How do you connect with someone who disagrees with you? MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about how to navigate conflict despite differences in beliefs, life experiences and you guessed it...politics.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about Tuesday night’s vice-presidential debate. It may be the only debate between Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz before election day.

At the 1948 Democratic National Convention, Minneapolis Mayor Hubert Humphrey demanded his party “walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights.” Southern Democrats defected, creating their own Dixiecrat Party. But President Harry Truman ran for re-election as the candidate of civil rights, and his dramatic victory set the stage for the landmark civil rights laws of the 1960s.

What happens to us when we’re very young children can set us up for life. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the CEO of the nonprofit Way to Grow about what we can do to nurture kids’ development.

How many concussions are too many? MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about what we know about how repeated concussions affect us and how to treat them.

According to the latest MPR News/KARE 11/Star Tribune Minnesota Poll, nearly 80 percent of voters surveyed have high to moderate confidence of an accurate vote count.  However, despite that confidence, only half believe voting by mail-in absentee ballot in Minnesota has adequate protections against significant levels of fraud.  MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her guests about how elections officials keep our elections secure and what they do to engage voters of all ages. 

In the news, we hear about people who are killed by gunfire, but what about the people who survive? MPR News host Angela Davis talks about the toll of surviving and witnessing gun violence.

Immigration is a hot topic this election year, and many Minnesota communities are asking questions about how to face the challenges and opportunities immigrants bring. That’s why MPR News host Kerri Miller traveled to Worthington for the final Rural Voice town hall of the 2024 season. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Nobles County, where Worthington is located, is Minnesota’s most rapidly diversifying county. In 2020, the county’s population was 43 percent people of color, up from...

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Tonya Allen, the president of the McKnight Foundation. The Minnesota-based family foundation grants approximately $100 million dollars every year and is focused on advancing climate action and racial equity — two deeply connected issues. Find out what’s driving the foundation’s priorities, how Allen shifted from working on education policy to climate change and racial justice and how she aims to center people who are farthest from power.

If you spent the summer tending to your garden and have more produce than you know what to do with, join a conversation about what to do with what you grew. MPR News host Emily Bright dives into ways to preserve, store and cook what came out of your garden or is abundant in farmers markets. Whether you’re a gardening pro or just trying your hand at it this season, Emily’s guests walk you through the best practices for harvesting and what you can do to prepare your garden for next spring.

Have you been sneezing or wheezing, maybe feeling a bit tired? You might be reacting to ragweed pollen in the air and suffering from seasonal allergies. Or, maybe your symptoms are the beginning of a viral infection, even COVID.   As we head into fall, it can be a bit hard to tell. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two doctors about respiratory health — what’s causing symptoms and how to address them. They talk about why this third week in September is known as “peak asthma week,” who...

Farming is a bedrock industry in Minnesota. While the number of farms has been falling for decades, partly due to consolidation and partly due to crop shifts, Minnesota remains sixth in the nation when it comes to agriculture production. Could rural Minnesota communities also lead the way when it comes to conservation farming? MPR News host Kerri Miller brought that topic to Buck Mills Brewery in Detroit Lakes on Monday, Sept. 9, for a Rural Voice town hall discussion. Farmers, biologists,...

Carla Vernón didn’t think she’d go into business. She was inspired to do good in the world by a father who emigrated from Panama to become a college math professor and by her mother who was one of the real-life “Hidden Figures,” the Black women mathematicians who helped develop the U.S. space program. After studying ecology and biology at Princeton, she worked for a nature conservation nonprofit organization and as a U.S. Senate staffer. Then, she decided she could have a bigger impact from...

In August 1934, Cecil E. Newman founded the Minneapolis Spokesman in the midst of the Great Depression and 30 years before the Civil Rights Act. A few years later, he founded a second newspaper called the St. Paul Recorder. He used his role as a newspaper publisher to fight racial discrimination and earned the attention of every major politician, including Hubert H. Humphrey. The two papers merged about 25 years ago. And last month, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder celebrated its 90th...

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump met for their first — and possibly only — debate in Philadelphia, less than two months before election day. While it was the second presidential debate of the 2024 campaign, it was Harris’ first. She became the democratic nominee for president after President Biden ended his reelection bid following his June debate performance. Polls show an incredibly tight race with just five percent of voters undecided. And while 90 percent...

How do we restore trust in civic institutions and nurture a renewed sense of possibility in a shared future? That was the central question animating the Rural Voice community discussion MPR News host Kerri Miller led at the Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing on Thursday. She was joined by political scientist and Minnesota native Brian Klaas, who set the stage by describing the bleak realities of the political landscape in America right now. People feel disempowered and divided. Trust in...

Earlier this year, the state legislature passed a law that requires all school districts and charter schools in Minnesota to implement a student cell phone policy by the middle of next March. As districts work to develop student cell phone policies, there are different ideas about what’s the best approach. Should schools ban cell phones completely during the academic day? Or, should they say students are not allowed to use them in classrooms or while classes are in session, but they can use...

Have you ever felt like you had to choose between your political convictions and a friendship? Or that you had to hide what you really believe to protect your marriage or other family ties? Talking Sense is an MPR News election year project to help Minnesotans maintain their relationships and have those hard political conversations better. MPR News reporter and Talking Sense lead correspondent Catharine Richert explores how people can stay connected with family and friends, even when they...

Being a parent has always been a mix of joy and worry. But these days, it’s the worries that seem to be growing.   Last week, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory calling attention to the dangerous levels of stress facing parents and others who care for young children. He called the state of their mental health a public health concern. Almost half of parents with children age 18 or younger in a recent study from the American Psychological Association say that on most days...

More than a quarter of Minnesota’s middle and high school students miss at least ten percent of the school year — which is about 18 days. MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about chronic absenteeism — why it matters, who it impacts and what we can do to boost school attendance. Guests: Kent Pekel, superintendent of Rochester Public Schools. He is also the former president and CEO of the Search Institute, a nonprofit that promotes positive youth development and advances...

The third season of Rural Voice kicked off at the Minnesota State Fair on Monday, Aug. 26. It was a steamy day, but it didn’t discourage rural change makers who gathered at the MPR booth for a lively and hopeful town hall with moderator Kerri Miller. The question before them: How is rural Minnesota changing, and how are rural communities thriving in the midst of it? Rural Voice at the Minnesota State Fair ...

Join Angela Davis at the Minnesota State Fair for a North Star Journey Live recording to celebrate the music, the man and the mischief of James “Cornbread” Harris. Cornbread is now 97 years old, which means he’s been playing his beloved piano at gigs all over the Twin Cities for more than 70 years. Music journalist Andrea Swensson recently released a book chronicling Cornbread’s remarkable life. “Deeper Blues: The Life, Songs and Salvation of Cornbread Harris” recounts Minnesota music...

Addiction was seen as a moral failing in 1949 when what’s now the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation opened its sanctuary for alcoholic men in Center City, Minn. In the 75 years since then, much has been learned about what leaves people vulnerable to substance use disorders. At least some of the stigma connected to addiction has lifted. And, there’s more understanding about what helps people through addiction — including medications and a strong community. MPR News host Angela Davis talks...

Cutting taxes on tips may sound like a good idea, but many economists don’t love it. Earlier this summer, former President Trump proposed eliminating federal taxes on tips. A few weeks ago, Vice President Harris said if elected, she would also seek to end taxes on tipped income for service and hospitality workers like servers, bartenders and barbers.  While tips are considered taxable income, cash tips for restaurant workers and others have gone largely unreported. But, that has changed...

It’s back to school time. Over the last year, campuses across the U.S. became the center of protests. At some schools, that led to peaceful discourse. Others saw unrest and police intervention. MPR News host Kerri Miller talked with three higher education leaders at Macalester College. You’ll hear their plans for the new academic year and how they see their role fostering civic-mindedness in their students.  Guests: Rebecca Bergman, president of Gustavus Adolphus College Suzanne Rivera,...