WITH THE SHADOW OF THAT DARK CLOUD.

>> MARY: JOINING US NOW ARE OUR CAPITOL REPORTERS, MPR NEWS SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, DANA FERGUSON, AND CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER FROM KSTP, TOM HAUSER.

TOM, FIRST OF ALL, DAYS OF PROTEST.

IT WAS REALLY COLD AND PEOPLE STILL SHOWED P. WERE YOU A LITTLE SURPRISED?

>> THERE WAS ONE OUTDOORS AND ANOTHER ONE INDOORS.

THE INDOOR PEOPLE WON.

>> Mary: BOTH WERE SIZABLE CROWDS.

THIS WASN'T NOTHING.

>> THEY WERE, AND I COVERED THE INSIDE ONE, NOT THE OUTSIDE ONE JUST BECAUSE I'M A WIMP BUT -- >> Mary: CALLED SENIORITY.

>> IT'S CALLED YOU HAVE BETTER NOR TUNE THAN I DO BECAUSE I WAS OUTSIDE AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE GATHERED OUT THERE EVEN THOUGH IT WAS DEEPLY, DEEPLY COLD OUTSIDE.

>> AND WHAT WE DON'T KNOW ARE THEY JUST SCREAMING IN THE WINGS.

IS IT GOING DO ANY GOOD?

UNLIKELY.

WE'RE STILL IN THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

I DON'T THINK ANYTHING IS DOING TO CHANGE ANY TIME SOON BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT HE IS REMINDED, AND OTHER REPUBLICANS IN THE STATE ARE REMINDED, THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE.

>> Mary: AND WE'RE STILL KIND OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT STATE-SIGHT WHAT THE IMPACT IS.

>> WE ARE, ESPECIALLY THE IMPACTS POTENTIALLY TO THE BUDGET, TALKING TO STATE BUDGET OFFICIALS, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A BUDGET YEARLY BUT THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT JUST THE AMOUNT OF UNKNOWNS WE'RE SEEING FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, COMING OUT WITH THESE EXECUTIVE ORDERS EVERY DAY, EVERY FEW DAYS, THAT COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON STATE BUDGETING, STATE PROGRAMS.

SO I'M EAGER TO HEAR IN A COUPLE WEEKS HERE HAT LEVEL OF CERTAINTY, IF ANY, FOLKS HAVE ABOUT WHAT LAWMAKERS CAN DO AS FAR AS A BUDGET.

>> Mary: WE HAVE A BUDGET FORECAST COMING UP.

HOW DO THEY INFORMATION CAST THIS?

>> AND TALKING ABOUT IMPORTANT THINGS LIKE AGO CULTURE, EDUCATION, IF THEY ELIMINATE THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

>> MEDICAID.

>> HUMAN SERVICES.

>> Mary: HUGE PARTS OF THE BUDGETS.

SPEAKING OF THE BUDGET, THAT'S THE WORK THEY HAVE TO DO, THIS IS NOT AN OPTIONAL FUN YEAR SESSION, THIS IS THE BUDGET HAS TO BE BALANCED AND DONE.

THE TWO CHAMBERS FEEL REALLY DIFFERENT RIGHT NOW ON PROGRESS.

THAT'S FAIR, ISN'T IT?

>> OH, I THINK SO, AND I THINK ANYBODY WHO THINKS THAT THIS SESSION IS GOING TO END BY MAY 19th JUST HAS THEIR HEAD IN THE SAND.

YOU SEE SOME THINGS MOVING IN THE HOUSE NOW THROUGH COMMITTEE, WITH THAT TEMPORARY ONE VOTE.

>> Mary: EVERYTHING UP HERE -- NYTHING SUBSTANTIAL APPEARS TO BE PARTY LINE RIGHT NOW.

>> YES.

>> Mary: ONE VOTE.

>> >> SO ONCE THEY GO BACK TO A TIE, WE'RE OING TO BE IN A REAL QUAGMIRE, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF HURT FEELINGS FROM THE EARLIER VOTES AND THE EARLIER DEBATES, AND I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW THEY GET THIS THING WRAPPED UP BY ANY REASONABLE TIME.

>> BUT, IT IS SO STARK LOOKING ACROSS THE CAPITOL AT THE SENATE WHERE, YOU KNOW, THERE IS THAT ONE VOTE MAJORITY FOR DEMOCRATS, BUT THEY REALLY ARE STILL SORT OF INTERACTING WITH ONE ANOTHER AS THOUGH THEY'RE EQUAL IN A NUMBER OF COMMITTEES AND SO MAYBE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT SAY, WE RECOGNIZE WHAT THIS CHAMBER COULD BECOME, IF IT GOES BACK TO A TIE AND SO THEY WANT TO SAY, IF WE'RE GOING TO GET THINGS THROUGH THE WHOLE CAPITOL, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT ESSENTIALLY THAT 50-50 SPLIT.

>> BUT GIVE THAT TIME.

AS THE HEAT GETS TURNED UP AND THEY REALIZE THEY'VE GOT TO BE THE BACKSTOP OR THE DEMOCRATS IN THE HOUSE, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THEM DIG IN THEIR HEELS.

>> Mary: IT'S EASY TO BE NICE NOW.

[Overlapping Conversation].

>> FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT REPUBLICANS ARE WORKING ON HERE, TRYING TO GET THROUGH THOSE PRIORITIES FOR GOP MEMBERS, THEY HIT THE WALL ONCE THEY GET ACROSS.

>> Mary: AND THEY'RE STILL REALLY -- WE JUST SAW, REPEALING ETHNIC STUDIES, GOING AFTER TRANS -- >> ATHLETES, RIGHT.

>> Mary: ATHLETES, THEY'RE GOING FOR THEIR TOP SOCIAL ISSUES WHICH CAN'T MASS, RIGHT?

>> NOT IN ALL LIKELIHOOD.

AGAIN, BECAUSE THE SENATE IS GOING TO HAVE THE BACK OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE -- >> Mary: BUT EACH IN THE HOUSE, BECAUSE REPUBLICANS NEED A DEMOCRAT -- [Overlapping Conversation].

>> THERE WERE' JUST >> GOING TO GET THAT ONE VOTE BUT THEY'VE GOT TO PLAY TO THEIR BASE BECAUSE, LET'S NOT FORGET, I KNOW IT'S 21 MONTHS UNTIL THE NEXT ELECTION, THEY'RE ALL THINKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN THEN AND WILL REPUBLICANS SEIZE CONTROL OF ONE OR BOTH CHAMBERS OR THE MID-YEAR ELECTION FOR THE PARTY IN POWER IS NOT ALWAYS A GREAT YEAR BUT SO MUCH OF THAT AS GONE OUT THE WINDOW BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS DIFFER.

>> Mary: POLITICAL WINDS.

ONE MORE POINT ON THIS, TOMORROW WAS THE FIRST TEST OF 68 VOTES AND REPUBLICAN CAN GET A DEMOCRAT, THEY HAVE THE FIRST BILL ON THE FLOOR.

>> THEY DO, THEY HAVE A FIRST BILL THAT WOULD SEEK TO EXPAND THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION, DATA FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE THAT COULD BE MADE PUBLIC OR REQUESTED.

THAT'S A PRIORITY FOR REPUBLICANS AND THEY SAY THEY'RE CONFIDENT THEY CAN PICK UP ONE DEMOCRAT BUT IT WILL BE A TEST FOR DEMOCRATS TO SEE, CAN ALL 66 OF THEM REMAIN TOGETHER AND LOCK THAT ONE VOTE FROM GETTING IT OVER.

>> AND THE REASON I THINK THEY MIX THAT BILL IT'S EASY TO VOTE FOR TRANSPARENCY.

WHO'S IN FAVOR OF HIDING THINGS?

AND THERE'S SOME DISAGREEMENT ABOUT WHETHER THE ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS BEEN HANDLING THESE THINGS DIFFERENTLY THAN PREVIOUS ATTORNEY GENERALS SO I THINK IT'S -- THERE IS A REASON WHY THEY PICKED THIS BILL.

>> Mary: WE'LL SEE BECAUSE THE FRAUD BILLS ARE BIPARTISANSHIP, SAILING THROUGH ALL THE COMMITTEES OVER IN THE SENATE AND THEY'RE STILL PARTY-LINE HERE IN THE HOUSE SO IT'S INTERESTING.

I WANT TO PIVOT, YOU HAVE SOME NEWS UP IN THE NORTHLAND BECAUSE WE HAVE AN OPEN U.S. SENATE SIGHT, WHICH IS ALL NEXT YEAR AND A HALF.NG FOR THE- >> IT'S ALL ABOUT ELECTION GO GO.

NORTHERN NEWS NOW REPORTED EARLIER TODAY THAT REPRESENTATIVE PETE STAUBER HAS SAID HE'S NOT GOING TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN '26, NOT GOING TO RUN FOR SENATE, SO THERE WAS SOME SPECULATION ABOUT HIM BEING A CANDIDATE FOR EITHER OR BOTH OF THOSE.

HE'S SAYING HE'S TAKING HIMSELF OUT OF THE RUNNING.

HE'S STICKING WITH HIS CURRENT OFFICE, WANTS TO BE THERE IN HIS CAPACITY AS CHAIR TO HELP OUT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

>> Mary: AND REPRESENTATIVE EMMER, THE OTHER BIG NAME ON THE REPUBLICAN SIGHT, SO BOTH OF THESE TWO BIG NAMES IS OUTS.

SO WHO'S IN?

>> ANGIE CRAIG WAS ALSO IN HER DISTRICTS TODAY AND, AGAIN, WE ASKED HER, ARE YOU STILL LOOKING AT THIS?

SHE SAYS, YES, I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE.

SHE SENT OUT A RELEASE ARLIER THIS WEEK BUT TODAY SHE TOLD US ON CAMERA, YEP, I'M LOOKING INTO THIS, I WANT ARE I WANT TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THIS.

ONLY REPUBLICAN SIDE, A LOT OF -- YOU CAN NEVER DISCOUNT THE POSSIBILITY OF A CELEBRATE, MICHELLE TAKE IF I I CAN'T.

>> Mary: BUT TRUMP WILL ANOINT THE REPUBLICAN, DOESN'T HE HAVE THE POWER O CLEAR THE DECKS ON THIS ONE?

>> PRETTY MUCH.

THERE MIGHT BE OTHERS WHO WILL STILL TRY TO RUN AND I'M LOOKING AT YOU, ROYCE WHITE, HE WILL KEEP RUNNING NO MATTER WHAT.

>> Mary: LAST WORD ON LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, SHE WAS FIRST IN.

>> RIGHT, SHE'S THE ONLY ONE TO ACTUAL LEE PILE PAPERWORK SO WE KNOW SHE'S GOT HER SIDES SET ON THAT SENATE SEAT.

>> AND WE STILL DON'T KNOW ABOUT GOVERNOR WALZ.