FORECAST FRIDAY
Budget Forecast Friday. I’ll be filling in for Jason DeRusha from 3-6PM on WCCO Radio.
A great sunrise this morning.
Wild win. Wolves lose.
Team USA skaters, including Ilia Malinin and Alysa Liu, are coming to St. Paul on May 10 for the “Stars on Ice” tour. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/46X4D6g
ESPN SportsCenter tried and failed to correctly pronounce Edina and Wayzata this week. CLIP: https://fluence-media.co/4cAsBIn
Netflix is ending its bid to buy Warner Bros, clearing the way for Paramount. CNBC: https://fluence-media.co/4kWDPsB
His and Hers is a good new Netflix watch.
At 7:45AM Sunday, the analysis of the issues of the week on Fox 9.
Sunday Take’s future of Minnesota series will cover mining this weekend. Listen at 9AM on Sunday on WCCO Radio.
Hillary Clinton testified at a closed-door oversight meeting yesterday. Bill Clinton will testify today. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4shWTUM
Just saying… Pew Research finds that 3 in 10 Americans get news from email newsletters, and Edison says podcasts are outperforming talk radio for the first time. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4sdWJh4 https://fluence-media.co/4s73WiS
Happy Strawberry Day.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
What is the political future of Jacob Frey? READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s8IOc7
Sunday Take dug into Minnesota’s housing situation with DFL Rep. Esther Agbaje and James Vagle, CEO of Housing First. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4cImGAP
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker. https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
Want to manage your subscription to TheDailyAgenda.com ? HERE: https://fluence-media.co/managesubscription
The latest insight from Fluence Advisory on the loss of institutional knowledge from the Minnesota Legislature. READ: https://fluence-advisory.com/insights/
LEADING THE DAY…
GOV: Expect Kendall Qualls to announce Brian Nicholson as his Lt. Gov. candidate next week.
GUNS: DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger pushing back again against the narrative the DFL is trying to set.
USSEN: Later this morning Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan’s U.S. Senate campaign will announce the endorsement of former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison, adding to the growing list of national leaders backing Flanagan’s people-powered campaign to fight for working families.
TODAY: Minnesota’s next Budget and Economic Forecast will be presented today at 12:30 p.m. by MMB Commissioner Erin Campbell, State Economist Anthony Becker and State Budget Director Ahna Minge. Some details from the presentation are being released early — “high level numbers” go live at 9:30 a.m. and forecast documents will be up at 12:00 noon, per a release. Check today’s lunch take for more. MMB: https://fluence-media.co/4tScKLb
EXPECT: Governor Tim Walz and Legislative leaders to respond to the forecast afterwards.
RADIO: We’ll discuss the forecast at 3PM on WCCO Radio, as I fill-in for Jason DeRusha.
MEDICAID: Via KSTP, a look at how the federal pause of $259 million in Medicaid funding could affect Minnesota’s budget. VERBATIM: “DHS officials said not receiving the money would impact the state budget broadly and exacerbate existing financial strains in the Medicaid program, while also warning the situation could be ‘catastrophic’ for providers and recipients if it continues for multiple quarters. More than a million Minnesotans are covered by Medicaid. … [We] asked DHS whether it plans to provide the documentation the federal government is requesting regarding Medicaid claims. A spokesperson said they are working to gather more information.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4qYpEVm
MORE: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison said the state would sue if the Trump Administration followed through with the cuts. … Ellison said additional funding for state Medicaid fraud investigators would be a better course for rooting out misuse of state funds. Minnesota Budget Director Ahna Minge last week told a Senate committee that the state could be on a hook if federal officials formally pull the funds rather than just defer them with conditions. … Lawmakers would have to limit or cut Medicaid services for Minnesotans if they can’t make up the difference with state funds.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rE3UiF
WALZ: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz has taken himself out of consideration for a new term, but that won’t take him out of the political fray. … The Democratic Governors Association said yesterday that Walz would be the group’s finance chair for the upcoming election. Walz was previously chair of the entire organization, which has several important races on its radar this year. The Minnesota governor’s office is among those in the region that will get some attention, with Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan also in open-seat races. The role is likely to mean more travel and [fundraising] for Walz.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rE3UiF
YESTERDAY: Gov. Tim Walz hosted a DGA event focused around curling in Minnesota. Contributions were $5,000
US ATTY: via MPR, VERBATIM: “A federal judge in St. Paul on Thursday ordered Minnesota [U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen] to appear in court and explain why immigration authorities failed to return the belongings of more than two dozen people they arrested and detained illegally. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Bryan writes that government officials have not complied with multiple court orders. … He later threatened federal authorities with contempt proceedings if they didn’t comply.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r2AklQ
VOTER DATA: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A group of former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys say the ongoing federal attempt to force Minnesota officials to turn over its voter rolls amounts to a ‘fishing expedition’ not supported by law. Sixteen former DOJ lawyers who worked on voting issues say the department ‘overstepped its bounds’ in the dispute that has since escalated into a lawsuit. … The Department of Justice declined to comment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cQ0TqU
A new level of insight and information….
THE F WORD
AG OFFICE: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison is asking legislators to support a bill he says will build out his office’s ability to investigate and prosecute Medicaid fraudsters. … The Medical Assistance Protection Act would add 18 staffers to the state’s Office of the Attorney General, expand the state’s definition of Medicaid fraud and increase penalties for those found guilty. … The bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt Norris (DFL-Blaine), would allocate an additional $1.23 million in Fiscal Year 2027 to the office for this purpose. On Thursday, the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee approved the bill on a split-voice vote and sent it to the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qSO2rj
FRAUD BILLS: Via Pioneer Press, more details on Gov. Tim Walz’s anti-fraud package from yesterday. VERBATIM: “Walz’s anti-fraud package has 18 proposals, including strengthening Managed Care Organization oversight; advanced technology to detect fraud earlier; prohibiting legislatively named grants; increasing funding for BCA Financial Crimes and Fraud Unit; expanding authority for on-site investigation visits; establishing a centralized Office of Inspector General; and increasing penalties for theft of public funds. … [But] Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, said he ‘will not vote for and will actively rally support against’ a bill that would end direct appropriations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tYmxzt
RESPONSES: Minnesota lawmakers from both parties shared reactions to Gov. Tim Walz’s press conference yesterday where he announced anti-fraud bills and criticized Pres. Donald Trump for withholding Medicaid funds.
● Via GOP House leadership joint statement, QUOTE: “Governor Walz’s indignation theater this morning proved only one thing – Democrats in Minnesota are feeling the heat. … Walz would rather talk about President Trump than the culture of fraud in his agencies. … We hope Governor Walz and House Democrats will join us in making real strides on fraud as soon as possible.”
● Via DFL Sen. Heather Gustafson, QUOTE: “I appreciate the Governor’s attention to this issue. Combating fraud is not a partisan issue. … Minnesotans expect us to act with urgency, and they deserve assurances that their tax dollars are being used as intended. I have confidence that we will find agreement on solutions and pass meaningful reforms into law.”
● Via GOP Rep. Harry Niska, QUOTE: “Governor Walz today implied that Republicans’ warnings about fraud will cause the suffering of Minnesotans following the federal government’s Medicaid freeze. … Governor Walz needs to stop using hateful and inflammatory rhetoric before he incites more political violence here in Minnesota.”
ICYMI: Yesterday’s lunch take featured extensive coverage of Gov. Tim Walz’s Thursday press conference. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4cP0yVl
OIG: Via WCCO-TV, a look at why the Office of Inspector General bill is stalling in the House despite passing the Senate. VERBATIM: “DFL House Leader Zack Stephenson [said] the Senate version doesn’t do enough on the front end to stop fraud from happening in the first place, but Republicans have sharply criticized the removal of the law enforcement bureau from the House DFL plan, which they say is a key tool that would give the office much-needed authority.” STEPHENSON: “We’ve got to get away from thinking that there’s just one bill on this, which has been the Republican approach — [that] the OIG is the end all, be all. It’s not.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4aYEDbT
MORE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Republicans want the [OIG] to have law enforcement power, while the DFL would like the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to prosecute bad actors. [GOP Sen. Michael] Kreun said that IG law enforcement would be independent, warning that a future governor could have ‘undue influence’ over the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and ‘stall out important work.’ But the IG office carries an estimated price tag of just $6 million a year and arguably replicates existing government parts. Republicans admit that preventing future scandals requires a lot more.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sdIw3K
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)
THE L WORD
HUNGER: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “The House Children and Families Finance Policy Committee heard [bills] to address shortfalls and mitigate child food insecurity. The committee approved two bills and sent them to the House Ways and Means Committee: HF3624, sponsored by Rep. Nathan Coulter (DFL-Bloomington), which would provide $5.39 million for the Minnesota Food Shelf Program in Fiscal Year 2027; and HF3586, sponsored by Rep. Steve Gander (R-East Grand Forks), which would establish a regional food bank grant program and allocate $10 million in Fiscal Year 2027 and set that as the base funding in Fiscal Years 2028 and 2029.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46Pn8K3
GUN CTRL: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “Annunciation community members who attended a singing rally Thursday at the Capitol expressed disappointment over progress made on gun legislation, but held on to hope for change. … Thursday morning, Gov. Tim Walz and first lady Gwen Walz joined the ‘Minnesota Sing Together’ rally. … Emma Greenman and Zaynab Mohamed, the DFL legislators who represent [Annunciation’s] district, also joined in.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ry63MO
CRYPTO: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Sponsored by Rep. Erin Koegel (DFL-Spring Lake Park), HF3642, as amended, would ban virtual currency kiosks statewide. The state has 350 licensed kiosks that are operated by eight to 10 companies. … Law enforcement officers described scam cases involving cryptocurrency kiosks that targeted older Minnesotans and defrauded victims out of tens of thousands of dollars. … The commerce committee laid the bill over for future consideration.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rGmJBW
HORTMAN: via MPR, VERBATIM: “A bill from Democrats would designate Trunk Highway 610 as Hortman Memorial Highway in honor of the late House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman. Hortman served in the Legislature for two decades and advocated for funding for the highway that connects north metro communities, including Brooklyn Park, where she lived.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rE3UiF
ID THEFT: via Office of the Sec. of State, VERBATIM: “Secretary of State Steve Simon provided an update to members of the Minnesota House State Government Finance and Policy Committee on the successful implementation of the new Business Identity Recovery Program. … Since the program launched on January 1, 2026, the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State has corrected 24 wrongful filings for business owners. An additional 29 claims of wrongful business filings are currently under review.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3OCoMII
EXTRAS
OVERSIGHT: via Rep. Kelly Morrison advisory, VERBATIM: “U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) is demanding urgent follow-up [on] her several oversight visits to the Whipple detention facility in Minneapolis. Her questions remain unanswered. … In a new letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons, Rep. Morrison is demanding an urgent response to her questions to ensure the safety of Minnesotans who are held at this facility, and that DHS is following legal and humanitarian standards.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/4r2zFRo
CARTER: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Former St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter has a new job with a group that aims to raise and distribute billions to address racial gaps in homeownership and wealth. Carter will serve as an interim senior adviser with the GroundBreak Coalition, with the announcement of his new role coming nearly four months after he lost his bid for a third term.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rD5nFP
COMEY: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “Former FBI Director James Comey was in the Twins Cities talking about ethics and the rule of law. Comey spoke to several hundred people inside the Westminster Presbyterian Church in downtown Minneapolis as part of a special series called ‘Ethics Still Matter.’” QUOTE: “Through your sacrifice, through your pain, through your loss, for which I am so sorry, I believe you have changed a nation. I believe you have given a nation hope, focus, and purpose.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4aD29MK
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)
STATEWIDE
PRIOR LAKE: via SMSC advisory, VERBATIM: “The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) announced today that it will open a cannabis dispensary, called Flame & Flora, in Prior Lake. Construction is underway, and the enterprise will open to the public in early April. … Flame & Flora is regulated by the independent SMSC Cannabis Commission. The dispensary is licensed under the SMSC Cannabis Ordinance, which sets rules and regulations that are consistent with Minnesota law.” WEBSITE: https://fluence-media.co/4lhrbVv
DULUTH: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “The wait for a much-anticipated senior housing / child care development just got a bit longer. The unique project, dubbed Brae View, would consist of 72 units of affordable senior rental housing, sitting atop a child care center with capacity to serve up to 120 youngsters in Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood. … [But] Brae View’s deadline for completion has been pushed back from October 2026 to December 2028, thanks to an amended development agreement unanimously supported by members of the Duluth Economic Development Authority.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40jre9D
STILLWATER: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Magellan Land Development and Pulte Homes want to build a 108-unit townhome development, [and] the Stillwater Planning Commission voted 5-0 Wednesday night to recommend approval of the project after adding a requirement that the developer fund a pedestrian crossing of 80th Street North. The Stillwater City Council is expected to vote on March 17. Prices at the townhome development, called Brixton, are expected to range from mid-$400,000 to upper-$500,000.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rYgSYZ
STEWARTVILLE: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Stewartville Public Schools and the district’s teachers union will be entering mediation regarding their next two-year contract. According to Superintendent Belinda Selfors, mediation is scheduled to begin in March with the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services. … Selfors said the district and the teachers union have met nine times since they began negotiating in July 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rD6QMl
LOOKING AHEAD
SESSION: No floor sessions or committee meetings today.
TODAY: via CTUL, VERBATIM: “At 4:30 PM, construction workers and allies will speak out about the lack of response from corporate developers like United Properties and D.R. Horton regarding Operation Metro Surge’s ongoing impact on construction workers and the construction industry at large.”
SATURDAY: DFL Sen. Ann Rest will hold the second of three “Saturday Listening Sessions” with constituents in New Hope. The event is at 11:00 a.m.
SUNDAY: via PACAT, VERBATIM: “This Sunday, the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) is [hosting] Dine & Demonstrate Along Central Avenue. The action will begin at 12PM with community members gathering to dine at immigrant-owned restaurants along Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis, Hilltop, and Columbia Heights. … At 1PM, participants will rally along Central Avenue.”
NEXT WEEK: The Idaho Democratic Party will host Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin as keynote speakers for its Frank & Bethune Church Gala on Saturday, March 7 in Boise, ID.
BDAYS: financial planner Joe Pitzl, DHS’s Kristy Graume, civic guy Chuck Slocum, lobbyist Jill Sims. SAT: attorney Tracey Donesky, Youthprise’s Marcus Pope, PR pro Alexis Walsko. SUN: Rep. Mary Franson, fmr. Rep. Bob Dettmer, Rep. Rick Hansen
SPEAKER: If you’re looking for a speaker about the “Signal vs. Noise” dynamic of today’s politics and the 2026 election. EMAIL: BloisOlson@gmail.com.
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.