Social Issues

Minnesota poll: Majority of Minnesotans believe police are biased against Black people
A majority of Minnesotans say that the criminal justice system doesn’t treat Black and white people equally and that George Floyd’s death was a sign of broader problems in policing, according to the newly released MPR News/Star Tribune/KARE-11 Minnesota Poll.
Savanna's Act addresses alarming number of missing or killed Native women
Sarah Deer, citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and University of Kansas professor, discusses the measures to strengthen investigation procedures and why it's taken so long to address the issue.
Officer charged in Breonna Taylor case pleads not guilty
The lone Kentucky detective charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor has pleaded not guilty. Brett Hankison’s plea Monday comes five days after a grand jury indicted him on three counts of “wanton endangerment” for firing into the home of Taylor’s neighbors. 
Al Sharpton: Policing in America will change because of George Floyd's death
Rev. Al Sharpton spoke with NPR about his new book “Rise Up.” Of George Floyd's death, he said: "I had begun to see, by the time of the funeral, there had been a movement that was unlike others."
A crisis within a crisis: Food insecurity and COVID-19
Hunger is one of the most urgent — yet hidden — crises facing the nation. In this special episode of All Things Considered, a look at how food insecurity has been exacerbated by the coronavirus.
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. households struck by COVID-19 face financial trouble
Plus, of all U.S. homes that include someone with a disability, 63 percent report serious financial hardship during the pandemic, and 37 percent have used up all or most of their savings.
D.C. statehood is a civil rights issue for young activists
There is renewed energy around the push to make the District of Columbia the nation's 51st state. Much of that energy comes from young activists who see it as a civil rights issue.
'I have no faith in the legal system,' Breonna Taylor's mother says
"I was reassured Wednesday of why I have no faith in the legal system, in the police, in the law," Tamika Palmer said in a statement. "They are not made to protect us Black and brown people."
COVID-19 fact-finding leads to threats against health workers in Minnesota
Racism and implied threats of violence have stopped the work of public health care workers on a project looking at how the coronavirus spreads. That includes an incident in far southeastern Minnesota where workers were confronted by three men, one with a holstered gun.
Officials plead for calm amid anger over Breonna Taylor case
A new round of demonstrations in U.S. cities was set off by outrage over a grand jury’s failure to bring homicide charges against the officers who burst into the Black woman’s apartment six months ago.