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Stories from June 17, 2025

Unsubstantiated claims swirled on social media after the shootings of state lawmakers

Unsubstantiated claims swirled on social media after the shootings of state lawmakers

In the hours after the horrific shootings of two state lawmakers, unsubstantiated theories began to spread across social media, pushed by prominent conservative politicians and influencers.
by Lisa Ryan and Ngoc Bui

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Foster youth tell their stories to promote better care

Foster youth tell their stories to promote better care

The Minnesota Promise Report released in early June by the group Foster Advocates draws from the experiences of 120 teens and adults with experience in foster care. It includes common struggles as well as proposed solutions.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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Support pours in for service dog nonprofit that Hortmans volunteered with

Support pours in for service dog nonprofit that Hortmans volunteered with

The Hortman family volunteered for Helping Paws in Eden Prairie, where they ended up adopting their family dog, Gilbert. The golden retriever was killed along with Melissa and Mark on Saturday.
by Nina Moini and Ellie Roth

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Planned Parenthood regional CEO mourns Hortman, fights facility threats

Planned Parenthood regional CEO mourns Hortman, fights facility threats

Ruth Richardson is the CEO of Planned Parenthood of North Central States, as well as a former Minnesota state legislator. She joined Minnesota Now to talk about threats to Planned Parenthood and remember her former colleague Melissa Hortman, who was killed on Saturday.
by Nina Moini and Ellen Finn

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Vigil for slain state Democratic leader Hortman set for Wednesday, as investigators search for a motive

Investigators are still trying to figure out what motivated a man to allegedly target Democratic elected officials in a series of shootings early Saturday morning. Meanwhile, candlelight vigil to honor top state House DFLer Melissa Hortman is planned for Wednesday night on the steps of the state Capitol.
by Emily Reese

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Threat in your medicine cabinet: The FDA’s gamble on America’s drugs

Threat in your medicine cabinet: The FDA’s gamble on America’s drugs

On a sweltering morning in western India in 2022, three U.S. inspectors showed up unannounced at a massive pharmaceutical plant surrounded by barricades and barbed wire and demanded to be let inside.

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Forest Service proposes to more than double Boundary Waters fees

Forest Service proposes to more than double Boundary Waters fees

The Superior National Forest hasn’t raised fees for Boundary Waters trips since 2008, but says the increase is needed to maintain portages and campsites.
by Dan Kraker

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Politics Friday special: Walz, Demuth, Flanagan remember Rep. Melissa Hortman

Politics Friday special: Walz, Demuth, Flanagan remember Rep. Melissa Hortman

Minnesotans are mourning and remembering the life of Rep. Melissa Hortman. MPR News hosts Nina Moini and Brian Bakst walk us through a series of interviews with some of Minnesota’s top political leaders.
by Brian Bakst, Nina Moini, Jeff Jones and Matthew Alvarez

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U.S. abortion clinics are closing even in states where abortion is legal. More cuts could be coming

U.S. abortion clinics are closing even in states where abortion is legal. More cuts could be coming

Three years after the fall of Roe v. Wade, the funding system for abortions is battered. Clinics and the groups that help women pay for abortion and travel costs say contributions have fallen from their peak.
by The Associated Press

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U.S. stocks edge lower as oil prices return to rising

U.S. stocks edge lower as oil prices return to rising

U.S. stocks are nudging lower, and oil prices are rising again. It’s a modest return to form for financial markets after worries had seemed to calm on Wall Street Monday, and the S&P 500 fell 0.3 percent Tuesday.
by The Associated Press

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Which countries currently have nuclear weapons?

There are nine countries that currently either say they have nuclear weapons or are believed to possess them. The first to have nuclear arms were the five original nuclear weapons states — the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom.
by The Associated Press

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The rise of political violence in the U.S.

The rise of political violence in the U.S.

Gov. Walz has called for ‘decency’ after the targeted shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses on Saturday. MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the rise in sharp polarization in the U.S. and the threat of political violence. 
by Angela Davis and Cari Dwyer

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Morning Announcements for June 17

Morning Announcements for June 17

These are the Morning Announcements for Tuesday, June 17. Tell us what you’re celebrating!
by MPR News Staff

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Supreme Court faces new headwinds with roughly 2 weeks left in the term

Supreme Court faces new headwinds with roughly 2 weeks left in the term

Some 20 cases remain to be decided — about a third of the total argued cases — many of them the most important of the term. But the shadow docket, with its own list of cases, looms over the other opinions.
by Nina Totenberg

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Russia pummels Kyiv with drones and missiles, killing at least 15

Russia pummels Kyiv with drones and missiles, killing at least 15

The attacks was one of the largest on Ukraine’s capital in months. It came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for the G7 summit in Canada, where he is pushing for stronger sanctions on Russia.
by Joanna Kakissis

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Trump says he won't call Minnesota Gov. Walz after lawmaker shootings because it would 'waste time'

Trump says he won't call Minnesota Gov. Walz after lawmaker shootings because it would 'waste time'

President Donald Trump says he won’t call Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after the targeted shootings of two state lawmakers because it would “waste time.” The Republican president spoke to reporters early Tuesday aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after abruptly leaving an international summit in Canada.
by The Associated Press and MPRNews Staff

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Minnesota lawmaker shooting suspect Vance Boelter charged in federal court

Vance Boelter has been charged in federal court with the targeted murder of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Some of the federal charges that Boelter faces are punishable by life in prison or the death penalty, if he’s convicted.
by Phil Picardi

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Cooler Tuesday, still unsettled this week ahead of a hot weekend

Cooler Tuesday, still unsettled this week ahead of a hot weekend

It’ll be cooler and less humid Tuesday. Unsettled weather lingers through Friday with more rain and storm chances. Heat and humidity build in for the weekend. 
by Sven Sundgaard

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Northern Minnesota forest recovering from May wildfires, but lakes could suffer for years

Northern Minnesota forest recovering from May wildfires, but lakes could suffer for years

The woods are already starting to regenerate in the area scorched by the Camp House Fire near Brimson, Minn. But researchers worry ash and fine sediment washing into lakes and streams could lead to future water quality problems.
by Dan Kraker

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Rep. Melissa Hortman’s mentor remembers her rise to House Speaker

Rep. Melissa Hortman’s mentor remembers her rise to House Speaker

Margaret Anderson Kelliher was the House Speaker from 2007 to 2011 — and was a close friend, colleague and mentor to Hortman, who was found with her husband Mark, both fatally shot in their home early Saturday morning.
by Catharine Richert and Gretchen Brown

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