Steffen's Segments

By Eleanor Steffen Minnesota's politicians have been busy since January, adapting to and reshaping the local, state, and federal changes initiated by the new executive administration. There's no time to waste! Now for the news. Heels or wheels:  The Minneapolis city council voted on Thursday to override Mayor Jacob Frey's veto aiming to keep George Floyd Square an operating intersection, according to the Sahan Journal . The future of the intersection, where Floyd was killed in May 2020, is an ongoing topic of debate as many activists and locals look to reform it to a pedestrian plaza, says the journal . Third time's a charm:  A spokesperson for state Gov. Tim Walz said on Wednesday that Walz is looking to run for a third term in his position and will not be running for senate in the coming election, according to CBS News . Democratic Sen. Tina Smith said early February that she will not be running for reelection in 2026 and Walz was named as a potential replacement, say...

University of Minnesota students study hard in The Toaster Innovation Hub beneath Wilson Library. Midterms week has descended on the UMN campus. (Eleanor Steffen/Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication) By Eleanor Steffen University of Minnesota students are critical of President Donald Trump's intentions and leadership after the first month of his second term in office. Trump began his second term by issuing dozens of executive orders that targeted matters such as crackdowns on immigration, reversing climate change actions, terminating federal diversity programs, and designing policies that define genders, according to NPR . The orders put students in an uneasy position as Trump moves to defund and ultimately eliminate the Department of Education, says NPR . Interviews conducted Wednesday and Thursday with five UMN students confirmed this discomfort. Student reactions... 💭 Victor Corral, 29, a fifth-year graduate student at UMN pursuing his PhD in Molecular Pharmacolo...

By Eleanor Steffen The four Republican Minnesota U.S. representatives voted in support of a multitrillion dollar budget proposal on Tuesday that could target assistance programs such as Medicade, according to MPR News . Fourteen Minnesota Republican lawmakers wrote a letter on Thursday, Feb. 20, to the Republican Minnesota congress members to advocate for the continued funding of Medicade, according to the Minnesota Reformer .  The letter was sent in the wake of a budget proposal by U.S. House Republicans that would cut $880 million that fund programs managed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, such as Medicade, according to the Minnesota Reformer . The money is intended to be reallocated toward border and defense funding, and to promote tax cuts for America's most wealthy, says the Minnesota Reformer . The House of Representatives voted to adopt the budget proposal that calls for "$4 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts", according to MPR .  Ov...

By Eleanor Steffen As a political storm brews, it can be very easy to be caught up in the whirlwind. But people in Minnesota are amplifying their voices to bring hope to communities that need it most. Now for the news. The rest is queer history:  A new history exhibit, "We Live On: Stories of Radical Connection", will begin a tour around Minnesota on Thursday, according to MPR News . The exhibit centers around the recorded testimonies of hundreds of LGBTQ+ Minnesotans, aiming to form communities and solidify the historical influence of queer culture, says MPR .  MN's modern magnets:  Niron Magnetics, a manufacturing company in Minneapolis, have developed a way to more sustainably create the magnets that fuel electronics and clean energy sources, according to CBS News  on Thursday. Niron discovered a process that takes two of the world's most abundant resources, iron and nitrogen, and produces a magnet that could be as much as 50% stronger than rare earth magnets, say...

By Eleanor Steffen Hamas returned the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the IDF on Thursday, but one has not been identified as a hostage, according to ABC News .  The hostages included Shiri Bibas, her 4-year-old son Ariel Bibas and her infant son Kfir Bibas, and Oded Lifschitz, 83, according to Al Jazeera .  Israeli officials identified the bodies of Lifschitz and Shiri Bibas's two sons, but the body of Bibas was not determined to be her own, according to ABC News . Forensic analysis did not indetify the body as another hostage. Hamas handed the bodies held captive in Gaza over to the Red Cross at a public ceremony held at the border, according to Al Jazeera . International representatives spoke out against the ceremony, finding the public display disrespectful. The handover of an unidentified body in the place of a hostage violates ceasefire agreements between Hamas and Israel, but the second phase of the three-stage ceasefire is expected to continue, according to ABC .

By Eleanor Steffen Legislation banning transgender athletes from participating in girls' elementary and secondary school sports was introduced to the Minnesota House on Wednesday, according to the Star Tribune .  The bill, introduced by republican Rep. Peggy Scott, targets transgender students that were assigned male at birth, according to the Star Tribune . Scott's bill states that someone's gender identity should be determined by their sex assigned at birth. This legislation follows the executive order passed by President Trump to ban transgender athletes that participate in the sports provided by educational institutions, according to MPR News . Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison presented opposition to this executive order on Thursday in favor of the state's constitutional law that protects human rights, according to MPR . Ellison maintained that the order did not take precedence over Minnesota's law. The Minnesota State High School League also said that e...