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TTT1807 February 12 What Do You Like About America

At a time when the American body politic is suffering from an extreme case of indigestion, it might seem odd to ask a question like the one above. We are told by the media that Americans with differing political views are barely on speaking terms. For some, it seems easier to list the things they don’t like about America. But, even lacking common ground, some simple sharing of what we think is good about our country might just be the starting point for a deeper conversation — or at least a little mutual understanding. TruthToTell host Tom O’Connell discusses this and other projects that foster dialogue across our state with David O’Fallon, president and CEO of a true Minnesota treasure, the Minnesota Humanities Center.
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TTT1743 October 23 Local Elections

Who says “off-year” elections are inconsequential? In Minneapolis, dozens of candidates — including a substantial slate of endorsees from Our Revolution, the successor organization to the Bernie Sanders campaign — are vying for mayor, City Council, and Park Board positions. In St. Paul, a crowded field of candidates is competing for the mayor’s seat vacated by Chris Coleman. In what many see as the most significant test yet of our ranked-choice voting system, there’s a lot at stake in this year’s municipal elections. Join TruthToTell host Tom O’Connell as he discusses the various races with three of the Twin Cities most astute political observers: Peter Callaghan, who covers local politics and government for MinnPost; Dylan Thomas, editor of the Southwest Journal; and Jeanne Massey, executive director of Fair Vote Minnesota.
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TTT1742 October 16 Racial Justice-Polarization

In this edition of TTT, we explore two approaches to discussing race and other issues that often divide citizens. Vina Kay, executive director of Voices for Racial Justice, explains how her organization developed a unique set of questions for candidates to get beyond simple “yes” and “no” positions to a deeper discussion of race and public service. Professor William Doherty, director of the Citizen Professional Center at the University of Minnesota and founder of Better Angels, a grassroots effort to depolarize American Communities, discusses how political polarization is reaching dangerous levels across the country and what can be done about it.
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Donald Trump is in the White House and Republicans control Congress, but Democrats dominate most city governments. Just how much positive change can happen at the city level? With a broad field of candidates for city council, park board, and the mayor’s office, Minneapolis is in a good position to explore both the possibilities — and limits — of municipal power. Join 8th Ward City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden (DFL) and 2nd  Ward City Council Member Cam Gordon (Green Party) for a discussion on the issues and politics of the 2017 Minneapolis city election.
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TTT1739 September 25 Early Childhood Education

Art Rolnick, former senior vice-president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has cited studies of early learning and young children’s brain development to convince many in the business community and Legislature that quality investments in cradle-to-pre-kindergarten education can dramatically boost the achievement of low-income children in the K-12 system. Now, what will it take to bring to scale what we know actually works? TTT interviews Rolnick and Carolyn Smallwood, executive director of Way to Grow, a Minneapolis-based early-learning center that is demonstrating how quality early-learning education and family support actually works.
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TTT1729 July 17 Populism

In today’s political commentary, the label “populist” is mostly applied to immigrant-bashers, climate-deniers and anti-globalists who wouldn’t be caught dead listening to MPR, reading the New York Times or saying something nice about “left coast” elites in California or New York. But not all populists are right-wing reactionaries. Just ask Bernie Sanders supporters. In fact, populist movements in name or spirit, mobilized rural farmers and urban workers in powerful movements for political and economic democracy. To help us understand how, TTT is joined by historians Michael Lansing from Augsburg College, author of Insurgent Democracy: The NonPartisan League in North American Politics and Jeff Kolnick from Southwest Minnesota State University, serving a region of the state with a rich progressive populist heritage.
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