A debut: ‘Cheers and Jeers’ ripped from the headlines

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I’m culminating my second week as an editorial writer and columnist at this news organization with the following — a new, recurring and most likely evolving assessment of notable developments from the week.

All items are chosen utterly at random by me on purpose and are presented in an oversimplified, entirely too terse format that condenses complicated situations into a singular cheer or jeer. If this doesn’t work out, I’ll try something else. Here’s to trying new things, and let’s start on a high with a cheery thumbs-up.

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Cheers to the cabin crew on that Delta flight from Minneapolis to Toronto’s Pearson Airport and to the Canadian first responders on the ground who ran into the flames. We won’t hear for months why the CRJ-900 flipped on the tarmac, but we do already know the crew had the cabin locked down for landing — tray tables and seat backs in the upright position, belongings stowed in the overhead bins or under the seats — as all 80 souls aboard survived and none suffered life-threatening injuries. A hopeful example of cross-border cooperation and a reminder that the cabin crew’s primary job is safety, not delivering snacks — so pay attention and follow instructions.

Jeers to Elon Musk et al. for taking a sledgehammer to the federal workforce, gutting the Federal Aviation Agency, compelling the (at least temporary) closure of the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston; curbing important scientific research on dementia, among many other ailments, and sending those in the federal workforce into a panic about whether they’ll have paychecks and health care next month. We’re waiting to hear from President Donald Trump and Musk’s Republican supporters in Congress on how they will slash their own office payrolls to aid the effort.

Cheers to new St. Cloud Mayor Jake Anderson and the city for trying to collect payment from Trump for his rally last summer. Trump and Vice President JD Vance headlined a packed rally at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on July 27. The city said it’s owed $209,000, largely for police, fire and communications services. Good luck, mayor: Minneapolis collected $100,000 for a 2019 Trump rally at Target Center after years of trying to collect the full tab of $530,000.

Jeers to the Senate Republicans filing a second ethics complaint against DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury. Mitchell’s scheduled for trial later this year on two felony charges related to an alleged attempted burglary at the home her late father shared with his wife. Since her arrest in April, Mitchell has indicated that she has no plans to resign. The charges against her are serious, and that’s all the more reason that her constitutional rights must be guarded — including the presumption of innocence and due process. She can’t be expected to waive those rights in an ethics hearing before her scheduled trial this summer.

Cheers to the late Ramsey County Judge Patrick Diamond, a longtime fitness enthusiast who died suddenly at 64 from a heart attack this month. Diamond was throughout his career a public servant who guided and mentored generations of lawyers. From 1992 to 2012, he was a leader in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, first as a managing attorney and then as the head of the county’s criminal division until Gov. Mark Dayton put him on the St. Paul-based Ramsey County District Court bench in 2012. In a final act of service, he donated his body to research through the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program.

Jeers to those attempting to derail the second Feeding our Future fraud trial at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis. As if the fraud case wasn’t complicated and serious enough, now there are highly unusual accusations of attempted jury and witness intimidation. Jury tampering was a bad idea in the first trial that didn’t end well for the perpetrators, so — beyond the obvious illegality — it doesn’t make sense to try it again. U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel pointedly informed the courtroom that she will get to the bottom of the claims. We await the results.

Cheers to the Minnesota State High School League for standing up to Trump’s efforts to ostracize trans teens. The president signed an executive order banning trans women and girls from sports. The league said the order violates the state’s equal protection clause and is reviewing it. State Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover, also has a bill to limit girls’ sports to those with female reproductive systems. As if pubescent young men are flocking to physicians so they can transition genders and gain a competitive sports advantage on a girls' team. Puberty is hard enough without adults inspecting and questioning young bodies.