At the corner of Randolph and Fairview avenues in St. Paul on Saturday afternoon, dozens of people lined the streets, spilling into the intersection holding American flags and signs like the one that read, “This sign is not big enough for all the reasons I’m out here,” as part of the “No Kings” protests across the nation.

A steady cacophony of honking horns from motorists passing through the intersection was accompanied by cheers from people who gathered to protest the Trump administration. People beat on drums and toddlers banged on kitchen pans with utensils.

Some people dressed head-to-toe in costumes; others wore capes and crowns. Some, like Sarah Wilmer’s 11-year-old son, let his sign do the talking: “Kids Against Kings.”

Wilmer and Sarah Kathol, who brought her 8-year-old son, said that it was important for them to bring their children to Saturday’s rally.

“We came to show that we’re sick of the situation and we’re ready to show up,” Wilmer said.

Bringing her son “shows him that he can do something about it and be a part of the voice of the people saying, ‘We’re sick of this,’” Kathol said.

“My son has been learning more about what’s going on and has been feeling a lot of anxiety about it,” Kathol said. “I feel like this is a way to be doing something about it and that he will remember in the future.”

While many people cited different reasons for attending the rallies, there were some common themes.

Wilmer and Kathol, both of St. Paul, said that attending helped them feel less alone and created solidarity with likeminded people.

Wilmer and Kathol were some of the thousands who gathered across Minnesota on Saturday to protest the administration of President Donald Trump as part of the second round of “No Kings” protests this year. Nationwide, organizers expected millions to turn out for the demonstrations.

In addition to two St. Paul rallies, people gathered at the Commons, a park in downtown Minneapolis near U.S. Bank Stadium. Other rallies were held across the state, including in Duluth, Rochester, St. Cloud, Fargo-Moorhead, International Falls and other communities.

A St. Paul woman who went by the name “Lee” said she was there for many reasons, including trying to protect and keep Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits, ObamaCare and education funding.

“I’m a retired teacher and I think it’s horrible taking money away from education and the special-needs children and services, it’s just horrible,” she said. “We have to protest. I’m 75 years old; the last time I protested, I was 17 (against) the Vietnam War and for rights for African Americans. It’s just horrible that I’ve got to be out here now protesting for my rights as a citizen. We want no kings in America. Last time there was a king was 1776 and that’s why we had a revolution.

“We’ve just got to stop them,” Lee said. “We can’t have this anymore. We’ve got to put (Trump) out of office and all the people that are with him.”

The mood at the St. Paul intersection was joyful and hopeful, with most people smiling and cheering.

“Everybody is frustrated with the lack of leadership on both sides,” said John Osborn of St. Paul. “But the result of that is who we have in office now, who is beyond our worst expectations, and so we have to stand up against it. I don’t know where we’re going to go from here. But this is the first step, is standing up against it.”

He said that the first “No Kings” rally was very emotional for him because he was filled with concern, but that Saturday’s rally had a different feeling.

“There is more optimism,” he said. “There’s more unity. There are more people coming together. People are feeling that positive energy of coming together, so that’s heartening to feel. You look around and see everyone is smiling.”

Joanne Terry of St. Paul said that it seemed like at least 10 times as many people had turned out Saturday than had turned out for the first rally in June.

She and Jen Keating, also of St. Paul, came together to protest the Trump administration “because of the (federal government) shutdown and because we’re all just getting really tired of all our independent rights being removed, people being persecuted and people not getting the services that our taxes are paying for,” she said.

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Keating agreed. “Every day I wake up and it hits me what is actually happening and that it is so unconstitutional. It’s so great to gather with all these people and know I’m not alone,” Keating said.

“We the people do have the power,” Terry said. “And when we believe it, we can make a difference. We do have to speak out and do something to stop this.”

Organizers expected millions to attend more than 2,600 events planned in all 50 states. Demonstrators packed New York City’s Times Square, Boston Common, Chicago’s Grant Park and hundreds of smaller public spaces in what the Republican Party has called “Hate America” rallies.

The first “No Kings” rallies across the country were held in June. About 25,000 people attended the first rally at the state Capitol in St. Paul on June 14, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Organizers with Indivisible claimed 80,000 attended.

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and CHRIS MEGERIAN

WASHINGTON — The two survivors of an American military strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean will be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, President Donald Trump said Saturday.

The military rescued the pair after striking a submersible vessel Thursday, in what was at least the sixth such attack since early September.

“It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route,” Trump said in a social media post. “U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics.”

After Trump’s announcement, the Pentagon posted on X a brief black-and-white video of the strike. In the clip, a vessel can be seen moving through the waves, its front portion submerged inches below the water’s surface. Then, several explosions are seen, with at least one over the back of the vessel.

The Republican president said two people onboard were killed — one more than was previously reported — and the two who survived are being sent to their home countries “for detention and prosecution.”

With Trump’s confirmation on his Truth Social platform of the death toll, that means U.S. military action against vessels in the region have killed at least 29 people.

The president has justified the strikes by asserting that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. He is relying on the same legal authority used by the George W. Bush administration when it declared a war on terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks, and that includes the ability to capture and detain combatants and to use lethal force to take out their leadership. Trump is also treating the suspected traffickers as if they were enemy soldiers in a traditional war.

The repatriation avoids questions for the Trump administration about what the legal status of the two would have been in the U.S. justice system. It may also sidestep some of the legal issues that arose out of the detention of enemy combatants in the global war on terrorism as well as challenges to the constitutionality of the current operation.

To some legal scholars, Trump’s use of such military force against suspect drug cartels, along with his authorization of covert action inside Venezuela, possibly to oust President Nicolás Maduro, stretches the bounds of international law.

On Friday, Trump seemed to confirm reports that Maduro has offered a stake in Venezuela’s oil and other mineral wealth in recent months to try to stave off mounting pressure from the United States. Venezuelan government officials have also floated a plan in which Maduro would eventually leave office, according to a former Trump administration official. That plan was also rejected by the White House, The Associated Press reported.

The strikes in the Caribbean have caused unease among members of Congress from both parties and complaints about receiving insufficient information on how the attacks are being conducted. But most Republican senators backed the administration last week on a measure that would have required Trump’s team to get approval from Congress before more strikes.

Meanwhile, another resolution to be considered would prevent Trump from outright attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization.

___

Megerian reported from West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Workers at a leather tannery in South St. Paul will return to work on Monday, saying they have reached an agreement after a week-long strike.

About 65 union workers at Twin City Tanning went on strike, alleging that the company was unwilling to negotiate in good faith at the bargaining table.

“They have now secured a contract with pay increases above the industry standard, attendance bonuses, and a ratification bonus,” according to a Saturday press release.

The union workers are represented by the Chicago & Midwest Regional Joint Board, Workers United Local 150.

The workers’ biggest demand revolved around pay, which they say doesn’t line up with the dangerous nature of their work.

Founded in 1988, Twin City Tanning is an affiliate of the nearby Twin City Hide and is listed as a certified supplier by the Leather Working Group, a global nonprofit that encourages sustainable leather production. Officials from Twin City Tanning declined to comment.

At a tannery, the raw animal hide goes through a series of chemical and mechanical treatments to remove hair, fat and flesh before a tanning agent is added to the hide to prevent it from decaying.

“There’s hazards all over the place,” said Mark Aufderhar, a maintenance worker at the tannery.

“You can’t have just anyone doing these jobs,” he said, adding that certain chemicals they use like chromium salts and sulfuric acid can cause severe burns if not handled properly.

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In addition to the abrasive chemicals, workers at the tannery said they encounter bug-infested hides and have concerns about the building’s outdated infrastructure.

The press release said the workers are “highly skilled” and use “dangerous tools and chemicals each and every shift, and they demanded and achieved a contract worthy of their value and expertise.”

During their weeklong strike, workers also picketed outside Red Wing Shoes locations because the shoe company is a “major purchaser of the leather produced at Twin City Tanning,” the release said.

“This agreement reflects the power of solidarity,” said Kathy Hanshew, president of the Chicago & Midwest Regional Joint Board. “All workers deserve dignity, respect, and a contract worthy of their labor. Twin City Tanning’s workers are heroes in the fight for labor rights in the tanning industry and beyond. We will stand with these workers and ensure their voices continue to be heard.”

As soon as the Gophers sealed a thorough, 24-6 upset of 25th-ranked Nebraska on Friday night, the U student section ignored instructions to “remain in your seats” and stormed the field at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Elsewhere, embers were rekindled on a never-ending debate at keyboards across the internet and in group text message threads.

Minnesota Gophers football fans sign “M” as they watch the Gophers take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in an NCAA football game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

In one corner, observers who want to let college football fans let loose a little bit. After all, Minnesota was a touchdown underdog to the Cornhuskers and it was the U’s first win over a ranked team this season.

On the other side, the fun police who feel like the Gophers should stay cool and act like they’ve been there before. There also are those worried about player and staff safety as rowdy revelers stomp onto the field.

What say you, P.J. Fleck?

“The crowd storming is awesome,” the Gophers head coach said Friday during his postgame news conference. “It’s so fun to watch the student population. I’m glad we don’t have a rule. Maybe we do. No?”

As he asked that, Fleck looked to the back of his audience, where athletics director Mark Coyle and staff signaled confirmation the Big Ten Conference does not, in fact, have a rule with putative fines for field storming. For instance, the SEC does and schools are regularly docked.

“I’m glad we don’t because I’m just an advocate. I love it,” Fleck said. “I love watching our student body, who cheers the entire game, who makes a difference in the game, go down and create a moment and memory that will last in their brain and hearts forever. I love that. Like, there is nothing better than that.”

Before the final whistle, students clad in white “Row” hats, a giveaway from the U, crowded the barriers to the field. After they descended onto the turf, fans were able to get autographs and take selfies with players.

“Just being in the crowd is awesome,” said defensive end Anthony Smith, who had 2½ sacks. “Shout-out to the U of M student body.”

“I like the hats,” added linebacker Maverick Baranowski, who contributed six tackles.

Last year, Gophers fans stormed the field in early October after a dramatic 24-17 home win over No. 11 Southern Cal in early October. Safety Koi Perich made a game-changing interception and fans hoisted the true freshman above the sea of happy fans.

But as Friday’s scene unfolded after 10 p.m., Perich was standing off to the side with Fleck and his wife Heather. He might be flipping to the curmudgeon camp on field storming, sharing this sentiment: “Aren’t we supposed to do this?”

Fleck is cool with that, too.

“That’s my guy,” he said. “That’s why he came here. It was a heck of a statement from him because that is what it’s about. I love that. I don’t want him to stop doing that.”

Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey was a true freshman spectator during the USC win last year. This year, the redshirt freshman completed 16 of 20 passes for 152 yards and one touchdown in the Nebraska win.

“That is obviously a moment you dream of when you are a little kid,” Lindsey said. “… Then you get to experience it. Last year, we got to with USC, and it’s always cool. We’ve got really, really good fans, and our students were electric.”

Field storming moments against ranked teams don’t come around every year at Minnesota; it’s more like every other year.

On Friday, Fleck notched a new program record with his seventh win against teams in the Associated Press Top 25; three of those are on the road or in a bowl game. He also has 17 losses in that category since coming to Minnesota in 2017.

Friday’s field storming was the fourth such occasion in Fleck’s nearly nine full seasons at the U. An argument can be made that Friday’s was the least justified with Nebraska in the poll’s last spot.

The first one was the most famous, when No. 13 Minnesota beat No. 5 Penn State, 31-26, in 2019. The Gophers improved to 9-0 in what would be an 11-2 season.

The second came in 2021, when the Gophers knocked off rival and 18th-ranked Wisconsin, 23-13, in Minneapolis. The field was more packed than on Friday and was flowing in unison to the Badgers’ anthem — House of Pain’s “Jump Around” — blaring from the stadium’s speakers.

Then came USC a year ago, and Friday when Gophers fans danced to a few songs, including one from Icona Pop, featuring Charli XCX. The chorus was fitting for their likely collective view on whether fans should or shouldn’t field storm after wins:

“I don’t care! I love it!”

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