COFFEE OUTSIDE WX
A cup of coffee outside will start an intense day. Boelter to be sentenced today, another chapter in a horrific story.
Twins win. Lynx win. WNBA All-Star Break this weekend.
The Timberwolves and Lynx will host a locker room liquidation sale at 9:00 a.m.
Tributes to David La Vaque, Gophers financials explained and the wildest part of WNBA All-Star Weekend are featured in today’s second anniversary Sports Take. Out later today.
Gallup finds that 1 in 4 U.S. workers say they are currently staying in a job they’d otherwise like to quit because they want to keep their employer’s health insurance. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4fNUwpc
Fox News finds that Americans would prefer to vote for Democrats over Republicans this year by 7 points, 53% to 46%. Notably, 53% is the highest either party has ever scored on a Fox “generic ballot” survey. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4bZR5JF
On Truth Social, Donald Trump shared the KSTP poll seen in yesterday’s morning take, saying that “Mike Lindell would be a GREAT Governor.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4yAkYdn
Happy National Lemon Day – make lemonade.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured DFLers Matt Little, Sen. Matt Klein and Rep. Kaela Berg for the CD2 DFL primary debate. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4yssTcu
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POLLAPALOOZA
ELECTIONS: Via KSTP, a statewide poll finds that a majority of Minnesotans think the state’s elections are secure, but a majority also supports passing the SAVE Act — federal legislation that would require citizens to present certain identifying documents in order to vote. Results are summarized below. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4fQKO5i
SECURITY: 55% think Minnesota’s elections are secure, 28% think they are not, and 17% are unsure. By ideology, 33% of conservatives, 61% of moderates and 79% of liberals think elections are secure. By geography, 64% of urban voters, 58% of suburban voters and 42% of rural voters — all pluralities — trust election security.
SAVE ACT: 57% support passing the SAVE Act, 32% do not, and 11% are unsure. By ideology, 87% of conservatives, 57% of moderates and 21% of liberals support the SAVE Act. By geography, 52% of urban voters, 54% of suburban voters and 66% of rural voters — all majorities — support the SAVE Act.
APPROVAL: Via KSTP, a statewide poll shows Minnesotans have negative views of many public officials. Results are summarized below. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4wijenx
WALZ: Gov. Tim Walz has 41% approval and 53% disapproval with 6% unsure. Of that, 16% “strongly approve” and 39% “strongly disapprove.” Walz’s biggest demographic shifts compared to June are dropping 3 points among liberals and 2 points among moderates.
TRUMP: Pres. Donald Trump has 38% approval and 58% disapproval with 3% unsure. Of that, 17% “strongly approve” and 47% “strongly disapprove.” On the Iran war, Trump has 30% approval and 64% disapproval. On the economy, Trump has 36% approval and 61% disapproval.
KLOBUCHAR: Sen. Amy Klobuchar has 48% approval and 39% disapproval with 13% unsure. Klobuchar is the only person or entity in this poll with a positive net approval rating at +9%, but one year ago, her net approval was +26%.
ELLISON: Atty. General Keith Ellison has 39% approval and 42% disapproval with 19% unsure.
MNLEG: The Minnesota Legislature has a collective 35% approval and 50% disapproval with 15% unsure.
CD2: Republican Eric Pratt released an internal poll showing a competitive race between Pratt and all three major DFL candidates in CD2. The poll tested “initial” results when respondents were first asked about the race, and “informed” results after respondents were told about Pratt’s credentials. Results are summarized below. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4fvF0wK
MATT LITTLE: Initially, Little beats Pratt 45% to 40%, with 15% undecided. Informed results show Pratt beating Little 44% to 43%, with 13% undecided.
MATT KLEIN: Initially, Klein beats Pratt 43% to 42%, with 16% undecided. Informed results show Pratt beating Klein 43% to 42%, with 15% undecided.
KAELA BERG: Initially, Pratt and Berg are tied at 43% each, with 15% undecided. Informed results show Pratt beating Berg 44% to 41%, with 15% undecided.
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THE TRAIL
GOV RACE: Republican Mike Lindell spoke to the Washington Examiner about his immigration policies if he is elected governor. Notably, Lindell proposed “a six-month, one-time amnesty period for illegal immigrants” to give noncitizens a “second chance” at applying for a conditional work visa without fear of deportation. Lindell also said he wants to punish companies that hire undocumented workers by imprisoning their CEOs. LINDELL: “I’d like the whole United States to do this, but let’s say I did it here in Minnesota. … I’m a person of second chances if the only thing they ever did was cross the border. … You have this card that [says] now you can work and you can go be paying taxes, be functioning in society.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b7fcG0
MORE: The Mike Lindell campaign has launched a new web page with details on his immigration policies. On X, Lindell’s post linking to the web page and urging social media followers to “learn the REAL TRUTH” has 153 likes and 465 comments, many of which are criticisms from fellow conservatives. WEBPAGE: https://fluence-media.co/3R7Qbnt TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4pAbE4V
RESPONSE: via Speaker Lisa Demuth statement, DEMUTH: “Amnesty for illegals will only make Minnesota more of a magnet — I would expect this from Amy Klobuchar and Tim Walz, but I’m surprised to see it coming from a fellow GOP candidate for governor. As Speaker, I ended taxpayer funded health care for illegal immigrants. I will work with the federal government to deport criminal illegal immigrants instead of giving them amnesty.”
LINDELL: Via Star Tribune, Republican Mike Lindell is now registered to vote in Minnesota. VERBATIM: “The MyPillow CEO is at odds with state officials over why. Lindell said he should have been signed up through the state’s ‘automatic’ voter registration system because he was issued a driver’s license last September after moving back to Minnesota. … The Secretary of State’s office stood by its records as accurate.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Rtv5jh
SENATE RACE: GOP-endorsed Senate candidate Adam Schwarze announced on social media that he is now endorsed by the NRA, arguing that other Republicans in the race are “DC establishment-backed” and moderate on gun rights. He also criticized the DFL’s fraud response, sharing a Politico article from last week summarizing Minnesota’s issues meeting federal demands to revalidate Medicaid providers. QUOTE: “Our systems are built to take care of seniors, veterans, and other people in need. Failed Democrat leadership is making it impossible to tell who is taking advantage of the system and who genuinely needs help.” TWEETS: https://fluence-media.co/4wVVXHO https://fluence-media.co/3RLy5I2
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)
STATE GOV
APPEALS CT: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Earlier this year, Governor Tim Walz asked a merit selection panel to solicit applicants, review candidates, and recommend finalists for appointment to the Court of Appeals. The panel [is] recommending three candidates for consideration to fill the upcoming vacancy on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. … John Bowen is a judge in the Tenth Judicial District, chambered in Wright County. … Nathaniel Welte is a judge in the Seventh Judicial District, chambered in Stearns County. … Heather Wynn is a judge in the Tenth Judicial District, chambered in Pine County.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fzYJvt
MOWING: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Those grassy areas at rest stops along Minnesota highways could be tended to by autonomous mowers if a pilot project goes according to plan. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is seeking information about using the technology to keep up with mowing needs at rest stops, highway right-of-way ditches and other vegetation maintenance areas. … Lawmakers hope to get a report by February that gets into safety, environmental impact and efficiency comparisons compared to human-operated mowers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pxzbnc
A deep dive into the CD1 race between Rep. Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson for MNSider subscribers. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/49OqNJu
FIRES
HEARING: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “On Capitol Hill, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz [faced] questions on the ongoing wildfires. … Rep. Angie Craig pointedly asked [Schultz] whether the staffing cuts at the agency contributed to the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. … ‘No, it does not,’ Schultz replied. ‘That’s strange,’ Craig responded, noting that the last major fire event that led to a BWCA closure, in August of 2021, registered a higher level of preparedness (5) on a federal warning system at the time of the closure. Prior to the BWCA closure last week, the preparedness level [was] only at 4.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RQH1Mj
BWCAW: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permit cancellations are still in place through Friday, but state and federal officials said in an update Wednesday that they are working on a plan to reduce that closure [with a] partial reopening. … Tom Hall, agency administrator for the U.S. Forest Service, [said] staff are looking at what corridors of the Boundary Waters would be the best candidates to open up so that people can still experience it ‘and also not be in the way in those fire operations.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gSv2rQ
FIREFIGHTING: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “At a Wednesday news conference, authorities said an additional 50-75 firefighters are expected to be brought in to combat the Little Knife Fire. … [Overall], the perimeters of the fires have remained similar from day to day this week, and crews are now starting to contain the fires.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b2nsqU
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)
CONGRESS
DEFENSE: via The Hill, VERBATIM: “House lawmakers on Wednesday narrowly passed a nearly $1.15 trillion annual defense policy bill, advancing the measure amid increasing tension over military spending and the war in Iran. The tally was 216-212, with six Democrats voting for the bill and seven Republicans voting against it. … The bill codifies a number of Trump Administration executive orders, including building the Golden Dome, [and] expands the U.S. military’s collaboration with Israel’s defense forces.” Minnesota lawmakers voted on party lines. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fwCsOY
RESPONSE: via Rep. Brad Finstad statement, FINSTAD: “I’m grateful to see my legislation, the National Guard Relief Act, and language from my Strategic Transparency Act included in this $1.15 trillion defense policy bill, ensuring our National Guard members and their families have assistance in times of need and that America has the information necessary to respond to China’s evolving military capabilities and influence.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TPuQzP
MORE: via Rep. Angie Craig statement, CRAIG: “I am grateful to my House Democratic colleagues who worked tirelessly to secure critical provisions that push for transparency and accountability from the Defense Department, authorize health care coverage for IVF and other reproductive technologies for military families and protect collective bargaining rights. These are provisions I support, but not at the expense of more American lives lost in the Middle East.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wigs1s
SMALL BIZ: via Rep. Kelly Morrison advisory, VERBATIM: “After President [Donald] Trump announced a new 50% tariff on Canadian imports, U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03), a member of the House Small Business Committee, confronted Small Business Administration (SBA) Associate Administrator Paul Fitzpatrick on how these new sweeping tariffs will impact American small businesses. … Morrison [asked] Fitzpatrick to explain how small businesses will now be able to navigate trade with Canada given these changes.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4x2lijE
METRO
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Minneapolis mayor’s nominee for fire chief was questioned Wednesday about a lawsuit alleging harassment and discrimination at his former Connecticut fire department. Reginald ‘Reggie’ Freeman said the lawsuit didn’t involve him. … Mayor Jacob Frey nominated Freeman to be the next fire chief in May. … But his nominee must be approved by the City Council, and a council committee forwarded his nomination without a recommendation after his confirmation hearing on Wednesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b6VVVh
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “With the St. Paul mayor’s decision to close the city’s three largest homeless encampments, city council members said Wednesday they’ve been fielding questions on whether it’s based on specific assessments of the challenges at those locations or if the city is taking a new policy direction to have no encampments. Assistant St. Paul Mayor Cedrick Baker, speaking at a city council committee meeting, said he wouldn’t characterize it as a policy change, but the city does not want there to be any additional large, established encampments moving forward. … Ramsey County [will] provide an additional 49 emergency shelter beds at Higher Ground St. Paul Shelter, County Manager Ling Becker told council members Wednesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fvXbmg
INVER GROVE HGTS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “At the request of federal prosecutors, a judge on Wednesday dismissed the criminal case against a woman accused of crashing into immigration agents in a school parking lot during Operation Metro Surge. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert G. Tucker III on Tuesday filed the motion to dismiss Christina Rank’s case, saying that ‘upon a further review of the evidence and affidavit in support of the complaint, the government does not believe that probable cause for assault exists.’ The dismissal is among several [cases] that were later downgraded or outright dismissed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TazUid
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)
STATEWIDE
ELY: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “One week [after] the Boundary Waters Canoe Area closed as fire crews fight more than a dozen different fires in northern Minnesota, the nearby cities, including Ely, are facing major economic losses as residents, tourists and campers have been evacuated. The Chamber of Commerce made the decision to also cancel the city’s popular Blueberry Arts Festival. … If losses like this keep piling up, Republican Rep. Roger Skraba said the impact could reach $100 million for the entire season. … He’s counting on state and federal assistance, including public fundraising.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3TddEEl
SILVER BAY: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A nonprofit health system announced it would be closing one of its clinics on Minnesota’s North Shore. … The Aspirus Health Lake View Silver Bay Clinic will close at the end of December. The clinic plans to consolidate operations to its Two Harbors clinic…READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RQEIsD
RPS: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “As Rochester Public Schools prepares to approve a large-scale, multi-million dollar portfolio of changes to a number of its facilities, the district’s administration is stressing that the plan will not increase local taxes or require boundary changes. The Rochester School Board discussed the proposal over the course of nearly two hours [and] will vote on it Aug. 4.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fAmbsB
DAYBOOK
TODAY: Gov. Tim Walz has no public events.
TODAY: Sen. Amy Klobuchar and New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan are hosting a virtual press conference to discuss a new Joint Economic Committee report on how “war with Iran, tariffs, and other actions have led to skyrocketing costs for farmers,” per a release. The event is at 11:30 a.m.
TODAY: Attorney General Keith Ellison and Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal will host a private fundraising event for DFLer Matt Little’s CD2 campaign at 6:00 p.m.
TOMORROW: Endorsed CD2 DFL candidate Matt Little will host a “Medicare for All Healthcare Forum” with Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal in Eagan at 10:00 a.m. Later, the duo will host a “Medicare for All Canvassing Launch” to support Little’s CD2 campaign in Apple Valley at 3:00 p.m.
TOMORROW: DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild, GOP Rep. Roger Skraba and the Ely Chamber of Commerce will host a forum covering “the economic impact of Northland wildfires on tourism and other industries,” per a release. The event is at 11:30 a.m.
TOMORROW: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Sen. Tina Smith and Rep. Ilhan Omar will host a rally for Flanagan’s Senate campaign in St. Paul on Friday, July 24 at 7:00 p.m.
SATURDAY: 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.’”
JULY 28: The MN Dept. of Health will host a public hearing on Aspirus Health’s closure of the Lake View Silver Bay Clinic on Tuesday, July 28 in Two Harbors at 6:00 p.m.
JULY 29: Attorney General Keith Ellison will host a community forum on the proposed acquisition of Allina Health by Sutter Health on Wednesday, July 29 in Faribault at 6:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: schools advocate Kim Lewis, attorney Jim Yarosh, music scribe Chris Riemenschneider
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.