News Day

Want to get slower internet service? Want to let two or three big corporations control what you can find on the internet? No? Then you need to care about net neutrality. Continue reading →

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Eight years ago, I began writing a book about immigration. I wanted to explain, in very simple terms, the way that U.S. immigration laws worked, how they failed to work, how they hurt people, and what needed to change. Some people asked my why I would work on such a book, when “everything is going to change next year with immigration reform.” Continue reading →

Abera Slyoum’s story could break your heart. Gail Rosenblum told his story in the Star Tribune this week. Thank you, Gail. We need more such storytelling.  Continue reading →

UPDATED 5/7/2014 – Remember that oil train that exploded into a giant fireball in Casselton, North Dakota on New Year’s Eve? No? How about the one that crashed and blew up an entire town in Lac Megantic, Quebec, Canada last July 6, killing 46 people? These explosions should make us very worried, right here in the Twin Cities. Here’s why: Continue reading →

The Minneapolis City Council is scheduled to vote on Friday April 25 on a proposal to change that October holiday from Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. Here are five reasons they should vote yes:

(UPDATE: They voted yes!) Continue reading →

Fungus, rodents, bats, exposed wiring and other hazards in a converted, metal-clad pole barn: that’s the high school for Native American students in Minnesota’ Leech Lake Indian Reservation, according to testimony to the House Interior Appropriations Committee by the school’s superintendent, Crystal Redgrave on April 8. Continue reading →

How does Minnesota treat you? Instead of asking what immigrants do for Minnesota, a new report asks how Minnesota treats immigrants. Minnesota, we have problems. Continue reading →

The Urban Dictionary defines “inside baseball” as a “term used in American politics to utilize a means to an end through evil practices.” That seems an appropriate metaphor for today’s Supreme Court ruling eliminating one more of the few remaining restrictiosn on big-money campaign contributions.  Continue reading →

Last week marked the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Remember that one? It was the big oil spill off the Alaskan coast that taught us all about the incredible danger to the environment posed by oil. The awful photos of oil-soaked birds and devastated coastline taught us that we needed to exercise the utmost care to safeguard our waters and coastlines so that such a terrible disaster could never happen again. Continue reading →

Once again, the media has discovered that women are missing. Women are missing from reporting and opining on foreign policy and war and Big Issues. Instead, look for women writing op/ed pieces about “pink topics,” such as family, gender, style and food, according to The Op/Ed Project’s research. Continue reading →