HEATED STATE
France vs. Spain today, seems like a battle we’ve seen before.
All-Star Game tonight, Joe Ryan most likely to represent the Twins. Buxton should take the rest.
Wolves will introduce Josh Green and LoMelo Ball today.
Erling Haaland’s souvenir from the US was a stuffed racoon. FOX9: https://fluence-media.co/4vx5mVo
Minnesota is now sitting under the “biggest heat dome on Earth.” BMTN: https://fluence-media.co/3T2DCu2
State flags are at half-staff until Saturday in remembrance of Sen. Lindsey Graham.
South Carolina’s governor appointed Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister to fill out the remainder of his term. NBC: https://fluence-media.co/44wslET
Oil prices surged after Donald Trump said the U.S. will blockade the Strait of Hormuz and charge a 20% toll. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/44uTuIl
Happy National Mac and Cheese Day.
For Cow Appreciation Day today, if you wear cow spots or a cow outfit to Fluence client Chick-fil-A today you can get a free sandwich.
Blois
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Governor Tim Walz will have his first media appearance since Tou Vang was pardoned today, and since Maine candidate Graham Plattner dropped out. He’ll sign the liquor bill celebrating happy hour in senior living settings, but chances are the questions will be more pointed than the Governor feels comfortable with.
One of the lingering issues for the next Governor is what programs, especially grant programs funded by the 2023 legislature have issues with fraud or misuse, it’s expected that the flood of money toward DFL favored programs may linger as an issue when further reviewed. via KSTP, VERBATIM: “State officials are attempting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in the taxpayer-funded Minnesota Promise Act program after acknowledging three grants — including two previously identified by 5 INVESTIGATES — should not have been awarded… The acknowledgment comes months after Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, a chief author of the Minnesota Promise Act, defended the program following 5 INVESTIGATES’ initial investigation…Champion previously said there was “no fraud” in the program, called it “sensational TV” and later criticized the reporting during a legislative hearing, saying KSTP “has been wrong … and continues to be wrong.”…Combined, the three problematic grants total nearly $53,000. DEED noted that represents less than 1% of the funding awarded through the program. … Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls, [is] questioning why DEED delayed releasing documents while the program remains under review by the Office of the Legislative Auditor.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4aUxhHk
While we wait for Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s fundraising report, Republican Michele Tafoya announced that her Senate campaign raised over $3 million in Q2, “with over $2.62 million directly to her campaign,” per a press release. Tafoya did not announce her cash on hand, but it will be available when her finance report becomes public later this week. Tafoya’s campaign said this is a new record for a GOP Senate candidate in Minnesota, and she has “tens of thousands of grassroots donors.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4piFR8B
SPENDING: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “An onslaught of untraceable spending has poured into the Democratic race between Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, making the contest for U.S. Senate among the most expensive primaries Minnesota has seen. … To date, outside groups that must disclose their donors to federal regulators have spent more than $10 million on ads either supporting Craig or attacking Flanagan. Some of the funding for those ads has been funneled through a dark money group that doesn’t have to disclose its donors, however. Additionally, more than $2 million in spending on ads praising Craig has come from organizations whose donors are untraceable.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Tj9ISp
MORE: via AP News, VERBATIM: “Minnesotans are known for their niceness, but pleasantries are rare in the state’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary. … The increasingly bitter contest will be among the next races where progressive candidates are facing more moderate rivals. August primaries in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota will be another gauge of Democratic voters’ frustration with the establishment. The races across the Upper Midwest may also offer another test of the electability of hard-left candidates.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hgUmro
DEMUTH: via MPR, VERBATIM: “It’s been oddly quiet in what is supposed to be a competitive GOP governor primary, but get ready for the big push. The Restore Sanity political group backing Lisa Demuth has [reserved] broadcast TV ads for the final month. According to documents filed with TV stations, they’re focused on her push to cut vehicle tab fees, ease property taxes and reduce state spending. … So far, we haven’t seen any mainstream TV ads from Kendall Qualls, Mike Lindell or groups backing them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pfdAja
MORE: Speaker Lisa Demuth announced an endorsement by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus yesterday, saying she “will always defend our Second Amendment rights.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4w5FDV4
ESSENTIA HEALTH SUPPORTS FREE CLINIC IN VIRGINIA, SERVING INCREASED NUMBER OF UNINSURED MINNESOTANS: Every Thursday night, physicians and care team members from Essentia Health-Virginia volunteer at the Project Care Free Clinic, providing treatment, screenings, and preventive care to patients who are uninsured or may be struggling to afford health care premiums. Essentia also provides lab and X-ray services at no cost to the clinic or its patients. Essentia is proud to support the clinic, ensuring everyone in the community can get the care they need. READ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4yt7Qqu (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
AUDITOR: Via MinnPost, the GOP’s endorsed candidate for state auditor, Nate George, admitted to publishing campaign materials that contained false information about his credentials. VERBATIM: “In a Facebook post on June 29, George [had] put a green checkmark by his name because he is a ‘certified fraud examiner.’ … George’s campaign admitted that their candidate is not a certified fraud examiner, a claim that was also made in a June 15 Facebook post, [but] neither post has subsequently been taken down.” GEORGE: “While I publicly announced on June 8 that I was pursuing the Certified Fraud Examiner credential…I recognize that my later posts should have referenced the June 8 post and made it clearer that I was still competing the certification process.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3T2BHFQ
EARLY VOTES: via MPR, VERBATIM: “We’re now about a month out from the primary election, and thousands of completed ballots are in the hands of election administrators. New figures on absentee voting through last Thursday show almost 14,000 ballots have been accepted. That includes 9,022 that were sent in by mail and 4,757 that were filled out in person.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pfdAja
Fluence Advisory has released its Insights memo on “The Next Legislature”. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aNNSMV
Sunday Take featured a preview of the CD2 DFL primary and Sec. Steve Simon discussing how federal changes could affect state elections. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4pB3865
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ECONOMY
The end of the fiscal year update from MMB, reads VERBATIM “The near-term outlook for U.S. real GDP has weakened since Minnesota’s Budget and Economic Forecast was prepared in February 2026. S&P Global Market Intelligence (SPGMI), Minnesota’s macroeconomic consultant, now expects annual real GDP to grow 2.0 percent in 2026, 0.7 percentage points below the February forecast, followed by 2.3 percent in 2027, 0.3 percentage points higher than in February… SPGMI expects CPI inflation of 3.4 percent in 2026, up from 2.5 percent in their February outlook. SPGMI expects CPI inflation of 2.4 percent in 2027, down from 2.8 percent in their February forecast.”
MORE: via MPR, VERBATIM: “The last few months of state revenue activity have produced higher tax collections than expected even as economic activity has been hampered. A quarterly budget report from the Department of Minnesota Management and Budget shows the state collected about $248 million more than forecast, about 0.7 percent, but that was largely attributed to timing of payments and changes in pass-through entity payments that might have otherwise come in later. Sales tax collections were pretty close to earlier estimates, but corporate tax receipts were down almost 10 percent. The report says higher oil prices this year are causing a drag on economic growth and consumer spending is ‘subdued.’ Inflation outpacing wage growth is also a concern.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pfdAja
MORE: Via MMB, the budget report for 2026. REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4gBOEAq
FEED FRAUD: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Abdirashid Bixi Dool pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud tied to the Feeding our Future fraud scheme. Prosecutors say he faked meal counts and rosters, leading to nearly $1.1 million in payouts. Dool faces up to 20 years in prison [and] must pay restitution and forfeit property in Pelican Rapids. … The plea agreement says Dool sometimes claimed more than 40,000 meals served in a week.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Rgp9u3
MED FRAUD: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office today secured the criminal conviction of Michael John Marick in Itasca County for wrongfully obtaining public assistance. Marick pleaded guilty of stealing nine and a half years’ worth of public-assistance benefits. … Marick’s actual monthly income was substantially higher than disclosed and consistently above the public assistance limits. The overpayment of benefits to Marick between April 2014 and September 2023 totaled $106,098.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Tzetas
VISIT: https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
HOUSING
HOUSING: via CBS News, VERBATIM: “A landmark housing bill automatically became law at 12 a.m. on Saturday after President Donald Trump declined to sign it in protest of the Senate’s inaction on an elections bill. … The bipartisan bill, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, is the most comprehensive housing legislation in decades. The measure aims to increase housing supply and bring down costs. … The president’s decision put his Republican allies in Congress in a difficult position, depriving them of an opportunity to tout their efforts to address concerns about affordability.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4w27qpn
RESPONSE: via Sen. Tina Smith statement, SMITH: “The lack of affordable, decent housing in this country has been a major problem for working families for years, but with the 21st Century Road to Housing Act becoming law, we’re choosing a different path: Build more housing and protect the homes we already have from falling into disrepair. I am so proud that my provision to reform the Rural Housing Service and save thousands of affordable homes in rural communities is now law.”
A deep dive into the CD1 race between Rep. Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson for MNSider subscribers. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/49OqNJu
NATIONAL
TV MERGER: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. [by] Paramount. … The proposed merger would combine two of Hollywood’s five major film distributors and two of the five major basic cable companies. … The coalition has asked Warner Bros. and Paramount not to close the merger until after the judicial process concludes. If they do not agree, the coalition will be filing a temporary restraining order.” ELLISON: “Minnesotans deserve a fair and competitive marketplace, not one where a handful of giant corporations control what we watch, what we pay, and what choices we have.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fdzMFX
ICC: via The Hill, VERBATIM: “Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday issued a new broadside in the U.S. fight with the International Criminal Court, announcing a diplomatic effort by the Trump Administration to dismantle the global tribunal. … His announcement comes after three of the court’s judges filed a lawsuit in New York last month against the Trump Administration. … The ICC was established in 2002 to prosecute genocide and war crimes, [but] Rubio accused the body of being ‘backed and run by a powerful network of leftist nongovernment organizations, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fcZRon
RESPONSE: via Rep. Ilhan Omar statement, OMAR: “The ICC is an international court of last resort, intended to prosecute only the most horrific crimes – war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. … The United States should lead by example, not exempt itself. … If we respect human rights, uphold the rule of law, and hold ourselves to the same standards we ask of others, we have nothing to fear from the ICC.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bFtEVM
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)
METRO
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Jamison Whiting wants to bring peace to the Minneapolis City Council. … On a recent day, as Whiting made the rounds, he went out of his way to connect with council members he’s often at odds with over council votes. … Whiting, 32, entered City Hall optimistic that he and three other new council members could bring more civility to the council. … While he has cultivated relationships with even some of the most unsparing critics, Whiting is reviled by some progressives who say the new council member is just a yes-man for the mayor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vvtwQ1
RAMSEY CTY: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “The Ramsey County Fair returns this week after a six-year hiatus. … The fair kicks off its four-day run on Thursday with free admission, offering a mix of agricultural education, carnival rides, and live entertainment. The highly anticipated celebration was put on hiatus by pandemic disruptions and county coordination planning.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4yhQI6K
HABITAT RESTORATION: Flint Hills Resources has earned Tandem Global WHC Gold Certification for habitat restoration at its Cottage Grove fuel terminal. The certification comes after two years of work in partnership with Friends of the Mississippi River to implement a restoration and monitoring plan to re-establish the 6.5-acre site’s natural prairie and savannah. Flint Hills has held gold certification for its work done with community partners over the past 25 years to restore more than 200 acres of the Pine Bend Bluffs, a critical natural area along the Mississippi River that is adjacent to Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery. This makes two Flint Hills gold-certified sites in Minnesota and the first two gold-certified sites ever in the Twin Cities. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3VASKg4 (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
ACROSS MN
STEARNS CTY: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Stearns County officials are proposing a 7.14% property tax levy increase for 2027, roughly half of the 14.3% increase initially requested by county departments. … The preliminary budget, which will be presented to county commissioners [today], reduces the proposed levy through spending cuts, the use of nearly $3.9 million in reserve funds and other budget adjustments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aPbrF3
MANKATO: via Rep. Brad Finstad advisory, VERBATIM: “Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) hosted a roundtable discussion in Mankato with Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins and southern Minnesota veterans, [discussing] how Congress can increase access to VA healthcare and enhance benefits. While in Mankato, Congressman Finstad and Secretary Collins also toured the Lyle C. Pearson Community-Based Outpatient VA Clinic and met with representatives of the Bravo Zulu House.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w8Y5fC
DULUTH: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “In Duluth, technology concerns — including AI integration, budgetary strains, environmental impact and overexposure to screens — have become the most-discussed topic at School Board public comment sessions. … Community members have raised concerns about the detrimental effects it may have on learning and the cost of maintaining that technology. … [But] the technology budget accounts for a relatively small portion of the district’s expenses. Last year, general fund expenditures totaled just under $185 million. The technology budget accounted for less than $4 million.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fgoP6o
DAYBOOK
TODAY: Gov. Tim Walz will visit an assisted living facility for a ceremonial signing of the omnibus liquor bill at 9:00 a.m.
JULY 20: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Attorney General Keith Ellison will hold a rally in Minneapolis on Monday, July 20 at 5:00 p.m.
JULY 24: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren will host a rally in St. Paul on Friday, July 24 at 7:00 p.m.
JULY 25: via MIRAC advisory, VERBATIM: “Starting at 10:00 a.m. at George Floyd Square, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) will lead ‘Roll 4 Justice 2,’ a protest on bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, and more to demand ‘No More ICE + Police Terror.’”
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.