Minnesota Now

U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will light up Monday night with the Vikings playing the Buffalo Bills. This could be a turning point for Minnesota: either they return to their early-season winning pattern or lose their second game in a row. Starting quarterback Kyler Murray is out with an injury. The Timberwolves are on a winning streak, winning four in a row. And they now are playing eights games in a row at home court, the longest home stretch in franchise history. Joining Minnesota Now to talk about all things Minnesota sports are our weekly sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

Stephen Miller has taken the helm as President Donald Trump's chief of staff. We'll hear more from a reporter about his role shaping the administration's aggressive immigration agenda and his push against supposed fraud among Somali Minnesotans.From Stephen Miller to midterm candidates, we'll dig deeper into how anti-Somali rhetoric is animating politics and showed up in campaigns leading up to last week's election.Plus, Democrats won big last week, but just how big? We'll ask an expert about how things have played out in the past and what the midterm results signal for what's ahead.And we'll hear about the reopening of a stretch of Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis and why it's taken 50 years.Plus, it’s Monday night football for the Vikings, without their starting quarterback. Our Minnesota Music Minute was “drip dry” by bugsy and our Song of the Day was “Devil You Know” by Winterstate.

Democrats scored major victories across the country in Tuesday's midterm elections, flipping seats that had been held by Republicans for decades. They won control of both the U.S. House and Senate, picked up governorships and made significant gains in state legislatures. So how big was this wave, and what might history tell us about what comes next after a wave like this? Andrew Karch is a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. He joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to put the election into historical perspective.

Monday is Stephen Miller's first day as the White House chief of staff. He was tapped for the role by President Trump shortly after Democrats swept the midterm election. He's been one of Trump's closest advisers for years, and a driving force behind the administration's hard-line anti-immigration policies. A new report from The Washington Sun shows how Miller pushed federal officials to focus specifically on alleged fraud among Somali Minnesotans, and how that effort became intertwined with Operation Metro Surge last winter. Natalie Alms reported the story and joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about Miller’s tenure during the second Trump administration.

Republicans in Minnesota and beyond echoed President Donald Trump in fixating on Somali Minnesotans ahead of the midterms. Governor candidate Lisa Demuth and U.S. Senate candidate Michelle Tafoya made "Somali gangs" a key campaign issue. Ads supporting Tafoya also denounced quote "Somali fraudsters" and attacked Democrat and Gov.-elect Amy Klobuchar for speaking a few words in Somali to a crowd. Voters, meanwhile, elected Democrats to statewide seats and majorities in the Minnesota legislature – including several Somali candidates. Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about how anti-Somali campaign rhetoric played out is University of Minnesota political scientist Michael Minta.

Minnesota Now’s series called “Thank You, Stranger” explores the small acts of kindness that make a big impact.Kyrra Rankine’s morning started off like any other — then she found out her car had been towed. It was a classic bad day, the kind that any of us could have. But the kindness she encountered in the aftermath only comes along once in a while.Minnesota Now producer Aleesa Kuznetsov spoke with Rankine about the help she received in this installment of “Thank You, Stranger.”If you have a story to share about a stranger who made your life a little brighter, we want to hear it.Contact us at [email protected].

A southern Minnesota congressional race is too close to call. Democrat Jake Johnson has around 300 votes more than Republican incumbent Brad Finstad. That likely means it’s headed for a recount. We talked to the Secretary of State about how the recount process works.With a new ICE detention facility opening in Minnesota soon, lawyers and immigrant advocates are gathering to discuss detention and deportation. From the Covid-19 pandemic to George Floyd to political and mass shootings, and Operation Metro Surge — Minnesota has been through a lot. We learned about a new report on collective trauma in the state.Plus, how the annual “Girlhood Summit” is helping youth gain new skills and find community.The Minnesota Music Minute was Maurice Ravel’s “A Barque Upon the Ocean” performed by the Minnesota Orchestra.

On Saturday, some 200 middle and high school-aged girls and gender-expansive youth from across Minnesota will come together for the third annual “Girlhood Summit.”It’s a day-long event organized by the Ann Bancroft Foundation. And young people will get the chance to learn about everything from personal finance to managing stress and bringing their ideas to life. We heard more about the summit from Ethelind Kaba, executive director of the Ann Bancroft Foundation, and Madeline Lemmer, who has been involved with the summit since the first year and is this year’s volunteer coordinator.

Minnesotans know that the state has been through a lot over the past six years. The COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, fraud scandals, the Annunciation Catholic School shooting, the killings of Melissa and Mark Hortman and Operation Metro Surge. It’s kept the state under a microscope — and affected each of us in very different ways. A new report from the mental health advocacy group NAMI Minnesota looks at what happens when traumatic events affect not just individuals, but entire communities, and when those experiences start to pile up. Marcus Schmit, executive director of NAMI Minnesota, joined Minnesota Now to talk more about their latest report.

The most recent data from the Deportation Data Project shows more than 2,300 non-citizens who were arrested in Minnesota during the federal immigration enforcement operation this winter were deported or left the country.Immigration lawyers and advocates are still working with people who have been deported or are in ICE custody — navigating the complex legal system that comes with it. That’s the focus of a University of Minnesota Law school forum taking place Friday. Sarah Brenes, executive director of the Binger Center for New Americans at the U of M, spoke with MPR News host Nina Moini about the event.