Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Middle Ground: Dalia al-Aqidi on Fixing Minneapolis vs Ilhan Omar
Description
Minneapolis is under intense national scrutiny — from public safety concerns to immigration enforcement and declining trust in political leadership.
In this episode of The Middle Ground Mic, Joe sits down with Dalia al-Aqidi, an Iraqi-American journalist, legal immigrant, and congressional candidate running against Representative Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s Fifth District.
Rather than leaning into partisan outrage, this conversation takes a middle-ground approach to the issues shaping Minneapolis today. Dalia explains why she believes the city needs a renewed focus on public safety, accountability in law enforcement, community trust, and bipartisan solutions to address economic and social challenges.
Topics include the long-term impact of defunding the police, immigration reform from a legal immigrant’s perspective, political leadership during unrest, and what effective representation should look like for Minneapolis residents.
🔗 Learn more about Dalia al-Aqidi’s campaign:
👉 https://www.daliaforcongress.org
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Dalia al-Aqidi
01:01 Dalia’s Background and Immigration Story
02:36 Public Safety and Law Enforcement in Minneapolis
04:56 Political Leadership and Community Trust
07:25 The Impact of Defunding the Police
09:19 Bipartisanship and Political Solutions
10:00 Immigration and Community Dynamics
11:13 Economic Challenges and Public Assistance
12:23 Closing Thoughts and Future Directions
🎙️ The Middle Ground Mic
No Left. No Right. Forward.
This episode is brought to you by Brio.
Most trimmers are built to fail after a year or two. Loose guards. Weak batteries. Uneven cuts. The Brio Beardscape V1 changes that completely with a ceramic blade system, powerful motor, long battery life, and the precision to hit the spots cheap trimmers always miss.
Use code MIDDLEGROUND for 10% off your order.