CRUNCH TIME
Days are running out to get the shopping done.
Wolves lose. There’s a new Pohlad to criticize, and thanks to Dayne St. Clair from the Loons. Howard Sinker’s Sports Take comes out today.
Mayor-Elect Kaohly Her is in Boston at Harvard with other mayors this week. Retirements from Sen. Sandy Pappas and Commissioner Rafael Ortega suggest the shake-up will be deeper in St. Paul politics at the end of 2026.
President Trump’s rambling run-on was not on my “to do” list for a Wednesday night, with all the networks taking the speech. Minnesota gets a “shout out”. It’s going to be a long year – and next time emphasize more punctuation from the speech writer. Call it elitist, but it’s easier to disagree when a speech is poorly delivered.
The DFL Senate race between Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan shows signs of being highly-competitive. The latest MNsider premium analysis. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/4qg7deX
Jessica Cordova Cramer, co-founder at Lemonada Media is stepping down, her co-founder Stephanie Wittels Wachs will take over. Speaking of podcasts, The Grill Room with Andrew Ross Sorkin is a good listen. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Y1wi1a
NPR finds that Democrats are more trusted to handle the economy than Republicans by 4 points (37% to 33%). In 2022, Republicans had a 16-point advantage on this issue. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4pEZmaL
Happy National Roast Suckling Pig Day to those who celebrate.
See some of you tonight.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured analysis of who Republicans want for governor and Anders Folk discussing his run for Hennepin County Attorney. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4oTaKic
Want to manage your subscription to TheDailyAgenda.com ? HERE: https://fluence-media.co/managesubscription
The latest insight from Fluence Advisory on the loss of institutional knowledge from the Minnesota Legislature. READ:https://fluence-advisory.com/insights/
LEADING THURSDAY
Sen. Tina Smith, in an interview with fmr. Senators Joe Manchin and Jeff Blake on why she’s leaving the Senate and the problems within the Democatic party, VERBATIM: “When I read what James Carville said, I was thinking about how, for the last 10 years, the national Democratic Party has been stuck in a bad relationship. We’ve so defined ourselves by being opposed to Trump that it’s like we’ve forgotten how to do the other part of our job, which is to put forward an aggressive, strong, positive vision of where the country ought to go.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qe5ruL
SUBSIDIES: via Axios, VERBATIM: “House Republican leaders on Wednesday withstood a standoff with renegade members over expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies and passed a GOP health care bill with conservative priorities that wouldn’t renew the aid. The 216-211 vote all but assures that out-of-pocket premiums will more than double on average for roughly 20 million ACA enrollees when the enhanced subsidies expire Jan. 1. … Four GOP moderates [also] signed onto a Democratic discharge petition, providing enough votes to bring up a clean three-year extension. [But] that vote may not happen until the new year, despite Democratic calls for immediate action.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qfzfam
RESPONSE: via a Rep. Kelly Morrison statement, MORRISON: “Speaker Mike Johnson should not send lawmakers home until the health care catastrophe is addressed. Right now, there is a bipartisan majority of members in the House of Representatives who want to vote to extend the ACA tax credits and stop millions of Americans’ health insurance premiums from skyrocketing in less than two weeks. … Johnson plans to send lawmakers home for the holidays [today] for three weeks, but we should not go home without fixing this crisis.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s2gMjd
NOTE: Minnesota’s House delegation voted along party lines.
CD3: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Jeremy Westby, a small business owner with experience working for entertainers and athletes, is the first Republican to challenge U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison in the western suburbs. Westby quietly launched his campaign [this week]. … Some of his top priorities include public safety, education, a strong economy and trimming excess in federal government programs. … Westby also emphasized his desire to focus on areas of compromise, not political extremes.” WESTBY: “My goal is to trim the fat, not cut the lifelines. If a program is helping families get back on their feet, supporting kids in crisis, or giving people a second chance, I want to protect it — and, where it’s working, strengthen it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MQcsDv
TENSION OVER TIPLINE
TIPS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, shared on Wednesday that whistleblower tips that come to GOP leadership have not been forwarded on to the Department of Human Services. Instead, Robbins said they’re being sent to other investigators. … The [committee] set up a new whistleblower hotline earlier this year. Robbins said there are ‘hundreds’ of tips that have been received through the hotline.” ROBBINS: “Whistleblowers come to me after they’ve already been to [DHS], after they’ve already been to the attorney general, and they’ve been generally ghosted.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YACehG
MORE: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “Rep. Kristin Robbins [said] she has been forwarding information from the tip line to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and the Office of the Legislative Auditor, but hasn’t shared information with DFL colleagues or DHS. She said she’ll ‘consider it.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KABENS
RESPONSE: via Rep. Dave Pinto, DFL lead on the fraud committee, PINTO: “Chair [Kristin] Robbins now admits to withholding information from Republicans’ own ‘whistleblower portal’ not only with DFLers on the committee, but with agency officials [that] have the authority to stop it. If Chair Robbins has in fact uncovered legitimate concerns of fraud – a claim for which there is no evidence – then her top priority should have been to get them investigated.”
MORE: Speaking to KSTP, DHS Inspector General James Clark said he wants tips about possible fraud to be shared with his office. CLARK: “I want to work in partnership with anybody that is serious about tackling these issues. If you have evidence I can use to stop payments going to fraudsters, I would like that information.”
MORE: via a Gov. Tim Walz post, WALZ: “This is outrageous. I expect my Republican colleagues to attack me in an election year, but to actively cover up fraud in an attempt to further a political agenda is beyond the pale. This needs to be resolved immediately.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/48L6Cfq
NOTE: Remember Gov. Walz and his administration are not releasing files they could from DHS about fraud, as outlined by the Star Tribune Allison Kite last month.
DHS: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Allegations [surfaced] of unintended consequences of the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ crackdown on fraud. … Josh Berg, a Twin Cities provider of integrated community supports, [said] DHS cut off payments to a fellow provider because of suspected fraud, and as a result, a legitimate client of theirs died when the services stopped. … KARE 11 News confirmed 60-year-old Ronney Williams was found [dead] in his apartment. … He previously was a client of Relief Health Services LLC.” BERG: “There is no plan in place, there is no coordination happening, there is no thoughtful plan that has even been developed and rolled out.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/48JZPm5
LAWSUITS: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “As the Walz Administration clamps down on fraud in state-run Medicaid programs, service providers are fighting back in court. At least half a dozen providers have sued the state Department of Human Services in recent months over suspended payments, which they say have either shut down their businesses or put them at existential risk, harming the clients who depend on their services. … Successful litigation could encourage more providers to sue, which would complicate the administration’s efforts to thwart the burgeoning fraud scandal — and with it, Gov. Tim Walz’s 2026 reelection efforts.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MJjXw7
A new level of insight and information….
Fluence Media introduces more - Insider Analysis & Insight from TheDailyAgenda.com
Regular deep-dive political analysis and breaking news
Monthly insight-filled briefing memo on Minnesota and Midwest economy
Early access to our Fluence Forum audio and video assets.
A morning take mug
FINGER POINTING
INVESTIGATIONS: The Office of the Governor via memo on the Trump Administration’s numerous investigations into Minnesota, alleging Pres. Donald Trump is targeting Minnesota for “political retribution” and blaming Gov. Tim Walz for things he did not do. EXCERPT: “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly claimed that ‘50%’ of Minnesota visas are fraudulent, despite immigration and visa issuance being exclusively the responsibility of the federal government. … The Small Business Administration announced investigations into PPP loan fraud, a federal emergency loan program created, administered, and disbursed by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Walz Administration has no role.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3L9NIFT
LETTER: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is calling for the resignation of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in response to defrauded government programs. … The letter sent to Gov. Walz states that his ‘careless lack of oversight’ led to ‘fraudsters from around the world, especially from Somalia, to establish a beachhead of criminality in our country.’ … The response from the governor’s office [said] ‘Sending a slew of letters and social media posts is not a sincere effort to solve a problem.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4qAa9Dt
DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF RURAL HEALTH CARE, ESSENTIA IS RECOGNIZED FOR PROVIDING TOP CLINICAL CARE: According to the latest report from Minnesota Community Measurement, a statewide resource on health care quality, costs and equity, Essentia ranked as a high performer with 19 of 20 clinical quality metrics scoring above statewide averages. According to Dr. Maria Beaver, chief quality and patient safety officer at Essentia: “This is a testament to the amazing care provided by all our clinical care teams and all our colleagues who support them.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dCxy1D (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
CHILDCARE: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “The child care industry relies heavily on immigrant workers, but it’s unclear whether ICE’s recent surge is straining Minnesota providers. … Minnesota providers have been struggling to hire staff since at least the COVID pandemic. That makes it hard to say whether Operation Metro Surge has had an impact, a spokesperson for Child Care Aware Minnesota told Axios. … ‘Some child care centers have been visited by ICE,’ wrote Kelly Martinson, spokesperson for Kids Count on Us. … ‘Children of immigrants,’ she added, ‘are asking if they should bring their passports with them to child care.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MIFEMT
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)
LAWS…
LABOR LAWS: via DLI advisory, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s minimum-wage rate will be adjusted for inflation Jan. 1, 2026, to $11.41 an hour for all employers in the state. The 90-day training wage for workers under age 20 will increase to $9.31. These rates reflect a 2.5% increase. … New requirements for Minnesota’s meal and rest breaks law take effect Jan. 1, 2026. The updated law clarifies that employers must generally allow employees to take a paid rest break that is at least 15 minutes for every four consecutive hours worked [and] an unpaid meal break that is at least 30 minutes when working six or more consecutive hours. … [DLI] also released its 2025 Minnesota minimum-wage report.” REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4s4QDAf
SURVIVORS: Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced that two bipartisan laws she supported are heading to the president’s desk. VERBATIM: “The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act [will] expand access to federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who pass away or become permanently disabled from service-related cancers. … The Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act would increase support for Ukraine’s efforts to investigate and track the thousands of Ukrainian children who have been abducted [by Russia].” RESPONDERS: https://fluence-media.co/4aoDmfK UKRAINE: https://fluence-media.co/3KCupVF
ID THEFT: via Office of the Sec. of State, VERBATIM: “On January 1, 2026, the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State will launch a set of protections for business owners impacted by business identity theft. … Previously, the only options for targeted business owners were costly court actions or law enforcement intervention. The new Business Identity Recovery process offers individuals affected by this crime a free and fast way to correct their records. With new legal authority to intervene on behalf of targeted businesses, the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State can now investigate and redact illegitimate filings after a business owner reports a wrongful filing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4q9s2IO
FEED
ACLU: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is facing a lawsuit that alleges its agents have violated the rights of Minnesotans who’ve been observing recent immigration operations in the state. The ACLU of Minnesota and several law firms filed the suit Wednesday on behalf of six Minnesotans. … The ACLU said the actions of federal agents are violating people’s rights to free speech and assembly. The plaintiffs are asking the court to find that federal agents have been illegally retaliating against protesters, and to bar them from continuing those actions in the future.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pKFq6D
ED GRANTS: via OHE advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) has awarded 10 colleges and universities in the state with 2025 Emergency Assistance for Postsecondary Students (EAPS) Grants, totaling $1 million. Funding is awarded to private, non-profit postsecondary institutions and tribal colleges so they can provide support to students facing emergency housing, food, and transportation costs that would otherwise prevent them from completing their education.” READ/LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4ao0P0q
HEMP: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Starting Jan. 1, hemp businesses in Minnesota will be required to use licensed labs within the state for quality control testing. Currently, there are only three such labs, and only two can conduct all necessary tests. This change is causing anxiety among industry players, as many have relied on labs outside the state for years. … A fourth lab, which was in the process of getting licensed, decided to withdraw due to unclear guidance from [OCM]. … Industry insiders believe the OCM can extend the deadline without new laws, but the office maintains that the date is set in current law.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Y1kSdH
(DISCLOSURE: Plift is a Fluence client)
BUSINESS EXCELLENCE: Flint Hills Resources was just awarded the 2025 Large Business of the Year award from the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce at their annual Business Excellence Awards celebration. The award celebrates the outstanding achievements of businesses that exemplify the thriving and growing spirit of Dakota County. The businesses honored make an impact and contribute to the continued success of our community. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/46lTpIs (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
LOCALS
MPLS: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis City Council Member Emily Koski has revealed that she’s been ‘the target of escalating harassment’ for more than two years, which contributed to her decision to exit city politics. Koski [said] she and her loved ones have been ‘living with stress, anxiety, an unshakeable sense of being unsafe’ due to the actions of an unnamed man, against whom she now has a restraining order.” KOSKI: “Representation should not come with the price of fear. Public service should not require trauma. My hope in sharing this now is that together, we can insist: this cannot and must not be the cost of serving one’s community.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qdvW3n
NISSWA: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Nisswa City Council has taken another step toward a vote of no confidence and censure of Mayor Jennifer Carnahan over her conduct in a dispute with a city resident. The three council members present at Tuesday night’s meeting directed the city attorney to prepare a resolution for the council to consider at its January meeting. They also plan to consider removing her from all city committees. … At Tuesday night’s meeting, Carnahan said she was elected by voters, and does not plan to resign.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48Uy60U
WILLMAR: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A multi-day operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has left the agricultural city of Willmar on edge, as reports of agents detaining individuals have prompted families to shelter in their homes. … Willmar, a city of about 22,000, is one of the most racially diverse cities in Greater Minnesota. … Some 560 [public school] students were absent Monday, out of 3,881 enrolled. According to data provided by Willmar Public Schools, absentees have decreased since then and stood at 335 on Wednesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rZe2Dr
NEXT UP
TODAY: At 10 AM, Minnesota’s Long Term Care Imperative (LTCI) will call out the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) for failure to submit Medicaid rate increases to the Federal government for approval by the end of 2025. (DISCLOSURE: Long Term Care Imperative is the client of Fluence Advisory)
TODAY: The Senate subcommittee on federal impacts will meet at 10:00 a.m. to discuss how trade and tariffs affect Minnesota’s economy.
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will convene his Children’s Cabinet and participate in a roundtable hosted by ISAIAH.
TOMORROW: Via UNITE HERE, airline food workers will hold a picket at MSP Airport on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
BDAYS: St. Paul’s Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher, TPT’s Mary Lahammer
SPEAKER: If you’re looking for a speaker about the “Signal vs. Noise” dynamic of today’s politics and the 2026 election. EMAIL: BloisOlson@gmail.com.
SPONSORS: Sponsorships are available to reach over 30,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheets and website, TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com.
Send us your tips at BloisOlson@gmail.com
IN MEMORIAM: morning take from now to the future is in memory of Melissa Hortman her accessibility, leadership and commitment to public service.
Fluence Media curates, produces and distributes specialized media products to thought leadership audiences across the Midwest and about the region. Our publications cover, politics, public policy, health care, agriculture, business, real estate, sports and more. Visit www.fluence-media.com to learn more.
about morning take: Founded in 2010, morning take has grown to become the leading Minnesota morning newsletter on politics and news of the day. Published by Fluence Media since 2012 the mission is to “make you smarter” before breakfast.
Copyright © 2025 Fluence Media, All rights reserved.