PODCAST · news
Minnesota Now
by Minnesota Public Radio
Live, down to earth, unscripted interviews that aim to connect, inform and entertain. Real people share real stories with MPR News host Nina Moini. It’s journalism that doesn’t take itself too seriously and puts people first.
Episodes
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Duluth's blues mainstay Charlie Parr releases new record 'Rooming House'
Musician Charlie Parr has been a mainstay of Minnesota’s blues scene. He was born in Austin, Minn., and now splits his time between Duluth and St. Paul. He has more than a dozen albums to his name, and his latest was released on Friday, called “Rooming House.” He joined MPR News host Emily Bright...
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North Minneapolis food shelf opens lockers for after-hours access
Starting Wednesday, Shiloh Cares Food Shelf in north Minneapolis is trying a new solution to feed its neighbors even after it closes for the day. It’s opening a row of food lockers that can be accessed with a code anytime. For details, MPR News host Emily Bright spoke with Pastor Jalilia...
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Local law enforcement brings 'New Jersey Strategy' to Minnesota to address gang violence
State law enforcement officials are trying a new approach to gang violence. The call for coordination came after a string of shootings across the Twin Cities that involved Somali youth. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the new approach is modeled after what’s known as the New...
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 20, 2026
State law enforcement say they'll begin sharing more information on what they call group and gang violence. The approach is modeled after what’s known as the “New Jersey Strategy.” We hear from an expert about lessons learned back east. We'll get the latest in a series about the lives that led…
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 19, 2026
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…
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Wild maintain first place in their division, Wolves begin regular season Wednesday
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...
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Reporter poses as problem gambler and finds sports betting sites reward addiction
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…
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'I've never seen this:' Immigrant advocates report new federal effort to revoke refugee status
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...
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Minneapolis climate program advocates push back against proposed budget cuts
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.
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 15, 2026
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...
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Flanagan v. Tafoya: What to know about the U.S. Senate race
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…
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How Minnesota's forests can become more resilient in the face of a changing climate
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...
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Saturn Video wants to bring back the heydays of DVDs and VHS tapes
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...
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Lawyer explains denaturalization as Trump administration pursues investigation of Rep. Ilhan Omar
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...
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 14, 2026
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...
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Twin Cities couple draws on rich choral music scene to help composers distribute new works
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...
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Minnesota company leads manufacturing of quartz countertops that California poised to ban
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…
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Minnesota campus resource center sees ripple effects of Cornell sexual assault case
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…
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Minneapolis parent calls for 'universal' engagement as district reverses school closure plans
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...
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 13, 2026
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...
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From rare prose to 'Heated Rivalry,' Quatrefoil Library celebrates 40 years of LGBTQ+ literature
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…
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New southern Minnesota clinic aims to close rural health care gaps
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...
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390,000 Minnesota seniors face loss or changes to Medicare Advantage coverage
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…
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Minneapolis opens applications for housing vouchers for the first time since 2019
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...
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 12, 2026
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...
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'The purple are perfect:' Undefeated Vikings look to recover injured players during bye week
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...
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The legal roots of ‘Indian’ and ‘Indian Country’
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.
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Flu season is here. What you need to know about getting vaccinated
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…
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Feds search Rep. Ilhan Omar's DC home as part of a criminal probe
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...
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 8, 2026
A Twin Cities man is in custody on terrorism charges for making plans for an attack at the Mall of America. We got more details of the case and heard more about how federal agencies track and charge people who become radicalized. Journalists with ProPublica tracked down evidence of hundreds of…
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'Love letter to MN': New dance performance highlights community care during surge and recent crises
Ananya Dance Theatre in St. Paul is known for making dance performances about the world around us that tackle questions about power, injustice and social change. Now, the company is turning its attention to recent crises here in the Twin Cities, focusing on Operation Metro Surge over the winter....
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More than 500 U.S. citizens have been detained during the Trump administration's immigration operations
In early January, at the peak of what the Trump administration called Operation Metro Surge, two Target employees in Richfield were pinned to the ground and aggressively detained by federal agents. They are U.S. citizens and were eventually released, but suffered injuries during the arrest. They...
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Legal expert explains federal counterterrorism investigations after man charged in MOA attack plot
Federal prosecutors announced terrorism charges against an 18-year-old in the Twin Cities who they said had plans to commit a mass shooting at the Mall of America. For additional context on this story, Minnesota Now spoke to Mark Osler who was an assistant U.S. attorney in Michigan in the late...
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 7, 2026
Multiple Twin Cities police chiefs and county sheriffs have called for the creation of a regional task force after a string of shootings involving Somali youth. Law enforcement have described the incidents as gang violence. But what defines a gang? We talked to a researcher. A local nonprofit...
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Expanded headquarters 'pillar of hope' for immigrant-focused group in Brooklyn Center
A nonprofit that aims to help immigrants find economic stability and success has expanded its headquarters in the Twin Cities metro. Communities Advancing Prosperity for Immigrants, or CAPI is celebrating a grand reopening this weekend. It’s the end of a yearslong process of moving the...
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Former Lavender Magazine staffers launch new outlet dedicated to LGBTQ+ stories in Minnesota
A new LGBTQ+ magazine and website has launched in Minnesota, three months after Lavender Magazine shut down its operations after a 30-year run. Lavender was a mainstay for the LGBTQ+ community in the state. Q Minnesota was created by several former Lavender staffers. The very first issue came out...
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Expert: Meeting youth 'where they're at' is key to prevention after recent Twin Cities shootings
A string of shootings involving Somali youth has set off questions around youth gun violence and what law enforcement are calling gang violence. Some Somali leaders say this could fuel more racist rhetoric against the Somali community. For more context and perspective on gangs and gun violence…
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 6, 2026
A group of Twin Cities elected and law enforcement officials are calling for a regional task force to address recent shootings that they say involved Somali youth, and Somali leaders are pushing back on hateful comments that followed those events. A national exhibit debuting in St. Paul this…
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National exhibit exploring Jesuit history with slavery debuts at University of St. Thomas
A new immersive exhibit opening at the University of St. Thomas this week is asking visitors to confront a painful chapter in the history of the Catholic Church and U.S. slavery. “What We Inherit: Truth, Repair, and a Promise to the Future” tells the story of more than 300 Black people who were...
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'One of the hardest things I've done:' Chef Yia Vang competes on 'Bobby's Triple Threat'
Tuesday night on Food Network, Minnesota chef Yia Vang will compete for $25,000 on the cooking competition show “Bobby’s Triple Threat.” The show, hosted by chef Bobby Flay, pits a challenger against three of Flay’s “titans,” or chefs selected by Flay. Vang will face each chef in a three-round...
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 5, 2026
Lawyers of Minnesotans being held in immigrant detention say ICE is using a new tactic to keep people in detention. We'll hear more about two men who were arrested again by ICE after they were supposed to be released. Minnesota's agriculture commissioner was at a conference with some of the…
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New book explores Minnesota's vast peatland ecosystem and climate change
In northern Minnesota, the largest stretch of peatlands in the contiguous U.S. can be found. This wet terrain has taken thousands of years to form. And draws scientists and experts from around the world. That includes our Jennifer de Mooy, who spent quite a bit of time there researching for her…
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State agriculture commissioner looks to strengthen North American trade amid tensions
From trade wars, to animal disease, and high diesel prices, there is a lot going on in the agriculture world. Minnesota's Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen just returned from a conference where all of that was discussed with some of Minnesota's most important trade partners:...
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Catch, release, catch: Inside ICE's new 'farce' tactic
Attorneys are warning of a new strategy ICE is using in Minnesota to keep immigrants in detention. MPR News reporter Cait Kelley joined Minnesota Now to share what she’s found out.
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Minnesota Now: Oct. 1, 2026
Becca Good has spoken publicly for the first time since her partner, Renee Good, was killed by an ICE agent in January. We learned more about her family’s lawsuit against the agent and federal officials. Also, St. Paul has released the full sexual harassment investigation of its mayor, Kaohly…
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'Very troubling': St. Paul City Council member Molly Coleman on full report of Mayor Her probe
The city of St. Paul released Thursday the full report of the investigation into allegations against Mayor Kaohly Her. The city’s police chief, Axel Henry, alleged Mayor Her sexually harassed him and that city employees retaliated against him after he complained. The city had previously released…
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New album from Wild Horses explores the 'in between' of living your dreams
For some musicians, quitting your day job to start a band might sound like a pretty big gamble. But for Jed and Ariana LaPlant of Grand Rapids, it was the beginning of a new life on the road — and the start of Wild Horses. The group draws on bluegrass, old-time and country traditions that run…
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Minnesota Now: Sept. 30, 2026
The Justice Department filed a misconduct claim against federal judges in Minnesota for speaking to the press about Operation Metro Surge. Plus, we broke down statewide student test scores released Wednesday. The University of St. Thomas law school is looking back on Operation Metro Surge and how...
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A century of cinema: The Heights Theater to celebrate 100 years with a film for each decade
From silent cinema to modern movies, only one movie theater in the Twin Cities can say it has lived through it all. The Heights Theater in Columbia Heights has been running for 100 years. The one-screen theater has been through a lot in that time, as has the movie industry, and The Heights will...
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'A sense of obligation': Minnesota journalists launch new outlet focused on Somali Americans
There are more than a quarter million Somali Americans in the U.S. and more than 80,000 in Minnesota. The diaspora is a frequent target of attacks from the White House down to online influencers and commenters. Two Minnesota journalists aim to combat racist misinformation and fill coverage gaps...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Minnesota Now have?
Minnesota Now currently has 70 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Minnesota Now about?
Live, down to earth, unscripted interviews that aim to connect, inform and entertain. Real people share real stories with MPR News host Nina Moini. It’s journalism that doesn’t take itself too seriously and puts people first.
How often does Minnesota Now release new episodes?
Minnesota Now has 70 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Minnesota Now?
You can listen to Minnesota Now on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Minnesota Now?
Minnesota Now is created and hosted by Minnesota Public Radio.
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