MPR News
Two students walk with woman through garden

Volunteers, patients with memory loss share common experiences through gardening

About 50 million people around the world have dementia, and every year there are nearly 10 million new cases. Volunteers at the Living Earth Center in Mankato are finding ways to bring those with memory loss comfort and dignity through gardening.
A cardboard sign with "Winston Smith" written on it, surrounded by candles.

Passenger: Officers didn't ID selves in fatal Winston Smith shooting

An attorney for Norhan Askar said Thursday that law enforcement officers were not in uniform and did not identify themselves as authorities when they surrounded Winston Smith's SUV with their guns drawn.
  • Full coverageThe killing of Winston Smith
  • MN BCANot releasing names of undercover officers in Smith killing
  • Local sheriffsEnding work with U.S. Marshals unit over bodycam policy
A person receives a COVID-19 vaccine.

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Pandemic in retreat as Independence Day nears

State officials once hoped to have 70 percent of residents 16-and-older vaccinated by July 1. Now it looks like mid-August. Beyond that, the pandemic metrics continue to look good.
  • Sign upAnalysis of COVID-19 data in Minnesota
  • APM Research LabTracking the vaccination progress in the U.S.
A man gestures while speaking.

WHO: 'Dangerous period' with delta variant

The head of the World Health Organization says the world is in “a very dangerous period” of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting the more contagious delta variant is identified in nearly 100 countries.
Librarian of Congress James Billington points to a correction in the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson, on July 2, 2010, at the Library of Congress in Washington. Imaging of the document confirmed that Jefferson originally wrote "subject" then changed it to "citizen."

A reading of the Declaration of Independence

Over the past 32 years, Morning Edition has broadcast a reading of the Declaration of Independence by NPR staff as a way of marking Independence Day. This year, they also offer some historical context.
  • 6 surprising factsAbout the Declaration of Independence
An assortment of fireworks

Sunshine, water, fireworks and your pets: Staying safe on the Fourth

The mix of hot sun, alcohol and readily available explosives also make this one of the most dangerous holidays of the year.
  • Every dog has its dayBut it’s not the Fourth of July
  • MPR News with Angela DavisWater safety and lake health
A track-and-field runner.

Richardson will miss Olympic 100 after marijuana test

American champion Sha'Carri Richardson cannot run in the Olympic 100-meter race after testing positive for a chemical found in marijuana. The 21-year-old sprinter was expected to face Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in one of the most highly anticipated races of the Olympic track meet.
A plane gets ready to land.

U.S. hands Bagram Airfield to Afghans after nearly 20 years

U.S. officials say the U.S. military has left Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan after nearly 20 years. The facility was the epicenter of the war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America. Two officials say the airfield was handed over to the Afghan National Security and Defense Force in its entirety.
Many hospitals around the country, including Medstar Washington Hospital in Washington DC., have started sharing their prices online in compliance with a recent federal rule.

Hospitals have started posting their prices online. Here's what they reveal

Since January, hospitals were supposed to be disclosing true prices for their services, as a way to empower patients to shop around. Turns out, compliance is spotty and the data can be hard to find.
The Boy Scouts of America has reached a settlement with scores of men who say they were abused while they were in scouting. The deal has been presented to a federal court hearing the Boy Scouts' bankruptcy case.

Boy Scouts of America reaches $850M agreement with victims

The Boy Scouts of America have reached an $850 million agreement with attorneys representing some 60,000 victims of child sex abuse in what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the organization’s bankruptcy case.
Black creators on TikTok have joined a widespread strike over what some are criticizing as cultural appropriation on the popular video app.

Black TikTok creators are on strike to protest a lack of credit for their work

Black creators on TikTok say that for years, non-Black creators have risen to fame performing dances that Black influencers on the app created.
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was effective against the delta variant in a small study, the company announced Thursday.

Johnson & Johnson's COVID vaccine is effective against the delta variant, studies find

The results follow similar announcements about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, in the fight against the fast-spreading delta strain.
gov walz signing bills

Walz, leaders reflect on special session

The dust has settled at the state Capitol after a long, drawn out budget process, and top leaders are reflecting on what they accomplished.
Pinterest is the 14th most popular social platform in the world. The platform has long prohibited ads displaying harmful messaging.

Pinterest bans all weight loss ads

Pinterest will now ban all ads containing weight loss language or imagery, adding to the platform's growing roster of prohibited content.
A woman stands just outside a door to answer questions to media.

Minneapolis extends COVID-19 emergency powers as state order ends

The local emergency rules were set to end today, along with the state’s emergency order, which did expire with the passage of a new two-year state budget.
A claw picks up cut logs.

Jobs, forest and climate: Wood products plant welcomed in northern Minnesota

The state is poised to provide $30 million to lure a North Carolina company to Minnesota's north woods. Supporters of the wood manufacturing plant project say it will create hundreds of badly needed jobs, while at the same time also benefiting the state's forests.
  • The announcementHuber Engineered Woods comes to MN
  • 2008Loggers struggle in timber industry slump
Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's longtime chief financial officer, looks on as then-U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a 2016 news conference at Trump Tower in New York City.

Trump's family business, CFO are criminally charged for alleged tax crimes

The indictment comes after a three-year investigation into the business dealings of the former president's family business by the Manhattan district attorney's office.
A man stands in front of a crowd of first responders.

'We can do it': Biden brings message of comfort to Surfside

President Joe Biden on Thursday offered comfort to the grieving and federal support for the ongoing efforts to search for the missing and rebuild after last week’s collapse of a high-rise condo building along the Florida coastline.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., says she is "honored" to serve on select committee investigating Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Rep. Liz Cheney will serve on the select committee investigating the Capitol riot

Cheney, a critic of former President Donald Trump, is the only Republican named to the panel by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The logo for ExxonMobil above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The company has apologized after one of its lobbyists talked about undermining climate action in an undercover video.

Exxon lobbyist caught on video talks about undermining Biden's climate push

ExxonMobil has condemned the comments of one of its lobbyists secretly recorded by undercover climate activists. The man described pushing lawmakers to weaken President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill.
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