It’s back to business at the Capitol, and several public safety-related bills have been introduced this session. 

But which bills have enough bipartisan support to pass in a divided Legislature?  

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with two key lawmakers about public safety and the proposals seeking to reshape laws from traffic offenses to felony crime sentencing.  

Later in the hour, two political analysts break down the last month in state and national politics. President Donald Trump has brought his predictably unpredictable style back to the White House and Minnesota’s 2026 election stakes have been raised. We’ll find out what to expect over coming months.

Guests:  

• Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park 




• Rep. Paul Novotny, R-Elk River 




• Abou Amara is a political analyst and Twin Cities attorney.  




• Preya Samsundar is a political analyst and a GOP strategist.  

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President Donald Trump’s makeover of the federal government is going full steam.

But he’s doing it in a way that has gone around Congress — with one executive action after another. But soon, Trump will need congressional votes to pay for his immigration crackdown and to extend a series of tax breaks. 

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst will speak with Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, from a northern Minnesota district, about the part he’ll play in Washington.

Later, a check-in with the top tax official in Minnesota as tax filing season approaches its second busiest filing weekend.

Plus, a frank conversation with Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith about her decision to not run for reelection in 2026.

Guests:

• U.S. Sen. Tina Smith




• U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, MN-8




• Paul Marquart, commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Revenue

  
  

  Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.   

  
  

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MPR News host Brian Bakst talks about the blistering change in Washington with U.S. Sen. Tina Smith. And the scuffle in the Minnesota House is over. We discuss how lawmakers struck a deal to gavel in the session.

The Democratic National Committee will elect a new party chair this weekend. Minnesota’s Ken Martin, the current state DFL Party leader, is vying for the job.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and his guests talk about Martin’s run for the national party’s top post at a time where Democrats are regrouping.

And Republicans in the state have a new leader, too. Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash was elected to lead Minnesota’s conservative party in December. He joins the conversation to share the state of his party.

Meanwhile, the oddity of the session continues as the chamber in the House fails to reach a quorum and DFLers will take back the Senate after a special election. We’ll get the latest news, and a roundup of voices, from the state Capitol with reporters Clay Masters and Peter Cox.

Guests:  

• Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison 




• Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash




• MPR News senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson

Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.   

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.   

The Legislature opened its session on Jan. 14. But the House hasn’t been able to operate at full capacity.  

Democrats are boycotting and Republicans have declined to cut a deal to share power or commit to leaving a DFL win in a contested House election intact.

Now the Minnesota Supreme Court is involved. 

Will a ruling by justices settle things or could the standoff linger deeper into the session? 

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talked to the two Minnesota lawmakers with a role in the power struggle.

Later, he spoke with two legal scholars about how the constitutional tug-of-war is playing out. 

The tied Minnesota Senate got under way in amicable fashion with senators notching a power-sharing deal to avoid problems.

The House is another story. Democrats boycotted and republicans went full steam ahead — despite legal questions about their ability to do so. It’s a bit messy.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and his guests talk about the first week of the 2025 legislative session from a panel discussion he recorded with a pair of lawmakers at the Minnesota’s Chamber of Commerce annual session issues forum earlier in the week.

Plus, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who just put out his budget plan, joined the conversation.

Guests:

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz




• Sen. Judy Seeberger, DFL-Afton




• Rep. Andrew Myers, R-Tonka Bay

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

The Minnesota Legislature will gavel-in a new session on Jan. 14 at noon, and MPR’s politics team is at the Capitol to cover it all. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and his guests talk about the 2025 legislative session.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson about her interview with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for a special episode of Politics Friday.

After a whirlwind bid for vice president, Walz returns to Minnesota and reflects on what went wrong for Democrats in November.

Walz also talks about his approach to working across the political aisle and passing a two-year state budget amid a changed political dynamic in St. Paul. Republicans were able to break up the DFL trifecta at the Capitol, tying Democrats for control of the House of Representatives.

The Senate maintains a one-vote DFL advantage. And finally, the governor introduces a plan to curb fraud and abuse in state government programs and speaks to the delay in the state’s roll out of the nascent cannabis industry.

MPR News senior politics reporter Clay Masters looks back on the 2024 election campaign for the Iowa Caucus to election events leading up to this week when President-elect Trump stepped back into the White House.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and his guests talk about the Minnesota Legislature and how the state will govern in 2025 with both chambers split virtually down the middle.