The Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training has unanimously approved creating two new policies to address issues currently under scrutiny. The first would create a policy and accountability for how police respond to gatherings protected by the First Amendment. The second would prohibit police officers from supporting white supremacist groups.

The Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would help combat the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a bipartisan denunciation of such violence during the coronavirus pandemic and a modest step toward legislating in a chamber where most of President Joe Biden's agenda has stalled.

As the state warns of widespread and growing transmission of COVID-19 among kids, local officials and school districts are teaming up to vaccinate teens 16 and older.

The proposal, which hinges on higher taxes on corporations and top earners, is integral to a House budget plan but must be aligned with a Senate version that doesn’t raise new revenue.

“We really do believe that the end of the pandemic is in sight, but we’re not there yet,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Thursday. While the current case wave seems to be cresting, proms, graduations and other spring school events are “not a given.”

The Minnesota House is working on a bill that limits police officers' authority to make traffic stops for minor issues, does more to flag problem officers, and increases transparency in critical investigations. But those measures are far from certain to reach the governor’s desk.

Lisa Christensen said in an interview that aired on “CBS This Morning” that she saw Derek Chauvin as the leader of officers at the scene and that he brushed off warnings by bystanders that George Floyd was in danger.

The Justice Department will investigate police policies, training, supervision and use of force to see if there’s a pattern of unconstitutional or unlawful policing, including during protests, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday.

Artists and art appreciators this week also recommend a streaming show from Theater Latté Da, which invites artists to perform favorite show tunes outside of their “type” and a retrospective of renowned Duluth artist Carl Gawboy, Bois Forte Anishinaabe storyteller and scholar.

Minnesota National Guard troops are heading home this week following the conclusion of Derek Chauvin's murder trial. Gov. Tim Walz activated 3,000 soldiers and airmen to protect property in the Twin Cities metro area while the trial was underway.

Kids are paying attention. Here’s how to talk to them about this week’s news: from the Chauvin verdict to the police killings of Adam Toledo, Daunte Wright and Makhia Bryant.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has been tracking an uptick in anti-Asian incidents since the start of the pandemic. But this community has endured the effects of racism since long before COVID-19. What’s being done in Minnesota to stop it? What more needs to be done? Join host Tom Crann in conversation with community leaders at 12 p.m. April 28. Register now to reserve your spot. 

COVID-19 hospitalizations among older Americans have plunged 80 percent since the start of the year, dramatic proof the vaccination campaign is working. Now the trick is to get more of the nation's younger people to roll up their sleeves.

The five-year spending outline is much more narrowly focused on traditional infrastructure than the president's sweeping proposal.

The effort to make Washington, D.C., the 51st star on the U.S. flag has never had more support. But the measure's fate in the Senate is uncertain.

Fresh off the first-ever powered flight on another world, NASA's Mars 2020 mission has managed another key first that could pave the way for future astronauts.

Experts are still studying vaccinated people to determine if and when boosters might be needed. So far, evidence indicates shots by Pfizer and Moderna last at least six months, and likely longer.

President Joe Biden convened leaders of the world's most powerful countries on Thursday to try to spur global efforts against climate change, drawing commitments from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to cooperate on cutting emissions despite their own sharp rivalries with the United States.