George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police in 2020 started an uprising in Minneapolis and across the country. A new book and accompanying art exhibit spotlights and documents the art from that time period: the plywood murals made by protesters and mourners during the uprising. MPR News host Nina Moini talks with Leesa Kelly, the book’s author and founder of the organization, “Memorialize the Movement,” along with Amira McClendon, an artist and curator of the exhibition at the University of...

Minnesota’s status as a “trans refuge” state may be tested next year as President-elect Donald Trump begins his second term as president. MPR News host Nina Moini talks with Kat Rohn, executive director of OutFront Minnesota, an organization that advocates for gay, lesbian, queer and trans people in the state.

President-elect Trump has nominated Fox News personality and Minnesota native Pete Hegseth to be his Defense Secretary. Hegseth has been a vocal backer of President Trump throughout the campaign and had been considered for cabinet positions during Trump’s first term in office. Hegseth’s nomination probably won’t be a slam dunk. In 2018, Hegseth was under consideration to be Secretary of Veteran Affairs. At the time, Tom Scheck deputy managing editor with APM Reports profiled Hegseth. He...

It has been a mild November in Minnesota so far. There are signs drought is slowly lifting in parts of the state as we have had some moisture over the last couple of weeks. MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner joins MPR News host Nina Moini with more on some upcoming rain, plus the rest of this week's weather forecast.

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is from Minnesota and facing criticism. We trace back his time in politics in Minnesota, becoming a Fox News host and now being thrust on politics’ biggest stage. The rights of transgender people became a major talking point in the election. We talk to Outfront Minnesota’s director about how they are responding to another Trump presidency. Is snow finally in the forecast? MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner shares...

Global leaders are meeting this week at the United Nations annual climate conference to talk about how to slow climate change and prepare for its impacts around the world. A major question as COP29 is underway in Azerbaijan is what role the U.S. will play now that Donald Trump is returning to the White House. For more on how the results of the 2024 election will affect that energy transition here in Minnesota, MPR News host Nina Moini talks with Inside Climate News Midwest reporter...

On Monday in Minneapolis a group of health researchers, educators and youth leaders gathered to discuss how screen time affects students’ lives and brainstorm how to have better digital health. It was Minnesota’s first ever digital well-being summit, and the organizers, LiveMore ScreenLess, already have another planned for Dec. 7. The executive director of that organization Katherine Myers and a student who attended the summit, Two Rivers High School Junior Evangeline Fuentes both joined MPR...

The city of Minneapolis announced in the last hour it will partner with the NAACP to create a new program addressing neighborhood disputes after a dispute in south Minneapolis turned violent last month. We heard from the president of the NAACP about the new program. Smart phones have eclipsed our lives, but a group of researchers and youth leaders in Minnesota are trying to figure out how to change our relationships with the gadgets. An iconic Minneapolis film festival is celebrating 25...

The city of Minneapolis is looking at what steps to take following a neighbor dispute that turned violent. On Monday morning Minneapolis police announced a new partnership with the Minneapolis NAACP to address neighborhood disputes. Minneapolis NAACP President, Cynthia Wilson, joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the new initiative.

Sherburne County will recount votes in a few close, local races to confirm the results of last week’s election. We get details on the recount and find out how it could affect a possible tie between Republicans and Democrats in the Minnesota House of Representatives. President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for immigration policy in his second administration are taking shape. We talk about what they could mean in Minnesota. A new organization is working to provide services to Hmong and Karen...

Temperatures are dropping and winter is on its way. That means conditions are more dangerous for people experiencing homelessness and living outside. A recent story from Sahan Journal looked at two encampments that have become a home base for unhoused Hmong and Karen people in East St. Paul. A new organization is visiting encampments every Tuesday with food and supplies while trying to connect residents with services. Sahan Journal reporter Katelyn Vue reported on the organization and...

President-elect Donald Trump kicked off the week by building his staff around immigration. Monday morning he announced his chief of staff for policy will be Stephen Miller, an advocate for stricter immigration enforcement. And Sunday night he announced that his former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, will be back again to oversee border control. A Minnesota organization focused on Latino Minnesotans, COPAL, helped make 200,000 phone calls ahead of last week’s election...

Sherburne County officials announced over the weekend they will pay for a recount in a few close races. MPR News reporters Kirsti Marohn and Dana Ferguson join Minnesota Now to give updates on the counting of votes and the future of the state legislation.

I am not new to MPR News, I’ve worked here for seven years as a reporter, editor and host. But I am new to serving as your host for Minnesota Now. The producers of the show suggested we put together a story to help introduce me to you all. I always say other Minnesota journalists helped to really raise me and inspired me to pursue a career that I have considered a calling since I was very young. I hope you will enjoy this little trip down memory lane. Senior producer Aleesa Kuznetsov and I...

In every corner of Minnesota, there are good stories waiting to be told of places that make our state great and people who in Walt Whitman’s words “contribute a verse” each day. MPR News sent longtime reporter Dan Gunderson on a mission to capture those stories as part of a new series called “Wander & Wonder: Exploring Minnesota’s unexpected places.”

We’ll dig into the results of this week’s local and national elections, including how Trump’s performance was stronger in Minnesota this year than back in 2016. And our neighbors in Wisconsin elected a both Republican president and a Democratic senator for the first time since 1968. The Minnesota House is facing a historic tie between DFLers and Republicans. We’ll learn more about that. Somali language fluency is rapidly declining in Minnesota, even though it’s still the third most common...

Wisconsin delivered 10 electoral college votes to Donald Trump. That pushed him over the 270 mark and led the Associated Press to call the race for the former President. While Trump carried Wisconsin, Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin won her competitive Senate race in that state. Baldwin will get a third term in the senate after beating Republican challenger Eric Hovde by just a percentage point, about 29,000 votes. In the presidential race, Trump beat Harris by the same margin. There’s...

We’re digging into the results of the election to learn what they say about Minnesota voters. The state’s 10 electoral college votes went to Vice President Kamala Harris. But president-elect Donald Trump performed better here than he did in 2020 in all but three counties, according to the New York Times. On the other hand, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig won her election with a stronger lead than when she narrowly defended her seat in 2022. Craig Helmstetter managing partner of APM Research Lab...

Thursday was Cathy Wurzer’s final show as host of Minnesota Now. She is stepping away to focus on Morning Edition. MPR’s Nina Moini is taking over starting on Monday. Moini came in-studio to introduce herself and also to look back at Wurzer’s favorite moments from the show.

Marian Hassan has spent her career educating Minnesotans about Somali language and collecting oral histories from elder Somalis to prevent language loss in the state. Though Somali is the third most common language spoken in Minnesota behind English and Spanish, the language was not written down until the mid-1970s. Before that, Somalis had a rich oral tradition. Hassan just got a Minnesota Legacy Cultural Heritage Grant to continue her mission to preserve Somali oral tradition. She joined...

Minnesota Now is two hours of special election coverage this Wednesday — with host Cathy Wurzer and special co-host Brian Bakst — featuring election results, reaction and analysis of the presidential and local races across Minnesota. The Minnesota House is in a virtual deadlock with the DFL and GOP each winning or leading in 67 seats — which could be the first even divide in the state house since 1979. Meanwhile, the DFL maintains control in the state Senate after winning a close special...

Election day is underway and MPR News reporters and photographers were out at polling stations across the state. Minnesota Now heard from a roundup of reporters about what they’re seeing on the scene in two districts with extremely close races. Millions of Minnesotans cast their votes Nov. 5. So how exactly does the process work and when will we see results? Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon joins the show to give the election rundown. It's fair to say most voters might feel a little...

It will likely be a few days before we know the results of the presidential election. In the meantime, “freaking out about the election” discourse has reached a fever pitch. It can feel like there is so much at stake, so much uncertainty, and so little we can control on election day. In fact, anxiety may be a bipartisan issue this election. The American Psychological Association reported that 8 in 10 Republicans and Democrats say that politics are some of their biggest stressors. So how...

In the presidential race, 270 is the magic number — 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. A states’ allocation of electors, such as Minnesota’s ten electors, is based on population. There are 538 members of the Electoral College — which means a presidential candidate must secure the backing of 270 electors to win. This election cycle, a lot of attention has been paid to the importance of seven battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina,...

Less than eight hours before the polls close, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke to two reporters live from polling locations about what they heard from voters about ultra-competitive races. In Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, MPR News reporter Sarah Thamer spoke about the region’s race for U.S. House that is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in the state. Three-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Angie Craig is facing a challenge from former federal prosecutor and Republican...