In 2025, truth is survival: Why Black media matters
By Haley Taylor Schlitz, Esq.
Imagine you’re standing in a crowded room where everyone is shouting, some louder than others, and no one seems to care if what they’re saying is true. This is the reality of 2025, where truth isn’t just drowned out, it’s disregarded altogether. This week, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, took this chaos a step further by eliminating third-party fact-checking and placing the burden of truth on its users through “community notes.” For Black Americans, who have long been targeted by deliberate disinformation campaigns, this isn’t just noise, it’s a calculated move that threatens our voices, votes, and futures. It’s a stark reminder that those in control of these platforms are choosing profit
and apathy over responsibility. Trust is the most precious currency of 2025, and yet it feels increasingly elusive. Who can we rely on when the ground beneath us is shaking, when blatant racism reasserts itself as the norm, and when misinformation floods our lives at every turn? For Black Americans, these are not abstract questions. They are urgent realities. But history reminds us: we have faced these moments before, and we have always found ways to rise. Our survival has been built on vigilance, community, and the unwavering ability to discern truth amid chaos.
The year ahead will demand more of us than ever before. It will demand resilience, clarity, and above all, a commitment to truth. In a time when misinformation is pervasive, understanding what is real and who to trust is not just important, it is essential. For Black Americans, this has always been true. We have long relied on trusted voices and spaces within our community to light the path forward,
and in 2025, this reliance will only grow more critical. This is why Black media must take center stage in the year ahead. Historically, Black-owned media has been the cornerstone of our community’s information ecosystem - a source of truth, empowerment, and connection when mainstream American media has either ignored or deliberately misrepresented our experiences. From the days of Frederick Douglass and The North Star to the modern era of platforms like Black Star Network and Blavity, Black media has been a lifeline, ensuring that our stories are told, our perspectives are amplified, and our truths are preserved. American mainstream media has consistently fallen short. Throughout history, it has often portrayed Black Americans through a lens of stereotypes or omission, erasing our contributions while sensationalizing our struggles. From the Civil Rights Movement to the protests against police brutality, mainstream outlets have frequently framed our
By David B. Parker
On Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump will take the presidential oath of office: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” And then he will probably add the phrase “so help me God.”
Those four little words are not in the Constitution, but for many Americans, the phrase has been a part of the oath ever since George Washington was said to have added it 236 years ago.
But did Washington really say “so help me God?”
There is no evidence that he did. In fact, no one said he did until 1854, 65 years later, when Rufus Griswold, an editor and literary critic, told the story in a book titled “The Republican Court”: “[Washington] added, with fervor, his eyes closed, that his whole soul might be absorbed in the supplication, ‘So help me God!’”
As a professor of U.S. history, I don’t care if Washington said it or not; my interest is in how quickly “so help me God” became established in the American national memory.
For a 2014 article titled “In Griswold We Trust,” I used various online databases such as Google Books, Internet Archive, American Periodicals Series and Newspapers.com to search for the phrase. Before 1854, there are no accounts of
Washington saying “so help me God” at the end of the oath – at least in the millions of print records covered by the databases. Then Griswold told the story, and by the end of the 1850s, almost a dozen books and magazine articles had repeated it. Griswold’s story was so thoroughly accepted that, through the 20th century, no one, including academic scholars, thought to question it. The best way to understand Griswold’s mythic insertion of “so help me God” into the presidential oath is through the lens of Christian nationalism. While the phrase is relatively new, Christian nationalism itself has been around for a long time.
Second Great Awakening Scholars Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry have defined Christian nationalism as “a cultural framework … that idealizes and advocates a fusion of Christianity with American civic life.” Christian nationalism was big in the early 19th century. Legal scholar Steven K. Green noted in his 2015 book, “Inventing a Christian America,” that the Second Great Awakening, a Protestant evangelical revival movement that peaked in the 1830s, “brought about … a desire to see religious values reflected in the nation’s culture and institutions.”
Rev. Ezra Stiles Ely, a Presbyterian minister in Philadelphia, took things a step further when he told his congregation in 1828 that only leaders “known to be avowedly Christians” should be elected. In the words of
religious studies scholar Richard Hughes, many participants in the Second Great Awakening “sought to transform the nation into a Christian Republic.” In its aftermath, Griswold’s account of Washington prayerfully adding “so help me God” to the presidential oath became part of America’s Christian creation myth.
Another age, another ‘so help me God’ story Like many cultural ideas, Christian nationalism has waxed and waned through American history. It was popular again in the years just after World War II, a time of increased tensions between the United States and the “godless communists” of the Soviet Union.
Religion was an important weapon in the Cold War. As Sen. Joseph McCarthy said, “The fate of the world rests with the clash between
demands for justice as threats to societal order. Even today, we see examples of these biases, whether in the underreporting of violence against Black people or the glorification of cultural elements stolen from our communities. In this critical moment, we must not only champion Black media but also become better consumers of it. Without our active support, Black-owned media risks fading away. We need to subscribe to, share, and financially support these platforms to ensure they thrive. Moreover, we must equip ourselves with the skills to navigate this complex media environment. Media literacy is no longer optional; it is a survival skill for the challenges of 2025 and beyond. One clear step we can take is to prioritize learning how to verify information. Approach every headline with a critical eye: Who is the source? What is their agenda? Are they rooted in our community’s interests? These questions are vital. When I taught U.S. History to fifth graders, I saw firsthand how unprepared many of us are to critically analyze the information we consume.
If we don’t teach ourselves and our children to discern truth from lies, we leave ourselves vulnerable to manipulation. The responsibility is twofold. It falls on Black media to rise to this moment, to double down on its mission of truth-telling and to meet our community where it is.
But it also falls on each of us as individuals to support these platforms, to share their stories, and to ensure they remain strong in the face of external pressures and internal doubts. The power of Black media lies not just in its ability to inform but in its capacity to unify, to inspire action, and to remind us of who
the atheism of Moscow and the Christian spirit throughout other parts of the world.”
In this Cold War context, the U.S. added “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, made “In God We Trust” the country’s national motto and created a new version of the Griswold story: that every president, not just Washington,
By Simon Burris
had ended their oath of office with “so help me God.”
Actually, there is no compelling evidence that any president added “so help me God” before September 1881, when Chester A. Arthur was sworn in after the death of James Garfield.
But it was important in Cold War America to prove that it was a Christian nation, so a new story was added to the American creation myth: Through the nation’s history, all presidents invoked God as part of their oath.
A search of the databases shows that this story began in 1948. One of the earliest examples was from Frank Waldrop, editor of the Washington Times-Herald, responding to the Supreme Court’s decision in McCollum v. Board of Education that it was unconstitutional for public schools to promote religion. “Every President from Washington down to Harry Truman has always taken that oath with his hand on the Bible,” Waldrop wrote,
“and every President … has added the undeniably religious phrase, ‘So help me, God.’” Waldrop used the assertion that presidents have all said “so help me God” as an argument for inserting religion into public schools. This is an important point about Christian nationalism: As scholar Eric McDaniel and others have shown, it is not just a view of the past; it is a call for action, specifically to reclaim America as a “holy land.” Christian nationalism relies on a flawed understanding of the American past, but it has become an increasingly important part of our history. David B. Parker 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.
Columnist
Professor of History, Kennesaw State University
By Elizer Darris MN Black Chamber and The Darris Group Guest commentary
Puzzle Master
Minneapolis agrees to overhaul police training and force policies after George Floyd’s murder
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The Minneapolis City Council on Monday approved an agreement with the federal government to overhaul the city’s police training and useof-force policies in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. The deal incorporates and builds on changes the Minneapolis Police Department has made since Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white
By Dee-Ann Durbin AP Business Writer
Four years after launching a push for more diversity in its ranks, McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions. McDonald’s is the latest big company to shift its tactics in the wake of the 2023 ruling and a conservative backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
fficer in 2020, prompting a national reckoning with police brutality and racism. The 171-page agreement, filed in federal court shortly after the council voted 12-0 to approve it, says the department will require its officers to “promote the sanctity of human life as the highest priority in their activities.” It says officers must “carry out their law enforcement duties with professionalism and respect for the dignity of every person.” And it says they must not allow race, gender
or ethnicity “to influence any decision to use force, including the amount or type of force used.”
The agreement, known as a consent decree, will put the department under longterm court supervision. It had been under negotiation since the Department of Justice issued a scathing critique of the city’s police in June 2023.
Department officials alleged that police engaged in systematic racial discrimination, violated constitutional rights and disregarded the safety of
people in custody for years before Floyd was killed. The report was the result of a sweeping two-year investigation that confirmed many citizen complaints about police conduct. It found that Minneapolis officers used excessive force, including “unjustified deadly force,” and violated the rights of people engaged in constitutionally protected speech.
“George Floyd’s death was not just a tragedy,
Walmart, John Deere, HarleyDavidson and others rolled back their DEI initiatives last year.
McDonald’s said Monday it will retire specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels. It also intends to end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training and to increase the number of minority group members represented within their own leadership ranks.
McDonald’s said it will also pause “external
The highly decorated soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI including ChatGPT to help plan the attack, Las Vegas police said Tuesday.
Nearly a week after 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger fatally shot himself, officials said according to writings, he didn’t intend to kill anyone else.
An investigation of Livelsberger’s searches through ChatGPT indicate he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona.
Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, called the use of generative AI a “game-changer” and said the department was sharing information with other law enforcement agencies.
By
The man responsible for the truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day that killed 14 people visited the city twice before and recorded video of the French Quarter with Meta smart glasses, an FBI official said Sunday.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar also traveled to Cairo and Canada before the attack although it was not yet clear whether those trips were connected to the attack, Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said at a news conference. Federal officials believe Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and former U.S.
“In this case, ChatGPT responded with information already publicly available on the internet and provided warnings against harmful or illegal activities. We’re working with law
“This is the first incident that I’m aware of on U.S. soil where ChatGPT is utilized to help an individual build a particular device,” he said. “It’s a concerning moment.” In an emailed statement, OpenAI said it was committed to seeing its tools used “responsibly” and that they’re designed to refuse harmful instructions.
The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet, focuses on Dylan’s early 1960s transition from idiosyncratic singer of folk songs to internationally renowned singer-songwriter.
As a music historian, I’ve always respected one decision of Dylan’s in particular – one that kicked off the young artist’s most turbulent and significant period of creative activity.
Sixty years ago, on Halloween Night 1964, a 23-year-old Dylan took the stage at New York City’s Philharmonic Hall. He had become a star within the niche genre of revivalist folk music. But by 1964 Dylan was building a much larger fanbase through performing and recording his own songs.
Dylan presented a solo set, mixing material he had previously recorded with some new songs. Representatives from his label, Columbia Records, were on hand to record the concert, with the intent to release the live show as his fifth official album. It would have been a logical successor to Dylan’s four other Columbia albums. With the exception of one track, “Corrina, Corrina,” those albums, taken together, featured exclusively solo acoustic performances. But at the end of 1964, Columbia shelved the recording of the Philharmonic Hall concert. Dylan had decided that he wanted to make a different kind of music. From Minnesota to Manhattan Two-and-a-half years earlier, Dylan, then just 20 years old, started earning acclaim within New York City’s folk music community. At the time, the folk music revival
By Steve Karnowski Associated Press By Ted Olson
By Mike Catalini Associated Press
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s
Mayor Jacob Frey, left, and Chief Brian O’Hara of the Minneapolis Police
Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Police Department
Sheriff
Koren shows a photo of the investigation into a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded at the Trump International Hotel, during a news conference at Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
Jack Brook, Stephen Smith and Sara Cline Associated Press
Scott Threlkeld/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP
Lyonel Myrthil, special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, second from left, shows footage of Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the man who carried out an attack on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day, during a news conference in a secure garage at the FBI Headquarters in New Orleans, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
Investigation released this photo of Shamsud-Din Jabbar on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2024.
Federal rules require airlines to issue refunds for ‘controllable’ flight cancellations or delays
By Jeroslyn JoVonn
Black Enterprise
Newly enacted federal rules require airlines to issue refunds for “controllable”
flight delays or cancellations.
Airline travelers have new protections this holiday season thanks to a recently enacted federal rule requiring airlines to issue delayed
flights and luggage refunds.
Thursday was expected to be the busiest travel day of the week with 146,000 passengers, an airline spokesperson told KIRO 7. In light of recent U.S. Department of Transportation updates,
passengers can now receive refunds when airlines cancel or make significant changes to their flights, experience major delays with checked bags, or do not deliver additional services that passengers had purchased.
The new rule mandates that airlines automatically issue cash refunds for flights that are delayed or canceled due to “controllable” factors. These factors include maintenance, crew problems, cabin cleaning, baggage loading, and fueling issues. However, delays and cancellations caused by weather or air traffic control flow problems do not qualify for automatic refunds, as stated by the Department of Transportation. Refund policies varied among airlines before the change that went into effect in October. However, the new rule eliminates this inconsistency by defining a
significant delay as at least three hours for domestic and six hours for international flights. Airlines can still offer another flight or travel credit; however, consumers can decline these offers.
What this week’s winter wallop means for farmers across the U.S.
By Melina Walling Associated Press
A nasty dose of winter weather has pummeled much of the U.S. from Kansas to the East Coast, leaving many Americans to dig out of the blizzard — including farmers. And more is on the way, with the polar air expected to continue to grip some places until at least Friday.
Farmers always watch the weather, but depending on where they’re located and what they produce, winter always presents mental challenges for growers, said Carolyn Olson, an organic farmer in southwestern Minnesota who is also vice president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors.
Producers know that the timing and amount of winter moisture affect farming conditions for the rest of the year. It’s also a time for planning ahead — something becoming increasingly difficult as climate change ramps up variability in snowfall, rainfall and other weather conditions that can make or break an operation.
“They’re doing that stressful part of making those
decisions on how they’re going to farm this year, what they’re going to grow,” Olson said. “It’s just a lot of pressure on agriculture at this time of the year.”
Livestock producers dealing with ‘generational storm’ Biting wind and big drifts from almost a whole year’s average snowfall in a single storm are hitting farmers in some parts of Kansas “in ways that we haven’t seen in this area for a very, very long time, potentially a lifetime,” said Chip Redmond, a meteorologist at Kansas State University who developed an animal comfort tool. It includes an index of heat and cold that a farmer can use — along with their knowledge of their animals’ age, coat, overall health and so forth — to watch for situations when they may need to get animals out of dangerous areas. The risk is real: Calves, especially, can die when temperatures slip below zero. And so much snow in rural areas can keep farmers from reaching herds with food and water, Redmond said. That means preparing by moving animals and having a plan to care for them ahead of
time is key — which is harder due to the unpredictability of climate change. And not having the right experience or infrastructure to prepare is “really, really stressful on producers,” Redmond said.
Reprieve for some typically snowy areas
The storm missed some states further north like Iowa and Minnesota that are generally more accustomed to snow. Stu Swanson, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, said that eases tasks like moving grain and working with livestock. He added that without snow cover, the ground is more likely to freeze and thaw in a way that could benefit soils.
Two years of drought followed by torrential rains last spring created tire ruts and compaction from farm machinery in some places, he said. He hopes that without as much snow, the freeze-thaw cycle will loosen up the soil and farmers may get the added bonus of some pests dying off before the spring. “We don’t have any growing crop now, so really temperature doesn’t matter. We look forward to a good freeze,” Swanson said.
‘Feast or famine’: Extremes and unpredictability worry some farmers
The lack of snow is a greater concern farther north in some parts of Minnesota, where producers do have winter crops like alfalfa or winter wheat.
Reliable snow cover is important in those areas because it insulates soil from cold. A few of inches of snow on top of a field can keep winter wheat’s crown (which is still underground this time of year to withstand the winter) at 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 2 Celsius) even if the air temperature is as low as minus 40 Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius), said Jochum Wiersma, an extension professor at the University of Minnesota.
“There’s not a lot you can do, unfortunately,” when ice breaks a plant’s crown, said Martin Larsen, who grows alfalfa in addition to other crops like corn in southeastern Minnesota. He’s concerned about the long-term trends, too — he pointed out last year’s likely record warmth — and said he noticed the lack of snow cover in his region then, too.
“We were so dry going into last spring and we
were in the field almost a month before we normally do. I would say that concern exists this year as well,” Larsen said. Gary Prescher, who has been farming a small grain operation for about 50 years in south-central Minnesota, said he’s noticed more variability over the past six to 10 years. That’s changing his long-term philosophy on the farm. He said he wants to make sure his operation can handle more extreme weather events, and that excess heat, cold, dryness, wetness or wind have “forced some changes out here for me
and my neighbors.”
“If you’re just looking at averages, it’s very deceiving,” he said. “It’s either all or none.” Follow Melina Walling on X @MelinaWalling and Bluesky @melinawalling. bsky.social.
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Philosopher shares 3 strategies to help you attain the good life
By Lorraine Besser
, you know you’ve got to rally. The kids have to get to school. You’ve got to get to work. And, of course, your ever-growing to-do list hangs over your head like a
dark cloud, somehow both too threatening to ignore and too threatening to start its tasks.
On days like this, you may be grateful simply to make it through. But then it begins, all over again. While you can’t escape the grind, you can transform it. The latest psychological research on the good life points the way: By shifting your mindset, you can make your day-to-day more interesting and create psychological richness within your life. Psychological richness describes a robust form of cognitive engagement. It’s distinct from happiness and meaning, but just as important to the good life.
In collaboration with Shigehiro Oishi and his research lab, I’ve investigated whether the field of positive psychology has largely overlooked an important dimension of the good life. As the philosopher on our team, I had two directives. First, I helped to define the concept of psychological richness and understand what distinguishes it from happiness and meaning. Second, I set out to explore why psychological richness is valuable.
Our initial studies found that people value experiences that stimulate their minds, challenge them and generate a range of emotions. Many would choose a life full of these experiences, which we describe as psychologically rich, over a happy life or a meaningful life.
This insight points to the important role psychological richness can play within the good life, but it stops short of explaining why it’s good and why people ought to make space for psychological richness within their lives. These are value-laden questions that can’t be answered through empirical research. Their answers are found instead through philosophical analysis. My philosophical analysis suggests that psychological richness is good for you because it’s interesting. My book, “The Art of the Interesting: What We Miss in Our Pursuit of the Good Life and How to Cultivate It,” shows how to add psychological richness to your life by
making it more interesting. One of the easiest ways to do this is by embracing a mindset characterized by curiosity, creativity and what I call “mindfulness 2.0.”
When you bring these three perspectives to your day-today, you transform the grind into endless opportunities to experience the world as interesting. You develop the capacity to enhance your own life.
Mindfulness 2.0: Noticing without judging What I call “mindfulness 2.0” means bringing nonevaluative awareness to the world around you – paying attention without judging. Familiar from mindfulness practices, it’s a form of noticing that brings forth details you typically overlook: the texture of a houseplant’s leaves, the faces of the strangers you pass on the sidewalk, the differing heights of the cans on a store shelf. By bringing these details into your awareness, you stimulate your mind, allowing you to engage mentally with your surroundings in an active manner. Noticing things through mindfulness 2.0 is the first step toward having an interesting experience. A good place to practice mindfulness 2.0 is during your morning commute. Because it’s routine, you probably don’t feel the need to engage much with the details of what you are doing. Instead you’ll find other ways to pass the time, such as listening to the news or your favorite podcast. These activities distract you from the otherwise boring commute by disengaging you from it.
But you can also get through the commute by engaging with it to make it less boring. Here’s where the power of mindfulness 2.0 kicks in. Through actively noticing things around you – be it the people clustered at the bus stop, or the traffic patterns created by a stoplight, or a flock of birds swooping overhead –you engage your mind and set yourself up to experience the interesting.
Curiosity: Exploring through questions
Curiosity isn’t just for kids. No matter how much you know, there’s always something to be curious about – especially if you’ve learned to notice the details through mindfulness 2.0. Say you’ve noticed, during your commute, the group of people gathered around the bus stop. Now let your curiosity take off: Was that bus stop always there? How long has that exceptionally weird real estate advertisement been stuck on the seatback? So many people lined up this cold morning. You might wonder if you’d feel a little more connected if you were with them. But then you notice that no one is talking. Do they ride the same bus together, every day, without acknowledging each other? Through asking questions, you ask your mind to consider something it hadn’t before. You create new thoughts, and if you let your mind keep going, you’ll have an interesting experience, all the while making that same commute. Even better, you’ll have created that interesting experience on your own. You’ve harnessed an ability to enhance your life, an ability that’s completely within your control.
Creativity: Trying something new
While people often think of creativity as a talent, native only to artists or inventors, everyone has the ability to be creative. Creativity is a skill that involves forming new connections with your mind. You’re creative whenever you do something new or different. Whether it is painting a brilliant landscape or wearing a new color combination, developing a new dish or simply tweaking a recipe, it all falls under the umbrella of creativity. When you are creative, in big or small ways, you generate novelty within your life, and this puts you on the path toward experiencing psychological richness. Novelty all but forces the mind to think and feel in new ways, stimulating that robust form of cognitive engagement that brings the interesting. Even just a little bit of creativity will bring novelty to your day-to-day routine. Wear something you don’t normally wear. Add a little flair to your handwriting or choose a different colored pen to write with. Change the patterns on your screen saver. Notice the impact these little tweaks have on your day. Little by little, they’ll add up to make your day just a little more interesting. Everyone’s experience of what’s interesting is unique. There’s no one interesting experience for all of us, because the interesting depends entirely on how our minds engage, react and respond. Through developing mindfulness 2.0, and bringing curiosity and creativity to your experiences, you train your mind to engage, react and respond in ways that will transform any experience into an interesting one. This is the power a mindset can bring. It’s a capacity to enhance our lives that anyone can develop. Lorraine Besser received funding for this research from the Templeton Foundation, in coordination with St. Louis University, and from Middlebury College. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Imagine it’s Monday morning,
AP Photo/Abbie Parr
Martin Larsen drives his combine while harvesting corn, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Oronoco, Minn.
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it was a galvanizing force for the city and for the nation,”
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said at a news conference. “All eyes remain on Minneapolis, and with this consent decree, we now have a roadmap for reform that will help this community heal while strengthening trust between law enforcement and the people they serve.”
An independent monitor will oversee the changes and a judge must approve them. A hearing has not yet been scheduled, but officials hope that approval comes quickly.
During his first
Cyber truck Cybertruck
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enforcement to support their investigation,” the emailed statement said.
Launched in 2022, ChatGPT is part of a broader set of technologies developed by the San Francisco-based startup OpenAI. Unlike previous iterations of so-called “large language models,” the ChatGPT tool is available for free to anyone with an internet connection and designed to be more user-friendly.
During a roughly halfhour-long news conference, Las
administration, President-elect Donald Trump was critical of consent decrees as anti-police.
Finalizing the Minneapolis agreement before he returns to office Jan. 20 would make it harder for him to undercut the deal, because changes would require court approval. Clarke declined to predict how vigorously the incoming administration will or won’t try to enforce the consent decree. The council’s brief public vote followed an hourslong closeddoor discussion.
“I’d like to thank our community for standing together, united in this, and for having patience with us as we have traveled a very, very long and challenging journey,” Council President Elliott Payne said after the vote. “We’re just beginning, and we know we have a long way to go. Our success will only be realized when we all work together on
Vegas police and federal law enforcement officials unveiled new details about the New Year’s Day explosion.
Among the specifics law enforcement disclosed:
Livelsberger stopped during the drive to Las Vegas to pour racing-grade fuel into the Cybertruck, which then dripped the substance. The vehicle was loaded with 60 pounds (27 kilograms) of pyrotechnic material as well as 70 pounds (32 kilograms) of birdshot but officials are still uncertain exactly what detonated the explosion. They said Tuesday it could have been the flash from the firearm that Livelsberger used to fatally shoot himself. Authorities also said they uncovered a six-
what is arguably one of the most important issues in the life of our city.”
Council member Robin Wonsley said in a statement before the vote that she has “no faith that the Trump administration will be a serious partner” in implementing the agreement.
“Having a federal consent decree signed and in place is valuable to police reform efforts, but we need to be sober about the fact that it will take local political will to hold the city and the (Mayor Jacob) Frey administration accountable to implementing and enforcing the terms of the consent decree,” she said.
A state court judge in 2023 approved a similar agreement between Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after the state agency issued its own blistering report in 2022. The
page document that they have not yet released because they’re working with Defense Department officials since some of the material could be classified. They added that they still have to review contents on a laptop, mobile phone and smartwatch.
Among the items released was a journal Livelsberger kept titled “surveillance” or “surveil” log. It showed that he believed he was being tracked by law enforcement, but he had no criminal record and was not on the police department’s of FBI’s “radar,” the sheriff said Tuesday.
The log showed that he considered carrying out his plans in Arizona at the Grand
state investigation found that the city’s police had engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least a decade.
The Justice Department has opened 12 similar investigations of state and local law enforcement agencies since April 2021, many in response to highprofile deaths at the hands of police. Assuming court approval, Clarke said, the department will be enforcing 16 policing “pattern and practices” settlements across the country. She said 30 years of experience shows that they lead to “important and tangible progress toward better, safer, and lawful policing.”
The department has reached agreements with Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson, Missouri. A consent decree with Louisville, Kentucky, after an investigation
Canyon’s glass skywalk, a tourist attraction on tribal land that towers high above the canyon floor. Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said police don’t know why he changed his plans. The writings also showed he worried he would be labeled a terrorist and that people would think he intended to kill others besides himself, officials said. Once stopped outside the hotel, video showed a flash in the vehicle that they said they believed was from the muzzle of the firearm Livelsberger used to shoot himself. Soon after that flash, video showed fire engulfing the truck’s cabin and even escaping the seam of the door, the result of considerable fuel vapor, officials said. An explosion followed.
prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor is waiting court approval. In Memphis, Tennessee, the mayor last month pushed back against pressure for a consent decree there, saying his city has made hundreds of positive changes since the beating death of Tyre Nichols.
Consent decrees require law enforcement to meet specific goals before federal oversight is removed, a process that often takes years and millions of dollars. A major reason Minneapolis hired Brian O’Hara as police chief in 2022 was his experience implementing a consent decree in Newark, New Jersey.
O’Hara noted that the city would be the first in the country to operate under both federal and state consent decrees. He said they showed in Newark that consent decrees can lead to meaningful change.
Livelsberger, an Army Green Beret who deployed twice to Afghanistan and lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, left notes saying the explosion was a stunt meant to be a “ wake up call “ for the nation’s troubles, officials said last week. He left cellphone notes saying he needed to “cleanse” his mind “of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”
The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the Trump International Hotel. Authorities said that Livelsberger acted alone.
Livelsberger’s letters touched on political grievances,
“We are not going to just comply with its terms, but we will exceed expectations and we will make change real for people on the street,” the chief said. “Together, we will make Minneapolis a place where everyone feels safer, and they know that Minneapolis cops will have their back.”
The mayor told reporters that officers will rise to the occasion.
“I trust the members of this department to show up every day, that you will be committed to being the change reflected in this agreement,” Frey said. “You have the ability, you have the obligation, and you have the responsibility to set the tone. Show the rest of the country, in fact, the rest of the world, what good constitutional policing looks like.”
societal problems and domestic and international issues, including the war in Ukraine. He wrote that the U.S. was “terminally ill and headed toward collapse.”
Investigators had been trying to determine if Livelsberger wanted to make a political point, given the Tesla and the hotel bearing the president-elect’s name.
Livelsberger harbored no ill will toward Presidentelect Donald Trump, law enforcement officials said. In one of the notes he left, he said the country needed to “rally around” him and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
surveys.” The burger giant didn’t elaborate, but several other companies, including Lowe’s and Ford Motor Co., suspended their participation in an annual survey by the Human Rights Campaign that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees.
McDonald’s, which has its headquarters in Chicago, rolled out a series of diversity initiatives in 2021 after a spate of sexual harassment lawsuits filed by employees and a lawsuit alleging discrimination brought by a group of Black former McDonald’s franchise owners.
Dylan
From 3
was taking place in cities across the country, but Manhattan’s Greenwich Village was the movement’s beating heart.
Mingling with and drawing inspiration from other folk musicians, Dylan, who had recently moved to Manhattan from Minnesota, secured his first gig at Gerde’s Folk City on April 11, 1961. Dylan appeared in various other Greenwich Village music clubs, performing folk songs, ballads and blues. He aspired to become, like his hero Woody Guthrie, a self-contained artist who could employ vocals, guitar and harmonica to interpret the musical heritage of “the old, weird America,” an adage coined by critic Greil Marcus to describe Dylan’s early repertoire, which was composed of material learned from prewar songbooks, records and musicians.
While Dylan’s versions of older songs were undeniably captivating, he later acknowledged that some of his peers in the early 1960s folk music scene – specifically, Mike Seeger – were better at replicating traditional instrumental and vocal styles.
Dylan, however, realized he had an unrivaled facility for writing and performing new songs.
In October 1961, veteran talent scout John Hammond signed Dylan to record for Columbia. His eponymous debut, released in March 1962, featured interpretations of traditional ballads and blues, with just two original compositions. That album sold only 5,000 copies, leading some Columbia officials to refer to the Dylan contract as
“As a world-leading brand that considers inclusion one of our core values, we will accept nothing less than real, measurable progress in our efforts to lead with empathy, treat people with dignity and respect, and seek out diverse points of view to drive better decision-making,” McDonald’s Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski wrote in a LinkedIn post at the time. But McDonald’s said Monday that the “shifting legal
“Hammond’s Folly.”
Full steam ahead
Flipping the formula of its predecessor, Dylan’s 1963 follow-up album, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,” offered 11 originals by Dylan and just two traditional songs. The powerful collection combined songs about relationships with original protest songs, including his breakthrough “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
“The Times They Are A-Changin’,” his third release, exclusively showcased Dylan’s own compositions.
Dylan’s creative output continued. As he testified in “Restless Farewell,” the closing track for “The Times They Are A-Changin’,”
“My feet are now fast / and point away from the past.” Released just six months after “The Times,” Dylan’s fourth Columbia album, “Another Side of Bob Dylan,” featured solo acoustic recordings of original songs that were lyrically adventurous and less focused on current events. As suggested in his song “My Back Pages,” he was now rejecting the notion that he could – or should – speak for his generation.
Bringing it all together By the end of 1964, Dylan yearned to break away permanently from the constraints of the folk genre – and from the notion of “genre” altogether. He wanted to subvert the expectations of audiences and to rebel against music industry forces intent on pigeonholing him and his work.
The Philharmonic Hall concert went off without a hitch, but Dylan refused to let Columbia turn it into an album. The recording wouldn’t generate an official release for another four decades.
landscape” after the Supreme Court decision and the actions of other corporations caused it to take a hard look at its own policies.
A shifting political landscape may also have played a role. President-elect Donald Trump is a vocal opponent of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Trump tapped Stephen Miller, a former adviser who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies,as his incoming deputy chief of policy.
Vice President-elect JD Vance introduced a bill in the Senate last summer to end
Instead, in January 1965, Dylan entered Columbia’s Studio A to record his fifth album, “Bringing It All Back Home.” But this time, he embraced the electric rock sound that had energized America in the wake of Beatlemania. That album introduced songs with stream-of-consciousness lyrics featuring surreal imagery, and on many of the songs Dylan performed with the accompaniment of a rock band.
“Bringing It All Back Home,” released in March 1965, set the tone for Dylan’s next two albums: “Highway 61 Revisited,” in August 1965, and “Blonde on Blonde,” in June 1966. Critics and fans have long considered these latter three albums – pulsing with what the singer-songwriter himself called “that thin, that wild
such programs in the federal government.
Robby Starbuck, a conservative political commentator who has threatened consumer boycotts of prominent consumer brands that don’t retreat from their diversity programs, said Monday on X that he recently told McDonald’s he would be doing a story on its “woke policies.”
McDonald’s said it had been considering updates to its policies for several months and planned to time the announcement to the start of this year.
In an open letter to
mercury sound” – as among the greatest albums of the rock era. On July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, Dylan invited members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band on stage to accompany three songs. Since the genre expectations for folk music during that era involved acoustic instrumentation, the audience was unprepared for Dylan’s loud performances. Some critics deemed the set an act of heresy, an affront to folk music propriety. The next year, Dylan embarked on a tour of the U.K., and an audience member at the Manchester stop infamously heckled him for abandoning folk music, crying out, “Judas!”
Yet the creative risks undertaken by Dylan during this period inspired countless other musicians: rock acts such as the
employees and franchisees, McDonald’s senior leadership team said it remains committed to inclusion and believes a diverse workforce is a competitive advantage. The company said 30% of its U.S. leaders are members of underrepresented groups, up from 29% in 2021. McDonald’s previously committed to reaching 35% by the end of this year.
McDonald’s said it has achieved one of the goals it announced in 2021: gender pay equity at all levels of the company. It also said it met three years early a goal of having 25% of total supplier
Beatles, the Animals and the Byrds; pop acts such as Stevie Wonder, Johnny Rivers and Sonny and Cher; and country singers such as Johnny Cash.
Acknowledging the bar that Dylan’s songwriting set, Cash, in his liner notes to Dylan’s 1969 album “Nashville Skyline,” wrote, “Here-in is a hell of a poet.”
Enlivened by Dylan’s example, many musicians went on to experiment with their own sound and style, while artists across a range of genres would pay homage to Dylan through performing and recording his songs.
spending go to diverse-owned businesses. McDonald’s said it would continue to support efforts that ensure a diverse base of employees, suppliers and franchisees, but its diversity team will now be referred to as the Global Inclusion Team. The company said it would also continue to report its demographic information. The McDonald’s Hispanic Owner-Operators Association said it had no comment on the policy change Monday. A message seeking comment was left with the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association.
In 2016, Dylan received the Nobel Prize in literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” His early exploration of this tradition can be heard on his first four Columbia albums –records that laid the groundwork for Dylan’s august career. Back in 1964, Dylan was the talk of Greenwich Village. But now, because he never rested on his laurels, he’s the toast of the world. This article was updated to correct the name of album “Blonde on Blonde.” Ted Olson 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.
Education
Black teacher settles lawsuit against Southland school district
By City News Service | Our Weekly Los Angeles
A Black teacher has settled his lawsuit against the Charter Oak Unified School District (COUSD) in which he alleged he was demoted from the rank of principal in 2022 because of his ethnicity as well as in retaliation for complaining about the way he was treated. Peter Pannell’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleged discrimination, retaliation, harassment, failure to investigate and prevent and a violation of the state Labor Code.
On Dec. 2, Pannell’s attorneys filed court papers with Judge Kevin Brazile notifying him that the case was resolved, but no terms were divulged. In their previous court papers, the district’s lawyers denied Pannell’s allegations and said they were barred by the statute of limitations.
Pannell, now 62, was hired in July 2018 as principal of Cedargrove Elementary School in Covina, the suit stated. In September 2020, a vice president of the school’s PTA suggested that all students be given materials expressing support for law enforcement officers who had been shot, the
suit stated. Pannell angered the vice president by saying that it would be only fair to also educate students on the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, both of whom died at the hands of police, the suit stated.
Pannell advised the PTA that both the organization’s proposal and his additional recommendation might be deemed too political to be done at a school, according to the suit.
“Instead of engaging in further discussion, the vice president attacked plaintiff personally and implied plaintiff ‘s political views were putting her child at risk,” the suit filed in April 2022 stated.
That same month, Pannell was criticized by the teacher’s union and the superintendent after issuing a disciplinary report about a White teacher, the suit stated.
Pannell complained to the district’s assistant superintendent of educational services, alleging he was being targeted because of his race, the suit stated. But two months later, the COUSD superintendent questioned Pannell’s disciplining of the teacher, accused him of targeting her and told the plaintiff to rescind the disciplinary report, according
to the suit. During a PTA executive meeting in January 2021, Pannell said he believed there were an unfair number of Black students being brought to his office for disciplinary purposes, according to the suit.
Pannell proposed
that the teachers engage in training to understand and appreciate different colors and backgrounds, believing that rather than applying a
“one-size-fits-all” approach, his ideas could produce more effective solutions to bad
student behavior, the suit stated.
“Plaintiff was then openly attacked during the meeting, with multiple participants accusing the plaintiff of being a racist,” the suit stated.
In April 2021, the district’s human resources
department began an investigation into Pannell’s complaints of racial discrimination and harassment, but his work environment did not improve and he felt more targeted than ever, the suit stated.
How head start installs confidence for two generations
By Olivia Harvey
The founders of Head Start have always viewed parents as critical partners in their work to educate young children. They also understood that this partnership meant parents should help decide which services would most benefit their families and those in the community. As a result, Head Start created a formal leadership and policymaking role for parents and community members called the Policy Council.
Thank you to Head Start parent, Policy Council member, and alumna Olivia Harvey for recently sharing her story.
A few years ago my daughter Maliya was six years old and had just started kindergarten, after graduating from the Children First Head Start program in Sarasota County, Florida. It was hard to believe we’d reached this major milestone, but with all the love, care, and guidance she received from her incredible teachers, I’m confident that she will continue to blossom and thrive. Children First and the Head Start program have always been close to my heart, and the hearts of my family.
My husband Malik is also a proud Head Start graduate
along with some members of his family. He’s a wonderful support system and understands our shared mission of raising the healthiest, happiest family possible. Our lives are centered around family, and in addition to Maliya, we also have two other children, our sons Jeremiah and King. When we had our kids, we knew we didn’t have to look far to find quality, affordable childcare with amazing teachers we could trust. With the challenges we were facing, we knew we could turn to Children First’s Head Start program to help us find our path to success.
My family has been involved with Children First since Jeremiah was a toddler. Our family advocate, Ernestine, was there for Maliya and our entire family every step of the way. I know that even when my daughter is in high school, Ernestine will be there in a heartbeat if we ever need anything. The teachers care so deeply about the kids, and they never forget their faces. One day, Maliya came home with a photo taken by her teacher, Miss LaTonda. It was a baby picture of me because Miss LaTonda had been my teacher as well. I couldn’t believe she had kept it for all these years! It was such a special memory to share with my daughter, and it’s moments like this that let me know we will always be a part of the
Children First family. Through Head Start, I also found a lot of support personally and as a parent. Due to the pandemic, I had reduced hours and was forced to seek other employment. During this time, I needed something that would allow me to feel professional and help me keep my skills up while at the same time offering me the flexibility to be a mom. Luckily, Children First was offering a Job Skills Training Course as part of the agency’s Family Strengthening services. The class was perfect because it provided a sense of
accountability and belonging. I learned about identifying and overcoming obstacles related to employment, and there was a special focus on resume writing, interviews, and ‘acing’ the first 90 days at a new job, which has benefited me! After a mock interview with my vocational family advocate Laura and her colleagues, I felt so confident with the skills that I had learned, and I decided to reach a higher goal in the workforce. I was offered a position at Sarasota School of the Arts & Sciences, where I have been working as a paraprofessional.
While working full-time, I’ve also had the opportunity to go back to school to earn my bachelor’s degree to become a history or math teacher. My ambitions have led me to be a working professional, a fulltime mom, and now, a student, but I’m not stopping there. In the future, I would like to earn my master’s degree and work as an administrator, with one of my ultimate goals being to run for the school board.
Because of Children First, Head Start, and my vocational coach, Laura, it feels like a whole new world
of possibilities has opened. While I was unexpectedly unemployed but fighting to stay engaged, I was supported every step of the way. Laura and the team at Children First continue to guide me and my family on our journey to success. Although we still face unique challenges, I feel grateful and am so proud of how far we’ve come. Because Malik and I were able to grow and thrive in a healthy environment at the earliest stages of our lives, the lives of our children have been transformed for the better. Right now, some parents, families, and caregivers are struggling financially and socially. They need lower childcare prices, full workday hours with childcare coverage, and free transportation to and from daycare. Head Start is a changemaker for all communities. Child by child, family by family, the seeds that are sowed continue to blossom as they stretch higher and higher toward the sunshine. Their promise is simple: every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, can reach their full potential. As I look to the future — from my youngest child thriving, to earning my teaching degree, to raising my beautiful children alongside my husband and beyond that, I know that thanks to Head Start, there is nothing to fear.
pickup truck on Bourbon Street, famous worldwide for its festive vibes in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter.
Federal investigators so far believe Jabbar acted alone, but are continuing to explore his contacts.
“All investigative details and evidence that we have now still support that Jabbar acted alone here in New Orleans,” said Raia. “We have not seen any indications of an accomplice in the United States, but we are still looking into potential associates in the U.S. and outside of our borders.”
Lyonel Myrthil, FBI special agent in charge of the New Orleans Field Office, said Jabbar traveled to Cairo in the summer of 2023 and then to the Canadian province of Ontario a few days later.
“Our agents are getting answers to where he went, who he met with and how those trips may or may not tie into his actions here,” Myrthil said.
Suspect recorded
video with smart glasses while plotting attack, the FBI says Jabbar had also traveled to New Orleans twice in the months preceding the attack, first in October and again in November. On Oct. 31, Myrthil said Jabbar used glasses from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to record video as he rode through the French Quarter on a bicycle as “he plotted this hideous attack.” He said Jabbar was also in New Orleans on Nov. 10. He also wore the glasses capable of livestreaming during the attack, but Myrthil said Jabbar did not activate them.
When asked about the glasses, a Meta spokesperson declined comment to The Associated Press.
The FBI released Jabbar’s recorded video from the planning trip to New Orleans as well as video showing him placing two containers with explosive devices in the French Quarter at around 2 a.m. shortly before the attack. One of the containers, a cooler, was moved a block away by someone uninvolved with the attack, officials said.
Joshua Jackson, New Orleans special agent in charge,
said Jabbar privately purchased a semiautomatic rifle on Nov. 19 from an individual in a legal transaction in Arlington, Texas.
“This was a chance encounter,” Jackson said. “There’s no way this individual knew that Jabbar was radicalized or had any sort of awareness that this attack was imminent.”
Security a prime concern ahead of other major events
Police have used vehicles and barricades to block traffic at Bourbon and Canal streets since. Other law enforcement agencies helped city officers provide extra security, said Reese Harper, a New Orleans police spokesperson.
The first parade of the Carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras in March is scheduled Monday evening. New Orleans also will host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9. In a previous effort to protect the French Quarter, the city installed steel columns known as bollards to restrict vehicle access to Bourbon Street. The posts normally retract to allow deliveries to bars and restaurants. But they stopped working reliably after
being gummed up by Mardi Gras beads, beer and other detritus.
When New Year’s Eve arrived, the bollards were gone. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell acknowledged the city remains uncertain as to whether the new bollards it is installing in the French Quarter would be able to stop a similar vehicle attack.
“The thorough assessment that I am asking for will determine whether they are strong enough,” Cantrell said. “I can’t say with surety that’s the case but an expert will be able to do so, and we’ll respond accordingly.” Cantrell said she requested that Homeland Security upgrade Mardi Gras to the highest Special Event Assessment Rating to receive more federal support for security and risk assessments.
President Joe Biden planned to travel to New Orleans with first lady Jill Biden on Monday to “grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack.”
After signing the Social Security Fairness Act, Biden was asked Sunday by journalists what his message would be to the families he will
meet. He responded, “I’ve been there. There’s nothing you can really say to somebody that’s just had such a tragic loss, my message is going to be personal if I get to get them alone.”
The two explosive devices that Jabbar placed were recovered by federal officials undetonated. ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson credited New Orleans police for responding quickly before the devices could be set off. He said both were equipped with receivers and a transmitter was recovered in Jabbar’s truck.
Jabbar exited the crashed truck wearing a ballistic vest and helmet and fired at police, wounding at least two officers before he was fatally shot.
Bomb-making materials were found at Jabbar’s home.
Jackson said Jabbar appeared to have used a chemical compound known as RDX, which he said is commonly available in the U.S. He said field tests found RDX at Jabbar’s Houston home and they are conducting further tests on similar materials found at the New Orleans rental home. Jabbar tried to burn down the rental house by setting a small fire in a hallway but the flames went out before firefighters arrived. Suspect proclaims support for Islamic State group Jabbar proclaimed support for the Islamic State militant group in online videos posted hours before he struck. It was the deadliest IS-inspired assault on U.S. soil in years, laying bare what federal officials have warned is a resurgent international terrorism threat. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” that the country faces “not only the persistent threat of foreign terrorism” but “a significant increase in what we term homegrown violent extremism” in recent years. The attack has prompted security concerns elsewhere in the nation. In California, for instance, military officials announced via online platform X that access has been tightened to Camp Pendleton, the largest Marine base on the West Coast with tens of thousands of active-duty service members. The announcement said all IDs are being checked for base entry, a “trusted travel program” is being suspended and random inspections will be carried out.
Head Start alumna Olivia Harvey (on the right) at Children First Head Start program in Sarasota County, Florida, as a child. Her daughter later attended the same program.
“Overtime in the air: A sports playbook of faith, teamwork, and triumph”
Sports Editor
By Leahjean M. Denley, MBA
My recent trip on Southwest Airlines from Minneapolis to Houston—on the second leg of a connection—turned into an unexpected New Year’s Eve game day scenario, complete with audibles, a halftime delay, and an overtime win. About 20 minutes after takeoff, once reaching cruising altitude, the flight crew announced there was a medical emergency. Immediately, I started praying, asking God to cover the elderly male passenger, the crew, and everyone on board. What followed was like watching an all-star team in action. The crew jumped into gear with precision, while three random passengers stepped up as first responders, amazingly showing how teamwork under pressure can lead to extraordinary results.
But the game wasn’t over yet. After we landed at Memphis International for an emergency stop, the ill passenger was carefully removed by airport paramedics a crew member. seemed to huddle us
up for some tough news through his intercom announcement. First, the plane needed to be refueled. Then, the pilots had “timed out” and replacements needed to be called in from the bench. On top of that, the aircraft required a maintenance check before we could continue to our destination. That crew member promised updates in 30 minutes, leaving us in a timeout with no playbook for the rest of the night. Yet, instead of demonstrating frustration, the passengers rallied. Lighthearted banter, encouraging laughter, and even a few “Happy New Year” greetings filled the cabin and kept the mood upbeat. It felt less like an inconvenience and more like the camaraderie of teammates in a champion’s locker room
Right at the 30-minute mark, our head coach – the pilot who introduced himself as Chris - delivered the big
play. He announced that the FAA had granted the flight crew an extension, the aircraft had been cleared, and we were good to head home. Cheers and applause erupted, accompanied by heartfelt shouts of “Thank you, Jesus!” It was a victory moment, and we were back in the game
The experience reminded me of what it takes to be victorious, in sports and life: determination, unity, and faith.
Kudos to Southwest for setting all of us up for a win! Despite the major delay and detour, I’m incredibly grateful to have arrived safe and sound. The professionalism of the crew, the camaraderie of the passengers, and the answered prayers made this a flight I’ll never forget.
As we step into the next 365 days, no matter how challenging, let’s stay on the same team - lifting each other up, playing with heart, and
bringing your best to every moment – with intentionality. The game plan? Kindness, communication, and showing up for one another. That’s how we win—together. What a way to ring in 2025—with faith, gratitude, and a little humor. Can you relate to this true story? What life experience can you think of that is similar to a sport or game? Please share by sending an email to CoachLeah@insightnews.com.
Correction statement from CoachLeah and congratulations to the Gopher’s for their 8th consecutive Bowl win
The earlier version of the University of Minnesota Secures Bowl Bid football article reported an incorrect regular season 2024 record. The Gopher’s 2024 regular season record was 7-5, not 5-7 as reported in the story.
The Minnesota Wild have made resilience a valuable habit, halfway through a banged-up regular season
By Dave Campbell
AP Sports Writer
The Minnesota Wild wouldn’t need much time to identify a theme for their first half of the regular season — unfazed ought to do it.
In a fitting finish to their 41st game, the Wild reached the midpoint of the schedule in taxing fashion by fending off the St. Louis Blues 6-4 for their fourth straight victory on Tuesday night.
“Even if we’re up or even or down, I think we just keep playing,” defenseman Jonas Brodin said. “To do that, I think that’s really good. We’ve just got to keep doing it the rest of the season.”
Minnesota (26-11-4) kept pace with Central Division leader Winnipeg, staying two points behind the Jets with one game in hand. The Wild have the fourth-best record in the
NHL, after missing the playoffs last season with largely the same roster. One key difference in 2023-24 was a lack of resiliency when injuries and slumps came their way.
“The vibes are high. Everyone’s feeling good,” defenseman Jake Middleton said.
With Brodin leading the way with a career-high 33:02 of ice time, the secondmost by any player in the NHL this season, the Wild managed to outlast a late surge by the Blues with contributions from everywhere in the lineup.
Defenseman Brock Faber, the runner-up for the Calder Trophy last year for the league’s top rookie, departed in the first period with an upperbody injury. That meant more minutes for Zach Bogosian on the first blue-line pair with Brodin, with captain Jared Spurgeon sidelined by a lowerbody injury.
Flanked by the second forward line of Marcus Johansson, Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman down the stretch with a one-goal lead, Brodin and Bogosian were a two-man wrecking crew in front of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury during a supersized shift to end the game. Johansson’s emptynetter with 36 seconds left gave the Wild a 6-4 lead and a muchneeded deep breath.
“That six-man unit to end the game was special to watch,” said Middleton, who returned from a 10-game absence due to an upper-body injury with a goal and an assist.
The defensemen combined for three goals and two assists. Brodin, who led the team with four blocked shots, was justifiably proud of the effort.
“It’s fun to be playing those situations, too, like when it’s on the line. I love to play those minutes. That’s what you
dream of when you’re a kid, play those tight games and those shifts. I love it,” Brodin said. “You forget you’re tired when you’re on the ice.”
So what’s the recovery plan?
“I don’t know. Maybe order a pizza or something,” Brodin said.
Wild coach John Hynes had no update on Faber’s condition after the game, but Brodin and his blue-line boys will surely be ready for more role upgrades after the first half they’ve experienced. Brodin missed 10 games earlier this season himself.
Up front, star left wing and leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov is still out with a lower-body injury that has cost him six games and counting. Earlier this season, Eriksson Ek and another top-six forward, Mats Zuccarrello, missed 29 games between them.
“You can go one of two ways when you hit adversity, and we’re choosing to rise to the occasion,” Bogosian said. “That’s what we need to
Scarves over headscarves, Muslim women’s outdoors group tackles snow tubing in Minnesota
By Giovanna Dell’Orto Associated Press
Ice crystals clung to the eyelashes, parka hood, beanie hat and headscarf of Ruqayah Nasser as she took a break after her first-ever snow tubing runs in a Minnesota park on a subzero (-18 Celsius) January morning.
She had joined two dozen other members of a group founded by a Somali-American mother in Minneapolis to promote all-seasons activities among Muslim women, who might otherwise feel singled out in the great outdoors, especially when wearing hijabs.
“They understand my lifestyle. I don’t have to explain myself,” said Nasser, who recently moved to the Twin Cities from Chicago and whose family hails from Yemen. “My religion is everything. It’s my survival kit.”
As one of the most visible signs of the Muslim faith, hijabs often attract controversy. Within Islam, some women want to wear the headscarves for piety and modesty, while others oppose them as a symbol of oppression. In the sports world, including in the last Olympics, devout athletes have often faced extra hurdles on and off the field in finding accommodations for religious practices. Concerned about
safety as a woman — particularly one wearing a head covering — but determined to get outdoors to beat seasonal depression, Nasrieen Habib put out a social media post about creating a hiking group three years ago. From the nine women who responded, her Amanah Rec Project has grown to more than 700 members. There’s a core group for Muslim women only — for “more sisterhood and modesty,” Habib says — as well as a group for families. In addition to weekly outings, they organize longer trips and education on everything from appropriate winter clothing — a challenge for many migrant communities — to health and environmental sustainability from the perspective of Islam.
“It’s a way to live your whole life according to a set of beliefs and rules. And part of those beliefs and rules is taking care of creation,” Habib said as her 4-year-old son took a break from tubing in a toasty chalet at Elm Creek Park Reserve near Minneapolis. “How can we be more sustainable in a time where we see the impact of climate change, especially impacting people who look like us in the Global South?” Two sisters, Ruun Mahamud and Nawal Hirsi, moved to the United States from Somalia as children about two decades ago.
They found a safe haven in Minnesota where, since the late 1990s, growing numbers of East African refugees have created an increasingly vocal Muslim community. Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was the first lawmaker to wear a hijab while on the U.S. House floor, and Minneapolis was the first large city in the United States to allow the Islamic call to prayer to be broadcast publicly by its two dozen mosques.
Even though she feels “safe and accepted” in her hijab, Hirsi joined the group for extra support.
“I love being outdoors and joining this group
has made me more comfortable to participate,” she said on the tubing hill, where she had convinced Mahamud to come along for the first time.
“Oh my gosh, it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever done,” Mahamud gushed after speeding downhill on a tube attached to her sister’s as their daughters recorded the adventure on their phones.
The sisters said it’s important to include love for the outdoors and physical activity in their children’s religious upbringing.
“Taking care of one’s health is part of our faith,” Hirsi said.
Muslim women who
wear hijabs can face multiple barriers to sports participation, said Umer Hussain, a Wilkes University professor who studies religion and sports. They range from activities where genders mix or head coverings pose logistical hurdles to conservative families who might frown on it.
Groups like Habib’s tackle empowering women in their communities as well as raising awareness about religious accommodations like single-sex spaces or locations for prayer.
“The biggest barrier, for women specifically, is having access to spaces that allow us to practice our religion while keeping our modesty and abiding by the Islamic laws that tell us we are not supposed to be in mixed spaces without covering up,” Habib said. She appears to have tapped into a great demand.
“When she told me she was going to start a hiking group to get sisters out in nature … it was like actually something I’ve been looking for for a very long time,” Makiya Amin said as she climbed up the tubing hill in a long white skirt, bright-red headscarf, and heavy winter coat. “I didn’t really have those type of people who were outdoorsy already around me.”
Isho Mohamed joined the group for the wide-ranging conversations as much as for
the outdoors, which as a selfdescribed “homebody” she had largely avoided since college days.
“It’s a safe space that takes me out of my comfort zone,” she said of the group outings. During them, the women share about work experiences but also life as immigrants and, most importantly, their faith.
“We also talk about spiritual connection and connecting with God as well, and just say a little prayer here and there when we’re walking,” Mohamed added. Her cheeks glowing above her ski mask after two hours on the hill, Jorida Latifi was with her 7-year-old son among the last to hang up their snow tubes. Originally from Albania, Latifi has gone out with the group almost weekly since joining more than a year ago.
“With Muslim sisters … they do understand you, what you go through, even with the clothing and hijabs,” Latifi said. “It feels way, way more like, you know, where you are with family.”
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto
Nawal Hirsi, right, goes snow tubing with her family as part of a group promoting outdoors activities by Muslim women, at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, Minn., on Jan. 4, 2025.
AP Photo/Matt Krohn
St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn, right, and Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin reach for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn.
Brad Rempel
Gopher WR - Elijah Spencer
Brad Rempel
“Mayo Bath” for Gopher Head Coach PJ Fleck
A Courageous Fight for Peace
By W.D. Foster-Graham
LOST AND FOUND
A Courageous Fight for Peace
By Jamieya B-Johnson
“Wounded people wound others.”
This is a phrase that comes up in different forms, including the issue of domestic violence. Abusers rely on fear and the reluctance of their victims to take action against the abuse, thus perpetuating
In sharing their stories and shining a light on the behavior, former victims break the cycle and regain power, and in particular, spiritual power. Such is the inspiring and compelling memoir of Jamieya B-Johnson, Lost and Found: A Courageous Fight for Peace.
Through poetry and journaling, B-Johnson shares her story, starting with her father’s death. In her search for love to fill the void he left, she experienced the pain and the physical/emotional abuse at the hands of men such as her exhusband, wounded souls who in turn wounded her.
Step by step, B-Johnson shares her growth from her spiritual journey, from the fearful, insecure woman
with low self-esteem to become the amazing woman God meant her to be. By no means was this process an easy one—it required her to face certain truths, learn from her mistakes, recognize her inner strength and faith in order to face her fears head on as her relationship with God steadily evolved.
Each topic of her memoir reflects the different points in her ongoing journey such as “One Way Out,” “Moment of Truth,” “On the Battlefield,” “Peace in Pieces,” “Letting Go,” and “Gaining Sight,” to name a few. As she grew in God and gained wisdom and understanding of God’s plan for her, B-Johnson found the peace in God and claimed a victory over fear and shame.
In her words, “There is only one person who has the power to kill your joy, and that person is you. When we get knocked down after a battle, the best thing to do is get back up and continue to fight. The battle belongs to God, but the fight for peace is in our hands.” To remind us of the importance of our state of mind, she adds, “Focus on peace, rest in God, and find the place that keeps you with a new mental attitude every day.” Lost and Found: A Courageous Fight for Peace is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Outskirts Press. Thank you, Jamieya, for sharing your story and the transformative power of love, faith, and trust in God.
By W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor
TO SUCCEED YOU MUST READ
Many of you probably remember the classic movie Akeelah and the Bee, starring Keke Palmer, Angela Bassett, and Lawrence Fishburne.
Akeelah’s journey as an 11-yearold African American girl who wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee was empowering and inspiring. And apparently life imitated art when, in 2021, 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde from Louisiana became the first African American to win the Bee. In the spirit of this heartwarming and powerful film, I had the honor of a conversation with Albert (A.J.) Briscoe, founder of To Succeed You Must Read. Based in north Minneapolis, this organization was
I give a hat tip to Briscoe as another advocate for literacy, addressing the matter by taking action and the positive
Bee, Briscoe pointed out the problematic number of Minnesota schools that aren’t registered to participate in the spelling bee, including schools in our community, and he encourages us to support our local schools by contributing
to the hosting, funding, and registration of this program. Please contact TSYMR at (763) 777-0362 or the website www.tsymr.org for further information on the
Insight 2 Health
Americans’ rage at insurers goes beyond health coverage – the author of ‘Delay, Deny, Defend’
By Jay Feinman Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, Rutgers University
My book “Delay, Deny, Defend:
Why Insurance Companies
Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It” was thrust into the spotlight recently, after UnitedHealthcare CEO
Brian Thompson was shot and killed in what authorities say was a targeted attack outside the company’s annual investors conference. Investigators at the scene found bullet casings inscribed with the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose.”
The unsettling echo of the book’s title struck me and many others.
That killing – and the torrent of online outrage that followed – put Americans’ unhappiness with health insurers at the front of the national conversation. Many people responded not by mourning Thompson, but by blaming UnitedHealthcare and other insurers for failing to pay for essential medical treatments. Gleeful online trolls even celebrated the alleged killer as a heroic vigilante.
points to 3 reforms that could help
and force policyholders to defend themselves in court – all to increase profits by cutting claim costs.
Why policyholders feel betrayed As many recent stories of health insurance denials in the news show, policyholders are most outraged when insurers fail to keep their promises to pay claims promptly and fairly.
And as I read people’s stories about their own experiences, I kept hearing echoes from my book. Too often, people say, insurance companies delay paying some claims, deny other valid claims altogether,
Speaking as an insurance scholar, I think few should be surprised by this ghoulish reaction. The killing revealed many Americans’ resentment and even rage about insurance companies. And while the focus has been on health insurance, these frustrations extend across the broader insurance landscape. Homeowners insurance, for example, is becoming harder to get in many states even as coverage is shrinking, and auto insurance rates are skyrocketing. These trends are fueling widespread discontent with insurers of all kinds.
But problems often begin long before anyone files a claim. Insurance consumers generally don’t know much about what they are buying. For homeowners, auto and many other types of insurance, companies seldom provide copies of policy language or accessible summaries of policy terms to prospective policyholders. Even when consumers have access to policies, many don’t read or can’t understand the long, complex legal documents.
Similarly, they can’t anticipate the many ways a loss could occur or the problems that could result if it does. As a result, they are only aware of a few key terms and otherwise believe that they will be “in good hands” with a “good neighbor,” to quote two of the iconic phrases of insurance advertising.
Then, when consumers need coverage, they discover that there are significant protection gaps. Health insurance can involve a tangle of limitations due to provider networks, medical necessity rules and preauthorization requirements. Homeowners reasonably expect that they will be fully covered for all major losses, but insurers have cut back coverage to account for rising costs due to inflation and climate change.
As a result, when disaster strikes, too many Americans feel like they haven’t gotten the security they already paid for.
An insurance industry Americans can trust Rebuilding trust in insurance won’t be easy, but it’s essential. Insurance is the great protector of financial security for the American middle class, but only when it works. As the recent reaction demonstrates, it needs to work better. The insurance industry won’t change by itself; the financial pressures on insurers from increasing losses and fierce market competition are too great.
In order for insurance to serve its goals, lawmakers and regulators will need to take action. Based on my research, I see three big areas for improvement.
First, the government can help make the market for insurance work better. Markets need information, and better information produces better results. Regulators should require that key information about coverage be available in an accessible format for all types of insurance.
Consumers also need information on the quality of companies offering policies, and whether a company pays claims promptly and fairly is a key measure of quality. Consumers don’t have access to much reliable information on that now, so disclosure should be mandated there as well.
Second, states would be wise to consider minimum coverage standards, especially for homeowners insurance, as insurers have been cutting back on coverage recently to reduce costs. New York addressed a similar problem in 1943, legislatively adopting a Standard Fire Policy, since copied in many states.
Some 70 years later, the Affordable Care Act did something similar by requiring that insurers cover 10 “Essential Health Benefits.”
In both cases, lawmakers set minimum standards that every company must meet. States again need to consider
fit 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.
Amina Ibrahim
AP Photo Stefan Jeremiah
Police place bullet casing markers outside a Hilton Hotel in New York City where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot on Dec. 4, 2024.
Aesthetically It
Forced Entertainment returns to the Walker
By Sheila Regan MinnPost
British performance troupe Forced Entertainment returns to the Walker Art Center after its triumphant 40th anniversary year, ready to start off the museum’s annual “Out There” series in style.
The group will be performing “Exquisite Pain,” a work based on text from a piece of the same name by Sophie Calle, whose exhibition is on view at the museum.
Based in Sheffield, England, the company is known as much for its outlandish choices as its riveting quiet moments. Forced Entertainment first came to Minnesota back in 1996 as part of a showcase of British performance artists, and returned in 1999 and then 2004, for the Out There Festival plus a mini-festival of the group’s work. Most recently, the company brought its production of “Real Magic,” about a game show on loop as well as an improvised piece called “Quizoola” in 2018.
Just before the holidays, I caught up with Tim Etchells, the group’s artistic director. We talked about Forced Entertainment’s secrets for longevity in the performance landscape, how the group brought Sophie Calle’s text to light, and what comes next.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Sheila Regan. Congratulations on 40 years of Forced Entertainment. That’s longer than most marriages. What’s the secret to being able to keep that collaboration thriving?
Tim Etchells: We’ve been lucky to have found an artistic conversation that’s continued to feel rich and fruitful and dynamic. We’ve allowed ourselves to do different things – we haven’t got locked into too much of a pattern. It’s been a space where we’ve all felt that we could continue to work and find new things.
We have had good supporters and consistent conversations with people in different places. I think had we just been working in the UK, we wouldn’t have lasted five minutes – maybe three or four years. But it’s been the international work on mainland Europe, but also partners further afield that have really helped us to create an economic context where we could actually keep working, and also where there’s been a kind of exchange with audiences and with different ways of thinking about what performance is and what theater is that’s been really enriching.
SR: What are some of your favorite places to travel to and collaborate with abroad?
TE: Sometimes the relationship has to do with the vibe in a city. Berlin has been like that at times. Glasgow, in the UK, it’s always great. There’s something rough and ready and sort of open about it. Sometimes it’s to do with the culture that a particular curator manages to install in a venue or in a festival. Frie Leysen’s time in Brussels at the Kunsten festival was really important for us. The festival, the people that one would meet, the conversation with audiences – it was all super dynamic and interesting. It’s a skill, making a frame that allows artists to present different kinds of visions, and makes a place where a particular kind of conversation can happen.
SR: When I was reading some of your interviews about your relationship with Sophie Calle’s text of “Exquisite Pain,” it made me think about a therapy for trauma I learned about a couple of years ago where the treatment is to be able to tell the story over and over again. Working with a therapist, the person takes agency over the story.
Do you think that there’s something about what you’re
doing with “Exquisite Pain” that’s about the healing power of repeating a story?
TE: Yeah, I think so. I think that there’s an element of that in Sophie’s project. From the outset, she has what she calls the night where she suffered the most. It’s a romantic breakup and she’s devastated. She comes home from New Delhi, and tells her first friend the whole story. She says, “The first time I told the story, it took me 12 hours, and I cried all the time.” And then the next day, she met somebody else, and it took eight hours, and she cried most of the time. So you can already see there’s a sort of diminishing.
The telling and the retelling is also a way of –through the retelling – getting to different perspectives. The tone is changing. Certain details are starting to come into focus. She’s starting to get angry at one point, at another point she’s starting to laugh a little bit about what happened. You can sort of feel from one version to another that things are shifting.
SR: Was Sophie Calle involved at all in your production?
TE: We approached her through the festival that originally commissioned the piece, and she was kind of up for it. I think she came to see “Bloody Mess,” and she still said yes. I think having seen “Bloody Mess,” which is one of the more theatrical pieces of ours, she was a little shocked by how minimal and intimate and direct we were with her text. I think maybe she imagined we would be getting up to all kinds of ludicrous theatrical behaviors.
SR: In chicken outfits?
TE: Exactly. But I think that’s to do with us also recognizing that what she has in the text is a perfect piece of cloth work. It’s a beautiful spell. It’s an incantation, basically, and there’s no point in messing about with it. You just need to do it.
SR: Does it evolve over the years as you perform and revisit it?
TE: I think it does. It’s not about pretending in the same way that some theater pieces might be. It’s very much on the energy and possibilities of the human beings who are doing it. We’re older. Richard and Claire, who were performing it, are older. Their energy is different.
Interestingly to me, all of the questions that one can have about acting come up when I think about this piece. There’s a whole thing about how far they lean into what they’re saying, and how far they pull back from it. In a sense, it’s super subtle. It’s interesting about how performers own or live with the text that they’re delivering.
SR: Do you think for the performers with this kind of intimate work, do they have to do prep or work after performance to be able to move in and out of that space?
TE: I think we tend to treat these things in quite a
distanced way. I think there’s an approach which is about saying, this is what she’s recorded, this is the narration that another person has given of what they experienced. One’s job as a performer is to represent that, to report it, to share it, to read it, to enter it into the public record. And you do that with, you allow that to enter you a certain level. But it’s also very important that on another level you’re just telling it. This is just what happened. This is just what this person said. And I think that distance is really important, because that’s actually what allows the audience to do their work. I think we’re often trying to leave it a little bit open.
SR: Visiting the Sophie Calle exhibition at the Walker, I felt a back and forth between heightened emotions and aloof irony. I think that’s so interesting that creating distance is such a part of your own work as well.
TE: It’s probably to do with the way that in the theater, you have to be a bit careful with
how you’re invoking emotions or dealing with emotional or traumatic topics, because if you go right to it, it’s not necessarily the case that the audience will go with you.
There’s something about irony or a raised eyebrow or a little bit of distance that actually then opens the possibility that this might be moving or might be affecting and in a way. You need to be clever if you’re going to get anything to have that kind of impact.
SR: Is this the only piece that Forced Entertainment does that’s completely from one text?
TE: There’s another one, called “The Notebook,” which is a book by a Hungarian writer called Ágota Kristóf. It’s an English translation of a French text. It’s also very much concerned with some quite traumatic business. We had to edit that one, but it’s a very minimal performance with two people.
There’s a third textbased project, which is using
the works of Shakespeare, but we approach them rather differently.
SR: The other thing I noticed about the “Overshare” exhibition is that Calle has so many games that she sets up in her work, and I know that’s something that has been written about it with Forced Entertainment as well. What do games kind of open up?
TE: Often in our work, and in Sophie Calle’s work too, there’s a structural frame or a limit in place for yourself. She’s going to tell the story this many times. She’s going to ask everybody for a version of the day they suffered the most, or in Forced Entertainment’s “Real Magic,” we’re just going to drill around that little fragment of an imaginary game show. We’re going to do it lots and lots of times. And in a way, you’re hoping that through that process you’re going to discover something, you’re going to get to the heart of it. The restriction becomes a blossoming of new things becoming possible.
Sophie’s work often feels like she set a limit for herself, but actually the limit is a generative. It multiplies possibilities.
SR: How does it feel to make work in the world right now?
TE: It’s a very confronting time, let’s say that, because I feel like so much horror on the international scene and in so many political contexts around us, there’s so much turned to the right. You will have a new president come in, and in many places in Europe, there’s a similar sort of populist twist and turn. It’s extremely concerning. It makes life very difficult. And I think, as an artist, you also then really wonder about what it is that you can do, what the place of the work is in these quite fragile situations.
SR: Anything you’re looking forward to in the next year?
TE: The next thing that I’m doing is I’m working with my partner, who’s a visual artist Vlatka Horvat – we’re going to make a piece with the ballet in Basel in Switzerland. In the middle of January, we go to Basel, and we’re
Photo by Hugo Glendinning
A scene from “Exquisite Pain.”
