RAINY MORNING
A rainy morning where staying in bed seemed like a possibility but the tip sheet calls.
Lynx win. Twins win.
a A 76-year-old man has run every Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth since its start in 1977. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/4uBNZ50
Minnesota will pilot official high school esports leagues in the coming school year. FORUM: https://fluence-media.co/4gsJ4zU
California Governor Gavin Newsom released a video saying he’s under investigation by President Trump’s Justice Department. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/3Qr3eQq
According to LinkedIn, fmr. Mpls. Police Chief Brian O’Hara has started a leadership consultancy.
Average gas prices in Minnesota fell to $3.86/gal, but experts say pre-war prices won’t return for months even under perfect conditions. STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/4xAG7nm
I’ll be at Principles First with Charlie Sykes and Lori Sturdevant tonight.
It’s National Fudge Day.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
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LISTEN: Sunday Take featured DFL Reps. Kelly Moller and Mike Howard remembering the life and legacy of Melissa Hortman one year after her passing. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gfrsri
SPEAKING: Do you have a summer or fall conference that your audience wants to hear about the insights of the election? “Signals vs. Noise” of the election. is scheduling now. EMAIL bloisolson@gmail.com
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SMARTER: Long Term Care – Is Minnesota Ready? Care Providers Minnesota and LeadingAge Minnesota hosted providers, Senator Grant Hauschild (03, DFL), Representative Natalie Zeleznikar (03B, GOP), and Representative Nathan Nelson (11B, GOP) for a conversation about the future of careing for our seniors. This coming week the conversation moves to St. Cloud. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ue3YXA
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Governor Tim Walz is in Austria…via his public calendar, VERBATIM: “ Governor Tim Walz will participate in the opening of the Austrian World Summit, meet with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, meet with the Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen, participate in a roundtable discussion at the Federation of Austrian Industries, and attend and deliver remarks at the AmCham Austria Reception.”
The topic of Walz’s appearance at the Summit, VERBATIM: “A decade after the Paris Agreement united the world, climate action has been overshadowed by pandemics, wars, and shifting global power dynamics. Now, in a world reshaped by these challenges, climate change and pollution remain existential threats. Let’s hear how the US states and the European Union are able to fulfill their environmental goals. What are their obstacles, but also their success stories?”
It’s a conference hosted in part by fmr. Califorina Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Here’s the full agenda: https://fluence-media.co/3QolRUY
Via the Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Star Tribune/KARE 11/Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication Minnesota Poll found 56% of respondents say they disapprove of Trump, up from 54% last year… His approval ratings were stronger outside of the metro. Some 59% of southern Minnesotans approved of Trump’s performance; 56% of northern Minnesotans did as well.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44aBC59
It’s the economy…______
SENATE RACE: Without making a formal endorsement, Sen. Amy Klobuchar told the Huffington Post that she is “supporting” Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate because Flanagan won the DFL endorsement last month over Rep. Angie Craig. Via her interview, KLOBUCHAR: “We always support the ticket. I’m supporting the ticket as I always do. But I am friends with both…and I respect both of them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vIczCc
A deep dive into the CD1 race between Rep. Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson for MNSider subscribers. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/49OqNJu
DRIVING THE HEADLINES
VOTER FRAUD: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A northern Minnesota judge handed down a 30-day jail sentence to a head election judge Monday for the felony offense of allowing 11 unregistered voters to cast ballots. … [Timothy] Scouton, who pleaded guilty in March, oversaw the voting precinct at Badoura Township, [which] had 83 voters on Nov. 5, 2024. Scouton said he couldn’t locate registration forms, so he instructed election judges to write names of new voters on a list and check their IDs to verify they lived in the township. … Hubbard County Attorney John Olson [said] there wasn’t any partisan intent. ‘What this case just involves simply is an individual who cut corners,’ he said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vSegxb
AMID RURAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, ESSENTIA HEALTH INVESTS IN NEW IRON RANGE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT: Essentia Health is investing in a $13 million project to remodel and expand its emergency department in Virginia, MN. With support from the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board and philanthropic partners, the project will improve emergency care and mental health resources through new technology, safety and security measures, and a behavioral health suite. READ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4o79h9j (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
THIS WEEK: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Candidates in races for some of Minnesota’s top offices will show this week how much they spent to chase party endorsements, how much they raised this year and where they stand in comparison to others. Campaign finance reports covering activity through the end of May are due for constitutional office candidates (think governor, attorney general, etc.) and for political funds active in state-level races. … The reports go live for public consumption [starting today].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4edauIS
NOTE: Fluence tip sheets will share figures from the latest state-level campaign finance reports as they are published this week.
RESIGNED: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Rep. Joe Schomacker (R-Luverne) announced his resignation from the House effective June 21, citing new business opportunities for the decision to step down. … The eight-term lawmaker announced in February he would not seek re-election in November. No special election will be called to fill the remainder of his term.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ectHKz
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)
WASHINGTON…
WHITE HOUSE: Via New York Times, newly uncovered memos show that the Trump Administration seriously considered invoking the Insurrection Act against Minnesota protesters this year. VERBATIM: “In the case of the Insurrection Act, Vice President JD Vance pushed to invoke it just days after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti. … Vance [said] they needed to invoke the Insurrection Act, swiftly, to crush the unrest in Minnesota. It would be painful in the short term, he said, but [it] would make sure no one tried it again. … The meeting broke up without a decision — a vague consensus to keep thinking about it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eIkaeq
IRAN: via The Hill, VERBATIM: “The agreement between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and kick-start 60 days of nuclear negotiations is set to be signed in person Friday, but it’s still unclear what’s in it, [and] Iran and the U.S. do not seem to be on the same page on what the agreement entails. … Still, the deal would reportedly waive U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil exports at least through the 60-day negotiating window, offering crucial income for the cash-strapped regime. … Iran has said it would not try to collect tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz for the 60 days of negotiations, but it’s unclear what will happen after that.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3SaafFL
RESPONSE: via DFL Rep. Betty McCollum statement, McCOLLUM: “Not only has the president’s war of choice utterly failed to deliver on his own shifting military goals, but it has also cost the American people directly by increasing prices for necessities. … President [Donald] Trump is attempting to negotiate with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which was not closed prior to the start of the war.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oxsi4Q
FRAUD: A KSTP review of recent fraud cases found that the share of Somali Minnesotans charged at the federal level is significantly higher than those charged by the state. For federal charges against 106 people, 92 were of Somali descent, or 87% of the total. Meanwhile, for state charges against 317 people, 86 were of Somali descent, or 27% of the total. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4vit48o
AMTRAK: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Since the start of the Amtrak service in May 2024, more than 416,000 passengers have used the Borealis line to travel through Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. … Amtrak and MnDOT officials both noted desires to increase the rider capacity by adding more passenger cars to the Borealis line, [and] the success of the Borealis ridership has MnDOT studying the potential to provide more passenger rail options, like from St. Paul to Duluth.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xwKCza
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
HEALTH
CANCER: via Sen. Amy Klobuchar advisory, VERBATIM: “Senators Amy Klobuchar [and others] introduced the Asal Sayas National Strategy on Young Adult Cancers Act to establish a national strategy to tackle the rapidly growing rate of cancer among adults under age 50. The legislation comes as young adult cancer rates have surged — up almost 80 percent globally in the past 35 years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Qj2AVa
TEENS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Pregnancy, birth rates, and sexually transmitted infections among Minnesota teenagers dropped significantly in 2024, continuing a decades-long downward trajectory, according to a new report by researchers at the University of Minnesota. But the study finds that there also continues to be sharp racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities in these rates here that are among the most stark in the country.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gkVs50
MENTAL HEALTH: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota doesn’t have enough psychiatric facilities for kids — and now one of the largest in the state is being temporarily shuttered as regulators found it is putting young people at risk of harm. … The suspension comes as another youth residential mental health program [is] closing at the end of June. The two facilities, combined, typically served dozens of children and young adults. … People working in the field said the closure will further strain a system that already does not have enough adequately staffed places to send kids.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aAftRr
OUTDOORS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Academia In Lak’ech [took] a break from classroom learning recently to travel to Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, [which] would have been unaffordable to the school and the students’ families without the help of a new program called Outdoor School for All. The Legislature created it last year, providing nearly $900,000 in grants to schools across the state. … So far, the program allowed about 2,000 more students to attend outdoor education programs around the state this year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oxNkAv
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)
METRO
BLUE LINE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Supporters and opponents of the Blue Line expansion plan are eagerly awaiting a new report that compares the cost of expanding and running the light rail system to an expanded bus transit system. The report is due out just days after the Metropolitan Council announced the estimated cost of the project had grown yet again. … Rep. Jon Koznick (R-Lakeville) [had] helped push for this new comparison study. He says the most important parts to consider are the upfront costs, as well as the ongoing costs of maintenance, and ridership trends.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3QmdsBC
MPD: ELEFA, the independent evaluator in the Minneapolis Police Department’s settlement agreement, released its fourth Semi-Annual Report, describing MPD’s progress from October 2025 to March 2026 as “decidedly mixed.” EXCERPT: “On the positive side, for example, the MPD completed in-service training on updated use of force policies, and those policies became active on January 1, 2026. … [But] our last Progress Report expressed our serious concern about the Department’s lack of progress reducing its Internal Affairs (IA) case backlog. Since then, no meaningful progress has been made.” REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4fHWFDj
BLAINE: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Preliminary work began Monday on a multiyear construction project to improve a Twin Cities highway considered one of the most dangerous roads in Minnesota. Crews are starting construction on Highway 65 [in] Blaine. The goal is to transform the highway into a freeway through the city, improving travel time and reducing crashes, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4ekDJYY
RAMSEY CTY: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Ramsey County Fair is returning to its Maplewood home after six consecutive years of cancellations driven by pandemic shutdowns and continuing disputes over fairground access. The independently run fair, hosted by the Ramsey County Agricultural Society, will return July 16–19 after years of uncertainty. … Minnesota’s 87 counties are home to 105 annual and seasonal county fairs, leaving Ramsey as one of the few counties without one since 2020.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xBHxxY
ACROSS MN
TODAY: GOP Rep. Jon Koznick, co-chair of the House Transportation Committee, will meet with “members of affected communities” to discuss the Blue Line extension and a report presenting bus transit and other options as alternatives. The event is in Minneapolis at 3:00 p.m.
JUNE 24: Independent evaluators at ELEFA will host a public meeting to answer questions about the Minneapolis Police Department’s settlement agreement. The event is at 6:00 p.m.
PROUD TO CHAMPION ATHLETES EVERYWHERE: Minnesota’s 24,000 family corn farmers may come from different fields than the athletes participating in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, which are set for June 20-26 in Minnesota. But they share the same values, including dedication, hard work, and perseverance. This summer, Minnesota Corn salutes the talented athletes participating in the games. We’ll be cheering them on from our fields as they shine in yours. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.