The Feds are out in force in an American city. White parents and churchgoers are organizing and protesting; these Democrats are outraged by the law enforcement. No, this isn’t 1950s Little Rock or bussing-era Boston, but the anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis clearly echo the anti-integration protests of previous generations. To quote Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis: “Imagine if your city or town was invaded by thousands of federal agents that do not share the values that you hold dear.”

From Rusty: “Those who opposed integration ignored court decisions, civil rights legislation, and administrative rulings to ensure that the decisions and laws were put into force. Some went into the streets to reverse the results produced by our system of government. The goal was to so befoul the public square with bitterness and rancor that officials would back down.”

For further reading: Yesterday, Daniel Strand considered the moral state of Minnesota and the fraud that provoked the federal government’s ire: “The Banality of Minnesota Fraud.”

From the February issue: Two liberal economists try to make the case for the continued replication of the human race. Darel E. Paul reviews their book, After the Spike. Unfortunatley for all of us, they don’t quite succeed, argues Paul.

“At the end of the book the authors cannot even muster a call for a personal commitment to reversing population decline by getting married, starting a family, or adding one more child. Instead the reader is offered vaguely social-policy-oriented slogans to ‘aspire bigger,’ ‘join the conversation,’ and ‘get started.’”

For further reading: Last May, Paul wrote about how the spread of feminism can be linked to declines in fertility. It’s an important essay: “Feminism Against Fertility.”

Young Columbia grad Shai Goldman writes about the university’s activist reputation. The spirit of the avant-garde is elevated above any sense of truth and beauty. Under the premise that history’s greatest poets broke the rules, students are encouraged to do the same from their very first sonnet.

“Admissions officers selected prospective students on the basis of their propensity toward activism rather than academic merit. In 2020, deans proudly announced action-oriented seminars to educate students on the importance of protest and of amplifying the voices of the young.”

For further reading: Shai talks about the Gaza encampments, which shuttered Columbia to the outside world. Last year, Lucky Gold wrote about how he had a religious experience on the Columbia campus (“Finding God at Columbia”). That might not have happened had the gates been locked.

It’s Rusty again, this time interviewing First Things regular Nathan Pinkoski for the Editor’s Desk podcast. They discuss his latest print article, “Hegemon or Empire?” (January 2026).

Upcoming Events

• February 1, 2026: Second Annual Neuhaus Lecture at the New College of Florida: “Recovering the University’s Soul” ft. Bishop Robert Barron | Sarasota, FL. Register here

• February 3, 2026: Second Annual Angelicum Aquinas Lecture: “A Conversation with the Theologian of the Papal Household” ft. Fr. Wojciech Giertych, O.P. | New York, NY. Register here.

• March 5, 2026: Annual D.C. Lecture: “Our Crisis is Metaphysical” ft. Mary Harrington | Washington, D.C. Details coming soon.

Until next time,

JACOB AKEY

Associate Editor