At Issue: April 5 — COVID-19 response in Minnesota

In this week’s live edition of “At Issue With Tom Hauser,” we discuss the continued coronavirus response from the Walz administration, which includes the possibility of keeping students out of school for the remainder of the year and assisting the more than 300,000 Minnesotans who have filed for unemployment insurance. The governor also highlighted a new website that he says is a “one-stop portal” for all the data the state is collecting.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic has forced changes for two time-honored Minnesota traditions: the governor’s State of the State address and the Governor’s Fishing Opener. Walz will deliver his address from his residence, where he’s been self-quarantining for two weeks. The Governor’s Fishing Opener, an event that puts the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader in a boat with the Governor, is not the fishing season opener, which is still set for May 9.

Our guests discuss the ongoing response from both Gov. Tim Walz and President Donald Trump, along with the state House’s decision to conduct all committee meetings — and possibly floor sessions — online.

Former state Sen. Roger Reinert sat down with Tom for a special interview about his journey from Minnesota to Italy, where he’s on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic there.