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Pro-life and pro-choice advocates gather at the Capitol

DFL steams ahead at MN Capitol, GOP brands it ‘extreme’

With Democrats using their majorities at the Minnesota Capitol to pass a flurry of bills, Republicans are left trying to slow things down and attempt to paint the DFL as outside the mainstream.
a sheriff and a firefighter next to their vehicles

3 injured at home building site explosion in East Bethel

The three injured men were taken to Hennepin Healthcare, one by helicopter and two by ambulance. Their conditions were unknown as of late morning, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office said.
Hockey players wave their sticks after finishing a game

‘It’s really saving folks’: Meet Minnesota’s first all-trans, nonbinary hockey team

Team Trans Twin Cities is the only ice hockey team in Minnesota made up of all transgender and nonbinary players. They scrimmaged at the Xcel Energy Center Jan. 31 and talked empowerment, friendship and trans joy.
A person reacts to standing in frigid lake water

Winter Play: The anticipation, anguish and magic of ice dipping

As MPR News staff fanned out across the state to experience cold weather activities they had never tried for the Winter Play series, Regina Medina and Elizabeth Shockman took a transformative plunge in Lake Harriet.
a man an a woman sit down together and smile

Guthrie stages Black joy with 'Blues for an Alabama Sky'

The play follows four African Americans living in Harlem at the tail end of the Harlem Renaissance as they fight to achieve their dreams. “What I love about this play is that we actually see some dreams come true, which is not the norm,” says actor Kimberly Marable.
man walking among rubble

Powerful quake rocks Turkey and Syria, kills more than 3,400

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake has rocked wide swaths of Turkey and neighboring Syria, killing more than 3,400 people and injuring thousands more. 
An illegal gold mine in Brazil.

Brazil cracks down on illegal gold miners on an indigenous reserve in the Amazon

The illegal miners have polluted rivers and land in the reserve, leading to widespread hunger and disease.
Rocks near Bardon Peak

The search for life on Mars goes through Duluth

Since Mars’ surface is especially iron-rich, a researcher looked for comparable iron-rich rocks on Earth to see how much hydrogen they produced. Rocks like this are rare on Earth, but they can be found in Duluth.
an eagle chick with mouth open

10 years later, DNR's nest cam still turning Minnesotans into eagles fans

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is celebrating 10 years of its popular eagle cam, an annual livestream of life and death in a bald eagle nest.
  • Nearly halfOf U.S. bald eagles suffer lead poisoning
  • The bald eagle is backStill faces environmental threats
Side view of an Amtrak passenger car.

Lawmakers discuss proposed passenger rail line between Duluth and Minneapolis

The Northern Lights Express would run between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports, with stops along the way in Coon Rapids, Cambridge and Hinckley.
Gaziantep Castle, a historic site and tourist attraction in southeastern Turkey, sustained significant damage in Monday's earthquake.

A Turkish castle that withstood centuries of invasions is damaged in the earthquake

Gaziantep Castle in southeastern Turkey dates back to the Hittite Empire and in modern times has been a museum and tourist attraction. Parts of the building were destroyed by Monday's earthquake.
Two people walk by a "vote here" sign.

Gen Z's political power: New data gives insight into America's youngest voters

Generation Z, which turned out in large numbers along with millennials last election, is still new to politics. A report exclusively obtained by NPR adds more context to the youngest voting block.
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, middle, is flanked behind by Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, left, and Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, right, at Hobbs' state of the state address on Jan. 9, 2023, in Phoenix.

Busing migrants was a partisan lightning rod. Here's why Democrats have embraced it

Republican governors started the practice of transporting migrants from the U.S. southern border, but Democratic leaders have run with it. They say it's a humanitarian service, not a political stunt.
President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy listen to a sermon as they sit together at the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 2.

The State of the Union will showcase the state of the Biden-McCarthy relationship

President Joe Biden developed a strong working relationship with Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell over the years. The same isn't true for Biden and new Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Eileen and Louise both got COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic in New York. Eileen ended up on a ventilator for two months and then spent five months in a rehab hospital. Louise fought the illness at home as hospitals started filling up.

Family caregivers of people with long COVID bear an extra burden

When a case of COVID-19 morphs into the mysterious, chronic condition known as long COVID, the specialists, appointments, medications and daily need for family care can overwhelm everyone involved.
This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, are still on fire at mid-day Saturday.

Officials urge evacuation near the Ohio train derailment, fearing an explosion

Officials watching the wreckage of a derailed train in Ohio warned nearby residents to evacuate Sunday night, saying a rail car was at risk of an explosion that could launch deadly shrapnel.
Beyoncé accepts best dance/electronic music album for RENAISSANCE during the 65th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday. The prize gave her 32 Grammys, the most of any artist in the awards' history.

Beyoncé sets a new Grammy record, while Harry Styles wins album of the year

With four new prizes tonight, the megastar has now won more Grammys than any other artist in the awards' 65-year history. But Harry Styles took home the evening's biggest prize.
Business owner "Annie" weights down copies of the Chinese Daily News newspaper showcasing pictures of a suspected Chinese spy balloon, in the Chinatown district of Los Angeles Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023.

China accuses the U.S. of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down of balloon

China on Monday accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force when the American military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the weekend.

Ramsey County must reduce jail capacity, state orders

The move came after a state investigation into complaints from Ramsey County Public Health officials that inmates in need of emergency medical care were not getting it.
The Chinese balloon became the subject of a sketch in the most recent episode of "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 4.

Hours after its demise, the Chinese spy balloon was the star of the SNL cold open

"Saturday Night Live" kicked off its latest episode with an exclusive interview with the downed balloon, played by cast member Bowen Yang.
  • EarlierU.S. downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris
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