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By Stacy M. Brown

Tens of thousands of people in the United States and around the world are preparing to take to the streets on Saturday, April 5, in what organizers are calling the largest single day of protest since Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term. With more than 600 events planned across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and multiple international cities, the message is uniﬁed and urgent: Hands oﬀ our rights, our resources, and our democracy.

In London, demonstrators will gather in Trafalgar Square from 3 to 5 p.m. BST, joining the movement alongside Americans, Canadians, Brits, and others from around the world. “They’re threatening to invade Canada, Greenland, and Panama—and daring the world to stop them. Well, this is the world saying NO,” organizers said. “This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.”

Back in the United States, the centerpiece protest is scheduled for Washington, D.C., where thousands are expected to convene at the Washington Monument at noon for a massive rally on the National

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked the Supreme Court to halt a federal judge’s sweeping injunction that orders the reinstatement of more than 16,000 probationary federal employees across six major agencies. The emergency application follows a March 13 ruling by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, who ordered the Trump administration to reverse the mass terminations at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Interior, Energy, Defense, and Treasury. Alsup ruled the firings were “based on a lie,” noting that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) lacked the authority to direct them and that employees were fired for alleged poor performance despite having received positive reviews. “It’s a sad, sad day when our government would fire a good employee and say it’s based on performance when they know good and well that is based on a lie,” Alsup said. He also barred OPM from giving termination guidance and requested agencies to submit compliance reports. That lawsuit was brought by the American

Mall. Organizers say the protests are a response to Trump and congressional Republicans’ eﬀorts to gut essential programs like healthcare, Social Security, public education, and civil rights protections— moves that have sparked nationwide outrage. “This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the beneﬁt of Trump and his billionaire allies,” organizers in D.C. said. “Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop to the chaos and build an

Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and allies. “We are grateful for these employees and the critical work they do, and AFGE will keep fighting until all federal employees who were unjustly and illegally fired are given their jobs back,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley. The union has asked the court to extend the ruling to cover 16 additional agencies. In a separate case, Judge James Bredar of the U.S. District Court in Maryland ordered a halt to planned reductions in force (RIFs) at 18 agencies, including the Department of Education, which planned to cut half its staff. That case was

opposition movement against the looting of our country.”

Demonstrations are planned from coast to coast in cities including Buﬀalo, New York; Columbus, Georgia; Hollywood, Florida; Guilford, Connecticut; York, Pennsylvania; Ames, Iowa; Conroe, Texas; and throughout California, where organizers are uniting for large-scale actions in Los Angeles and Sacramento.

From early morning rallies to afternoon marches, the protests will take many forms—town halls, digital campaigns, and street demonstrations—all grounded in a commitment to nonviolent resistance.

ﬁled by state attorneys general.

Solicitor General

Sarah M. Harris, acting on behalf of the government, called the California ruling a “judicial takeover” of federal personnel decisions. The Justice Department argued that agencies made their termination decisions independently and that the plaintiﬀs lacked legal standing. The Ninth Circuit denied the administration’s request for an emergency stay, prompting the DOJ to ask the Supreme Court to intervene. “This Court should stop the ongoing assault on the constitutional structure before further damage is wrought,” the ﬁling states.

Organizers say the April 5 movement builds on growing frustration with the Trump administration’s agenda. The Crowd Counting Consortium reported over 2,085 protests nationwide in February 2025, a sharp rise from the 937 recorded in February 2017.

During a recent week-long congressional recess, more than 500 events were held across the country, often in districts where elected oﬃcials avoided meeting constituents. At the core of the message is a defense of everyday Americans and the systems they depend on. “We stand with people of color

and all those being stripped of their basic human and civil rights,” Buﬀalo organizers stated. “We stand with our educational institutions, and the countless faculty, researchers, and students that are being subjected to arbitrary political litmus tests, uncertainty, and censorship in their work.” From London to Los Angeles, from the National Mall to Niagara Square, April 5 is shaping up to be a deﬁning day of resistance against what demonstrators call an authoritarian power grab that threatens the very fabric of democracy. “We’re not waiting

Reckless messaging breach alarms oversight group

By Stacy M. Brown

Photo By Douglas Rissing

Supreme Court

Photo Credit by Armand Burge

There are moments in our national life when the weight of injustice feels almost immovable, when truth is twisted, rights are stripped, and those who’ve long stood at the front lines of progress feel pushed to the edge. In the aftermath of another bitter election, with faith in democracy worn thin, many have chosen silence over struggle. But on March 20 in the Twin Cities, I witnessed something powerful: a room filled with people who still believe the fight is worth it. At the Community Impact Hearing, voices rose, not in despair, but in defiance, clarity, and conviction. It was a reminder that even in our exhaustion, we still have something left to give, and that giving it, together, is how we hold the line.

Held by Minnesota

Yesterday, President Donald Trump signed what I firmly believe to be yet another patently illegal executive order, this time aiming to compel voters to produce passports or another form of federal identification in order to register and vote in federal elections. For the sake of hypothetical analysis, such an order—if legal—would impact millions of citizens, particularly the poor, who do not hold passports or similar forms of federal picture identification. Nevermind that this order would clearly impact poor voters in his own party, Trump, like many on the right, is so obsessed with the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was “stolen” by Joe Biden that he, and they, are setting the stage for future voting box shenanigans by electronic hackers.

The problem, however, is that power to proscribe voting is NOT vested in the president or Executive Branch oﬃcials by the

Attorney General Keith Ellison and joined by attorneys general from Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, the hearing wasn’t just about policy or legal briefs. It was about the lived reality of people whose rights are being threatened and whose futures hang in the balance. It was a space where public servants and community members alike spoke honestly about fear, injustice, and the burden of having to ﬁght, again, for freedoms we thought were already won.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin didn’t just speak about the Constitution, he reminded us what these legal ﬁghts mean in real life. He shared a moment with a parent of a child with autism who told him, “Sometimes I’m in the shower, and I just break down sobbing because of how hard it is.” That parent said their only peace comes from knowing their daughter is safe and supported at school. But federal actions that slash public services threaten even that small comfort.

New York Attorney

Constitution; the Framers gave Congress and the individual states power to regulate the “times, places and manner of holding elections.” As such, Trump’s latest nonsensical order will be litigated swiftly and very likely will ﬁnd Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett siding with the three liberal justices to overturn his latest authoritarian act.

Stay tuned...

As many of you know, this month marks the 60th anniversary of Bloody Selma, and the horriﬁc beatings that civil rights protesters took while seeking to secure Black voting rights during a time when the 15th Amendment, the one that guaranteed Black voting rights on paper, was totally ignored across the Jim Crow South.

That same month, Dr. Martin Luther King, the then recent Nobel Peace Prize winner, led a successful second march to the state capitol steps in Montgomery, Alabama (above) and during his ﬁery speech, reminded all assembled (and watching on television) about the racist roots of conservative attacks on voting rights: “Toward the end of the Reconstruction era, something very signiﬁcant happened. (Listen to him) That is what was known as the Populist Movement. (Speak, sir)

General Letitia James shared how people cry in her arms every day, immigrants fearing deportation, seniors anxious about privatized Social Security, veterans losing beneﬁts. Her words echoed the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan: “My faith in the Constitution is whole.” AG James reminded us this isn’t about party, it’s about people. Illinois AG Kwame Raoul said it plainly: “I’m a Democrat, but I’m ﬁghting for Republicans, for Independents, for the Rent Is Too Damn High Party.” Like so many who have sworn to uphold the Constitution, he sees how that

The leaders of this movement began awakening the poor white masses (Yes, sir) and the former Negro slaves to the fact that they were being ﬂeeced by the emerging Bourbon interests. Not only that, but they began uniting the Negro and white masses (Yeah) into a voting bloc that threatened to drive the Bourbon interests from the command posts of political power in the South.

To meet this threat, the southern aristocracy began immediately to engineer this development of a segregated society. (Right) I want you to follow me through here because this is very important to see the roots of racism and the denial of the right to vote. Through their control of mass media, they revised the doctrine of white supremacy. They saturated the thinking of the poor white masses with it, (Yes) thus clouding their minds to the real issue involved in the Populist Movement. They then directed the placement on the books of the South of laws that made it a crime for Negroes and whites to come together as equals at any level. (Yes, sir) And that did it. That crippled and eventually destroyed the Populist Movement of the nineteenth century.

If it may be said of the slavery era that the white

oath is being betrayed, and refuses to stay silent.

Mayor Melvin Carter opened the hearing by acknowledging something many of us feel: we’ve taken progress for granted. He reminded us how quickly things we thought were settled, access to healthcare, safe communities, can come under siege. He talked about being falsely accused by name on White House letterhead of wanting to release violent criminals into our neighborhoods. His response: “We ain’t going to let nobody turn us around.” It wasn’t just a political defense, it was a moral one.

Reverend Alfred Babington-Johnson warned that the very idea of America is in critical danger. When elected oﬃcials ignore courts and laws, they don’t just break the system, they break people’s trust that the system even matters.

As testimony from Minnesotans made clear, these attacks are not abstract. People spoke about losing jobs and health care, about environmental damage,

man took the world and gave the Negro Jesus, then it may be said of the Reconstruction era that the southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow. (Yes, sir) He gave him Jim Crow. (Uh huh) And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, (Yes, sir) he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad oﬀ he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man. (Right sir) And he ate Jim Crow. (Uh huh) And when his undernourished children cried out for the necessities that his low wages could not provide, he showed them the Jim Crow signs on the buses and in the stores, on the streets and in the public buildings. (Yes, sir) And his children, too, learned to feed upon Jim Crow, (Speak) their last outpost of psychological oblivion. (Yes, sir)

Thus, the threat of the free exercise of the ballot by the Negro and the white masses alike (Uh huh) resulted in the establishment of a segregated society. They segregated southern money from the poor whites; they segregated southern mores from the rich whites; (Yes, sir) they segregated southern churches from Christianity (Yes, sir);

about assaults on education, immigration, veterans, and basic civil rights. They spoke about the fear of losing due process, equal protection, and free speech. They spoke the truth, and they did it in front of those with the power to act.

In the months since the 2024 election, after Kamala Harris made history as the ﬁrst Black woman nominated for president, only to be defeated by Donald Trump, a wave of grief swept through many people, especially Black women. On social media, people shared memes of Black women sipping tea on rooftops as the world burned. These weren’t jokes. They were expressions of exhaustion. After generations of leading and organizing, many felt too tired to keep pouring from an empty cup. And I get it. That feeling, the one Fannie Lou Hamer named decades ago, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

We don’t talk enough about the emotional cost of always being the ones to hold the line. Of having our rights, our safety, and our dignity on

the ballot, every time. But what the Community Impact Hearing in Minnesota reminded me is that while those feelings are real, so is the power we still hold when we stand together. We don’t have to deny the hurt to still choose to heal and fight. I left that hearing thinking not just about the lawsuits, but about the people. The parents. The students. The workers. The seniors. All of them carrying fear. All of them still fighting. To everyone who’s thought about sitting this one out, I see you. I feel it too. But I also saw something else that day: a room full of people refusing to quit. A reminder that even in our exhaustion, we are not alone. We are tired, but we still fight. We are afraid, but we still speak. We are hurting, but we still show up. And as Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told us: “You keep on marching, you keep on fighting, we will win.”

they segregated southern minds from honest thinking; (Yes, sir) and they segregated the Negro from everything. (Yes, sir)

That’s what happened when the Negro and white masses of the South threatened to unite and build a great society: a society of justice where none would pray upon the weakness of others; a society of plenty where greed and poverty would be done away; a society of brotherhood where every man would respect the dignity and worth of human personality…”

Dr. King’s words echo through history and sadly, are just as relevant in this present age as they were 60 years ago, what with poor white MAGA and their blind Black right-wing kinsmen cheering for the removal of Black civil rights, women’s rights, and deportations of immigrants of color—all the while believing the pipe dream that as the billionaire class grows richer, that they will “trickle down” their excess wealth to the poorer masses who elected them to put Blacks, browns, women, and immigrants in their places. Lest we forget... Hobbservation Point is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work resisting tyranny and the subjugation of the press, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Chuck Hobbs is a freelance journalist who won the 2010 Florida Bar Media Award and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

First Five Years Fund (FFYF), a nonprofit, recently shared insights about what the public thinks about early childhood education. FFYF says in the 2024 election, voters made it clear that childcare challenges were causing a serious strain on family finances, workplace productivity, and the economy. They want candidates to have a plan to address these challenges, and now, with the Trump White House and the Republican-led 119th Congress underway, they want action. A new national poll conducted by the Republican polling firm UpONE Insights on behalf of First Five Years Fund and First Five Action shows childcare expenses continue to be a major financial burden on working families.

The poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 registered voters nationwide as well as an oversample of Republican primary voters, also found an overwhelming majority of Republicans want the White House and Congress to act.

The following are key takeaways from the poll.

Voters say childcare costs are straining family budgets.

36% of parents across the country say they are not able to save money or get ahead ﬁnancially due to childcare costs

And the cost of childcare is causing twothirds of younger Republicans to delay having children.

Nearly two-thirds (61%) of Republican voters under age 34 say either they or someone they know have put oﬀ or delayed having children due to childcare costs.

Voters want President Trump and the GOP-led Congress to act.

79% of Republicans say they want President Trump and Republicans in Congress to do more to help working parents aﬀord quality childcare.

Voters also say improving access to aﬀordable childcare will both help lower costs for working families (85%) and improve the overall economy (71%).

A majority (55%) of Republican voters say increasing funding for and access to quality childcare is as important for families as securing the border and stopping the increase in crime.

Nine in ten Republicans (91%) think it’s a problem or crisis that Americans can’t aﬀord childcare, along with 91% of Independents, and 97% of Democrats.

The Child and

Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) is the most popular childcare-related tax credit. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) is the only federal tax credit that speciﬁcally allows working parents to keep more of what they earn to pay for child care. It is the most popular childcare-related tax credit, with 86% saying they support increasing the CDCTC, including 83% of Republicans, 83% of Independents, and 91% of Democrats. 63% of voters would be less likely to vote for a candidate who voted to eliminate an existing tax credit

for childcare expenses for working families, including 50% of GOP primary voters and 59% of independent women. Republicans also support increasing federal investments in childcare.

A wide majority of Republican voters (72%) say increasing federal funding for childcare is an important priority and a good use of tax dollars, as do 70% of Independents and 90% of Democrats.

Nearly two-thirds of Republican voters (62%) say that, even with concerns over the growing national debt and deﬁcit, President Trump

and Republicans in Congress should prioritize increased federal funding to support quality childcare programs.

Decreasing federal funding for programs is incredibly unpopular; 90% of voters agree that federal funding shouldn’t be decreased, including 84% of Republican voters.

There is especially strong support for the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG). The Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG), which sends money to the states so they can best decide how to increase access to aﬀordable, quality child care, is very popular (67%) across a wide selection of voters, including 69% of Republicans.

Taking action would increase childcare options for families.

Most voters (75%) believe these proposals will increase quality childcare options for families, who currently don’t have the choices they need. This includes 71% Republicans, 75% Independents, and 80% Democrats.

Nearly three out of four Republicans (71%) say increasing funding for childcare programs will increase options for rural families who are

having trouble finding childcare in their communities, along with 75% of Independents, and 85% of Democrats. This support reaches across geographic demographics, including 84% of Rural Americans, 86% in the Farm Belt, and 72% in the Deep South. Early childhood development is a practical, non-partisan issue. Access to reliable, affordable, quality early learning and childcare programs can dramatically improve a child’s opportunities for a better future while offering parents improved job stability and overall economic security. FFYF works to protect, prioritize, and build support for early learning and childcare programs at the federal level.

FFYF works with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to identify federal solutions that work for children, families, and taxpayers, as well as states and communities. FFYF also works with policy makers to identify and advance new and innovative ways to increase access to highquality childcare and early learning programs for children from low-income families. And supporters collaborate with advocacy groups to help align best practices with the best possible policies.

Columnist

Haley Taylor Schlitz, Esq.

Hobb servation Point

By Chuck Hobbs

By First Five Years Fund

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

Photo by Serhej Calka Ballot box with national

ag on background United States of America

With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, eﬀorts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Col. James H. Harvey III, 101, is among the last few

airmen and support crew who proved that a Black unit — the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen — could fight as well as any other in World War II and the years after. He went on to become the first Black jet fighter pilot in Korean airspace during the Korean War, and a decorated one after 126 missions. He was one of four Tuskegee Airmen who won the first U.S. Air Force Gunnery Meet in 1949, a forerunner of today’s U.S. Navy “Top Gun” school.

“They said we didn’t have any ability to operate aircraft or operate heavy machinery. We were inferior to the white man. We were nothing,” Harvey said. “So we showed them.”

Shortly after Trump’s January inauguration, the Air Force removed new recruit training courses that included videos of the Tuskegee Airmen. The removal drew bipartisan outrage and the White House’s ire over what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

described as “malicious implementation” of Trump’s executive order. The Air Force quickly reversed course. Announcing the reversal, Air Force Chief of Staﬀ Gen. David Allvin said in a statement that the initial removal was because the service, like other agencies, had to move swiftly to comply with Trump’s executive order with “no equivocation, no slow-

Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Education Department was inspired by the Heritage Foundation’s decades-long disapproval of the agency

By Fred L. Pincus

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 20, 2025, that calls for closing the U.S. Department of Education.

The Pentagon’s DEI purge: Ofﬁcials describe a scramble to remove and then restore online content

Every day over the past few weeks, the Pentagon has faced questions from angry lawmakers, local leaders and citizens over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages after it purged online content that promoted women or minorities.

In response, the department has scrambled to restore a handful of those posts as their removals have come to light. While the pages of some

Democrat Town Halls say Republicans are running from constituents after voting to gut Medicaid

The president needs congressional approval to shutter the department. The order, however, directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the eﬀective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and beneﬁts on which Americans rely.”

New hires, better use of AI and increased data sharing are ways

Gov. Tim Walz has suggested the state use to go after people looking to commit fraud.

All are included in what Rep. Dave Pinto (DFLSt. Paul) calls, “A robust package that builds on what we’ve done in the past.”

Rep. Ginny Klevorn (DFL-Plymouth) said many provisions in the Pintosponsored HF2603 are moving through the legislative process on their own, and this bill is a combination of all those.

She co-chairs the House State Government

The executive order reﬂects many recommendations from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a conservative political initiative to revamp the federal government. But it’s worth noting that the foundation’s attempt to abolish the Education Department goes back more than 40 years.

The think tank first called for limiting the federal role in education in 1981. That’s when it issued its first Mandate for Leadership, a book offering conservative policy recommendations. As a sociology

Finance and Policy Committee which had an informational hearing on the total package Thursday. “We’re coupling new tools, like AI, with old fashioned police work, to slam the door

shut on theft,” Walz said when releasing his proposal Jan. 3. “Minnesota is a state committed to helping people, and we’re committed to providing services to improve the lives of Minnesotans. Fraud against these public programs is unacceptable, it’s not a victimless crime and it harms the same people we would help with these services,” said Erin Campbell, commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget.

The hearing came one day after the ringleaders of the $250 million Feeding Our Future scheme were found guilty of stealing money

Last week, Democrats across the country hosted town hall events speaking to local community members about the dangers of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and MAGA Republicans’ extreme agenda that will leave them suﬀering. In total, the “People’s Town Halls” – a joint eﬀort by the DNC, DCCC, and ASDC –has hosted 25 events in 15 states so far, The DNC reported.

In Pennsylvania, DNC Chair Ken Martin joined Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, former Rep. Susan Wild, and Lehigh Valley local leaders where they called out Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (PA07) for refusing to engage with his constituents in an in-person town hall after voting to gut Medicaid and take away their health care coverage.

In California, Rep. Jimmy Gomez and the California Democratic Party took vulnerable Republican Rep. David Valadao (CA-22) to task for voting to cut Medicaid

On a quiet Saturday afternoon at Red Balloon Bookstore in Saint Paul, a bright blue chair sat center stage in the children’s section. Seated in it, Crystal L. Stein didn’t just read a story—she embodied one. Surrounded by shelves of picture books and a room full of curious

funding despite representing more Medicaid enrollees than any other House member. In Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz blasted congressional Republicans and the Trump administration for attacking programs that thousands of Minnesotans depend on. More than 1,000 people showed up for Walz’s Rochester town hall meeting last week With a focus on national affairs, Walz called out the Trump Administration for dismantling the Department of Education, and said Minnesota, along with other states, will be fighting it in court. Walz charged that many Republicans are refusing to host town hall meetings because they can’t defend what is happening in Washington, D.C. right now. He said it is difficult for them defend cutting Medicaid, cutting public schools, and threatening Social Security.’”

children, Stein, a former ﬁnance executive turned literary visionary, held court with warmth and purpose. Her voice, graceful and conﬁdent, shared not only the tales of forgotten

well-known veterans, including baseball and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson, are now

HARVEY III 5

DEI 5

AP Photo/Branden Camp, File Maj. Lisa Jaster, center, the ﬁrst Army Reserve female to graduate the Army’s Ranger School, stands in formation with other Rangers during an Army

Columnist

By Haley Taylor Schlitz, Esq.

By Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp Associated Press

Courtesy photo Crystal L. Stein

The Heritage Foundation

over its building on July 30, 2024, in Washington, D.C.

By Mead Gruver and Thomas Peipert Associated Press AP Photo/Thomas Peipert

101-year-old Col. James H. Harvey III, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, sits for a portrait in Aurora, Colo., Wednesday, March 12, 2025.

Tim Walz

By Mike Cook

Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

DNC Chair Ken Martin

At The Legislature

Bill would add tools to ﬁght fraud in state human services programs

By Tim Walker

Two major players in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud trial were found guilty Wednesday.

The fraud involved the Department of Agriculture and its insuﬃcient oversight that failed to catch years of swindling money meant to feed low-income children.

That scandal also highlighted other recent failures to prevent widespread fraud in other state programs, including Medicaid, and was one of the incentives to create the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee.

Adding to the mix of ways the Legislature can reduce fraud in government programs,

By Todd Abeln

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the attorney general’s oﬃce has been one of the most successful units in the country.

A 2022 audit by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services Oﬃce of Inspector General showed that unit had more fraud convictions than other similarly sized Medicaid fraud units.

HF2354 would expand that unit while also expanding the oﬃce’s powers to investigate and prosecute Medicaid fraud.

It was approved by the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee Thursday and referred to the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee.

“Medical Assistance

By Filomena Nunes Professor of Physics, Michigan State University

As soon as President Donald Trump took oﬃce on Jan. 20, 2025, he signed an executive order titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” This order called for the termination of all diversity, equity, inclusion

Rep. Brion Curran (DFL-White Bear Lake) sponsors a bill that would add several anti-fraud measures to tighten up oversight of programs administered by the Department of Human Services.

Curran said HF2260 would incorporate federal anti-kickback language into state statutes, including those directing the state’s Medical Assistance program and the Child Care Assistance program, as a way to combat fraud, waste and abuse.

The House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee approved the bill, as amended, Thursday and sent it to the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee.

[MORE: Department of Human Services summary of bill]

The bill would

fraud steals from hard-working taxpayers across Minnesota,” said Rep. Matt Norris (DFLBlaine), the bill sponsor.

“It also steals money that is meant to provide health care to low-income Minnesotans.

That›s disgraceful, and we›re here today to crack down on this kind of fraud.”

The bill would expand the attorney general’s subpoena powers for potential Medicaid fraud when there is an ongoing law enforcement investigation. It would also increase the penalties for Medical Assistance fraud and appropriate money to match federal funds to expand the department’s Medicaid fraud investigative unit.

prohibit kickbacks and other prohibited payments and aiding or abetting the submission of a willfully false claim.

Persons convicted of these acts could be sentenced according to the sentencing guidelines for theft crimes and could also be prosecuted under the state False Claims Act.

“We think this is a really important programintegrity provision and it would give DHS as well as our law enforcement partners more tools when investigating and prosecuting fraud and misuse in human services programs,” said Ari Didion, legislative director at the department’s Oﬃce of Inspector General.

Portions of the bill include changes to the management and operations in the department proposed by

Gov. Tim Walz in the anti-fraud legislative package outlined in a January 2025 executive order. Kristy Graume, director of state government relations at the Department of Human Services, highlighted a department-requested provision of the bill. It would include human services judges in the definition of “judicial officials” who are protected under a 2024 law that created protections, remedies and penalties around the unauthorized dissemination of personal data for judicial officials. She described a human services judge who received “really violent threats” requiring a relocation of the judge’s family outside of their home for several days.

“This bill is designed to scrutinize and make sure that we have program integrity on the largest source of funds that the Department of Human Services provides to Minnesota,” Norris said. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has been around 40 years. For the past

and accessibility – DEIA –mandates, policies and programs in the federal government. These included “equity-related” grants or contracts, such as programs supporting underrepresented people in STEM, and all DEI or DEIA performance requirements for grant recipients – for example, requiring that grant recipients have a plan to address underrepresentation in their area of study.

Agencies were given 60 days to implement the order.

The following day, the president signed another executive order named “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” This executive order expanded the language of the ﬁrst to federal subcontrators and encouraged the private sector to follow suit.

To comply with these two executive orders, federal agencies took immediate action. References to DEI disappeared from web pages, and major federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation sent out press releases about the order. Federally funded scientists received correspondence from funding agencies explaining that diversity components would no longer be required nor used as a metric in proposal evaluations. Some agencies suspended DEIspecific programs or terminated DEI-specific grants. All of this happened within days. The stream of communications and agency actions in response to these orders has many scientists at universities worried, some of my colleagues included. As a scientist myself, I’ve experienced this confusion firsthand.

What do Trump’s orders mean for science?

ve years, the unit has spent about $5 million in state funds while recovering $53 million in restitution from fraudsters.

“Our investigators and prosecutors are good at what they do,” said Nicholas Wanka, the unit director.

The proposed appropriation of $390,750 each year would be used to expand the oﬃce from 32 to 41 members by adding a prosecutor, seven more investigators, and support staﬀ

That appropriation would cover 25% of that cost while a federal grant would cover the rest.

“With those people and the additional tools we get, we’ll be better able to continue our mission to hold fraudsters and abusers accountable for their crimes,” Wanka said.

Norris agrees. “When you look at what this unit has been able to recover in

terms of ﬁnes and restitution (and) you combine that with the fact that the federal government will be matching the small state appropriation, I think this is a real winner.”

The bill would establish felony penalties for Medical Assistance fraud of up to 20 years in prison and a $100,000 ﬁne. Representing the Community Provider Alliance, Musab Khalif generally expressed overall support for the bill but has “critical concerns” about the right to due process.

“We feel it needs to be modiﬁed with more precise and unambiguous language. Without having clear and precise language, as the Supreme Court of our state has said, then it’s kind of going to be a free for all. Laws are going to subjectively be applied as opposed to objectively applied.”

Even if the abrupt timeline may come as a surprise, the executive orders themselves do not. Conservatives have long been vocally against DEI measures, with a report last year calling for a ban on federal funding that supports such measures. Within academia, some scientists have questioned certain DEI initiatives. Unpopular DEI measures to some university professors are the creation of diversity oﬃces at various levels of universities, diversity training and requiring DEI statements in hiring and review processes, created with the goal of engaging the academic community with the issues surrounding underrepresention and providing an open learning environment for all at universities.

In the days since the orders were signed, scientists have expressed grave concern about these developments. This state of aﬀairs has left many early career folks confused and scared, particularly with respect to their job security and their work environment, a fear that is more pronounced for those in minority communities.

These communities face a strong DEI stigma, the belief that they got where they got due to DEI preference rather than their own merit. The implementation of these executive orders, which have been followed by many other executive orders aimed at reducing federal spending, will counteract progress toward better representation in the STEM ﬁeld. While the DEIrelated orders won’t stop most research from continuing, the beneﬁts of having the most competitive and diverse teams may be lost.

Science budgets at US universities University budgets are complex. While a large portion of the budget is from tuition, signiﬁcant funds come from the state government, the federal government through ﬁnancial aid and grants, and the private sector through endowments and gifts.

Most of the federal grants for science at universities support specific areas of science, such as particle physics, organic chemistry, microbiology or others. Only a small fraction of science grants to universities are DEI-specific, although most agencies have not yet released an exact number for how many grants have been affected.

Examples of affected programs are summer schools that attract students from minority populations or statistical analyses of DEI-specific data in a particular domain of science. Of the hundreds of thousands of scientists working at universities, the senior scientists who have not engaged in DEI work will not feel great direct effects of the DEI executive orders. It is those senior scientists who have gone beyond their domain-specific efforts and developed DEI-dedicated programs – or have their research intrinsically connected to DEI – who will likely see their research funding reduced.

Federal grants in science support primarily early career scientists – the graduate students and the postdoctoral fellows who do the benchwork. These individuals, who are trained by senior scientists at the universities, represent the future of American innovation and scientiﬁc competitiveness. Understandably, these folks are nervous about their future. The small fraction of early career researchers who are currently supported on

DEI-speciﬁc programs may end up having to pivot to new research directions. However, the vast majority of early career scientists are likely to continue to do their research undeterred.

Why does science have DEI programs? The scientiﬁc community came up with DEI programs because science has a tremendous and persistent underrepresentation problem. The science workforce does not reﬂect the larger American population. In some areas of science, the community is drawing from a pool of less than half of the U.S. population. This problem has been studied at length for well over a decade, focusing either on underrepresentation by race and ethnicity or on the underrepresentation of women in science.

A variety of barriers keeps large groups from the U.S. population from contributing to science. These obstacles are tied to the science ﬁeld’s long history of discrimination and harassment. Obstacles include repeated demeaning remarks based on social stereotypes, exclusion from social spaces, unwanted sexual attention, and organizational tolerance for harassment. Because of these obstacles and disparities, lots of bright students opt out of science careers.

The intent of DEI policies and programs across the country is to work against this long history. Consequently, in recent years some scientiﬁc ﬁelds have seen modest progress toward more representation of people from minority communities in STEM. The recent executive orders are likely to compromise this progress.

Creativity and innovation are important

for coming up with research questions and solving them. There is a large body of evidence showing that creative teams need diversity to prosper, and a diversity of backgrounds and experiences leads to a diversity of ideas. Similarly, equity and fairnessare core values in the scientific enterprise. Scientists are trained to reduce biases in their experiments and their data analysis by averaging results from different datasets and by considering each source of error carefully. Reducing biases in hiring processes, performance reviews and mentoring is a scientific practice. Today, inclusive collaboration is key for excellence in science. The complexity of the problems the science community is tackling requires people with different expertise and backgrounds working together. When there is toxicity in a collaboration, research drags, projects fail and federal funds are wasted. A competitive scientific enterprise is more likely to succeed when it fosters a welcoming space for all involved. While policies and programs may change overnight, values do not. Research suggests that many generation Z scientists-to-be are committed to values of diversity, equity and inclusion. The backlash to many DEI programs provides an opportunity to rethink how to move forward while continuing to prioritize scientific excellence. Filomena Nunes receives funding from NSF to conduct physics research, none of which supports DEI initiatives. This

article

republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Photo by Michele Jokinen

Nicholas Wanka, director of the Minnesota Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the attorney general’s ofﬁce, testiﬁes March 20 in support of a bill to expand and modify Medicaid fraud provisions. Rep. Matt Norris, left, sponsors HF2354.

Photo by Michele Jokinen

Ari Didion, legislative director for the Ofﬁce of Inspector General at the Department of Human Services, testiﬁes March 20 for HF2260 that would, in part, establish anti-kickback policies and criminal violations for human services programs. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Brion Curran, left.

Protes t Protest

for someone to save us,” D.C. organizers said. “We’re taking action ourselves.”

However, on social media, a number of people were encouraging Black people to stay home from the April 5th protests. Here are edits of some posts on YouTube: Stay in and read your Bible. protest in Christ Jesus Stay home black ppl, let’s keep this momentum up!!!

From 1

From 1 unprecedented.”

She warned that the misuse of encrypted platforms for high-level national security conversations creates a vulnerability that foreign actors could exploit.

“There have been

Let them solve this on their own. They created this mess!!!! April 5th ... support all black businesses Stand down Black People. they told us what they wanted for America when they voted. this is not our ﬁght. Black Love. Black Pride. Ask them to call the Hispanics and Latinos. For over 400 years we have been telling them. Stand down. Stand down. They laughed at our tears after Kamala, bless her soul, didn’t make it to the oval oﬃce, now they’re the ones crying. The Most High God wiped away our tears and gave

state-backed hackers who are trying to access information,” Chukwu explained. “If a single bad actor is able to get access, that certainly compromises our national security. Their secrecy does nothing to protect our country—it endangers us by keeping critical and sensitive decisions oﬀ the record and out of reach from oversight.” Chukwu also criticized what she called a broader erosion of oversight mechanisms. “We have a

us a new mission, to bring us together as a collective, a strong people united. He works in mysterious ways, and this was a blessing in disguise. Vengeance is mine says the Lord, and all we have to do is praise him for the blessing, the opportunity, he just gifted us as “His Chosen People.” He gave us back the strength, unity, and the love we needed for each other, and our community. He allowed us to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and we as a people, will fear no evil, for He is with us. Grab it and run with it, for we are a powerful people, and no weapon formed against

Congress that refuses to act. We have an administration that has done everything in its power to gut all oversight mechanisms,” she said. “That’s why organizations like American Oversight are more important than ever. Without transparency, there can be no accountability.” She connected the current administration’s behavior to previous failures related to national security, referencing the ongoing legal battle over access to

us shall prosper. My prayer for us Psalm 91. Love Y’all.

STAND DOWN BLACK PEOPLE

NOT BLACK FOLKS My beautiful people. Stay melanated! We Black Americans will be minding our FBA BUSINESS, B1 4-LIFE. Not we black peoples. We standing down. We in the house watching Netﬂix. We staying inside the house that day April 5. We staying down This is the ﬁrst time I’ve heard of this, but no thanks. I’m wholeheartedly uninterested

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on President Donald Trump’s handling of classiﬁed documents during his ﬁrst term. “Right now, American Oversight has a lawsuit seeking records related to Volume

Two of the Jack Smith special counsel report,” Chukwu said. “We’ve been blocked from accessing those records because Judge Aileen Cannon refuses to lift her order. The Trump-era DOJ has made it clear that they never wanted that report to see

in marches and protests. We won’t be there. Nope We are beyond the nonsense. I’m not marching with them. We been trying to tell them for years. Now we tired. When we was crying out no one cared. Now that the tables have turned, we don’t care.

Everyone needs to share this with their loved ones. I have.

Continue sitting this one out black community! We did our million man March October 16 1995 we good get yall turn in Unfortunately, I have to cut

the light of day.” She said that transparency in that report could help illuminate a pattern of disregard for national security protocols, both past and present. Finally, Chukwu addressed a lingering question sparked by the most recent breach: If a journalist can be accidentally looped into discussions about war planning, can the public trust this administration to safeguard national security?

“That is a question

my lawn in other words, not protesting this isn’t our ﬁght, didn’t they just give the police immunity? It sounds like bait to me

I’m gonna sit my behind at home, with some popcorn and mind my business LOL Chile, I’m so tuned out. This is the ﬁrst I’ve heard of April 5th. I’m not doing nothing for 4 years but taking care of self and community. Hey 92%... schedule a massage on 4/5. Yall make it sound like someone is scared to protest! That’s not it! We are still on vacation

Americans should be very concerned about,” Chukwu said. “The reckless disregard and the lack of concern that was shown by adding a journalist to a message chain containing highly sensitive, potentially classiﬁed information suggest that Americans should not trust this administration with highly classiﬁed information.”

Har vey III

Harvey III

From 3 From

rolling, no foot-dragging.”

The videos were shown to troops as part of DEI courses taken during basic military training. Some photos of Tuskegee Airmen were also among tens of thousands of images in a Pentagon database ﬂagged for removal.

“I thought there was progress in that area, but

evidently there isn’t,” said Harvey, who blamed Trump for contributing to what he sees as worsening prejudice in the U.S.

“I’ll tell him to his face. No problem,” he said. “I’ll tell him, ‘You’re a racist,’ and see what he has to say about that. What can they do to me?

Just kill me, that’s all.”

The Tuskegee Airmen unit was established in 1941 as the 99th Pursuit Squadron based at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The 99th became the 332nd Fighter Group, which by war’s end destroyed or damaged

on what should be restored, but have yet to receive any.

back up on Pentagon websites, oﬃcials warn that many posts tagged for removal in error may be gone forever.

The restoration process has been so hit or miss that even groups that the administration has said are protected, like the Tuskegee Airmen, the ﬁrst Black military pilots who served in a segregated World War II unit, still have deleted pages that as of Saturday had not been restored.

This past week chief, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a video that mistaken removals will be quickly rectiﬁed. “History is not DEI,” he said, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion.

But due to the enormous size of the military and the wide range of commands, units and bases, there has been an array of interpretations of what to remove and how as part of the Pentagon directive to delete online content that promotes DEI. Oﬃcials from across the military services said they have asked for additional guidance from the Pentagon

Trump

From 3

professor focused on diversity and social inequality, I’ve followed the Heritage Foundation’s eﬀorts to eliminate the Department of Education since 1981. Although the idea didn’t garner enough support 44 years ago, the current political climate makes conditions more favorable.

Mandate 1981 In its 1981 mandate, the Heritage Foundation struck now-familiar themes. Its education policy recommendations included closing the Department of Education and “reducing its controls over American education.”

Additionally, the think tank called on lawmakers to repeal the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides federal funding

The officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations, said, for example, they were waiting for guidance on whether military “firsts” count as history that can be restored. The first female Army Reserve graduate of Ranger School, Maj. Lisa Jaster, or the first female fighter pilot, Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, both had their stories deleted.

Some officials said their understanding was it did not matter whether it was a historic first. If the first was based on what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth found to be a disqualifying characteristic, such as gender or race, it had to go, they said.

One Army team has taken a very deliberate approach.

According to the oﬃcials, the team took down several major historical heritage sites that had many postings about women and various ethnic or racial groups. They are now going through them all and plan to rework and repost as much as possible on a new website focused on Army heroes. The process, the oﬃcials said, could take months.

Overall, tens of

for disadvantaged students in K-12, so that “the department’s inﬂuence on state and local education policy and practice through discretionary grant authority would disappear.”

And the Heritage Foundation called for ending federal support for programs it claimed were designed to “turn elementary- and secondary-school classrooms into vehicles for liberal-left social and political change …” Education experts disputed these proposed reforms just a few years later.

Four educational task forces, composed mainly of educators, corporate executives and politicians, published reports on education in 1983. All four reports were critical of the more liberal education policies of the 1960s and 1970s – such as an emphasis on student feelings about race, for example, rather than a focus on basic skills.

But they all saw the need for a strong federal role in education.

The four reports

more than 400 enemy aircraft in North Africa and Europe during the war and sank a German destroyer in action. Of the 992 Tuskegee Airmen trained as pilots starting in 1942, 335 were deployed, 66 were killed in action and 32 who were shot down became war prisoners.

In 1949, two months after the airmen’s gunnery meet victory in the propellerdriven class, the U.S. Air Force integrated Black and white troops and the Tuskegee Airmen were absorbed into other units.

thousands of online posts that randomly mention dozens of key words, including “gay,” “bias” and “female” — have been deleted. Officials warn that the bulk of those images are gone for good. Even as complaints roll in, officials will be careful about restoring things unless senior leaders approve. The officials described the behind-the-scenes process as challenging, frustrating and emotionally draining. Workers going through years of posts to take down mentions of historic accomplishments by women or minorities were at times reduced to tears or lashed out in anger at commanders directing the duty, the officials said.

Others were forced to pull down stories they were proud of and had worked on themselves. They were often confused about the parameters for removal once a key word was found, and they erred on the side of removal, according to the officials. Not complying fully with the order was seen as dangerous because it could put senior military service leaders at risk of being fired or disciplined if an errant post celebrating diversity was left up and found. Officials said the department relied in large part on a blind approach — using artificial intelligence computer

blamed the U.S. educational system for losing ground to Japan and Western Europe. And all called for more required courses rather than the “curriculum smorgasbord” that had become the norm in many public schools. They all wanted longer school days, longer school years and better-trained teachers.

Nevertheless, President Ronald Reagan tried unsuccessfully to abolish the Department of Education in 1983.

Project 2025

Jumping ahead more than 40 years, Project 2025 reﬂects many of the main themes the Heritage Foundation addressed in the 1981 mandate. The ﬁrst line of Project 2025’s chapter on education states: “Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.”

The charges of leftist indoctrination have expanded.

It took the Air Force almost half a century to recognize 332nd’s last achievement: Its success in aerial bombing and shooting proﬁciency in the gunnery meet at what is now Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. For decades, the winners were listed as “unknown” and their trophy was missing.

“We won them all,” Harvey said. “We weren’t supposed to win anything because of the color of our skin.”

commands to search for dozens of those key words in online department, military and command websites.

If a story or photo depicted or included one of the terms, the computer program then added “DEI” into the web address of the content, which ﬂagged it and led to its removal. Purging posts from X, Facebook and other social media sites is more complicated and time intensive. An AI command would not work as well on those sites.

So military service members and civilians have evaluated social media posts by hand, working late into the night and on weekends to pore over their unit’s social media pages, cataloging and deleting references going back years. Because some civilians were not allowed to work on weekends, military troops had to be called in to replace them, as the oﬃcials described it.

The Defense Department is publicly insisting that mistakes will be corrected.

As an example, the Pentagon on Wednesday restored some pages highlighting the crucial wartime contributions of Navajo Code Talkers and other Native American veterans. That step came days after tribes condemned the removal. Department oﬃcials said the

Now, conservative advocates are calling to eliminate anything that has to do with diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. Other executive orders that Trump has signed reﬂect these attitudes. For example, they call for defending women from “gender ideology extremism” and eliminating “radical” DEI policies. According to Project 2025, school choice – which gives students the freedom to choose schools that best ﬁt their needs – should be promoted through tuition tax credits and vouchers that provide students with public funds to attend private school. And federal education programs should either be dismantled or moved to other federal departments.

Current political climate In the 1980s, the Heritage Foundation was seen as part of the New Right, a coalition that opposed issues such as abortion, homosexuality and aﬃrmative action. The GOP’s

Harvey trained during World War II but was not deployed to combat before the war ended. In Korea, he ﬂew the F-80 Shooting Star jet ﬁghter and earned medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1965 and received an honorary promotion to colonel in 2023.

Trump in 2020 promoted another of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Charles McGee, to brigadier general. McGee died in 2022 at age 102.

Navajo Code Talker material was erroneously erased,

The previous week, pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner and Japanese American service members were also restored.

The restorations represent a shift from early, adamant denials that any deletion of things such as the Enola Gay or prominent service members was happening at all.

At least two images of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the ﬁrst atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II, are still missing.

“This is fake news and anyone with a pulse knows it!” the Defense Department’s new “Rapid Response” social media account asserted March 7. “We are NOT removing images of the Enola Gay or any other pictures that honor the legacy of our warﬁghters.” Over time, the Pentagon has shifted its public response as more examples of deleted pages came to light.

Harvey still regards the Air Force Gunnery Meet as his biggest accomplishment, one the Air Force ﬁnally recognized in 1993. Their missing trophy was found in a museum storeroom not long after.

“We were good, and they couldn’t take it away from us,” Harvey said. “We were good. And I’ll repeat it until I die.”

But others have seen the widespread erasure of history.

“Most female aviator stories and photographs are disappearing—including from the archives. From the WASPs to fighter pilots, @AFThunderbirds to @ BlueAngels —they’ve erased us,” Carey Lohrenz, one of the Navy’s first female F-14 Tomcat pilots, posted to X. “It’s an across the board devastating loss of history and information.” Among the webpages removed include one about the Women Air Service Pilots, or WASPs, the female World War II pilots who were vital in ferrying warplanes for the military, and the Air Force Thunderbirds. Parnell, Hegseth and others have vigorously defended the sweeping purge despite the flaws.

“I think the president and the secretary have been very clear on this — that anybody that says in the Department of Defense that diversity is our strength is, is frankly, incorrect,” Parnell said during a Pentagon media brieﬁng. “Our shared purpose and unity are our strength.”

On Thursday, Parnell acknowledged in a video posted online that: “Because of the realities of AI tools and other software, some important content was incorrectly pulled oﬀ line to be reviewed. We want to be very, very clear: History is not DEI. When content is either mistakenly removed, or if it’s maliciously removed, we continue to work quickly to restore it.”

alliance with conservative evangelical Christians, mobilized by advocacy groups such as Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority, was picking up steam, but it was still seen as marginal. By 2025, things have moved signiﬁcantly to the right.

Conservative Republicans in Congress view the Heritage Foundation as an important voice in educational politics.

The far right is emboldened by Trump after his Cabinet appointments and pardons of Jan. 6 rioters. And Christian Nationalism – the belief that the United States is deﬁned by Christianity – has grown.

Trump’s executive order does not abolish the Education Department. He needs congressional approval to do that.

But he has already weakened it. His administration recently canceled nearly $900 million in contracts at the Institute of Education Sciences, the independent research arm of the Education Department.

Despite public reluctance to eliminate the department – in February, 63% of U.S. residents said they opposed its elimination – it looks like Heritage Foundation influence could cause significant damage, with the additional firing of staff members and the reduced distribution of funds. McMahon sent a directive to department employees in early March calling the dismantling of their agency a “final mission.” Fred L. Pincus does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Los líderes caribeños desafían rotundamente las amenazas de EE. UU. de retirarles sus visas a menos que expulsen a los médicos y enfermeros cubanos que trabajan en sus países. El mes pasado, el secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio, anunció una ampliación de la “política de restricción de visas

relacionada con Cuba” del gobierno estadounidense para aplicarla a funcionarios de gobiernos extranjeros involucrados en el “trabajo forzoso” de trabajadores de la salud cubanos.

Líderes de todo el Caribe han refutado las acusaciones de EE. UU. de que los médicos cubanos en estas misiones son explotados.

“Lo que los cubanos han hecho por nosotros, lejos de considerarse trata de personas, ha sido salvar vidas, extremidades y la vista de muchos caribeños”,

declaró la primera ministra de Barbados, Mia Mottley. “No podríamos superar la pandemia sin los enfermeros y médicos cubanos”. Desde entonces, jefes de Estado y ministros de Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad y Tobago, Dominica, Granada, San Vicente y las Granadinas, y Antigua y Barbuda han expresado públicamente la importancia de las misiones médicas cubanas para sus sistemas de salud.

“Si [EE. UU.] tomara alguna medida punitiva contra los países caribeños

debido a la participación de cubanos, literalmente desmantelarían nuestros servicios de salud y pondrían en riesgo a nuestra gente”, declaró Gaston Browne, primer ministro de Antigua y Barbuda. “Este posicionamiento, articulación y amenazas extraterritoriales… no creo que sea el camino que debamos seguir”.

Decenas de miles de profesionales de la salud cubanos prestan servicios en misiones médicas en docenas de países de todo el mundo. La mayoría de estas

misiones se realizan a través de alianzas que aportan miles de millones de dólares a Cuba, lo que ayuda al país a subsidiar su propio sistema de salud público y gratuito. Otras misiones no aportan dinero a Cuba, como las realizadas por la Brigada Henry Reeve, cuyos médicos lucharon contra el ébola en África y atendieron a las víctimas de los terremotos en Haití y Pakistán.

“Sin los cubanos no podríamos ofrecer la hemodiálisis que realizamos en San Vicente a 60 personas”, declaró

Ralph Gonsalves, primer ministro de San Vicente y las Granadinas. “¿Alguien espera que yo, por querer conservar una visa, deje morir a 60 personas de la clase trabajadora y pobre? Eso nunca sucederá”. Vea el episodio 3 de nuestra serie documental “La guerra contra Cuba”, donde podrá escuchar a los propios médicos cubanos explicar por qué participan en estas misiones.

Caribbean leaders are loudly defying U.S. threats to strip them of their visas unless they kick out Cuban doctors and nurses working in their countries.

“forced labor” of Cuban health workers.

Leaders from across the Caribbean have refuted U.S. accusations that Cuban doctors on these missions are exploited.

Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced an expansion of the U.S. government’s “Cuba-related visa restriction policy” to target foreign government

“What the Cubans have done for us, far from approximating itself to to save lives and limbs and sight for many a Caribbean person,” said Barbados’s Prime Minister Mia Mottley. “We could not

get through the pandemic without the Cuban nurses and doctors.”

Since then, heads of state and ministers from Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda have publicly spoken about the importance of the Cuban medical missions to their healthcare systems.

“If [the U.S.] were to take any punitive action against Caribbean

countries because of the involvement of Cubans, they will literally dismantle our healthcare services and put our people at risk,” said Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. “This extraterritorial positioning, articulation, and threats — I don’t know that this is the route we need to go.”

Tens of thousands of Cuban health professionals serve on medical missions in dozens of countries throughout the world.

Most of the missions

occur through partnerships that bring in billions of dollars for Cuba, helping the country subsidize its own free public healthcare system.

Other missions bring Cuba no money, such as those undertaken by the Henry Reeve Brigade, whose doctors fought Ebola in Africa and treated earthquake victims in Haiti and Pakistan.

“Without the Cubans we would not be able to we do in Saint Vincent

for 60 persons,” said Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. “Does anybody expect that I, because I want to keep a visa, that I would let 60 persons from the poor and working people die? It will never happen.”

Check out Episode 3 of our documentary series The War on Cuba, where you can hear from the Cuban doctors themselves about why they go on these missions.

Os líderes caribenhos estão ameaças dos EUA de retirálos de seus vistos, a menos que expulsem médicos e enfermeiros cubanos que trabalham em seus países.

No mês passado, o Secretário de Estado Marco Rubio anunciou uma expansão da “política de restrição de vistos relacionada a Cuba” do governo dos EUA para atingir autoridades de governos estrangeiros envolvidas no “trabalho

saúde cubanos. Líderes de todo

o Caribe refutaram as acusações dos EUA de que os médicos cubanos nessas missões são explorados. “O que os cubanos

pessoas, foi salvar vidas, membros e visão de muitas pessoas caribenhas”, disse a primeira-ministra de Barbados, Mia Mottley. “Não poderíamos superar a

pandemia sem os enfermeiros e médicos cubanos.”

Desde então, chefes de estado e ministros da Jamaica, Guiana, Barbados, Trinidad e Tobago, Dominica, Granada, São Vicente e Granadinas e Antígua e Barbuda falaram publicamente sobre a importância das missões médicas cubanas para seus sistemas de saúde.

“Se [os EUA] tomassem qualquer ação punitiva contra os países caribenhos por causa do envolvimento de cubanos, eles literalmente desmantelariam nossos serviços de saúde e colocariam nosso povo em risco”, disse Gaston Browne, primeiro-ministro de Antígua e Barbuda. “Esse posicionamento, articulação e ameaças extraterritoriais — não sei se esse é o caminho que precisamos seguir.” Dezenas de milhares cubanos servem em missões médicas em dezenas de países ao redor do mundo. A maioria das missões ocorre por meio de parcerias que trazem bilhões de dólares para Cuba, ajudando o país a subsidiar seu próprio sistema

de saúde pública gratuito. Outras missões não trazem dinheiro a Cuba, como as realizadas pela Brigada Henry Reeve, cujos

médicos lutaram contra o Ebola na África e trataram vítimas do terremoto no Haiti e no Paquistão. “Sem os cubanos,

não seríamos capazes de oferecer a hemodiálise que fazemos em São Vicente para 60 pessoas”, disse Ralph Gonsalves, primeiro-

ministro de São Vicente e Granadinas. “Alguém espera que eu, porque quero manter um visto, deixe 60 pessoas pobres e trabalhadoras

March 10 2024 - March 17 2025

morrerem? Isso nunca vai acontecer.”

3 da nossa série de documentários The War

on Cuba, onde você pode ouvir os próprios médicos cubanos sobre o motivo de eles irem nessas missões.

El Caribe se enfrenta a EE. UU. respecto a los médicos cubanos

para aplicarla a funcionarios de gobiernos extranjeros involucrados en el “trabajo forzoso” de trabajadores de la salud cubanos.

Los líderes caribeños

desafían rotundamente las amenazas de EE. UU. de retirarles sus visas a menos que expulsen a los médicos y enfermeros cubanos que trabajan en sus países. El mes pasado, el secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio, anunció una ampliación de la “política de restricción de visas relacionada con Cuba” del gobierno estadounidense

Líderes de todo el Caribe han refutado las acusaciones de EE. UU. de que los médicos cubanos en estas misiones son explotados.

“Lo que los cubanos han hecho por nosotros, lejos de considerarse trata de personas, ha sido salvar vidas, extremidades y la vista de muchos caribeños”, declaró la primera ministra de Barbados, Mia Mottley.

“No podríamos superar la pandemia sin los enfermeros y médicos cubanos”. Desde entonces, jefes de Estado y ministros de Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad y Tobago, Dominica, Granada, San Vicente y las Granadinas, y Antigua y Barbuda han expresado públicamente la importancia de las misiones médicas cubanas para sus sistemas de salud.

“Si [EE. UU.] tomara alguna medida punitiva contra los países caribeños debido a la participación de cubanos, literalmente

desmantelarían nuestros servicios de salud y pondrían en riesgo a nuestra gente”, declaró Gaston Browne, primer ministro de Antigua y Barbuda. “Este posicionamiento, articulación y amenazas extraterritoriales… no creo que sea el camino que debamos seguir”. Des dizaines de milliers de professionnels de santé cubains participent à des missions médicales dans des dizaines de pays à travers le monde. La plupart de ces missions sont réalisées grâce à des partenariats qui

rapportent des milliards de dollars à Cuba, aidant ainsi système de santé publique gratuit.

D’autres missions ne rapportent rien à Cuba, comme celles menées par la Brigade Henry Reeve, dont les médecins ont combattu Ebola en Afrique et soigné les victimes des tremblements de terre en Haïti et au Pakistan. « Sans les Cubains, nous ne pourrions pas proposer l’hémodialyse que nous pratiquons à SaintVincent pour 60 personnes », a déclaré Ralph Gonsalves, Premier ministre de SaintVincent-et-les Grenadines. « Quelqu’un s’attend-il à ce que, parce que je veux conserver un visa, je laisse mourir 60 personnes parmi les pauvres et les travailleurs ? Cela n’arrivera jamais. » Découvrez l’épisode 3 de notre série documentaire « La guerre contre Cuba », où vous pourrez entendre les médecins cubains expliquer pourquoi ils participent à ces missions.

Hoggaamiyeyaasha Caribbeanka ayaa si weyn u diidaya hanjabaadaha U.S. Bishii la soo dhaafay, Xoghayaha Arrimaha Dibadda Marco Rubio ayaa ku dhawaaqay ballaarinta dowladda Mareykanka ee “siyaasadda xaddidaadda beegsado saraakiisha dawladda shisheeye ee ku lug leh “shaqada qasabka ah” Cuba.

Hogaamiyaasha ka kala socda Kariibiyaanka ayaa beeniyay eedeymaha Mareykanka ee ah in dhakhaatiirta Cuba ee howlgalladan ku jira laga faa’iidaysto.

“Waxa ay Cuban-ku noo sameeyeen, oo ka fog in ay isu qiyaasaan ka ganacsiga dadka, waxay ahayd in ay badbaadiyaan nolosha iyo addimada iyo aragga dad badan oo Kariibiyaan ah,” ayay tiri Ra’iisul Wasaaraha Barbados Mia Mottley. “Kama gudbi karin cudurka faafa la’aantood kalkaaliyayaasha Cuba iyo dhakhaatiirta.”

Karibiani

Tan iyo markaas, madaxda dawladaha iyo wasiirrada Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad iyo Tobago, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent iyo Grenadines, iyo Antigua iyo Barbuda waxay si cad uga hadleen muhiimada ay u leeyihiin hawlgallada nidaamkooda daryeelka

“Haddii [Mareykanku] ay qaadi lahaayeen tallaabo kasta oo ciqaab ah oo ka dhan ah waddamada Caribbean sababtoo ah ku lug lahaanshaha Cubans, waxay si dhab ah u burburin

doonaan adeegyadeena

waxayna halis gelin doonaan dadkeena,” ayuu yiri Gaston Browne, ra’iisul wasaaraha Antigua iyo Barbuda. “Meejintan ka baxsan dhulalka, hadalka, iyo hanjabaadaha - ma garanayo in tani ay tahay dariiqa aan u baahanahay inaan ku socono.”

Tobanaan kun oo

Cuban ah ayaa ka shaqeeya waddamo ah oo adduunka oo dhan ah. Inta badan hawlgallada waxay ku dhacaan iskaashiyo keena

balaayiin doolar Cuba, ka caawinta waddanku inuu kabo nidaamkiisa daryeelka

bilaashka ah. Hawlgallada kale ma keenaan Cuba wax lacag ah, sida kuwa ay qaadeen Henry Reeve Brigade, kuwaas oo dhakhaatiirtoodu ay Ebola kula dagaalameen Afrika oo ay ku daweeyeen dhibbanayaasha dhulgariir ee Haiti iyo Pakistan. “Kuuban la’aantood ma awoodi karno inaan ku bixinno dhiig-baxa dhiigbaxa aan ku sameyno Saint Vincent 60 qof,” ayuu yiri Ralph Gonsalves, ra’iisul

waxaan rabaa inaan

60 qof oo ka mid ah dadka saboolka ah iyo kuwa shaqeeya inay dhintaan? Weligeed ma dhici doonto.” Fiiri Qaybta 3 ee taxanahayaga dokumentiga ah Dagaalkii Kuuba, halkaas oo aad ka maqli karto dhakhaatiirta Kuuba laftooda sababta ay u aadeen hawlgalladan.

inasimama hadi Marekani kuhusu Madaktari wa Cuba

Viongozi wa Karibea wanakaidi kwa sauti vitisho vya Marekani vya kuwapokonya viza isipokuwa wawafukuze madaktari na wauguzi wa Cuba wanaofanya kazi katika nchi zao.

Mwezi uliopita, Waziri wa Mambo ya Nje Marco Rubio alitangaza upanuzi wa “sera ya vikwazo vya visa vinavyohusiana na Cuba” ya serikali ya

Marekani ili kulenga kigeni wanaohusika katika “kazi ya kulazimishwa” ya wafanyakazi wa afya wa Cuba.

Viongozi kutoka kote Karibea wamekanusha shutuma za Marekani kwamba madaktari wa Cuba kwenye misheni hizi wananyonywa. “Kile Wacuba wametufanyia, mbali na kujilinganisha na biashara haramu ya binadamu, imekuwa kuokoa maisha na viungo na kuona kwa watu wengi wa Karibea,” alisema

Waziri Mkuu wa Barbados Mia Mottley. “Hatukuweza kukabiliana na janga hili bila wauguzi na madaktari wa Cuba.”

Tangu wakati huo, wakuu wa nchi na mawaziri kutoka Jamaika, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad na Tobago, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent na Grenadines, na Antigua na Barbuda wamezungumza hadharani kuhusu umuhimu wa misheni ya matibabu ya Cuba kwa mifumo yao ya afya.

“Ikiwa [Marekani] ingechukua hatua yoyote

ya adhabu dhidi ya nchi za Karibea kwa sababu ya kuhusika kwa Wacuba, watasambaratisha huduma zetu za afya na kuwaweka watu wetu hatarini,” alisema Gaston Browne, waziri mkuu wa Antigua na Barbuda. “Msimamo huu wa nje, matamshi na vitisho - sijui kuwa hii ndiyo njia tunayohitaji kwenda.”

Makumi ya maelfu ya wataalamu wa afya wa Cuba wanahudumu katika misheni ya matibabu katika nchi nyingi ulimwenguni. Misheni nyingi hutokea kupitia ubia ambao huleta

mabilioni ya dola kwa Cuba, kusaidia nchi kutoa ruzuku kwa mfumo wake wa bure wa huduma ya afya ya umma. Misheni nyingine haziiletei Cuba pesa, kama zile zilizofanywa na Brigade ya Henry Reeve, ambayo madaktari wake walipambana na Ebola barani Afrika na kuwatibu waathiriwa wa tetemeko la ardhi huko Haiti na Pakistan.

“Bila Wacuba hatungeweza kutoa hemodialysis tunayofanya huko Saint Vincent kwa watu 60,” Ralph Gonsalves,

waziri mkuu wa Saint Vincent na Grenadines. “Je, kuna mtu yeyote anayetarajia kwamba mimi, kwa sababu ninataka kuwa na visa, kwamba ningeacha watu 60 kutoka kwa maskini na watu wanaofanya kazi wafe? Haitatokea kamwe.” Tazama Kipindi cha 3 cha mfululizo wetu wa hali halisi The War on Cuba, ambapo unaweza kusikia kutoka kwa madaktari wa Cuba wenyewe kuhusu kwa nini wanaenda kwenye misheni hii.

lati Ilu Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad ati Tobago, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent ati Grenadines, ati Antigua ati Barbuda ti

wa sinu eewu,” Gaston Browne, Prime Minister miiran ko mu owo Kuba,

Haiti ati Pakistan. a kii yoo ni anfani lati funni Saint Vincent fun eniyan

wasaaraha Saint Vincent iyo Grenadines. “Qofna miyuu

haysto

ikede imugboroosi ti “eto

Cuban. kakiri eniyan, ni lati gba

Karibeani kan,” Prime

Minister Barbados Mia Cuba.”

ede Karibeani nitori ilowosi

60,” Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister ti Saint Vincent ati

Par Belly of the Beast

Translation by Macdonald Anyanwu, Afrodescendientes French Text

Waxaa qoray Belly of the Beast

Translation by Macdonald Anyanwu, Afrodescendientes

Somali Text

Na Belly of the Beast

Translation by Macdonald Anyanwu, Afrodescendientes

Text

Translation by Macdonald Anyanwu,

Sports & Education

Brionie Wakooli, 17, and Senetneb Theba, 14, have qualiﬁed for the USASA North American Championships taking place this week in Copper Mountain, Colorado. The two standout snowboarders will represent Black girls and communities of color in the premier national event, competing in slalom, giant slalom, and boarder-cross disciplines.

Wakooli, a senior at Anoka High School, and Theba, a freshman at Saint Paul Academy, are both multisport athletes who exemplify excellence on and oﬀ the slopes. In addition to their competitive pursuits, they are committed coaches and mentors through Melanin In Motion’s winter programming. They work with emerging snowboarders across the Twin Cities, with a special

Major League Baseball removes references to ‘diversity’ from MLB Careers home page

Major League Baseball removed references to “diversity” from its MLB Careers home page following an executive order by President Donald Trump that could lead to possible federal action against organizations using DEI programs in violation of his administration’s interpretation of civil rights law.

“Our values on diversity remain unchanged,” MLB said in a statement

Friday. “We are in the process of evaluating our programs for any modiﬁcations to eligibility criteria that are needed to ensure our programs are compliant with federal law as they continue forward.”

The removal of the references was ﬁrst reported by the website cupofcoﬀeenews. com.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, who launched a

Diversity Pipeline Program in 2016, said following an owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, last month that MLB was evaluating the interpretation of law coming from the federal government.

“Our values, particularly our values on diversity, remain unchanged, but another value that is pretty important to us is we always try to comply with what the law is,”

he said. “There seems to be an evolution going on here. We’re following that very carefully. Obviously, when things get a little more settled, we’ll examine each of our programs and make sure that while the values remain the same that we’re also consistent with what the law requires.”

apnews.com/mlb

MLB: https://

Trump targets public education with mass job cuts

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior

Correspondent

The Trump administration has taken its first steps in dismantling the Department of Education, slashing more than 1,300 jobs and closing regional offices in cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, and Cleveland. According to Rachel Oglesby, the department’s chief of staff, employees were informed via email Tuesday that the Washington headquarters and regional offices would be closed Wednesday for unspecified “security reasons” before reopening Thursday.

“Today’s reduction in force reﬂects the Department of Education’s commitment to eﬃciency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” Education

Secretary Linda McMahon said.

The layoffs are part of a broader effort led by Trump and the Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the federal government. The 1,300 affected employees will officially be terminated in 90 days, with severance packages based on their length of service. In addition, 63 probationary employees were dismissed last month under a White House directive, while more than 300 workers accepted buyouts of up to $25,000, and another 260 opted for deferred resignations.

McMahon conﬁrmed that the cuts are just the beginning. Trump has vowed to eliminate the Department of Education, a move that would require congressional approval.

Impact on Marginalized Communities

Former Education

Secretary Arne Duncan, who served under the Obama administration, described

the cuts as a direct threat to vulnerable students, particularly those in Black and Brown communities. “It is our time to have courage and fight for kids,” Duncan previously said in a recently published interview. When asked about the impact of Trump’s proposed education cuts, he said there was a “chance to have an extraordinarily damaging and detrimental effect.” The Department of Education plays a vital role in ensuring equal access to education, particularly for historically disadvantaged communities. It enforces civil rights protections under laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in education based on race, sex, and disability. It also administers federal funding for Pell Grants, supports students with disabilities, and provides critical financial assistance to high-poverty schools.

The administration’s decision to gut the department

Female Primary or Elementary School Teacher Reads Story to Multi-Cultural Class Seated in Classroom

aligns with Trump’s longstanding pledge to shift education entirely to state control. His 2024 campaign platform describes the agency as a “woke” bureaucracy that interferes with local decisions. Far-right conservatives have taken issue with the department’s eﬀorts to promote racial equity, diversify the teacher workforce, and protect LGBTQ+ students.

However, the department’s biggest K-12 funding programs support the communities that stand to lose the most. The Biden administration had secured more than $300 million to increase school integration

through programs like the Magnet Schools Assistance Program and the Fostering Diverse Schools initiative. These programs, funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and eﬀorts to expand teacher diversity are now at risk.

Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, warned that eliminating the department would devastate public education. “If it became a reality, Trump’s power grab would steal resources for our most vulnerable students, explode class sizes, cut job

training programs, make higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle-class families, take away special education services for students with disabilities, and gut student civil rights protections,” Pringle said. The administration has also pushed a wave of directives that could further destabilize public education, including stripping schools of federal funding, promoting school voucher programs, and expanding funding for private charter operators with less oversight. Additionally, Trump’s policies have allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to conduct raids on public schools, further creating fear among immigrant families. Ninety percent of U.S. students—and 95% of students with disabilities—attend public schools, which depend on the Department of Education for oversight and resources. Pringle described Trump’s education agenda as a “wrecking ball to public schools,” warning that marginalized students will bear the brunt of the fallout. “Americans did not vote for, and do not support,” she said, “ending the federal government’s commitment to ensuring equal educational opportunities for every child.”

The U.S. Department of Education

By Frank Erickson

The U.S. Department of Education has warned schools that they will risk losing federal funding if they continue to take race into account when making scholarships or hiring decisions. All part of purging the federal government of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. And while the Department of Education was busy purging itself, what was President Trump working on-he was taking race into account as his administration prioritized the resettling of white “Afrikaner refugees” into the United States. An Afrikaner is a white landowner from South Africa. Elon Musk is from South Africa, and both Musk and Trump believe the Afrikaners are victims of unjust racial discrimination. White South Africans make up only 7 percent of the population of South Africa, but own most of the farmland in the country, the white minority acquired all this land wealth during apartheid.

South Africa’s colonial regimes were very brutal when stealing land from Blacks and forcefully removing them. Musk and Trump are currently upset with the South African’s government approach to try and transfer the ownership of more land to the country’s Black majority. There are thousands of refugees from the Middle East, Africa, Central and South

Courtesy photo

Senetneb Theba, 14 and Brionie Wakooli, 17

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File

MLB

The Through

By W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

By A. Rafael Johnson Fantasy,

reality, past, present, or a mixture of all of the above? How does what once was impact our present and future? As much as we as humans would like to think we have all the answers, there are always things and events that simply cannot be explained away, reminding us how limited our knowledge is. Such is the case with A. Rafael Johnson’s

At

Minneapolis

The Through. The story begins in New Orleans with Adrian, who as a young girl was molested by an older man named Marcel. Sadly, her mother didn’t believe her, and Adrian manifested an icy “twin.” Subsequently, Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005, and her mother and Marcel died in the ﬂood. In the aftermath of the hurricane, Adrian wound up in a psychiatric hospital, suﬀering from the trauma. As an adult, she and three partners establish a business in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she meets Ben, and they take up residence in Northport. Ben is a college professor with a career that’s going nowhere, and his motivation is going downhill with his disappointments in life. Not far from where they live is

a vacant area that was once a town called Okahika, but it is now known as The Through. Call it magic, call it voodoo, call it alternate reality, Adrian and Ben’s past personal traumas and pain collide with the haunting ghosts of history, of a slave ship known as Yemaya, and a town that shows up in many portals of the South. Will they be able to come to terms with the demons of the past and move forward? And what does this mean for them as a couple?

Johnson’s debut novel garnered him a place as a ﬁnalist in the Minnesota Book Awards and an outstanding wordsmith/ storyteller. With characters like Cut Mary, Ethiopia Jackson, and the slave ship Yemaya, the line between the present and the paranormal is a ﬁne one for Adrian and Ben. When the

novel speaks of history, I am reminded once again of our oral tradition, as well as the way Johnson shows how much more there is than meets the eye, especially the diﬀerence between “truth and fact.”

How often have you experienced a phenomenon you can’t explain, and you refrain from sharing it with others because you’re afraid they’ll think you’re crazy?

The Through is available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Jaded Ibis Press. And let’s give a hat tip to Tomashi Jackson for her intriguing artwork.

Thank you, Rafael, for giving us another facet of the diversity and talent we possess as Black authors. It’s quite a ride!

Parks: Movies Made (right) Here: Little Big League

Step up to the plate for a nostalgic afternoon of baseball with Little Big League, a classic ﬁlm shot right here in Minneapolis!

When: Sunday, April

6, 3-6 pm Where: Nicollet Island Pavilion, 40 Power Street, Minneapolis

Cost: Free entry and free parking!

Little Big League tells the story of a young boy who unexpectedly becomes the owner of the Minnesota Twins, bringing humor, heart, and plenty of Minnesota pride to the screen.

Relive the excitement of the Minnesota Twins’ legacy,

ﬁlmed inside the iconic Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the former home of the Twins before Target Field was built and later replaced by U.S. Bank Stadium (just 1.7 miles away!).

This ﬁlm was shot in Minneapolis in 1993 and released in 1994, showcasing our city’s unique charm.

Movies Made (right) Here is a special series celebrating ﬁlms with deep connections to our local neighborhoods, featuring beloved movies that were either ﬁlmed within two miles of the Nicollet Island Pavilion.

POP UP DANCE PARTYBryant Square- 2nd Wednesday Each Month Through May 14, 2025 BryantSquare-

Amphitheater-Stage All ages, Mixed Creative, Visual & Performing ArtsEvents Bryant Square hosts a 2nd Wednesday of the month “POP UP DANCE PARTY” We provide the DJ and the space; all you need to bring is your energy and your best (or worst) dance moves. All ages are welcome!!! Wall-E A Clean and Green Movie Night Apr 11, 2025

Longfellow-Gym

All ages, Show up for an indoor Earth Day celebration! We’ll transform our gymnasium into a cozy theater, screening the inspiring environmental ﬁlm -WALL-E on a large screen. Feel free to bring your pillows

and blankets for comfortable ﬂoor seating. Each registration includes a delicious snack pack featuring your choice of a beef or vegan hot dog, a beverage, popcorn, and a sweet treat.

Before the movie, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, engage in Earth Day-themed activities designed to educate and inspire all ages. It’s a perfect opportunity to honor Mother Earth and enjoy a memorable evening with family and friends.

** Please no lawn chairs!

General Public $10.00 Resident $5.00

Dancing in the Pavilion: Salsa with Erika Cianciaruso Sunday, April 13 | 3–6 pm Nicollet Island Pavilion

An afternoon of rhythm, movement, and fun at Dancing in the Pavilion! Dive into the vibrant world of salsa with instructor Erika as she guides you through the fundamentals of this exciting and energetic dance style.

From 3–5 pm, Erika will teach the basics and help you master a choreographed routine. Don’t worry about having a partner—there will be plenty on-site, and you’ll have the chance to partner up and share the joy of dancing. Then, from 5–6 pm, let loose during an open dance session to show oﬀ your new moves and dance the afternoon

away! So, lace up your dancing shoes and bring a co-worker, family, or friends—or come solo and meet new ones.

Plus, Mintahoe will have the bar open with snacks and drinks available for purchase to keep you fueled and refreshed.

This free event is part of the Dancing and Music in the Parks, Nicollet Island Edition series. Registration is preferred to help us anticipate class size, but walk-ins are welcome.

Spring Family Night Apr 24, 2025 Harrison-BuildingRecreationCenter

All ages,

Come as a family to enjoy spring activities together at the rec center! Play kickball, enjoy double dutch, decorate a cookie, paint rocks and more! Fun for the whole family! Spring Garden Seed Giveaway Apr 14, 2025 Food, Gardening & Cooking Services & Resources for the Community Stop in the building at Elliot park for some

WritersBootcamp LearntheTricksofthePublishingWorld ForEmergingandEstablishedWriters Time:10am-12pm|Cost:

Saturday,April12th,2025,10am-3pm GeorgeLatimerCentralLibrary 90West4thStreet-St.Paul,MN55102 TeenCreative WritingWorkshop CallingALLTEENS AdultswithChild-likeImaginations! Time:11am-12pm Cost:FREE KidsCorner Fun-filledActivities ColoringContest! Children’sAuthorReadings

Insight 2 Health

Do you eat a meal in 20 minutes or less? It might be time to slow down

By Maria Cheng AP Medical Writer

You can have your cake and eat

it too — just do it slowly. Experts tend to focus on the kinds of foods you can eat to improve your health. But the speed at which you devour your dinner matters just as much. There are risks with eating too fast — think stuck

food and the potential to overeat before your brain tells you to stop. (Inhaling your food also risks annoying your slowerpaced dining companions or the person who took the time to cook your meal.)

Here are some tips from scientists on how to slow down and take a more mindful approach to consuming your diet.

How fast is too fast?

If you’re the kind of person who can regularly polish oﬀ breakfast, lunch or dinner in less than 20-30 minutes, you are eating too fast. “It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to communicate to the brain via a whole host of hormonal signals that it’s full,” said Leslie Heinberg, at the Center for Behavioral Health at the Cleveland Clinic. “So when people eat rapidly, they can

miss these signals and it’s very easy to eat beyond the point of fullness.”

Why is that a problem?

People who eat quickly are likely to swallow more air, Heinberg said, which could lead to bloating or indigestion. Not chewing your food properly can also compromise digestion, meaning you won’t get all of the nutrients from your food. Unchewed pieces of food also could get stuck in your esophagus.

Some previous studies have suggested that people who eat quickly have the highest risk of obesity, while the slowest eaters were the least likely to be obese.

How can you slow down when eating? For starters, turn oﬀ the TV and put down your phone.

“If you’re eating while you watch TV, people tend to eat until there’s a commercial or the show is over,” Heinberg said, adding that people are less inclined to pay attention to the body’s own signals that it’s full. “When we do things while we’re eating, we’re eating less mindfully. And that often causes

us to eat more.”

She said that when people focus exclusively on eating, they tend to enjoy the meal more and eat less.

Heinberg also acknowledged the pace at which you eat is often an ingrained habit, but said change is still possible. She suggested things like using your non-dominant hand to eat, trying utensils you might not ordinarily use like chopsticks or taking a deliberate break to drink water when your plate is partially empty.

If you have a busy life, it might be unavoidable to eat lunch at a work meeting or snack while running errands.

But Sarah Berry, chief scientist at the British nutritional company ZOE, said when possible, “be mindful of what the food tastes and feels like.”

“If we’re not fully present, it’s very easy to eat more quickly and not notice how much we’ve consumed,” Berry said.

Chew your food, just like mom told you to

One of the simplest things to do is to increase the number of bites you take, said Helen McCarthy, a clinical psychologist with the British Psychological Society.

“If you chew each mouthful a little bit longer, that will slow down your eating,” she said.

The kind of food you eat may also make a diﬀerence, pointing out that it’s much easier to eat ultraprocessed or fast foods quicker, because they typically have a softer texture.

“It’s hard to eat vegetables and protein at the same rate as something that’s highly processed and requires less chewing,” McCarthy said.

Some of her patients also reported an unintentional side eﬀect once they began eating more slowly, referencing one woman who often ate a tube of potato chips every evening. When McCarthy told her to slow down and eat every single chip individually, her patient told her “it was like having a mouthful of claggy chemicals.” “She didn’t ﬁnd (the chips) enjoyable anymore,” McCarthy said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

intended to help feed children during the pandemic. In December 2024 two Minnesota autism treatment centers were raided, accused of submitting fraudulent claims for services that were never provided. Among the recommendations from the

Stein From 3

composers of color but the personal journey that inspired her to write them.

“I was pregnant during COVID, right in the middle of George Floyd,” she said in an interview following the event. “The way you combat dark is with light… and that included birthing what came to be here at the Beret.”

That “Beret” is Beret Publishing, a multisensory literary company Stein founded to ensure children, especially Black children, see themselves in the stories they read. Her books don’t just share untold narratives; they oﬀer sound, touch, and emotion. With integrated music and Braille, her “Echoes of Excellence” collection brings historically overlooked composers like Florence Price, Winifred Atwell, and George Bridgetower to vibrant, accessible life.

But Stein’s work goes beyond the page.

“Why a publishing company and not just stopping at being an author?” she said. “Because infrastructure is important. Ownership is important. If we’re going to make a tectonic impact, you have to hit culture through every lens, literacy, music, animation, and philanthropy.”

For Stein, this isn’t just business. It’s deeply spiritual and unapologetically mission-driven. The process, she says, is one of meditation and method.

“You don’t wait for it to drop in your lap,” she explained. “You solve problems by doing the research, making the calls, ﬁnding your people. And when I kept meditating on why I was even doing this, the word ‘Braille’ came to me. I didn’t even know anyone who was visually impaired. But I knew I had to include it.”

Creating such an inclusive platform hasn’t come without hurdles. Historical erasure made it difficult to find music or biographical detail for some of her chosen figures, like Vicente Lusitano, believed to be the first known Black composer in Western classical music. In some cases, she could only find a single surviving composition.

But she pressed forward.

“Our stories don’t start in sad spaces,” she said. “I wanted to find the originals. And where I couldn’t find women in the early historical record, I widened the lens to include modern-day juggernauts. We are prolific, and the world deserves to know our names.”

When asked what the community response has been, Stein became reﬂective.

“Shock,” she said softly. “I’m a very present mom. I work full time. I’ve built this on four hours of sleep, late nights and early mornings. But I didn’t feel tired, because I knew I had to do it. And I’ve been brought to tears many times by the support. If even one person feels seen because of these books, that’s enough.”

As little ones

state’s top-elected official are: creating a centralized financial crimes and fraud investigations section at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to combat fraudulent activity impacting state programs (this began Feb. 7); give agencies expanded authority to stop payments to people and entities suspected, charged, or convicted of fraud or financial crimes; increase by 20% criminal penalties for theft;

gathered around her for autographs and hugs, it was clear that Stein’s impact was

make providing kickbacks a state crime; requiring autism centers to be licensed; and increasing data sharing between agencies and then take action to pause payments if issues arise, something state statute now limits.

“For years our data has been very siloed in the state between agencies. And fraudsters are well aware that that is our Achilles’ heel. They are using that inability to exploit the system,” said Rep. Kristin

already rippling out. During Women’s History Month, she is not only honoring the

Bahner (DFL-Maple Grove). “If we do not act, we will continue to see bad actors exploiting state government and we will not be able to catch them.” According to the governor’s announcement, his proposal has a $39 million price tag in the 2026-27 biennium and $15 million in the 2028-29 biennium.

Rep. Jon Koznick (R-Lakeville) and Rep. Jim Joy (R-Hawley) expressed concern about increasing the cost of government with

one for the

for

darker financial times looming. “We’re looking at (the Education Department) spending over a million dollars a biennium for more staff for compliance; children, youth and families wants two more FTE’s just for compliance; and finally in 2025 we’re asking for electronic attendance records to help prevent misuse. Then investing another $5 million and $2.8 (million) ongoing,” Koznick said. What we’re being told is we can’t stop fraud without

more money when we’re looking at a nearly $6 billion deﬁcit, Joy said. “I would encourage us to try to ﬁnd other avenues.” Countered Campbell:

“The reality is that agencies need capacity, additional resources to do this work and to do it well. We take it seriously and it would be disingenuous for us to tell you we could do that with the resources we have today.”