Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
MN GOP Will Denounce Racism, but Want Apology
When the president says overtly racist things, like calling an entire portion of our population “garbage” who “contribute nothing,” you'd think it would be super easy to quickly issue a statement denouncing what he said. But the Minnesota GOP can’t even do that without claiming they, too, are being attacked with bigotry. Last week, 33 MN Senate DFLers penned a letter condemning hate speech and rallying their GOP peers to speak out against such statements, arguing that “silence in the face of dehumanization is not neutrality—it is complicity.”
In response, Minority Leader Sen. Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) fired off an email on behalf of the Senate GOP Caucus, which he also shared with Cleo Krejci for MinnPost.
“Governor Walz has called ICE officers ‘gestapo,’" he writes. "He said Republicans are ‘Nazis’ and ‘fascists.’ We do not hold a double standard here: Republican leaders yesterday (Dec. 4) said they disagree with any comments that condemn an entire group or community. However, we have yet to hear a Democrat legislator condemn Governor Walz’s comments about fellow Minnesotans.”
He’s not the only one upset at being judged by the actions of his political party. MN Sen. Julia Coleman (R-Chanhassen) has requested an apology, while Sen. Eric Pratt (R-Prior Lake) explained at a conference that Trump’s statement “wasn’t said the way that I would have said it.” Meanwhile, Sen. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) actually issued his own letter praising the Somali community and inviting Trump to meet with him and members of it.
For examples of how Minnesotan Republicans are failing humanity on a national level, look no further than this piece by Sydney Kashiwagi for the Star Tribune, which details how Rep. Tom Emmer is siding with Trump over his Somali constituents these days.
Trump Admin Sues Mpls Schools Over DEI Policy
Speaking of racist bullshit from the current administration, on Tuesday the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Minneapolis Public Schools, alleging that its union contract violates the Civil Rights Act. Back in 2022, the union added a provision prioritizing educators from “underrepresented populations” in times of layoffs and rehires.
“The teachers union pushed for the protections because teachers of color tend to be younger, and traditional ‘last-in, first-out’ layoffs work against the district’s goal of recruiting and retaining a more diverse teaching force,” writes Max Nesterak for Minnesota Reformer. “Around 20% of Minneapolis teachers are people of color, while roughly two-thirds of their students are.”
“Our public education system in Minnesota and across the country must be a bastion of merit and equal opportunity—not DEI,” says Attorney General Pamela Bondi in an ironic statement.
Carnahan Still Causing Carnage?
Colleagues and constituents are calling for Jennifer Carnahan to resign as mayor of Nisswa. “She brought failed city politics to cabin country and she’s burning the cabin down,” Councilmember Jesse Zahn tells Kim Hyatt for the Star Tribune.
It’s unclear what “city politics” she brought to Nisswa, but Carnahan certainly brought herself. After serving as mayor for less than a year, her coworkers allege that she has created a toxic work environment that has led to high staff turnover and unfilled positions. (Staffers accused her of the same thing during her time as chair of the Minnesota GOP.) Nisswa City Council Members are also concerned about a recent Facebook post Carnahan made about being “physically assaulted” by a resident, though police opted not to press charges. (This is not the first time Carnahan has gotten physical in public.)
While at least one council member and a few residents are asking her to immediately resign, Carnahan tells Hyatt she has no plans to. (This would also not be her first time getting pushed out of a job; on her way out as GOP chair she managed to give herself a $38K severance fee.) Get ready to pony up, Nisswa!
NYT Loves Diane's Sesame Balls
How about we end a bitter Flyover with some sweet dessert? Award-winning pastry chef Diane Moua got a shout-out in a New York Times article (gift link) titled “The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025.” Restaurant critic Tejal Rao writes that Diane’s sesame balls are "delicate,” “barely sweet,” and “exactly the right way to end a meal and make everyone at the table happy, even those who thought they didn’t want dessert."
