue and asserting independence from federal policy designs. … Notable inclusions are a two year extension of the PTE, $9.3 million over the next 3 years to create a free filing filing program for state income taxes, the sustainable aviation fuel credit modification, and a 100% tax on amounts obtained through fraud.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dBaroH
IMPERSONATION: DFL Sen. John Hoffman shared a statement commending the signing of a new law increasing penalties for impersonating a police officer. Hoffman survived an attack by a man dressed as an officer last year. HOFFMAN: “Minnesotans expect and deserve absolute confidence when an individual presents themselves as a peace officer, that the person in that uniform is a duly licensed peace officer. … That trust was shattered for me, but it should not ever happen to another Minnesotan. This law will safeguard and uphold this trust, and it will protect Minnesotans.”
(DISCLOSURE: Fluence is providing media support to the Hoffman family)
HEALTHCARE: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “A last-minute proposal on charity care — the patient financial assistance programs that nonprofit hospitals are required to provide — did not advance this session. The bill, HF 5142, would have redirected the state’s hospital surcharge tax revenue to a statewide charity care account. The Minnesota Department of Heath would then administer that account, giving payments to hospitals for their charity care programs. Chief author Rep. Steve Elkins, DFL-Bloomington, [said] he intends to reintroduce the bill next year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dTVbV6
GOLF: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s upcoming run in the pro golf spotlight will come with a tax perk. The tax bill passed on Sunday includes a sales tax exemption for ‘championship golf tournament admission.’ … The proposal is expected to result in $2 million in tax exemptions through the end of the 2029 budget year, according to a spreadsheet from the tax-writing panels that struck the agreement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dRngMK
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)
PIECES
JUSTICES: Via WCCO Radio, more details on Gov. Tim Walz’s new Minnesota Supreme Court appointments starting Oct. 1: Theodora Gaïtas and Reynaldo Aligada, as seen in yesterday’s lunch take. VERBATIM: “Gaitas was named to the Minnesota Supreme Court by Walz on Aug. 1, 2024. Gaitas was formerly an assistant public defender [and] a Minnesota District Court Judge. Gaitas is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. … Aligada was a former first assistant federal defender in Minneapolis, and a graduate of St. John’s and William Mitchell College of Law.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4wFz2kO
MORE: Gov. Tim Walz said on social media that chief justice appointee Theodora Gaïtas is “the first public defender to hold this office” and “the first chief justice to have served on every level of the judiciary.” TWEETS: https://fluence-media.co/4dEHnwp
BEEF: via MDA advisory, VERBATIM: “Minnesota beef producers have voted against a proposed refundable 50-cent increase to the state beef checkoff following a statewide referendum. … Of eligible ballots submitted, there were 380 ballots opposed and 377 votes in favor. As a result, the current beef checkoff assessment will remain at $1.00 per head at the time of sale, split evenly between the Minnesota Beef Council and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dEY9M5
MOVE: via US Marshals, VERBATIM: “United States Marshal Eddie Frizell is set to conclude his tenure for the District of Minnesota this month. … Former Anoka County Sheriff James Stuart will assume the role of U.S. Marshal for the District of Minnesota.”
ACROSS MN
ANOKA-HENN: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “One of Minnesota’s largest school districts is considering big cuts involving 75 positions. … The Anoka-Hennepin School District [board] did their first reading of a $690 million budget, [which is] about a 2% increase from the year before. The district wants to make $8.1 million in cuts after the expiration of COVID-19 funds, higher costs due to inflation, and unfunded state mandates. Among those cuts are 28 high school teaching positions, 26 social workers, 16 support staff, six counselors, and four tech staff.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4dTOzWJ
MPLS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis City Council wants a change in how the state handles domestic violence cases. … On Tuesday, the council planned to pass a resolution that calls on state lawmakers to pass Allison’s Law, a bill that would strengthen reporting requirements and police response in domestic violence cases, as well as create a statewide task force focused on investigations and prosecutions. The resolution would be mostly symbolic, since the legislative session is now over, but would keep attention on domestic violence reform.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4wGs2UC
VADNAIS HGTS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Vadnais Heights homeowners could soon pay an extra $60 a month in property taxes as the city moves forward with plans to build a new fire station. … That decision comes with a $33.3 million price tag. The city is looking at raising that money with General Obligation Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) bonds, which do not need voter approval to put in place. Vadnais Heights estimates the resulting bond levy will add $1 to $2 a day to homeowners’ property tax bills, or $30 to $60 a month, depending on the home’s value.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43izesF
BELTRAMI CTY: via Bemidji Pioneer, VERBATIM: “Multiple Republicans are running [for U.S. Senate], and the Beltrami County GOP was able to meet with three such candidates in one week. Candidates included Adam Schwarze and Matt York on Monday, May 11 [and] Michele Tafoya on Saturday, May 16. … Though the party did not endorse any candidate, Beltrami County GOP Chair Doug Henry expressed a belief that Tafoya could win the Aug. 11 primary, even if she does not earn the state endorsement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/497LJL9
ST CLOUD: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “After seven builders and developers spoke out and urged the council to reconsider building permit fee spikes, the St. Cloud City Council voted 5-2 to postpone the item. … City staff is proposing to increase building permit fee rates for the first time since 2007, and update a building valuation table for the first time since 2015. … Che city says it’s a cost-recovery method, as building permit revenues totaled $1.18 million in 2024, covering approximately 62% of the city’s service costs. … Opponents argue that it would make the city’s goal of adding 17,000 housing units by 2040 nearly impossible.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uouD4g
GLOBAL TRADE BOLSTERS AG ECONOMIES: via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Each year, Minnesota’s exports of corn, ethanol, corn-fed meat, and dried distillers grains (DDGS) alone support over 11,500 jobs and add billions to the state’s economy. They also help ensure that consumers around the world have access to affordable protein and dairy products. In May, during World Trade Month, Minnesota Corn celebrates that important role trade plays in all our lives — in the U.S. and abroad.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dqEqB1 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
LOOKING AHEAD
TODAY: At 11:15 Governor Tim Walz will visit Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) to highlight the state’s historic investment in stability funding.
TOMORROW: The League of Women Voters will host a conversation about voting with Sec. Steve Simon in Bemidji on Thursday, May 21 at 4:30 p.m. Simon will also visit St. Louis County and meet with high school students, per his office.
TOMORROW: Sen. Andrew Mathews and Rep. Bryan Lawrence, both GOP, will host a town hall in Zimmerman on Thursday at 5:00 p.m.
NEXTWKND: DFL and GOP conventions in Rochester and Duluth respectively.
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.