At Issue: Aug. 1 — Winkler responds to Thompson controversy; Walz’s approach to COVID and schools

This week on “At Issue,” House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, addresses the growing crime problem in Minnesota and one way he hopes lawmakers can help address it. He also responds to questions about the beleaguered Rep. John Thompson, DFL-St. Paul, who’s at the center of a few controversies.

Meanwhile, the Walz administration is leaving masking rules up to local schools after the CDC reversed course on its recommendations for COVID-19 protocols. The governor, joined by his education and health commissioners, launched a new “Vax to School” campaign to get more students vaccinated before the school year begins.

Our political analysts decide if a $100 incentive is enough for the vaccine-hesitant crowd — and if a formal apology on the House floor is enough for Thompson, who called a Republican colleague a “racist” during a debate.