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What Has MN Sued Trump About So Far?
With U.S. House Democrats pledging to be worthless in the fight against the Trump administration’s unconstitutional overreach, it falls to the states to do something to slam the brakes on an ongoing illegal authoritarian seizure of power. Today, Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office announced that Minnesota joined the states of Washington and Oregon in a suit arguing that an executive order designed to prevent trans people from receiving medical care violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection.
The January 28 executive order purported to halt funding for gender-affirming care from government-run insurance programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, and to cut off federal grants to hospitals and medical schools providing gender-affirming care to people under 19. “I will not stand by and let Donald Trump weaponize the federal government against young people just trying to be themselves and against doctors providing the best care they can to their patients,” Ellison said in a statement.
Ellison’s office also issued an official legal opinion today stating that law enforcement can’t keep immigrants in custody to satisfy ICE detainers, as this would likely violate the detainees’ Fourth Amendment rights. Minnesota has already signed on to a memo issued by multiple states which reiterates that the states cannot be required to enforce federal immigration law.
And Minnesota is a party to two other pending suits against the administration. One opposes an executive order purporting to limit birthright citizenship; there are several such suits proceeding in federal court, all of which have so far succeeded, because, duh. An additional suit won a temporary suspension of a federal funding freeze, though federal agencies appear to be violating that order. Which underlines the difficulty here: Winning in court is one thing; enforcing judicial decisions against a presidential administration with no interest in obeying the law is a whole nother problem.
Food 'n' Drink Roundup!
We're a week into February now, so let's quickly catch up on some of the month's food and drink news:
- After a short closure, May Day Cafe in Minneapolis's Powderhorn neighborhood reopened on February 7 as a worker-owned cooperative. We caught up with its worker-owners in September; MPR's Alex V. Cipolle has the story from the grand reopening.
- Also open as of February 7: The Rabbit Hole, an "elevated" sports bar at 411 N. Washington Ave. in the North Loop. With 42 TVs, you'll never miss a game; "if it's playing, it's playing here," the website promises. (Can we also promise to stop calling shit "elevated" in this, the year of our lord 2025?)
- J.D. Duggan at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal has the scoop on the future of the former Betty Danger's. Big Star Tipsy Taco Bar, a Tex-Mex joint, is heading for 2501 Marshall St. NE in Minneapolis. The Ferris wheel and mini golf course are stickin' around, and they'll be joined by a dog-friendly patio.
- Duggan also has the story on Prince Coal-Fired Pizza, a new spot from the folks behind Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks and Andrea Pizza.
- Blondette, the Rand Tower Hotel bar/restaurant "concepted by" (ew) Daniel del Prado, has closed, according to the Strib's Sharyn Jackson; Daniel del Prado really wants you to know he's not involved there anymore.
- The reborn Italian Eatery, ie by Travail, opens February 10, but we swung by last week to find out if it's as good as ya remember.
Report: Light Rail Fare Evaders Pay Tickets with Middle Fingers
It’s been over a year since the launch of TRIP, a fleet of light rail agents tasked with verifying riders’ tickets. How’s it going? Not great! While Metro Transit says it issued over 2,000 citations in 2024, according to a report from Eric Rasmussen at KSTP, out of 1,200 cases analyzed, more than half the time people refused to provide IDs, give any identification, or even get off the train. “Refused and gave me the #1 wave,” one citation notes. Hmm, turns out some folks don’t like authority figures asking them to cooperate in exchange for a $35 ticket. Meanwhile, Metro Transit says it saw a 6% drop in reported light rail crime in 2024, a 6% increase in overall ridership, and, of the 7,402 light rail crimes reported in 2024, around 6% of those involved smoking.
Wanna Buy These North Woods Sister Resorts?
One of the last remaining positive qualities about our AI-slopped, popup-ridden, porn- and sports-betting-infested internet? Abundant options for glamorous property looky-loos! You're afforded the (non-monetary) ability to envision new lives in new places, all from the comfort of your laptop. Maybe you wanna buy a rural dive bar, see if the Always Sunny life is right for you? Maybe you wanna buy an old church, turn that sucker into an Airbnb? Maybe you want to buy Tofte Trails and Cuyuna Cove, the chic northern Minnesota sister resorts that hit the market in tandem last month?
You're in luck with that last one: Tofte Trails, which consists of five cabins overlooking Lake Superior and Cuyuna Cove, featuring five bungalows and five-all-season cabins perched near the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, are both available. The one in Tofte is a "premier luxury resort nestled on 17 acres with breathtaking views of Lake Superior," per the property listing, and it's going for $3.1 million. The offering in Crosby is "nestled within 3.5 acres of pristine Minnesota forest... this unique outdoor resort is directly connected to over 70 miles of world-class mountain biking trails and pristine mine lakes," per its listing, and it's all yours for $2.82 million.
Click those listings for way more photos to stoke your daydreaming. And if, realistically, you can afford either one? Your ass better be at the top-tier $1,000/year Racket membership level, bub! (We also accept payment via free stays at your freshly purchased resorts.)
