Wedge LIVE!

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/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

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/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

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/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

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/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

Professional Journalist Taylor Dahlin uncovers the Reddit post history of a candidate for mayor of Minneapolis.

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

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/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

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/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

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/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

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/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

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/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