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PODCAST

Essential Minnesota

The Minnesota Star Tribune

Every Friday host Melissa Townsend brings her distinct curiosity and humor to these weekly deep-dive conversations with journalists from the Minnesota Star Tribune. Together they dig into interesting and important local stories that matter to Minnesota and beyond. It’s what the Minnesota Star Tribune does best. Available Fridays at 4:30 A.M. Central.

news politics

All Episodes

28:49

Behind the fall of the Minneapolis Chief of Police

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/06/05

The scandal that led to Brian O’Hara’s resignation was a surprise to many. Reporter Liz Sawyer tells the behind the scenes story of what led to him leaving and why so many people knew so little about it.

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0:56

We're taking a break - back next week

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/05/29

Our small team is taking a short break this week. We'll be back with a fresh episode on June 5!

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26:07

Three Republicans, one endorsement: Inside the GOP's...

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/05/22

As Minnesota Republicans head into their state convention, three very different candidates are vying for the party’s endorsement for governor: House Speaker Lisa Demuth, businessman Kendall Qualls and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Minnesota Star Tribune reporters Walker Orenstein and Nathaniel Minor break down who these candidates are and what their campaigns reveal about the future of the Minnesota GOP.

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24:18

The debate over high school transfer athletes

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/05/15

One of the hottest issues in high school sports right now is student athletes who transfer from school to school. Columnist Chip Scoggins digs into what’s going on, what rules are being broken, and asks – is the current system fair?Guest: Columnist, Chip Scoggins

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35:10

How the ban on mining near the BWCAW was reversed

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/05/08

A vote in late April opened the Boundary Waters watershed to copper nickel mining – again. Two reporters describe the family behind the mining proposal, how they worked with lawmakers to reverse a federal ban on mining in the “crown jewel” of Minnesota and what will happen next.

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25:19

Why did Bushel Boy tomatoes mysteriously disappear?

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/05/01

For decades, Bushel Boy tomatoes were everywhere. A homegrown success story delivering fresh, greenhouse-grown beefsteaks across Minnesota. Then, overnight, they vanished. Our reporters dig into what happened and uncover a threat that’s shaping the future of local produce farming.Editor, Brooks Johnson Reporter, Victor Ștefănescu

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26:00

The Threats Against Minnesotans in Public Office

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/04/24

Threats against elected officials are on the rise but the full number and nature of those threats has been difficult to know. Three reporters spent six months tracking down the real threats Minnesota lawmakers are facing and what it says about the safety net surrounding those who pursue public office.Guests: Jana Hollingsworth MaryJo Webster Nathaniel Minor

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39:01

Stories from the critic who knew the Purple One best

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/04/17

Minnesota Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream knew Prince before the world did -- before the first record, before he became an icon. Their decades-long relationship had its share of highs and lows (including a ban from Prince's club after a bad review). Jon reflects on the artist he knew and what’s become of Prince's unreleased work 10 years after his death.

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22:40

The Minnesota Legislature’s plan to tackle fraud this...

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/04/03

Rage bait videos and stories online catch a lot of attention. But the real solutions to dealing with fraud in Minnesota are less sensational and more practical. Our reporters run down the real problems that open the door to Medicaid fraud and the solutions state lawmakers are proposing that will close it. Guests: Jessie Van Berkel, reporter Ryan Faircloth, reporter

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29:26

Did Operation Metro Surge root out Medicaid fraud in...

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/03/27

We ended 2025 with a set of very serious fraud charges involving millions of dollars that were supposed to go to services that are a lifeline for some Minnesotans. And then Operation Metro surge happened. The deployment was supposed to root out this fraud, but our reporters describe what really happened. This is part 2 of a 3 part series where our reporters separate reality from rage bait about fraud in Minnesota. Guests: Jessie Van Berkel, reporter Deena Winter, reporter

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24:59

Fact v. Fiction: What’s the real story with fraud in...

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/03/20

Real fraud, allegations of fraud and political rage bait are creating tons of headlines and lots of chaos but not much sense. To parse it out and get to what’s really going on – we go back to 2018 when the first big fraud scandals in the state set the playbook for what we are seeing today.Guest: Reporter, Deena Winter

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0:55

We’re cooking up something big - back next week

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/03/13

We don’t have a new episode for you this week because we are working on a deep dive mini-series unraveling the fraud scandals in Minnesota. We’ll tell the full story going back a decade and parse out what’s real, what’s rage bait and what people are doing to get us out of this mess. Come on back next week for that!

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24:02

The Sextortion "Pandemic" That’s Hitting Minnesota

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/03/06

It starts as an online flirtation, escalates in intensity and ends in tragedy. The story of one family's experience and the local investigator determined to bring them justice.

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26:48

How a “meltdown” is impacting Minnesota

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/02/27

Half of the lawyers at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Minnesota have left in the past year. We find out why and what that means for people involved in immigration, fraud and violent crime cases – including the case against an alleged assassin.

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24:00

Three shootings, two deaths, zero cooperation

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/02/20

As Operation Metro Surge ends in Minnesota, massive legal questions remain. Our reporters explain how state leaders are faced with finding a way around the federal government to hold the immigration agents who killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti accountable.

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20:18

Minnesotans in Hiding

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/02/12

Even with the announcement that Operation Metro Surge is coming to an end, many Minnesotans are still in hiding. Our reporters visit with one family who has been wondering when it will be safe to come out again.

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19:06

How will this end? Lessons from the ICE surge in Chicago

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/02/09

Before Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, there was Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. Chicago Tribune reporter Greg Pratt describes how it started, the similarities between Minneapolis and Chicago, and finally, how it ended.

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24:55

Tackled, shackled and then what?

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/02/06

We find out what is happening inside the ICE detainment facility in Minneapolis and what people have to do to be set free.

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20:15

Is Minnesota a sanctuary state and can its jails be...

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/01/29

Reporters in Minneapolis fact check federal officials' claims that violence across the metro is caused by state and local officials who have declared Minnesota a sanctuary state and won’t open its jails to ICE. What does the law say?

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35:55

The escalation of Operation Metro Surge and the...

Essential Minnesota ·

2026/01/29

In three stories that happened over three months, reporters in Minneapolis track the escalation of the ICE and Border Patrol surge from November 2025 to January 2026, when ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good.

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