Dear John,

Last week was an especially busy one at TakeAction, so last Friday's Digest is coming to you a bit late! Hope you had a restful holiday weekend.

In this moment, we’re remembering. Sunday marked five years since George Floyd was murdered by police in South Minneapolis—a moment that shook the world and sparked a movement. That uprising called out the deep injustices woven into our systems and made plain what so many have long known: real change doesn’t come from waiting.

The road since hasn’t been easy or straight. Progress meets resistance. But people are still here, organizing, demanding more, refusing to go back. Across the world and in our own neighborhoods, communities are holding the line, pushing forward, and making space for joy, even in the fight.

Here’s what we’re reading, watching and listening to this week.

1. The world has eyes: UK and EU suspend trade talks with Israel
A moment of solidarity and action comes at the 11th hour from the international community as both the United Kingdom and the European Union suspend trade talks with Israel over its escalating genocide in Gaza and attacks on the West Bank. While the Trump regime continues to provide unconditional support to Israel, other Western powers are listening to the sea of voices calling to free Palestine. Some governments are beginning to do what we’ve been asking for since the beginning: stop the genocide.
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2. The GOP Budget Reconciliation Bill: Corporate Greed in Legislative Form
Republicans in the House are trying to ram a budget through using reconciliation, a procedural shortcut for a bill that reads like a billionaire’s wishlist. Massive tax cuts for the ultra-rich, brutal slashes to Medicaid, housing, and food assistance programs. Data for Progress shows even Republican voters hate it. But GOP leadership don’t care, they’re playing Monopoly with our rent money.
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3. Minnesota legislative session ends, still with a long to-do list
Minnesota’s 2025 legislative session ended with unfinished business and too many reneged promises like cutting MinnesotaCare access for our undocumented neighbors. While some lawmakers held the line and defended a lot of the progress we have made over the past two sessions, others chose to leave behind transformational policies that would have saved lives. It’s not just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s about families living with fear of deportation, feeling unwelcome, and not having what they need to care for themselves.
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4. DOJ moves to end federal consent decree with Minneapolis police days before anniversary of George Floyd’s murder
Just days before the fifth year since George Floyd’s murder, the U.S. Department of Justice is ending the federal consent decree with the Minneapolis Police Department. It is good to see our Minnesota Department of Human Rights holding the line and reminding MPD that they are still under a court-enforceable consent decree with the state. Community leaders aren’t buying it, and neither should you. The scars in Minneapolis aren’t healed; they’re just being ignored.
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5. Minnesota Legislature approves pension changes for teachers
One bright spot in the Minnesota session: lawmakers approved changes to the teacher pension system, finally addressing decades of imbalance that left many educators stuck between pay cuts and broken promises. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s real progress—a reminder that advocacy works, and teachers deserve fair pay, not just appreciation weeks.
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6. Most Americans don't earn enough to afford basic costs of living, analysis finds
In case you needed fresh proof, a new CBS analysis confirms what many of us see in our budgets: most Americans don’t make enough to afford basic living expenses. A full-time job can’t pay the rent and buy groceries. Calls for a living wage, universal health care, and affordable housing aren’t radical; they’re needed to survive.
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7. Local View: More housing, child care can strengthen nonmetro Minnesota
In Greater Minnesota, the child care crisis is gutting communities from the inside out. Without affordable, reliable early education, parents are forced to leave jobs, kids miss critical developmental milestones, and small towns lose the very families they need to thrive. Programs like Head Start aren’t just “daycare,” they’re the backbone of rural economies and the key to a fair start for every child. Yet year after year, funding falls short and providers are stretched to the breaking point. If Minnesota is serious about supporting families beyond the metro, it must treat child care like the critical support it is—not someday, but now.
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8. ‘It can’t be forgotten’: How Rise and Remember preserves offerings left at George Floyd Square
At George Floyd Square, community members are doing sacred work — preserving the protest art, offerings, and history that defined a global movement. “It can’t be forgotten,” says Jeanelle Austin of Rise and Remember. And she’s right. The murder of George Floyd on that same block sparked a global reckoning in 2020. Forgetting that moment dishonors the lives lost and the demands still unmet.
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9. Reader's View: Right-to-repair proposal ‘quite reasonable’
The right-to-repair movement is gaining traction in Duluth and for good reason. At its core, it’s about restoring dignity to renters that they deserve. Whether it’s a simple issue like a finicky lock or a serious one like a broken heater in winter, addressing the issue within two weeks is reasonable and should be the norm for for appropriately run rental businesses. It’s a practical, commonsense step toward ensuring Duluth’s housing market is safe and dignified. Duluth has the chance to lead on this—and we shouldn’t waste it.
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10. ‘My second brother’: Bond between Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander runs deep
The Minnesota Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals, facing off against the Oklahoma City Thunder led by their young stars like Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). If SGA's name sounds familiar, you might know his cousin, Timberwolves player Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The two grew up side by side as brothers, playing ball together at a young age in Toronto and on the same high school team.
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And that’s a wrap!

Send us what you’re reading, watching, and listening to.

Until next time,

Amanda Otero
Co-Executive Director



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