GOLDEN MONDAY
It’s a hockey country again. Congrats to the men’s and women’s gold medal teams.
Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore, 25, was found dead this weekend. WCCO: https://fluence-media.co/4rDT78o
The Secret Service killed a man who was reportedly armed and breaking into Mar-a-Lago. CBS: https://fluence-media.co/3Orwm8U
After the Supreme Court struck down the president’s tariffs, he used a different law to implement 15% global tariffs for 150 days. CNBC: https://fluence-media.co/4qRfNR4
White House advisers say Donald Trump is increasingly focused on who will succeed him. JD Vance and Marco Rubio are reportedly the president’s “dream ticket” for 2028, with either one at the top. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4c4yI7m
Note that unlikely the VP stays VP for another term.
Chaos in Mexico after a cartel leader was killed. CNN: https://fluence-media.co/3MVSZBS
ABC News finds that 50% of Americans support deporting all 14 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., but 58% say the Trump Administration’s deportation efforts are going “too far” and 62% oppose ICE’s tactics. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4s8KqCP
Sunday Take dug into Minnesota’s housing situation with DFL Rep. Esther Agbaje and James Vagle, CEO of First Housing. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4cImGAP
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COLD BUT GOLD…
A sunrise fitting of a gold medal win yesterday.
SOTU
GUESTS: Several members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation have announced who they are bringing to the State of the Union address tomorrow as guests. All members of Minnesota’s House delegation plan to attend.
● EMMER: GOP Rep. Tom Emmer’s guests are Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany and Dean Dally, board chairman of Blaine Brothers. QUOTE: “Not only are they stand-up guys, but Chief Podany, Mr. Dally, and their industries are reaping the benefits of the Working Families Tax Cuts — no tax on overtime, less regulation, and pro-growth business policies. Blaine is the largest city in our district, and through these partnerships with our law enforcement and business communities, we are able to secure the future success and growth of Blaine.”
● MORRISON/MCCOLLUM: “Congresswoman Kelly Morrison will be accompanied by Colin Hortman, the eldest child of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman, who were assassinated in a horrific act of politically motivated gun violence last June. Congresswoman Betty McCollum will be accompanied by Colin Hortman’s wife, Alina Bachman Hortman.”
● FINSTAD: GOP Rep. Brad Finstad’s guest is Rochester Police Chief Jim Franklin. QUOTE: “Chief Franklin’s service to our community reflects his unwavering commitment to keeping our families and streets safe. I am grateful for his leadership and proud to stand alongside him as we continue working to support the men and women in uniform and ensure our communities across southern Minnesota remain the best place to live, work, and play.”
● OMAR: DFL Rep. Ilhan Omar’s guests are three U.S. citizens who were detained by ICE agents. QUOTE: “We [Minnesota Democrats] are all taking guests who have been harmed by ICE. We are reclaiming the narrative…to highlight the damage [Donald Trump] has caused.”
REBUTTAL: DFL Sen. Tina Smith will not attend the State of the Union and instead head to the “State of the Swamp” event organized by progressive groups in Washington, D.C. at 6:00 p.m. central tomorrow. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will be one of the speakers delivering a rebuttal at the event, as seen in Friday’s lunch take. Journalist Don Lemon, who recently garnered national attention for charges related to a protest at a St. Paul church, will also attend.
EXPECT: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump [is] expected to highlight strong economic growth amid concerns about high living costs and trade policies. Trump will also address immigration and foreign policy, including enforcement efforts and recent tariff and NATO developments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40qvbJm
NEW CAUCUS: State Republicans will officially launch a Minnesota Freedom Caucus today, with a press conference at 9:00 a.m. The caucus will be affiliated with the nationwide State Freedom Caucus Network. Via a press release, VERBATIM: “MNFC will [be] dedicated to advancing conservative principles, individual liberty, and accountable government. … Leading the MNFC is chairman Eric Lucero, a current Minnesota State Senator. … The event will include remarks from [U.S.] House Freedom Caucus Chairman Congressman Andy Harris, State Freedom Caucus Network President Andy Roth, the Caucus’ founding leadership team, and selected guests.”
A new level of insight and information….
The MNSider Brief: State of the Governor’s race – READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r3ACtF
MNLEG
PRIORITIES: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The second week of the Minnesota Legislature starts Monday, and two major priorities are on a collision course. The GOP is promoting an aggressive anti-fraud agenda, while the DFL is hammering hard on the immigration crackdown and the continuing fallout. Whether legislative compromises can be reached on either of those remains unclear. … DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy [and] GOP House Majority Leader Harry Niska [both] support the creation of an independent Office of Inspector General [and] say they expect eventual approval once details are worked out. All Minnesota House members and senators are up for reelection, so the debates over these issues will continue through November.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4qPrI1S
MORE: The New York Times has a summary of how each party’s priorities have changed over a few tumultuous months in Minnesota. GOP Chair Alex Plechash said Republicans may have focused so much on fraud that it led to undesirable secondary effects, but they have time to recalibrate before the 2026 election. Senate DFL Leader Erin Murphy said responding to the ICE surge is the Democrats’ top priority, and she expects it will help them win in November. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s5l0pB
● PLECHASH: “[Fraud] was an issue that we obviously capitalized on — maybe too much, because Tim Walz ended up stepping down.”
● MURPHY: “We’ve seen what these federal agents have done with our own eyes. Republicans will pay a price in the fall.”
SCHOOLS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Bills to address school safety in the wake of the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting last summer are set to go in front of committees [this] week. But there is a clear divide between how party leaders plan to address safety. … Speaker Lisa Demuth said her members are pushing legislation to give both public and private schools money for safety to ‘allow schools to do the safety needs or upgrades or whatever that might be for them.’ … DFL House Leader Zack Stephenson said the public safety committee will hear ‘bills on banning assault weapons, banning high capacity magazines.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rZFPT7
CAPITOL: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “[In] the Capitol Complex Tunnel System, the west side of the loop [is] currently closed due to State Office Building construction. And now, it appears that the east side of the loop might close, too. The Walz Administration is proposing to spend $18 million to knock down the aging Centennial Office Building in the next few years. The state would close the tunnel in that area until the site was redeveloped. … Department of Administration Assistant Commissioner Wayne Waslaski [said] that plan is contingent on legislators passing a bonding bill this year. … The state could add an entrance from the parking ramp to the remaining part of the tunnel for about $2 million, Waslaski said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46VXT8H
MED AID: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Minnesota state senators took their first look Friday at a bill that would allow Minnesotans to sue someone who fails to provide medical aid after a shooting, an issue that gained public attention after two fatal shootings by federal immigration agents. … Democratic Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, a registered nurse, is the chief sponsor of the bill. … If Murphy’s bill becomes law, it would be retroactive to Dec. 1, 2025.” MURPHY: “I don’t want to live in a place where authorities think their responsibilities include shooting people, but don’t include helping the wounded or dying, even and especially if they’re the ones who caused it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aN13gj
FORAGING: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In modern times, [foraging] has existed in a legal gray zone with few clear guidelines for personal use for mushroom hunters, plant harvesters and berry gatherers alike. That could soon change. A state task force has produced what it says is a blueprint of new rules for foragers on Minnesota state lands. The aim is to help manage an activity on the rise. The group will deliver the recommendations in a final report to legislators this session.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40l3HVA
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)
FEDERAL
OVERSIGHT: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Two Minnesota Congress members went to the Whipple Federal Building on Friday in Minneapolis for an oversight review of its detention facilities, but ICE detainees were nowhere to be found, they said. U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig said federal officials told them no one was detained at the facility. … Omar said federal officials later told the congress members there were five detainees in the building, [but] ‘as they were taking us towards the cell, someone said there is not a single person left, and they took us into an empty cell.’ … Craig and Omar said federal officials told them that fewer than 500 ICE agents remain in Minnesota. … ‘We were told that they are averaging now only 20 arrests per day, and that they are moving those individuals to the four county jails in order to hold them,’ Craig said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aN13gj
DRAWDOWN: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “People Over Papers is a popular crowdsourced database of observed and suspected [ICE] activity. Reports from the last week on that platform indicate observed immigration enforcement is lower than at any point since the beginning of the year. … However, the last week also shows more observed activity than in December, when Operation Metro Surge began.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46mS6c3
DETENTION: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A sharply worded Friday court filing on behalf of Hennepin County Sheriff Dawana Witt refutes federal government arguments about how the jail must handle holds of immigrants being targeted for deportation. The filing is part of the county’s effort to dismiss a lawsuit over perceived sanctuary policies that limit local coordination with immigration enforcement. The 18-page document stresses that local entities aren’t obligated to honor civil immigration detainers, which are requests to hold people beyond a normal release date to facilitate a handover to federal agents.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aN13gj
CHURCHES: via Axios, VERBATIM: “Some faith leaders say they’re being shut out by the White House Faith Office, alleging the administration provides access only to those in political lockstep while ignoring the impact of ICE raids on religious attendance. … Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, tells Axios that ‘indiscriminate’ immigration enforcement has caused attendance to drop by 30% to 50% in many Latino churches. Salguero, who has not met with Faith Office officials, said his group has had to send over $25,000 in emergency aid to Minneapolis pastors to keep church doors open as fearful congregants stay home.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tQuczO
GOVERNORS: via States Newsroom, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump told governors Friday during a meeting at the White House he has no plans to surge federal immigration operations in states where it’s not wanted. New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul [said] Trump was asked during the closed-door meeting about what lessons he learned from immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, where federal officers killed two U.S. citizens. The president said, ‘We’ll only go where we’re wanted.’ … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore [said] ‘The type of surge that we saw in Minnesota is not welcome in the state of Maryland.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/474Y01H
MORE: MPR reported that Gov. Tim Walz was in Washington, D.C. last week for a National Governors Association summit, but he did not plan to attend Friday’s meeting with the president. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rZFPT7
NOTE: Minnesota dropped out of the NGA last year.
CD2: The Boston-based PAC Healthcare for Action endorsed DFL state Sen. Matt Klein for the 2nd Congressional District’s U.S. House seat. Via a press release, the PAC said Klein’s previous campaigns were “consistently outperforming the top of the ticket” and he is now “leading efforts to keep ICE out of hospitals.”
ISSUES
IVOTER DATA: The Office of the Sec. of State has created a new webpage for answering “frequently asked questions about Minnesota’s Statewide Voter Registration System.” The page addresses several specific claims shared widely online after GOP Rep. Pam Altendorf requested and received a voter registration list from Hennepin County and claimed there were discrepancies. As seen in Thursday’s morning take, Hennepin County said it gave Altendorf some of the data by mistake and she “misunderstood” it. WEBPAGE: https://fluence-media.co/40p5Sra
FATALITIES: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry released its 2024 workplace fatality report, which found that the state saw 84 workplace fatalities, compared to 70 in 2023. That number also represents the highest number of workplace fatalities in Minnesota since 2017, when the state reported a total of 101. Still, DLI noted that Minnesota reported fewer fatalities per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers than the national average.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aBvFB2
RENT: via Stand with MN, VERBATIM: “Stand with Minnesota, a network of neighbors, mutual aid organizations, and allies, are launching an emergency rent relief campaign to raise $1.5 million by April 1. The Keep Minnesota Housed fundraising campaign aims to help tens of thousands of Minnesotans pay their rent and avoid mass evictions. … In Minneapolis alone, 67,000 people are estimated to need emergency rent support due to income lost or disrupted by Operation Metro Surge. … Keep Minnesota Housed has already distributed $200,000 to rent funds.”
PROTEST: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Protesters gathered in Minneapolis, marking four weeks since Alex Pretti was shot by federal immigration officers. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters chanted ‘ICE out’ as they marched from Whittier Park. They expressed some optimism over a shift in immigration enforcement since Pretti’s death, but were adamant that protests will continue.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3ZLZ9aF
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)
ACROSS MN
SD41: Local business owner Jen Fox and civil rights attorney Cole Birkeland joined state Sen. Judy Seeberger earned unanimous endorsements in SD41 this weekend.
HENNCTY: via news release, VERBATIM: “Hennepin County Attorney candidate and Minnesota State Representative Cedrick Frazier announced a national endorsement from Travis County District Attorney José Garza (Austin, TX).”
CD2: State Sen. Eric Pratt won the SD57 straw poll with earned 68 votes, compared to 31 votes for Tyler Kistner, with 5 undecided.
REAL ESTATE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Last year, buyers outnumbered sellers in much of the Twin Cities metro, putting homeownership out of reach for many. Now, small towns far from Minneapolis-St. Paul are becoming a battleground for homebuyers, with some historically sleepy areas seeing price hikes and sales jumps. … From Alexandria to Winona, half of Minnesota’s 10-hottest markets in 2025 were far-flung boroughs that offered the promise of lower prices and less competition.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rvF84d
CLOQUET: via Cloquet Pine Journal, VERBATIM: “The Cloquet Police Department will begin using AI software to draft police reports using body camera footage and audio. While city officials are hopeful the software will streamline officers’ workloads, digital advocacy groups have raised concerns over the software’s lack of transparency. … The Cloquet City Council voted 5-1 to approve the Cloquet Police Department’s 34-month contract with Axon Enterprise’s Draft One for just shy of $65,000.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qMc3QR
FOREST LAKE: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The Forest Lake Area School Board has picked a firm to lead the search for a new superintendent and is reopening its search for a new board member. After not reaching agreement on any of the 11 applicants who applied to fill the vacancy that was created in October when Luke Hagglund resigned, the board voted [last week] to undergo another search. … Applicant review by the board will take place at the March 19 board meeting. The board also decided to hire Minneapolis-based Ray & Associates to conduct its search for a new superintendent.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qWAUS9
RED LAKE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Red Lake Nation held its 2026 state of the band address Friday to provide updates on tribal issues and programs. Red Lake Nation Chairman Darrell Seki Sr. said work will resume on who legally owns portions of Upper Red Lake. The Red Lake Nation continues to push for the transfer of Upper Red Lake and some state forest lands back to it. … Proposed legislation to transfer the areas in dispute to the Red Lake Nation in 2024 failed due to intense opposition.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Ou8Nwg
WHAT’S NEXT
SESSION: House floor session at 3:30 p.m. Senate floor session at 11:00 a.m. HOUSE: Fraud Prevention & State Oversight hears a requirement to disclose certain investigations and payment withholdings. Agriculture hears changes to farm down payment assistance and the grain indemnity account. Elections will hear new exceptions to the ban on gifts for local officials. Health hears changes to reimbursements, licensing and prior authorization. SENATE: Education Policy hears bills establishing a Dual Enrollment Task Force and banning cell phone use in schools. Judiciary & Public Safety hears the Equal Rights Amendment. Transportation hears an expansion of what crimes can cause license suspension. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/4b3GSfb
TODAY: Groundwork Legal announced they will file a lawsuit against the Dept. of Homeland Security and “other federal agencies and officials” this afternoon, per a release.
TOMORROW: The Office of the Legislative Auditor’s financial audit division will release an audit on “Minnesota State Faculty Payroll” at 8:30 a.m. with recommendations presented to the Legislative Audit Commission’s audit subcommittee, per a release.
TOMORROW: The Minneapolis Fed is hosting a virtual event tomorrow to share results from its latest survey of businesses covering the economic climate of Q4 2025 and expectations for Q1 2026, per a release. The event is at 9:00 a.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4kLwOec
TOMORROW: via MIRAC, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) will hold a rally at 6:00 p.m on Tuesday, February 24, in front of the Governor’s Mansion. … The event will call on leaders to declare Minnesota a sanctuary state, ban all 287(g) agreements, and prohibit county jails from sharing information with ICE.”
FRIDAY: MMB Commissioner Erin Campbell will present Minnesota’s next Budget and Economic Forecast on Friday, Feb. 27 at 12:30 p.m.
BDAYS: Republican Kelly Fenton, reporter Katie Galioto, public affairs guy Gary Karr, communication pro Martha Nevanen, law student Tara Niebeling
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.