Affording Your Life with Attorney General Keith Ellison

Attorney General Keith Ellison is joined by Senator Tina Smith to discuss the economic impact that access to reproductive healthcare, or the lack thereof, can have on people across the country. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit affordingyourlife.substack.com

On this week's episode, Attorney General Ellison takes listeners behind the scenes of an investigation. AG Ellison, alongside an attorney, an investigator, and a mediator from the Office, discusses how his team found out that a used car dealership was scamming Minnesotans and what the Office is doing to stop it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers...

Attorney General Ellison joins state Representative Emma Greenman, state Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten, and AGO Senior Policy Advisor Carin Mrotz, for a conversation on what employer misclassification fraud is, how it harms all of us, and a new law that will help prevent it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aff...

State Senator Liz Boldon and State Representative Liz Reyer join the podcast this week to discuss the Minnesota Debt Fairness Act with Attorney General Ellison. This is a bill that would help folks struggling with debt live with dignity and afford their lives while they work to pay what they owe. Give it a listen and, if you think this bill would make people's lives better, reach out to your s...

Attorney General Keith Ellison walks listeners through some highlights of his office's recent work in an unconventional format. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit affordingyourlife.substack.com

Welcome back to Affording Your Life! We are kicking off Season 4 by talking all about inflation, price gouging, and what the recent bank failures mean for everyday people.   My guest today is Dr. Lindsay Owens is the Executive Director of the Groundwork Collaborative. Widely known for her ability to communicate pressing economic concepts and arguments, Lindsay has been credited with changing the w...

For the season three finale, we're continuing last week's conversation about the Fairview and Sanford Health merger. Carrie and Elizabeth are back to talk more about the Fairview and Sanford Health merger. Carrie is the Manager of the AGO’s Charities Division and Elizabeth is an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil, Wage Theft, and Antitrust Division.   Affording Your Life will be back...

In November 2022, Fairview and Sanford Health announced their intention to merge their organizations. As part of that process, our office is conducting a review of the transaction. Here to help us understand the merger and what it means for Minnesotans, I have Carrie Washington and Elizabeth Odette. Carrie is the Manager of the AGO’s Charities Division and Elizabeth is an Assistant Attorney Genera...

Today’s guest is Joe Meyer, the Manager of the Residential Utilities Division here in the Minnesota AG’s office. Joe and his team advocate for residential and small business consumers when they have issues with their utility services and take action against utility companies when they violate the law and hurt Minnesotans. Please rate, subscribe, and share the show. Follow us on social media: Twitt...

The mission of my office is to help Minnesotans afford their lives with dignity and justice, and our Consumer Action Division is critical to advancing this mission. Today’s guest is Parker Maertz, the Manager of our office’s Consumer Action Division. We are going to talk about the function of the Consumer Action Division and how our office can help you.  To file a complaint, visit ag.state.mn.us o...

In 2021, a study from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute found that nearly 25% of construction workers in the Minnesota experienced some form of wage theft, costing taxpayers more than $135 million. I called Burt Johnson, my friend and the General Counsel for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters to discuss the problem of misclassifying workers, how it hurts workers, and what...

This week on Affording Your Life, I am joined by Claudia Lainez, to talk about her experience growing up in El Salvador and her work as an organizer, fighting against the injustices faced by workers, including wage theft. Claudia is the Worker's Center Coordinator at COPAL, a grassroots organization that seeks to impact the quality of life for Latinos in MN. To learn more about COPAL or get in tou...

For the first episode of 2023, I called my friend, Terri Gerstein to discuss the issue of wage theft, the importance of prosecuting employers who steal from their workers, and the next frontier for worker protections.  Terri Gerstein is the Director of the  State and Local Enforcement Project at the Harvard Law School Labor and Worklife Program, and also a Fellow in the Program. She recently compl...

Manufactured home communities provide a great source of affordable housing that can be modern and well-maintained, nothing like their outdated public perception. However, keeping housing conditions healthy and thriving requires vigilance and a willingness to challenge ownership and management companies that don't keep their end of the deal. Assistant Attorney General Katherine Kelly and Investigat...

The recent Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned 50 years of precedent established by Roe v Wade, creating fear, chaos, and confusion across the country. To dig deeper into what it all means, and how it is re-igniting the fight for equal rights, I chat with Sarah Stoesz, Sharon Lau, and Betty Folliard. Sarah Stoesz is President and CEO of Planned Parentho...

Protecting Minnesota family farmers is a top priority of the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. This episode is a recast from 2020 when I sat down with Assistant Attorney General Joe Meyer to talk about market consolidation in Agriculture and what we can do to create a more fair economy.  Please rate, subscribe, and share the show. Follow us on social media: Twitter Facebook This is a public epi...

For the Season 3 kick-off, I chat with Richard Painter and Lindsay Owens about what's really going on with inflation. Spoiler alert: corporate greed.  Richard Painter is a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School. From February 2005 to July 2007, he was associate counsel to the president in the White House Counsel’s office, serving as the chief ethics lawyer for the president.  Follow R...

This week, we chat with Bo Thao-Urabe, Executive Director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders and State Senator Foung Hawj, District 67 about the spike in hate crimes against the AAPI community during the COVID-19 pandemic and what we can do to combat hate crimes.  We also ask Bo and Senator Hawj to reflect on the importance of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  As always, please s...

Max Mason was one of several black circus workers accused of sexually assaulting a white woman in 1920. Three were lynched -- Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie -- from a light pole as 10,000 residents of Duluth watched.  Two went to trial, and Mason, was the only one convicted in a case that has been mired in controversy ever since.  Three days before the 100-year anniversary, a posth...

This week we are talking about how to Prevent Evictions, with two Assistant Attorneys General, Katherine Kelly and Mike Goodwin, on the front-lines defending tenants.  Please rate, subscribe, and share the show. Follow-us on social media: Twitter Facebook This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit affordingyourlife.subs...

The Season 2 launch is here. Attorney General Ellison kicks off Season 2: How to Afford Your Life in a Pandemic by giving an update on the work the Attorney General's Office has done to protect tenants, prevent price-gouging, and how to stay socially connected while we are physically apart. Please rate, subscribe, and share the show.  Follow-us on social media:  Twitter Facebook This is a public e...

9-year-old student Raela asks Attorney General Keith Ellison about growing up Black in Detroit, his favorite music, and how he uses his position to open up doors for others. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit affordingyourlife.substack.com

Attorney General Keith Ellison talks to Executive Director Kris Sundberg and Founder and Legal Counsel Suzanne Scheller of Elder Voice to discuss elder abuse and advocacy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit affordingyourlife.substack.com

Attorney General Keith Ellison reflects on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the current fight for economic equality and racial justice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit affordingyourlife.substack.com

Attorney General Keith Ellison talks to Assistant Attorney General, Katherine Kelly about a recent settlement with Comcast/Xfinity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit affordingyourlife.substack.com