IT SNOWS IN APRIL
Rain, snow, sleet….it’s April.
Twins fans are the least optimistic out of all 30 MLB teams — just 4.3% are hopeful for the season. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4sES0FP
On the bright side… Target Field’s new food offerings have been revealed. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/47UrMab
The Minneapolis chef behind Kado No Mise was nominated for a James Beard award. MPR: https://fluence-media.co/41aFGB4
A judge permanently blocked the Trump Administration from cutting funding for NPR and PBS. AP: https://fluence-media.co/4bUb7V5
The U.S. hiring rate in February dropped to 3.1%, the lowest rate since April 2020. REUTERS: https://fluence-media.co/4tmuNbn
Construction on the White House ballroom has been halted by a judge until Congress authorizes it. HILL: https://fluence-media.co/4e1ddoK
The Economist finds that 28% of Americans support the war in Iran, with 59% opposed. Donald Trump’s overall approval is 35%. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4sEOMlH
Today is National Sourdough Bread Day…
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured texts from listeners in a discussion about the “Mood of Minnesota” and how it could influence the 2026 elections. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4s5LFlE
It’s BACK! The TwinWest Legislative Breakfast is on April 17, featuring Senate Min. Ldr. Mark Johnson, House DFL Flr. Ldr. Jamie Long, Senate Asst. Maj. Ldr. Nick Frentz and House GOP Flr. Ldr. Harry Niska in a mid-session discussion moderated by Blois Olson and presented by Fluence Advisory. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/4lWWmFM
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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/
WAYMO IS READY FOR MINNESOTA: With 13x fewer injury-causing collisions compared to humans, Waymo is already making roads safer in major U.S. cities where we operate — from multi-lane expressways to dense city streets, including the demands of winter weather. We are ready to bring these safety benefits to Minnesota, and look forward to working with the state legislature to pass a law that allows us to provide rides in the state. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/waymo (SPONSORED: Waymo)
FIRST…APRIL
SOLD: Fluence Media announced it has been sold to 340Bfights.com
WALZ: via Truth Social, In a meeting at the White House, President Donald Trump has offered Gov. Tim Walz an appointment as Education Secretary, Walz has asked that First Lady Gwen Walz will have an office in his executive suite. The deal came together to restore all Medicaid funding to Minnesota. Rep. Tom Emmer and Sen. Amy Klobuchar negotiated the deal, for Emmer to be appointed to the Senate once Klobuchar is Governor. Minneapolis DSA City Council members were seen trying to draft a resolution but they were so offended they couldn’t get it done in time. Mayor Jacob Frey is scheduled to comment on all national news channels about the Emmer-Klobuchar scheme that doesn’t include any major crises for him to manage.
GROVE: Today, Star Tribune publisher Steve Grove will finally announce that he’s running for office. He’s just not sure which one.
GUNS: By executive order, starting next week DFLers will be the only ones allowed to carry guns in the Capitol, and in protest Republicans won’t show up.
FLANAGAN: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was seen at the Governor’s office yesterday, she held a sit-in to protest First Lady Gwen Walz actually being the Lt. Gov.
TAFOYA: Senate candidate Michele Tafoya has announced that she’ll only do interviews with out of state media to ensure her gaffes are not created by local media.
CRAIG: Rep. Angie Craig announced she’s traded in her Jeep for a Prius as DFL delegates insisted on more virtue signaling for her to be allowed to speak at the state convention.
LUCERO: Sen. Eric Lucero has filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Walter Hudson for stealing his attention away from the latest sequined blazer.
KRAFT: Rep. Larry Kraft decided he was going to hold up all bills until the Capitol Mall became a solar installation.
SEIFERT: Fmr. Rep. Marty Seifert that he will join Senate Republican staff when his son Braxton Seifert is elected to the Senate.
BLAHA: State Auditor Julie Blaha issued a statement saying that she’s audited all the statements of Gov. Tim Walz, and couldn’t find the word accountability for fraud.
GOP: Republican Chair Alex Pecash was seen at a strategy session in Nisswa trying to find out how to be removed from office due to Trump’s poll numbers.
DFL: State DFL Chair Richard Carlbom has ordered Gov. Klobuchar branded silverware to ensure proper utensils are always available.
FUNDING: Legislators realized that there are so many retirements this session that they must fully fund long-term care.
SCHOOLS: Education Minnesota announced that teachers would run for all legislative seats to ensure that they could retire earlier than they do as teachers.
TAKE: All meant in good humor, there’s so much emotion in our political world that hopefully a smile or chuckle will start your day better.
A new level of insight and information….
TAKE
TAKE: News yesterday of the granting of bonuses granted by fmr. Mayor Melvin Carter can be debated from either side. It is important to pay public sector employees competitively to ensure highly qualified are motivated to serve. That said, the irony of the Carter bonuses is that one of the main reasons he lost his election was the poor public service from his administration. Countless stories of no one answering the phone, the lack of in-person work that prevented applications or licenses from being processed, and a general lack of interest in running the city effectively. The very people that Carter trusted to run the city, were the ones that were rewarded, even though the people they served didn’t think they were up to the task. The lack of transparency on the spending, the lack of Carter doing an interview begins finalizes a legacy of Carter being great at speeches but how disinterested he became with running the city.
TENSION…
SESSION: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “The combination of a tied House, no budget deadline, a big campaign year and several unprecedented events in the interim has made for a turbulent session thus far. [DFL Leader Zack] Stephenson said the session has been frustrating. … [Speaker Lisa] Demuth said she’s picked up on more tension this session. She said she thinks there’s a lack of trust on both sides. When asked why she thinks that is, she said she’s not really sure. … Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson [said] ‘I think, overall, the temperature is a little bit lower on the Senate side.’ … Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy [said] the House is a ‘big question mark’ for them this session. Asked how she’d describe the session so far, she said: ‘Traumatized, perhaps, but determined.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bZCJbs
MORE: Speaking to Forum News Service, Speaker Lisa Demuth said the Minnesota Legislature is running less smoothly than it did last year. DEMUTH: “I would say the productivity is a little bit slower. … Last year, we didn’t have a choice. We had to find a way through it, and we worked together incredibly well — not perfect, but we worked together. And that was my expectation, that we could do the same thing this year. And that’s not what we’re finding.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bZCJbs
LOBBYING: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Divided government offered nominal savings for entities that pay lobbyists in Minnesota. Fresh figures from the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board show a slight downtick in spending by lobbyist principals in 2025 — with a tied Minnesota House and closely divided Senate — compared with the two years prior when one party held all the power. It’s still a lot of money: $95 million reported in 2025. [But] that’s lower than the $97.8 million in 2024 and $96.3 million in 2023.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cgBgPf
DHS: Via KSTP, a Dept. of Human Services official explained why the agency supports the governor’s controversial plan to reorganize the state’s Medicaid system in response to fraud concerns. VERBATIM: “Minnesota lawmakers agree on fighting Medicaid fraud, but remain divided on whether the Department of Human Services (DHS) should take more control. … The [governor’s] proposal would shift focus from managed care organizations to consolidating services under the department. John Connolly, deputy commissioner of the DHS, [said] the change would give the agency more control over the Medicaid process. Republicans, including Joe Schomacker, oppose that approach and said they want further changes to the department while keeping managed care organizations in place.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41DGwGz
MORE: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “The state appears to be one step closer to potentially getting back hundreds of millions in Medicaid funds from the federal government. The Minnesota Department of Human Services gave an update on the federal withholding of Medicaid dollars [by] the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. … John Connolly, state Medicaid director and deputy commissioner of [DHS], said the state is set to complete the [CMS] revalidation process by May 31, but it’s still not clear when the funds could begin to flow back to the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vlxAUf
YOUR NEIGHBORS RIDE ATVs: From the Twin Cities to the Iron Range, thousands of Minnesotans own and ride ATVs. They are families, veterans, teachers and small business owners who rely on Minnesota’s trail system for recreation, tourism, and economic activity. ATV riders aren’t just “up north” — they live in the Twin Cities metro area, and they care deeply about maintaining safe, well-managed trails. As the legislature considers trail policy, funding, and land-use decisions this session, ask them to support Minnesota’s ATV community and the outdoor opportunities they value. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4u4dGw9 (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker. https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
ELECTIONS
CD1: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Democrats say frustrations over Operation Metro Surge, rising prices and Amy Klobuchar’s campaign for governor give newcomer Jake Johnson a chance in a southern Minnesota district that’s been trending Republican. … Johnson has been neck-and-neck with [Brad] Finstad in fundraising. But Finstad’s increased margins over the last two election cycles and [Donald] Trump’s popularity in the district in recent years has Republicans still feeling confident that they can hold the seat. … [Johnson] said he plans to hold in-person town halls in all 21 counties in the First District beginning this summer in response to Finstad’s decision not to hold in-person town halls. [He] vowed to hold them regularly if he’s elected.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sR4daG
SD65: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Robyn Gulley won the [DFL] endorsement for Senate District 65 on the first ballot [this week] in a three-way race to replace Sen. Sandy Pappas. … The party endorsement of Gulley, who is former education director for the Minnesota AFL-CIO and currently Midwest regional director for the Doctors’ Council SEIU, the largest union of doctors in the United States, underscored the continuing power of [labor]. … SEIU endorsed Gulley way back in November, just 11 days after Pappas’ retirement. The MN AFL-CIO followed up in December.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dmp0Oi
FREY: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s return to the national spotlight during Operation Metro Surge has fueled chatter among political insiders that he could be a contender for a U.S. Senate appointment, should Amy Klobuchar win the governor’s race. … [But] Frey threw some water on the idea. ‘I’m not interested in being considered as a U.S. Senate appointee — sitting here today, no,’ he said. ‘I’m mayor for four years.’ … A recent poll showed Frey’s approval at just over 50% statewide — and nearly 62% in Minneapolis and St. Paul. [But] if appointed, Frey’s rocky relationship with local left-wing lawmakers could attract a spirited primary challenge for a full term.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bJp2hZ
VOTING: via NPR News, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump has escalated his efforts to reshape American elections, signing an executive order that seeks to create lists of U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote in each state. … Voting rights attorneys quickly threatened to sue to block the order from going into effect. A previous executive order on elections, signed about a year ago, has been blocked by federal judges who said the president lacked the constitutional authority to set voting policy. … Trump’s order also targets mail voting, claiming that ‘additional measures are necessary’ to secure voting by mail – a form of voting he has used himself.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QaRmBo
RESPONSE: via Sec. Steve Simon statement, SIMON: “This latest unconstitutional power grab will meet the same fate as the rest: It will not stand. The President does not have the authority to make unilateral changes to election laws. The U.S. Constitution gives states and Congress the responsibility to make laws on elections. Our office has helped stop his actions before and we are now exploring our legal options to stop this new order from taking effect.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tovVve
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 +MN
LGBTQ: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The future of Minnesota’s ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ kids is now in question. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled [8-1] against a Colorado law prohibiting it. … Conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to convince a person to change their sexual or gender identity. … Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, [said] a clause prohibiting state-subsidized health care plans from covering conversion therapy could still stand. … Raleigh Levine, a professor at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, [said] Minnesota’s law will likely be unenforceable in its current form, but she said a concurring opinion from liberal Justice Elena Kagan points to a ‘content-based but viewpoint-neutral law’ as a potential way around a First Amendment challenge.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4dUHtBK
RESPONSE: GOP Chair Alex Plechash applauded yesterday’s SCOTUS decision and called for Sen. Amy Klobuchar to “say where she stands” on the issue. Klobuchar has previously advocated against conversion therapy due to concerns about child suicide rates. PLECHASH: “Even liberal justices recognized the constitutional problems with these laws — government does not get to silence professionals or override parents. … Klobuchar owes Minnesotans an answer: Does she still support banning these conversations between therapists, parents, and kids?”
POLLUTION: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison co-led a coalition of 21 states and local governments in filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s repeal of the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Rule. … The case will highlight how EPA has failed to provide a reasoned basis for the rollback, and failed to adequately consider developments in practices, processes and control technologies in its attempt to revert to outdated standards and continue giving lignite plants a free pass. The attorneys general are asking the court to determine that the rule is unlawful and must be reversed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bXOIWS
REJECT 340B EXPANSION: A new Minnesota Department of Health report shows hospitals made at least $1 billion dollars from a federal drug discount program known as 340B. The program should help patients, but experts say there is little accountability for where the money goes. The report was delayed and only recently released, showing the program isn’t working as intended. But Minnesota politicians are fast tracking a bill to expand the 340B program anyway. Lawmakers: reject House File 3609 / Senate File 3769. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4uUobCQ (SPONSORED: Community Action for Responsible Hospitals)
MANUFACTURING: via Rep. Michelle Fischbach advisory, VERBATIM: “Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach [has] introduced the Biobased Materials Investment and Production Act to strengthen the domestic supply chain and create new markets for American farmers by incentivizing the production of biobased chemicals and materials. While the United States has made significant strides in biofuels, many other everyday products, from plastics to industrial chemicals, remain dependent on foreign petroleum. The legislation aims to bridge that gap by providing tax incentives for companies that use American-grown biomass to create renewable materials.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s50HIc
FERTILIZER: via Rep. Angie Craig advisory, VERBATIM: “In a letter led by Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02), members of the House Agriculture Committee urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take immediate steps to stabilize fertilizer prices amid severe global supply disruptions. … The letter details how blocked shipments of urea and ammonia, port backlogs, and shutdowns at regional production facilities are cascading into higher input costs for U.S. farmers as planting season begins.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/4dgiloR
FED FUNDS: via Sen. Grant Hauschild advisory, VERBATIM: “In response to proposed changes from the federal government that would threaten millions in funding for St. Louis County due to use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) in highway projects, Senator Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown) led a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Congressman Pete Stauber opposing any proposed change that would threaten local union jobs in St. Louis County.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/41Esbtv
340B HOSPITAL MARKUPS HURT PATIENTS: Minnesota’s latest 340B report shows covered entities generated $1.34 billion IN PROFIT in 2024, including an estimated $261 million from Medicaid prescriptions. Independent research finds the program raises costs for patients, taxpayers, and employers statewide. Minnesota should sunset the 340B mandate and Congress should fix the federal 340B program, so it actually helps patients. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3OLZOGG(SPONSORED: PhRMA)
ISSUES
MED FRAUD: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Medicaid providers in Minnesota continued to operate billing schemes even after they were suspected of fraud, according to a FOX 9 Investigators review of state contracts and legal filings. … In a pending case, the ringleader of a massive Medicaid scheme kept billing for years. … Steve Forrest, a former prosecutor with the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, said [Managed Care Organizations] and the Department of Human Services were ‘asleep at the wheel.’ … Despite their role as the first line of defense in fraud prevention, MCOs referred only a small percentage of the total fraud cases received by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, [although] the number of fraud referrals from MCOs has increased in recent years.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4lZRM9D
GAS PRICES: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Your car isn’t the only vehicle that needs gas. It’s a huge budget item for Minnesota fire departments, police and mass transit. [But] Drew Kerr, a spokesman for Metro Transit, [said] ‘We’re purchasing in bulk in advance, and that allows us to have some predictability.’ … The St. Paul Fire Department said they locked in their fuel and diesel prices at the end of January, which was before the start of the war. Bloomington and Eagan police also said they’re in the same boat, with officers refueling at the police station using their pre-paid gas. … The City of Minneapolis purchases gas in bulk by the end of each year. Their 2026 fuel prices are fixed [at] $1.81 p/gal.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4scKhOd
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)
STATE NEWS
NICOLLET: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis is reaching for reinvention with two promising developments. A national art group is transforming a long-vacant Walgreens into affordable studios, and the Dakota jazz club and restaurant is opening an event-and-performance venue. … The former shopping destination is now dotted with vacant storefronts and little foot traffic, [but] Nicollet Mall’s future may not be as a traditional shopping hub. Instead, boosters say, it is ripe for urban recreation, fast-casual dining with evening hours and ‘experiential social concepts’ — like art exhibits and family-friendly museums.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tdQURc
RELIEF: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey have signed onto a $7 million plan to buoy small businesses that lost revenue during Operation Metro Surge. But local business owners are worried it won’t be enough. … City officials estimated that Minneapolis businesses lost $81 million in revenue in January alone as employees and customers alike feared leaving their homes. … Mahamed Cali, the owner of East African business community Madina Mall in south Minneapolis, said some shop owners have closed their doors for good already.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tdSClA
MORE: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Many businesses are still feeling the impact of Operation Metro Surge, [but] a package of state loans and grants meant to help those businesses is stalled at the Capitol. … Sen. Bobby Joe Champion is an author of the aid bill. He says he is working to push the package through the Senate and hopes the House will at least hold a vote on the measure. … But Republicans have been a hard no. … ‘We’re not really interested in a bailout along those lines,’ Republican House Majority Leader Harry Niska said. … Some cities, including Minneapolis and Bloomington, have passed their own aid packages.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3NCPOzz
ST PAUL: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her won’t sign a new ordinance that temporarily extends the city’s pre-eviction filing notice period from 30 days to 60 days, but the veto-proof mandate will still go into effect in mid-May. … Her informed the seven-member St. Paul City Council on Monday that she’s not signing off on the ordinance, which was unanimously approved. … Earlier in March, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed a similar proposal, [but] the Minneapolis City Council did not have enough votes to overturn Frey’s veto.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s9cIwx
ROSEMOUNT: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The results from an anonymous employee survey [in] the city of Rosemount [are] now public, highlighting concerns about safety, morale, and leadership surrounding the Rosemount Police Department. … Following the results, [former Chief Mikael] Dahlstrom was placed on administrative leave and eventually resigned, with a $164,000 payout to avoid legal action. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has also learned there was no formal investigation into the claims. … Dahlstrom is pushing back on what was shared in the survey, [saying] results included ‘claims based on hearsay or events that did not occur.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4vlyoZh
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Sen. Amy Klobuchar made an appearance at Mayo Clinic’s downtown Rochester campus Tuesday, March 31 to visit the health system’s ‘Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester’ expansion team. ‘This is truly the next frontier for Mayo,’ said Klobuchar, a Democrat who is running for Minnesota governor. … Klobuchar said she wants to retain funding for the National Institutes of Health in the federal government’s 2027 budget. … Klobuchar is also seeking a health care industry exemption for the Trump Administration’s $100,000 fee for H1-B visa applications.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4v4R5zZ
NEW ULM: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Hermann the German has been watching over the southern Minnesota city of New Ulm for 129 years. The copper statue stands on top of a 102-foot tall monument, pointing a sword to the sky as it overlooks the Minnesota River Valley on top of the hill at Hermann Heights Park. … But Hermann needs help, as decades of severe water and weather damage leaves New Ulm’s iconic symbol of German pride in need of significant repairs. The city recently got a cost estimate as stunning as the monument itself: a whopping $11.6 million.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O1Rdzw
PRODUCTIVE FARMS, STEWARDSHIP GO HAND IN HAND: via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Corn farmers are demonstrating that productive agriculture and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. Through widespread adoption of practices such as reduced tillage, cover crops, crop rotations, and targeted nutrient management, farmers have improved soil health, reduced erosion, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and protected water quality across millions of acres in Minnesota. That’s all while implementing advances in seed genetics, fertility management, and precision technology that have improved on-farm productivity.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4stHjG5 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
AHEAD
SESSION: The Minnesota Legislature is on break for Easter and Passover until the morning of Tuesday, April 7.
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will attend a ribbon cutting for the Solventum R&D Hub, which is expected to create 1,000 new jobs.
TODAY: MN Nurses Association will host a press conference at the Capitol today “warning elected officials that time is running out to save Hennepin County Medical Center,” per a release. The event is at 9:30 a.m.
TODAY: U.S. Sen. Tina Smith will tour the future site of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing facility at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall at 12:00 noon.
TODAY-TMRW: U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is hosting multiple events in CD5 this week. On Wednesday, Omar will present an $850,000 check to Avivo Village for facility expansion at 11:30 a.m. and visit the Minneapolis Mobile Medical Unit with Mayor Jacob Frey and Councilmember Aurin Chowdhury at 12:15 p.m. On Thursday, Omar joins Attorney General Keith Ellison, DFL Rep. Cedrick Frazier and Councilmember Robin Wonsley at the University of Minnesota for a panel on Operation Metro Surge at 5:00 p.m.
TOMORROW: Faith leaders will hold a public prayer service outside the Whipple Federal Building at 12:00 noon to bring “attention to the rights and dignity of individuals held inside,” per a release. They will enter the building for pastoral care afterwards.
TOMORROW: Sen. Liz Boldon, Rep. Andy Smith and Rep. Kim Hicks will host an SD25 media availability at Rochester City Hall to discuss the legislative session. The event is at 2:30 p.m.
THURS-FRI: via MDE advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) will release Minnesota’s graduation rates for the Class of 2025 and the 2023-24 course-taking data on Friday, April 3, 2026. The data will be released in the Minnesota Report Card and in MDE’s Data Center Friday morning. Prior to the release, MDE is offering media access to the embargoed data at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 2, and will hold an embargoed virtual statewide media briefing led by Commissioner Willie Jett at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 2.”
APRIL 14: The Center of the American Experiment is hosting a “School Choice Rally” to support private school voucher legislation at the MN Capitol on Tuesday, April 14 at 12:00 noon. The event is advertised as a response to the No Kings rallies, saying in a release: “They had ‘No Kings.’ Now it’s our turn.”
APRIL 28: Gov. Tim Walz will deliver his final State of the State address before a joint session of the Minnesota Legislature on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: belated to Sen. Grant Hauschild…today Rev. DeWayne Davis, Sen. Mark Koran, GOP operative Preya Samsundar
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