Minnesota
Exclusive | Hospital where George Floyd declared dead makes staff watch ‘N-word’ training video
The Minneapolis healthcare network that includes the hospital where George Floyd was declared dead is mandating thousands of employees sit through a woke training video that includes a flowchart explaining who can and can’t say the N-word.
The Hennepin County Medical Center, part of the largest public health network in Minneapolis, added the bizarre “language training” module to its mandatory education for its 7,000 staffers in January, a whistleblower at the center told The Post.
The internal video, obtained by The Post via the medical watchdog Do No Harm, dives headfirst into slur territory — focusing almost entirely on the N-word, its history, and its so-called “reclamation.”
Employees are told using the slur marks a “never event” in the workplace, even if they’re singing along to a song or given permission, and that violating the rule could get them fired, but only if the employee is “not black.”
“If you’re still wondering if you can say the N-word or not, allow me to simplify it even more with this point chart,” a narrator tells staff in the training video.
“If you are not black, you cannot say the word — not even if it ends with ‘a’ instead of ‘er,’ there’s no excuse. And if you are black, it is up to you, whether you choose to reclaim the word or not.”
The nearly 8-minute video is packed with political commentary and Black Lives Matter protest imagery.
It also lists several other words and phrases that are verboten, including “that’s crazy,” “pow-wow,” or “guru,” since they can be “historically stigmatizing” against certain cultural backgrounds or people with mental health conditions.
“Some phrases even have explicitly racist origins, such as ‘peanut gallery,’ which refer to the cheap seats in theaters often reserved for black patrons,” the narrator explains.
The whistleblower, who has worked at the Hennepin County Medical Center for years and requested to remain anonymous, said the video “felt like indoctrination.”
“This isn’t a workplace issue. Nobody’s using this language here. It felt like a political commentary, not professional training.”
The video is backed by the medical center’s “Health Equity Department,” which declares racism “an ongoing public health crisis that urgently demands more focused attention” and vows to bring “a DEI lens to patient care.”
Dr. Kurt Miceli, medical director at DNH, called the video “highly unorthodox” and said using a flowchart for who can and can’t say a racial slur is “inappropriate and misguided.”
“Racial slurs are ‘never events’ for all, not some.”
The training module concludes by asking employees to consider whether their words contribute to “healing.”
But for the whistleblower, the effect is just the opposite.
“This doesn’t reduce harm,” the person said. “It’s causing it. People are more anxious, more divided. We’re supposed to be helping patients, not policing thought.”
The training reflects a broader pattern in woke medicine.
Last July, staff at West Midlands NHS Trust in the UK were told to “admit they have white privilege” or risk being labeled racist in a mandatory hospital training. “If you say you don’t have white privilege, you’re racist,” one stunned employee recalled being told.
In 2023, DNH revealed that SUNY Downstate’s medical school in Brooklyn earned a “100% diversity score” and bragged about giving faculty stipends to attend “minority faculty development” conferences, part of what critics say is creeping critical race theory in medicine.
Many institutions have quietly scaled back or eliminated DEI initiatives after President Trump argued it is discriminatory and signed several executive orders aimed at “ending” it in the workforce.
“Hennepin Healthcare affirms its commitment to creating a safe, inclusive environment for all, which means that all employees are expected to use appropriate language in the workplace,” a Hennepin Healthcare spokesperson told The Post.
“We do not condone language that is divisive or rooted in racism or inequality, regardless of the speaker’s race or ethnicity. Such behavior is contrary to our values and will be addressed appropriately.”
Minnesota
Trump makes changes on the ground in Minnesota and doctors break with the CDC: Morning Rundown
In today’s newsletter: Some Trump administration advisers and allies say the optics of the immigration operation in Minneapolis have led Trump to make some changes. An influential group of doctors has split with the CDC over shot recommendations for children. And the downfall of China’s top general could have implications for Taiwan.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump reshuffles his Minnesota operation after backlash from second fatal shooting
President Donald Trump has made significant changes of leadership in the Minnesota immigration operations after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, according to administration officials and allies.
“The visuals were not playing well. He understands TV. … He saw it for himself,” said a Republican lawmaker who was granted anonymity to speak candidly.
This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
Saturday’s shooting has prompted a leadership shakeup, a reduction of agents in the city, a reset with key Democratic officials in the state, and an attempt to distance the president from some of the more extreme comments from some of his top advisers.
More than 3,000 federal agents have been sent to Minneapolis, and they currently outnumber the local police force nearly five-to-one. One adviser said that while immigration enforcement will not end, the shooting is forcing the administration to rethink what operations will look like going forward.
Trump said he and Gov. Tim Walz spoke by phone Monday, calling it a “very good call” in a social media post.
Walz said Trump agreed to talk to the Department of Homeland Security about allowing state officials to conduct their own independent shooting investigations and decreasing the number of federal agents in his state.
Read the full story here.
More news out of Minneapolis:
- Democrats are pushing to drastically slash funding for ICE and Border Protection, or totally gut the agencies after the shooting death of Pretti.
- Investigators are reviewing body-camera videos that captured Pretti’s fatal shooting. Analysis shows witness video contradicts the Trump administration’s description of the event.
- A growing number of Senate Republicans are calling for an investigation into the shooting.
- FBI Director Kash Patel says the agency is investigating Minnesota Signal chats that are tracking ICE.
- A Minnesota Republican dropped out of the governor’s race, citing his party’s handling of immigration enforcement in the state.
Doctors break with CDC on vaccine guidance for children
The nation’s leading group of pediatricians released its annual children’s vaccine recommendations — and for the first time in 30 years it significantly broke from the government’s proposed vaccine schedule.
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidance largely reflects what has previously been recommended, no longer completely aligning with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently reduced the number of diseases on the vaccine schedule. The AAP additionally recommends shots against Covid, RSV, the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, and meningitis.
“These recent changes to the CDC schedule are a strong departure from the medical evidence and no longer offer the optimal way to prevent illness in children,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the AAP’s committee on infectious diseases.
Read the full story here.
The downfall of China’s top general
The investigation into China’s top general, once a close ally of President Xi Jinping, has thrown the leadership of the country’s military into turmoil and raised questions about Taiwan’s future.
The Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement that Gen. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, which controls the armed forces, was under investigation and accused of serious “violations of discipline and law.”
An editorial in the Liberation Army Daily newspaper, the mouthpiece of the country’s armed forces, suggested that Zhang, 75, was accused of corruption and possibly disloyalty to Xi.
Zhang was previously considered “untouchable,” according to Alessandro Arduino, an expert in Chinese security at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. “This is a reminder coming directly from President Xi Jinping that political loyalty stands well before combat readiness,” he said. “Political disloyalty is a cardinal sin inside the party. I think the message is extremely clear: No one is safe.”
Of the six generals the president appointed to the commission in 2022, only one is left, allowing Xi to consolidate power but also heightening the risk of a military miscalculation when it comes to Taiwan, according to Steve Tsang, the director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London. “Removing generals like Zhang means that there will not be any general who would dare to advise Xi against a military adventure when the time comes, and this increases the risk of a miscalculation,” he said.
Read All About It
- TikTok says widespread disruptions were caused by a power outage, after users voiced concerns that they were being politically censored under the app’s new U.S. ownership.
- India and the European Union have finalized a landmark trade deal that will represent a quarter of the world’s economy, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
- It’s officially tax season, and there are several new deductions going into effect this year that could change how Americans file their returns.
- People are opting for the cheapest available Affordable Care Act plans, but that could lead to higher out-of-pocket costs later.
- The remains of the last hostage held in Gaza were identified by the Israeli military, paving the way for the next phase of the ceasefire.
- Alex Vindman, an Army veteran who was a key witness during Trump’s first impeachment, will run for the Florida Senate as a Democrat.
- Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, apologized for his history of “reckless” antisemitic comments in a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal.
Staff Pick: Some prediction market traders find a lucrative niche: Betting against Elon Musk.
As a tech reporter, I’ve seen Elon Musk fall short on a lot of promises. The Tesla CEO has failed, for example, to deploy fully self-driving cars. And since entering the political world, he has made one pledge after another that haven’t come true, such as his 2024 vow to find $2 trillion in federal budget waste.
Musk is also a master at evading scrutiny. Tesla’s sky-high share price is evidence of that, and he is still the world’s wealthiest person. But now, prediction markets are providing at least a small measure of accountability. These markets are rising in popularity, as people turn to sites such as Kalshi and Polymarket to wager on current events. Recently, I spoke with some users who bet against Musk’s predictions coming true — a strategy that has worked out pretty well for them.
— David Ingram, tech reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Staying hydrated should never fall to the bottom of your to-do list. One easy way to drink more water is to invest in a water pitcher with expert-approved filtration systems. You can also carry around a reusable water bottle to help hit your hydration goals—one of our editor favorites, the Yeti Rambler, is on sale right now for a limited time only.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kaylah Jackson, Marissa Martinez and David Hickey. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.
Minnesota
Video: Border Patrol Official Gregory Bovino Is Set to Leave Minnesota
new video loaded: Border Patrol Official Gregory Bovino Is Set to Leave Minnesota
By Jackeline Luna
January 26, 2026
Minnesota
LIVE UPDATES | ICE in Minnesota: Deadly weekend shooting, protests, and court hearings
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Immigration operations remain underway following a deadly weekend shooting in Minneapolis, as state and federal officials prepare for court hearings tied to immigration enforcement and evidence preservation on Monday.
Over the weekend, federal Border Patrol agents fatally shot a Minneapolis man, 37-year-old VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti. This is the third shooting involving federal agents this year, including the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent on Jan. 7. The latest incident comes as thousands of federal agents are in Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge.
Meanwhile, multiple federal court hearings are scheduled for Monday as legal battles unfold. A federal judge is slated to hear oral arguments on Minnesota’s lawsuit seeking to stop the surge of federal immigration agents, and another hearing is set on a temporary restraining order that blocks the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” in the Alex Pretti shooting.
Find live updates on this shooting below. Watch FOX 9 live in the player above. Live events and other updates can be viewed below.
7:30 a.m. – Protesters target hotels
For several weeks, protesters have been targeting hotels where federal agents are believed to be staying. State officials say demonstrators damaged a hotel in Dinkytown on Sunday night, leading to a large response from law enforcement with federal agents using tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety released a statement on the incident:
“The Minnesota State Patrol and DNR were called to assist Minneapolis police with damage to hotel property at Home2 Suites Hotel on University Avenue. While they collaboratively worked to encircle the group for arrests because the demonstration was not peaceful, federal agents arrived without communication and deployed chemical irritants, clearing the group. The State Patrol and DNR are no longer on scene.”
6:45 a.m. – Federal court hearings Monday
The legal fight over immigration enforcement in Minnesota returns to court Monday.
A federal judge is scheduled to hear oral arguments at 9 a.m. Monday in a lawsuit filed by the State of Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul, which seeks to stop the surge of ICE agents in the state. The lawsuit is calling the ICE operations in Minnesota illegal, while the DOJ has called the lawsuit frivolous.
In a separate case, there is a legal battle over evidence in the shooting death of Alex Pretti. A federal judge in Minnesota blocked the Trump administration from “destroying or altering” evidence.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says federal officers initially blocked their investigators from the shooting scene. Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a motion Saturday night asking the court for a restraining order to preserve evidence collected by federal officers.
The judge swiftly granted the motion and BCA agents were able to access the scene Sunday morning, roughly 24 hours after the shooting.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Monday.
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