WIND DOWN
PJ Fleck got another contract “upgrade” – he’ll make $7.9 million this year.
There’s $2 beer and baseball chat in yesterday’s Sports Take.
A warm-up and the ice melting. Like anytime Minnesotans see sun and warmth after January, there will is a bounce in our steps. Hopefully those walks are without interruption this weekend and people feel free to get out and enjoy the weather.
Well-timed to celebrate some love.
The Legislative Session starts next week, so resting this weekend is optimal for many of the readers. Session is sure to have some more drama…but there’s work to be done.
Remember pacing ourselves for a long year was the pre-New Year advice? Well, maybe the weather and Monday can feel like a restart to the news flood of the day pace we’ve been on since an evening tweet on January 4th.
To think that on any other day, the Minnesota testimony in the US Senate and the showdown with Attorney General Keith Ellision yesterday would have been the lead story – but there wasn’t time to watch it until later last night. Fiery, and to be seen in future TV ads.
The word “demand” seems to be used by the noisemakers, who are missing or ignoring the signals. At their own political peril, of being thoughtful and diplomatic. The word and other inflammatory ones – don’t help relationships. Afterall relationships last longer than transactions.
Note – yesterday’s RG reference was a Republican reader, in case some readers thought it was someone else. Apologies.
Sunday Take will be focused on E15 and the federal push for a permanent standard with Rep. Michelle Fischbach and farmer Richard Syverson, tune-in at 9 on WCCO Radio. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/WCCOLive
At 7:45 Sunday, I’ll be with Leah Beno to preview the session on Fox 9.
Since the “Liberation Day” tariffs last April, U.S. job growth has stayed mostly flat — and excluding healthcare, the fastest growing sector by far, job numbers actually declined. WSJ: https://fluence-media.co/46DtZ93
Let’s hope for some luck, even though its Friday the 13th.
Rest and recharge for the weekend.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Lunde and HCMC co-CEO J. Kevin Crosston discussing how the state can help stabilize the healthcare sector. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4qnLZeM
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The latest insight from Fluence Advisory on the loss of institutional knowledge from the Minnesota Legislature. READ: https://fluence-advisory.com/insights/
ALTERNATE ANGLES
It’s a long but worthwhile read about DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and her advisor Corey Lewendowski in the WSJ this morning…the uncomfortable part is that Minnesota had to live with it. VERBATIM: “It was two days after federal agents had shot and killed Alex Pretti, and Noem was facing fire from all sides. Even some inside the administration were pushing President Trump to remove her from her position for her handling of the chaotic immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis and comments she’d made saying Pretti committed an act of domestic terrorism…So Noem’s top adviser, Corey Lewandowski, messaged Trump’s pollster with a request: They needed to cut an ad to help her, according to two people familiar with the episode. The pollster, Tony Fabrizio, who worked on Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign, ignored the entreaty, the people said… Within DHS, Noem and Lewandowski frequently berate senior level staff, give polygraph tests to employees they don’t trust and have fired employees—in one incident, Lewandowski fired a U.S. Coast Guard pilot after Noem’s blanket was left behind on a plane, according to people familiar with the incident.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tA5TGa
SESSION: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “As Minnesota legislators return to the Capitol on Tuesday, key issues like the effects of Operation Metro Surge, fraud, and immigration laws will take center stage.
DFL: “DFL leaders are focused on addressing the financial impact of Operation Metro Surge. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy expressed concerns about small businesses shutting down. … House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson emphasized holding the federal government accountable for the harm caused. … Potential agenda items include a business recovery fund, an eviction moratorium, and new bills to make law enforcement more identifiable. …
GOP: “Republicans have different priorities, focusing on federal immigration laws and fraud. Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth, who is running for governor, is prioritizing fraud in the legislature. … Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson highlighted the need to improve the process of moving money from the state to social service programs. …
“A bonding bill for infrastructure projects is a [bipartisan] priority, but project selection may spark tensions.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3O6ow4r
MORE: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Session comes against the backdrop of a national spotlight on Minnesota…and it’s the first meeting of the Legislature since the shooting [of] former House Speaker Melissa Hortman. … An otherwise celebratory first day — when some committees get right to work — will instead focus solely on honoring Hortman and her legacy in the Capitol. … Leaders in both parties across both chambers said in interviews with WCCO that they are committed to working to advance their priorities while acknowledging the political makeup of the building will require bipartisan solutions.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/408lfUM
RELIEF: Some state Republicans expressed opposition to Gov. Tim Walz’s plan for a small business recovery package in response to the ICE surge, announced yesterday.
Via GOP Rep. Walter Hudson, QUOTE: “The audacity is off the charts. You deligitmize ICE, call them ‘gestapo’ and ‘Nazis,’ turn a blind eye to federal crimes, and expect the rest of America to pay for your malfeasance? The rest of the country should say, ‘Hell no.’ Make your own bed.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4axkiu6
Via GOP Rep. Mary Franson, QUOTE: “I ain’t voting for a bailout.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4kCMjVI
ICYMI: Yesterday’s lunch take featured extensive coverage of the ICE drawdown, the governor’s recovery package, federal hearings and more. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4aLfNxc
(DISCLOSURE: Hospitality Minnesota is a client of Fluence Advisory)
OMNIBUS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Just as the Legislature gets ready to start its non-budget year session, there is a case on the Minnesota Court of Appeals docket that involves the [omnibus] bills that often come together in the even-year session. … It involves a challenge to a gun law put into a 2024 bill [banning] binary trigger devices. … Gun rights groups sued [and] won blockage of the law in a lower-court decision. An outcome along those lines in the appellate court could force lawmakers to change their ways or risk having more laws struck down. … Oral arguments will be held on March 25. By law, the appeals court has 90 days to issue decisions — [that] window reaches into June, which is after the Legislature’s adjournment deadline.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rIMy3O
21A: Senate District 21 candidate Krist Wollum is ending his campaign and running for House District 21A instead. Via his announcement, WOLLUM: “With current events of Joe Schomacker announcing his intent to not run for re-election, I would like to announce my intention to run for the [21A] seat. Mr. Schomacker did an amazing job representing his district for 16 years and I would hope to continue his values and leadership if elected. I feel this position would give me a better ability to be able to continue my involvement in my farming and livestock operation.”
A new level of insight and information….
The MNSider Brief: State of the Governor’s race – READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r3ACtF
STORYTIME
ELLISON: via Fox 9, VERBATIM: “The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held an oversight hearing where Attorney General Keith Ellison and other Minnesota officials testified about fraud, immigration and law enforcement operations…. Minnesota officials, including Rep. Harry Niska, DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, and Ellison, testified at an oversight hearing to give the state’s perspective on the coordination between federal, state and local authorities on immigration enforcement, in addition to the impact of the operations. Several Senators also brought up the issue of fraud in Minnesota.”
MORE: A heated exchanged between AG Ellison and Sen. Josh Hawley. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kAsQor
FREY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said [yesterday] he had a ‘meaningful conversation’ with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani about ‘the reality local governments are facing.’ Frey, in New York for a taping of The Daily Show, said the two are ‘building a coalition of mayors ready to lead.’” QUOTE: “When the federal government targets immigrant communities, it’s cities that feel it first — and cities that step up.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OFF43d
MORE: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke to WCCO Radio about the potential end of Operation Metro Surge. VERBATIM: “White House border czar Tom Homan called [the surge] a ‘success,’ something Frey vehemently disagrees with, saying there’s no way these operations made Minneapolis ‘safer,’ as Trump Administration officials have claimed. Frey also expressed his appreciation of Minneapolis police, [saying] they worked an extraordinary amount of overtime the last two months — how much money was spent, he said, they’d be finding out this Friday.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4crdJvu
INVESTIGATIONS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the state and federal government were close last week to announcing a joint investigation into the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but the Trump Administration appeared to pull back after the Minnesota Star Tribune [leaked] an agreement. … [Insiders] told the Star Tribune the announcement of a joint investigation between the FBI and BCA into the killing of Pretti was imminent. However, that has not materialized. … Walz said he still expects that there will be one.” WALZ: “As I know right now, I think we’re very close. … It’s just a matter of them feeling like they have an upper hand to announce it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tyzfVt
DRAWDOWN: Gov. Tim Walz clarified to reporters yesterday that although federal officials announced the end of Operation Metro Surge, agents are not expected to be gone until next week. Via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The federal government brought some 3,000 agents into the state over the past two months, largely in the Twin Cities. The governor said he expected a return to the normal contingent of agents in the state, about 150, by the middle of next week.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4crasMI
RESPONSES: Additional reactions poured in throughout the day to Tom Homan’s announcement that Operation Metro Surge is ending, as seen in yesterday’s lunch take.
Via Attorney General Keith Ellison, STATEMENT: “The end of Operation Metro Surge, when it materializes, will be welcome news. Tragically, the surge is ending too late for Renee Good and Alex Pretti and all who loved them. … Now, our attention turns to healing and to ensuring that what happened here over the past several weeks can never happen again — not to us, and not to any state, city, or neighborhood in this country.”
Via Rep. Tom Emmer, STATEMENT: “Job well done, [Tom Homan]. Local law enforcement is now cooperating with federal law enforcement in Tim Walz’s Minnesota, thanks to [Donald Trump’s] leadership. We’re hopeful that this partnership will continue — without local or state interference — to ensure the worst of the worst are being removed from our communities.”
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)
DC
FED FUNDS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A judge temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from cancelling $42 million in public health funding from the Minnesota Department of Health. A judge issued the temporary restraining order Thursday after Attorney General Keith Ellison and other attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the federal Office of Management and Budget. … The temporary restraining order will last 14 days. Ellison’s office said he will seek a preliminary injunction extending the order until a decision is made about the lawsuit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kB30AW
WHIPPLE: via AP News, VERBATIM: “A federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to give immigrants detained in Minnesota access to attorneys immediately after they are taken into custody and before they are transferred out of state. U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel issued the emergency restraining order Thursday, finding detainees at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building faced so many logistical barriers to contacting legal counsel that it was likely the Department of Homeland Security had stepped on their constitutional rights. The order is temporary, and will last for two weeks unless the judge extends it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kyFTXJ
US ATTY: Via Star Tribune, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota has requested the dismissal of at least six federal criminal cases as they deal with resignations and understaffing. VERBATIM: “The dismissals, granted over the span of about 10 days, almost exclusively involve defendants charged with drug crimes. Each case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors reserve the right to refile them. … Among the cases are that of a man described by law enforcement as having ties to a known drug trafficking organization [and] another man whom federal agents accused of having a kilogram of meth and more than 200 grams of fentanyl. … ‘This, I think, is a pretty good indication of an office in crisis,’ said Bradford Colbert, a state public defender.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40cxb7S
NO CHARGES: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Minnesota U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen Thursday dropped charges against two men accused of assaulting an immigration officer. … On Jan. 14, [the] men retreated into a north Minneapolis apartment building, and the ICE agent fired his gun through the front door. … In their motion to dismiss the charges of assaulting a federal officer, prosecutors write that newly discovered evidence is ‘materially inconsistent with the allegations.’ The men’s families say in a statement that they’re overjoyed with the move; they’re calling for the ICE agent to be identified and criminally charged.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aDEV86
DHS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A Department of Homeland Security shutdown is starting to look more likely after the U.S. Senate rejected a measure to fund the agency ahead of an upcoming recess. ‘We will not support a bill that fails to make any progress on reining in ICE and stopping the violence,’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday before the vote. … All but one Democrat voted against a procedural vote to move the measure forward, including Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. The vote came after Democratic leaders rejected a counterproposal from the White House. … DHS funding will expire Saturday if lawmakers are not able to reach an agreement, though immigration enforcement operations will likely continue.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OFF43d
MORE: via Rep. Betty McCollum advisory, VERBATIM: “On Thursday, Congresswoman Betty McCollum announced her support for legislation introduced by House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro which would fund critical components of the Department of Homeland Security without providing additional funding for ICE or Customs and Border Protection.” QUOTE: “Congress needs to fund FEMA, disaster relief, cybersecurity, and other functions of the Department of Homeland Security that keep Americans safe. But I refuse to vote for another penny for ICE and Border Patrol while they bring chaos to our state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kz8mMZ
RHETORIC: The Minnesota GOP accused the Minnesota DFL of providing “fuel” for political violence on X after the DFL’s official account said it was “time to yell at” the state’s four congressional Republicans and “make sure their vacation is unpleasant until they completely overhaul DHS and impeach Kristi Noem.” The GOP responded: “This is disgusting and does nothing but fuel more political violence.” TWEETS: https://fluence-media.co/3ZwUsBt
HEARING: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Renee Good and Alex Pretti were not domestic terrorists, contradicting what other top Trump Administration officials said in the immediate aftermath of the fatal shootings in Minneapolis. … Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons [spoke] during a tense hearing in the U.S. Senate’s homeland security committee on Thursday, Feb. 12 — the second congressional meeting on Operation Metro Surge in a week. Senators also grilled Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and other local officials on how law enforcement in the state collaborates with ICE.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aldz6c
MED DEBT: via Rep. Angie Craig advisory, VERBATIM: “Rep. Angie Craig joined Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) in introducing legislation to ease the burden of medical debt on Minnesotans by protecting individuals from predatory debt collection practices and requiring hospitals to offer more manageable repayment options. The Patient Debt Relief Act would establish a grant program under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allow nonprofit organizations to purchase medical debt from hospitals.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZE1cxkOTHER NEWS
DEEPFAKES: via MPR, VERBATIM: “A second federal court has left intact a Minnesota law banning deepfakes designed to be politically deceptive. … The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel has declined to suspend the 2023 state law. Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, had sued over the law, saying it infringes on free speech and shouldn’t be enforced. Her underlying case is still pending, but two courts have declined to impose preliminary injunctions. … The appeals court noted in its opinion that Franson voted for the 2023 law.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cpnBpF
DISASTER: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced the authorization of emergency assistance in response to a cyber incident that disrupted digital services in Saint Paul beginning July 29, 2025. … The magnitude and complexity of the cybersecurity incident exceeded the city’s response capacity. State disaster assistance totaling $1.2 million will provide necessary resources to respond to the incident and restore critical systems.”
JUDGE: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointment of Susan DeVos as a District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Fifth Judicial District. DeVos will replace the Honorable Krista J. Jass and will be chambered in Mankato in Blue Earth County.”
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)
AROUND MN
HENN CTY: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners has passed a resolution that tells the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office to not alter its policy regarding [ICE] operations. … The board [said] they support the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office’s current policy regarding cooperating with ICE, which is not honoring detainer requests from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). … The board is telling the sheriff to not make ‘substantive changes to the policy to voluntarily increase cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4r9Mni4
ROCHESTER: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A group of Rochester-area nonprofits say hundreds of southeastern Minnesota families affected by the ICE surge need rental assistance this month. Family Promise Rochester, which helps families with children at risk of or experiencing homelessness, has started a fund to pay rent and utilities for families facing possible eviction after losing income during the surge. Carrie Moscho, executive director of Family Promise, said at a news conference Thursday that the Hope at Home fund has already given more than $33,000 to 30 families with children over the past week. She estimates the fund will need up to $500,000 in donations to cover partial or full rent for people for February alone.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OFF43d
DULUTH: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “More than 86% of homes standing in Duluth today had already been built by the time lead paint was banned for residential use in 1978. Portions of two Duluth neighborhoods with some of the oldest homes have the highest rates of childhood blood lead levels in the state, according to test results from 2020 to 2024 tracked by the state health department. The data, previously unreported, shows more than 1 in 11 children under the age of 6 in [some] neighborhoods had a confirmed elevated blood lead level.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OamS1H
COMING UP
TODAY: via Everytown, VERBATIM: “Minnesota mental health professionals will gather at the State Capitol for a Healers Demand Action Rally [on] the ripple effects of gun violence. … Organizers will present a letter signed by over 1,000 Minnesota mental health professionals, educators, and community members urging state lawmakers to take meaningful action on gun violence.” The event is at 9:45 a.m.
TODAY: Sec. Steve Simon will travel to Butterfield and Mankato for events with high school students and other community members discussing “civics and elections,” per his office.
TOMORROW: DFL Sen. Ann Rest will hold the first of three “Saturday Listening Sessions” with constituents in New Hope. The event is at 11:00 a.m.
SUNDAY: The Rochester DFL delegation — Sen. Liz Boldon and Reps. Kim Hicks, Andy Smith and Tina Liebling — will host a virtual town hall at 3:00 p.m.
TUESDAY: The Minnesota Legislature’s 2026 session will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 12:00 noon.
TUESDAY: The MN Chamber of Commerce will outline its policy priorities for the 2026 legislative session on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 4:00 p.m. Numerous state leaders and gubernatorial candidates will attend.
BDAYS: housing leader Leanna Stefaniak, public affairs pro Karly Werner, Mankato booster Andy Wilke, marketer Gretchen Milbrath, finance bro Jon Applebaum, retired scribe John Reinan, traffic pro Kevin Plummer, operative Susie Merthan. SAT: Red Wing’s Barb Haley, fmr. Sen. Vicki Jensen, hockey guy John Evans. SUN: biz guy Joe Abraham, business leader Bob Gardner, comms pro Gail Nosek, comms veteran Greg Zimprich
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.