Sen. Klobuchar calls for FBI background checks on Trump cabinet picks

It is Monday, November 25th, I'm Phil Picardy, and this is Minnesota Today. There is a winter weather advisory for up to an additional two to four inches of snow across much of northeastern Minnesota through early today.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar wants President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks to undergo FBI background checks. Klobuchar, a Democrat who was re-elected earlier this month, serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. That committee will hold a confirmation hearing on Pam Bondi, a former Florida Attorney General who has Trump's pick for U.S. Attorney General. Klobuchar spoke on ABC's This Week program yesterday.

I want to have the hearings. I want to make a decision on each one of them on the merits, as I've done in the past. And I can't do that without the background checks. Others, like Republican Senator Bill Hagerty, say Americans don't care about who conducts the background checks. The newest member of the Minnesota Senate is set to be sworn in today and restore the chamber to full force. Dana Ferguson reports.

Democrat Ann Johnson Stewart will take the oath of office this afternoon, bringing the Senate back to a full 67 members. Her swearing-in will also break the 33-33 tie in the chamber, returning the DFL's one voted advantage. Johnson Stewart won a special election earlier this month. She will represent a district spanning several suburban communities near Lake Minnetonka.

Johnson Stewart is a former state senator and served one term ending in 2022. She is also a civil engineer. The full legislature returns for its 2025 session in January. Control of the Minnesota House is currently on course to be evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. I'm Dana Ferguson. Ramsey County Judge will hear arguments today from businesses suing Minnesota Cannabis Regulators. Fave and Grasky her reports.

The business owners, or would-be business owners, were among hundreds denied a chance at a cannabis license. Regulators had received more than 1,800 applications to operate the state's first legal marijuana businesses. The Office of Cannabis Management recently rejected two-thirds of them and announced plans to hold a lottery Tuesday to allocate 282 licenses.

But at least nine applicants are pushing back. In a lawsuit, two plaintiffs called the rejections arbitrary and asked the court to stop the lottery while their case is pending. The state called those applications, quote, part of an improper scheme to flood the lottery process with straw purchasers, and is urging the judge to allow the lottery to proceed. I'm Faven Garaz-Gajar.

As winter approaches, work crews are wrapping up construction projects across the state. One of MnDOT's most high-profile projects is the $38 million overhaul of the historic Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. Originally constructed in the 19th century, the pedestrian and bicycle-friendly bridge is a popular place to hang out in the summertime. During the first year of the two-year project, MnDOT's Jesse Johnson says lots of work has been done. So far, our crews have replaced over 500 stone veneers.

That's about 100, 250 tons of limestone. And that's about the same weight as 41 adult male elephant, African elephants. So it's kind of an interesting figure, but also it's a sizable amount of stone that's already been replaced. Construction is expected to be completed in 2026, but Johnson says people should be able to walk and bike across the bridge in the fall of 2025.

In sports, the Vikings beat the bears yesterday in overtime, 30 to 27. Parker Romo hit the game winning field goal. The Vikings surrendered 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation time, but pulled out the win in OT. The Vikings host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

The MLS season has come to an end for Minnesota United. The lunes were beaten yesterday in Los Angeles, 6-2 by the Galaxy. It was the conference semi-final round of the MLS playoffs. The Timberwolves lost to the Boston Celtics yesterday, 107-105. The wild host the Winnipeg Jets tonight in St. Paul.

In the weather forecast, cloudy skies today with snow likely, especially in the east, high temperatures 19 to 27 degrees northwest, 30s in the southeast. Tonight, cloudy skies, low temperatures, single digits to mid-teens northwest, lows around 18 in the southeast, and then for tomorrow, Tuesday mostly sunny skies, high temperatures in the low 20s to low 30s.

That is the Minnesota Today newscast podcast. We have an update for you here this afternoon.