At Issue: Oct. 8 — Interview with Attorney General Keith Ellison, leadership changes in the House

This week on At Issue covers the leadership changes in the House of Representatives, a task force created by Gov. Walz and the continuing debate on SROs.

Minnesota Republican Congressman Tom Emmer will run for House majority leader, which is the second most powerful position in the U.S. House. Now that Kevin McCarthy has been ousted as Speaker of the House, Emmer said he will support current Majority Leader Steve Scalise to be the new House speaker. The elections for new leadership will likely take place when the House goes back into session this week.

Democratic congressman Dean Phillips resigned from a democratic leadership position, citing a difference in views with the rest of his party. Phillips has been urging President Joe Biden to not run for reelection in 2024.

A task force created by Gov. Tim Walz aimed at identifying ways to improve and modernize the University of Minnesota healthcare system met for the first time on Thursday. While Gov. Walz had to cancel his appearance, former Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty helped set the tone for the urgency of the task force.

The expected cost of renovating the governor’s residence on Summit Avenue has ballooned. It was originally expected to cost around $7.1 million; now, a letter from the Department of Administration says the total cost is expected to be about $12.8 million.

Later in the show, Attorney General Keith Ellison joins to talk about the ongoing SRO debate, the lawsuit against Amazon, and the current situation with the Speaker of the House.

On political analysis, Kevin McDaniel and Ember Reichgott Junge discuss the potential replacements for Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House and school resource officers.