Wolves lose. Frost lose.
Target missed first-quarter revenue estimates as transactions fell, and the retailer cut its full-year sales outlook. The company in part blamed falling consumer sentiment, uncertainty about tariffs and backlash to its rollback of key diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for its performance. CNBC: https://fluence-media.co/3SRxe5n
St. Louis Park basketball hoop lawsuit is dismissed. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/4mrmTdY
U.S. News placed 10 Minnesota cities on its list of the best places to live. Of those 10, Plymouth ranked highest at 17th in the nation. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3xATtjX
Elon Musk plans to slow down his political spending, saying “I think I’ve done enough.” NPR: https://fluence-media.co/3FrwXD8
Republicans want to undo A.I. regulations in Minnesota and other states for 10 years. CNN: https://fluence-media.co/3YVvdJ4
Inspired by Israel, Donald Trump says his “Golden Dome” missile defense system could cost $175 billion. CBS: https://fluence-media.co/3SdRLB6
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TIPS: BloisOlson@gmail.com
TPT’s Mary Lahammer was on Sunday Take to discuss the chaotic present and possible future of the legislative session. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/44KsG8q
Sponsorships available – to reach over 25,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheet and website www.TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com
TODAY: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) said legislative leaders and the governor have given all conference committees a deadline of 5:00 p.m. Wednesday to finish their work. She predicted the earliest a special session could start would be Friday, and urged conference committee chairs to focus on getting the budgeting portion of their bills fleshed out and to let go of any policy differences standing in the way of reaching agreement. … House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) echoed Hortman’s assessment.” DEMUTH: “Hard decisions still have to be made, but we are ready to move things forward and get it done as quickly as possible.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SLqqX2
MEETINGS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said [working group] meetings ‘should be public’. … [But] as of Tuesday afternoon, just one public meeting — for the tax bill working group — was on the legislative schedule. … If work isn’t finished [today], legislative leaders will intervene ‘to get them unstuck,’ Murphy said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4moYk1x
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said whenever the governor calls lawmakers back into special session, it will likely still take several days to finish the remaining bills.” MURPHY: “We have some big bills in front of us. E-12 [education], health and human services are significant pieces of legislation, so it may take us more than one day.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4mr0uh3
QUESTIONS: What if they don’t meet today’s deadline?
POT: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today signed the first Tribal-state compact authorized under Minnesota’s 2023 cannabis law. The agreement outlines how the State of Minnesota and White Earth Nation will promote a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship to regulate cannabis and promote public health and safety. … More information about the compacting process — including copies of signed, executed cannabis compacts — can be found on the Office of Cannabis Management's Tribal Compacts website.” COMPACTS: https://fluence-media.co/3ZsgLIy
MORE: via an OCM press release, VERBATIM: “A Tribal nation may open up to eight off-reservation cannabis retail locations. They are limited to one retail location per city and three per county. … Until there are state-licensed testing facilities, cannabis products sold by Tribal enterprises will be tested by one of the two existing medical cannabis testing facilities in Minnesota. … Sales of cannabis products off Tribal lands are subject to all state and local taxes.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mlAbJj
PROTEST: via Blunt Strategies, VERBATIM: “Cannabis and hemp business owners, employees, customers, and advocates from across Minnesota will rally at the State Capitol to oppose a proposed 50% increase to the gross receipts tax on hemp and cannabis products — a hike being advanced for a special session vote before the legal market has even opened. The protest will call on Governor [Tim] Walz and legislative leaders to reject the tax increase.” The event is at 4:20 p.m.
CENTENNIAL: via MPR, VERBATIM: “It’s not immediate, but plans are now in motion to tear down the spartan Centennial Office Building just down the hill from the Capitol and where House members have taken up temporary residence during a remodel of their usual [space]. … A new posting for demolition crews to bid on a nearly $10 million job puts more details behind the plan to tear it down. That would come in late 2027 or early 2028, according to the materials. The goal is to get the work done by May 2028. What takes the place of Centennial…is still to be determined.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k2CpLM
MEDICAID SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF US: Medicaid keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan — regardless of income or health status — can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3FtrCuH (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
FRAUD: via MPR, VERBATIM: “In the Minnesota House, the session ended with conversations about preventing fraud. Republicans attempted a last-minute effort to pull up a Senate-approved bill that would create a state Office of the Inspector General for a vote. … DEMUTH: ‘That bill passed with wide bipartisan support out of the Senate. We could not get it to move in the house,’ House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said of the inspector general proposal. ‘We would have had time to debate that.’ … Democrats said the proposal wasn’t properly vetted and could have unintended problems. HORTMAN: ‘It’s a little bit disappointing that the session ends as it began, with some very partisan antics on the floor,’ House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k2CpLM
MORE: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Speaker Lisa Demuth is hopeful the Office of Inspector General bill will get a vote during the special session. ‘The bills are ready to go. They could be slipped in at any point in time during that special session,’ Demuth said. … [But] Melissa Hortman says there is little to no chance the bill will receive a vote during the special session. ‘We don't have the $9 million for it. So, ultimately, the Senate dropped it from budget negotiations when it was clear we didn't have the money for it,’ Hortman said.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3FhkFNL
UNEMPLOYMENT: via a House DFL press release, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota House passed legislation that would extend the availability of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for about 640 laid-off miners on the Iron Range for an additional 26 weeks. The bill passed 132-0 in the House but did not pass in the Senate. Representative Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul) released the following statement.” HANSEN: “Right now, we are also seeing unexpected layoffs come down from the Trump Administration, with 300 federal workers in Minnesota now [unemployed]. … Just like the miners we voted to extend benefits to last night, these workers are often highly skilled and specialized, and were fired through no fault of their own. Those federal workers should be eligible for the same UI benefit extension the House voted on last night, and I’m calling on our leaders to find a solution.”
THC: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “THC beverages that pack a bigger buzz could shed their ‘two servings’ labels under legislation that cleared the State Capitol over the weekend. Minnesota law allows the sale of drinks with up to 10mg of hemp-derived THC in a single can, as long as they're marketed as containing two 5mg servings. … A cannabis policy bill heading for Gov. Tim Walz's desk lifts the labeling requirement, allowing both 5mg and 10mg cans to be sold as ‘one serving’ on the shelves. … A separate budget bill is expected to include a tax increase on both hemp-derived THC and future recreational cannabis sales. Legal marijuana advocates are pushing back against the proposed hike.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j9WYoo
(DISCLOSURE: Plift is a client of Fluence Advisory)
LEGACY: via MPR, VERBATIM: “A finance bill for arts and legacy projects contains money for some tributes to famous people, places and things. Among them is an art installation celebrating Olympic gold medal gymnast Suni Lee. … There is a grant for a mural and statue honoring Tou Ger Xiong, a well-known Hmong-American comedian and storyteller who was killed in 2023. It contains money to restore or repair Opera houses in Fairmont and Litchfield. And there are grants to collect, document, archive and preserve the oral histories of Hmong veterans of the U.S.-sponsored Secret War in Laos. The bill awaits Gov. Tim Walz’s signature.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k2CpLM
DRUGS: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Minnesota authorities would no longer be able to charge people with major drug crimes solely on the basis of the dirty water in their bongs [under] a provision in the 192-page judiciary and public safety bill that was sent to Gov. Tim Walz over the weekend. He’s expected to sign it. Under current law, quantities of bong water greater than four ounces can be treated like the pure, uncut version of whatever substance the bong was used to smoke. … The new language removes that provision…[and] would apply retroactively to August 2023.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Fbf3Vl
SYMBOLS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Minnesota is about to get a couple new state emblems. The final state and local government budget bill makes official the state’s new fossil: the giant beaver. And Ursa Minor will become Minnesota’s official state constellation. The proposal to allow Minnesotans to eat nuisance beaver doesn't appear to have made it through this year — but there’s always the special session.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k2CpLM
Governor Walz Wants to Double Tax Minnesota Consumers & Businesses: Governor Walz’s Minnesota Insurance Coverage Tax would double tax Minnesota families, seniors, businesses and consumers, raising the cost of non-medical insurance products including dental, vision, private paid family leave, long-term care, and wage replacement insurance. His plan not only forces Minnesotans buying one type of insurance to subsidize another, but it also gives the Department of Commerce unchecked power to set and raise the tax with no legislative oversight. Learn More: ProtectOurCoverage.com (SPONSORED: Minnesota Insurance and Financial Services Council)
MEDICAID: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “As Republicans in Congress aim to pass President Donald Trump's 1,000-plus-page legislative package by Memorial Day, Minnesotans are raising the alarm over proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. … The 1,116-page bill advancing through the U.S. House of Representatives includes tax breaks and spending cuts, including $800 billion from Medicaid. … The bill would also introduce work, school attendance or community service requirements for certain Medicaid enrollees. Liz Kuoppala, executive director of MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership, said that extra paperwork will make it harder to get and keep Medicaid coverage.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k3Vg9h
MORE: via Council of Nonprofits, VERBATIM: “Minnesota advocates, providers, nonprofit leaders, and impacted individuals from across the state spoke out against massive cuts and policy changes to Medicaid. … Jennifer Jacquot-DeVries, a nonprofit leader from Brainerd, Minnesota spoke out against harmful policy changes to the ACA that will raise premium costs starting in 2026.” QUOTE: “The enhanced premium tax credits ensure that my family can afford our health insurance premiums and the ongoing care that I need. … This is one area where our elected leaders can act now to help the working people in their districts avoid yet another budget-breaking financial expense.”
TRANS SPORTS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Three metro-area high school softball players are suing Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and other state leaders to remove transgender athletes from their sport. In a federal lawsuit filed Monday, an organization representing the three players from two high schools, Female Athletes United, alleges that a decade-old Minnesota policy allowing transgender athletes to compete has created an unsafe and unfair environment for the Maple Grove High and Farmington High players. The suit focuses on an unnamed metro-area player who the plaintiffs allege was born male. … State Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, the state’s only transgender legislator, [said] ‘It’s really unfortunate that students are taking other students to court to keep them from playing.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45lawds
BETTING POLL: Support is surging among Minnesotans who want legal wagering on sporting events. New polling by the Sports Betting Alliance of Minnesota indicates 60% of voters in the state support the legalization of sports betting. The survey of 1,000 Minnesota voters also revealed overwhelming support for legal wagering among 18–29-year-olds, with 75% of females and 73% of males in favor of allowing sports betting in Minnesota — something that is available in 39 states. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/49uj4OF (SPONSORED: Sports Betting Alliance)
MPD: via City of Minneapolis, VERBATIM: “As the City of Minneapolis prepares to mark five years since the murder of George Floyd, new findings from the independent evaluator Effective Law Enforcement for ALL (ELEFA) show that Minneapolis is [quickly] moving forward with police reform. … Covering the period from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, ELEFA’s second semi-annual report — and its first full-year assessment — shows Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) have made ‘more progress toward building a foundation for sustainable reform in the first year of monitoring than nearly any other jurisdiction’ operating under a court-ordered reform agreement.” REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/3SKvsTD
MORE: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The report pointed to a large clearance of backlogs for use-of-force cases, from 1,158 in September 2024 to 322 in March 2025. But the report also cited a risk factor for the city completing its compliance goal: the report says some of the changes have taken more time than expected. The report also cites some individual officer pushback during training.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3SdS2E8
RESPONSE: via a Mpls for the Many chair Chelsea McFarren statement, McFARREN: “Over the last five years, it has become increasingly clear that Mayor [Jacob] Frey is either unable or unwilling to provide residents with a public safety system that works for everyone. … We need leaders, like those on the City Council, ready and willing to talk to residents, invest in data-driven solutions and make reforms that residents have been demanding for years.”
IT’S POSSIBLE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY UPHOLD ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY AND GROW OUR ECONOMY: Minnesota’s lengthy and uncertain permitting process has frustrated businesses for decades. A recent report found that air permitting in Minnesota can take up to six times longer than comparable states. A coalition of business and labor groups are advocating for reform that will shorten timelines and increase certainty while maintaining our strong environmental standards. Contact your legislators and tell them to support streamlining the permitting process. CONTACT: https://fluence-media.co/3Ea5Tbe (SPONSORED: Minnesota Chamber of Commerce)
FLOYD SQR: Minneapolis City Council Member Andrea Jenkins spoke to MPR News about the future of George Floyd Square and what she wants city officials to do in that area. JENKINS: “I really have a strong desire to see public transportation continue in that corridor. I believe that we should reconstruct the intersection to make it safer for pedestrians. … I really strongly would suggest that George Floyd Square remains a priority that is emphasized by making sure that employment opportunities are available, homeownership opportunities are available, affordable housing is available. That community has been underserved for a very, very long time.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mqYCVz
DISPARITY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Five years after [George] Floyd’s death, a national backlash has slammed the brakes on investments aimed at improving deep-seated socioeconomic disparities. … Though there have been measurable improvements in Black Minnesotans’ socioeconomic status since 2020, there wasn’t much time for change to take hold before the pushback began. … Black Minnesotans’ unemployment rate fell to 3% in 2024 — in line with the state as a whole — though it has begun to rise again, reaching 6% this year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GZJy0P
GUNS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “A bill passed this legislative session will require police in Minnesota to start tracing all guns recovered from crime scenes. The bill was brought to lawmakers following a WCCO investigation [that] took viewers inside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' National Tracing Center in West Virginia. The report shared that law enforcement across the state can trace guns recovered at crime scenes through the ATF, [but] not all agencies used the free system to gain leads. … The bill is part of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Report passed by the House and Senate on Sunday. Next, the governor will sign it into law.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/45mXXhN
SUPPORT SF 2929 AND HF 2677: Third-party lawsuit funding (TPLF) — or “lawsuit lending” — is a growing and extremely concerning trend in courts across the state and throughout the country that encourages frivolous lawsuits and threatens to drive up the costs of products, services, and insurance for Minnesota consumers. Fortunately, lawmakers are considering legislation — the Consumers in Crisis Protection Act (SF 2929 & HF 2677) — to increase transparency around this highly secretive practice and reasonably regulate third-party lawsuit funders to protect consumers and help keep premiums low. MORE INFO: https://fluence-media.co/4jivOfT (SPONSORED: ASPCIA)
MED SUPPLIES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “[Disposable] gloves make up some of HCMC‘s most-used supplies. However, tariffs biting global trade threaten to disrupt supplies and pump up prices on this essential product. … These gloves likely cost 10% more to get to the United States than just months ago. If the White House’s trade talks with Thailand fall apart, an additional 26% duty could further blow up the prices. … Trade groups have begged President Donald Trump’s administration to exempt vital medical supplies and high tech devices from tariffs, as it has done for products such as children‘s books. So far, nothing has worked.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3S9IGt0
MENTAL HEALTH: via a Sen. Tina Smith press release, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined 20 of her Senate colleagues in demanding answers on recent reports that the Trump Administration had cut approximately $1 billion in federal mental health grants to help schools hire more psychologists, counselors, and other mental health workers. Rochester Public Schools had nearly $2 million in mental health grant funding cancelled.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/4k4ZxcA
PUSH BACK AGAINST TAX BREAKS FOR BIG TECH DATA CENTERS: Our tax money should be going to essential services for Minnesotans, like education, health care, and infrastructure — not subsidies for billionaire owned data centers. The current tax credit has already cost our state an estimated $5 million a year since 2011. In 2025 it will be over $100 million. It’s time to stop these skyrocketing numbers. Tell your legislators, ‘No big tax breaks for Big Tech.’ LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3ErmQh8 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy)
STROKES: via an MDH press release, VERBATIM: “In Minnesota, stroke care is now much more accessible than it once was. In 2012, only 60% of Minnesota’s population lived within 30 minutes of a designated stroke center. Now, 94% of Minnesotans live within a 30-minute drive of a designated stroke system hospital. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and one of the leading causes of disability in Minnesota. … This Stroke Awareness Month, MDH is drawing attention to increasing stroke risk among younger, working-age adults. Approximately 30% of strokes occur among adults age 65 or younger.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jdgSPp
FREE AND LOW-COST FAMILY FUN: The beloved Flint Hills Family Festival is celebrating 25 years in downtown Saint Paul, May 30-31. This year’s festival, presented by the Ordway and Flint Hills Resources, welcomes outstanding headliners, including Grammy winners Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band and Ada Twist, Scientist, as well as the returning NOOMA, an Opera for Babies. Bring kids of all ages to enjoy free outdoor entertainment and activities, visit food trucks and take in an indoor show where tickets start at just $8. GET TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/FHFestival (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
WILDFIRES: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “As wildfires continue to burn across the state, Governor Tim Walz today declared a peacetime emergency and directed state agencies to provide the assistance necessary to help respond to and recover from the wildfires that have caused significant destruction to property and critical infrastructure. Yesterday, St. Louis County officials declared a state of local emergency, requesting public disaster assistance. … This order will further support wildland firefighters and emergency responders, and it comes as the Jenkins Creek, Camp House, and Munger Shaw wildfires remain active.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j9TRwI
TURKEYS: via an MTGA press release, VERBATIM: “A newly released economic impact study confirms the devastating toll Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) has taken on Minnesota’s turkey industry. According to the report, the spread of aMPV in 2024 resulted in the loss of over 2.2 million turkeys, translating to an estimated $112 million in lost sales, $17 million in labor income reductions, $31 million in lost value to Minnesota’s economy, and a nearly $8 million dollar reduction in tax revenue to the state. … This study, commissioned by the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association (MTGA) and supported by Minnesota Corn also highlights downstream consequences, including an additional $24 million in lost output to Minnesota’s corn and soybean sectors due to the decline in turkeys raised to market weight.” REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4ko3AjX
(DISCLOSURE: Minnesota Corn is a client and sponsor of Fluence)
HERMANTOWN: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A big industrial project is envisioned on more than 200 acres [in Hermantown]. Homeowners are receiving letters asking if they would sell their properties. Trees could start coming down this year. Despite questions from neighbors, however, city officials aren’t saying what this new development is. Hermantown officials signed a nondisclosure agreement with Mortenson, a Minneapolis construction engineering firm. … [However], the Hermantown site shows some hallmarks of a potential data center development.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43FKzEc
ST JOSEPH: via St. Cloud Times, VERBATIM: “Mayors tend to stick around in central Minnesota. Former St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis held his role for roughly 20 years, while former St. Joseph Mayor Rick Schultz served for 14 years. Both mayors didn't seek reelection in 2024, and one central Minnesota city might prohibit a decade-plus mayoral tenure from happening again. St. Joseph City Council members directed city staff to explore creating term limits for the mayor and city council members. All five members of the council, which also includes the mayor, discussed the prospective ordinance at their May 19 work session.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44NzcLE
TODAY: via a House DFL advisory, VERBATIM: “At 10:30 a.m., Rep. Kim Hicks (DFL-Rochester) will join fellow legislators and advocates for a rally calling for the protection of disability services as part of budget negotiations. Republican hold outs are threatening disability services in the Human Services budget. Rep. Hicks will hold a media availability following the event.”
TODAY: via advisory from Mayor Melvin Carter, VERBATIM: “Mayor Carter will gather with local elected leaders and community partners and announce the renaming of Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary and Indian Mounds Regional Park to reflect their Dakota names.” WHO: Mayor Melvin Carter, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, Saint Paul City Councilmember Cheniqua Johnson, Metropolitan Council Member W. Toni Carter.
TODAY: via Blunt Strategies, VERBATIM: “Cannabis and hemp business owners, employees, customers, and advocates from across Minnesota will rally at the State Capitol to oppose a proposed 50% increase to the gross receipts tax on hemp and cannabis products — a hike being advanced for a special session vote before the legal market has even opened. The protest will call on Governor [Tim] Walz and legislative leaders to reject the tax increase.” The event is at 4:20 p.m.
TOMORROW: via Indivisible Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “Indivisible Twin Cities members and supporters, along with members of Veterans for Peace Chapter 27, will gather outside the MN Veterans Services Building…for a Defend America’s Essentials rally. We are standing up to defend veterans.” The event is at 4:00 p.m.
MAY 31: Gov. Tim Walz will speak at state Democratic Party conventions in South Carolina and California on Saturday, May 31.
MAY 31: Rep. Betty McCollum announced she will host a “Medicaid Town Hall” in Stillwater on Saturday, May 31 at 11:00 a.m. Per a release, McCollum will join “a panel of special guests to discuss the importance of Medicaid for Minnesota seniors, children, and working parents.”
JUNE 13: The MN DFL announced its annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner will be held on Friday, June 13 with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker as the keynote speaker. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4iiEa5R
JULY 12: Gov. Tim Walz will be the keynote speaker at the South Dakota Democratic Party’s annual McGovern Day dinner on July 12 in Sioux Falls, SD.
BDAYS: wind guy Drew Christensen, Fox 9’s Maury Glover, lobbyist Gary Botzek
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