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Stories from October 12, 2020

Giant pumpkin gourds Minnesota's records books

Giant pumpkin gourds Minnesota's records books

On Saturday, Charlie Bernstrom, of Lancaster, Minn. broke the Minnesota state record for largest pumpkin with a 1,990.5 pound pumpkin at the 15th Annual Stillwater Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off. 
by Myah Christenson

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Trump hits the trail with Florida rally, a week after COVID-19 hospital stay

Trump hits the trail with Florida rally, a week after COVID-19 hospital stay

The president's doctor said Monday night that Trump had tested negative for the coronavirus on consecutive days and that he was not infectious to others. The rally starts a new sprint in the campaign.
by Ayesha Rascoe

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Public works bill to keep special session going until Wednesday

Public works bill to keep special session going until Wednesday

The DFL House speaker says there are enough GOP votes in her chamber to pass the $1.37 billion construction projects bill. The Republican Senate majority leader, though, says there’s still no overall agreement.
by Tim Pugmire

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Facebook bans Holocaust denial, reversing earlier policy

Facebook bans Holocaust denial, reversing earlier policy

CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who previously considered such claims free speech, said his thinking has "evolved." Survivors had lobbied the social network to remove posts that deny the Holocaust.
by Shannon Bond

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MPR News wins national Murrow Award for Noor trial coverage

MPR News wins national Murrow Award for Noor trial coverage

The team of reporters and editors took the large market award for continuing coverage for the trial of Mohamed Noor, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of 911 caller Justine Ruszczyk.
by MPR News Staff

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Wisconsin judge upholds mask order for enclosed spaces

Wisconsin judge upholds mask order for enclosed spaces

Conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty argued in a lawsuit that Gov. Tony Evers overstepped his authority by issuing multiple emergency orders to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Evers defended the mask order, saying it was within his power to impose the requirement and that he followed the recommendations of public health experts.
by The Associated Press

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Many firsts at confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett

Many firsts at confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett

The hearings, which start on Monday, begin against the backdrop of early voting that has begun in many states and just 22 days before Election Day.
by Nina Totenberg

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Black churches mobilizing voters despite virus challenges

Black churches mobilizing voters despite virus challenges

This year, churches are organizing socially distant caravans with greatly reduced capacity for early voting and Election Day ballot-casting. Volunteers are phone-banking and canvasing the homes of church members to ensure mail-in and absentee ballots are requested and delivered before the deadlines.
by The Associated Press

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Seasonable through Wednesday, then temperatures dive

A cold front that moved through Minnesota Monday morning is returning the state to more seasonable temperatures after recent warm weather. A second front midweek turns the state even colder.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Federal judge upholds Minnesota's extended ballot counting

Federal judge upholds Minnesota's extended ballot counting

A federal judge has upheld a Minnesota state court agreement that allows counting of absentee ballots received up to seven days after Election Day as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day. Attorneys for the Republican plaintiffs filed a notice saying they will appeal.
by Amy Forliti, Associated Press

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Rain exits and sunshine returns Monday

Behind a cold front, rain is moving out of the state, but cooler weather remains.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Legislature squeezes in one more session before election

Legislature squeezes in one more session before election

Minnesota lawmakers return for a preelection special session, with one more chance to get a construction borrowing plan approved.
by Brian Bakst

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Nearly 3,000 new Covid-19 cases over the weekend

Minnesota's confirmed COVID-19 case count rose by nearly 3,000 over the weekend — the greatest two-day increase of the pandemic to date. This is an MPR News morning update for Monday, October 12, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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Barrett vows to interpret laws 'as they are written'

Barrett vows to interpret laws 'as they are written'

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has presented her conservative approach to the law at the start of a fast-tracked confirmation hearing. Democrats, powerless to stop her, are trying to cast Barrett’s likely ascent to the high court as a threat to Americans’ health care during the coronavirus pandemic.
by The Associated Press

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2 Americans win Nobel prize in economics for auction theory

Americans Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson won the Nobel Prize in economics on Monday for "improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats."
by The Associated Press

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Oct. 12 update on COVID-19 in MN: Cases jump; curbs eased for long-term care visits

Oct. 12 update on COVID-19 in MN: Cases jump; curbs eased for long-term care visits

Officials on Monday also confirmed more cases of COVID-19 have surfaced tied to President Donald Trump’s recent rallies in Bemidji and Duluth. The disease remains a “big and growing problem in Minnesota,” the state health commissioner says.
by MPR News Staff

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How the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett will work

How the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett will work

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham kicks off four days of hearings on Monday. The panel is expected to vote on Oct. 22, which will be followed by a floor vote by the end of the month.
by Deirdre Walsh

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Sunday night thunderstorms; breezy and cooler on Monday

After Sunday night thunderstorms, some quiet weather is on tap for the daylight hours of Monday. We have details on that, plus a look at some really cool temps later this week.
by Ron Trenda

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Don't miss your socially distanced date with Mars

Don't miss your socially distanced date with Mars

Mars will be in "opposition" on Tuesday: the sun and Mars will be on opposite sides of Earth. It's going to be ideal for viewing the red planet.
by Huo Jingnan

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'We can’t lose our momentum:' Louisiana vows to rebuild

'We can’t lose our momentum:' Louisiana vows to rebuild

Back-to-back hurricanes in the space of six weeks left parts of Louisiana blanketed Sunday with tarpaulins, mangled metal and downed power lines — but not necessarily despair.
by The Associated Press

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Trump's doctor says there's no 'actively replicating virus' — so is he COVID-free?

Trump's doctor says there's no 'actively replicating virus' — so is he COVID-free?

Doctors say people who have had COVID-19 can test positive but no longer be contagious. President Donald Trump's doctor said Trump is "no longer a transmission risk to others" but did not say if Trump tested negative.
by Matthew S. Schwartz

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Security guard jailed in deadly shooting at Denver protests

A private security guard working for a local TV station was jailed for investigation of first-degree murder in the deadly shooting of another man during dueling right- and left-wing protests in downtown Denver, police said Sunday.
by The Associated Press

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