Hot Dish 2.9.24

By Rochelle Olson

I was between interviews, diddling as Mayor Jacob Frey would say, on my laptop in the Senate Building yesterday when I overheard a veteran employee sharing advice with a rookie. "A big part of this job is persistence," the veteran said. "If you don't hear back from someone right away, it doesn't mean they're not interested." And to that on this Friday morning, I say, "right on, kid."

Activity is picking up as session starts Monday. We're putting the final flourishes on our preview story that will run this weekend so come on back.

New Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy will stay in her current office in the western wing of the building, allowing Sen. Kari Dziedzic to remain in the eastern corner space. Murphy's office is a goldmine of personal and professional memorabilia, from baby photos of her 32-year-old twin daughters to a framed Floyd B. Olson tuba cover on loan from a dear high school friend and bandmate. She tells warm and wonderful stories about all of it.

Don't miss the disco ball or the brass door-knocker screwed into the wall as a reminder of how many doors she hit in her first campaign. Murphy says she expects Dziedzic to be involved this session and that the two have already discussed Dziedzic's new location on the Senate floor. That was good news. Murphy said the two have texted regularly in recent days. As to whether Dziedzic gave her any advice, Murphy said no.

We're going to hear from the University of Minnesota regents today about who the finalists are to oust Gov. Tim Walz en famille from Eastcliff. More than 40 people applied for the top job at the U, reports Liz Navratil, one of my favorite colleagues.

BIDEN PROBE: No charges against President Joe Biden after an investigation found he shared classified documents, but that's just the beginning of this saga as reported by the AP. The president showed his temper with Democrats and at a news conference in which he said he didn't share classified documents. He also took issue with the counsel's characterization of his memory as faulty. The counsel said Biden couldn't recall when his son Beau died. In a private moment with a handful of House Democrats at a suburban Virginia retreat, Biden responded angrily, according to two people familiar with his comments, saying, ''You think I would f—— forget the day my son died?'' Takeaways from the report here.

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, running against Biden with lackluster results thus far, shared thoughts on CNN, saying the party should have anticipated the concerns about Biden's memory.

Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and other House GOP leaders said in a statement: "Among the most disturbing parts of this report is the Special Counsel's justification for not recommending charges: namely that the President's memory had such 'significant limitations' that he could not convince a jury that the President held a 'mental state of willfulness' that a serious felony requires. A man too incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office."

ARTICLE THREE: Most of the U.S. Supreme Court justices sounded ready to overturn a Colorado Supreme Court decision that removed former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot because of his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. The AP reports that eight of the nine justices suggested they were open to arguments made by Trump's lawyer. Justice Elena Kagan was among several justices who wanted to know ''why a single state should decide who gets to be president of the United States.'' And no, Justice Clarence Thomas did not recuse himself.

HELP WANTED: Beginning in July, Minnesota will have a parole board for the first time since 1982 and they're looking for applicants. You could hold someone's fate in your hands. Those sentenced to life with parole, must apply for release. They're mostly men convicted of first-degree murder. The new board will make decisions along with Commissioner Paul Schnell, who currently makes the calls on his own. It's going to be an interesting process with open meetings and public access. Read my story and submit an application soon.

LEGISLATURE: Both the Legislative Task Force on Aging and the Task Force on Child Protection meet at 9 a.m. Friday. It's G-23 at the Cap for the Aging and 1100 at the Minnesota Senate Building for Child Protection.

Plan ahead for the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday as the Commission on Pensions meets at 8:30 in the Capitol room 120.

WHERE'S WALZ:

11:00 a.m.: He and Attorney General Keith Ellison will preview legislative solutions to help Minnesotans with the burden of medical debt.

12:40 p.m.: Meeting with Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

1:10 p.m.: Meeting with Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

1:45 p.m.: Meeting with Delta's EVP of External Affairs.

2:15 p.m.: Phone call with State Auditor Julie Blaha.

3:30 p.m.: Meeting with former Govs. Mark Dayton and Tim Pawlenty !!!#%* This is not open to the public, but if you're in on it, I invite you to ring me up and let me know what happened. Or send video. The interpersonal dynamics alone would be fascinating.

In his spare time, The governor did a video advocating for the Animal Humane Society, talking about his latest rescue pet, "Honey the Kitty." See Walz cuddling and cooing over Honey (and bonus! get a peek inside Eastcliff). Find out how the cat is getting along with Scout, the gigantic and terribly sweet family rescue dog. The governor says if you're even thinking about it, go out and rescue an animal. "They rescue you as much as you rescue them," Walz says.

Whew. Holding for applause.

READING LIST

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