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Stories from June 30, 2021

Long, strange trip: Legislature passes new budget

Long, strange trip: Legislature passes new budget

Hours before a deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown, the Minnesota Legislature passed the final elements of a $52 billion two-year state budget. It capped a year of remote meetings and special sessions related to the COVID-19 pandemic that pushed the limits of divided state government. 
by Tim Pugmire

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Minnesota averts a shutdown and governor Tim Walz gives up his pandemic powers

Minnesota averts a shutdown and governor Tim Walz gives up his pandemic powers as the first half of 2020 comes to a close. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

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Minnesota’s eviction moratorium is coming to an end. Now what?

Minnesota’s eviction moratorium is coming to an end. Now what?

Minnesota lawmakers passed a bill to phase out the statewide eviction moratorium. Host Angela Davis spoke with the state housing commissioner and a researcher who has extensively studied evictions.
by Angela Davis and Samantha Matsumoto

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‘You love me? Get the vaccine’: In this MN town, one-on-one conversations play a key role in COVID-19 shots

‘You love me? Get the vaccine’: In this MN town, one-on-one conversations play a key role in COVID-19 shots

The state won’t meet its goal of vaccinating 70 percent of Minnesotans 16 and older by July 1. And to understand all the challenges — and tiny victories — that come with inoculating the public, look no further than one city in the southeastern part of the state where officials are leaning on longstanding partnerships and trusted community leaders to get more people vaccinated. 
by Catharine Richert

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Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has died

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has died

The longtime military thinker and Washington powerbroker who served twice as secretary of defense, has died. He was 88 years old.
by Alana Wise

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Minnesota high court yanks judicial candidate's law license

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday indefinitely suspended the law license of frequent justice candidate Michelle MacDonald, affirming a referee's finding that she violated the state's rules of professional conduct by falsely impugning the integrity of a judge.
by The Associated Press

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We just got our clearest picture yet of how Biden won in 2020

We just got our clearest picture yet of how Biden won in 2020

Suburban voters and white men helped push Biden over the top, while Hispanic voters and white women swayed toward Trump. Those trends may shape strategy for Republicans and Democrats in 2022.
by Danielle Kurtzleben

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Healthy lake, happy swimmers

Healthy lake, happy swimmers

As we head into the Fourth of July weekend, host Angela Davis talks with a lake ecologist and MPR’s environmental reporter about the health of Minnesota lakes and how we can protect them. 

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Bill Cosby is released from prison after court overturns sexual assault conviction

Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned Bill Cosby’s sex assault conviction Wednesday after finding an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case.
by Joe Hernandez and Merrit Kennedy

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Four more bodies found in condo rubble; at least 16 dead

Four more bodies found in condo rubble; at least 16 dead

A fire official says the bodies of four additional victims have been found in the rubble of a collapsed condo tower, raising the death toll to 16 people. Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members at a morning briefing that rescuers found the bodies Tuesday night.
by The Associated Press

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Looking at the future of the Democratic Party

Looking at the future of the Democratic Party

Although President Joe Biden ultimately won the presidential race, the question remains: Why didn’t Democrats do as well as had been expected? Taking lessons from 2020, what could Democrats do to strengthen their hold in Congress in the next election cycle? What strategies might they implement to counter persuasive GOP messaging? 
by Kerri Miller and Ariana Rosas

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Confederate soldier shirt that saved a Minnesotan is at Historical Society

Confederate soldier shirt that saved a Minnesotan is at Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society has acquired a rare Civil War battlefield relic. The descendants of a Minnesota soldier wounded near Nashville, Tenn., in 1864 have donated a Confederate uniform shirt Henry Mills used to bind his wound, survive the war and return to St. Paul.
by Tim Nelson

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The White House is marking COVID 'Independence Day' with free beer and Bill Pullman

The White House is marking COVID 'Independence Day' with free beer and Bill Pullman

President Biden wanted 70 percent of adults to get their first COVID shot by July 4. America won't quite reach that milestone. But the White House isn't letting that get in the way of a good party.
by Tamara Keith

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Warm but less humid through Friday; hot July Fourth weekend

Warm but less humid through Friday; hot July Fourth weekend

Typical summer warmth will stay with us, but the humidity will be down for a few days. The weekend looks hot with increased humidity. Next week should bring periods of unsettled weather.
by Bill Endersen

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Legislature hits budget home stretch with no time to spare

Lawmakers left themselves with little breathing room to complete a new state budget before a potential shutdown, but the final obstacles are clearing. This is an MPR News morning update for Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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More deaths reported in intense Northwest heat wave

More deaths reported in intense Northwest heat wave

About a dozen deaths in Washington and Oregon may be tied to an intense heat wave that brought scorching temperatures to the Northwest and has caused one power utility to impose rolling blackouts amid heavy demand.
by The Associated Press

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Legislature hits budget home stretch with no spare time

Legislature hits budget home stretch with no spare time

Lawmakers left themselves with little breathing room to complete a new state budget before a potential shutdown. But the final obstacles are clearing.
by Brian Bakst

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The first wave of post-Trump books arrives. And they fight to make sense of the chaos

The first wave of post-Trump books arrives. And they fight to make sense of the chaos

Authors are unearthing fresh details on the pandemic response and election fallout. The difficulty they face discerning the truth and meaning from all of that reflects the turmoil of the Trump years.
by Danielle Kurtzleben

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Inside one Minnesota school district’s battle over an equity training program 

Inside one Minnesota school district’s battle over an equity training program 

Many Minnesota school districts are launching equity programs in an attempt to correct the state’s well-documented and longstanding racial inequalities. But in numerous places, groups of parents and sometimes students are combating those programs. Here’s what happened in Pequot Lakes, a rural, mostly white district in central Minnesota. 
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Journalist Tom Gjelten explores America's immigration story

Retired NPR reporter Tom Gjelten speaks at the College of St. Scholastica about his book, “A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story.”

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