Minnesota Now

Immigrant advocates in Minnesota say they're seeing the federal government revoke refugee status for some who have already been vetted. We'll hear more about how this could be a continuation of a campaign for more deportations by the Trump administration. Election Day is just about two weeks away. We'll learn more about Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya. And what role should gambling...

The Minnesota Vikings were off this weekend, but the Wild were on. They beat the Columbus Blue Jackets and forward Kirill Kaprizov is breaking records. And as the Vikings come off their bye week, they'll face the Indianapolis Colts -- who just this morning announced they've fired their general manager. Joining me to talk about this and other sports stories are our weekly contributors, Wally Langfe...

Sports betting sites make it easy to wager on just about anything in a game. But what happens when someone shows signs of problem gambling? Do these platforms intervene, or encourage them to keep betting? ProPublica reporter Jake Pearson spent 10 weeks testing the sports betting apps DraftKings and FanDuel. Even after losing thousands of dollars, he was invited to join DraftKings’ VIP program, whi...

Minnesota immigrant advocate organizations have noticed a growing number of cases in which the federal government is trying to revoke the refugee status of some people who have already been admitted — in some cases, years ago. First reported by Sahan Journal, it's a continuation of Operation PARRIS, a federal operation claiming to target fraud in the refugee program. Joining Minnesota Now to expla...

Minneapolis city council members will hear from the public Monday night about Mayor Jacob Frey's proposed budget for 2027. Producer Alanna Elder reports, supporters of local food and home energy programs are pushing back on proposed cuts to the city’s climate spending.

The Trump Administration’s investigation into Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is aimed at building a case to revoke her citizenship, according to a Wall Street Journal report. An immigration attorney shared more about denaturalization efforts in the Trump administration. U.S. Senate candidates Michele Tafoya and Peggy Flanagan are set to debate Friday on MPR News. We got analysis on...

One of the most closely watched statewide races in Minnesota is for U.S. Senate. MPR News will be hosting a debate Friday between Democratic candidate Peggy Flanagan and Republican candidate Michele Tafoya. It is the only debate between the two scheduled so far. For a closer look at this race ahead of the debate, Minnesota Now host Nina Moini spoke with University of Minnesota political scientist...

Our forests are putting on a show right now as they transform from their summer greens — to their fall reds, oranges and golden yellows. But while these changes of the seasons are expected, the effects of Minnesota’s changing climate on our forest ecosystems could bring challenges. It’s something two University of Minnesota Extension educators are looking into in order to help our trees become mor...

Before we scrolled through streaming services on our smart TVs, picking out a movie used to mean wandering the aisles of a video store, reading the backs of VHS tapes and DVDs, and arguing about what to watch. A new video rental store in Minneapolis is looking to bring that experience back at a time when some people are discovering physical media like VHS for the first time. Saturn Video is set to...

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Trump administration’s investigation into Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is aimed at building a case to revoke her citizenship and eventually deport her. MPR News has not independently confirmed that. Trump administration officials have suggested the investigation relates to alleged immigration fraud. The Department of Justice searched Omar’s Washingto...

Minneapolis Public Schools is reversing course on its school closure plan. The district says it won't close any schools, for now. We heard about Tuesday night's school board meeting and talked with one of many parents who pushed back against the closures. An alleged sexual assault at Cornell University has brought conversations about prevention and healing to the forefront. We'll talk to a local c...

Minnesota has a rich choral music tradition, with composers and ensembles creating new works all the time. But how does that music find its way from a composer’s desk to a choir director looking for something new to perform? Twenty years ago, Twin Cities composers Tim Takach and Jocelyn Hagen set out to help answer that question. They started Graphite Publishing, a company that gives composers a w...

For decades, the coal mining industry has been reckoning with a disease called black lung. Now a similar condition is disabling and even killing workers who cut artificial stone, for trendy quartz countertops and backsplashes. It's called silicosis, and you get it by breathing in tiny crystals of a mineral called silica. The nation's largest manufacturer of artificial stone is Cambria, a company b...

When a story about sexual assault on a college campus makes national headlines, it can spark difficult questions: How common is campus sexual assault? Are universities doing enough to prevent it? And what happens to survivors after the headlines fade? At Cornell University, a former student filed a lawsuit alleging that seven fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted her at a party in 2024...

Minneapolis Public Schools leaders are backing away from a plan put forth last month to close up to sixteen schools. The decision came during a school board meeting Tuesday night. Minneapolis Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams said at the meeting that the choice was based on community feedback. She added that changes still needed to happen and the upcoming budget process might be difficult. Minneapo...

A third of seniors in Minnesota are losing health coverage as private insurers drop their Medicare Advantage plans. These plans included more coverage than Medicare alone. We'll learn more about why they're going away and what it means for older adults. As rural health care options dwindle across the state, we'll talk to a leader of one health system that just opened a new clinic in southern Minne...

A library in Minneapolis is celebrating 40 years of collecting and lending LGBTQ+ books, movies and other materials. Quatrefoil Library started in 1986 as a personal collection shared among friends. Today, it has more than 25,000 items and more than 11,000 library card holders. And the library says that number doubled just in 2026. Iggy Gehlen is the board vice president and programming chair at Q...

As rural health care shrinks across the state, one health system is hoping to help reverse the trend. Fairmont Clinics has opened its doors in southern Minnesota. To start, it will offer general surgery, OB-GYN and urology care. Down the line, patients will also be able to receive primary and urgent care as well as higher level surgeries. Windom Area Health is behind the new clinic. Windom's chief...

One-third of Minnesota’s seniors, or 390,000 people, will be looking for new health care plans this week after losing Medicare Advantage coverage. Medicare Advantage is essentially an alternative to Medicare offered by private insurers. HealthPartners, Humana, United Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield are among the insurers that are discontinuing or restructuring their Medicare Advantage plans....

Minneapolis households that are struggling to afford rent may have a new option. Tuesday through Thursday, the city’s public housing agency is taking applications for its housing voucher waitlist for the first time since 2019. Back then, applicants were aiming for the federal program known as Section 8, where tenants pay 30 percent of their income in rent and the government covers the rest. Eligib...

Federal agents searched Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's home in D.C. today. It remains unclear what the Department of Homeland Security is investigating. It comes as racist rhetoric against Somali Minnesotans has ramped up in the lead up to the midterms. It may have felt like summer this weekend but we're in the thick of fall — which means the start of cold and flu season. An expert will join...

The Minnesota Vikings are going into a break with more wins on their record and more injuries on their roster. They're undefeated, 5-0 this season. Joining Nina Moini to talk more about this and other Minnesota sports stories are Minnesota Now weekly sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

Monday is Indigenous People’s Day. While the word Indigenous is used now more than ever, words like "Indian" and "Indian Country" are still common. Reporter Melissa Olson joined Minnesota Now to share a story that'll help us understand why certain words and phrases have stuck around.

It was a deceptively warm weekend that felt like one last gasp of summer. But still, we are deep in autumn, also known as the start of cold and flu season. Some public health experts say rates of respiratory illness have picked up earlier than usual this year in parts of the U.S. Walgreens sales of cold and flu medicine are up more than 20 percent compared to this time last year, according to ABC...

Federal agents searched the Washington D.C. home of Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar this morning. It’s not clear what Department of Homeland Security agents were looking for or the scope of their investigation, but the raid comes as President Donald Trump has been increasing anti-Somali rhetoric in the runup to the midterm election next month. MPR politics reporter Peter Cox joined M...