This month marks two years since Minnesota lawmakers passed the bill to legalize marijuana use and possession for adults 21 and older.

Commercial sales have taken a bit of time to get going. Outside of Minnesota tribal communities and the medical cannabis program, the retail space is still taking shape.

The initial licenses around cultivation, transportation, distribution and sales could be issued soon. Even then, it will take time for everything to shake out.

What might it look like and how will the market interact with established tribal operations? MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst discusses both with his guests.

Then, time is flying by at the Capitol. We’ll get an update on the budget deliberations a little more than two weeks from the retired adjournment.

Guests:

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• Melissa Olson is a reporter for the MPR News Native News Initiative and a contributor to the North Star Journey series. She is also an essayist and community archivist.   

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• Eric Taubel is the interim director for Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management.

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• Senate Finance Committee Chair John Marty, DFL-Roseville

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• House Ways and Means Committee Co-Chair Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska

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Gov. Tim Walz had his chance this week to assess the condition of Minnesota in a speech where he spent a lot of time focused on what the president is up to.

Had November’s election ended differently, Peggy Flanagan would have been the one delivering the State of the State address at the Minnesota Capitol.

Instead, the DFL lieutenant governor was seated beside Walz at this week’s speech. She’s running for the U.S. Senate in 2026.

Flanagan has competition for the DFL nomination. So how is she introducing herself and what sets her apart? She speaks with MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst.

Then, a look at President Donald Trump’s actions immigration. MPR News reporter Sarah Thamer explains how the get-tough immigration policies are impacting communities across the state.

Later in the program, a round up of the voices heard at the Capitol and a political reporter panel recaps the latest from the Legislature and the governor’s State of the State address.

Guests:

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• Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan

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• Sarah Thamer, senior reporter for the MPR News Race, Class and Communities team

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The Minnesota House and Senate chambers and all the committee rooms have been quiet this week while the Legislature is on recess.

The Capitol will be a busy place though as the dash-to-the-finish begins next week. That phase can be filled with strategy, hijinks and downright trickery.

In one respect, it’s how the Capitol wound up in St. Paul in the first place.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and associate digital producer Anika Besst will revisit that caper — and how one spurned city might finally get recognition.

Then, a hunt for the origins of a law that should keep imbibing lawmakers on their best behavior. If not, “habitual drunkenness” could get them removed.

Later, MPR economics contributor Chris Farrell looks at the way tariffs of long ago hit in Minnesota. Plus, Peter Cox talks about how a powerhouse baseball team that played more than a century ago could land a plaque at the Capitol complex.

Guests:

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• Anika​ Besst is an associate digital producer for MPR News.

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• Chris Farrell is a senior economics contributor for MPR News and Marketplace.

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• Peter Cox is a general assignment reporter for MPR News and is currently covering politics at the Minnesota Capitol.

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The Legislature’s spring recess is approaching and with about six weeks left in the session, many issues still unresolved.

Housing is top of mind for many Minnesotans and lawmakers at the Capitol — whether to rewrite zoning standards statewide to encourage construction of more low-to-moderate cost housing.

The issue has created some cross-party alliances, but the bills in front of lawmakers haven’t satisfied all who have a stake in the decisions.

MPR politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, and the mayor of Prior Lake, Kirt Briggs, about the state’s approach to affordable housing.

Plus, Minneapolis city elections will be ones to watch this year as voters elect a city council and a mayor. MPR News reporter Cari Spencer recaps her visit to a recent DFL Caucus gathering.

Guests:

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• Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville and chair of the Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee

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• Mayor Kirt Briggs, Prior Lake

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• MPR News reporter Cari Spencer, who covers public safety and Minneapolis City Hall

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MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst gets the lowdown on the negotiations that have begun over the new state budget.

Erin Campbell, commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget, discusses why Gov. Tim Walz shaped his proposal as he did. And we’ll talk about the high-level negotiations that have commenced to reach a deal prior to the May 19 adjournment.

Later, the DFL Party has its first new chair in more than a decade. The new leader, Richard Carlbom, is in studio to introduce himself and his plans for a party seeking a rebound after a disappointing 2024 election.

Plus, a political reporter panel shares insights about the first deadline rush at the Legislature.

Guests:

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• Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Erin Campbell

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• DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom

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• WCCO TV politics reporter Caroline Cummings

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

After an unusual start, the 2025 legislative session has passed the halfway mark and the budget grind is quickly closing in.

The Senate is narrowly in DFL control by one seat and the House is at a 67-67 tie. How will leaders navigate the tightest party divide in recent history?

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Speaker of the Minnesota House Lisa Demuth and House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman in front of a studio audience at the UBS Forum in St. Paul.

Later in the program, two political analysts unpack developments at Minnesota’s Capitol and around the nation. How are recent events landing with voters?

Plus, we’ll hear sounds from the state Capitol and recap the week with politics reporters Dana Ferguson and Clay Masters.

Guests:

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• House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring

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• House Leader Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park

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• Chas Anderson, a Republican, is the CEO and senior principal at Park Street Public.

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• Todd Rapp, a DFLer, is the CEO and President of Rapp Strategies Inc.

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Two of the biggest political stories of this week played out beyond Minnesota’s Capitol.

The arrest of then-Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, in a teen prostitution sting led his resignation and the federal jury’s conviction of major players in the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with two lawmakers about fraud and what the laws the Legislature might strengthen to stop or crack down on those behind schemes to swindle money from government programs.

Later in the program, a conversation with candidate Melisa López Franzen. She’s vying a run for Minnesota U.S. Senate seat — a 2026 race hasn’t taken full shape just yet.

Our political reporters will recap the Senate drama that ended with a departure.

Guests:

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• Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis

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• Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia

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• U.S. Senate candidate Melisa López Franzen

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Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

MPR News senior politics editor Brian Bakst talks with two Minnesota lawmakers about the state’s new paid leave program — scheduled to start in January of next year — and the legislation that could possibly delay or change eligibility.