Good afternoon, There are 5 days remaining before the Legislature's scheduled adjournment on May 17. The biggest question now is not whether lawmakers will pass a budget by May 17. It's whether leadership can strike a deal on the big picture items by then. If they do that, then the hammering out of details over the next few weeks is — if not easy — at least easier. Negotiations among top leaders are moving slowly. Gov. Tim Walz today said that "there's momentum breaking loose around those numbers," which could mean anything or nothing. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said there are "some major roadblocks we need to navigate through." Leaders in both parties held news conferences today to try to press their priorities. House Republicans took to the Capitol steps to urge immediate action on tax relief for recipients of pandemic unemployment funding and business loans, instead of "rolling a doobie" — a reference to the marijuana legalization bill up for a vote Tuesday. Walz and a host of allies held their own event in the Revenue Building urging action on a policing overhaul bill. “Why would you not seize the moment?” Walz said. “We can’t continue with the status quo.” A whole host of other issues remain to be resolved, including Walz's emergency powers, spending federal COVID relief money, environmental regulations, and all the usual budget disputes about how much money should go to different parts of the budget. Jim Klobuchar, the former newspaper columnist and father of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, died Wednesday after a battle with Alzheimer's. “Even to the end, as he lived the final chapter of his life with Alzheimer’s, he was still singing songs and telling incredible stories to my sister Meagan and me,” Sen. Klobuchar said. “He loved our state. He loved journalism. He loved sports and adventure. And we loved him.” [Read more from Matt Sepic and The Associated Press ] The elections bill Klobuchar is shepherding through the Senate hit a roadblock Tuesday, failing to pass out of the Senate Rules Committee. Democrats can still bring it to the floor, but will have to use a parliamentary maneuver to do so. [Read more from Ariana Figueroa in the Minnesota Reformer] The elections bill may be doomed anyway, though. Sen. Joe Manchin, the key 50th vote in the closely divided Senate, said he backs a different, more limited elections bill. [Read more from CNN's Lauren Fox, Fredreka Schouten and Rachel Janfaza] As expected, U.S. House Republicans ejected Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney from her caucus leadership position after her vocal criticism of former President Donald Trump for acts "to undermine our democratic process." Cheney, a staunch conservative on most issues, had survived an initial challenge to her leadership role after voting to impeach Trump in January, but was unseated Wednesday after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy turned against her. [Read more from NPR's Barbara Sprunt] The frontrunner to replace Cheney is New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a relative moderate on most issues who became a vocal supporter of Trump. She may face a challenge from Texas Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus. [Read more from Politco's Melanie Zanona] Much of the southeastern United States is facing gas shortages, after panic buying sparked by a cyberattack shut down a key pipeline. [Read more from NPR's Camila Domonoske] So what's going on with gas prices in the rest of the country? It turns out the trend depends a lot on what timeframe you look at. A few samples:
Something completely different: This week I watched The Mitchells vs the Machines, a new animated movie on Netflix. I wasn't expecting a lot, but the final movie was funny, well-executed, and surprisingly surreal at parts. The only downside: it was co-directed by a high school classmate, putting me way behind on the achievement list before my next reunion. [Watch a trailer] Listen: The Family Crest are in the orchestral rock genre, pumping out songs with not just guitar, drums and bass, but brass, strings, flute, and more contributed by hundreds of people. "Beneath the Brine," a sweeping opener that adds "fog horn" to the prior instrument list, may be my favorite. [Listen]
