A protest to support President Donald Trump at the Minnesota Capitol on Saturday drew only a handful of people. It came as authorities in state capitals across the country are on alert for possible violence ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week.

By the busload and planeload, National Guard troops were pouring into the nation's capital on Saturday, as governors answered the urgent pleas of U.S. defense officials for more troops to help safeguard Washington.

When all the data is in, 2020 is likely to be the deadliest year in American history for drug overdoses. Preliminary federal and state numbers show that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for people who use drugs to stay alive and healthy. It's also taxing the advocates and organizations who work to keep them safe. 

Police in Willmar, Minn., are searching for the source of a stray bullet that struck and killed a man while he was working in his garage on Friday night.

Lawmakers want to know what the intelligence community and federal law enforcement knew about the threats of violence and whether that information was shared with the right people.

Researchers studying injuries sustained by protesters and bystanders in the Twin Cities following the killing of George Floyd say “less-lethal” projectile weapons like rubber bullets are not appropriate for crowd control. 

Following his inauguration, Biden will end Trump's restriction on immigration to the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, move to rejoin the Paris climate accord and mandate mask-wearing on federal property and during interstate travel.

Clara Jean Ester was a college student in 1968 when she saw Martin Luther King Jr. give his final speech. A day later, Ester was at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., when he was assassinated.

Police in a Twin Cities suburb say they don't know why a man who held a young boy hostage before killing himself was in Minnesota or the community.

It's a trying time right now, and mental health experts say it's OK to give yourself a break on New Year's resolutions. They offer advice for a kinder, gentler approach to goal-setting in 2021.

Since 1959, a research team has spent most of each winter observing the interplay between wolves and moose at Lake Superior's Isle Royale National Park. But this year's mission has been scrapped to protect the scientists and support personnel from possible exposure to the coronavirus.

The Republican fault lines go in every direction: between the grassroots and the establishment, between big donors and aspiring presidential candidates, between House and Senate leaders — and between Republicans who voted for impeachment and those who opposed it.

Minnesota consistently lands on lists of states with the best health care. But if you’re Indigenous or a person of color, you’re not included in the high marks the state receives in metrics like health care access or public health outcomes. Join MPR News host Angela Davis for our latest In Focus event, a conversation with advocates and health care providers working to address racial disparities in health care.

The Trump administration early Saturday carried out its 13th federal execution since July, an unprecedented run that concluded just five days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden — an opponent of the federal death penalty.

Amanda Toronto of Word Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y., says she can’t stop thinking about a memoir she read recently: “The Magical Language of Others” by poet and translator E.J. Koh. 

Another three NBA games were postponed Friday, including one in Minnesota only a couple hours before game time, as the league’s struggle with increasing coronavirus numbers continued. Among the Wolves with COVID-19 issues: Karl-Anthony Towns, who said he tested positive.

With the country still reeling from an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and on edge ahead of a precarious transition of power, many are reflecting on what it means to be American. Against that backdrop, many immigrants and refugees remain clear-eyed about the country's promise, including a St. Paul couple who became citizens Friday, under unusual circumstances.

The deaths caused by the pandemic appear to be shortening overall life expectancy in the U.S. by 1.13 years, which would be the largest single decline in at least 40 years.