More information on the Minnesota men accused of wanting to join the Islamic State. From the AP: “One Minnesota man accused of trying to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group told an informant he’d kill FBI agents if they tried to stop him, while another told friends he’d ‘spit on America’ at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a document filed Thursday by prosecutors. The document reveals new details about Mohamed Abdihamid Farah and Abdirahman Yasin Daud, both 21. They are among six Minnesota men arrested last month for conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.”
Relatedly, the AP looks at the background of Abdifatah Ahmed, a Minneapolis man who successfully traveled to Syria in order to join the Islamic State (and was subsequently killed). “[Farhan] Hussein said [Ahmed] friend seemed confused about life, and sometimes felt stressed out by the women with whom he had children: Minnesota court papers show at times he was paying child support to two ex-wives for five of his kids, as well as support for a sixth whose mother is not identified. He wasn’t the type to go to mosque or pray every day — instead, he went clubbing and even drank alcohol, Hussein said.”
The war in Syria is, of course, creating a lot of refugees. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and a group of 13 other Senators sent a letter to the President urging the opening of a path for more Syrian refugees to settle in the United States. The letter begins, “As the Syrian conflict enters its 5th year with no end in sight, we respectfully request that your Administration take action to significantly increase the number of Syrian refugees who are resettled in the United States. Our nation’s founders came to our shores to escape religious persecution and the United States has a long tradition of providing safe haven to refugees. The United States traditionally accepts at least 50 percent of resettlement cases from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). However, we have accepted only approximately 700 refugees since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, an unacceptably low number.”
The New York Times has a sad but also sadly predictable story about how the debut of President Obama’s new Twitter account, @POTUS, immediately drew a huge number of hate-filled tweets. Leading off the cavalcade of racists cited in the story was Minneapolis’ own Jeff Gullickson: “One person posted a doctored image of Mr. Obama’s famous campaign poster, instead showing the president with his head in a noose, his eyes closed and his neck appearing broken as if he had been lynched. Instead of the word ‘HOPE’ in capital letters as it appeared on the campaign poster, the doctored image had the words ‘ROPE.’ … The writer, Jeff Gullickson of Minneapolis, subsequently posted on Thursday that his reply to Mr. Obama had earned him a visit from the Secret Service at home. Reached for comment, Mr. Gullickson responded by asking in an email how much The New York Times would pay him for an interview.” Stay classy.
Four more budget bills got Gov. Dayton’s autograph Friday morning. The Pioneer Press’ David Montgomery reports: “Gov. Mark Dayton signed the state’s public safety budget, higher education budget, health and human services budget and transportation budget into law Friday. … Of those, only the public safety budget was believed to be in possible danger. Though Dayton had agreed to spending levels in the bill, it also contained language legalizing gun silencers or suppressors that Dayton opposed. He had promised to veto an earlier version of the suppressor language, but accepted the scaled-back language in the final bill.”
In other news…
The latest Minnesotan to announce a trip to Cuba? Sen. Al Franken. [AP via Austin Daily Herald]
Wow. So marketing. Very brand. “Delta revives every Internet meme it can think of for new safety video” [Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal]
Just another sad story of an addict no longer able to afford her buzz. “Home Rehabber Nicole Curtis Accused Of Not Paying Subcontractor” [WCCO]
This explains the warm feelings of civic pride we were feeling in our breasts yesterday. “Vikings stadium’s final concrete column poured Thursday” [Pioneer Press]
Probably not a good choice during flamingo season, though. “Wisconsin legislator preparing to unveil bill legalizing blaze pink for hunters” [Star Tribune]
Don’t brush and drive, folks:
Scanner Chatter: A 911 call was made to report a lady brushing her teeth AND texting while driving. Arrest her please.
— Mpls/St Paul Traffic (@MSP_Traffic) May 22, 2015
“10 Things You Didn’t Know About Spoonriver Restaurant and Chef Brenda Langton” [City Pages]
Fridley’s Columbia Arena — where some scenes in “D3: The Mighty Ducks” were filmed — is in really rough shape. [City Pages]
“Longtime Twin Cities DJ Thorn dealing with serious health issues” [Pioneer Press]
Coming soon to Twin Cities: Lizard People. [WCCO]
