Podcast appearances and mentions of anthony kasper

We're headed to Saint Paul for conversations with all four candidates to fill the vacant Ward 4 seat on the City Council. Our guest for this episode is Carolyn Will. Special election is August 12, 2025.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

It's the inaugural Minneapolis Truck Parade, hosted by Taylor Dahlin and John Edwards. Big trucks, little trucks, honking trucks, police trucks, horse trailers, fire trucks, street sweepers, rental trucks, Plowy McPlowFace, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Mayor Jacob Frey, Latrisha Vetaw, Michael Rainville, are just a few of today's special guests. You've never heard parade commentary interrupted by so much honking.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're headed to Saint Paul for conversations with all four candidates to fill the vacant Ward 4 seat on the City Council. Our guest for this episode is Chauntyll Allen. Special election is August 12, 2025.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're headed to Saint Paul for conversations with all four candidates to fill the vacant Ward 4 seat on the City Council. Our guest for this episode is Molly Coleman. Special election is August 12, 2025.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're headed to Saint Paul for conversations with all four candidates to fill the vacant Ward 4 seat on the City Council. Our guest for this episode is Cole Hanson. Special election is August 12, 2025.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're talking about the saga of Saint Paul's Summit Ave with Melissa Wenzel. I mean it's one street, Melissa. How much controversy could it inspire? Turns out, an endless amount. Lies about bikes threatening trees; a misunderstanding of why streets are reconstructed (it's about infrastructure deep underground as well as on top); and the bottomless bank accounts of some very wealthy neighbors. It all means they could potentially tie this project up in court for years. We talk about why the Summit Ave controversy will look silly in retrospect to future generations who take all its benefits for granted.Read more about Melissa and her work as a board member of Sustain Saint Paul: https://www.sustainstpaul.org/melissa-wenzelWatch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

I'm joined by my authoritative bald-headed friend Josh Martin and Taylor Dahlin (aka Rondi Arradondi) for an examination of the wildest, weirdest Minneapolis DFL convention in recent memory. Omar Fateh is your DFL endorsed candidate for mayor. This convention hit so hard that the most normal thing to happen all day was Scott Graham (congressional district 5 DFL chair) getting kicked out of for allegedly calling a Jewish arena worker a "Nazi" after Graham attempted to smuggle food into the arena. Electronic balloting difficulties, delay tactics, and a mind-numbing series of speeches from 20 park board hopefuls took the convention to the 11th hour before everything fell into place for mayoral challenger Omar Fateh and a slate of progressive, union-backed park board candidates. Helping things along was a disastrous strategic decision from Mayor Frey's campaign to pull all their delegates in a last ditch attempt to deny quorum (or simply cast a cloud over the legitimacy of the proceedings). This tactical decision devastated the chances of a bunch of park board candidates who are Frey's ostensible allies -- because his campaign pulled their delegates from the convention, all of the remaining park board endorsement votes went against the Frey faction. One of the DFL endorsed candidates for park board, Jason Garcia, joins us in this episode.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

John is joined by David Brauer for an assessment of this year's campaign for mayor of Minneapolis as we head into this weekend's Minneapolis DFL convention. We also discuss key city council races and who David likes for Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Michael Wilson is running for an at-large seat on the Minneapolis Park & Rec Board. Hosts Taylor Dahlin and John Edwards spoke with him about his campaign and the issues facing Minneapolis parks as he gave us a sailboat ride on Lake Nokomis.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Dan Engelhart is running for the Minneapolis Park & Rec Board in District 1. We took a bike ride through NE Minneapolis and talked about why he's running for such an unpleasant, low pay elected office.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Tom Olsen is running for re-election to the Minneapolis Park Board. While paddling a canoe together, we talk about his first term; why Minneapolis has such a hard time attracting and electing good Park Board candidates; what he hopes to accomplish if elected to a second four-year term; why he forced me to use the short paddle; and so much more.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A bike ride conversation with Jazz Hampton, candidate for Mayor of Minneapolis.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

With John sidelined by legal wrangling, Josh Martin becomes the first ever fill-in host of the Wedge LIVE podcast. We start by discussing the recent targeted attacks on DFL state legislators and the assassination of House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.Then Josh gets the full story from Taylor and John about being exonerated in campaign finance court. Ward 12 City Council candidate Becka Thompson and her sidekick Carol Becker thought they could bully Taylor and John by falsely accusing them of creating a website making fun of Thompson's campaign. But the state Campaign Finance Board wasted no time in deciding there was nothing to investigate.Plus, Taylor has the scoop on the latest campaign finance filings from PACs aligned with Mayor Frey.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're on location in Kenwood Park for a conversation with Andrew Gebo, who's running for the District 4 seat on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're on location in Kenwood Park for a conversation with Conrad Zbikowski, who's running for the District 4 seat on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

The thrilling conclusion of our two part series of harrowing stories from the Ward 10 Minneapolis DFL convention. Dex Anderson talks about their experience helping to organize the convention, dealing with a shouty landlord before he shoved the incumbent council member, caption mishaps, and much more.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Professional Journalist Taylor Dahlin uncovers the Reddit post history of a candidate for mayor of Minneapolis.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

You may remember Samuel Doten as the authority figure wielding a tiny gavel in the face of an unruly crowd who stormed the stage at the 2023 Ward 10 DFL convention in Minneapolis. Last Saturday he returned to the elementary school auditorium where it happened. His role this year: leader of a crack team of sergeants-at-arms policing misbehavior at the 2025 convention. These are his stories.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We begin with a report from Taylor Dahlin on yesterday's federal law enforcement raid of a restaurant on Lake Street. With dozens of officers from ICE, DEA, FBI, ATF, Homeland Security, along with the participation of local cops from Hennepin County and MPD. Many of the feds were masked and dressed for combat, drawing a crowd of protesters who assumed it was an immigration raid. Then Taylor, John and Josh offer analysis on results of the Minneapolis DFL endorsement process that wrapped up over the weekend. Who got North Korea Numbers? Which races will be competitive heading into the general election? Why are residents of wards 7 and 10 so especially angry?We also talk about the new poll showing a significant decline in Mayor Frey's popularity since 2021. Plus, Taylor and John commiserate over having to shop for "job interview clothes" now that they are the subject of a frivolous legal proceeding.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're on location in Kenwood Park for a conversation with Jason Garcia, who's running for the District 4 seat on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We check in with Melody Hoffmann for her first public appearance since being downsized at Southwest Voices. What's next for Melody? What's the state of the hyperlocal news business?Then we have an uncomfortable conversation about race as Minneapolis continues to reflect on five years since MPD murdered George Floyd. John explains why he's not taking responsibility for the Kenwood neighborhood.As the rain forces us to take a shelter, we finish up with a conversation about what it's like to be a journalist subjected to a subpoena by an elected official and wanting to post about it - but being constrained by the strict fatherly rules of "Lawyer Dan" (Dan Suitor).You'll want to watch on YouTube because in the middle of the episode a man shows us the big fish he just caught.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're reviewing five years of Minneapolis politics since George Floyd's murder with guest D.A. Bullock. We pick apart the records of two very different police chiefs - Medaria Arradondo and Brian O'Hara. We talk about the backlash to the backlash: fear politics is bigger than ever in 2025. Minneapolis has two PACs aligned with Mayor Frey using crime as a wedge to get us to vote for candidates who reject the idea of any renter and worker protections. John tells the story of how this political agitation led to the most Minneapolis thing he's ever witnessed: seeing Walter Mondale's son get shoved by a rich dick at the Ward 7 DFL Convention. We get D.A.'s thoughts on why we need a new mayor; what he thinks of candidates DeWayne Davis and Omar Fateh; we discuss how remarkable it is that Emily Koski was tagged with being too DSA before being run out of the race; and we find out what bothers D.A. about local news coverage. Most importantly, we learn what D.A. is an acronym for.Unfortunately this episode was recorded before Chief Brian O'Hara made comments about the ‘bourgeois liberal mentality' in Minneapolis. Imagine the fun we could've had with that.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Seven city council wards have held their DFL conventions so far (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 12,13). We have endorsements in five of them - several with North Korea margins. There's six more wards to go, plus the city convention. Joining me for analysis of the action so far: Josh Martin, Taylor Dahlin, and America's favorite pundit meat squeezed through a tubed casing: Hot Dog Larry Jacobs, aka Jason Garcia.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation with Katie Cashman, who's running for reelection to the Minneapolis City Council, as we ride our bikes through Uptown and the lakes neighborhoods of Ward 7.https://www.katieforcouncil.org/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Kyle Jones is a small town Minnesota boy who came to the big city, trusted too many people, and has learned some valuable life lessons. In part one, Kyle was pepper sprayed after using the 311 app to report an Amazon delivery truck blocking both a bike lane and a bus stop. In today's episode, Kyle returns to tell us about having a gun pulled on him in a nearly identical circumstance -- while using the 311 app to report a car blocking a bus stop.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation with Aurin Chowdhury, who's running for reelection to the Minneapolis City Council in Ward 12.https://www.aurinchowdhury.org/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

My conversation with Damla Erten, owner of Sencha Tea Bar and founder of the Uptown Community Coalition, about her opposition to the creation of a business improvement district for Uptown. The push for a BID comes from the Uptown Association, which represents their member businesses in the area. Damla says the problem with a BID is that it gets voted on only by property owners, not by renters or businesses that lease their spaces, and amounts to an extra tax smaller businesses can't afford. And even if the services live up to what's being advertised, some of them are so basic they should already be covered by regular property taxes. We also get into Uptown transportation politics and the Hennepin Avenue reconstruction.For more on the Uptown Community Coalition: https://www.instagram.com/uccmpls/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

It's your favorite syndicated tabloid entertainment TV show that's actually a podcast: Loring Stories with Taylor Dahlin.On today's episode, an attack on the first amendment - Taylor captured exclusive video of herself being physically assaulted by a smaller, much older woman in Loring Park. Plus a tree fell down. Then, executive producer John Edwards bids farewell to the mayoral campaign of Emily Koski. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A harrowing personal story from Curt Myran of Whittier, who talks about how his life changed the day they rearranged the Aldi at 26th and Lyndale. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Minneapolis Caucus Night 2025 is in the books and if anyone is qualified to draw premature conclusions, it's the Wedge LIVE news team. Taylor Dahlin and Jason Garcia are in studio. Josh Martin is here via his landline telephone. Which city candidates have the edge heading into DFL convention season? Who needs a little help? Does Ward 8 candidate Josh Bassais really drive a Mustang with the vanity license plate "BAA SAY"?Plus: Minneapolis DFL Chair Conrad Zbikowski makes a special appearance in the hot seat for a local news quiz (via the encrypted Signal app). Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation with three founders of a group called "Seniors for All." After becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the way they were being represented by the Minneapolis DFL Senior Caucus, they decided to do something about it. They organized for change. This grew into a movement that swept new leadership into power. Along the way, they were falsely accused of infiltrating the Senior Caucus. The truth is, their only crime was trying to make the city a better place for themselves, their children and grandchildren.Cara Letofsky, Susan Lynx, and Jim Davnie are founders of Seniors for All and members of the Minneapolis DFL Senior Caucus.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation with Paula Chesley, who's running for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 7.https://www.paulaforward7.org/You can participate in the Minneapolis DFL caucuses on April 8, 2025. For more info: https://minneapolisdfl.org/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

For years Mark Lanterman has been a go-to expert on tech-based crimes and scams, both on local news and in courtrooms. Now people are asking, was Minnesota's king of digital forensics sitting on a throne of lies?In an exclusive interview, I spoke with Wisconsin-based lawyer Sean Harrington, who's turned up a trove of evidence calling into question Lanterman's credentials and affiliations. To list just a few of Harrington's discoveries:-"Lanterman didn't complete postgrad studies at Harvard University. Rather, he attended an 8-week 'Online short course' administered through GetSmarter® in 2018."-Lanterman claimed to “serve on the Sedona Conference's Steering Committee on Artificial Intelligence and the Law" before that particular committee even existed. And the executive director confirmed Lanterman currently holds no leadership position.-Lanterman's biographies and sworn statements claim affiliation with the US Secret Service for periods ranging from 3, 5, 8, 11, and 29 years. Perhaps most damning of all: Lanterman's sudden interest in his old personnel file from the 1990s. After being challenged about his credentials in a deposition on February 11, Lanterman traveled to a suburban Philadelphia police station on February 14, told the police chief he had a terminal heart condition and needed to view his old employee file. He took the file home and never sent it back, much to the consternation of the police chief. What was in that file?There's more in Harrington's thoroughly documented write-up on his website: https://seanharringtonlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025-03_deepfakeexperts_.pdfWatch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Bill Lindeke says there is no trash emergency in St Paul. Pay no attention to Mayor Carter's declaration of a state of emergency. We talk about disagreement over the future of a piece of land that Mayor Carter and the city's trash hauler say must be used for a garbage truck staging facility. We talk about why the council sided with neighbors who say the city should stick with the plan to designate the land for housing at the site on West 7th and Randolph near the Mississippi River. Then we check in on St Paul politics in a mayoral election year. Finally, we talk about the persistence of transportation resentment in local politics.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation with Aisha Chughtai, Vice President of the Minneapolis City Council, who's running for reelection in Ward 10.https://www.aishaforward10.com/You can participate in the Minneapolis DFL caucuses on April 8, 2025. For more info: https://minneapolisdfl.org/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation with Lydia Millard, who's running for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 10.https://lydiamillardward10.com/You can participate in the Minneapolis DFL caucuses on April 8, 2025. For more info: https://minneapolisdfl.org/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation with Josh Bassais, who's running for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 8.https://www.joshbforward8.org/You can participate in the Minneapolis DFL caucuses on April 8, 2025. For more info: https://minneapolisdfl.org/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

A conversation with Soren Stevenson, who's running for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 8.https://sorenstevenson.org/You can participate in the Minneapolis DFL caucuses on April 8, 2025. For more info: https://minneapolisdfl.org/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Elliott Payne reflects on his first two years as President of the Minneapolis City Council. We talk about the stakes of this year's city election; the recent surge of corporate money and PACs trying to influence the results; an assessment of the city's public safety situation; and why he both loves and hates being the man in the middle of all those complicated personal relationships on the council. Payne tells me work on a rent stabilization policy is still happening; I ask if we really want to put ourselves through the St Paul experience. And we talk about the strange absence of Mayor Frey from the public conversation about setbacks in his own administration -- like mismanagement of the Neighborhood Safety Department. I ask him to endorse a mayoral candidate, and he dodges my question by saying he likes three of them not named Frey.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Amity Foster is here to talk about her effort to organize transit fans to show up on 4/8/2025 for the Minneapolis DFL caucuses and become delegates to DFL ward and city nominating conventions. She wants you to use this golden opportunity to make the case for better transit and a more livable city. Candidates for city council and mayor will be knocking on your door and calling you on the phone, ready to make big promises about the issues you care about. But you have to caucus and grab a delegate slot!To join Amity's army of bus riders: https://bit.ly/connectedmplsFor the most up to date info on caucuses in Minneapolis: https://minneapolisdfl.org/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Mary Moriarty joins John for a conversation reflecting on her first two years as Hennepin County Attorney. We talk about navigating politics as an elected prosecutor; her approach to a recent spate of reckless driving and vehicular homicide cases; how to fix the problem of extremely low rates of police solving certain crimes; her occasionally strained relationship with Chief O'Hara; how we went from a commitment to reform in 2020 to a hypersensitivity and anger over any police criticism in 2025; how to ensure systemic change enacted under her leadership are durable and lasting; and much more.John expresses frustration about the case of state trooper Ryan Londregan, who shot and killed Ricky Cobb. Why is more attention not being paid to the fact it was a botched traffic stop? Is Governor Walz doing anything to ensure the state police receive proper training? Moriarty talks about her decisions in that case and why she ultimately dropped the charges.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Caucus season is almost upon us. It's your chance to become a superlobbyist and wield influence with local candidates on behalf of the issues you care about. Josh Martin joins John to talk about why you need to get involved and why there's no reason to feel intimidated by the process.We're talking about the story of the unsuspecting flower shop owner who says she had little interest in politics for most of her adult life, until the county started planning the reconstruction of Lyndale Avenue. Before you know it, in 2024, she had made a donation to MAGA (the Republican party of Minnesota). Then in 2025 she's running a local PAC (We Love Minneapolis), teaming up with Mayor Frey's former campaign manager, with a mission is to turn people out to the DFL caucus. Is this raising any red flags?We're also talking about the violence interrupting preacher Jerry McAfee who threatened violence against members of the city council; then made dramatic pronouncements about how he doesn't preach non-violence; but was nonetheless all set to receive a $640,000 contract for violence interruption work -- until two of his violence interrupters were arrested for their actions during a shootout.And a stupid human interest story: A Minneapolis firefighter is running for city council. But along the way he'll be forced to overcome the fact that he plagiarized a portion of his website from a candidate running for city council in a different ward. Complicating matters, he forgot to delete the other candidate's name from the plagiarized text.We'll also be taking a look at candidates for mayor and city council, with a particular focus on the competitive wards.Information on the April 8 Minneapolis DFL caucuses: https://minneapolisdfl.org/Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

The Minneapolis government restructuring of 2021 was sold as a solution to our city's biggest problems. The Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce (yes, that's right the campaign to change the charter was 100% funded by the Chamber) said said we had to rid ourselves of the 14 bosses holding us back and creating internal confusion at city hall. Council Member Jeremiah Ellison's career spans both the four years prior and the four years after government restructuring. He says the new structure is what's stalling progress on big issues like homeless encampments. He saw passage of the 2040 Plan under a council-driven system and says the collaborative dynamic that produced that nationally-heralded housing policy wouldn't be possible today. We talk about the way things are, the way they used to be, and why he decided his time is up after eight years representing Ward 5 in North Minneapolis. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

My conversation with a man who attended the 2025 North Loop Neighborhood Association annual meeting. This episode may contain the sounds of opening a swag bag.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

My conversation with Sen. John Marty (Roseville) about an effort in the state legislature to legalize sports gambling apps: the recent failure to pass the bill out of committee and what that means for its prospects in 2025; why anyone who's lived through the last 15 years of smartphones and social media would think it's a good idea to set tech companies free to unleash 24/7 pocket casinos; the extensive and compelling studies that have measured an increase in human misery in the 30 states that have legalized gambling apps (30% increase in bankruptcies, increased domestic violence, decreased savings); the fact that the only organized advocates for legalization are gambling interests who stand to profit; and how this is not like the debate over cannabis legalization.Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

My conversation with Ethrophic Burnett, who's running for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 5 on the Northside.Ethrophic's campaign site: https://www.eforward5.com/Star Tribune article discussed in this episode: https://www.startribune.com/poor-families-path-to-american-dream-leads-to-suburbs/386364021Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgeliveJoin the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.liveSupport the show: https://patreon.com/wedgeliveWedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Harrowing Personal Story: Up until last week, Deborah was the author of a popular local substack called "Deborah Copperud Shops at Target." Then her whole world got turned upside down. The Target corporation surrendered to Donald Trump's whims and dropped their diversity initiatives. We talk about Deborah's attempt to vote with her family's dollars, whether you should ever buy into the PR-driven goodness of a corporation, and if there's such a thing as ethical consumption under Trumpism. Read Deborah's story in HuffPost: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/target-dei-shopping_n_679a4ef1e4b04f0f44d5637b Watch Deborah assist me during a Lisa Goodman-themed cooking segment on the Wedge LIVE podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43s63pFqIIU Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://bsky.app/profile/wedge.live Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee