Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
U Braces for Trump's 'Antisemitism' Investigation
The U.S. Department of Education, which still exists, announced Monday that it will be investigating antisemitism at the University of Minnesota, as well as four other universities. On its face, this is a worthy goal, because antisemitism is bad and should be investigated. In reality, however, the Trump administration is sure to use this as an opportunity to punish supposedly “woke” institutions like the U for imagined infractions and ruin the lives of students who protested Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza.
Just listen to Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, explain the action: “Too many universities have tolerated widespread antisemitic harassment and the illegal encampments that paralyzed campus life last year, driving Jewish life and religious expression underground. The Biden Administration’s toothless resolution agreements did shamefully little to hold those institutions accountable.”
Yes, all Trump’s guys talk like this. Incidentally, here’s what we heard from actual students when we visited the U of M campus last year.
Trump himself has pledged to “punish anti-Jewish racism,” by which he means criticism of Israel on college campuses. Don’t expect the civil rights arm of the Department of Justice to investigate actual antisemitic hate groups off campus; its activities have been frozen. Trump also plans to deport “Hamas sympathizers,” by which he means foreign-born students who think Gazans have a right not to be murdered.
Clearly, the administration is just looking to get a foot in the door so it can wreak havoc on campuses. “We see it as a way just to essentially weaponize… what they call antisemitism… to suppress the pro-Palestinian movement generally, and just protests and activism in general,” Kyle Feldhake, a member of Students for a Democratic Society, told MPR on Tuesday.
One person who’s excited about this development is U of M law prof Richard Painter, who got mad at us last year for calling him a “perennial failed candidate for whatever high-level elected position happens to be contested at the time”—where is the lie? Painter has recently resumed his other job—going on TV and saying that clearly unethical things are unethical—which is a better use of his time. He seems to clearly understand the threat Trump poses to free speech in other instances. It’s unclear, however, why he believes this DOE is capable of a fair investigation.
RIP Corporate Pride. Long Live… Co-op-erate Pride?
If “who needs Target anyway?” is a question you’ve asked yourself in recent weeks, you’re not alone. The Minneapolis-based big-box retailer announced the cessation of its DEI programs last month, apparently having achieved all of its diversity, equity, and inclusivity goals. The uproar was immediate, as it is whenever a supposedly upstanding “corporate citizen” reveals itself to be (surprise!) an amoral instrument of capital accumulation.
In late January, Twin Cities Pride severed its connection with Target, at great financial risk. But the community rallied behind the organization, which has since raised more than $100,000 to make up the shortfall. And now six Twin Cities grocery co-ops—Eastside, Lakewinds, Mississippi Market, Seward, Valley Natural, and Wedge—have pledged $28,700 to the Twin Cities Pride safety fund.
"To our queer friends, we see you, we love you, and we celebrate you every day. You are always welcome at all our co-ops, and we are proud to be your allies all around the Twin Cities," the co-ops said in a joint statement. See how easy it is to buy good publicity, Target?
What is Going on in St. Paul???
With unelected kleptocrat Elon Musk and his team of nerdly young technovandals illegally dismantling the administrative state in D.C., it can be easy to forget our own problems closer to home. Yet here we are, in February, and our state House of Representatives remains in limbo. “It’s complicated and confounding,” MinnPost’s Peter Callaghan writes of the situation, but fortunately it’s his job (and not mine) to offer an explanation and timeline of where matters stand now.
Recently the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the GOP members of the House did not have a quorum, and so they could not conduct business. But now both parties find themselves back in court, and the question is whether the Republican members can, to quote the state constitution “compel the attendance of absent members”—that is, the DFL members—"in the manner and under the penalties it may provide.”
Or, as Callaghan puts it, “If the 2025 House isn’t a thing yet, can its members make any motions, even those allowed in the constitution to a body with less than a quorum?” I’ll only muck it up if I try to explain any further, so pop on over to MinnPost for the full rundown of why this is happening and how it might play out.
What’s the Deal With Stump Party?
Last Saturday night, Racket contributor Ian Ringgenberg held his fourth annual stump party in the backyard of his northeast Minneapolis home—and the Strib is on it. Today, the paper of record’s Zoë Jackson reported on the occasion, which initially sprang from Ringgenberg asking folks on social media, “What if I got a big stump and we all hit it with an ax and called it a party?“
Jackson provides a vivid description of the goings on, and quotes Ringgenberg’s invocation: “Here we gather to lay down what burdens us and to sharpen ourselves in preparation for the spring. Are you the person who is needed for the dark days ahead? And if not will you let yourself be transformed at the stump?”
In the interest of full disclosure, half of Racket was at this party, including me, and I finally got to meet Jackson in person. (Hi Zoë!) My personal report from Stump Party 2025, my third, is that the weather was not nearly as punishing as in previous years.
