Long-term impact of Walz's executive order blocking mining depends on his successor

An executive order Gov. Tim Walz signed Tuesday blocks copper mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. But whether the ban becomes permanent could depend on Walz's successor.

El Niño is strengthening quickly, according to NOAA, and that could have big implications for Minnesota’s upcoming winter. The Climate Prediction Center now puts the odds above 90 percent that a very strong El Niño will persist through the fall and winter. There’s even a 69 percent chance October through December reaches a historically strong threshold.

A federal judge will hear arguments Wednesday on a request to upend Minnesota's new law banning use of AI to create certain nude images. The law passed this year seeks to punish use of AI technology that permits creation and distribution of fake images of people naked without their consent.

Minnesota and U.S. vaccination rates declined while exemptions are at a record high, according to new data from the CDC. The spike in non-medical exemptions increased by over 150,000 kids nationally. In 2024, exemptions for measles in Minnesota reached an all-time high.

A new MPR News and APM Reports investigation is having a political impact in Liberia. Sekou Dukuly is the managing director of the Liberian National Port Authority and, up until last week, served as the director of three Minnesota group homes. The state has paid group home companies linked to Dukuly at least $36 million over the past decade. The story has been picked up by news outlets in Liberia and is circulating widely on social media.

Walz executive order moves to block copper mining near the Boundary Waters

El Niño strengthens, raising new questions for Minnesota’s winter

MPR News group home investigation roils politics in Minnesota — and Liberia