DICAMILLO ABOUT HER NEW BOOK "FERRIS."

AND WE HAVE SOME LIVE FOLK MUSIC FOR YOU.

>> ERIC: WE START TONIGHT WITH BIG NEWS OUT OF WASHINGTON, DC.

REPUBLICAN SENATE MINORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT HE WILL BE STEPPING DOWN FROM THAT POST IN THE FALL.

MCCONNELL IS THE LONGEST-SERVING LEADER IN SENATE HISTORY.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT COMES LESS THAN A WEEK FROM SUPER TUESDAY, THE NEXT BIG CONTEST IN THE PRESIDENTIAL SWEEPSTAKES.

MINNESOTA IS ONE OF THE MANY STATES THAT WILL HOLD A PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY NEXT WEEK.

DAVID SCHULTZ TEACHES POLITICS AT HAMLINE UNIVERSITY.

WELCOME BACK.

THIS LOOKS TO ME LIKE A WIN FOR DONALD TRUMP GETTING McCONNELL OUT OF THERE.

>> IT'S DEFINITELY A WIN FOR DONALD TRUMP.

McCONNELL HAS BEEN, LET'S SAY, AN ON GAIN OFF AGAIN CRITIC OF TRUMP.

MAYBE NOT THE MOST RELIABLE PERSON FOR HIM.

HE DID CARRY A LOT OF HIS WATER FOR HIM WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT.

THIS IS A BIG WIN FOR HIM AT THIS POINT.

>> Cathy: HE'S BEEN WORKING PRETTY WELL WITH PRESIDENT BIDE YEP, RIGHT?

>> CORRECT.

>> Cathy: NOW THAT THAT'S GOING TO THE WAY OF THE WIND, BIDEN IS NOT WORKING AS WELL WITH PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN?

>> IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHO CONTROLS THE SENATE NEXT YEAR, TOO.

THAT'S A BIG ACTOR AT THIS POINT.

DAVID THUNE FROM SOUTH DAKOTA AT THIS POINT.

BUT I THINK A LOT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON, OBVIOUSLY, WHO'S IN THE MAJORITY VERSUS THE MINORITY.

BUT CERTAINLY, I THINK, ON SOME REALLY CRITICAL ISSUES, SUCH AS FUNDING FOR UKRAINE, THE BORDER NEGOTIATIONS, A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS, McCONNELL AND BIDEN HAVE ACTUALLY FIGURED OUT A WORKING RELATIONSHIP.

AND, REMEMBER, THEY SERVED TOGETHER IN THE SENATE FOR, I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW MANY DECADES AT THIS POINT.

SO, ONE OF THE STRENGTHS THAT BIDEN HAS BROUGHT TO THE PRESIDENCY IS, WHAT, HIS LONG RELATIONSHIP WITH PEOPLE LIKE McCONNELL.

>> Eric: HOUSE PANEL, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES A STOP-GAP BUDGET BILL.

THE MINNESOTA DELEGATION, FISCHBACH, FINISH INSTEAD, AND SCAWBER ALL VOTE NO.

>> RIGHT.

>> Eric: IS THIS A FEW DAYS LAST, OR A COUPLE MONTHS.

STAUBER.

>> THIS IS YET ANOTHER SMALL KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE LINE FOR A WHILE.

WE HAVE THIS.

WE STILL HAVE, WHAT, THE DEBT CEILING TO DEAL WITH.

WE'RE REALLY AT A POINT NOW, WHERE IT'S JUST A WHOLE BUNCH OF CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS THAT ARE KEEPING THE GOVERNMENT GOING.

BACK IN 1974, WE PASSED A BIG COMPREHENSIVE ACT CALLED THE 1974 BUDGET EMPOWERMENT ACT, SO FORTH, THAT REALLY CREATES THIS FRAMEWORK FOR DOING THE BUDGET.

FOR THE MOST PART, IN NEARLY, WHAT, 50 YEARS IT'S BEEN IN PLACE, IT ALMOST NEVER WORKED.

WE ALMOST NEVER GET BUDGETS DONE ON TIME.

ADD TO THAT THE POLARIZATION THAT WE HAVE.

IT'S ESSENTIALLY, LIKE, SO MANY OTHER THINGS, UNFORTUNATELY, IN WASHINGTON, BREAKING -- OR THE PROCESS IS JUST NOT WORKING ANYMORE.

>> Cathy: LOOKS LIKE THE SUPREME COURT WILL TAKE UP THE TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE.

BIG DEAL?

>> BIG DEAL AT THIS POINT.

BIG DEAL IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S GOING TO DELAY THE TRIALS A LITTLE BIT MORE.

ORALS ARE GOING TO BE IN APRIL.

WE'RE LOOKING AT PROBABLY DECISION BY THE END OF JUNE.

WHAT I'M SORT OF GUESSING AT THIS POINT IS THAT THE COURT'S GOING TO DO ANOTHER DECIDE NOT TO DECIDE.

WHAT I MEAN BY THAT, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO FOUR SQUARE AND SAY, IMMUNITY OR NOT IMMUNITY.

WHAT I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO DO IS TO SAY, THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT HE HAS IMMUNITY, AND THIS IS THE WAY IT'S FRAMED IN TERMS OF HOW THE COURT IS ASKING THE BRIEFS TO COME UP, I THINK WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO WIND UP SAYING, THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT WHAT HE DID WAS AN OFFICIAL ACT ON JANUARY 6th, WE'RE GOING TO THROW THAT BACK TO DISTRICT COURT AND LET THEM FIGURE THAT OUT, LET THE JURY FIGURE IT OUT.

IT'S SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE DEPENDING ON HOW THE ORDER GOES BACK, IF IT'S GOING TO GO WHERE I THINK IT IS, IT COULD DELAY THE TRIAL A LITTLE BIT.

BUT I'M STILL THINKING AT THIS POINT THAT THE WASHINGTON TRIAL, THE WASHINGTON TRIAL COULD BE DELAYED UNTIL MAYBE AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER, BUT THE MORE LAG OWE TRIAL ABOUT THE DOCUMENTS, THAT IS NOT AT ALL AFFECTED BY THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THE ARGUMENT IS HE RETAINED THESE DOCUMENTS ILLEGALLY AFTER HIS PRESIDENCY ENDED AND, THEREFORE, IT'S NOT A QUESTION ABOUT ACTS THAT HE DID AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

>> Eric: SUPER TUESDAY AIN'T THAT SUPER ANYMORE.

>> , NO IT'S GOING TO BE KIND OF SORT, I DON'T KNOW, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO CALL IT HERE?

DRIBBLING IN OR DRAGGING IN OR WHATEVER YOU'RE GOING TO CALL T. I'M TRYING TO THINK OF A GOOD METAPHOR HERE.

YOU'RE RIGHT.

EVEN IF, LET'S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE HAILEY MANAGES TO DO WELL HERE OR IN A COUPLE OF OTHER STATES, AT THIS POINT THERE'S REALLY NO CLEAR PATH FOR HER IN TERMS OF GETTING THE NOMINATION.

DEAN PHILLIPS ON THIS SIDE HERE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE, I MEAN, I DON'T SEE HIM WINNING MANY DELEGATES EITHER.

SO AT SOME POINT, I THINK BOTH PHILLIPS AND HAILEY HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION, HOW MUCH FURTHER THEY CAN GO, HOW MUCH MONEY THEY HAVE AT THIS POINT.

BUT FOR THE MOST PART, WHAT I'M GOING TO BE MORE CURIOUS TO SEE IS NOT WHETHER TRUMP AND BIDEN WIN, IT'S THE ENTHUSIASM FACTOR.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY SHOW UP ON ELECTION DAY AND CAST VOTES ECAUSE RIGHT NOW THERE'S NOT A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM IN THE AMERICAN PUBLIC FOR EITHER OF THEM.

>> Cathy: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE UNCOMMITTED, THE EFFORT TO VOTE UNCOMMITTED VERSUS JOE BIDEN?

>> IT WAS CLEARLY ON IMPORTANT PROTEST VOTE IN MICHIGAN THIS PAST WEEK.

THEY WERE EXPECTING 10,000, THEY GOT 100,000.

I THINK THAT'S SIGNIFICANT.

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I DON'T SEE IT DERAILING BIDEN'S NOMINATION AT THIS POINT.

IN TERMS OF HE'S GOING TO PROBABLY HAVE ENOUGH DELEGATES GOING IN TO THE CONVENTION TO GET IT ON THE FIRST ROUND.

IT'S MORE OF A PROTEST AT THIS POINT, PLUS FOR A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE, I DON'T SEE THEM GOING TO THE REPUBLICAN SIDE.

IT REALLY MORE IS A QUESTION OF, DO THEY WIND UP SAYING, I'M JUST NOT GOING TO VOTE ON ELECTION DAY.

>> Eric: YEAH.

GOOD STUFF, AS ALWAYS.

GOOD TO SEE YOU, PROFESSOR.

>> Cathy: THANK YOU.

GOOD T