TOP O’ THE MORNING
Wild in Chicago. Wolves host Phoenix. St. Thomas MBB going to the NIT.
Chilly but still a good excuse to tip a few. A little snow tonight.
Classes cancelled due to a threat at the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan District 196 this morning. Late starts in southern Minnesota due to the roads.
I’ll be with the MN Rural Electric Association this morning with some legislative leaders to discuss energy policy. See you there.
Kellogg in Wabasha County had the highest snow total statewide at 25” so far. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4sQkdJr
Most of the state could see another 2” of snow today. NWS: https://fluence-media.co/4sMBVNV
Twin Cities gas prices jumped another 18 cents in one week.
Fluence Advisory is seeking candidates for a new position. JOB: https://fluence-media.co/4duXaiK
Stay warm. Be Safe.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
The WCCO Radio morning take from today with Vineeta Sawkar. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4bLBAW6
Sunday Take featured Sen. Ron Latz and a check in on the legislative session – lots of noise, few signals and a feeling that in a closely divided legislature isn’t listening to the data, but only to the loudest voices. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3P87zXL
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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/
DRIVING TODAY
A flurry or blizzard of news today from on fraud from the Senate DFL, safe schools from the Senate GOP and organized crime from the business community…and the Governor will release his final supplemental budget.
There’s also a new audit coming today on the autism program it’s a “special review report, Department of Human Services Investigations of Alleged Kickbacks in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Program”
TODAY: Gov. Tim Walz will announce his supplemental budget proposal today at 12:00 noon. Walz’s 2026 proposal focuses on “lowering costs for middle class families while making responsible cuts,” per a release. Commissioners Paul Marquart, Erin Campbell, Tikki Brown and Shireen Gandhi will attend.
RETIRING: Republican state Reps. Paul Novotny and Patti Anderson will not seek reelection in 2026. Novotny is the GOP chair of the Public Safety committee in the House. Anderson is a former state auditor and vice chair of the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight committee in the House.
Follow the latest campaign updates all year at www.fluencelectiontracker.com
WAR: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: More than two weeks into Trump’s war in the Middle East, Minnesota conservatives are debating the merits of a conflict that could affect the outcome of the GOP primary races for Congress, U.S. Senate and state offices…Many believe Trump’s military campaign has been successful, and recent national polls show most Republicans are sticking by the president…At the same time, some rank-and-file Republicans are expressing skepticism of widening the war, and a vocal group of national conservative figures like Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson have already defected on the issue. MUNSON: “Congress is the one that should be debating going to war,” said Jeremy Munson, a former GOP state representative who chairs the Republican Liberty Caucus of Minnesota. “I don’t think waging war in multiple countries around the world when we’re nearly $40 trillion in debt is a position that strengthens America.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sdtECF
SENATE RACE: via Politico, VERBATIM: “In contested Senate primaries, [some] Democrats have pledged not to accept corporate PAC money, [including] Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. … [But] candidates who aren’t currently in office receive almost no corporate PAC donations anyway, as more than 99 percent of those funds have gone to sitting senators or representatives this cycle. … Flanagan [also] faced criticism for accepting corporate money in past roles. … That has been a point of conflict in Minnesota, where opponent Rep. Angie Craig has hit Flanagan for corporate PAC donations accepted by the DLGA while she was its chair. The group is now backing her campaign. … Flanagan’s campaign has said she did not have sole decision-making power over the DLGA’s donors.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4luggHS
RESPONSE: via a Rep. Angie Craig spokesperson, STATEMENT: “Misleading voters when it’s convenient for her political ambition is a pattern throughout the Lieutenant Governor’s campaign – whether it’s running away from accountability on massive fraud, or accepting millions of dollars in corporate money as chair of the DLGA, including from the pharma, tobacco, oil and gas industries and an ICE detention center contractor. The Lieutenant Governor‘s hypocrisy is clear.”
A new level of insight and information….
FRAUD FLOW
TASK FORCE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump announced the creation of a task force to fight fraud across the country Monday, March 16, following the administration’s focus on Minnesota. … Vice President JD Vance will chair the task force and Andrew Ferguson, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, will be the task force’s vice chair. … The task force [will] be responsible for recommending ways in which federal funds can be withheld from jurisdictions ‘that do not have adequate anti-fraud requirements.’ … In announcing the task force, [Trump] blamed Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Rep. Ilhan Omar for being ‘complicit’ in the state’s fraud crisis.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lzqtD4
RESPONSE: via Attorney General Keith Ellison statement, ELLISON: “I’ll continue doing everything in my power to hold fraudsters accountable. If Donald Trump actually cared about fraud, he’d stop pardoning so many fraudsters, stop politicizing the issue, and start working with leaders from both parties to actually solve problems.”
MORE: via Rep. Brad Finstad statement, FINSTAD: “Great to see POTUS sign today’s executive order creating the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud – a major step to preventing the kind of massive theft of taxpayer dollars that we’ve seen in Minnesota. I’m grateful for this administration’s commitment to taking fraud seriously.”
REDACTIONS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Senate will be the next battleground over major redactions in a report intended to help state lawmakers prevent future fraud. … Senator Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls) [said] Monday: ‘The Department of Human Services (DHS) would be able to, if they chose to, release the vast majority of this information. They are deciding to use Chapter 13 to shield this information from the public.’ … [DHS] says that law allows them to redact information ‘so that we don’t provide a roadmap for fraudsters who would exploit the information to steal from Minnesota taxpayers.’ … DHS officials say they’re trying to find a way to give lawmakers more information without violating data practices law.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/47Ql190
MEDICAID: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota House on Monday unanimously approved a bill to repeal from state law a problematic program that prosecutors said was the target of a massive fraud scheme. Federal regulators at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services terminated Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program last October. … The proposal that advanced out of the Minnesota House would formalize the end of the HSS Medicaid benefit. … The measure still needs to clear the Senate, where lawmakers are advancing a similar bill.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4sf0G5B
GUILTY: via KARE 11’s Lou Raguse, VERBATIM: “Six fraud suspects say they will plead guilty this week in the Feeding our Future meal scam case. The seven on the indictment were all set to stand trial together in late April. They are a family, led by Ikram Mohamed, who allegedly recruited them all to take part and steal about $12 million in taxpayer money.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4bj9RKQ
MINNESOTA’S ATV RIDERS ARE YOUR CONSTITUENTS: Last September, hundreds of riders joined the ATV Minnesota President’s Ride — families, veterans, small business owners, and volunteers from across the state. They represent thousands of Minnesotans who responsibly use and maintain Minnesota’s ATV trail system. As decision makers evaluate trail policy, funding, and land-use decisions this session, we invite you to hear directly from the people they represent. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4u4dGw9 (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
MNLEG
SCHOOLS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Parents and victims of the Annunciation Church mass shooting are frustrated by the lack of support for new gun safety laws, [but] a new bill in Minnesota would require schools to promote or create threat reporting programs. … However, some school leaders believe the bill lacks clear standards for threat evaluation and coordination between schools and law enforcement. … The bill [also] currently does not include funding for implementing these programs, raising concerns about its effectiveness and reach.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/416oxID
CHILDREN: via MPR, VERBATIM: “The Senate is looking to make a rule change for the youngest members of senators’ families. The Senate Rules and Administration Committee is set to take up a temporary rule allowing family members to be admitted to the floor and granting them the option to feed babies and young children milk or formula. This is a break from the strict rules that prohibit food on the floor and only allow water in clear containers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rEbzge
GOV RACE: Gubernatorial candidate and GOP Rep. Kristin Robbins was interviewed on Full Measure about fraud in Minnesota programs and how it should be addressed. ROBBINS: “It just kept mushrooming, but in the same network, in the same business model, all because there were no internal controls at DHS, no guardrails in these programs, and a lot of money.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4rzdcM4
Appeals Court rejects PhRMA’s attack on Minnesota’s contract pharmacy protections: A recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision upheld the state’s 340B contract pharmacy law – a win for rural and underserved communities. The 340B program allows eligible hospitals to purchase outpatient drugs at reduced prices so they can reinvest in 24/7 access to local health care. Still, many drug companies are not complying with Minnesota law, denying these essential savings to hospitals and the communities that rely on them. Legislators have an opportunity to protect access to affordable health care across Minnesota by supporting SF 3769 and HF 3609, which ensure that 340B is protected and enforced. READ MORE: Appeals court upholds Minnesota’s 340B law in PhRMA lawsuit | AHA News (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
RURAL HEALTH: via MN Senate advisory, VERBATIM: “Senator Rich Draheim (R–Madison Lake) today introduced legislation to expand rural healthcare for pregnant mothers and babies. Senate File 3651 would provide a competitive grant program to rural hospitals and higher education institutions to train staff and maintain maternity units in rural hospitals. … The bill was heard in the Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee and was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.” BILL: https://fluence-media.co/4dq5IYj
GROOMING: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “Minnesota senators advanced an anti-grooming bill on Monday, March 16, that would address several loopholes in state law that survivors hope to close. The bill, SF3969, authored by Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, would make several changes to state law, including making grooming a felony, mandating reporting and training on grooming for school faculty, and prohibiting school employees from being alone with a student on a field trip.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4luYh41
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
MORRISON: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Rep. Kelly Morrison invested between $15,000 to $50,000 in stocks that specialize in autonomous naval vessels just a little over a week after the war in Iran began. … Morrison has so far been opposed to the war. … Morrison’s office [said] her stock portfolio is managed by an investment adviser and that she had ‘no prior knowledge of this transaction and was not consulted beforehand.’ However, watchdog groups say the investment raises questions about conflicts of interest.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40AnWyJ
STAUBER: via Duluth News Tribune, VERBATIM: “U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber’s bill to increase penalties for child care fraud is facing pushback by Muslim and Somali leaders. … The Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota called the Hermantown congressman’s Stop Fraud by SOMALIA Act ‘discriminatory and deeply irresponsible.’ … ‘You cannot name a federal bill after a nationality or ethnic group and claim it is about accountability,’ Suleiman Adan, deputy executive director of CAIR-Minnesota, said. … The bill [would] make it easier to deport non-citizen providers convicted of fraud.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47oT2gL
MINING: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In early February, environmental advocates warned followers on social media that a crucial vote to roll back a mining ban next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was imminent. … [But] more than a month later, a vote has yet to happen. Conservation groups and tribal nations have been applying pressure behind the scenes, lobbying Republican members of the body to tip the balance against the resolution. … The Senate has 60 working days in session to vote on the resolution, placing the deadline at the very end of April.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lGcLOQ
ICE + DHS
BOVINO: via Axios, VERBATIM: “Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official who became the face of the Trump Administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown [in Minnesota], plans to retire at the end of March. … Earlier this month, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office was looking into more than a dozen cases of potentially unlawful behavior by federal agents — including one involving Bovino.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4brRCmx
DHS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “A man from El Salvador, once labeled as one of the ‘Worst of the Worst’ by the Department of Homeland Security, has been released from custody without any criminal charges. … A judge ruled his detention was unlawfully prolonged due to government missteps.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/46YKoW0
DRONES: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “A Minnesota photojournalist and press freedom advocates are suing the Federal Aviation Administration over a recently issued rule banning drone flights within 3,000 feet of Department of Homeland Security buildings and vehicles. ‘You have no way of knowing in advance before you fire up the drone whether you are within a prohibited distance of, say, an unmarked car that ICE is using for immigration enforcement,’ said Grayson Clary, a staff attorney at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which is representing independent photojournalist Rob Levine in the case.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bMvRzh
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)
METRO
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “When United Hmong Family hosted its annual Hmong New Year celebration in 2022, it paid St. Paul police almost $59,000 for security. Last year, the cost to contract police at overtime rates increased to $81,000. … The St. Paul RiverCentre, which is owned by the city, charges United Hmong Family an additional $30,000 to $50,000 for private security and other public safety measures. … The question of how to buffer rising public safety costs for community events [is] a politically charged consideration for the city council, which has repeatedly returned to the topic after fielding complaints for years. By council members’ own acknowledgement, progress has been both slow and mixed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bfaN4q
MPLS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “A coalition of Minneapolis City Council members and community leaders are raising doubt that a proposed $38 million training and wellness complex for first responders is the best use of taxpayer dollars. … Mayor Jacob Frey’s administration put forth the plan for a dedicated space to train employees under the Community Safety umbrella. … [But] during a news conference Monday morning, Council Members Aisha Chughtai, Soren Stevenson and Robin Wonsley contended the $38 million would be better spent elsewhere. … Wonsley was also skeptical that such a facility would further the city’s progress on the MDHR consent decree.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4uvCzku
STILLWATER: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The Stillwater Area School District, facing a $5.2 million deficit, has decided to move middle school athletic programs out of the schools and into community education. District officials say they plan to keep the same number of sports and coaches and maintain the existing structure. They say the move, which will save the district about $250,000 a year, makes sense because community education already runs the middle school ski club and theater programs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sSq3tW
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
OLMSTED CTY: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Michael Walters announced Monday his candidacy for Olmsted County Attorney. Walters has been in the county’s top prosecutor role since April 2025 when the county board appointed him to finish the current term following former county attorney Mark Ostrem’s retirement. Walters was appointed to serve until Jan. 5, 2027. His announcement Monday [is] his first public campaign for the post.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/476xLbr
GRAND PORTAGE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has reclaimed valuable North Shore land, some of which was lost to its people more than 150 years ago. Nearly 90 acres is back under the control of the band, whose 47,000-acre reservation hugs the Lake Superior shoreline near the border of Ontario. It is considered the tribe’s largest land return in recent history, tribal leaders say. A foundation associated with a man who owned some of the land for decades facilitated its return.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lygi1l
DAYBOOK
SESSION: No House floor session. Senate floor session at 11:00 a.m. HOUSE: Human Services will hear bills on Medical Assistance integrity. State Govt. hears changes to the number of members in the Minnesota House and Senate. Judiciary & Civil Law hears restrictions on assault weapons, license plate readers and social media. Public Safety hears a ban on detaining or transporting suspects in certain vehicles. SENATE: Commerce & Consumer Protection hears the Manufactured Home Residents’ Bill of Rights and several cannabis bills. State & Local Govt. hears a bill to implement legislative auditor recommendations. Elections will hear a bill prohibiting “scam PACs.” CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/40C1xRH
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will meet with the Australian Consul General in Chicago, announce his 2026 supplemental budget proposal, and recognize Reading Month at an elementary school.
TODAY: DFL Rep. Brad Tabke will host a press conference with the ACLU to “announce legislation protecting Minnesotans’ private license plate data,” per a release. The event is at 9:00 a.m.
TODAY: Senate DFL members, including Majority Leader Erin Murphy, will host a press conference announcing an anti-fraud package at 10:00 a.m.
TODAY: GOP Rep. Jeff Witte and a coalition led by MN Retailers will host a press conference on new legislation addressing organized retail theft and supply chain crimes. The event is at 11:30 a.m.
(DISCLOSURE: MN Retailers is a Fluence client)
TODAY: DFL Sen. Liz Boldon, DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger and DFL Rep. Matt Norris will host a press conference with supporters ahead of the first hearing of the “Manufactured Home Residents’ Bill of Rights” in the state Senate. The event is at 12:00 noon.
TODAY: At 2PM, Senate Republicans will hold a press conference to announce an education plan for safe and smart kids, with Sens. Julia Coleman, Zach Duckworth, Karin Housley and Jason Rarick
TODAY: “Posters at St. Paul” will showcase academic research presentations in the Capitol Rotunda to “highlight the accomplishments of students from across the Minnesota State system,” per a release. The event is at 2:00 p.m.
THURSDAY: via MNA advisory, VERBATIM: “Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association have filed a 10-day notice to hold an informational picket on Thursday, March 19, outside North Memorial Health Maple Grove Hospital.” The event is at 7:30 a.m.
THURSDAY: All four DFL candidates for State Auditor — Zack Filipovich, Adam Jennings, Ben Schierer and Dan Wolgamott — will attend a candidate forum in Rochester on Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/472LnEw
NEXT WEEK: MN Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (MNASCA) will host its “Day at the Capitol” on Tuesday, March 24.
MARCH 31: via MDA advisory, VERBATIM: “Network with agricultural leaders at the 28th annual Women’s Agricultural Leadership Conference (WALC) on Tuesday, March 31 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. This year’s WALC theme, ‘Local Leadership: Global Impact,’ will focus on developing and uplifting women in agriculture.”
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BDAYS: actress Marisa Coughlan, Stinson’s Suzanna Kennedy, marketer Brynn Idelkope, the retired Deb Hopp, North Star Media’s Chuck Bolkcom
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.