Cheers & Jeers: P.J. Fleck’s game-day drama, clergy abuse settlement, Ilhan Omar’s finances

Rochelle Olson, Star TribuneThe Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Anderson has spent decades diligently working on behalf of victims of clergy abuse in the Catholic Church. Anderson began supporting victims long before most gave credence to their claims. He recently announced that U.S. Fire Insurance Company, after years of delay and denial, agreed to pay $30 million to some 145 survivors of abuse in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. The settlement came eight years after the diocese filed for bankruptcy. “U.S. Fire and the entire insurance industry is now required to reckon in a way like never before,” Anderson said in a statement. The abuse was an unconscionable betrayal and the stories are almost unbearably hard to hear. The survivors shouldn’t have had to fight so hard for recognition and compensation. Thankfully, Anderson held them up and kept at it.

The coach’s game-day routine has him coming off like the high school drama teacher who cast himself as the lead in “The Music Man.” Before games, Fleck sprints at full speed onto the field, leading the pack of players, his clothes form-fitted to perfection as if he stepped out of Coco Chanel’s Paris atelier circa 1955. When the Gophers win, Fleck’s signature post-game move is to launch himself into the locker room to crowd surf, the players passing him hand-to-hand above their heads. I know he’s the highly compensated head coach, but shouldn’t the focus be on the players? Aren’t they supposed to be the stars of this show?

The Minnesota agriculture commissioner seems to crisscross the corners of the state every week even while attending every day of the State Fair. Cheers to his visibility and availability in his high-profile state job. Congratulations as well to Petersen on his second-place finish in barrel racing. To those who didn’t see his ride to State Fair glory with the much-beloved family horse Pumpkin, he posted a not-to-be-missed picture of himself in action.

Whether it’s the Gophers, the Minnesota Lynx, the Vikings or the Twins, it’s getting more complicated by the week. The Minnesota Wild has a new streaming model. The Lynx lost their partner just as they’re taking flight for a playoff run. What channel will the Vikings be on? It depends on the game. Consumers need $1,500 a year and a color-coded schedule to figure out access to TV broadcasts of the games. Spectating from the living room couch is supposed to be the easy option for supporting the teams. It’s mystifying that the wall-to-wall sports-betting ads don’t bring in enough cash for the leagues and teams to develop a better delivery model. I understand the need for revenue, but confounding the fan base is no way to build it.

The artist surfaced recently as inspiration for Marlon James, the former Macalester professor who recently released his latest blockbuster novel, “The Disappearers,” to rave reviews and a spot on the Booker Prize shortlist. Prince appears throughout the book in relation to one of the main characters, which was verisimilitude for James, who told reporter Chris Hewitt about his own feelings of connection to Prince as young boy in Jamaica. James, 55, says Prince is his favorite artist and that if he had to choose one song to hear for the rest of his life, it would be “When Doves Cry.” James never met Prince and that’s a shame. I have to believe these two would have found profound inspiration, joy and support in ongoing conversation.

The Congressional Budget Office recently projected the nation’s deficit would balloon to $2.1 trillion in February, up from the previous projection of $1.9 trillion. The Republicans, who claim to be fiscally responsible, have held a trifecta in D.C. since January 2025. U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District, said during a Fox News interview that the GOP is ready to roust itself to tackle that debt and deficit after November. “The president, Donald Trump, and House Republicans are absolutely committed, as I believe our Senate colleagues are too, to reducing that debt and the deficit,” Emmer said. Why not do it now when they’ve got a lock on power? Because they lack the will or the skill to do so. Minnesota’s Crypto King has also been crowing about “economic growth that’s on its way.” No need to wait, Congressman. Show us your power, flex that trifecta

The board of the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Conduct recommended the House Ethics Committee dismiss allegations that the U.S. representative reported false or incomplete financial information. I stand corrected, as I jeered and questioned Omar’s handling of the disclosure that initially showed her husband had assets between $6 million and $30 million, a giant spike from the previous year. In correcting the submission, Omar claimed a major accounting error. She filed an amended document indicating assets of no more than $95,000. That was a whopper of an error, but the congresswoman has been cleared and I hope she has a new accountant.

“The state’s choice to prohibit the provision of AI tools to users who create such images is a direct response to the unique harms stemming from the new technology. ... If xAI genuinely feared irreparable harm, the court does not doubt it would have acted more quickly to file this action.” - U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank in his ruling allowing the state’s anti-nudification law to take effect over the objections of Elon Musk’s AI company.