Minnesota was rocked over the weekend by the politically targeted shootings of two state lawmakers. State Rep. Melissa Hortman, a former DFL House Speaker, was fatally shot along with her husband, Mark. DFL State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are still recovering after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Political leaders and many Minnesotans are still trying to make sense of it all. In the hours after the suspect in those shootings was arrested, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst, Minnesota Now host Nina Moini and politics reporter Clay Masters spoke with three of the state’s top political leaders. Guests: Gov. Tim Walz is a former Democratic vice presidential candidate and second-term DFL governor of Minnesota.House speaker Lisa Demuth is a Republican from Cold Spring.Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is a DFLer, a former state representative and a candidate for the U.S. senate.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.
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Politics Friday: Digging into the one-day special session
Minnesota lawmakers are breathing a bit easier now that they’ve finally adopted a new budget — roughly $66 billion over the next two years. The Legislature met earlier this week for a special session to get the work done. There were protests, long debates, stories of immigration, but lawmakers managed to pass 15 bills in less than one day. On this special podcast edition of Politics Friday, MPR politics editor Brian Bakst and reporter Ellie Roth take us through the action.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Politics Friday won’t be coming to you every Friday this summer but will appear here and there in this podcast feed as events warrant. Rest assured, we’ll be back to a more-regular cadence this fall. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.
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Politics Friday: Lawmakers slog toward budget conclusion as special session is set
It’s been about three weeks since the the Legislature adjourned from the 2025 session without completing a state budget.Since then, teams of negotiators have met, mostly in private, to try to chart a path to the end and craft remaining budget bills. Lawmakers will have to complete this task to avoid a partial government shutdown that would interrupt services in state parks, key health programs, driver’s licensing exams and more. A one-day special session has been called for 10 a.m. Monday. Will there be enough votes to approve a final compromise? MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with two House leaders about a state budget and what could happen if the budget deal isn’t met. Later in the program, a look at the return-to-office for many state employees and a roundtable with Capitol journalists on everything happening in this not-so-quiet start to summer. Guests: GOP Floor Leader of the House Harry Niska, Ramsey DFL Floor Leader of the House Jamie Long, Minneapolis Former Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget Jim SchowalterSubscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Politics Friday: Walz weighs in as state lawmakers head into overtime
The Minnesota Legislature is hanging around a bit longer. The yearly work was supposed to end Monday, May 19 but lawmakers adjourned with unfinished business. Now, they’re gearing up for a special session. Most of the budget is unresolved and the final points of agreement are still not in hand. So when might this be done and is a government shutdown a possibility?MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with Gov. Tim Walz about the legislative session and his role in settling the budget dispute. He is urging lawmakers to avoid the worst-case scenario, which would be entering July without a budget. Later in the program, political analysts unpack the political landscape amid the action and inaction in Minnesota and Washington. Guests: Tim Walz is a former Democratic vice presidential candidate and second-term DFL governor of Minnesota.Abou Amara is a Democratic political analyst and Twin Cities attorney. Preya Samsundar is a political analyst and a GOP strategist. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Politics Friday: Is the Legislature on the doorstep of a special session?
The end of the Minnesota Legislature’s session was supposed to be right around the corner — Monday, May 19 — but just like the choppy start of this year’s session, the ending is proving to be difficult. Back in January, a politically tied House got off to a delayed start. Now, the possibility of a special session looms over the Capitol. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with legislative leaders about the state budget and the final push to the end of this session. Guests: GOP Floor Leader of the House Harry Niska, Ramsey DFL Floor Leader of the House Jamie Long, Minneapolis Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson, East Grand Forks Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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