Two less-visible boards are up for election in November, and there is a lot more change brewing than you might think. The Park Board could see a dramatic change in composition, with a lot of labor- and youth-fueled energy in a bunch of races. Meanwhile the Board of Estimate and Taxation has on the table an actual policy idea of substance and contention. We walk through the key races and candidates, and introduce where both of these boards sit in city governance and history. Recorded 9/24/25.

Read the show notes and find links for further reading

Trump has marched an invasion of ICE and national guard into major cities, and his administration is promising that all so-called Democrat-run cities are on the target list. Minneapolis urgently needs to answer questions that only appeared on the horizon when we saw federal agents raid a business on Lake Street in June. What is the nature of this threat? How are politicians and regular people reacting in Los Angeles, Washington DC and Chicago? How are Minneapolis politicians and institutions likely to react? What should we be demanding from our local leaders, and what can we do to build resilience to this threat as community members? We are joined by government repression expert and local activist Garrett Fitzgerald. Recorded 9/11/25.

Read the show notes and find links for further reading

This bonus episode is the full interview Jesse did with his old friend, Frank. They talked about his experiences of homelessness and mental illness, and his reactions to recent dehumanizing rhetoric from local and national politicians. We previously featured clips from this interview in our 8/27/25 episode. Recorded 8/23/25.

Read the show notes and find links for further reading

In 2017, candidate Jacob Frey promised to end homelessness in five years. By 2023, he was instead crushing encampments and endorsing dehumanizing rhetoric about people experiencing homelessness and mental illness. In 2025, Donald Trump is marching the military into major cities and bragging about sweeping out unhoused people. How did we get here? We are joined by Flannery Clark, volunteer with the Sanctuary Supply Depot, and Frank, a friend who has experienced homelessness and mental illness. We talked about this rhetoric, the ignorance behind it, and the real solutions just waiting for political will and courage. Recorded 8/24/25.

Read the show notes and find links for further reading

A minor obsession over political labels has broken out this year, with the Frey faction painting a picture of DSA extremists versus pragmatic progressive champions. But what do these labels really reveal, or hide? And what is conservativism, anyway? We dive in to explore this idea with inspiration from Corey Robin, author of The Reactionary Mind. Recorded 8/6/25.

Read the show notes and find links for further reading

We break down the historic result from the DFL city convention last weekend: the endorsement of Sen. Omar Fateh for Mayor. What made this possible, when almost everybody (including us) was predicting an outcome of no endorsement? We were joined by angela olson, who participated as a delegate, to share a direct account of what it felt like on the floor. Stick around for the second half, when we dive into the question of WHY these conventions are so painful, and how we think they could be a lot better. Recorded 7/23/25.

Read the show notes and find links for further reading

With the DFL city convention right around the corner, what should we expect a mayor to champion? What challenges face the people of Minneapolis in 2025? How are these campaigns talking about public policy responses to those challenges, and what policies should WE be talking about? In this in-depth episode, we walk through a number of major policy areas: public safety, federal fascism, housing, climate change, transportation, workers rights, the economy and more! Recorded 7/9/25 and 7/11/25.

Read the show notes and find links for further reading

On election night, will we see the progressive wing of the council increase to a majority of 8 members, or drop to a minority of 5? With three open seats and three incumbents in real contests, there is a lot at stake. We look at how policy divisions have played out under the current council to provide a sense of what could change if elections swing the balance. And we go race-by-race through the six wards where we see a real contest, to evaluate the candidates, their support, and the positions and framing they lead with. Recorded 6/25/25.

Read the show notes and find links for further reading