Stories from June 17, 2025

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Kraft Heinz to remove artificial dyes from all products, like Jell-O and Kool-Aid
By 2027, Kraft Heinz says all artificial food dyes will be replaced with natural colors. The move comes two months after federal officials called on food companies to stop using synthetic dyes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
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.
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.
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.
 Threats to lawmakers are on the rise, security officials tell senators
Threats to members of Congress are on the rise, security officials told senators at an emergency briefing in the wake of the killing of a Minnesota state lawmaker in her home over the weekend.
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.
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.
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.
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