Loons win. Twins lose.
NBA Finals are Indiana and OKC.
Timberwolves President Tim Connelly will host end-of-season media availability today at 12:00 noon.
Minneapolis police are investigating a late-night shooting at Boom Island Park that has left a woman dead and five other people hurt. KSTP: https://fluence-media.co/43HCTjs
Two people injured in a Friday night shooting outside 3M Arena at Mariucci at the University of Minnesota were discharged from the hospital Sunday. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/4dJ7amB
An air quality red alert is still in effect for northern Minnesota until 6:00 p.m. MPR: https://fluence-media.co/4kKzgAm
Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will be doubled from 25% to 50% on Wednesday. REUTERS: https://fluence-media.co/3HjWbEh
A Gallup poll finds that support for same-sex marriage is near all-time highs for Democrats and Independents, but it has dropped among Republicans to its lowest point since 2016. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/3SsdNQJ
Sunday Take featured Republican Kendall Qualls discussing his campaign for governor and SotaCann’s Fatima Moore analyzing the state’s approach to cannabis businesses. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/45AA9Hj
Blois
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Today’s morning take on WCCO Radio with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mHafb1
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SESSION: According to multiple sources the two biggest sticking points for calling a special session are the tax bill and a bonding bill. The DFL Senate caucus met for two hours Sunday which revealed a clear divide among members including leaders, and Chairs. The tax bill, which was agreed to on Friday lacks support from tax chairs and the bonding bill will require some serious negotiations from the Senate. Multiple legislators, including DFLers expressed a need for more engagement and weight of support from the Governor. Ultimately, it would seem compromise on bills that have bipartisan support could garner enough votes to pass, however legislators from the edges of the right and left remain barriers. The soonest a special session would be is likely Friday.
WFH: Changes to work-from-home rules for the Minnesota state government are now in effect today. The issue has caused friction between public employee unions and Gov. Tim Walz, who told MPR News on Friday that he understands their frustration. WALZ: “I think management and labor always has a healthy tension. As a longtime labor union member, I hear where they’re coming from. So, I think it’s healthy. I won’t kid you, they’re probably not going to throw a picnic for me. … [But] I still continue to value this work force.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4jvNyny
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz announced the policy shift in March, requiring much of the state workforce to report to the office at least 50% of the time. … Walz’s policy says agencies can allow employees who live more than 50 miles from their office to work remotely 100% of the time. But at least one agency — the DNR — chose to cap remote work at 70% in such cases.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kpb7Q6
LAYOFFS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “A first wave of layoff notices was expected to go out to non-essential government workers [yesterday], as key budget bills have yet to be passed and signed into law. … A ‘layoff’ under these circumstances would not mean workers lose their jobs, but it would mean they go unpaid until a budget is signed. A spokesperson for MAPE, Minnesota’s largest state worker union, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Sunday that she hadn’t heard from any workers who may have received notices, adding that it could’ve been due to the weekend.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4mExeDw
UNIONS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “As governor, Tim Walz is the head of the executive branch of state government, [but] nearly 90 percent of those employees belong to a public sector union. … During a virtual town hall [last] week hosted by the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, there was talk of withholding backing to Walz if he runs [for governor] again and considering a strike if contract bargaining doesn’t change course.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/454YhBU
THIS WEEK: The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) union is holding multiple informational pickets this week in response to the new work-from-home rules for state employees. The largest event will be an all-member picket in St. Paul on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
FIXMN: We call on our state leaders to get back to work and pass a construction jobs bill immediately. See the Fix MN Failure Counter: www.fixmn.org (SPONSORED by LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota)
WALZ: via CNN, VERBATIM: “As the Democratic Party continues to grapple with what comes next, [South Carolina] is uniquely positioned to set the tone of the conversation. … Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore [made] appearances at events here this weekend. … Moore, the keynote speaker, made the case for urgency. He called on Democrats to stop being the party of panels and yearslong studies. … Walz, who addressed the state party convention Saturday morning, shared a similar message: Democrats must show they have the ‘guts’ to fight for working-class voters. To do that, the party might benefit from following the president’s approach.” QUOTE: “What [Donald] Trump learned from his first term to this one is: If you say you’re gonna get things done and actually do it, even if it’s not the right thing, people still give you credit for getting something done.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44YULsD
MORE: via Los Angeles Times, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, potential 2028 presidential candidates, addressed California Democrats at their annual convention. … [Walz] said Democrats don’t need to retreat from their ideals, such as protecting the most vulnerable in society, including transgender children. But they need to show voters that they are capable of bold policy that will improve voters’ lives rather than delivering incremental progress, he said.” QUOTE: “We got to be honest in what happened, because losing elections has consequences. … The Democratic Party, the party of the working class, lost a big chunk of the working class. That last election was a primal scream on so many fronts…[to] do something, stand up and make a difference.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kp6DsK
MORE: via Fox News, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, called on his fellow Democrats on Saturday to "be a little meaner" and stand up to President Donald Trump, who he described as a "bully."… The comment came after he said he had been accused of being "mean" when he threw criticism in recent months at Trump administration officials, including billionaire Elon Musk, who has since left his role in the federal government. WALZ: “But when it's an adult like Donald Trump, you bully the shit out of him back... This is a... cruel man," the governor added.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mG0sSr
RESPONSE: via a Rep. Max Rymer (R-28B) post, RYMER: “If [Tim] Walz runs for re-election, his entire third term will instantly be devoted to running for president. Given our spending, fraud, [and] crime problems, how’s that remotely acceptable? One need look no further than how he’s spending his time right now as July 1 looms and negotiations intensify here.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3T1gJnp
TAKE: Gov. Tim Walz message to be “meaner” would seem to be an about face on the “politics of joy”, that was his theme during the Vice Presidential race.
PODCAST: Gov. Tim Walz was a guest on Grounded — a podcast hosted by former Montana Sen. Jon Tester and journalist Maritsa Georgiou. Walz discussed his thoughts on what went wrong in the 2024 election, and why he thinks Democrats need to stop being afraid of doing interviews for public exposure. QUOTE: “If you think you’re just going to do a ‘60 Minutes’ interview and that’s going to get across, boy, that’s not it. … I know my job and I didn’t get it done.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/43pYj63
Thank You Lawmakers For Listening to Minnesotans and Funding Reinsurance without Raising Taxes on Essential Safety-Net Coverage: Now that lawmakers have come together on a bipartisan framework to fund state government that includes funding for the state’s individual healthcare market, it’s critical that lawmakers stand firm in their agreement to not create a new Minnesota Insurance Coverage Tax. Non-medical safety-net insurance products aren't a luxury. It’s coverage that provides critical protection for families during some of life’s most difficult and unpredictable moments. In the upcoming special session, please continue to stand with Minnesota families, small businesses, and seniors to ensure coverage remains accessible to those that need it most. Learn More: ProtectOurCoverage.com (SPONSORED: Minnesota Insurance and Financial Services Council)
BUDGET: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minnesota legislative working groups continued to slowly reach agreements on budget bills in areas like transportation and commerce on Friday, but agreement remains elusive on some of the biggest and most contentious bills, like health, education and taxes. Gov. Tim Walz said [last] week he won’t call lawmakers into special session until legislative leaders have agreements in all budget areas. … ERLANDSON: ‘This could get ugly really, really fast, unless they can get these agreements,’ former DFL Party Chair Mike Erlandson said. … ‘If they don’t have a lock-solid agreement on the budget bills…and the governor calls a legislative session, that session is going to go on potentially for weeks.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4jvatPM
MORE: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Despite half the budget being unfinished, leaders continue to be optimistic. DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy, who was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning, [said] she's hopeful a budget will be ready soon.” MURPHY: “We're hoping that it can be this week. I know everybody needs to give the revisors the time to draft the legislation.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Hk7pZs
JOHNSON: via MPR, VERBATIM: “There’s some disagreement about what role the one minority leader in the Legislature should have in setting [budget] deals. … Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson has not been involved in meetings to finalize budget bills. … Johnson opted not to sign the agreement for the broad budget framework after it was finished, potentially freeing himself up to vote up or down on budget bills, and maybe providing him some leverage. But [Melissa] Hortman says it also got his invitation to negotiations revoked.” HORTMAN: “It is with Sen. Erin Murphy's invitation and good graces that he was at the table until we signed a deal which he did not sign. And now we are at the part of the process where we're going to implement the deal. And so since he is not part of the deal, it doesn't make sense for him to be there.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/454YhBU
EDUCATION: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “$250 million of [education] cuts will come from recommendations by a ‘Blue Ribbon Commission on Special Education.’ Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton and co-chair of the working group, said in an interview that it is better in the long run to let a commission appointed by the governor and lawmakers take testimony and gather information before making hard spending choices. … Throughout the legislative session, DFLers fought to preserve unemployment insurance for hourly school workers while Republicans fought [Tim] Walz’s plan to erase over $100 million in aid to private school students. In the end, both sides won, at least in the short term.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FIRjb8
DATA CENTERS: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “With Democrats and Republicans at an impasse over an infrastructure spending package, building trade unions are banking on lawmakers extending tax breaks for data centers to spur investment in high-paying construction jobs. … Building one large data center can cost upwards of $1 billion, dwarfing the roughly $700 million bonding bill Minnesota lawmakers could authorize this year to pay for water treatment plants, roads and other infrastructure. The building trades unions warn that Minnesota will lose jobs to neighboring states if it doesn’t compete on tax breaks…but some progressive lawmakers chafe at the idea of giving tax breaks to some of the richest companies in the world. … One hyperscale data center costing $750 million creates upwards of 1,800 construction jobs and 300 ongoing operational jobs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kJKg0T
MOTORCYCLES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In just over a month, motorcyclists in Minnesota will legally be able to ride in between traffic lanes in certain situations, but word about the change in state law has been slow to get out. … Provisions for the practices are contained in budget bills still being debated at the Legislature this spring. And until they pass, the Department of Public Safety has been holding back on widely disseminating news about the rules in the event definitions change [or] the law is delayed. … ‘We didn’t want to put something out there if there is going to be a change,’ said DPS spokesman Mark Karstedt. ‘We want to ramp up right before it goes into effect.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HzMotD
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)
SANCTUARIES: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “The list identifying scores of so-called ‘lawless jurisdictions’ that are allegedly not complying with Trump Administration immigration orders has been removed from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website. The list was issued [last] week, naming jurisdictions across the country that the Trump Administration claims are ‘deliberately instructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws.’ … Among those included in Minnesota [was] Stearns County, which has never made any move to declare itself a ‘sanctuary’ location for undocumented immigrants, with Sheriff Steve Soyka admitting they were ‘surprised’ to see it on the list.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZchAoX
MORE: As seen in Friday’s lunch take, the now-deleted list of “sanctuary” districts included Minneapolis, St. Paul and 20 Minnesota counties. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/43Ux03P
LAWSUIT: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “PBS filed suit Friday against President Donald Trump and other administration officials to block his order stripping federal funding from the 330-station public television system. … In its lawsuit, PBS [said] Trump was overstepping his authority and engaging in ‘viewpoint discrimination.’ … PBS was joined as a plaintiff by one of its stations, Lakeland PBS, which serves rural areas in northern and central Minnesota. Trump’s order is an ‘existential threat’ to the station, the lawsuit said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dLerT1
FEED FRAUD: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A 71st suspect in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme has been indicted after she allegedly attempted to flee the country to Dubai. Hibo Daar, 50, was apprehended at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport [last] week, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota. Daar was attempting to board a plane to Dubai. … She’s since been indicted on two counts of wire fraud in connection with the large-scale COVID child nutrition program fraud.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kmo9xN
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)
TRAINS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Amtrak’s Borealis, the passenger rail line running between St. Paul’s Union Depot and Chicago’s Union Station, recently marked its first anniversary. … Ridership has surpassed the 205,800 mark as of April 30, rolling past original projections from the Minnesota Department of Transportation that showed the line would serve between 125,000 and 135,000 riders annually. … The Empire Builder, another Amtrak route serving Minnesota, also saw passenger gains between May 2024 and April 2025. Together the Empire Builder and Borealis served 293,000 passengers on the Chicago-St. Paul segments, a rise of 227% over the previous year, according to Amtrak.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3T2FKP7
TRIBES: via The Imprint, VERBATIM: “Indigenous researchers and archivists are working to minimize the impact from an abrupt federal funding cut late last month that targeted groups preserving the history of Indian boarding schools. Numerous Native-serving organizations received identical letters stating that their National Endowment for the Humanities grants were being cancelled. … The Minnesota-based National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition was among those affected, losing $283,000 in unspent funds. That was slightly more than half of a $500,000 grant the group had been awarded.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Fjm7PT
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)
WILDFIRES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Major wildfires that have ripped through northeastern Minnesota are largely contained, but the hot, dry weather is expected to test suppression efforts through Monday. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports a very high fire risk in the area of the Jenkins Creek fire, which spread across more than 16,000 acres and was 94% contained on Sunday. The threat is high in the vicinity of the Horse River fire as well. … Monday’s weather [features] dry, windy conditions and temperatures near 90 degrees.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43Wf7BJ
POT: via a Sweetleaves press release, VERBATIM: “Sweetleaves, Minnesota’s premier luxury dispensary, is proud to announce that it has received preliminary approval from the MN Office of Cannabis Management for its cannabis business license, paving the way for Sweetleaves to become one of the state’s first fully licensed cannabis dispensaries. A full recreational adult-use cannabis license will enable Sweetleaves to sell smokable cannabis-derived products such as bulk flower, pre-rolls, vapes, cartridges, concentrates and cannabis-derived edibles.” Sweetleaves is located in the North Loop in Minneapolis.
APPOINTMENTS: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson announced the reappointment of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and Kimberly Lowe, and the appointment of Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Peter Reyes, Jr. to the Commission on Uniform State Laws. The three appointees will serve terms beginning on June 1, 2025, and expiring on May 31, 2027.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mHDLNK
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)
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “For years, the three-story building on Lake Street in Minneapolis just east of Minnehaha Avenue bustled with energy. … [But] the murder of George Floyd by officers from the nearby Third Precinct station in 2020 unleashed a wave of unrest that destroyed the entire block. For the last five years, the stretch of 27th Avenue just off Lake Street has been a grassy lot. But plans to redevelop the block are moving forward. Colombian-born entrepreneur Wilmar Delgado recently purchased a fourth lot on 27th Avenue, where he plans a seven-story project with 100 housing units and ground-floor retail.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FuY1lc
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Citing concerns about ‘spot zoning,’ the St. Paul Planning Commission has dealt a setback to a proposal to add more than 200 units of affordable, multi-family and artist housing at the Hamm’s Brewery campus in Dayton’s Bluff. The city has worked closely with developer JB Vang for years on efforts to install affordable apartments…[but] that effort has been opposed by brewpub owner Rob Clapp, who operates St. Paul Brewing and owns several other buildings on the same campus. … On Friday, the Planning Commission debated rezoning five parcels of land. … After an hour-long debate, they approved rezoning three of the parcels, but voted 9-2 against removing industrial zoning from existing brewery buildings at 680 and 694 Minnehaha Ave. East, as well as the shared parking lot.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZakVoD
FOREST LAKE: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Proposed changes to student activity policies in the Forest Lake Area School District have led this spring to overflowing school board meetings, a student walkout and media scrutiny. But school board members [last week] appeared ready to walk back on some of the controversial changes. For example, the original proposed version of Policy No. 515 would have followed Minnesota School Board Association model language and removed specific bans on symbols such as swastikas, the KKK and the Confederate flag on clothing. … But the version of Policy No. 515 that got its first reading [last week] included the specific bans. The board will vote on the measure on June 26.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FISRls
GOLDEN VALLEY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The city of Golden Valley has placed Police Chief Virgil Green on paid administrative leave pending review of a complaint, a city spokeswoman confirmed Sunday. Assistant chiefs Alice White and Rudy Perez will lead the department in Green’s absence. The spokeswoman said state law prevents the department from sharing more details about the complaint.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FEH1c4
MAHTOMEDI: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Voters in the Mahtomedi school district will be asked to approve two referendum questions during a special election in November. In April, the school board set a referendum for a series of facilities improvements. Now it has voted to approve another referendum question that will ask taxpayers to increase the school district’s existing operating levy of $1,570 per student to a larger levy of $2,145 per student. The additional $575 per pupil…would start in the 2026-27 school year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43HMZB5
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)
From Friday’s Fluence newsletters:
REPORT: From a report on business retention and expansion released this morning by the Minnesota Chamber Foundation, QUOTE: “On the positive side, Minnesota continues to see an elevated volume of business expansion activity, including several major projects expected to generate billions in capital investment. Foreign direct investment is also on the rise. Heightened expansion activity reflects Minnesota’s strengths in industries like medical technology, clean energy, food processing, advanced manufacturing and data infrastructure. Many of these successes are the result of strong collaboration between businesses, communities and economic developers —working together to bring complex projects to the finish line. At the same time, cross-cutting pressures are weighing on broader business growth. Key sectors such as manufacturing have seen declines in GDP and employment.”REPORT: From a report on business retention and expansion released this morning by the Minnesota Chamber Foundation, QUOTE: “On the positive side, Minnesota continues to see an elevated volume of business expansion activity, including several major projects expected to generate billions in capital investment. Foreign direct investment is also on the rise. Heightened expansion activity reflects Minnesota’s strengths in industries like medical technology, clean energy, food processing, advanced manufacturing and data infrastructure. Many of these successes are the result of strong collaboration between businesses, communities and economic developers —working together to bring complex projects to the finish line. At the same time, cross-cutting pressures are weighing on broader business growth. Key sectors such as manufacturing have seen declines in GDP and employment.”
“Minnesota lags many of its regional peers in total expansion counts and continues to experience a net outflow of investment, with more companies expanding elsewhere than entering the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45088J9
(DISCLOSURE: Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is a Fluence sponsor)
GOV RACE: GOP candidate for governor Kendall Qualls announced that he has been endorsed by former state Sen. Roger Chamberlain. From the announcement, CHAMBERLAIN: “During my time in politics, I have met few people with the integrity and character of Kendall Qualls. Add to that his life experiences and you have a person who is ready to lead the state of Minnesota. Kendall is a strong leader with the ability and vision to restore hope and respect to burden citizens, rebuild broken systems and return to normalcy our state desperately needs.”
SENATE RACE: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan announced new endorsements from suburban leaders for her U.S. Senate campaign. FLANAGAN: “I'm honored to have earned the endorsement of 20 leaders from suburban Minnesota. These elected officials and grassroots leaders know what it takes to deliver wins for working families. It means the world that they've placed their faith in me to continue our fight in Washington.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4mFh6BU
CANADA: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Canadians are not happy with President Donald Trump. He has upped bellicose rhetoric between the U.S. and Canada from nil to level 100. He calls their country a state and says he wants to annex it. Then, there’s his on-again, off-again tariffs on Canadian goods. And it appears from anecdotal evidence that Canadians are showing their displeasure with their wallets. Fewer are choosing to travel to the U.S., including to northern Minnesota. … Nationwide in April, land travel into the U.S. from Canada fell by 35%. Air travel dropped nearly 20%, too.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HyLdus
SESSION: A special session is still pending, and there are no working group meetings on the public calendar yet. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/3Hjo4fO
TODAY: Gov. Tim Walz will travel to South Carolina.
TOMORROW: Attorney General Keith Ellison announced he will host a community forum in Worthington on Saturday, May 31 at 11:30 a.m. Per a release, Ellison will discuss his efforts “to protect Minnesotans from federal attacks on citizenship, privacy, funding, immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and more.” DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/43q1NEf
TOMORROW: Rep. Betty McCollum announced she will host a “Medicaid Town Hall” in Stillwater on Saturday, May 31 at 11:00 a.m. Per a release, McCollum will join “a panel of special guests to discuss the importance of Medicaid for Minnesota seniors, children, and working parents.”
MONDAY: via Office of the Sec. of State, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon will recognize three election workers for their outstanding service to the State of Minnesota at a first-of-its-kind event. The event will be the kickoff of a new Election Worker Appreciation initiative aimed at highlighting the essential contributions of election workers across the state. … This event was previously scheduled and announced for May 9.” The event is at 12:30 p.m.
THURSDAY: Former national security advisor and Minneapolis native Jake Sullivan will speak before the UMN Humphrey School of Public Affairs to “reflect on the Biden Administration’s policies and the future of America on the world stage,” per a release. The event is at 12:00 noon. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/45uhKMe
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
JUNE 14: Sen. Amy Klobuchar will be the keynote speaker at a New Hampshire Democratic Party dinner on June 14. She is reportedly traveling to support Chris Pappas’ Senate campaign. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/3HiY83C
JULY 14: via Indivisible Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “On June 14th, a local coalition including Indivisible Twin Cities, MN50501, Women’s March Minnesota, and MN AFL-CIO are organizing No Kings — Twin Cities, the largest rally in Minnesota to support this all-in moment for the pro-democracy, pro-worker movement. NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization.” The event is at 11:00 a.m. in St. Paul.
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: hockey legend Lou Nanne, Blaine Mayor Tim Sanders, MNCUN’s Mara Humphrey
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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