FRIGID FRIDAY
-22 greets us this morning in the cities, -32 at International Falls and -19 in Fairmont.
Yesterday had to happen before there was a chance of a path forward, theatre is part of modern politics. Now it’s time for the closing scene of this play.
According to sources, at the roundtable with Vice President Vance, there were four business leaders, Speaker Lisa Demuth and high-ranking officials from federal Immigration and Homeland Security agencies.
Curious question, has the federal government bought any MyPillow pillows for troops or immigration enforcement?
The economic strike today is a statement, but it’s also a example of a shift in mindset that many don’t understand or support– even if they are against the actions of federal agents. If you’re aligned on an issue but your supporters don’t endorse your tactics – you’re unlikely to keep their support long-term. It’s the same dynamic of Republicans who are pro-immigration reform – that support the violations of rights. That’s the edge of the politics today, the groups that create the most noise – and miss the signals.
Wolves lose. Wild win.
The next MNSider Brief will be on the GOP Senate race - out this weekend.
Today is one of the coldest days Minnesota has seen in years — as low as -50 up north. WCCO: https://fluence-media.co/45rdP28
The U.S. House passed a funding bill for DHS and ICE, with seven Democrats breaking ranks. Minnesota’s delegation split on party lines. NBC: https://fluence-media.co/3LrY7gw
TikTok has finalized a deal to keep operating in the U.S. CNBC: https://fluence-media.co/4rcePj9
Today is the original National Pie Day.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer shared thoughts on ICE, midterm elections and the state of Congress with Sunday Take. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4sLFN2v
In a must listen, Legislative Auditor Judy Randall joined Sunday Take to discuss fraud in state programs. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3YTziND
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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/
TRACKING 2026
DASHBOARD: Fluence has two entities, Fluence Media that produces our content of tip sheets, podcasts and co-produces our events. Fluence Advisory provides insights and consulting on public affairs, critical communications and high-stakes issues in key sectors for a client list of leading organizations.
Together we aim to be the leading source of insight and perspective on the 2026 election as it relates to issues, candidates and the mood of Minnesota. It’s a unique position in Minnesota, and our team works tirelessly to provide the best insight and latest at the intersection of business, public issues and communicaiton.
Our latest product, led by Fluence Advisory’s Briggs Tople is our Fluence Election Tracker. Let us know what you think. Share it and use it, as we aim to keep it current and full of fresh data and insights throughout the cycle.
Here are the races to watch for the Minnesota Legislature.
Visit the Fluence Election Tracker: https://www.fluencelectiontracker.com
CALENDAR: The Office of the Sec. of State has a calendar listing all election-related days and deadlines for 2026, starting with the special elections in House Districts 47A and 64A on Tuesday. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3YQCf1l
KLOBUCHAR: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Sen. Amy Klobuchar filed paperwork on Thursday to run for Minnesota governor. A source close to the senator said the filing with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board ‘is a preliminary step necessary for any candidate considering a run.’ The source also said Klobuchar ‘will make an announcement in the coming days.’ But there’s little doubt of Klobuchar’s intent. She has already hired campaign staff. … Klobuchar will be pitted against one of about a dozen Republicans who are running for the open seat.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pZQmfP
MORE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “[Sen. Amy Klobuchar] is a proven vote getter and fundraising powerhouse. Other Democrats with higher office ambitions have avoided entering the race on the expectation that Klobuchar would make the leap. … But Klobuchar’s entrance could upend the GOP field as well, as some of the candidates reassess their chances of defeating a durable statewide official.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sQD8Vv
MORE: via Rep Kristin Robbins statement, VERBATIM: “No surprise: Tim Walz’s handpicked successor now owns all his failures, fraud, and fiasco. Minnesota is ready for change, but Klobuchar is more of the same.”
MORE: via Speaker Lisa Demuth statement, DEMUTH: “Minnesota desperately needs a new direction after years of failure under Gov. [Tim] Walz. … Minnesotans know Amy Klobuchar would serve as nothing more than a rubber stamp for a Walz third term. I am ready to prosecute her record, hold her accountable, and make sure she can’t double down on Tim Walz’s failures in Minnesota.”
GOV RACE: Republican candidate for governor Mike Lindell told WCCO-TV about his priorities and policies. VERBATIM: “Lindell says his top priority as governor would be investigating state programs for fraud and eliminating sales tax on brick-and-mortar stores so they can compete with the internet. … As governor, he indicated he would remain loyal to Donald Trump [and] said he ‘absolutely’ supports ICE actions in the state.” LINDELL: “I think one of the biggest concerns that we have here is that our protester laws are not being addressed. … I believe this is what I do. I fix problems.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/49ASfur
MORE: GOP Rep. Kristin Robbins also spoke to WCCO-TV about her campaign for governor and what she plans to do on the fraud prevention committee. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4bMRmQU
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VANCE VISIT
VANCE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Vice President JD Vance on Thursday called for more cooperation with state, local and federal officials as a way to ‘tone down the temperature’ [in the ICE surge], but then blamed Minnesota officials for the problems and defended the tactics of federal agents. … He said agents only employ tactics such as tear gas and pepper spray when ‘violence is committed against officers,’ but that belies videos [where] tear gas and pepper spray were deployed on people who were not attacking officers.” QUOTE: “Do we want these arrests to be so chaotic? No, we don’t. … [But] this is the inevitable consequence of a state and local government that has decided they’re not going to cooperate.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4baOInX
MORE: via CNN, VERBATIM: “Vice President JD Vance met with ICE agents [before] he delivered remarks. … Vance said authorities are investigating an ICE officer’s fatal shooting of Renee Good, and he emphasized that the federal government was committed to exploring incidents in which agents are accused of wrongdoing. … [But] Vance defended the administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota and the recent detainment of a 5-year-old.” QUOTE: “Well, what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death?” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49Crm9E
ROUNDTABLE: Speaker Lisa Demuth participated in Vice Pres. JD Vance’s roundtable discussion and released the following statement. DEMUTH: “Vice President Vance was here today to work on calming tensions, and I am grateful for that kind of leadership from our highest levels of government. Let’s lead by example, replace inciting rhetoric with steady leadership, and make Minnesota a place where we solve our problems through dialogue, not disruption.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bO4Bkn
MORE: The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce also met with Vice Pres. JD Vance yesterday, CEO Doug Loon said in a statement. LOON: “The Minnesota Chamber has a long history of engaging leaders at the state and federal levels to advance the interests of Minnesota’s business community. Given the challenges facing the state we love and call home, this role has never been more important. Our goal is clear: to help engage federal and Minnesota public officials, deescalate the current situation and put our communities and economy back on track.”
ARRESTS
DETAINERS: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Corrections contacted all county jails in the state [this week] to ask how many people in custody had immigration detention holds. The number totaled 94, Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said Thursday. Combined with the 207 people with immigration holds in Minnesota prisons, the number is about 1,000 less than the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has [claimed]. … Schnell said DOC’s count is ‘nowhere close’ to DHS’ 1,360 figure.” SCHNELL: “When DHS conflates the processes and procedures of state prisons, county jails and ICE detention into a single talking point, the result is misinformation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LJwiAk
CHURCH: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Allen made their first appearances in federal court Thursday afternoon after being arrested for disrupting a St. Paul church service. … At the hearing, federal prosecutors said the defendants were charged with allegedly depriving the church members of their First Amendment right to worship. … In an unusual move, prosecutors appealed [the judge’s] release order to a district judge, which means Levy Armstrong and Allen weren’t able to leave the courthouse after their hearing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jXXYhF
MORE: Via CNN, acting ICE director Todd Lyons said three people have been arrested in connection with the St. Paul church protest, and more arrests are expected soon. READ: https://fluence-media.co/49Crm9E
TRASHING TRUST
The fact that the White House – as the government – would manipulate a photo for social media should give every American pause about trusting government. The trust crash is bad enough, without the government leading the way with disinformation.
Via CBS News, VERBATIM “The White House posted a photo on social media that was digitally altered to make it look like a protester was sobbing as she was arrested in connection with a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a Minnesota church.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pZxjCr
TAKE: Leave the trolling to the trolls, and don’t add to the distrust in White House honesty that was amplified by the performance of fmr. President Joe Biden in the 2024 election. If you want people to trust or believe your narrative - a meme isn’t the way to do it.
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)
INVESTIGATIONS
INVESTIGATION: State officials announced that the federal government is not cooperating in the investigation of an ICE agent who shot a Venezuelan man in the leg. Via BCA advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has been requested by the Minneapolis Police Department to investigate a Jan. 14 use-of-force incident involving a federal officer. … BCA agents have not been permitted to speak with the federal officer involved in this incident and have not been provided with information, including the officer’s identity or whether the officer was wearing a body camera. The FBI has communicated that they do not intend to share any results of their initial investigation with BCA agents.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jTYkWv
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The FBI provided its most robust explanation of the car chase and alleged assault that led an ICE agent to shoot a Venezuelan immigrant at his north Minneapolis duplex on Jan. 14, including how a case of mistaken identity triggered the chain of events. … In a sworn affidavit, FBI Special Agent Timothy Schanz provides details that contradict what U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials initially stated. … The highly charged encounter [started with] an attempted traffic stop by two ICE agents that did not involve the man they ultimately shot, 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. … For several days after the incident, the DHS repeatedly said that Sosa-Celis was the original target.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45nb9T9
LAWSUIT: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “A hearing is scheduled for Monday in a lawsuit filed by Minnesota leaders against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting Director of ICE Todd Lyons. … The hearing will be a motion for a preliminary injunction in a case where the state is pushing to end immigration operations in Minnesota. The court will hear arguments on the motion and discuss any requests for an evidentiary hearing.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3NYXRpP
COUNSEL: via Sen. Amy Klobuchar advisory, VERBATIM: “Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are calling on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to follow federal law and the Constitution by allowing people in detention to have access to legal counsel. Reports indicate that some of those detained, including at least one U.S. citizen, are being denied their constitutional right to access an attorney.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45oFXTv
EXPENSES: Progressive group North Star Policy Action published a report estimating that ICE’s Operation Metro Surge is costing taxpayers “at least $18 million per week in direct expenses,” citing compensation, lodging and meals for federal agents; detention costs for arrested individuals; and statewide overtime for local police officers. The report notes that this total does not include “broader economic disruptions” as a result of the surge. REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4jYDiWH
ACROSS MN
CHILDCARE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Unlike some of her peers, Jessica Herod has not had staff detained by federal immigration agents, hecklers defecate in front of her door, or armed state investigators entering her daycare. Still, Herod is worried. She is co-founder and chief operating officer of Olu’s Beginnings, a child care center in North Minneapolis where 75% of the children enrolled depend on federal funding. … [This winter], the state’s child care industry — one not exactly known before for fanning the flames of political conflict — has been in survival mode. … There is uncertainty around half-a-billion dollars in federal funding, not to mention state scrutiny and frightening threats.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NsaFFg
INJURIES: via DLI advisory, VERBATIM: “Minnesota had an estimated 2.9 OSHA recordable nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time-equivalent (FTE) workers in 2024; the estimated rate for 2023 was the same. This is the lowest rate recorded since the measurement started in 1973. … Minnesota had 66,000 workers with OSHA-recordable nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024, compared to 65,100 estimated cases for 2023.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bO82HN
WILD ABOUT READING: Join more than 800 Minnesota classrooms and 30,000 students participating in the “Wild About Reading” program, a partnership with Flint Hills Resources which encourages students to read more using Minnesota Wild-branded posters, reading logs, and bookmarks. Teachers set weekly reading goals and give certificates to students who complete the four-week program. Fun program incentives include: classroom visits from the Wild’s mascot, Nordy, and the team dog, Paulie; a pair of tickets to a Wild home game, player-signed pucks and photos; and a pizza party for a classroom. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/49AHNSE (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
DEGREES: via OHE advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) has released new academic standards for reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees. These programs allow students to earn a bachelor’s degree for a minimum 90 credits, while maintaining the rigor and breadth of traditional 120-credit bachelor’s programs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pXT7y1
DAIRY: via MDA advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is opening its Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Relief Initiative (DAIRI) program to provide financial assistance to eligible Minnesota dairy producers enrolled in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program offered though the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. … MDA expects to distribute up to $3 million through this program.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r3cTJy
AHEAD…
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will meet with leadership from the Association of Minnesota Counties and attend a donation sorting drive.
TODAY: via SEIU, VERBATIM: “At 6:00 a.m. on the public sidewalk outside the Como location in St. Paul, members of SEIU Healthcare MN & IA who work at HealthPartners will hold an informational picket (not a strike) as they continue to push for a fair contract.”
TUESDAY: Special elections will be held in House Districts 47A and 64A on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
TUESDAY: Rep. Ilhan Omar will host an in-person town hall in north Minneapolis on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
NEXT FRIDAY: via DEED advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Trade Office (MTO) is delighted to invite you to join Governor Tim Walz, Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Varilek and Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen at a luncheon event to honor this year’s recipients of the Governor’s International Trade Awards.”
FEB 3: Precinct caucuses to decide on party-endorsed candidates will begin Tuesday, Feb. 3.
BDAYS: Fluence Advisory’s Briggs Tople, Sen. Eric Pratt, Merchology’s Ally Delgado, MN House GOP’s Andrew Wagner, Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen, labor leader Tom Dicklich. SAT: WCCO Radio BDAY twins Vineeta Sawkar and Jason DeRusha, media pro Sonya Goins, lobbyist Sonnie Elliot, matchmaker Erica McKay
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take from now to the future is in memory of Melissa Hortman her accessibility, leadership and commitment to public service.
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