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Pro-life and pro-choice advocates gather at the Capitol

DFL steams ahead at MN Capitol, GOP brands it ‘extreme’

With Democrats using their majorities at the Minnesota Capitol to pass a flurry of bills, Republicans are left trying to slow things down and attempt to paint the DFL as outside the mainstream.
Hockey players wave their sticks after finishing a game

‘It’s really saving folks’: Meet Minnesota’s first all-trans, nonbinary hockey team

Team Trans Twin Cities is the only ice hockey team in Minnesota made up of all transgender and nonbinary players. They scrimmaged at the Xcel Energy Center Jan. 31 and talked empowerment, friendship and trans joy.
Two people walk by a "vote here" sign.

Gen Z's political power: New data gives insight into America's youngest voters

Generation Z, which turned out in large numbers along with millennials last election, is still new to politics. A report exclusively obtained by NPR adds more context to the youngest voting block.
Rocks near Bardon Peak

The search for life on Mars goes through Duluth

Since Mars’ surface is especially iron-rich, a researcher looked for comparable iron-rich rocks on Earth to see how much hydrogen they produced. Rocks like this are rare on Earth, but they can be found in Duluth.
an eagle chick with mouth open

10 years later, DNR's nest cam still turning Minnesotans into eagles fans

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is celebrating 10 years of its popular eagle cam, an annual livestream of life and death in a bald eagle nest.
  • Nearly halfOf U.S. bald eagles suffer lead poisoning
  • The bald eagle is backStill faces environmental threats
Side view of an Amtrak passenger car.

Lawmakers discuss proposed passenger rail line between Duluth and Minneapolis

The Northern Lights Express would run between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports, with stops along the way in Coon Rapids, Cambridge and Hinckley.
People try to reach trapped residents in a collapsed building in Pazarcik, in Kahramanmaras province, southern Turkey, early Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.

More than 1,000 are reported dead from an earthquake that has struck Turkey and Syria

Search-and-rescue efforts are underway after more than 1,000 are reported dead from a powerful earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday. The death toll is expected to rise.
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, middle, is flanked behind by Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, left, and Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, right, at Hobbs' state of the state address on Jan. 9, 2023, in Phoenix.

Busing migrants was a partisan lightning rod. Here's why Democrats have embraced it

Republican governors started the practice of transporting migrants from the U.S. southern border, but Democratic leaders have run with it. They say it's a humanitarian service, not a political stunt.
President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy listen to a sermon as they sit together at the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 2.

The State of the Union will showcase the state of the Biden-McCarthy relationship

President Joe Biden developed a strong working relationship with Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell over the years. The same isn't true for Biden and new Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Eileen and Louise both got COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic in New York. Eileen ended up on a ventilator for two months and then spent five months in a rehab hospital. Louise fought the illness at home as hospitals started filling up.

Family caregivers of people with long COVID bear an extra burden

When a case of COVID-19 morphs into the mysterious, chronic condition known as long COVID, the specialists, appointments, medications and daily need for family care can overwhelm everyone involved.
This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, are still on fire at mid-day Saturday.

Officials urge evacuation near the Ohio train derailment, fearing an explosion

Officials watching the wreckage of a derailed train in Ohio warned nearby residents to evacuate Sunday night, saying a rail car was at risk of an explosion that could launch deadly shrapnel.
Beyoncé accepts best dance/electronic music album for RENAISSANCE during the 65th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday. The prize gave her 32 Grammys, the most of any artist in the awards' history.

Beyoncé sets a new Grammy record, while Harry Styles wins album of the year

With four new prizes tonight, the megastar has now won more Grammys than any other artist in the awards' 65-year history. But Harry Styles took home the evening's biggest prize.
Business owner "Annie" weights down copies of the Chinese Daily News newspaper showcasing pictures of a suspected Chinese spy balloon, in the Chinatown district of Los Angeles Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023.

China accuses the U.S. of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down of balloon

China on Monday accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force when the American military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the weekend.

Ramsey County must reduce jail capacity, state orders

The move came after a state investigation into complaints from Ramsey County Public Health officials that inmates in need of emergency medical care were not getting it.
The Chinese balloon became the subject of a sketch in the most recent episode of "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 4.

Hours after its demise, the Chinese spy balloon was the star of the SNL cold open

"Saturday Night Live" kicked off its latest episode with an exclusive interview with the downed balloon, played by cast member Bowen Yang.
  • EarlierU.S. downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris
Train Derailment Ohio

50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio

A train derailment and resulting large fire have prompted an evacuation order in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line. Norfolk Southern says about 50 cars derailed Friday night in East Palestine from a train carrying a variety of freight from Madison, Ill. to Conway, Penn.
Flyers Bruins Hockey

Bruins rolling, rest of NHL making final push for playoffs

The Boston Bruins are atop the NHL standings and running away with the Atlantic Division going into the second half of the season. But the playoff races are hot in the Metropolitan, Central and Pacific with roughly 30 games left to go down the stretch.
Player in white jersey takes part in fight

Bamba, Rivers, Suggs all suspended after Magic-Wolves dustup

The NBA has suspended Orlando’s Mo Bamba for four games and Minnesota’s Austin Rivers for three games for their roles in an on-court altercation on Friday night.
Resident Lee Henderson poses for a portrait

Avivo Village shines as solution for unsheltered homelessness in Minneapolis

In 2020, the nonprofit Avivo went tent to tent at the massive encampment in Powderhorn Park to learn what it would take for residents to come indoors. From that came Avivo Village, an indoor community of 100 small units in the North Loop designed specifically for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
  • Part 1Minneapolis made little progress on homeless encampments in 2022. Why?
  • Part 2Minneapolis has increased police presence at encampment clearings
  • Part 3Minneapolis City Council too gridlocked to change homeless encampment approach
  • Part 4Is providing a portable toilet an endorsement of a homeless encampment?
Diakine Sambou, queen of the sacred forest of Kaoupoto, on Feb. 23, 2021, in Mlomp, Senegal.

Meet the people safeguarding the sacred forests and lagoons of West Africa

In parts of West Africa, communities have designated biodiversity hotspots sacred and measure their value by the peace of mind they provide, rather than in dollars and cents.
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