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HERE & ABROAD
❧ DEEP DIVE:Minnesota Democrats have revoked the
endorsement of mayoral candidate Omar Fateh. ❧
Sometimes called the “Mamdani of Minneapolis,” Fateh was endorsed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party (DFL) at their recent convention, after winning the party’s vote over incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey. But as Stephen Prager writes for Common Dreams, there were irregularities. First, computer malfunctions resulted in “176 ballots in the first round of voting being uncounted, which denied the entry of a third candidate, DeWayne Davis, onto the second ballot.” Then, many of Frey’s supporters stormed out of the convention, apparently on the mayor’s orders. A new vote was held, this time by a simple show of hands, and Fateh won it “overwhelmingly.” But Frey filed a challenge with the DFL—although DeWayne Davis, the actual injured party, says that “I will not challenge the endorsement and will not collaborate with those who are challenging the endorsement.”
Undoubtedly, the convention was a mess. The best solution would probably be to just gather everyone together again and hold a new, clean vote. But the DFL has not done that. Instead, the party has announced that it’s stripping Fateh’s endorsement from him, giving Jacob Frey access to the voter rolls, and prohibiting the Minneapolis DFL from making any endorsement separate from the state-level party.
This was reportedly decided by a closed-door vote of just 28 party elites, most of them not Minneapolis residents, and it seems the sanctity of voting processes was not their first priority. Pandering to wealthy donors was. In a leaked video clip from a pro-Frey PAC meeting, Minneapolis city council member Lisa Goodman makes clear that she will withhold checks totaling almost $25,000 from the DFL if its nomination for mayor isn’t overturned, saying that “It’s clear that people don’t trust the DFL in our world and don’t want the money spent if Fateh is going to be the DFL endorsed candidate.”
Can you imagine being sincerely scared of this guy? (Image: Omar Fateh via Twitter)
Clearly, the call from the paymasters was obeyed, and now there’ll be no DFL endorsee at all. In a public statement soon after Fateh’s nomination was revoked, Ilhan Omar called the move a “stain on our party,” and she’s right. The next time you hear a centrist Democrat talk in hushed tones about “defending our democracy,” remember, they only mean the votes they and their donors like.
(Meanwhile, Mayor Frey has been spending his time calling for “legal action” against any property owner who allows homeless people to camp on their land. Lovely guy, that Jacob. Not loathsome at all.)
❧ In Other News ❧
❧ DonaldTrump just declared it illegal to burn the American flag. In a new executive order, the president orders his administration to “vigorously prosecute” anyone who flicks their Bic and crisps Old Glory, including by revoking the visas and immigration status of offenders. This is, of course, blatantly unconstitutional, since the Supreme Court decided in Texas v. Johnson that burning the flag is protected speech under the First Amendment. But then again, Trump has already ignored the Supreme Court in deportation cases, and his shock troops have already arrested a man for burning the flag outside the White House. So really, the only limit on his behavior is how much organized resistance he runs into. (Associated Press)
❧ Trump has also enacted a sweeping ban on transgender healthcare for government workers. In a letter to the country’s largest federal health insurers, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management—an independent federal agency which the president directly controls—announced that “chemical and surgical modification of an individual's sex traits through medical interventions” including “gender transition” would no longer be covered by government health plans. It also declared that an exception would be made for “faith-based counseling” for people experiencing gender dysphoria, which will still be funded. By one estimate, there are currently around 14,000 transgender people working for the U.S. government, who would be covered under these plans—and Trump has just yanked potentially life-saving healthcare away from them. He’s done a lot of despicable things this year, but this is among the worst, and it just underscores the need to make all healthcare free and universal for all people. (The Advocate)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The “Robe Rage” segment will return next week. In the meantime, please enjoy this drawing of a kangaroo.
CURRENT-EST AFFAIRS
What’s new in the magazine this week?
A lot, as it turns out! On the article front, check out Allison Lirish Dean’s plea to “Make Bureaucracy Great Again”: “In the past, the administrative state was a powerful force for good in Americans’ lives. To defeat Trumpism, it needs to become one again.”
And on video, here’s our interview with Jason Woods, an organizer and national spokesperson for the Starbucks Workers United labor union:
❧ In More News ❧
❧ Graham Platner, a left-wing oyster farmer, is running for Senate in Maine. We realize that “leftist oyster farmer” sounds like a cartoon character from a late season of The Simpsons, but it appears Platner is a real person. He runs the Waukea Neck Oyster Company, and was recruited by Maine labor unions—especially the State Building and Construction Trades Council—to run against incumbent Senator Susan Collins, a Republican. Time will tell if his campaign is any good, but he’s already endorsed Medicare for All and said that “there is a genocide happening in Palestine,” so he’s already passed the admittedly low “better than Hakeem Jeffries” bar. (Bangor Daily News)
This one had better not turn out like Fetterman. (Image: Graham for Senate)
❧ Once again, police have shot an elderly person with a mental disability. This time it’s Deborah Terrell, a 68-year-old woman from New Brunswick who was reportedly “walking around with a knife” in her hand. Rather than the help she obviously needed, the city’s 911 center sent cops, and they did what cops usually do in situations like this: shoot. Fatally. Which, if you still needed one, is a perfect example of why cities need non-cop options for people in crisis. (NJ.com)
❧ In some much-needed good news, India has scaled back its plans to remove stray dogs from the streets of Delhi. Initially, the regional government had announced that any dog found on the street would be captured, sterilized, and confined to cages in shelters, in a so-called “catch-and-keep” plan. But after protests from animal rights activists and concerns about the cost, they’ve backtracked. Now, only dogs who actually show threatening behavior will be “kept,” while the rest will just be neutered, vaccinated, and allowed to go about their doggy business. (The Guardian)
FLYING MAMMAL FACT OF THE WEEK
Vampire bats like to hug!
When you hear the words “vampire bat,” the first image that comes to mind is probably a scary one from an old Bela Lugosi movie. But this month, scientists discovered that these “vampires” are a lot cuddlier than anyone gives them credit for. As Sarah Kuta writes for Smithsonian, they’ve been caught on camera “seemingly hugging for several seconds after one had returned to the roost” and making “low-intensity vocalizations” to greet each other. On other occasions, they create “cuddle balls” of multiple individuals. But don’t worry, bats: nobody thinks you’re any less tough because of this.
Writing and research by Alex Skopic and Grady Martin. Editing and additional material by Nathan J. Robinson. Header graphic by Cali Traina Blume. This news briefing is a product of Current Affairs Magazine. Subscribe to our gorgeous and informative print edition here, and our delightful podcast here.
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