Fewer Things Considered: Layoffs Hit MPR After Funding Cuts

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.

MPR: Told Ya We Were Fucked

Last week we wrote about how much public media would lose in as a result of the federal elimination of funding: about $17 million statewide. Now we’re beginning to learn how much blood will be let as a result of these cuts. Today, American Public Media Group, the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio, announced plans to lay off 5 to 8 percent of its staff—that’s 25 to 40 layoffs out of 500 people. The company is also looking at “cost savings including some reductions in employee benefits” 

On Bluesky, former MPR reporter Bob Collins speculates that MPR will close their four remaining staffed stations outside the Twin Cities metro (Moorhead, St. Cloud, Duluth, and Rochester). He’s also certain that “the EXTREMELY top heavy management will escape with minor cuts and bruises,” and that’s the safest bet in the business right there. You can read more about MPR’s internal troubles here.

And American Public Media is in relatively good shape—it’s the small stations in Greater Minnesota that will get hit hardest. Here’s a handy tool that tells you what percentage of funding each public radio station in the state is losing. Best of luck to KKWE in Callaway, which will lose 42% of its funding. And good ol’ KMOJ is losing 25%. In case you’re looking to donate. 

Local Somali-American Women's Org "Appalled" by Rep. Emmer's "Racist Rant"

It seems like just yesterday we were calling sniveling U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) a "debased toady" for running cover for President Trump as the Epstein files crisis unfolds. Well, the dipshit House majority whip is back in the news (or, at least, in The Flyover) for remarks he recently made during an appearance on Fox Business. Here's Emmer...

You brought up something that's incredibly important, and I'm glad that you're talking about it. Unfortunately the failing press in Minnesota, especially in the Twin Cities, is not. These Somali gangs are incredibly dangerous. We had an attack at a high school basketball game last spring where a Somali gang came in and started beating a kid on the bench with a tire iron. We had a shooting at the University of Minnesota during a graduation ceremony this spring that was Somali gang-related. And yet no one in the Minnesota media is reporting that that's what's going on: We've got Somali gangs that are causing these problems. Good news is I visited with our FBI last week and they're taking action, but it has been a long time coming.

It will not surprise you to learn that both of the violent incidents Emmer fear-stoked over—the basketball game attack in New Hope; the U of M graduation at Mariucci Arena—were covered extensively by local news outlets here, here, here, here, and literally dozens of other places. Were they covered through an explicitly or implicitly racist lens while playing it fast/loose with gang accusations, which seems to be what Emmer prefers? Not even by Alpha News!

Leaders of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Isuroon, which provides resources for Somali-American women and families, voiced their displeasure with Emmer on Thursday. Here's CEO Fartun Weli...

We are appalled by Rep. Thomas Emmer’s racist rant about Somalis and gang violence. Somali-American families are working hard to prevent and intervene in youth violence, and we won't let baseless accusations undermine our efforts. Emmer’s race-based language only serves to deepen the racial divide. Somali Americans face racial slurs and discrimination on a daily basis. By calling Somali Americans—even those born here—just "Somalis," Emmer pushes a racially charged narrative that erases their American identity. We don’t need our elected officials fanning the flames. Emmer should be worried about Minnesotans with no health insurance and food shortages.

To those last points, it should not surprise you to learn Emmer doesn't give a shit about providing health insurance or food. Here's an ABC News feature on how he shepherded the historically disastrous One Big Beautiful Bill across the finish line.

OK, This Is the Last Time We’ll Talk About the Fateh Nomination This Week

We’ve covered the DFL mayoral nomination of state Sen. Omar Fateh more than once this week, and with good reason. First, this is national news, even if too much of the coverage has been about how much Fateh is or is not like New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Also, a mayor’s race is a pretty big deal. And most importantly, it’s summer, which means that there’s just a lot less news out there to aggregate. 

Anyway, we’ve got a good reason to dip back into the Fateh well just one last time this week. Former journalist David Brauer, who generally confines his punditry to social media these days, has written a rare piece for the Minnesota Reformer today. In response to suggestions from some local political observers (including Reformer editor J. Patrick Coolican) that the nomination doesn’t matter much, Brauer writes… well, let’s just share the headline: “The DFL mayoral endorsement might just matter after all—and it should.” Among the reasons for potential mattering than Brauer suggests: The convention has historically offered indications of when incumbents are in danger, and this particular convention highlighted the strength of Fateh’s team. In any case, Brauer concludes, “The endorsement process has catalyzed real choices in November, which, after all, is supposed to be the point of democracy.”

Eric Harris Bernstein makes a similar point in a guest piece for the Star Tribune today, headlined, “Democratic socialists deserve a seat at the table.” Bernstein doesn’t so much make the case for Fateh as argue for a “more functional and coherent political discourse” (wistful sigh) and outline some of the most broadly palatable tenets of democratic socialism, such as “the government exists to solve collective problems.” He points out to Democrats that “Republicans will cry socialism no matter what we do or who we nominate” and insists that they not join the red-baiting themselves. Share it with anyone you know who still likes to have rational discussions about politics. 

RIP, Brother

Hulk Hogan died today in Clearwater, Florida, of an apparent heart attack. The pro wrestling legend was 71.

Outside of wrestling, Hogan was a racist Trump cheerleader who once conspired with tech supervillain Peter Thiel to sue Gawker out of existence because the journalism outlet published video of the Hulk railing his best friend's wife. (But, really, because Gawker had outed Thiel, whose billions can't stop his face from melting off.)

But did you know the Hulkster was also a union buster? Yes indeed. Turns out that he ratted out Minnesota's future (and now former) governor, Jesse Ventura, to their boss Vince McMahon back in 1986, when Ventura was leading efforts to unionize wrestlers. Ventura learned of the Hulk's betrayal a decade later as he took McMahon's World Wrestling Federation to court over royalties. 

"It was like someone punched me in the face," Ventura told "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a 2016 podcast interview. "This was my friend. And I thought, 'Hogan betrayed me? Hogan called Vince and ratted me?'...Hogan made more money than all of us combined, including Andre [the Giant]. So naturally, he didn't want a union."

Click here to read much more on how Hogan pile-drived pro-wrestling's union ambitions. (And speaking of Andrew the Giant, read his uncharitable thoughts on Hogan here.)

But let's shift gears to a local angle of much stupider consequence: The time Hulk Hogan visited MOA for the grand opening of his Pastamania restaurant in 1995. Take it away, now-ghostly Hulk...