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Stories from July 3, 2025

Warm night ahead sets the stage for sizzling Fourth of July

Warm night ahead sets the stage for sizzling Fourth of July

A mild, muggy Thursday night will lead us into a hot July 4 holiday. Temperatures will climb back into the 90s, with heat advisories in effect for parts of the state. There’s also an increasing risk for severe thunderstorms Thursday night and Friday night.
by Mandy Thalhuber

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Here are the nonfiction books NPR staffers have loved so far this year

Here are the nonfiction books NPR staffers have loved so far this year

A deep dive on gossip. Revolutionary history. A meditation on muscle. A closer look at the color blue. And memoirs galore. There’s something for everyone on this nonfiction summer reading list.
by Meghan Collins Sullivan and Beth Novey

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U.S. House passes budget bill

Minnesota's U.S. House members split along party lines on a tax and budget bill that President Donald Trump plans to quickly sign.
by Emily Reese

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How a community saved a Bemidji wedding after disastrous storm

How a community saved a Bemidji wedding after disastrous storm

When severe weather struck Bemidji, it left Bluebelle Event Venue without power or water and vendors scrambling on the day of a 265-guest wedding.
by Ellen Finn

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6 new books out this week, including true stories of trailblazers

6 new books out this week, including true stories of trailblazers

For many working adults, the summer can often feel the same as the rest of the year. So, maybe our idea of a “summer read” should encompass a wider swath of books? Here are a few out this week.
by Colin Dwyer

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Behind the scenes of the Minnesota company putting on 68 July Fourth fireworks displays

Behind the scenes of the Minnesota company putting on 68 July Fourth fireworks displays

It is a busy time of year for RES Pyro based in Belle Plaine. They are behind many fireworks displays statewide. They also manufacture fireworks for displays worldwide, including the Super Bowl and Tokyo Disneyland.
by Nina Moini and Aleesa Kuznetsov

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Lawsuit challenges new Minnesota law requiring prescription drugs for county jail inmates

Lawsuit challenges new Minnesota law requiring prescription drugs for county jail inmates

The law’s opponents say the law requires health care providers to give inmates medicine even if they think it could worsen their health. Supporters say it's needed to ensure inmates are provided with the medicine they need.
by Mark Zdechlik

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Minnesota counties worry about cost shifts from Trump's big bill

Minnesota counties worry about cost shifts from Trump's big bill

Minnesota is one of 10 states where counties administer Medicaid and SNAP benefits. St. Louis County estimates it will have to pay an additional $16.4 million to be able to continue providing benefits to residents.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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Supreme Court will take up a new case about which school sports teams transgender students can join

Supreme Court will take up a new case about which school sports teams transgender students can join

Just two weeks ago, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. On Thursday, the justices said they'll review lower court rulings in favor of transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia. The case will be argued in the fall.
by The Associated Press

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Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother killed in a car accident in Spain

Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother killed in a car accident in Spain

Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother were killed in a car accident in Spain. The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed to The Associated Press that Jota and his brother were found dead after their car went off a road near the northwestern city of Zamora.
by The Associated Press

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Wisconsin governor signs budget in early morning to secure Medicaid funds

Wisconsin governor signs budget in early morning to secure Medicaid funds

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a new two-year budget in the early morning hours Thursday in a race against Congress to ensure the state gets a federal Medicaid match that it would lose under President Trump's tax and spending cuts package.
by The Associated Press

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Twins snap Marlins’eight-game winning streak with 2-1 victory

Twins snap Marlins’eight-game winning streak with 2-1 victory

Brooks Lee and Carlos Correa drove in runs to back a strong start by Simeon Woods Richardson, and the Minnesota Twins beat Miami 2-1 on Wednesday night to end the Marlins’ eight-game win streak.
by The Associated Press

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Morning Announcements for July 3

Morning Announcements for July 3

These are the Morning Announcements for Thursday, July 3. Tell us what you’re celebrating!
by MPR News Staff

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The House gives final approval to Trump's big tax bill and sends it to him to sign

The House gives final approval to Trump's big tax bill and sends it to him to sign

House Republicans have propelled President Donald Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill to final congressional passage. Republicans overcame multiple setbacks to approve his signature second-term policy package Thursday before a Fourth of July deadline.
by The Associated Press

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How a GOP rift over tech regulation doomed a ban on state AI laws in Trump’s tax bill

How a GOP rift over tech regulation doomed a ban on state AI laws in Trump’s tax bill

A stark disagreement over regulating AI in Republicans’ tax cut and spending bill is the latest tension among conservatives about whether to let states continue to put guardrails on emerging technologies or minimize such interference.
by The Associated Press

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Guide to summer birdwatching: What to look and listen for

Guide to summer birdwatching: What to look and listen for

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Sharon Stiteler, also known as "the Birdchick," about summer birdwatching — what to look for, where to go, and why this season is more active than you might think.
by Angela Davis and Cari Dwyer

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Iconic Palmer’s Bar in Minneapolis announces it will close in September

Iconic Palmer’s Bar in Minneapolis announces it will close in September

The 119-year-old Minneapolis gathering place and music venue Palmer’s Bar announced on social media late Wednesday that its final day of business will be Sept. 14. Palmer’s dates back to 1906.
by MPR News Staff

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Minneapolis police hope to avoid a repeat of last three years’ Fourth of July mayhem

Communities across Minnesota will be celebrating the Fourth of July with parades, picnics and fireworks displays. While most fireworks are Friday night, a few cities will get an early jump on the holiday with shows Thursday. Minneapolis police are hoping to avoid a repeat of the mayhem that plagued the last three July Fourth holidays.
by Phil Picardi

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Red Panda has fractured left wrist, released from hospital after fall at WNBA game

Red Panda has fractured left wrist, released from hospital after fall at WNBA game

Red Panda, the popular performer who fell off her unicycle and crashed to the court during intermission of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx, has a broken left wrist and will need further consultation with an orthopedic surgeon, the agency that represents her said Wednesday.
by The Associated Press

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Temperatures and dew points rise with storms late Friday

Temperatures and dew points rise with storms late Friday

It’ll be another warmer-than-normal day with highs near 90 across southern Minnesota. Friday will be hot and very humid. Storms develop late Friday into Friday night and Saturday. 
by Sven Sundgaard

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Prosecution moves forward after alleged Hortman assassin waives hearings

Prosecution moves forward after alleged Hortman assassin waives hearings

Vance Boelter made another brief appearance in a St. Paul federal courtroom Thursday, where he waived his right to the hearings that had been scheduled. Boelter is charged with killing former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
by Matt Sepic

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Review: The Guthrie’s ‘Cabaret’ is a chilling look at how fascism happens

Review: The Guthrie’s ‘Cabaret’ is a chilling look at how fascism happens

The Guthrie Theater’s production of “Cabaret” uses its familiar songs and story to show how escaping into entertainment can dull resistance to rising fascism, drawing clear parallels to today’s authoritarian threats.
by Jacob Aloi

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After six years, on Fourth of July this lighthouse beacon will again sweep across Lake Superior

After six years, on Fourth of July this lighthouse beacon will again sweep across Lake Superior

The old light broke in 2019. Volunteer lighthouse keepers raised $50,000 to purchase a new LED light from a Finnish company that mimics the historic lighthouse’s sweeping pattern across Agate Bay.
by Dan Kraker

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Radio Camp 2025 explores the work of Loft Literary Center writers and those who support them

Radio Camp 2025 explores the work of Loft Literary Center writers and those who support them

Radio Camp this year focused on writers of fiction, poetry and memoir and the Minneapolis center where many teach. The Loft Literary Center offered interviewees so high school students could learn to research, interview and produce radio stories.
by MPR News Staff

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Recipe scavenger hunt takes you to historic sites across the state

Recipe scavenger hunt takes you to historic sites across the state

The Minnesota Historical Society has a new cookbook. But there’s a catch — all of the recipe cards are missing! All Things Considered host Clay Masters spoke with Jacob Rorem from MNHS to get more information on the so-called recipe adventure.
by Clay Masters and Ngoc Bui

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