The Sunday Take

There is still a ton to unpack with the “Big Beautiful Bill”, Blois lays out just a few pieces of this bill of which we do know with plenty still to come as it overall is a 900 page bill - Representative Tom Emmer joins Blois to discuss some of the specifics of the bill such as the effect it has on Medicaid and the short term effects on the deficit going forward as Tom has been in the center of this debate and overall process since the start!

In the aftermath of Saturday’s funeral for the former Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman, we reflect on the path forward as we heal but also remember the contributions of Melissa to this state and the groundwork she laid. Then we chatted with Sen. Scott Dibble on the 10 year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling for legalization of Same-Sex Marriage, the current culture of how members of the LGBTQ+ community are treated today and more! Afterwards, we open the lines for any feedback, concerns, questions, anything regarding Minnesota, this country - anything! Then Blois shares his take for this Sunday morning and that is simply - take time to wind down and relax!

As we in Minnesota are still reeling from the events of last weekend we look ahead to what is next for the Minnesota legislature. Today, Blois chats with Representative Dave Baker and Minnesota state auditor Julie Blaha about the path ahead, things to look ahead to with the special session behind us, some of the humanity that people do not see between the many colleagues around him and more! and where we go from here as we try to move forward.

A detailed 20-page complaint filed by federal prosecutors reveals chilling details about the actions by Vance Boelter, the suspect in targeted, political shootings that left former Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark dead, and State Senator John Hoffman and his wife seriously injured. Here's reaction from local hosts on WCCO in Minneapolis, plus commentary on our overly hot political climate in the US, and how we can prevent this from happening again.

Yesterday was the darkest day in Minnesota history where we lost Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark and reflecting on Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette as they recover from an assassination attempt. Blois shares his thoughts as we replay last Sunday’s conversation with Speaker Hortman as they discuss being cordial with each other amid the tensions in the special session. Then we talked to Fmr Representative John Lesch who knew Hortman well and we reflect on not just the Speaker but the human being Melissa was and reflected on her legacy and we did the same with Representative Jeff Witte about the security going forward of many of the public figures especially those listed on a manifesto and reflected on some of his memorable moments of Melissa Hortman on a dark weekend where we recover from the events of Saturday involving the Hortman family as well as Senator Hoffman and his wife and how this has changed the politics going forward.

Now that we are hours away from meeting, Blois brought on the four leaders to join in on discussion for today’s Sunday Take ahead of Monday’s special session. We begin with Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and Rep. Lisa Demuth and then transition to Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson and Majority Leader Erin Murphy to discuss several topics including the process that brought them to this point, immigration healthcare bill, relationship with Governor Walz with this elongated process, what to expect Monday morning and much more as we set the table for what should be an interesting Monday with a special session!

Another Sunday, another week closer to the final deadline to a deal in the legislature on the budget and the clock is ticking - Blois breaks down some of the uncertainty amid this chaos at the Capitol. Fatima Moore of SotaCann joins Blois to talk about the state government putting a surprise tax on cannabis before business overall is up and running due to the disarray of the implementation of the cannabis business so she discusses the effect of taxing cannabis for places even open up for shop! Also, Kendall Qualls (R) discusses another run for Minnesota governor and why he thinks Minnesota will flip over to have a Republican governor in 2026 and what he brings to the table that can make the difference. Finally Blois shares this week’s take which is circulated around the future of this state when it comes to economic growth!

This Sunday marks five years since the events involving George Floyd had taken place and so much has changed while much has also stayed the same. Blois sits down with Nekima Levy Armstrong, Activist and Attorney and Andy Mannix with the Minnesota Star Tribune to discuss and reflect on social justice, where Minneapolis is at today, the state of the Minneapolis Police Department and what should or needs to change in the aftermath five years later!

It indeed is the final countdown or so we hope for the oh-so eventful Minnesota legislative session where there hopes to be a resolution on the budget as Monday is the “deadline” of May 19th but we will need more time - we chatted with Mary Lahammer political analyst with TPT Almanac. Then Blois gives us his take on the importance and impact of open meetings and transparency in politics - and all facets in between!

Time is winding down towards the deadline about a week and change left until the May 19th deadline! Blois invited Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R) on today to talk about the current session, his experience being on the boat with Governor Walz for the fishing opening weekend and also Senator Judy Seeberger (D) joins as we try to engage on what some of the main points of what needs to be done in Minnesota, how do both think this session is going to end and what you the listeners want to see as the deadline approaches!