The Sunday Take

Blois is back on the political beat this week.  For this episode, he sits down with the following guests:

• Jill Hasday, Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Law, discusses the fallout from this week's news at the Supreme Court.  What does the leak of the decision draft regarding Roe v. Wade mean for the future of the institution?
• Attorney Jim Schultz gives us the reasoning for his candidacy in this year's Attorney General election.  What does he want to being to the position?
• Michael Brodkorb, former deputy chair of the MN Republican Party, provides a preview of next week's party convention.  Which gubernatorial candidate does he believe will earn the party's endorsement?

As we open the month of May, Blois takes the show on the road.  He's in Grands Rapids for this weekend's Leadership Minnesota event from the MN Chamber of Commerce.  He sits down with the following guests to discuss how different areas of industry were effected during the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Sugar Lake Lodge owner/president Fred Bobich looks at the effect on the hospitality industry.
• Clow Stamping Company president Lori Davies gives an update of how this has effected the manufacturing industry.
• Gardner Builders CEO/founder Bob Gardner describes the impact to the commercial construction industry.

Blois has some things to say, and he also leaves time to catch up with the following guests:

• The Redemption Project co-founders Tim Owens & Dwight Tostenson explain their organization, which is designed to help incarcerated people re-integrate into society after serving their sentences.
• Andy Luger, who is now returning to the role of U.S. Attorney for Minnesota.  It has been five years since he held the same post.  What differences issues does he anticipate dealing with during his second stint in the job?

Before the guests arrive, Blois takes some time for his own assessment of where Minnesota is ahead of Sunday's State of the State address.

On this Easter Sunday, Blois welcomes the following guests on for discussions on several topics:

• Minnesota Corn Growers Association director Brian Thalmann explains the impact that the recent announcement regarding Ethanol fuel will have on members of the organization.
• Minneapolis attorney and legal analyst Joe Tamburino looks into some of the recent decisions being made in area court cases.
• Twin Cities Public Television journalist Mary Lahammer describes what is happening in St. Paul as the state legislature heads toward the final month of their 2022 session.

This week, Blois takes the time to sit down with the following guests:

• Jeff Ettinger, the former CEO of Hormel Foods, talks about his decision to run (as a Democrat) for the open 1st Congressional District seat.
• Scientist and entrepreneur Dr. Hugh McTavish has put his name in the Governor's race.  The Independent candidate tells us what inspired him to run.  And what out-of-the-box idea does he have for the legislature?
• Former Governor Tim Pawlenty takes a bit of a deeper dive into the endorsement process that goes into our statewide elections.

As we (hopefully) head towards Spring, Blois has his eye on the future.  This week, he sits down with the following guests:

• Litigator Ryan Wilson tells us why he's deciding to run for State Auditor.  What does he believe he can bring to the position?
• Well, if we're getting out of Winter, we know the other state season is about to get going...road construction season.  Jake Loesch, MNDOT Senior Director of Communications, lets us know about the big projects taking place in 2022.
• Elizer Darris, Co-Executive Director of MN Freedom Fund, describes when and how this organization began, as well as the progress they've made to this point.

As we close out the month of March, Blois turns the conversation off of the more "in your face" issues and focuses on items that could be more impactful on a family level.  This week, he sits down with the following guests:

• MN Rep. Kristin Robbins has introduced a bill that hopes to ban the practice of social media companies targeting their algorithms toward minors.  She joins the program to explain why she brought this up for debate.
• MN Rep. John Huot has drafted legislation regarding the behavior of parents at youth sporting events.  He gives us some insight into his plan to deal with this issue.

Plus, Blois takes some time to dive into the status of Minnesota politics as we roll through what is already a heated, divisive election cycle.

This week, the political plate is full of news.  Blois sits down to chat with the following guests:

• Agricultural law attorney Matt Benda has entered the race for the 1st Congressional seat.  The former Chair of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce lets us know why he decided now was the time to put his name in the ring.
• How that Sunday liquor sales has passed, what other state alcohol laws need to be looked into?  MN House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt gives us an update.
• Iron Range writer/jounalist Aaron J. Brown (a.k.a. Minnesota Brown) joins the program to discuss the Senator Tom Bakk's recent announcement that he will leave the state legislature.  What does this mean for northern Minnesota politics?

On this mid-March Sunday, Blois sits down with the following guests:

• Former CEO of the Center for Rural Policy Brad Finstad explains why he's jumping into the special election for the vacated 1st District Congressional seat.
• Former Minneapolis city councilman and long-time community activist Don Samuels discusses his reasons for challenging Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for her 5th District seat.
• MN Senator Nick Frentz gives us a deeper look into the the conversation on how to replenish the state's unemployment insurance and who qualifies for frontline worker pay (regarding pandemic relief).

During this edition of the program, Blois chats with the following state decision makers:

• State Rep. Jeremy Munson explains why he is running for the late Jim Hagedorn's seat in Congress, including a layout of the issues his campaign hopes to have an impact on.
• MN Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington discusses how his department is trying to tackle the biggest safety and crime problems across the state.
• MN Rep. Ilhan Omar reflects on this week's State of the Union address.  She also looks ahead to what Democrats can do to help themselves garner positive momentum ahead of the 2022 elections.