Value of Working Together to Counteract Hierarchy Builders

A letter from chief executives at some of the Minnesota's most recognizable companies like Target and Cargill stops short of condemning the recent killings by federal immigration agents.

The letter was signed by top executives of Minnesota’s largest companies and large hospital systems, including Land O’ Lakes, Hormel, U.S. Bancorp, Mayo Clinic and 3M. It also was signed by local sports teams: the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Minnesota Wild.

Speaking as a group, as Minnesota executives did Sunday, could help insulate companies from individual attacks from Mr. Trump, said Jeff Sonnenfeld, a professor of leadership studies at the Yale School of Management.

“You can take down companies individually, but when they work collectively, they have immunity,” Mr. Sonnenfeld said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/business/minnesota-target-general-mills-ceo-letter.html

Transgender Woman GIves Pro-Ice Influencer Jake Lang a Ride to Safety

Daye Gottsche told Jake Lang in a text message that she hopes the interaction between them sparks a reconsideration of his stances.

"I also wanna add while i do not whatsoever support you or ur ideals, im happy to see that you are gonna be okay, and i hope this has some sort of impact on you,” Gottsche wrote to the number Lang had shared with her.

"Because the fear and urgency you felt trying to escape that crowd is what people here feel everyday. America was never ours to begin with, so how does it make sense that we cant share, especially with people seeking safety and shelter?"

Daye Gottsche, a 22-year old transgender woman, let a stranger into the car without knowing he was a right-wing provocateur Jake Lang who had been leading a march to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/01/19/jake-lang-minneapolis-march/?utm_campaign=wp_the7&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F46818d9%2F696f6bed3e83ce3f3f6a633c%2F69238be2e72028703ff640f9%2F31%2F97%2F696f6bed3e83ce3f3f6a633c

Black Women See Significant Job Loses under Trump

The unemployment rate for Black women rose significantly from the start of 2025 to December, where it stood at 7.8 percent. That pattern of dramatic job loss was not seen for other groups.

From the first day of his administration, Mr. Trump sought to remove diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, both in the federal government and the private sector. Those programs were originally designed to eliminate historical biases in hiring. Many of the women interviewed, echoing broader criticisms, said Mr. Trump seemed to be deliberately misconstruing the term D.E.I., turning it into a reason to dismiss highly qualified Black people. D.E.I. professionals started to lose their jobs, but even Black women not involved in diversity work said they felt a chill.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/business/black-women-job-market-hiring-careers-dei.html

Disabled Fans to Pay More to Attend Men's World Cup

The group Level Playing Field says it has "raised serious and legitimate concerns" with soccer governing board FIFA more than three weeks ago about the fact that disabled fans have no tickets available to them in the lower price ranges in the upcoming Men's World Cup. They have received no response from FIFA.  

As a result, they have not written to national governing bodies and the secretary of state for culture, media, an sport. 

 https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c041zkelrrgo

Told to Remove Rainbow Crosswalks, St. Petersburg Installs Row of Rainbow Bike Racks

St. Petersburg, Florida has installed 11-Pride-inspired bike racks along Central Avenue and 25th Street. After Pride street murals were removed earlier this year due to state requirements, the single-colored bike racks in a rainbow array were installed as a substitute.

The racks were funded through the city's long-standing public bike rack program. 

                            

https://www.facebook.com/reel/844779981749490

Homophobic Countries Receive Draw to Play in Seattle Pride Game in Men's World Cup

Iran and Egypt, who both criminalize LGBTQ people, were picked to play on a day celebrating L.G.B.T.Q. communities in the Seattle venue for the Men's World Cup. The game in Seattle on June 26 will go all out with rainbow banners, flags, arts and stories to showcase the L.G.B.T.Q. communities in Washington State.

The football associations for Iran and Egypt said on Tuesday that they had both written to FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, objecting to the Pride association with their match, demanding that all such events and displays coinciding with the game be canceled and insisting that the match be designated strictly as a sports event.

Omid Memarian, an Iranian human rights expert and senior fellow at Dawn, an organization based in Washington, D.C., that is focused on U.S. foreign policy, said the idea of Iran’s and Egypt’s national teams playing a Pride Match was “almost surreal because it places some of the world’s most repressive governments on a stage built around openness and equality.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/world/middleeast/iran-egypt-world-cup-seattle-pride.html

Inclusion of VIsually-Impaired Font is Viewed as Wasteful by Trump Administration

Mario Rubio, currently serving as secretary of state, acting national security adviser and acting archivist of the United States, on Tuesday ordered the State Department to immediately cease using the Calibri font and go back to Times New Roman in official communications, reversing another Biden administration policy intended to help employees who are visually impaired or have low-vision issues. 

Accessibility and vision impairment advocacy groups have widely recommended and advocated for sans serif fonts. They say that letters  without decorative “wings” and “feet” (the small lines or strokes at the end of characters, common in serif fonts like Times New Roman) are more legible and easier to read for people with visual impairment.

Rubio believes making life more accessible for folks is a DEI issue. And DEI is "divisive and discriminatory practice has no place in our country or our diplomacy."

Goodness. Able-bodied white heterosexual Christian males are all who matter in this country apparently. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/10/calibri-font-rubio-state-department/?utm_campaign=wp_the7&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F4612d0b%2F693aafed52fff23634337bd2%2F69238be2e72028703ff640f9%2F60%2F102%2F693aafed52fff23634337bd2