Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily midday digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Trump Endorses Election Denier Kim Crockett on His Shitty Social Media Platform
Is it really a feather in your cap if you get the thumb’s up from a man currently being investigated for fraud, hoarding classified documents, and trying to overthrow the government? Well, that’s what GOP candidate for secretary of state Kim Crockett got this morning from Donald Trump. The former president, who we all know is a big enthusiast of voter conspiracies, wrote that Minnesota is “rampant” with fraud, and that Crockett would “get to the bottom of that.” His endorsement was made via his offbrand Twitter site, Truth Social.
"I was surprised to learn this morning that President Trump endorsed me,” Crockett demurred in a statement. “I appreciate this unexpected vote of confidence. The most important endorsement will be Minnesota voters who choose me to be their new Secretary of State." Crockett might say she wants your vote, but she has been known to criticize voters. On a radio program she recently went on a rant against provisional ballots, calling people who use them “flabby.” (It’s unclear whether she or the radio host understands that Minnesota doesn’t do provisional ballots anyway.) She’s also not into disabled people and non-English speakers voting, and, as revealed yesterday, believes homeless people are being bribed with candy to vote Democrat. And, to be frank, we’re not entirely sure that she knows how any of this works anyway.
MN Reformer Read Dr. Jensen’s Weird Books
No laborious journalistic deed should go un-Flyovered, so we present you the Minnesota Reformer findings from reporter Michelle Griffith's scouring of the published works of GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen. As last night’s bizarre photo choice reiterated for the 10,000th time: Jensen is a weird, weird dude, and that’s reflected in his two books. Griffith discovered as much in Relationship Matters: The Foundation of Medical Care is Fracturing and We’ve Been Played: Exposing the Triad of Tyranny, tomes that prop up dystopian Orwell quotes, promote vaccine skepticism, urge readers to consult Google for medical advice, and scold doctors for over-prescribing medications. That last bit is actually worthwhile; Americans are pilled outta their freaking gourds, the BBC reports, with one study finding 10% of all prescribed medications are inappropriate for patients. But–surprise!–Jensen’s words don’t match his actions. Numbers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show that, in 2013, he was one of the top opioid subscribers in the state, Fox 9 reports. “I think Scott Jensen is out of step with science, even though he’s a physician,” Dr. Penny Wheeler, the ex-CEO of Allina Health, tells the Reformer. “Many fellow physicians have called him an embarrassment to our profession.”
Steve “Too Much Diversity” Sviggum’s “Sorry U Were Offended” Tour Ends in Resignation
Two weeks ago, University of Minnesota Board of Regents vice chair Steve Sviggum lit a fire under his ass when he asked, “is it possible that at Morris we’ve become too diverse?” The query, directed as a reason why enrollment at U of M Morris is down, drew the ire of Native American groups, students on campus, and the general public. Though Sviggum “unequivocally” apologized in a public statement last week and on Henry Lake’s WCCO show, he also went to Alpha News to complain about the far left, identity politics, and “the woke community.” Now, he’s stepping down from his position. "I have come to the realization that I should resign from the Vice Chairmanship effective immediately," he writes in a statement. "I owe that position to my colleagues who have shown disapproval in my actions." However, he’ll remain on the Board of Regents until his term ends in 2023.
City Reveals Plans for “People’s Way” Building at GFS
Should the Minneapolis City Council approve proposed plans next month, the long-shuttered Speedway gas station across the street from the scene of George Floyd’s murder–aka the “People’s Way”–will be sold to the city. The land would eventually become a “national racial justice healing center,” the Star Tribune’s Susan Du reports, news that received mixed reactions from those most invested in the future of 38th & Chicago. “Your timeline is moving really fast... and just to have one community feedback, it feels like it's being done to us as opposed to including us,” said protestor Jeanelle Austin. "Right now, [the gas station] just doesn't look good... let's build up on that site to support the needs of the community," said organizer Alexander Bourne. As we’ve seen since 2020, the city can expect high degrees of skepticism toward any of its plans for George Floyd Square, a contentious, emotionally loaded site that continues to inspire community while enduring high levels of violence, as Du has previously reported.
