Podcast appearances and mentions of Star Tribune

Host Michael Rand starts with a Wild season preview and talks to Star Tribune writer Sarah McLellan for a big-picture look at the franchise after a busy offseason. 25:00: Randy Johnson joins the show to talk Gophers football. Minnesota lost 42-3 last week to Ohio State, but the Gophers' fate will be determined by what happens in these next four weeks.

Drivetime with DeRusha is LIVE from Grand Casino Arena in downtown St. Paul today. Jason and Dan begin today's conversation with the topic of shifting demographics and rising costs/taxes within our community. Jason references an article featured in the Star Tribune and the dichotomy between our society's growth mindset and cutting costs. Callers weigh in with their thoughts. Lindsey gives her take on why people aren't having babies. A field trip across the river with Tracy Pearlman Jason is then joined by Tracy Pearlman (Director of Communications and Marketing for Grand Casino Arena) to talk about new food day at Grand Casino Arena. They roll through some of the new food offerings for upcoming Minnesota Wild games this season. They also wade into the AI conversation and how they utilize it in their everyday lives a

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, including a narrow Vikings win, a blowout Gophers loss and big-time games in the baseball playoffs.

Greta Kaul from the Star Tribune analyzed text messages sent to Metro Transit by light rail passengers. What were their concerns? She joins Jason to talk about their reporting

4pm Hour: Jason is joined by Kate Raddatz for their monthly visit to talk about family vacations, Taylors new album and much more! Then he talks with Greta Kaul from the Star Tribune about her reporting on rider comments on safety on the light rail

On today’s show: — An unruly passenger forces a Sun Country flight from MSP to Newark to land in Chicago according to the Star Tribune. — Melania Trump tries swiping an artifact from the Eisenhower Presidential library. — Data on who people are blaming for the government shutdown. — Two stories out of Wisconsin —…

Star Tribune columnist Rochelle Olson joins Tim Pawlenty to talk politics and dig into her Cheers & Jeers for this week before we get into some topics related to the Vikings and a discussion about the changing landscape of cable TV and how that impacts sports teams and leagues which have relied on that money for many years.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the new Kirill Kaprizov contract, explaining how there might be sticker shock but it won't be like the Suter and Parise deals. Plus the most important thing Derek Falvey said about the Twins' managerial search. 12:00: Cassidy Hettesheimer from the Star Tribune helps break down Napheesa Collier's strong comments about the WNBA. You'll hear Collier's full statement as well. 32:00: Randy Johnson on Drake Lindsey and Gophers football, plus a change at QB for the Vikings' Sunday opponent.

This podcast was recorded in late August 2025. Much has occurred since then, both in Minnesota and nationally, and listeners are asked to consider the episode's treatment of politics and current events in the context of the time in which it was recorded.Steve Grove is the publisher and CEO of the Minnesota Star Tribune. For many years, he had been a high-flying executive in Silicon Valley, working for firms like Google and YouTube. Then in 2018, he and his wife — who worked for a venture capital firm investing in startups outside of the coasts along with AOL founder Steve Case and now-Vice President JD Vance — decided to return to Minnesota, where Grove had grown up. His recent book, How I Found Myself in the Midwest: A Memoir of Reinvention, is about leaving the global hub of innovation for what's often disparaged as “flyover country.” It's also a story of recommitting to civic and political involvement, as Grove went to work for Minnesota governor (and future Democratic vice-presidential nominee) Tim Walz as head of the state's departments of economic and workforce development. He was in this role when the pandemic struck the state, making him the principal liaison with a business community struggling to cope with restrictions meant to stem the spread of COVID.In this podcast conversation, Grove discusses his personal experience of moving from Silicon Valley back to Minnesota, the benefits and tradeoffs of relocating there, and what he learned from having moved between the worlds of high tech, government, and publishing. He describes his experiences with finding both resistance and innovation in state and local government, and the perspective that gave him on Elon Musk's DOGE attempt to reinvent government along Silicon Valley lines. (Grove believes that “If you're going to reboot government in a more powerful way, starting local has a lot better shot than starting national.”) He discusses the challenges of heading the Safe Reopening Group during the pandemic, which he frankly characterizes as a “deeply uncomfortable exercise in social engineering.” And he also describes his work since 2023 in attempting to reimagine the venerable Star Tribune at a time of severe challenges for print journalism and the news media more generally. 

After the win last week, things were bright on the Purple horizon, but the view darkened quickly. Two winnable games in the early part of a tough schedule have been lost, two new offensive linemen have joined others already on the injured list and the defense is suddenly not the world beaters we imagined. There is so much to discuss. And we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to do just that. Tune in and check it out. Skol! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, starting with the Vikings' 24-21 loss in Ireland. At 2-2, these Vikings are quickly dissolving into a mess. Can they turn things around? The Lynx season, meanwhile, is stunningly over. It was only a few days ago that they were seemingly in control of their WNBA semifinal series. Plus the Twins' season is mercifully over. Now comes the hard part. And a stirring Gophers football win.

Jason talks with Star Tribune Twins beat writer Bobby Nightengale, Jr. about the team's announcement that Rocco Baldelli won't return as manager. Is it really his fault? (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

4pm Hour: Jason talks to the Twins beat writer for the Star Tribune, Bobby Nightengale, Jr., about the announcement that Rocco Baldelli won't be back as Twins manager. Then he's joined by Sloan Martin, voice of the Lynx, to talk about Cheryl Reeve's Game 3 meltdown and the team getting knocked out of the playoffs.

Jeff Meitrodt from the Star Tribune tells us how new gun laws are working in Minnesota.

Reading from Jeff Meitrodt's piece in the Star Tribune, Chad discusses the current status of red flag gun laws in Minnesota, how they operate today, and the problem with some spots in the state choosing not to enforce those laws already on the books.

Star Tribune sports columnist Chip Scoggins joins Chad to talk about brutal weekend in Minnesota sports with a Vikings loss in Ireland, the Lynx getting knocked from the WNBA playoffs, and the Twins season coming to an end.

September 26, 2025 - Season 16, Episode 29 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Friday morning episode, Alex Kozora and I get right to talking about the Thursday night game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks and how the new dynamic kickoff rules played into the ending of it. We discuss whether we like the new kickoff rules so far this season. Alex and I move on to discuss the Steelers' injury report heading into Friday. We talk about Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. and S DeShon Elliott trying to return this week from their respective injuries. We also discuss OLB Alex Highsmith not making the trip to Ireland because of his ankle injury. Will RB Trey Sermon once again be elevated from the practice squad on Saturday? Alex and I ponder that question early in this show as well. The Minnesota Vikings have a few key injuries this week that we are paying close attention to heading into Friday. They will be without their starting left guard this week as well. On Thursday, we heard from two of the Steelers' coordinators, Arthur Smith and Teryl Austin, so Alex and I recap the main talking points to come out of those media sessions. Alex and I welcome Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune back to the show, and he helps us get started with a preview of the Steelers-Vikings game. Goessling has covered the Vikings for many seasons, and nobody knows that team better than he does. We get his thoughts on several things related to Sunday's game at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, where he is currently stationed. At the end of our talk with Goessling, he gives us his score prediction for the Steelers-Vikings game. If not already doing so, make sure to follow Ben on X/Twitter at @BenGoessling and make sure to read his work here: https://www.startribune.com/author/ben-goessling/6134708 After finishing with Goessling, Alex and I provide our own preview of the Steelers-Vikings game. We break down what we are looking for out of each team on both sides of the football. Alex and I then give our picks against the spread for all of the Week 4 games in the NFL using the lines provided by show sponsor MyBookie.ag. We also give our score predictions for Steelers-Vikings to end that segment. This 173-minute episode also discusses several other minor topics not noted. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Lynx and a big moment Friday. Can the team and head coach Cheryl Reeve deliver in Game 3's biggest moments, which they didn't do in Game 2? Plus it continues to be quiet with Kirill Kaprizov. 9:00: Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III joins Rand for their weekly debate segment. In focus: Who will start the most games at QB for the Vikings this season? Confidence level in the Lynx? And will Rocco Baldelli take the fall for the Twins' woes? 29:00: More excellence from Sam Darnold and Byron Buxton.

Rochelle Olson from the Star Tribune kicks off the final hour of The Chad Hartman Show for the week. Cheers & Jeers is the bit and the column. They start their chat with this morning's Minneapolis mayoral debate which featured topics such as police presence and funding, fraud-ridden services and potential conflicts of interest. In the second segment, Chad and Rochelle discuss MyPillow's Mike Lindell mulling over a run for Governor of Minnesota. They chat about how few viable candidates exist for the Republican party to run against the incumbent Governor Tim Walz.

Rochelle Olson from the Star Tribune kicks off the final hour of The Chad Hartman Show for the week. Cheers & Jeers is the bit and the column. They start their chat with this morning's Minneapolis mayoral debate which featured topics such as police presence and funding, fraud-ridden services and potential conflicts of interest. In the second segment, Chad and Rochelle discuss MyPillow's Mike Lindell mulling over a run for Governor of Minnesota. They chat about how few viable candidates exist for the Republican party to run against the incumbent Governor Tim Walz. Lindsey leads the Am I Wrong segment for this week. Her topics include improving feline relations, expensive rocks, Renaissance Fest and scary movies.

Host Michael Rand starts with the Twins, who lost their 90th game Wednesday. That has been a bad omen in recent years. Plus the Wolves are bringing back an iconic uniform. Later, Cassidy Hettesheimer from the Star Tribune joins Rand to break down Lynx vs. Mercury Game 3. And Jordan Addison is set to return.

Rodgers, actually, nearly took care of the Bengals on his own, forcing two fumbles and scoring two defensive scores in a game (the first player to do so in league history)—accomplishing it in the first half to bury them. Still, we at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com), will certainly offer our opinion on that question and all things from Sunday's game. Tune in and check out our discussion of the 2-1 Vikings, who are in a tie for first place in the NFC North. Skol! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kevin Seifert sticks around for a few more segments previewing the Vikings international trip before longtime legendary Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream joins with his review from Farm Aid 40 at the U on Saturday.

Kevin Seifert sticks around for a few more segments previewing the Vikings international trip before longtime legendary Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream joins with his review from Farm Aid 40 at the U on Saturday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Seifert sticks around for a few more segments previewing the Vikings international trip before longtime legendary Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream joins with his review from Farm Aid 40 at the U on Saturday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, and they start with the Vikings' 48-10 win over the Bengals. Carson Wentz was efficient behind a dominant defense. What will happen if he keeps winning by the time J.J. McCarthy is healthy? The Lynx stormed back from a halftime deficit to take Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series 82-69 over Phoenix. The Twins won a game but had their lowest season attendance (non-Covid) in a quarter-century. And Big Ten football got interesting over the weekend.

Star Tribune sports columnist Chip Scoggins joins Korzo for his weekly visit to the show, beginning with talk about a blowout win for the Vikings on Sunday over the Bengals.

Susie Jones is back from Ireland and joins Korzo and Dave with the good and bad from her trip to begin Overrated, Underrated or Properly Rated. Later, Scott speaks with Reid Forgrave from the Star Tribune about a story of a Minnesota man still in prison despite being recommended for exoneration over a year ago.

Reid Forgrave of the Star Tribune joins Korzo with details of a Minnesota man, convicted of murder decades ago but recently recommended by a review board to be exonerated and released. So why is Brian Pippitt still in prison?

Scott Korzenowski is in for Chad today. His first hour starts with talk about the Vikings crushing the Bengals, Charlie Kirk's packed memorial service, and Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream calling Farm Aid 40 possibly the best concert he's ever attended.

Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream praises the Farm Aid lineup and performances, saying it may take the top spot among the best concerts he's ever seen.

Chris Riemenschneider from the Star Tribune was there for the more than 12 hours of music. He recapped the highlights with Rena on The WCCO Morning News. Photo Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Star Tribune's Andrew Krammer joins the show for this week's hardcore breakdown of Vikings-Bengals. The Purple Insider podcast is brought to you by FanDuel. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Steve Thomson is joined by Bobby Nightengale who covers the Twins for the Star Tribune. They begin with the late season injury sustained by Pablo Lopez last night. They touch on today's double header, how both teams are driving to compete to close out the season despite missing the playoffs and potential player movement in the offseason.

Jason is joined by our legal analyst Joe Tamburino to talk about his Op/Ed in the Star Tribune about the recent clearing of a homeless encampment in Minneapolis, and what he sees as the failure of the city council

On "The Lead" - a new video teaser for the upcoming "Purple Rain" musical. Jason talks to the Star Tribune's Rohan Preston. Then on "Page 2" - is Jason buying stock in his dentist?

Star Tribune columnist Rochelle Olson gets emotional after hearing the new open to her weekly segment with Chad before diving in politics and her Cheers& Jeers column in the paper.

Star Tribune columnist Rochelle Olson joins Chad to talk Cheers & Jeers and plenty of hot local political topics before we hear from the Am I Wrong? Committee spokesperson with this week's resolutions to wrap up the show.

We react to an article in the Star Tribune featuring Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty saying her office would no longer be prosecuting low level traffic stops and we also play some of the reaction from Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara from yesterday's show and where we are in 2025 when it comes to traffic stops across the metro while also factoring in the constant back and forth between those two in the past!

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, an episode that naturally begins with the Vikings' 22-6 loss to the Falcons. Minnesota was dominated from start to finish, and an offense led by second-year QB J.J. McCarthy has a lot of work to do. Plus the Lynx rolled in Game 1 of the playoffs, the Gophers football team had its own disappointing loss and the Twins get a token mention at the end.

Star Tribune sports columnist Chip Scoggins joins to talk about a bad game from the Vikings last night, JJ McCarthy missing potentially multiple weeks with an ankle injury and other bad news for the Purple.

From Amy:Ten years ago this month, I started my 21st year of teaching with painful confirmations that my career was on its last legs: betrayal by people in power and a frozen right shoulder (my dominant side) that made it hard to write on the board.I didn't know how or when I would make the leap to the life of a working creative. But I knew I had run out of options in my longtime school district.It turned out to be two things. First: I had to leave. When the semester ended in January, I did. My body insisted I do so. Certain people made sure it happened… some who didn't have my back, some who absolutely did. Thanks to them, even (especially) in that fearful passage, I experienced HOPE.Second: After my escape, I kept hope alive by cobbling together activities in person and online, including a book revision cohort that met around a dining room table in South Minneapolis, led by an occasional mentor of mine. I got admitted by promising to finish my manuscript in time for my critique, several months in. That's where I met Keri Mangis, also processing the end of a dream.When my book's turn came to be read, my draft was done, but I backed out for reasons that boil down to a still-raw and reactive nervous system. Of that group, I only trusted Keri to read my draft.And when we reached the milestone of being published—our respective book launch parties—you better believe we were there for each other.I pulled oracle cards, doing readings for guests at Keri's February 2020 launch, just before the world shut down. And of course I was going to podcast about Keri's TEDx Talk experience this summer.See, every time I get to witness Keri's path or she mine, we both have something to offer and we both take something away. I feel a bit more courageous. Every time, without fail. This time as well. Keri's talking about menopause: One life period ending, a promising period starting. Her TEDx idea is to celebrate that passage with women.I'm here for the celebration.And we'll both keep walking.Keri Mangis is more than just an author and speaker—she's a guide for those seeking deeper meaning and transformation in a chaotic world. With over 20 years of experience as a wholeness advocate and spiritual teacher, Keri understands the frustration of feeling stuck and disconnected. Through her writing and teachings, Keri helps people break free from limiting beliefs to rediscover their true essence and align with their core values. Her spiritual and personal growth studies and certifications have run the gamut over the years from yoga, Ayurveda, energy work, and meditation. Most recently, she has taken on studying Alchemy, Jungian Psychology, archetypes, and rites of passage. Her writing has appeared in Spirituality and Health Magazine, Star Tribune, Elephant Journal, and others. Her first book, Embodying Soul: A Return to Wholeness, received multiple awards, including the 2020 IPA award for Mind, Body & Spirit and the 2020 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal in Non-Fiction Spiritual and Supernatural. She is currently working on her second book, an illuminating exploration of personal and collective transformation that will empower readers to evolve their consciousness for an uncertain future.Keri's Links:BookInstagramFacebook Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats. Get Amy's Books and AudiobooksLearn about Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life WritersWork with Amy 1:1

Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune previews the game and Steven Ruiz of The Ringer talks McCarthy's debut and what to look for going forward. The Purple Insider podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

Judd and Star Tribune sports columnist Chip Scoggins dissect J.J. McCarthy's first start for the Vikings and how the young quarterback confirmed he has the "it factor" as he turned defeat into victory.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matthew Coller talks about the Vikings injury report with Christian Darrisaw and Harrison Smith updates from Kevin O'Connell and then Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune joins the show to give a hard core breakdown of matchups. The Purple Insider podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

Matthew Coller talks about the Vikings injury report with Christian Darrisaw and Harrison Smith updates from Kevin O'Connell and then Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune joins the show to give a hard core breakdown of matchups. The Purple Insider podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

We go heavy football for the final hour of the show with Vikings beat writer Ben Goessling from the Star Tribune making his weekly appearance as well as Star Tribune columnist and native Chicagoan Lavelle Neal joining for his weekly spot as well.

We go heavy football for the final hour of the show with Vikings beat writer Ben Goessling from the Star Tribune making his weekly appearance as well as Star Tribune columnist and native Chicagoan Lavelle Neal joining for his weekly spot as well. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We go heavy football for the final hour of the show with Vikings beat writer Ben Goessling from the Star Tribune making his weekly appearance as well as Star Tribune columnist and native Chicagoan Lavelle Neal joining for his weekly spot as well. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ralph welcomes constitutional scholar, John Bonifaz, co-founder and president of the group “Free Speech for People,” which has launched the non-partisan campaign “Impeach Trump. Again.” Plus, Ralph, Steve, and David discuss Donld Trump's servile corporatist agenda and his attempt to rig the midterms by ordering Texas to gerrymander him five more districts.John Bonifaz is a constitutional attorney and the co-founder and president of Free Speech For People. Mr. Bonifaz previously served as the executive director and general counsel of the National Voting Rights Institute, and as the legal director of Voter Action. In 2004, Mr. Bonifaz wrote the book Warrior-King: The Case For Impeaching George W. Bush.We either have a constitution,or we don't. We either have an impeachment clause, or we don't. If we're not going to invoke the impeachment power at this critical moment in our nation's history, then we might as well say we're giving up on the Constitution. We refuse to give up on the Constitution.John BonifazI think the biggest thing that we have to deal with are the naysayers. Those who somehow claim that we're not going to invoke the impeachment power because either it's not the right time, or he's already been impeached twice and what's the point or we just need to move on.John BonifazThese are high crimes against the state. These are not policy disputes. These are political high crimes against the state, for which you must be held accountable via the impeachment process.John BonifazI think it's disgraceful for any member who claims that they're out there defending the Constitution and defending our democracy, and yet they won't even want to mention the "I- word”. As much as I respect them on other fronts and what they do, if they're not invoking the impeachment clause at this critical hour, frankly, they're part of the problem.John BonifazNews 8/29/25* In an interview on “Hamakor” or “The Source” on Israel's Channel 13, former Biden State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu told former Secretary of State Antony Blinken that he planned to continue fighting in Gaza for decades, per the Middle East Eye. Other revelations in this interview include behind the scenes accounts of ceasefire negotiations, such as a story about Netanyahu blowing up a proposed six-week ceasefire with his declaration that Israel would invade Rafah “whether there was a ceasefire or not,” according to the Times of Israel. It is disgraceful that Miller and the Biden administration kept this information from the public at the time, but better late than never.* A new report in the Chronicle of Higher Education reveals that, “Hundreds of pages of previously unseen documents reveal that [Pennsylvania Governor Josh] Shapiro's office was intimately involved in managing the controversy [over the pro-Palestine demonstrations and encampments at the University of Pennsylvania], seizing an unprecedented level of influence over the university in the process.” Through a proxy, a lawyer named Robb Fox, Shapiro “pushed the university to ban Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine (PAO), its main pro-Palestinian student group,” and “worked closely with the Penn Israel Public Affairs Committee — a significant pro-Israel group on campus — to a great enough extent that PIPAC effusively thanked Shapiro and Fox for their ‘partnership.'” Shapiro putting his thumb on the scales against pro-Palestine student activism is sure to come back to haunt him if he seeks the presidential nomination in 2028, as many speculate he will.* In more foreign policy related news, investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein reports “The Trump administration has directed the military to prepare for lethal strikes against cartel targets inside Mexico…which are to be ready by mid-September.” This is the latest escalation in Trump's campaign against transnational criminal organizations, or TCOs, but critically, “sources say that military action could be unilateral — that is, without the involvement or approval of the Mexican government.” If so, this would constitute an extremely aggressive act within the sovereign territory of another country. It is unlikely that Mexico would respond with any kind of military action, but diplomatic and economic sanctions would be on the table.* In domestic political news, the Democratic National Committee held a much-anticipated meeting in Minneapolis on Tuesday, featuring dueling resolutions to lay out the party's position on Gaza – one of which called for a “military arms embargo and suspension of military aid to Israel.” As POLITICO reports, “The committee initially voted to reject that measure while advancing…one backed by [DNC Chair Ken] Martin, which called for ‘unrestricted' aid to Gaza and a two-state solution. But soon after the arms embargo vote failed, Martin announced he was withdrawing his successful resolution.” Martin stated “There's a divide in our party on this issue,” and urged Democrats to “keep working through” what their position should be. Allison Minnerly, the progressive Florida delegate who sponsored the more strident resolution, expressed that while she was glad Martin didn't ram through his preferred position, she considered the result “disappointing” when “it's clear what voters want.” According to Gallup, just 8% of Democrats approve of Israel's actions in Gaza.* More Democratic Party division surfaced in Minnesota this week, with Axios reporting that, based on a technicality, the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's rules committee vacated the local DFL's endorsement of democratic socialist mayoral candidate Omar Fateh. Fateh, who has been hailed as the “Mamdani of Minneapolis” won the local party's endorsement in July, which gave him – rather than incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey – exclusive access to the party's voter database. According to this report however, a third candidate was wrongfully eliminated from the endorsement vote process, rendering the endorsement null and void. Fateh's campaign is understandably incensed by this decision and views it as an attempt by the state party to intervene on behalf of Frey. Moreover, Ryan Faircloth of the Star-Tribune reports “the state DFL committee [also] barred the Minneapolis DFL from holding another endorsing convention this year…placed the Minneapolis DFL on probation for two years and said it must be supervised by [the] state DFL executive committee.” Fateh co-campaign manager Graham Faulkner is quoted saying “Our campaign sees this for what it is: disenfranchisement of thousands of Minneapolis caucus-goers and the delegates who represented all of us on convention day…The establishment is threatened by our message…They are scared of a politics that really stands up to corporate interests and with our working class neighbors." Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called the move a “stain on our party.”* In more local politics news, the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been rocked by yet new corruption indictments. On August 21st, the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, “announced the indictment of INGRID LEWIS-MARTIN for accepting more than $75,000 in bribes…in a wide-ranging series of bribery conspiracies …while serving as Chief Advisor to the Mayor of the City of New York.” Lewis-Martin was previously charged in an alleged bribery conspiracy totaling more than $100,000 in December 2024. This new indictment is related to Lewis-Martin accepting bribes in exchange for favorable treatment by city agencies, including “help[ing] fast-track permit approvals for a karaoke bar in Queens,” and “hav[ing] the New York City Department of Transportation…withdraw its approval for a street redesign of McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn, which would have included new, protected bike lanes.” For the latter, Lewis-Martin allegedly received a speaking role on the television show Godfather of Harlem. This indictment further cements the comically corrupt reputation of the Eric Adams administration.* In more news of possible corruption, Unusual Whales, which tracks congressional stock trading, reported on August 19th that Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott just disclosed trades worth $26,000,000 more than a year late, noting that Scott “traded millions on companies he legislated.” Scott, one of Trump's closest allies in the Senate, previously served as CEO of Columbia/HCA, the largest for-profit healthcare company in the nation in the 1990s. He was forced to resign in 1997, when the Department of Justice won 14 felony convictions against the company and imposed a $1.7 billion fine, the largest healthcare fraud settlement in U.S. history up to that point.* Moving on to consumer news, the Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against “LA Fitness and other gyms over allegations they make it exceedingly difficult for consumers to cancel their gym memberships.” The agency is “seeking a court order prohibiting the allegedly unfair conduct and money back for consumers harmed by the difficulty in cancelling memberships.” This lawsuit is related to the FTC's “click to subscribe/call to cancel” rule, but these gyms go far beyond requiring customers to merely call to cancel their memberships. As the FTC explains, “LA Fitness has required consumers who want to cancel their membership to either go to the gym itself or send a cancellation notice by mail,” and they make both processes as difficult as possible. For instance, “consumers who tried to cancel in person…could only cancel with one specific employee, even though LA Fitness authorized several employees to sign consumers up for memberships. This restricted cancellation hours to times when consumers are typically at work, despite most locations operating up to 19 hours per day, seven days per week.” These kinds of mundane degradations are far too common throughout the economy and the only thing that will force companies to treat their customers with the respect they are due is regulatory action.* Our last two stories concern lawsuits against Amazon. First, Law360 reports a federal judge has ordered Amazon to disclose information “regarding the company's alleged ties to antitrust researchers.” In a series of antitrust cases, Amazon's “expert economists” have cited “various academic authors,” about whom the plaintiffs “have presented records suggest[ing Amazon] ‘has communicated with or funded.'” This includes “antitrust research by economists, scholars and think tanks that [were] ‘funded, solicited or edited' by the company.” This decision could prove to be momentous if it turns out that Amazon funding of antitrust research has been as deep and widespread as some believe. As the Lever's Luke Goldstein puts it, “Grifters are on notice. Clock is ticking.”* Finally, the Hollywood Reporter is out with a story on a proposed class action lawsuit against Amazon, filed in Washington Friday, over a “‘bait and switch' in which the company allegedly misleads consumers into believing they've purchased content when they're only getting a license to watch, which can be revoked at any time.” Essentially, this lawsuit revolves around the fact that despite marketing “purchases” of movies on their platform, these “purchases” can actually be revoked at any time if Amazon loses the rights to the film. This is also a case of a “fine print” contract; as this story notes, “On its website and platform, the company tells consumers they can ‘buy' a movie. But hidden in a footnote on the confirmation page is fine print that says, ‘You receive a license to the video and you agree to our terms.'” This issue has previously arisen with regard to video games, spawning the so-called “Stop Killing Games” movement which seeks to prevent companies from “destroying titles consumers had already bought.” California has responded to that movement by passing a law “barring the advertisement of a transaction as a ‘purchase' unless it offers unrestricted ownership of the product.” Amazon will surely deploy an army of lawyers to fight this case, but for the time being at least, the momentum is on the side of the consumers for once. We can only hope for their victory.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe