MIDWEEK WIN?
Wolves lose. Frost lose. Twins win. Lynx win.
Wild face elimination tonight in Colorado. Loons host Colorado in St. Paul.
Redfin ranked Rochester as one of the best cities for recent college graduates to live in. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3R4Fa5P
Mayo Clinic CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia is retiring at the end of the year. RPB: https://fluence-media.co/4uI3RDF
Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith met with NASA’s Artemis II crew. PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4ucFTR6
CNN finds that 77% of Americans think the president’s policies have increased the cost of living. Democrats have a slight advantage on economic issues, but around 1 in 3 voters trust neither party on the economy. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4u2xCPx
AtlasIntel, the most accurate pollster in 2020 and 2024, finds Democrats leading Republicans by nearly 15 points in midterm voter preference (55% D, 40% R). POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4fi9WSJ
Happy National Fruit Cocktail Day…out of a can of course.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya discussing her campaign, the war in Iran and what the GOP can do to win statewide. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3R09IG0
MNSIDER: sunday send, where we wonder why MPR is sponsoring political group Take Action. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ue401r
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Fluence Media introduces more — Insider Analysis & Insight from TheDailyAgenda.com
For the second day in a row, Gov. Tim Walz will interview candidates for the Minnesota Supreme Court, and no legislative leader meetings on the schedule.
JUSTICES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Three members of the Minnesota Supreme Court could be elevated to chief justice after Natalie Hudson [retires]. … Associate Justices Anne McKeig, Paul Thissen and Theodora Gaïtas are among the finalists for chief justice. … Four judges — Reynaldo Aligada, Elizabeth Bentley, Keala Ede and Juanita Freeman — are also finalists for the job. [Gov. Tim] Walz could appoint one of the four judges directly to the chief justice position or elevate one of the current justices and appoint a judge as an associate justice. The governor’s office provided the list of finalists after Walz interviewed candidates Tuesday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/433KokV
REVENUE: via MMB advisory, VERBATIM: “Net general fund revenues totaled $4.271 billion for the month of April, $230 million (5.7 percent) more than forecast. Net receipts from individual income tax, general sales tax, and other revenues for the month were all higher than forecast, while corporate franchise tax net revenues were less than forecast. For fiscal year 2026, year-to-date receipts are now $27.491 billion, $48 million (0.2 percent) more than forecast.” REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/3Rin7co
MORE: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Monthly reports aren’t used by lawmakers when setting budget policy, but they can provide patterns. For this fiscal year, which began in July, the state is now $48 million above projections. That’s 0.2 percent, so basically flat.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dlMLo3
SENATE RACE: Rep. Ilhan Omar has endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s bid for Senate, making her the second DFLer in the state’s federal delegation to weigh in on the race. after Sen. Tina Smith endorsed Flanagan as her successor.
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
CRUNCH TIME
Legislators time is getting tight to find a solution on HCMC which is the lynchpin to any legislative deal this session. Each side have a few “like to have”, but the “must haves” are few and far between. DFLers are pushing some proposals that cost more money in state government which creates other issues. Republicans don’t have major policy initiatives to push, since some of the issues they want to take some to November – like license tab fees.
The economy, Trump’s approval are going to be headwinds for Republicans. That said, there’s a growing sense that Minnesotans don’t trust fiscal management to DFLers.
Consider the framing of these issues in local districts, rather than the macro coverage of the media or the inside the dome bubble.
GUNS: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Twin Cities emergency room physicians, nurses and technicians made an emotional plea Tuesday for lawmakers to do something about Minnesota’s gun laws. … The group says they are making the same plea Annunciation parents are: let the bill that passed the Senate go to the House floor for a vote. … But right now, the bill is in a legislative holding pattern with no indication that Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth and her fellow party members plan to move it forward. … A Republican bill that would give schools more money for security upgrades and mental health resources also remains in limbo.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4tu2OpO
BILLS: Via MPR, updates on several bills that advanced closer to passage yesterday. VERBATIM: “A proposal to ban prediction markets — like Kalshi and Polymarket — is headed to Gov. Tim Walz as part of a broader public safety bill agreed upon by House and Senate lawmakers. Both chambers approved the bill Tuesday by substantial margins. … A bill that would ramp up safety around e-bikes cleared the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday with bipartisan support [and] is now headed to the Senate floor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RCbjBR
One issue that is still lingering is banning offshore casinos which seems to be easy especially as if legislators can ban Crypto ATM’s, prediction markets. Minnesota legislators overthink and are stuck on modernizing legislation on “sins”. Our historic righteousness has reached the point of outlier to the rest of the country.
340B: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The House [340B] bill is stuck in the Health Finance Committee. It stalled because Republicans, including bill sponsor Natalie Zeleznikar of Fredenberg, did not want an enforcement mechanism. But on Tuesday, House Republicans changed their tune. … ‘Right now, my position is that this is too important to not get this passed,’ Zeleznikar said. … Rep. Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley and co-chair of the House Health Finance Committee, said he supports the version of the bill that includes attorney general enforcement, [but] it is too late for House Health Finance to meet and pass the bill. … [However], Speaker Lisa Demuth has sole power to report a bill.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uNTdve
MORE: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Rural hospital leaders gathered Tuesday at the State Capitol in support of HF 3609, a bill that would shore up an existing 340B enforcement law. … The bipartisan bill, which the Minnesota Senate passed last month, would remove the sunset date and add Minnesota attorney general enforcement to the law. … Rep. Robert Bierman, DFL-Northfield, [said] the goal [is] to advance the House bill through the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee and to a debate on the House floor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dtonkC
(DISCLOSURE: Essentia, PhRMA and Community Action for Responsible Hospitals are Fluence sponsors)
FORUM: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Hospitals across the country continue to raise concerns about their struggles to stay afloat. A forum Monday night, ‘Hospitals in Critical Condition,’ a Fluence Forum with Blois Olson on WCCO Radio [focused] on struggles felt by the country’s health systems.”
THE SITUATION: “Hundreds of rural hospitals across the country are facing closures after years of funding problems, but that struggle is also being felt by hospitals in the core of the largest U.S. cities as well. That is highlighted by the fight for Hennepin County Medical Center to stay afloat in Minneapolis. That system is facing closure unless state funding is granted through the Minnesota Legislature. HCMC is the state’s premier level one trauma center, that treated patients following last year’s Annunciation Church shooting, and is frequently the first stop for the most dire of emergency situations in the state.”
RURAL: “One of the experts joining the forums is United Hospital District CEO Rick Ash, who tells the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar that OBGYN and delivery programs in rural Minnesota have been hit especially hard.” QUOTE: “About 11 years ago when I first got here, we had OB in every county around us,” says Ash. “Today, 19 programs across Minnesota have closed, and patients are driving 60-plus miles to give birth. And not to get into too much detail, but we’ve had a couple of occurrences where it’s been nip-and-tuck for babies. Fortunately we were here.”
MAKING THINGS WORSE: “Cuts to Medicaid funding vary by state. In Minnesota, the state is looking at a 15% cut, which amounts to approximately $19 billion over the next decade, and that’s money hospital systems can’t come close to making up.”
The entire two-hour forum is available for free online. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/MNHospitalsCriticalCondition
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)
SIGNED
SIGNED: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Today, Governor Tim Walz signed eleven bills. … SF 1750 prohibits certain practices by property management companies. … HF 4502 establishes a trusted contact program to help mitigate financial exploitation and fraud. … SF 1714 requires state agencies and local governments to provide payment transparency in public contracts as governed by the data practices act. HF 3521 provides an exception to the hospital construction moratorium.” FULL LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4fie2du
SOCIAL MEDIA: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “HF4138 would require age monitoring and verification for social media platforms, parental approval, and specific treatment of accounts for children under age 16 related to addictive features. … Passed 132-2, the amended bill next goes to the Senate. The bill would not ban younger users from having social media, [but] it would require a parent or guardian to approve. … Social media companies would be required to use their software to determine the age of a person signing up to their platform.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48Zd1Dr
MEMORIAL: via MPR, VERBATIM: “A stretch of highway in the eastern Twin Cities suburbs will soon carry the name of a White Bear Lake soldier killed in the war with Iran. Minnesota senators voted unanimously yesterday to designate part of State Highway 96 as ‘Master Sergeant Nicole Amor Memorial Highway.’ … The House previously gave its unanimous support. … Once it’s law, tribute signs will go up to mark the memorial highway.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dlMLo3
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)
TIDBITS
USDA: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency hit hardest in Minnesota by federal cuts last year, now faces additional defunding under President Donald Trump’s second-year budget proposal. The White House wants to reduce the USDA’s 2027 budget for discretionary conservation funding from $850 million to just $111 million. If the latest USDA cuts are approved, [Minnesota] could face a virtual ground-stop to programs that help farmers try new practices.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nsJDLV
MEMOIR: Former DFL Gov. Mark Dayton will release an autobiographical memoir this fall. Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “[The book] ‘Perseverance’ will be released by the Minnesota Historical Society Press on Sept. 15 and will feature a foreword by former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton. … Clinton writes of Dayton’s book: ‘Mark Dayton’s story is a reminder that progress is possible when leaders are guided by empathy.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dkv0Wd
MOVE: Former GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty will be the new president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, a national trade group, starting on June 15.
FLINT HILLS FAMILY FESTIVAL: Kick off the summer in downtown Saint Paul with the Flint Hills Family Festival on May 29-30, one of the largest and longest-standing events of its kind. The Festival offers free fun for people of all ages in Rice Park and Landmark Plaza, with performances and activities that provide something for everyone, along with world-class shows inside the Ordway for just $8! Now in its 26th year, this year’s Festival lineup includes Cirque Mechanics: TILT!, NOOMA: an opera for babies, and Click Clack Moo! More than one million people have experienced the Festival, including hundreds of thousands of students who have visited on field trips during the Festival’s School Days. Join us this year! LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dhpdBM (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
METRO
WASH CTY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Now that the Gold Line bus rapid transit line is up and running, Washington County officials are considering a change in the allocation of the county’s 0.5 percent transportation sales tax that would earmark $9 million more annually for road and bridge projects. Currently, half of the money collected each year goes to road and bridge projects, and the other half goes to transit projects. … On Tuesday, the majority of commissioners supported a new allocation of 85 percent for road and bridge projects and 15 percent for transit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nriiJY
ISANTI CTY: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Isanti County has kept property tax levy increases low, even as the county grows faster than much of Minnesota. In Isanti County, the levy increase is 4% over two years, which the Department of Revenue says is the lowest in Minnesota. … Alan Duff, [the] Isanti County Board chairman, [said] a healthy reserve fund and consistent county employment have helped Isanti avoid larger increases.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/48ZQQNj
GRANDMAS RIDE ATVs TOO: Check out Donna’s story — a powerful reminder that ATV riding is about more than trails; it’s about people, community, and connection. Donna’s message reflects what so many riders across Minnesota believe: responsible riding, strong local economies, and protecting access for future generations all go hand in hand. Thank you, Donna, for sharing your story and helping put a face to what “I Ride” truly means. Check out Donna’s story HERE: https://fluence-media.co/4tDeK9r (SPONSORED: ATV Minnesota)
MAPLEWOOD: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “The Maplewood City Council approved a resolution [opposing] the continued use of an outdoor gun range by the St. Paul Police Department. … A 99-year lease for use of the gun range was signed with the city of St. Paul in 1974 and goes through 2073. But with continuing concerns about noise disturbances, the Maplewood City Council is calling on officials with Ramsey County, which owns the property, to reconsider the arrangement.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4d7nm2H
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 Washington should fix the federal 340B program, so it actually helps patients. LEARN MORE: https://phrma.org/340B (SPONSORED: PhRMA)
ACROSS MN
ROCHESTER: via Rep. Brad Finstad release, VERBATIM: “Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) sent a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT), Sean Duffy, and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Bryan Bedford, calling on the DOT and FAA to support United Airlines service between Rochester International Airport (RST) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) as soon as possible.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4d8pqr2
STEWARTVILLE: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Stewartville Public Schools is weighing the possibility of asking voters to approve an operating levy, although district leaders have not yet determined whether they will host a referendum this November or wait until a point later on. The Stewartville School Board discussed the topic during a meeting [that] focused more on the options that the district could pursue, rather than making concrete plans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uaHxmn
GLOBAL TRADE BOLSTERS AG ECONOMIES: via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Each year, Minnesota’s exports of corn, ethanol, corn-fed meat, and dried distillers grains (DDGS) alone support over 11,500 jobs and add billions to the state’s economy. They also help ensure that consumers around the world have access to affordable protein and dairy products. In May, during World Trade Month, Minnesota Corn celebrates that important role trade plays in all our lives — in the U.S. and abroad.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dqEqB1 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
LOOKING AHEAD
SESSION: No House floor session. Senate floor session at 11:00 a.m. FLOOR: The Senate will hear bills on impersonating police, egg donations, thermal energy, election administration, and campaign requirements. CONFERENCE: Conference committees will hear omnibus bills for safety and security, commerce and consumer protection, and a Permanent School Fund amendment. HOUSE: Fraud Prevention & Oversight hears adoption of a committee report. SENATE: Rules & Admin. hears restrictions on social media accounts for minors. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/3RkjGBY
TODAY: Minnesota Auditor Julie Blaha and Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs will join a press call “demanding full transparency and accountability in the tariff refund process,” per a release. The virtual event is at 11:00 a.m.
TODAY: The Minneapolis Fed will host a virtual event at 12:00 noon discussing results from their latest regional survey of Minnesota’s child care businesses.
TODAY: Vice Pres. JD Vance and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz will host a press conference on “anti-fraud initiatives” in Washington, D.C. at 2:00 p.m., per a release. Minnesota will likely be mentioned.
TODAY: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced he will sign a municipal gun safety package and call on lawmakers to address the issue at the state level. Council Member Aurin Chowdhury will attend. The event is at 3:30 p.m.
TODAY: Attorney General Keith Ellison will host a forum on the future of HCMC at 6:00 p.m. in Minneapolis.
We won’t ask for “membership” to list your BDAY, and we won’t have pledge drive but you can support the Fluence work by paying for premium content.
BDAYS: attorney Jeff O’Brien, Minneapolis leader Don Samuels, fmr. state demographer Tom Giillaspy, and radio guy Brian Oake, veteran lobbyist John Regal
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.