245 WARM UP A LITTLE BACK
CLOSER TO AVERAGE IN THE SEVEN
DAY FORECAST.
VERY GOOD.
THANKS.
CALLING ON LAWMAKERS TO ACT
QUICKLY ON GIVING HELP TO
PEOPLE WITH HIGH HEALTHCARE
PREMIUMS.
LIVE INSIDE THE NEWLY
REMODELED CAPITOL TO TALK ABOUT
POSSIBILITY FOR RELIEF.
HEALTHCARE WE EXPECT TO BE
THE FOCUS.
WILL REPUBLICANS HAVE A PLAN?
YES.
10:00 THIS MORNING SENATE
REPUBLICANS WHO NOW CONTROL THE
MINNESOTA SENATE AFTER THIS
LAST ELECTION.
THEY WILL HAVE A PRESS
CONFERENCE OUTLINING THEIR
EMERGENCY PLAN.
NOW THIS IS FOR THESE PEOPLE
WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT.
THE 125,000 PEOPLE WHO EARN TOO
MUCH TO GET A TAX SUBSIDY BUT
NOT ENOUGH TO PAY THESE
PREMIUMS.
SOME OF THEM $2500.
$3000 A MONTH.
SO THEY'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET
TOGETHER SOME SORT OF A PLAN.
PROBABLY WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK
TO HELP THESE FOLKS GET SOME
KIND OF REBATE, SOME KIND OF
RELIEF SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE
TO PAY THESE.
SO IT'S A REALLY BIG DEAL FOR A
LOT OF PEOPLE.
WE'LL START SEEING THAT TODAY.
ABSOLUTELY.
OKAY, YOU'RE BACK INSIDE THE
CAPITOL TODAY.
THIS IS YOUR FIRST LIVE REPORT
INSIDE THE CAPITOL IN YEARS.
HOW DOES IT FEEL?
YOU KNOW, AND YOU NOTICE I'M
NOT OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW.
IT IS PRETTY COLD.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL, COLD DAY.
BUT YEAH, BEING INSIDE IN THIS
BEAUTIFUL BUILDING.
$300MILLION RESTORATION IN THE
CAPITOL.
IT'S BEEN REMARKABLE.
HERE'S THE BIG THING FOR ME.
FOR MANY, MANY YEARS WCCO
TELEVISION HAS BEEN IN A PRESS
ROOM OFFICE IN THE BASEMENT IN
THE SUB BASEMENT, I CALL IT THE
MUSHROOM LEVEL OF THE CAPITOL.
NOW WE'RE IN A BRAND NEW AREA
AND I HAVE WINDOWS IN MY
OFFICE.
A LOT OF BITTERNESS AMONG THE
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PRESS
CORPS ABOUT THAT.
WHAT THE HECK.
WE'RE WCCO.
THAT'S RIGHT.
THIS IS NOT JUST BECAUSE OF
YOU.
IT'S YOU'RE AT THE BIG DOG
STATION.
YOU'RE GOING TO GET --
COME ON NOW.
SO IT'S ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
IF YOU GET A CHANCE, EVERYBODY
WHO IS WATCHING NOW.
IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO COME TO
THE CAPITOL.
MAKE SOME TIME AND GET DOWN
HERE.
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS IN THE
COUNTRY I'M TALKING WITH SOME
OF THE ARTISTS.
CRAFTS MEN AND WOMEN WHO WORKED
HERE OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS
FIXING IT UP.
THEY SAY THEY SEE VERY, VERY
FEW BUILDINGS LIKE THIS
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
COME ON DOWN HERE, TAKE A LOOK.
THIS IS A BIG, BEAUTIFUL MUSEUM
AND IT'S WORTH THE TRIP THROUGH
THE CAPITOL.
ALL RIGHT.
I'LL COME AND VISIT.
THE LAST TIME I CAME I THINK I
BROUGHT DONUTS FOR THE PRESS
CORPS.
AND I WASN'T HERE.
FUNNY.
LOOK HOW THAT WORKS.
GOOD, GOOD.
THANKS, PAT.
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
WILL NAME A NEW HEAD FOOTBALL
COACH SOON, THAT'S AFTER FIRING
TRACY CLAEYS.
CLAEYS SPOKE ONLY WITH WCCO A
DAY AFTER HIS FIRING.
THE DECISION CAME AFTER CLAEYS
DEFENDED HIS PLAYERS WHO WERE
SUSPENDED IN THE MIDST OF A
SEXUAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATION.
THAT CAUSED THE TEAM TO
ANNOUNCE A BOYCOTT WHICH TURNED
OUT TO BE TEMPORARY.
EVEN AFTER THE GOPHERS WON THAT
GAME, CLAEYS WAS STILL FIRED.
HE TOLD US HE WAS NOT PLANNING
TO TALK PUBLICLY ABOUT HIS
FIRING BUT FELT HE HAD TO
DEFEND HIMSELF AFTER ATHLETIC
DIRECTOR MARK COYLE CITED
CULTURE, FAILING ATTENDANCE AND
RECRUITING AS REASONS.
CLAEYS TOLD OUR MIKE MAX HE'S
ACCEPTED HIS TERMINATION BUT
HE'S UPSET WITH HOW IT WAS
EXEXPLAINED.
I WOULDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING I
DID, YOU KNOW.
IT'S HARD, YOU KNOW.
BUT YOU WIN NINE BALL GAMES AND
THAT PART OF IT TAKES CARE OF
IT.
YOU KNOW, AFTER THE
NORTHWESTERN, BEFORE AND THAT
TIME YOU'RE TOLD YOU'RE DOING A
GOOD JOB.
AND HANDLED EVERYTHING
PROFESSIONALLY UP TO THAT POINT
AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE BACK
NEXT YEAR AND THEN, YOU KNOW,
THIS HAPPENS SO OBVIOUSLY IT
WAS BASED ON HOW THE BOYCOTT
AND ALL THOSE DECISIONS AT THE
END.
CLAEYS SAID COYLE TOLD HIM
AFTER THE GOPHERS WIN AGAINST
NORTHWESTERN IN THEIR FINAL
HOME GAME THAT HE WOULD KEEP
HIS JOB AND OBVIOUSLY IT DIDN'T
END THAT WAY.
CLAEYS BELIEVES HE WAS
ULTIMATELY FIRED BECAUSE OF HIS
TWEET SUPPORTING HIS PLAYERS
BOYCOTT.
TWEET, YOU KNOW IS IF I
WORDED IT DIFFERENTLY.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SMALL TOWN
GUY FROM KANSAS.
AND, YOU KNOW, FAMILY AND I
JUST -- IT'S HARD FOR ME TO
BELIEVE ANYBODY TOOK THAT AS
BEING PRO-RAPE, PRO SEXUAL
ASSAULT.
I'D NEVER BE THAT WAY.
NEVER WOULD.
CLAEYS SAID HE HOPES THE
NEXT COACH HAS A QUOTE,
IRONCLAD CONTRACT.
HE SAID IT WOULD BE TOUGH TO
STAY IN THAT POSITION IF FAN
SUPPORT, AT LEAST HIS
PERCEPTION OF BEING SUPPORTED