TWOLVES WIN
Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday.
Timberwolves win.
Wild play tonight at 7. Frost play at 6. Twins are in DC vs. the Nationals.
Congrats to the Star Tribune on winning ad Pulitzer for its coverage of the Annunciation shooting last year. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3R0AHRx
Average gas prices in Minnesota jumped by 26 cents in one week. FOX9: https://fluence-media.co/42eMhuU
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4d61wLK
The president allegedly offered a “financial windfall” to a Democratic Senator if he switched parties. POLITICO: https://fluence-media.co/4tjFkUv
National Teacher Appreciation Day - thank one.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take was all about the playoffs as sports historian Dan Whenesota and sports take’s Howard Sinker discussed why things feel different in Minnesota. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4w6ZraL
MNSIDER: sunday send, where we wonder why MPR is sponsoring political group Take Action. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ue401r
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WAYMO IS READY FOR MINNESOTA: With 13x fewer injury-causing collisions compared to humans, Waymo is already making roads safer in major U.S. cities where we operate — from multi-lane expressways to dense city streets, including the demands of winter weather. We are ready to bring these safety benefits to Minnesota, and look forward to working with the state legislature to pass a law that allows us to provide rides in the state. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/waymo (SPONSORED: Waymo)
NOTE: Yesterday morning take suggested that DFLer Dan Kessler posted about his Republican opponent Sen. Julia Coleman. The post was from a supporter of Kessler but was framed to read as though the Kessler campaign had posted the comments. We apologize for the mischaracterization.
For the past week there was a buzz among Senate DFLers that the confirmation of Shireen Gandhi had become a point of contention within the caucus, and a point of leverage with Gov. Tim Walz. The reality is that defending the confirmation of Gandhi could have been a distraction to DFL Senators when fraud remains the top issue on voters minds in Minnesota.
Just the day before Sen. Amy Klobuchar said the people running state government would change if she’s elected Governor. There are dots to connect that show DFLers are desperately trying to change the narrative on fraud.
The strategy of announcing the appointment of John Connolly, and retention of Gandhi in a lower role leaves the DFL with something they will still have to explain – but most Minnesotans won’t get that into the weeds. The timing, when the Senate was debating and passing new gun restrictions fits the narrative that DFLers want to amplify while burying the story they don’t want.
After working well last year, the tie in the House is starting to show signs of strain and leadership can’t seem to put Humpty Dumpty back together in the next two weeks on several issues.
Meanwhile, popular issues that don’t raise taxes like sports betting (yes a client), don’t get traction when members are looking for revenue. One thing is true about session, is that the train has to come off the tracks for it to be put back on the tracks to complete the session. Next week at this time would seem to be when legislative leaders and the Governor are posturing for a rough finish, only to find some resolution on key issues like HCMC, bonding and potentially school safety.
Last night a WCCO Radio 2-hour special – Minnesota Hospitals in Critical Condition featuring leaders and experts from across the state. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/MNHospitalsCriticalCondition
DHS: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced a restructuring of leadership at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). … Under the new structure, John Connolly will serve as the temporary commissioner of DHS. Connolly asked [current commissioner] Shireen Gandhi to remain at DHS as deputy commissioner. … Connolly also appointed DHS General Counsel Andrew Johnson as deputy commissioner.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4t8iSgJ
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “In an email obtained by 5 INVESTIGATES, Shireen Gandhi told DHS employees that she notified [Tim] Walz on Monday morning, saying she was stepping down as commissioner. … [John Connolly] will still need to be officially confirmed by the Minnesota Senate. The Minnesota Legislature has just 14 days left in its current session.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4nabUql
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz formally appointed Shireen Gandhi to lead the massive agency just over two months ago. Senate Democrats had scheduled her confirmation hearing to begin on Tuesday, May 5. … Republicans called the move a ‘demotion’ for Gandhi, who had served more than a year in the temporary role before Walz appointed her to the permanent role.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4urls2v
RESPONSES: DFLers and Republicans offered contrasting views on DHS Commissioner Shireen Gandhi following Gov. Tim Walz’s announcement of John Connolly’s promotion.
Via Senate DFL Leader Erin Murphy, QUOTE: “[Gandhi] changed the culture and practices at the Department of Human Services for the better. We are less vulnerable to fraud now than we were a year ago, and we will be less vulnerable next year than we are today.”
Via DFL Sen. Melissa Wiklund, QUOTE: “We have made important advances together for the people of Minnesota, and I know that progress will continue thanks to [Gandhi’s] steady leadership. Interim Commissioner John Connolly is a tested and knowledgeable public servant who will move us forward.”
Via GOP Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, QUOTE: “Minnesotans were told Shireen Gandhi’s leadership would bring reform to DHS, yet now she is being shuffled to a different position so that Senate Democrats can avoid a confirmation hearing.”
Via GOP Sen. Paul Utke, QUOTE: “It is astounding that we have yet another temporary commissioner overseeing the agency we need steady leadership in. … We could have avoided this entire circus had Governor Walz seriously considered who was best-equipped to lead DHS in the first place.”
DAYCARE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minnesota paid more than $67 million in public child care subsidies over the past eight years to nine day care providers raided by federal authorities last week as part of a sweeping fraud investigation. … The payments flowed through the state’s Child Care Assistance Program, known as CCAP, which helps low-income families cover the cost of child care. The feds have not filed charges, [but] records show dramatic financial growth at the nine centers, while the number of kids they served stayed relatively flat. Over the last two years alone, state payments to the nine providers more than doubled.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4ukI4BC
TAXFRAUD: via MPR, VERBATIM: “It’s difficult to claw funds back when tax dollars are lost to fraud, so a bipartisan group of legislators is determined to get creative…The “Take It Back Act” would impose a 100 percent tax on individuals or organizations convicted of defrauding state programs. The bill also aims to collect from people who have committed fraud but haven’t been charged or convicted…As the 2026 Legislature heads toward its finish, fraud response measures remain an area of focus. Aside from putting up new defenses to stop fraud, lawmakers are working to show the public they’re not letting past schemes go unanswered.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3R6aEIJ
Fluence Media introduces more — Insider Analysis & Insight from TheDailyAgenda.com
STREAM OF SESSION
GUN BAN: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “As recently as a month ago, Grant Hauschild was still on the fence about whether he would support his DFL colleagues and vote to ban assault weapons. … But in a tear-filled address Monday, Hauschild said he would be a ‘yes’ vote on a wide-ranging gun control and school violence prevention package that passed the Senate 34-33. … Ultimately, Hauschild said, it was his conversations with people affected by [Annunciation] that swayed his decision. … Sen. Ron Kupec, DFL-Moorhead, also voted ‘yes’ after months of equivocating. So did Judy Seeberger, DFL-Afton.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4n9v4MM
MORE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “The bill also provides $20 million for school safety and allocates additional funds for mental health support. … Despite the Senate victory, House GOP leadership has made it clear that a ban on assault weapons is unlikely to pass in the House. It has stalled in committees on party line votes.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4d40sro
NATL GUARD: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Base pay for National Guard members called to state service under emergency executive order has not changed since 1997. Under current law, the rate is $130 per day. Rep. Bjorn Olson (R-Fairmont) sponsors [a bill] to set the state base pay [at $186/day]. … Passed 133-0 by the House Monday, it now returns to the Senate for concurrence.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tR4kn1
PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES CONTINUE TO SOAR: While Minnesota’s safety net hospitals navigate bleak financial outlooks, drug manufacturers continue to raise drug prices at rates that far outpace inflation, rising 23% in the last year alone. By strengthening the 340B drug pricing program, local hospitals can weather these soaring prices and continue to deliver the care and treatments that Minnesotans need. MNLEG REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/48xEXhB (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
STUDENT AID: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “If officials make cuts to the Minnesota State Grant, the state’s largest financial aid program, [student] debt could climb higher. … [But] the program has a $131 million deficit for the next two years, which will require college students’ financial aid awards to be reduced — with some students losing their entire grant — if something isn’t done. … This is the third consecutive year of multimillion-dollar shortfalls in the program, leaving some lawmakers scrambling to find funding while thousands of Minnesota college students wonder how much financial help they will receive.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eYKQrR
MORE: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “A $131 million shortage in the state’s student aid program is not addressed in a proposed higher education bill passed off the House Floor Monday. Consisting mostly of technical corrections, the omnibus higher education finance and policy bill was passed, as amended, on an 82-52 vote and is headed to the Senate.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42e8cm0
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
DC + MN
MN GOP: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “On April 24, the Minnesota GOP called on [Royce] White to drop out of the race, [which] underscores the challenge for Republicans in managing candidates who brand themselves as outsiders. … While their anti-establishment message can energize parts of the base, critics within the party argue they often prove more distracting than effective — and, at times, unfit for office. Other candidates in Minnesota fit a similar mold, including MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. … But even as outsider candidates have proliferated in the Trump Era, signs suggest their moment may be fading: Campaign cash and informal polling [shows] White and Lindell are trailing other candidates closer to the establishment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4u9SdBP
SENATE RACE: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “Dan Wolgamott, a DFL state representative running in a crowded primary for auditor, [is] rescinding his endorsement of Angie Craig for U.S. Senate and throwing his support behind Peggy Flanagan. Wolgamott cited Craig’s votes related to ICE, saying his wife and family experienced ‘very real and very traumatic’ fear and racial profiling during Operation Metro Surge. … The reversal by Wolgamott, who represents a St. Cloud swing seat that [Donald] Trump won in 2024, underscores how pivotal the ICE issue is for DFL primaries.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49mS4SP
MORE: The DFL Muslim Caucus has endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s campaign for U.S. Senate.
REPUTATION: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In a school board race in Wisconsin, governors’ races in Georgia and Ohio, and in endorsements from the president, Minnesota is being invoked as a political boogeyman. … Minnesota is being cast as a cautionary tale by conservative candidates and groups across the country. The state has taken on a higher political profile amid focus on its fraud scandals and the federal immigration crackdown. … ‘Don’t let Wisconsin become Minnesota,’ says a post from [Donald] Trump’s campaign apparatus endorsing U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany for governor and Michael Alfonso for Congress.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eojkE5
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)
THE FEED
CLIMATE: via AP News, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump’s administration moved Monday to block a lawsuit Minnesota officials filed almost six years ago alleging oil companies and a petroleum trade group deceived state residents about climate change. The U.S. Department of Justice [argued] that the federal government has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, not states. … [A.G. Keith] Ellison issued a statement Monday calling the Justice Department’s action meritless.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dpRnuo
HEARING: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A federal judge heard arguments Monday in a lawsuit over ICE and border patrol agents’ treatment of protesters. … The lawsuit, brought by the ACLU of Minnesota and several law firms, alleges that plaintiffs were illegally detained and threatened. … Attorneys for the federal government asked the court to dismiss the suit, [arguing] that it’s moot now that the surge that began last December has ended. … Judge Kate Menendez [said] she plans to rule soon on whether to dismiss the case or allow it to continue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tb8aWP
SURGE: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Ramsey County spent more than $1 million in response to Operation Metro Surge, according to county department estimates. … Officials estimate $595,760 in personnel costs, $358,150 in lost revenue and $96,445 in miscellaneous one-time costs, totaling around $1.05 million due to the federal immigration action.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4n9A0kM
PARDON: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Today, the Minnesota Board of Pardons unanimously granted a pardon to At ‘Ricky’ Chandee at an emergency meeting. … Chandee, who came to the United States as a refugee from Laos, faces deportation this week due to a single conviction from more than 30 years ago. … With the pardon now granted, the federal government’s legal basis for his deportation may be removed, allowing him to return to his family and community.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w9fDIz
REJECT 340B EXPANSION: A new Minnesota Department of Health report shows hospitals made at least $1 billion dollars from a federal drug discount program known as 340B. The program should help patients, but experts say there is little accountability for where the money goes. The report was delayed and only recently released, showing the program isn’t working as intended. But Minnesota politicians are fast tracking a bill to expand the 340B program anyway. Lawmakers: reject House File 3609 / Senate File 3769. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4uUobCQ (SPONSORED: Community Action for Responsible Hospitals)
METRO
MPS: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Warning signs about the Minneapolis Public Schools senior finance officer, Ibrahima Diop, had been accumulating for months. … Yet Diop remained in his job until Jan. 2, by which time he’d resigned to take a job in Milwaukee. He had been the district’s top financial official for nearly a decade. Days later, the district filed a police report related to ‘wire fraud,’ though no names appear on the report and the district won’t explain it. … The Reformer has filed multiple public records requests since first learning the district’s three top finance leaders were declared ‘out of the office indefinitely’ early this year. The district hasn’t responded.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42HgYJg
VADNAIS HGTS: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “A charter school with locations in Vadnais Heights and Little Canada will close in June amid financial difficulties, according to school officials. The Academy for Sciences and Agriculture, which serves prekindergarten through 12th grade, will have its last day of instruction and its graduation for seniors June 5. The school has become financially unsustainable and its authorizer, Osprey Wilds, decided to terminate its contract effective June 30.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42cf57i
GRANDMAS RIDE ATVs TOO: Check out Donna’s story — a powerful reminder that ATV riding is about more than trails; it’s about people, community, and connection. Donna’s message reflects what so many riders across Minnesota believe: responsible riding, strong local economies, and protecting access for future generations all go hand in hand. Thank you, Donna, for sharing your story and helping put a face to what “I Ride” truly means. Check out Donna’s story HERE: https://fluence-media.co/4tDeK9r (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
FARMINGTON: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A group of Farmington residents [is] united in their concerns about a [data center] project’s energy, water and land use. They worry about light and noise pollution. They’re backing a lawsuit that they hope will stop the project and others proposed around the state. [Cathy] Johnson, who is liberal, said those concerns defy party affiliation. … Mayor Nick Lien said he thinks the data center would bring good to the community – namely jobs and a wider tax base.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4epdPoH
HABITAT RESTORATION: Flint Hills Resources has earned Tandem Global WHC Gold Certification for habitat restoration at its Cottage Grove fuel terminal. The certification comes after two years of work in partnership with Friends of the Mississippi River to implement a restoration and monitoring plan to re-establish the 6.5-acre site’s natural prairie and savannah. Flint Hills has held gold certification for its work done with community partners over the past 25 years to restore more than 200 acres of the Pine Bend Bluffs, a critical natural area along the Mississippi River that is adjacent to Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery. This makes two Flint Hills gold certified sites in Minnesota and the first two gold-certified sites ever in the Twin Cities. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3VASKg4 (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
ACROSS MN
METRO TRANSIT: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The former chief of the Metro Transit Police Department is barred from ever being a police officer in Minnesota again. The Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training ordered Ernest Morales III to surrender his Minnesota peace officer license. The court documents stipulate that he is also prohibited from renewing his surrendered license or obtaining any other licenses issued by the Board. … This comes after an investigation which concluded that Morales engaged in sexual harassment.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4thMmZU
STATE FAIR: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota State Fair assistant police chief says in a whistleblower lawsuit that he reported what he believed to be unlawful conduct by Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher and law enforcement, and his hours were limited as a result. In his lawsuit, Michael Coffey described incidents he reported. … Fletcher said in a statement Monday that Coffey ‘made several false accusations.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4na31wL
GRANDMAS RIDE ATVs TOO: Check out Donna’s story — a powerful reminder that ATV riding is about more than trails; it’s about people, community, and connection. Donna’s message reflects what so many riders across Minnesota believe: responsible riding, strong local economies, and protecting access for future generations all go hand in hand. Thank you, Donna, for sharing your story and helping put a face to what “I Ride” truly means. Check out Donna’s story HERE: https://fluence-media.co/4tDeK9r (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
ANOKA CTY: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Inside the Anoka County 911 dispatch center in Andover, Minnesota, calls are constantly coming in, [so] a new AI dispatcher is stepping in to handle non-emergency calls without replacing the people behind the phones. … The quick transfer helps save critical time, and dispatchers say seconds matter.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4usW0tl
340B HOSPITAL MARKUPS HURT PATIENTS: Minnesota’s latest 340B report shows covered entities generated $1.34 billion IN PROFIT in 2024, including an estimated $261 million from Medicaid prescriptions. Independent research finds the program raises costs for patients, taxpayers, and employers statewide. Minnesota should sunset the 340B mandate and Washington should fix the federal 340B program, so it actually helps patients. LEARN MORE: https://phrma.org/340B (SPONSORED: PhRMA)
ANOKA CTY: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Inside the Anoka County 911 dispatch center in Andover, Minnesota, calls are constantly coming in, [so] a new AI dispatcher is stepping in to handle non-emergency calls without replacing the people behind the phones. … The quick transfer helps save critical time, and dispatchers say seconds matter.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4usW0tl
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “HealthPartners Regions Hospital receives more than 100,000 visits to its emergency center a year, a 20% increase in just the past 10 years. That increase brings opportunity and responsibility, said Regions Hospital President Emily Blomberg during a ribbon cutting Monday for the St. Paul hospital’s expanded and remodeled emergency department. The $17.8 million project includes enhanced security, a dedicated lobby for families and semi-private spaces for patients.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4d3CFYF
BURNSVILLE: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Burnsvile has a new police chief. The city announced Monday the appointment of Matt Smith, who has worked with the Burnsville Police Department for more than two decades. … Current Chief Tanya Schwartz is retiring on May 27.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/48GHR3y
BENTON/SHERBURNE: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Both the Benton and Sherburne county boards of commissioners will hold meetings on Tuesday, May 5. … The Benton County commissioners [will] consider two applications for Minnesota lawful gambling with a resolution to conduct off-site gambling for Sauk Rapids Sportsmen’s Club. … The Sherburne County commissioners [will] review an interim use permit for a solar farm [and] consider approval for the grant application submitted by the county attorney’s office for funding for the victim-witness program.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4naRnSy
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)
FOR PLANNING
SESSION: No House floor session. No Senate floor session. HOUSE: Taxes will hear a Hennepin County sales tax proposal for funding HCMC. Ways & Means will hear bills on Medicaid fraud, K-12 education forecasts, waste transportation and the human services omnibus. Fraud Prevention & Oversight will have an “end-of-session wrap-up discussion.” SENATE: No committee hearings. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/3QFYkyT
TODAY: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will deliver his annual State of the City address at 11:00 a.m.
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will purchase his fishing license, visit a local elementary school, and meet with legislative leaders.
TODAY: U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and state Rep. Esther Agbaje will host a press conference to “discuss legislative efforts to save” HCMC, per a release. The event is at 4:00 p.m.
TOMORROW: Leaders of hunger relief organizations will host a press conference at the Capitol urging lawmakers to “prioritize hunger relief funding,” per a release. The event is at 11:00 a.m.
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.