The Theater of Public Policy: Recent Episodes
Danger Boat Productions
The Theater of Public Policy explores big ideas using improvisational comedy. We invite smart people to talk about the issues of the day and a team of improvisers brings them to life. Presented here, are the interviews from these shows.
Listen to the very first episode of "Housing Values" a new podcast from The Theater of Public Policy all about the affordable housing conversation! Our first guest is Ryan Allen, Associate Professor of Community and Economic Development in the Urban Affairs and Regional Planning Department of the University of Minnesota.
Learn more at http://www.t2p2.net/housing-values
Zach Johnson is a fifth generation Minnesota farmer. The industry obviously looks much different than it did when his great, great grandfather was working the land. Yet there are very modern challenges as well, like a precarious trade situation and landscape impacted by climate change. We asked Johnson all about this, and how he finds time to maintain a YouTube channel while harvesting his crops.
Should gender equity be written into Minnesota law? For decades, advocates have been pushing for just that, and earlier this year they got a major win when the Minnesota House voted to put an Equal Rights Amendment in front of voters in 2020. Is this the time for the ERA in Minnesota? We asked Betty Folliard, founder of ERA Minnesota. (Hint: she says yes!)
Who oversees police and public safety across the state of Minnesota? It’s former Metro Transit and St. Paul police chief John Harrington! Needless to say, Harrington has goals to diversify police departments across the state and improve police community relations.
It’s a show with tools you can use in your next family dinner table debate! “De-escalation” is a way of approaching a potential conflict in a way that tries to lower the temperature instead of heightening it. Russ Turner, one of the state’s leading trainers in this methodology, joined us and talk us through how “de-escalation” works and how we can use it in our lives!
Our quest to have all of Minnesota’s statewide elected officials on the show takes a big step forward as we welcome Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha. Her office looks for corruption and waste in city and regional governments across the state. She undoubtedly had lots of great stories of ways Minnesota cities spend money in “interesting” ways.
The Twin Cities has a strong business sector, yet has huge disparities between the number of white and people-of-color owned businesses. Tawanna Black is working to change that, to make Minnesota’s economy inclusive for everyone. We asked her why this is so important for all Minnesotans.
The University of Minnesota has a new president. It’s a 24/7 job, overseeing five campuses serving 10,000s of students, and touching every part of the state. As Joan Gabel settles into the new job, she faced her greatest challenge yet, being a guest on our show.
The Guardian UK's Parliamentary Sketch Writer, John Crace joined us for a night of Brexit talk and improv comedy! The United Kingdom is slated to leave the European Union on Oct. 31st, but the process is already on it's third Prime Minister. Will the UK and the EU face a no-deal Brexit or does newly elected Prime Minister have some tricks up his sleeve? Can they iron things out in time or should we start stockpiling Cadbury chocolate?
Learn about the history of the Mississippi river with John Anfinson, Superintendent at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. There are few people alive that know this stretch of the river better than John. Time machines don’t exist, but John is the next best thing.
One year ago, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter joined us on The Theater of Public Policy in the early days of his term. Now more than a year and a half in, he joined us once again to discuss how the issues he campaigned on are working out in office. We asked him about the city’s new comprehensive plan, city efforts on early childhood education, and what the heck is the deal with trash collection in St. Paul. Seriously, what’s the deal with that?
In Minnesota, the DNR Commissioner oversees everything form lakes and trails, to hunting and fishing, and even has a say in mining projects in the state. New DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen is a former mayor and assistant DNR commissioner with a reputation for getting things done. She is also the first woman to hold the position. We asked her about her job overseeing Minnesota’s natural resources, and what kind of bait to use for catching Walleye.
The Pioneer Press is one of Minnesota’s oldest newspapers. Just a few years ago, it was purchased by a hedge fund that has made major cuts to their newsroom staff. Yet the paper is profitable and turning out a solid product day after day. What’s the future of St. Paul’s largest newspaper? What can readers do to preserve or strengthen it? We asked the Pioneer Press’s own, Dave Orrick.
Since the passage of Title IX, more women and girls have taken up sports of all kinds. But paradoxically, there are actually FEWER female coaches at the at the college level than before Title IX.
Dr. Nicole LaVoi from the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport has dug into this complex issue, and compiles an annual report card on Women in College Coaching. She also studies how female athletes are portrayed in the media compared to their male counterparts. Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach of the University of St. Thomas Julie Lundquist also joined us to offer first hand perspectives.
Editors Note: We had difficulty with the audio feed, so it sounds a bit washed out at times.
It’s summer, a time for planting and growing. But these days, many of the plants on farm fields and even in backyard gardens come from nearly identical genetic strains. The lack of genetic diversity in our crops should be a concern to anyone who eats food, according to our guest, Dr. James Bradeen of the UofM Department of Plant Pathology. We talked to him about how cultivating wild plants and investing in gene banks can help protect food systems from disease, insects and the effects of climate change.
Before school lets out for summer, meet Minnesota’s new Education Commissioner. A longtime teacher herself, Ricker has some big challenges in front of her, from closing one of the worst achievement gaps in the country to dealing with approximately sixty snow days this past winter.
Anyone who has ever loved a pet doesn’t need an improv comedy show to tell them that animals can make us better versions of ourselves. Yet a growing body of research is expanding our understanding of the science behind the human-animal connection. We spoke with three experts about how animals are used in therapy today and about the cutting edge of research in this field. Sarah Palm, Researcher, Nature Based Therapeutics at the University of Minnesota
Colleen Crockford, Human-Animal Bond Social Worker with Crockford Consulting
Dr. Tim Lewis, Professor at the University of St. Thomas
The Labor Movement helped build the middle class in the United States. Yet union membership has been declining for decades. Recent court decisions have raised new challenges and questions about labor’s future. Yet it still is an important bulwark for worker rights and in politics generally. How is the labor movement today and in Minnesota? What is its future? Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou and Javier Morillo-Alicea join us.
Imagine being the head coordinator for a region comprising seven counties and 188 different communities. Now imagine trying to those places to work together on everything from housing and land stewardship to transportation and energy. That’s new Metropolitan Council Chair Nora Slawik’s job.
MinnesotaCare is a health insurance program for those earning too much to qualify for Medicade but too little to afford insurance on the private market. For the past 27 years, it has been funded by a 2% assessment on licensed health care professionals. But that tax is set to sunset this year. Whether to renew the tax, replace it with something else, or scrap it all together is one of the hottest and wonkiest debates at the Minnesota Legislature this term.
Last year, former Metro Transit sergeant Dave Hutch unseated longtime Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, becoming the first openly gay sheriff in the Midwest. Sheriff Hutch has promised reform across the police department, from how inmates are treated in custody (including new procedures for trans inmates) to how it interacts with federal immigration agencies. Three months into the new job, we asked him how those reforms are going, what we can expect in the years ahead, and if he can do something about this parking ticket.
From transportation to housing, parks to waste water, the Hennepin County Board has a say in a myriad of issues that affect citizens’ daily lives. The Chair of the Hennepin County Board, Marion Greene, along with one of its newest members, Angela Conley, join us to help explain why county government matters. Together, the two represent all of South Minneapolis on the board, as well as part Northeast and St. Louis Park.
After six terms in U.S. House, Keith Ellison ran to be Minnesota’s Attorney General, and won. In his first few months in this new position, his office has joined a multi-state lawsuit against President Trump’s emergency border wall declaration, taken a special focus on wage theft in Minnesota, and made the office more public than it had been under his predecessor. What can we expect from him and the A.G. Office in the next three and a half years?
Talk of legalizing recreational marijuana burned brightly at the Minnesota Legislature early this session, then went out in a puff of smoke. But the debate’s not over. Activists and legislators argue marijuana legalization is about overturning a racially unjust system as much as its about freedom and liberty. We will talk with the author of the Senate bill that would have legalized recreational marijuana in Minnesota, as well as the head of the campaign for “Responsible Marijuana Legalization.”
A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of February 22nd, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Kelly Kohlbacher, Fred Cheng and Brandon Boat.
Music by Keegan Fraley.
A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of February 3, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Kelly Kohlbacher, Heather Meyer and Jim Robinson.
Music by Keegan Fraley.
A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of January 27, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Madde Gibba, Fred Cheng, and Shanan Custer.
Music by Keegan Fraley.
A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of January 20, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Lorna Landvik, Joshua Will, and Brandon Boat.
A comedy quiz show based on Minnesota news for the week of January 13, 2019. Featuring host Tane Danger and guests Heather Meyer, Lorna Landvik and Joy Dolo.
Music by Keegan Fraley.
In an era of climate change and political chaos, it’s easy to forget that sometimes disasters are averted. FiveThirtyEight Science writer Maggie Koerth-Baker has been looking at examples in history when humans either worked together to avoid an environmental calamity, or just got lucky. What’s the secret to not destroying the planet or ourselves?
Author Marlon James is internationally renowned for his epic novels and stories. What's his process? How does writing contrast with teaching writing? Can he give us a sneak peak of his upcoming new series? Listen to find out.
University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler has announced he will step down at the end of this academic year. The search was on for a new leader for Minnesota’s premier institution of higher learner. What do you look for in a University president? How do you find qualified applicants? Can anybody apply? We talked with search committee members Matt Kramer, Vice-President of University Relations of the UMN and Adbul Omari, Regent and chair of the search committee.
One of the most contentious policy debates in the state circles around whether or not Minnesota should permit more companies to develop new mines, particularly around the Boundary Waters. We have two well-informed guests with two very different ideas on how the state should proceed, Kevin Lee, Program Director, Senior Staff Attorney, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and Isaac Orr, Policy Fellow, Center of the American Experiment.
Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender is leading a new, more progressive city council. Meanwhile, a new comprehensive plan for the city called Minneapolis 2040 has lead to a war of yard signs. We asked her about that and when we can finally all get pet goats.
The Peabody Award-winning, In The Dark is one of the best examples of a new form of journalism: the investigative podcast. What goes into making an investigative podcast series? How does the medium change how the story is told? Can the producers give us a sneak peak at Season 3?
One in four people in the United States has a criminal record. FOUR in four Americans have done something in their past that had they been caught or in a different circumstance, would be criminal. The organization We Are All Criminals works to get people to think differently about what it means to be a criminal, our justice system, and how we treat one another.
Melvin Carter won a decisive victory in St. Paul’s mayoral against a number of strong opponents. In his first six months, he’s been faced with questions about increasing the number of police officers in the city, budgets to repair aging roads, and the third-rail of St. Paul politics, trash collection.
Who would have thought to have a pig deliver baseballs to umpires midgame? Or run a steamroller over a mountain of disco records? Or gets heralded as the funniest member of a trio that also includes Bill Murray? The answer is Mike Veeck, co-owner of the St. Paul Saints.
St. Paul is currently considering a proposal to raise its minimum wage. Is $15 an hour the right amount? Should tips count toward that $15 for restaurant workers? How quickly should the wage increase for different-sized businesses? Hear what city Councilwoman Rebecca Noecker and two members of the Citizen League’s minimum wage study committee are weighing as they try and come to a final proposal.
Even in the land of the Church Basement Ladies, people’s relationships with faith institutions are changing. More Millennials are religiously unaffiliated than any previous generation. How and why are young people redefining the role of faith in their lives? What do these changes mean for religious institutions? Would it help to update the Old Testament with some well-placed hashtags?
Major road construction has slowed and rerouted traffic on a number of Twin Cities thoroughfares. Minnesota’s Commissioner of Transportation, Charlie Zelle, promises it will get better soon, with newer roads, more accessible bus options, and the groundwork for a self-driving future. We asked him how he made it through all the traffic to join us.
We’re ending our season with a show about endings. All of us (hopefully after a long and laugh-filled life) will pass on. Planning for our own or our loved one’s end of life can be intimidating, scary, and ultimately one of the most important ways to ensure a peaceful last chapter.
We talked with two women, Brenda Hartman and Dr. Ann MacIntosh, working to change the culture of fear around end-of-life care and planning. A truly important conversation for us all–except maybe vampires.
From the massive tax policy changes passed late last year, to new tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed, and wild stock market swings, there hasn’t been any shortage of economic news in 2018. We talked with two brilliant (yet easily understandable) economists what to make of it all. Timothy Taylor is both a professor at Macalester College and the professor you hear if you take The Great Course’s lecture series on economics. Chris Farrell is a regular contributor to public radio’s Marketplace, the Bloomberg Business, and the most frequent guest of The Theater of Public Policy.
Most Minnesotans know Paul Douglas from his years presenting the weather on KARE 11, WCCO, and TPT as well as writing the weather column for the Star Tribune. As an evangelical Christian who recognizes the threats of climate change, Douglas often finds himself serving as a bridge between communities that don’t often talk to one another.
How do members of the GLBT community pass knowledge and perspective between generations? Unlike most minority groups, being born gay, bi, or trans does not necessarily mean you have gay, bi, or trans parents.
We talked to Charlie Rounds, who organizes intergenerational GLBT roundtables, as well as Minneapolis council member Phillipe Cunningham, who at a relatively young age has already become a leader in the GLBT community and beyond.
Star Tribune journalist Maya Rao spent a year traveling across the North Dakota oil fields and boom towns. In her new book, she takes us to those towns that doubled or tripled in population in a matter of months, introduces us to migrant workers (mostly men) who came from near and far to work the oil fields, and what life was really like in the closest thing to a gold rush (and bust) in 21st Century America.
The 2018 Minnesota Legislative session was predicted to be a carousel of egos. With no budget to pass, divided government, and a lame duck governor, many thought it the session would accomplish little but providing elected officials a chance to position themselves for elections this fall. Yet a few hot topics, including guns and school safety, as well as disabled Minnesota robot named LARS, has garnered some attention at the capitol and beyond. We asked two of Minnesota’s best capitol reporters for an update and what watch for in the rest of the session.
After a grueling mayoral race, Minneapolis voters put Jacob Frey at the city’s helm. The campaign focused on housing affordability and access, community police relations, and wage and workplace reforms throughout the city. How is the new mayor tackling those issues and deciding priorities? Are weekly 10K runs now mandatory at City Hall?
The routine civic exercise of casting a ballot roused new questions in voters following the 2016 election. Talk of Russian trolls, targeted social media marketing, and even hacking of voter rolls have many wondering if the very practice of our democracy is under threat.
Sounds like great material for a comedy show.
And we asked Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon about. Simon is responsible for overseeing elections throughout Minnesota. He's currently running for re-election to the office.
Former George W. Bush White House ethics and University of Minnesota Law Professor Richard Painter announced in March that he is considering a run for the U.S. Senate.
Will he? If so, would he as a republican, a democrat, or an independent? Why would anyone want to leave Minnesota to go to Washington D.C. anyway? We asked him.
Changes in the grocery store market are nothing new in Minnesota–ask any former Red Owl customers. The recent pace of those changes have a lot of people wondering about the future of grocery stores in the Twin Cities. By buying Whole Foods, will Amazon dominate the market? Can Target make it in the groceries business? Why’s everyone so excited about Hy-Vee? We talked with Dan DeBaun, Retail and Restaurant Reporter, Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal
Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development is charged with growing the state’s economy, connecting citizens with jobs, and helping businesses grow. The woman at the helm is Shawntera Hardy, who previously worked in the state’s energy, healthcare, and transportation sectors. Earlier this year, Governor Dayton tasked DEED with answering Amazon’s call for proposals for a second headquarters. We talked with Commissioner Hardy about all of that, plus asked for résumé tips in the event this whole improv thing doesn’t work out.
No doubt you’ve already got your calendar marked for the decennial U.S. Census. As the Constitution mandates, every person in the United States will be counted in 2020. Or at least that’s the hope. There are already major concerns whether the federal government is adequately preparing for the upcoming census. We asked two local experts how the census actually works on the ground, and whether it’s a big deal if the count’s off by a few (million) people. We talked with Susan Brower, Minnesota State Demographer and Bob Tracy, Director of Public Policy and Communications, Minnesota Council on Foundations.
A world of self-driving cars is right around the corner. Hopefully for the pedestrian on that corner, the car’s computer sensors will recognize him and not run him over. Adapting to autonomous vehicles poses ethical, logistical, cultural, and infrastructure questions that most people (let alone cities and states) have only begun to ponder. We talked with Frank Douma, the State and Local Policy Program Director for the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
First elected to the U.S. House in 2006, Tim Walz has represented southern Minnesota in Washington for more than a decade. Now the former school teacher and Army National Guard veteran is running for governor. We asked what was better preparation for political office: serving in the military or teaching middle school?
For many, mobile homes and trailer parks have a negative connotation–synonymous with low class and poverty. In reality, they have been the foundations of thriving communities, beloved by the people who call them home. They have also served as affordable places to live for individuals and families. Yet Minnesota has been losing mobile home parks, despite a continued demand. We talked with Kevin Walker, a regional leader on these issues about the need for this type of affordable housing, and with Miguel Otárola of the Star Tribune who has covered the loss of places for these homes.
Born in Wisconsin, State Representative Erin Murphy made a major upgrade more than 30 years ago by moving to St. Paul, Minnesota. She worked as a nurse at the University of Minnesota Hospital as part of a transplant team. In 2005, she ran for state house and won. Earlier this year, she announced her candidacy for governor. We asked her about her background, her proposals for the state’s future, and to look at this weird bump on our foot...
New leaders have taken the helm at both the Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts in just the past year. Ed Graff and Joe Gothard have signed up for one of the toughest and most important jobs out there. They are responsible for shaping school districts that serve tens of thousands of children from diverse ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds. A stubborn achievement gap between white students and students of color has frustrated educational leaders before.
What does a former White House ethics lawyer from a republican administration think of the Trump administration? As a veteran of the George W. Bush White House, Richard Painter has become the one of the most prominent voices arguing for transparency and accountability in the new administration. He’s talked with Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper. Last October he talked with us.
A former law professor, civil rights attorney, and blogger, Nekima Levy-Pounds has been working for social and racial justice in Minnesota and beyond for years. She also previously served as the president of the Minneapolis NAACP. The conversation with Levy-Pounds touched on how her approach to engaging and convening citizens would differ from previous mayors, how she would aim to shrink or close the wealth and opportunity gaps in the city, and her views on hand-holding.
Representative Raymond Dehn is in his third term Minnesota House. He represents District 59B which includes parts of Downtown and North Minneapolis. He is trained as and worked for many years as an architect. Our conversation with Dehn covered his proposals for increasing affordable housing options in the city, elaborating on his statements about de-militarizing the police, and whether or not listeners of this podcast should get two votes.
Incumbent mayor Betsy Hodges is running for a second term leading Minneapolis. Before being elected mayor in 2013, she served as council woman for Ward 13. We talked with Hodges about the “Complete Streets” policy adopted during her first term, what she learned from the protest and occupation of the 4th Precinct, and the importance of making conversation with toddlers.
Jacob Frey – Council member Jacob Frey is finishing his first term representing Ward 3 in Minneapolis. He began his career as a professional runner, competing for the USA in the Pan American Games. He moved to Minneapolis, began a law career Faegre & Benson (now Faegre Baker Daniels) and then Halunen & Associates.
Our talk with Frey covered his plans to bring more affordable housing to every part of the city, how he would like to reform police training in the city, and how we could build a moat of parking lots around the city.
Tom Hoch – A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Hoch served as president of the Hennepin Theater Trust until 2016. He is also a past board chair of the Minneapolis Downtown Council and Downtown Improvement District.
We asked Hoch about how his aim to raise Minneapolis’s national profile, his proposal to increase arrest rates for violent crimes by 10%, and what he’d tell neighborhood organizations about up-zoning and more density.
At just 23 years old, filmmaker and entrepreneur Aswar Rahman is the youngest candidate for Minneapolis mayor. His passion and detailed positions on a wide range of policy issues has won him consideration among a field of well-seasoned contenders.
We talked with Rahman about the city budget, how he’d use the authority of mayor in regard to hiring and firing of police officers, and whether he’d defend a city minimum wage increase he’s long opposed.
Like many working for racial and social justice, Hip Hop artist turned activist Maj Toure advocates for more education of urban communities, deescalation police training, and dismantling systemic racism. Unlike many of his peers, he also believes part of the solution is for more people of color to understand and take advantage of their 2nd Amendment rights and be trained in gun safety. He is the founder of Black Guns Matter.
What happens to your trash after you’ve put it out on the curb? Whether it’s going to be recycled or put in the landfill, the story of your trash is likely more complex and winding than you might expect. We asked three experts, Wayne Gjerde of the MPCA and Lynn Hoffman and Kate Davenport of Eureka Recycling to tell us The Story of Trash.
For more than a decade, Chris Coleman has led Minnesota’s Capitol City. In that time he championed the construction of the LRT Green Line, ran a successful bid for the city to host the 2008 Republican National Convention, and was elected President of the National League of Cities. Earlier this year he announced his bid for governor of Minnesota, a job which conveniently would only be a few miles from his current offices!
Good news: People of diverse backgrounds and ethnicities move to the Twin Cities for good jobs in large numbers. Bad news: After just a few years, they leave in much larger numbers than their Caucasian counterparts. We asked our guests, Dr. Janine Sanders Jones and John Hardy, why Minnesota is able to attract a diverse workforce, but can’t seem to retain it. Also, what are businesses in the state doing to keep people here?
When Macy’s announced it was closing its store in downtown Minneapolis, people across the state panicked. What will become of retail in Minneapolis?! What does this say the economic climate in the Twin Cities and beyond?! WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE SKYWAYS?! We’ll ask all these questions and more of Steve Cramer and Jonathan Weinhagen.
One area where a president has wide latitude is in foreign policy. In just the first few weeks of the Trump administration, the president has thrown diplomatic norms and historical precedent to the wind. Does it matter? Are international affairs really affected by the personalities driving them? We asked longtime Foreign Service officer and current Diplomat-in-Residence, Mary Curtin that and if Canada might need a resident policy improv comedy troupe.
What started out as an online bookstore has wildly changed the way people get everything from toilet paper to cat toys. Amazon hasn’t just changed the way people shop, it’s changing the face of retail and labor in Minnesota and beyond. Is there a downside to being able to get 10,000 baby wipes delivered to your house in under an hour? We asked Olivia LaVecchia, a Research Associate at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and co-author of a report of Amazon’s effects on local communities and businesses.
If you’re like most Minnesotans, each year you eagerly await the audit of your local government’s finances. But have you ever wondered who produces that thrilling page-turner of a beach read? The J.K. Rowling of Minnesota financial documents is none other than State Auditor Rebecca Otto, our guest on March 13. As if being state auditor weren’t exciting enough, Otto has announced a run for a new job, Governor. We asked her about both, and if she can help us reconcile these expense reports.
This August, Ilhan Omar won the 60B DFL primary for Minnesota House. If she wins in November (which is highly likely in the heavily democratic district) she will become the first Somali-American elected to a state legislature in the U.S. In her first improv-show interview since winning her primary, Omar joined T2P2 to talk about the significance of her candidacy, as well as the issues she will likely face at the Minnesota Legislature in 2017.
Does art make a place more beautiful? Of course. Does art improve quality of life? You bet. Does art help us grapple with our own humanity? Sure. But what about the cold, hard monetary bottom line? Shelia Smith and Laura Zabel joined us to talk about the economic impact that the arts have on communities large and small.
The Trans Pacific Partnership would be one of the largest trade agreements in history, reshaping the relationship between the U.S. and more than a dozen Pacific nations. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have come out against it. But what would it actually do? What effect would its implementation have on workers in the U.S. and abroad, for businesses, and for the environment? We dig into the “boring” details of the T.P.P. with economics and policy professor, Bob Kudrle.
Gary Cunningham, Metropolitan Council Member Minnesota is home to some of the worst racial disparities in the country in terms of housing, workforce retention, and education. Gary Cunningham is working to find ways to change that in his role on the Metropolitan Council. Racial disparities and regional planning: perfect ingredients for comedy.
Sure, artificial light seems great; it makes it easier to find what you’re looking for in your closet, and it’s the only proven way to summon Batman. But at what cost? Paul Bogard looks at what effect being constantly surrounded by artificial light has on people of all ages. Hear about the effect LEDs have on our brains, or just listen to how Mr. Bogard responds to having to sit under a hot stage light for an hour.
Every week, a bi-partisan foursome of Minnesota’s savviest political watchers gathers to discuss the week in the news. Their podcast, Wrong About Everything is must-listen audio for Minnesota politicos; it’s basically the Serial of the Minnesota Legislature.
Will the Southwest Light Rail move forward? What’s so great about bus rapid transit? Can we ever really have enough roads and bridges? We’ll ask all that and more of two powerhouses of Minnesota transportation legislation and policy: State Senator Scott Dibble and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin.
For more than 30 years, Winona LaDuke has been an activist for environmental, economic, and political justice, with a focus on tribal land claims. In 1996 and 2000, she was on the Green Party candidate Vice President running with Ralph Nader. She was executive director of both the White Earth Recovery Project and currently heads the national organization Honor The Earth. September 12 she added one more accolade to her résumé: guest on The Theater of Public Policy.
With the exception of certain witches, everyone needs water and in the land of 10,000 lakes we’re lucky to have lots of it. But recent crises in places like Michigan, and even reports about Minnesota’s own water quality are raising a lot of questions and concerns. One of Minnesota’s foremost water experts, Dr. Deborah Swackhamer of the University of Minnesota joined us to talk about the science and policy of H20.
Sandpiper Pipeline Project involves construction of a 616-mile crude oil pipeline from Tioga, North Dakota, across the state of Minnesota, to Superior Wisconsin. The proposal has divided citizens and communities questions of environmental impact, economic opportunities, Native American treaty rights, and concerns over the alternative freight traffic currently carrying much of the oil. Sounds like a really light, fun way to close out T2P2’s spring season! We were joined by Minnesota State Representatives Pat Garofalo and Frank Hornstein to help us figure out some of the arguments on each side of this debate. We also discussed what did and didn't happen at the 2016 Minnesota Legislative sessi
R.T. Rybak came to Minneapolis City Hall in 2001 without ever having previously served in public office. He didn’t get much time to ease into the job. Before Rybak even fully moved into his office, the Minnesota Twins threatened to move to a new town unless they got a new stadium, there was a leadership fight on the city council, and the city budget faced a $5 million shortfall. All of that and much more is detailed in Rybak’s new memoir, Pothole Confidential: My Life as Mayor of Minneapolis. The book offers a firsthand account of leading the state’s largest city for three terms: a campaign for more affordable housing, responding to the 35W Bridge collapse, conducting the first same-sex marriages in the state, bitter stadium politics, and much more.
First elected in 2013, Abdi Warsame serves on the Minneapolis City Council. He represents Ward 6 which includes much of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Born in Somalia, Warsame is currently the highest level elected Somali-American in the country. We asked him about his incredible personal story, his views on local politics, and what he thinks of his fellow council.
Once upon a time, Minneapolis tried to keep their citizens with a penchant for hard drinking—lumberjacks, farmhands, and railroad workers—into the oldest quarter of Minneapolis. It was an era of flophouses, preachers and nuns trying to save souls and a bar owner named John Bacich, aka Johnny Rex. The Star Tribune’s James Shiffer has written a new book about Minneapolis’s Skid Row and its king.
We’ve all heard about the death of small towns both here in Minnesota and across the country. But are things so simple and dire? Will our children only read about rural towns in books? Are we all destined to live in towering skyscrapers in mega cities of 10 million people each? Probably not, but what is the economic and cultural future of small towns?
The affordable housing debate in the Twin Cities region has been called one of the fiercest in the country. We sat down with three experts to find out why. Featuring Nelima Sitati-Munene, executive director of African Career, Education & resource, Owen Duckworth, Coalition organizer for the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, and Ed Goetz, Director of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Minnesota’s second-in-command is our extra special guest for the season kick-off of T2P2. Join us and Lt. Governor Tina Smith as we ask her hard hitting questions like: What should we do with Minnesota’s budget surplus? What’s her working relationship with Governor Dayton like? And, wait... what exactly does a Lt. Governor do anyway?
What will happen when congressmen Tom Emmer (MN-6, GOP) and Tim Walz (MN-1, DFL) are The Theater of Public Policy’s on-stage guests? Will we end partisan bickering with improv comedy? Or, in true Minnesota fashion, will they just talk about the weather? Find out!
Chris Farrell, Senior Economics Contributor to American Public Media’s Marketplace, and Cardiff Garcia, US editor of the Financial Times’s Alphaville, joined us to make sense of the Fed’s interest rate policies, “un-retirement,” globalization, and what the heck is going on in Cuba.
We talked with Vinn White, U.S. DOT Senior Transportation Policy Advisor, and Casey Dinges, Senior Managing Director at the American Society of Civil Engineers about roads, bridges, transit, and dedicated lanes for hover-bikes.
Some people think church and state should be the best of friends and others think of them as worst enemies that shouldn't even be in the same room together. How does this all play out in the real world? How did it get this way and what can be done about it? We talked with Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.
Washington gridlock, elections, pundrity and more all in our chat with Norm Ornstein, Resident Scholar of the American Enterprise Institute. He offers up answers and more questions about all things politics.
Our first guest cancelled! Fortunately, Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck was able to come on the show. We talked about major transit plans for the region, how the council operates and some recent controversy.
We hosted our most controversial show yet! Really? Probably not, but it seemed that way due to the volume of emails, phone calls, and social media posts that we received. We sat down and talked with Ale Matos (Star Tribune), Christopher Magan (Pioneer Press) and Beth Hawkins (Education Post) about the state of education in Minnesota.
What does Minneapolis do to attract visitors and what goes into a proposal for hosting a major conference or event the Super Bowl? Meet Minneapolis has the answers and it's not to keep building more stadiums.
We spoke with Doug Chapin, Director of the Program for Excellence in Election Administration at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, about our electoral system, voting in Minnesota, and how he has several degrees, but none from the electoral college.
What's it like to be the first Millennial on the Minneapolis City Council? He certainly brings a younger perspective on the issues and sometimes has to help the other council members when their computer crashes.
We talked with Anthony Newby, ED of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change and Dr. Nekima Levy-Pounds, President of the Minneapolis NAACP, Professor of Law at St. Thomas University and organizer with #BlackLivesMatter Minneapolis.