I'LL GET MY MIC ON.

WE'VE GOT A GREAT SHOW LINED UP FOR YOU WITH PLENTY OF FUN TAPE FROM THE ARCHIVES.

PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS, INCLUDING OUR FAVORITE CHILDREN'S AUTHOR KATE DICAMILLO, SOME SPORTS WITH LARRY FITZGERALD, A WEATHER CHAT WITH MARK SEELEY AND PAUL DOUGLAS, AND ALL FOUR LEGISLATIVE LEADERS.

>> Cathy: THAT IS A LOT.

WE'LL START TONIGHT WITH DEMOCRATIC U.S.

SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR.

THE SECOND-LONGEST SERVING MEMBER IN MINNESOTA'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, SHE FIRST JOINED US ON THE "ALMANAC" COUCH BACK IN 1998 WHEN SHE WAS RUNNING FOR HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY.

SENATOR KLOBUCHAR HAS CELEBRATED SEVERAL "ALMANAC" MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES WITH US.

AND SHE IS BACK.

HEY, THANK YOU.

>> WELL, THANKS, CATHY, ERIC, I WORE A SCARF IN YOUR HONOR, ERIC, FOR THE 40th AN ADVICE RE.

>> Eric: JOB WHAT TO SAY.

>> I WAS THINKING THIS SHOT IS NOT ONLY WHERE YOU GO INTO A DEEP DIVE BUT YOU HAVE AGE ICE-NICHING SEGMENT A FEW MINUTE LATER.

IT'S INCREDIBLE FOR OUR STATE AND THE POLITICS.

>> Eric: WHEN YOU WERE TESTIFYING AT THE CAPITOL TO MAKE SURE THAT MOTHERS HAD MORE THAN ONE NIGHT IN THE HOSPITAL -- >> YES.

>> Eric: DID YOU THINK IT WAS HEADING TO NUMBER 3 IN THE EWINGS SENATE?

>> NOT REALLY, NO.

I REMEMBER THINKING, I THINK I CAN GET THIS DONE BECAUSE I'M ALMOST ALL MEN ON THIS COMMITTEE.

I WAS LIKE A MOM IN TENNIS SHOES, I WASN'T IN ELECTED OFFICE ARGUING FOR THE 48-HOUR HOSPITAL STAY AND I THOUGHT THE MINUTE I USED THE WORD HE PEACE ON THE MEAL, THEY WERE GOING TO VOTE MY WAY BECAUSE THEY WERE TWO EMBARRASSED SO THAT WAS MY BEGINNING IN POLITICS.

[Laughter] >> Cathy: I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT, YOU'RE NOW NUMBER THREE IN THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE LEADERSHIP AND YOU'RE GOING TO FASHION SOME ECONOMIC POLICY.

TALK TO US ABOUT THAT.

>> SURE.

SO IT WAS VERY CLEAR IN THIS LAST ELECTION THAT WHILE WE HAD GOTTEN SOME GOOD THINGS DONE AND GOTTEN THROUGH THE PANDEMIC BETTER THAN A LOT OF COUNTRIES, THAT PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF NEEDS RIGHT NOW, WANTS AND NEEDS FROM THE COST OF CHILD CARE TO HOUSING.

SO MY FOCUS WAS STEERING IN POLICY, THAT MEANS I GET TO STEER EVERYTHING, NO SMALL JOB RIGHT NOW.

IS TO REALLY PICK OUR BATTLES AND PICK THE THINGS WHERE WE WANT TO FIND COMMON GROUNDS AND THERE ARE THINGS AND WE HOPE WE CAN, AND THEN TO STAND OUR GROUND, AND THAT FIRST GROUND IS GOING TO BE THE OATH THAT I WILL TAKE ON JANUARY 3rd, WHICH IS TO PROTECT OUR CONSTITUTION, SPECIFICALLY TO SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.

AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO GO IN AND SEE BECAUSE I GOT TO SAY, IF THEY START GIVING MORE TAX CUTS FOR WEALTHY PEOPLE AND WE'VE GOT THE DEBT WHERE IT IS, THAT'S GOING TO BE A REAL PROBLEM FOR WORKING PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY SO I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME ARGUMENTS BUT I THINK YOU POTENTIALLY WILL SEE SOME COMMON GROUND, AS WELL.

>> Eric: SENATE HAS TO PASS THE NOMINEES FOR THE VARIOUS CABINET POSTS.

HOW'S THAT GOING TO PLAY OUT?

>> OH, IT'S GOING REAL WELL, ERIC.

[Laughter] SO, ACTUALLY, I THINK THE LAST TIME I SUPPORTED ABOUT HALF OF THE FORMER AND FUTURE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S NOMINEES, SO I'M SURE I'LL FIND SOME THAT I'LL SUPPORT.

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN OME REAL ISSUES.

MATT GATES RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE, SO TO SPEAK, VERY, VERY PROBLEMATIC AND YOU SEE PROBLEMS WITH THIS NOMINATION FOR THE FBI DIRECTOR, I PERSONALLY THINK THAT CHRISTOPHER REY, WHO WAS ACTUALLY PUT INTO PLACE BY DONALD TRUMP SHOULD BE ABLE TO SERVE OUT HIS TERM.

>> Eric: TWO YEARS LEFT, I THINK HE HAS.

>> RIGHT.

SO FOR ME IT IS THINGS LIKE BACKGROUND CHECKS, WHICH THEY'VE NOW AGREED TO DO.

I WAS WAY OUT FRONT ON THAT RIGHT AWAY, I FIGURED WITH LYING ATTORNEYS WHO WORKED FOR ANDY LUGER IN THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE OR THE MINNESOTA FBI HAVE TO TAKE THESE BACKGROUND CHECKS, THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THE AGENCY SHOULD HAVE TO DO IT.

>> E >> Cathy: I'M WONDERING ABOUT MINNESOTA NATIVE PETE HEGSETH, WHERE DOES HE ENDS UP?

>> I'M NOT SURE, I THINK THERE ARE SOME VERY PROBLEMATIC THINGS THERE.

I'M GLAD WE ARE NOW GOING TO DO THE BACKGROUND CHECK BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF REPORTS THAT ARE VERY CONCERNING.

I'M GLAD HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING, REMEMBER, THERE WAS TALK OF JUST MUTING PEOPLE IN DURING THE RECESSES.

I DON'T THINK A NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN SENATORS ARE GOING TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AND ONE THING THAT HASN'T BEEN MENTIONED THAT'S CONCERNING IS THAT HE VERY RECENTLY SAID HE DOESN'T AVOR WOMEN IN COME WHAT.

AND THERE IS A WHOLE BUNCH OF WOMEN IN MINNESOTA THAT EVER SERVED OUR COUNTRY VALIANTLY WHO STRONGLY DISAGREE.

>> Eric: ONE THING THAT'S CHANGED IN 40 YEARS IS THE MAKE-UP OF THE DELEGATION.

SIX WOMEN, FOUR MEN.

>> THERE YOU GO.

WHEN I STARTED, IT WASN'T QUITE LIKE THAT.

>> Eric: YEAH.

>> AND I THINK THAT'S REMI EXCITING.

I THINK WE'RE THE ONLY STATE IN THE COUNTRY THAT HAS TWO WOMEN IN THE U.S. SENATE AND A MAJORITY WOMEN OVERALL IN THE CONGRESS, NOT TO MENTION OUR SPEAKER AND OUR -- WHO YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM TODAY, I GUESS OUR SHARED SPEAKER AS WELL AS THE REPUBLICAN LEAD, AS WELL, IN THE HOUSE, LISA, AS WELL AS ERIN MURPHY.

SO WE HAVE SEEN JUST OVER YEARS WHEN YOU THINK OF WHEN "ALMANAC" STARTLED 40 YEARS AGO, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY WOMEN WERE IN POWER.

>> Eric: NOT AS MANY AS NOW.

>> JOAN GROW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YEAR SHE CAME IN BUT SHE WAS THE FIRST STAYED-ELECTED.

>> Eric: WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING BY TO HELP US CELEBRATE.

>> IT WAS GREAT TO BE ON AND I JUST, AGAIN, WANT TO THANK YOU.

THIS IS ONE SHOW THAT DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS GO ON, A LOT OF STATES DON'T HAVE A PROGRAM LIKE THIS SO KEEP IT UP AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT 40 YEARS.

>> Eric: AMY KLOBUCHAR, EVERYBODY.

>> THANKS, EVERYONE.

>> Cathy: THANKS,