Wolves in 5.
Frost win and advance in the PWHL playoffs. Aurora open their season tonight.
Twins win, 10 in a row.
The Vikings released their 2025 schedule. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4ddN6IQ
Here’s how Minnesota’s ongoing wildfires compare to the biggest ones in recent history. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4j9C7Sd
UnitedHealth Group has lost half its value in just half a year. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/3H8xdHG
Rep. Michelle Fischbach had to wake up one of her colleagues during a meeting at almost 5:00 a.m. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44EUOcT
An AP-NORC poll finds that only 16% of Americans are feeling optimistic about the state of politics in their country. For Independents and Democrats, it’s only 9%. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/3GTrrcZ
Blois
TIPS: BloisOlson@gmail.com
GOP Senate Leader Mark Johnson and DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger were on Sunday Take to discuss the final days of the 2025 legislative session. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42RrXkj
Sponsorships available – to reach over 25,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheet and website www.TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com
FIRST: All four legislative caucuses will meet this morning at 9AM, however members of each caucus couldn’t confirm if there was a “deal” by all four caucus leaders. House Republicans would likely be the toughest to align unless there are major policy concessions from DFLers. If DFLers are challenged in the House to find unity, it will mean there are significant issues with revenue and spending.
Using a football metaphor with several members of each caucus, the view is that the ball is either on the 10 yard-line with 3 downs to score, or it’s on the 30 and they need to score before they try get the first down. Only one leader said the ball was inside the 5.
Either way, there was almost as much optimism as the Vikings in 1998. We know what happened then.
What do they have to agree on?
· Budget Targets
· Bonding Bill
· Policy Reforms
The Senate DFL’s divide will be one potential blow-up, only one member has to flake off in order for there to be chaos. Remember last year? Yesterday’s vote to pass new taxes by the Senate DFL is going to be a tough plan to pass in the House, especially with Republicans. That said, time for getting done by Monday is less likely putting any agreement in a precarious position.
Nothing on the Governor’s schedule for negotiations today, meaning feedback from leaders could come from the morning caucus, and they return to the table later in the day to try to find consensus. Either way, they will keep trying until Monday if there is no deal. None of the parties can afford to appear that they are walking away from the table. Follow along at www.TheDailyAgenda.com for updates
SPECIAL SESSION: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “DFL leaders said a special session is likely as they headed into a state budget negotiation meeting Wednesday. … Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) said ‘yes’ when asked if a special session is inevitable. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) said a special session is ‘very, very likely, if not inevitable.’ … House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) declined to answer whether she believes there will be a special session, saying that leaders are talking and she was heading into the meeting Wednesday ‘for more conversation.’ … Legislative leaders will be working through this weekend, [Murphy] said. … Gov. Tim Walz said budget negotiations have been ‘productive,’ [but] he believes this year’s end-of-session may be similar to 2019, when the Legislature had a one-day special session to pass the budget and policy bills. By comparison, the 2021 special session lasted from June 14 to July 7.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GOXnzk
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz…said he hopes to reach a budget deal before the Legislature's May 19 adjournment date so that any special session would be ‘more perfunctory.’ He said he wants to give the revisor's office enough time to print compromise bills after a deal is struck rather than rushing them and risking drafting errors.” WALZ: “I still think there’s a chance we can get this thing by the time, but I think as the hours go by, it becomes a little more difficult.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3S6yNw7
MN DFL: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The battle within the Democratic Party over whether to moderate or double down on progressive values is unfolding in the final days of the legislative session, as lawmakers debate whether to preserve a generational set of policies they adopted two years ago…. A group of moderates want to make changes to some of the measures the DFL passed in 2023, arguing that voters last year sent a message that they want lawmakers to meet in the middle…Frentz objected to the idea that moderate Democrats were rolling back their accomplishments. He’s sponsoring legislation that would exempt businesses with 15 or fewer employees from the mandatory paid family and medical leave law, which he said was not a “hostile act” but an attempt to make sure the issue has been thoroughly discussed before the program launches in January.… Senate Labor Committee Chair Jen McEwen, DFL-Duluth, admonished her more moderate colleagues for supporting exemptions to the sick and safe time law, calling the effort “shameful.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3S5BWfG
TAKE: This is a preview of the 2026 DFL endorsement and primary. It mirrors the national conversation that fmr. DFL Chair, now DNC Chair Ken Martin is having to navigate. Just as Republicans learned in 2024 legislative races, being pro-Trump wasn’t enough, you had to also appeal to independents. (The three MN House races that Republicans won, the House candidate outperformed Trump.). DFLers are going to have to realize that especially facing a likely budget deficit, federal cuts and the dominoes that will fall to local government. It’s one thing to believe you can’t “leave anyone behind”, it’s another thing to find out how to pay for it. It’s one thing to pass a mandate, and its another thing to deploy it. The Senate Blue Dogs seem to understand it, but can they stand strong on spending too? Time will tell.
FRAUD: via KARE 11’s AJ Lagoe, VERBATIM: “With just days left in Minnesota’s 2025 legislative session, lawmakers are racing to introduce reforms following a KARE 11 investigation that exposed alleged fraud in the state’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program…The Medicaid-funded initiative, designed to help elderly and disabled Minnesotans secure and maintain housing, has come under fire after clients claimed they were billed for services never rendered — sometimes with forged signatures… ABELER: “Some people could actually come to harm or even die because of this kind of fraud,” said Republican State Senator Jim Abeler, expressing frustration over systemic failures in oversight….Democratic Senator John Hoffman echoed those concerns, saying, HOFFMAN: “This is life and death. The most vulnerable people, the poorest of the poor, those with disabilities, and our elderly are being taken advantage of… DHS acknowledged the program’s rapid and unexpected growth had outpaced its oversight capabilities. The agency said it supports Governor Walz’s proposed anti-fraud reforms to bolster enforcement and penalties. Still, lawmakers say more urgent action and accountability is needed.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43j6hwA
SLOWDOWN: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Efforts to finalize and pass state budget bills are hitting a sticking point as legislative leaders and the governor struggle to bring negotiations about a budget framework to a close. … Without a framework to draw from, leaders of conference committees have met this week but effectively said there’s little they can do. Budget targets dictate how much they can spend, [and] that’s what is needed to finalize bills. … ‘[I] was hoping for some targets. I didn’t really promise them, but that’s what was indicated to me,’ Rep. Jon Koznick, R-Lakeville, said as the Transportation Conference Committee closed out a meeting on Tuesday. … A House tax bill that came to the floor on Tuesday was [also] paused with the target talks ongoing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j0XNjv
MORE: KSTP’s Tom Hauser noted on social media that as of Wednesday evening, “all major spending bills and the tax bill” are effectively on hold until legislative leaders and the governor can agree to overall spending targets. The session will adjourn on Monday. TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/43vHfve
LIFELINE OF RURAL HEALTH CARE — WHY LOCAL PHARMACIES MATTER IN 340B: In the heart of Greater Minnesota, access to local 24/7 health care services isn’t just a necessity – it’s the cornerstone to vibrant rural communities. The 340B Drug Pricing Program has been instrumental in enabling nonprofit hospitals like Essentia Health to provide comprehensive, high-quality care to the state’s rural and underserved communities. Unfortunately, out-of-state pharmaceutical companies continue to blatantly ignore Minnesota’s law that protects safety net providers’ access to 340B discounted drugs. Legislators should stand up to these drug manufacturers and protect the 340B Program, ensuring that Minnesota’s rural communities continue to have access to life-saving — and community sustaining — health care services. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/42D8kLo (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
CHAUVIN: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Multiple sources told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Gov. Tim Walz, the Minnesota National Guard, Mayor Jacob Frey and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt have all been briefed on preparations for possible civil unrest if President Donald Trump pardons former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for his federal conviction of killing George Floyd. … Sources also told KSTP the Minnesota Department of Corrections is ready to pick up Chauvin at a federal penitentiary, and bring him back to Oak Park Heights Prison in Minnesota to serve the remainder of his 22-and-a-half-year sentence. He’s currently in a federal prison in Texas.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43aVNz3
BAIL: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A nonprofit that seeks to end cash bail in Minnesota said Wednesday that it’ll no longer post bail for people who are in pretrial detention. The Minnesota Freedom Fund said it’s shifting its focus from helping individual clients to education and legislative advocacy. … During the unrest that followed George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the Freedom Fund got a large influx of donations. Tax records from that year show nearly $42 million in contributions, but donations later leveled off. … Freedom Fund spokesperson Noble Frank said in a phone interview with MPR News that the change is both a fiscal and philosophical decision.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iX2zhH
MPD: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The City of Minneapolis is almost certain that next week, the U.S. Department of Justice will file a petition with the court to end the consent decree over reform at MPD. If that happens, sources said the city would file a brief challenging the DOJ’s filing, and it could then take up to six weeks to get a ruling from the judge.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43aVNz3
GUN CTRL: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A Ramsey County judge is considering a challenge to last year’s [legislative] spending package. … Last year, Minnesota banned binary triggers after a Burnsville man used a rifle equipped with one to kill two police officers and a paramedic. … A firearms rights group alleges in a lawsuit that the ban is illegal. But the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus isn’t arguing the case on Second Amendment grounds. … Plaintiff attorney Nicholas Nelson said the Minnesota Constitution prohibits legislation that addresses more than a single subject. The DFL-led Legislature included the binary trigger ban in a massive tax bill at the end of the 2024 session.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GTEfA6
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)
IMMIGRANTS: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “About a quarter of the roughly 20,000 undocumented immigrants who have signed up for Minnesota's state-funded health insurance program are children. … Whether to continue providing MinnesotaCare coverage to low-income residents without legal status has emerged as a flashpoint in budget talks at the politically divided State Capitol. Recent comments from Gov. Tim Walz suggested that one possible outcome of negotiations could involve keeping coverage for Minnesotans under 18, while rolling it back for adults.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4m8b0cS
HHS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Senate passed a health and human services bill on a party-line vote, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans against. … Republicans oppose an increase in the health care provider tax from 1.8% to 2%, which Republicans say will be passed on to patients. Republicans also attempted to amend the bill to include a ban on illegal immigrants from accessing state health care programs, one of the issues that is holding up an overall budget agreement.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YLctfn
RESPONSE: via a Sen. Julia Coleman (R-Waconia) statement, COLEMAN: “It’s not the Legislature’s job to raise taxes every time there’s a problem. That’s not serving Minnesotans, that’s taking from them. People aren’t a blank check. They expect real solutions, not another reach into their wallets. This health bill doesn’t offer anything innovative to address the challenges we’re facing.”
PHARMACIES: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “According to the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, over the last decade, 44% of Minnesota’s pharmacies have closed. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says these closures have created ‘pharmacy deserts’ across the state. … Wednesday morning, [independent] pharmacists shared their concerns at the Minnesota State Capitol, [arguing] that Minnesota’s reimbursement rates are too low. … Both the House and Senate are working on changes that would give independent pharmacies direct payments to offset the cost of prescriptions, and a new reimbursement model that pharmacists say could save taxpayers money and keep pharmacies open.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YLtZ32
CLAIMS: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Each year, a Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Claims decides which claims against the state should be funded. This year’s proposal calls for nearly $72,381 in fiscal year 2026 payments. … Sponsored by Rep. Luke Frederick (DFL-Mankato) and Sen. Doron Clark (DFL-Mpls), HF3247/SF3446* was passed 133-0 by the House Wednesday and sent to the governor. It was passed 66-1 by the Senate May 8.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZjG4fQ
STATUE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “While waiting for a budget deal, there were no major bills to debate on the House and Senate floors. But in the House, they did pass a resolution calling for the statue of one of Minnesota’s first U.S. senators — Henry Mower Rice — to be replaced by a statue of former senator and vice president Hubert Humphrey. … ‘Members, I’m not sure why we’re debating this topic. We are a week away from adjournment. We still have no joint budget targets. We have no deal on education yet. There is no deal on MinnesotaCare yet,’ said Rep. Mary Franzen (R-Alexandria).” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YN1EJE
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)
FARMBILL: via news release from Rep. Brad Finstad, after the committee advanced historic reconciliation legislation that makes critical investments in our farm economy and restores much-needed integrity and accountability to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): VERBATIM: “In 2023 alone, Minnesota saw $42.5 million in SNAP funds misallocated. This kind of waste is a disservice to American taxpayers and takes resources away from those who truly need them. The legislation passed today takes meaningful steps to restore accountability in SNAP by preventing unelected bureaucrats from making unilateral changes to the Thrifty Food Plan and by strengthening work requirements for able-bodied adults. SNAP should empower Americans to achieve long-term independence – not trap them in cycles of dependency… This legislation strengthens our nation’s food security by directly addressing the needs of rural America through investments in the farm safety net, foreign animal disease prevention, and trade promotion.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/437226U
KLOBUCHAR: Sen. Amy Klobuchar gave the closing remarks at an event hosted by The New Republic yesterday called “America in Crisis II.” Via CBS News, Klobuchar’s remarks focused on what she called executive overreach and irresponsibility by Pres. Donald Trump and his administration. QUOTE: “Trump is trying to remake the executive office into one that is immune from outside accountability. He's engaging in unprecedented overreach that disregards the rule of law and pretends as if the independent judiciary is a bug rather than a feature of our system.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3S2WOEr
EMMER: via KNSI Radio, VERBATIM: “Some media reports from the past week have suggested a federal budget bill is in trouble, but legislators are offering a rosier assessment of its prospects. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who represents a district that includes Benton County and St. Cloud, is confident the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will pass, and soon. Emmer told KNSI Radio [that] the chamber has returned to something closer to the traditional budgeting method rather than a one-year continuing resolution. It involves nearly a dozen committees creating smaller budgets wrapped into a comprehensive spending plan.” QUOTE: “The plan is that all 11 bills will go back to the budget committee, where they will take about half the day stitching together all the pieces to create the one ‘Big, Beautiful Bill.’ And we should be voting as early as Tuesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jX1IiA
WILDFIRES: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “About 150 structures, including many homes and cabins, have been destroyed by fires in northern Minnesota as of Wednesday evening. … All together, the three fires have now consumed about 58 square miles of forest — an area larger than the city of Minneapolis. Authorities have issued evacuation advisories to the residents of more than 100 homes in the area, and some of those evacuation advisories have been extended. … The fires are burning in remote areas without a lot of homes, but they’ve been extremely difficult for firefighting crews to battle in the very hot, dry and windy conditions over the last several days.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45cMvVU
ENERGY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A clean energy developer is temporarily halting its proposed wind farm in southwest Minnesota, saying the Trump Administration’s tariffs are partly to blame. … National Grid Renewables’ Plum Creek Wind project had already cleared some of the most common hurdles for a clean energy project, [and] construction was set to begin later this fall. … But last month, National Grid Renewables informed regulators it was pulling out of a monthslong bidding process, [citing] cost disagreements and interconnection delays in addition to tariffs. … The company said it still plans to complete the project, but its timeline is now uncertain.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j7ntuG
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)
HENN CTY: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Homelessness is continuing to decrease in Hennepin County at a rate that defies national trends, but the funding originally used to help make this decrease happen expired in December. Hennepin County is unique in comparison to most other jurisdictions across the country and state because it invested almost 40% of its pandemic recovery funds into homelessness prevention. … As a temporary Band-Aid, the Hennepin County Board budgeted for an additional year of funding. There’s a catch to the county choosing to shoulder this expense: It was a decision that came with the commitment to take on an estimated $20 million deficit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jUguGy
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis school district is using a citywide embrace of girls flag football this spring as a way to help address its Title IX troubles. Tasked to raise its participation rates in girls sports after a 2023 Title IX investigation into the equity of its athletic programs, the state’s fourth-largest school district adopted flag football across all seven of its traditional high schools and began play in April in a new statewide league. … Administrators like Minneapolis South athletic director Amy Cardarelle [said] changing priorities under President Donald Trump’s administration could impact how much federal feedback MPS receives on its efforts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k5SNv9
ST PAUL: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “St. Paul will restrict landlords' ability to use criminal records or credit histories when weighing a rental application starting next year. With the City Council's vote last week, St. Paul rejoined a list of dozens of major cities — including Minneapolis — that have passed sweeping tenant laws meant to protect the renters at highest risk of eviction or homelessness. … St. Paul will [also] join Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center in requiring landlords to give written notice at least 30 days before filing for a tenant's eviction. … Landlords and housing developers expressed alarm at the proposed rules.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jQjlAo
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)
POLICE: via a Rep. Brad Finstad press release, VERBATIM: “Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) and Congresswoman Kelly Morrison (MN-03) reintroduced the Pathways to Policing Act, bipartisan legislation that would address law enforcement staffing shortages by authorizing funding for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to run programs that strengthen the recruitment pipeline for prospective law enforcement officers. … Additional original cosponsors include Reps…Angie Craig (MN-02) and Betty McCollum (MN-04).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3F2sBlZ
HOUSING: via a Sen. Tina Smith press release, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, joined her colleagues on a bipartisan, bicameral bill to provide resources to help communities rehaul their zoning and land use regulations. The Housing Supply Frameworks Act would provide a new framework to assist states and localities in breaking down barriers and increasing the supply of affordable housing across income levels.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3GTBnTT
ELECTIONS: via Office of the Sec. of State, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon testified at a U.S. Senate Rules Committee Democrats Spotlight Hearing titled, ‘Protecting the Future of American Democracy: An Examination of Trump and Partisan Attacks on Voting and Elections.’” SIMON: “States are working to cover more costs and responsibilities as the federal government shows signs of backing away from some election security commitments. … Now is not the time to back away from supporting election officials – or to pass laws that will introduce new chaos, confusion, and exclusion to our election system.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/43bcsTe READ: https://fluence-media.co/3GWXxEI
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)
BWCAW: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Lukas Leaf has been camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for decades, but he fears that pressure on the environmental protections that have long kept the famed Minnesota waterway from nearby mining is close to a tipping point. ‘We’re near a point of no return,’ said Leaf, the executive director at Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. While threats to the undisturbed condition of the Boundary Waters are nothing new, conservationists say the aggressive focus in Washington, D.C., on opening up nearby copper-sulfide mining projects is at levels they’ve not seen before.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j7mYki
PFAS: via Reuters, VERBATIM: “The EPA will rescind much of the Biden Administration's first nationwide drinking water standard aimed at protecting people from toxic ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFAS found in many household items, but will maintain current limits on two of these chemicals, it announced on Wednesday. … Under the new proposal…the EPA would allow drinking water systems more time to develop plans for addressing PFOA and PFOS and extend the compliance date for those two PFAS chemicals to 2031. It would also rescind the regulations and reconsider the regulatory determinations for the other three PFAS chemicals — [PFNA, PFHxS and HFPO-DA].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4diKBVT
MOVE: via a JCRC press release, VERBATIM: “The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) is proud to announce the hiring of Rabbi Jill Avrin as the organization’s first Director of Campus Affairs. This new position is a direct response to the intensifying challenges facing Jewish students, faculty, and staff on college campuses across the country—including right here in Minnesota.”
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)
FCOON RAPIDS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Medtronic, a Minnesota medical technology company, laid off employees Wednesday at the company’s Physiological Research Laboratories in Coon Rapids, Minn. An employee who works at the lab confirmed the layoffs. He said about 20 people were let go Wednesday morning, and he was laid off later in the day. He asked to remain anonymous. … Medtronic did not provide details about how many people were laid off.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j4AF3w
DULUTH: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “Duluth School Board Chair Kelly Durick Eder announced Wednesday she is running for reelection in November. Durick Eder, who has served in an at large seat for six years, was elected to board chair earlier this year. … Appointed to the board in 2019, Durick Eder went on to win a special election in 2020 and the following general election in 2021. … Durick Eder’s term will expire in January.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44zhzPr
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
MARSHALL: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A U.S. district judge has ordered the immediate release of a Marshall man, a native of Indonesia, after concluding that his arrest and detention by federal agents were likely retaliation for his support for causes such as Black Lives Matter and Palestinian rights. Aditya Wahyu Harsono, 34, who has lived in Minnesota on student visas for almost a decade, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March at his workplace in Marshall.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ke3f3m
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)
SPRING VALLEY: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Local residents on Tuesday rejected Kingsland Public Schools' request for an $11.5 million construction bond to fund an addition to the district’s building. According to the unofficial results released by the district Wednesday morning, 52.3% of approximately 1,300 voters opposed the referendum. ‘Although this wasn’t the outcome we hoped for, we understand and respect our community’s decision,’ Superintendent Scott Klavetter said in a statement. It was the second time in six months that Kingsland Public Schools asked voters to increase their support for the district.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Zhygv6
SESSION: House floor session at 11:00 a.m. Senate floor session at 11:00 a.m. FLOOR: The House floor will hear the health bill. CONFERENCE: Conference committees will hear omnibus bills for state and local government and elections; and transportation. HOUSE: Ways & Means will meet with a TBD agenda. SENATE: No Senate committee meetings. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/43i3R18
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will attend a Peace Officer Memorial Day Service.
TODAY: via a DEED advisory, VERBATIM: “DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek and Labor Market Information Director Angelina Nguyen will be available from 10:00-10:30 a.m. to answer questions from the press regarding the latest employment data.”
TODAY: via a US House advisory, VERBATIM: “At 12:00 noon, U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) will join SEIU Minnesota, Protect Our Care Minnesota, and health care advocates to raise the alarm against Congressional Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts of $700 billion. … This press conference will be virtual, via Zoom.”
TODAY: via an MNA advisory, VERBATIM: “Nurses and healthcare workers with the Minnesota Nurses Association will gather outside the Medical Alley Annual Dinner to demand…real accountability in hospital governance — where bedside experience and patient care take priority over corporate profits.” The event is at 5:30 p.m.
TOMORROW: Via his office, Sec. Steve Simon will travel to south central Minnesota on Friday, May 16. Simon will meet with county auditors in McLeod, Chippewa, Renville, and Sibley Counties.
SATURDAY: via Education MN, VERBATIM: “Hundreds of members of Education Minnesota will rally Saturday in the Capitol Rotunda to call on Gov. Tim Walz and state legislators to fund the union’s priorities, including pension reform, in the next state budget. Education Minnesota President Denise Specht will emcee the event. … The speakers will begin at 1:30 p.m.”
MAY 31: Gov. Tim Walz will speak at state Democratic Party conventions in South Carolina and California on Saturday, May 31.
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: Rep. Danny Nadeau, speaker Roxanne Battle, fmr. Councilman John Quincy, fmr. candidate Kate Knuth
TIPS: How do we get the best news and most buzzed about stories? Send us your tips at BloisOlson@gmail.com
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