Good morning. The Legislature should have just extended its recess given how little got done this week. 

Sen. Nicole Mitchell says she’s not going to resign. Republicans served notice that this isn’t going away easily. Discussions are underway about what an ethics inquiry looks like at this stage and how it progresses. But there hasn’t even been an expected clash yet over Mitchell’s votes if they’re consequential on items before the 34-33 Senate. Unless she’s no longer a senator, she seemingly retains voting power, but that doesn’t mean the optics won’t come into question. Dana Ferguson runs down yesterday’s developments.

The DFL says the Equal Rights Amendment remains a priority, but it has a murky path forward as the fate of the Senate remains uncertain. Dana and Clay Masters talked to DFL lawmakers who say they remain optimistic that an ERA could pass this year and tee up the question to voters in the 2026 general election. If the Senate remains in deadlock, House Democrats could take up a version of the ERA bill that the Senate passed last session. This would be a last resort; House Democrats favor an updated version of the proposal that would more explicitly ensure legal protections for reproductive health care and gender-affirming care. Meanwhile, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life announced what they said was an investment of at least $1 million for  TV and digital ads in opposition of the ERA. They said they would spend even more in an effort to sink the amendment should it reach voters. 

It seems like a lifetime ago, but Monday began with a significant state Supreme Court announcement: Two new justices on a seven-member court. One, Sarah Hennesy, takes her spot in May when Justice G. Barry Anderson retires. He’s the final Republican appointee on the highest court and he’ll join us for an exit interview on Politics Friday. We’ll also talk about the nation’s finances as an issue in the upcoming campaign. Plus, lots of things to chew on for our political reporter panel. Tune in at noon.

Former President Donald Trump’s trial has kept him bound to New York for much of the week, but he’s finding time to campaign during breaks. Yesterday, he weighed in on the Gaza situation protests roiling college campuses around the country. Trump compared them to the Charlottesville, Va., white power rallies during his presidency.

Trump’s effort to get immunity from federal charges was also at issue yesterday. The U.S. Supreme Court held lengthy arguments. The case is pivotal to criminal charges over election interference moving ahead, but more broadly about what presidents can do and maybe can’t do under the cover of executive authority. Hypotheticals reigned, well, supreme. But this is a case of huge significance. Expect a ruling in a couple of months, if not sooner.

Next week brings a consequential hearing in the prosecution of State Trooper Ryan Londregan, but one member of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office won’t be there.The Star Tribune reports that prosecutor Joshua Larson has removed himself from the case. It adds to another question to who will lead the case forward and how. Some want the entire case reassigned or dismissed. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says politics have been injected into the case by Gov. Tim Walz and others.