Following xenophobic comments from President Donald Trump and an immigration operation targeting some Somalis in the Twin Cities, a local Somali Republican with aspirations to run for office is now questioning his political future.

With the first half of the school year winding down, mental health and addiction struggles are becoming unmanageable for some students. We checked in with a counselor in Chisago county.

We also learned more about St. Paul's growing homeless encampment as temperatures reach frigid lows.

And mountain lion sightings led two Duluth schools to go into lockdown Wednesday. We got more details about the big cat.

Plus, a tour of the hard-won University of Minnesota's men's gymnastics gym.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “The Holly and the Ivy” arranged and performed by Peter Ostroushko. Our Song of the Day was “Hans Painted with Flowers” by Steven J. Schmidt.

A mountain lion has been spotted in Duluth and along the North Shore. Two Duluth schools went into lockdown yesterday because the big cat was nearby. MPR News Duluth bureau reporter Dan Kraker spoke to John Erb, a wildlife researcher with the DNR about where this mountain lion came from and where it may be headed.

We're nearing the end of the semester for high school students in Minnesota. It's a time when social groups are solidified, finals are coming up, and stressors are starting to catch up to some students.

While the majority of schools have mental health services, there are still many gaps. Nonprofit mental health workers are teaming up with public schools to make sure students have the support they need.

Minnesota Now checked in with one as the semester comes to a close. Nicholas Karlstad is a youth peer support specialist with Know The Truth for middle and high schools in Chisago County. He shared more about his work with host Nina Moini.

Just east of downtown St. Paul, near Pig's Eye Park along the river, people at a homeless encampment are facing this winter's first subzero temperatures. Recent reports say the camp has grown in the last six months and comes at a time when several St. Paul shelters say they're at capacity. It's a site that's far away from many homeless support services and organizations.

Volunteers and the city's homeless response team have been regularly coming to the camp to provide supplies and support. Minnesota Now host Nina Moini spoke with St. Paul's director of safety and inspections, Angie Wiese, to learn more about the situation.

For more information on warming spaces available in Ramsey County, visit the county’s website.

Minnesota is in national news due to President Donald Trump’s recent targeting of the state’s Somali population.

In a cabinet meeting this week, the president made xenophobic and racist comments about Somali people. MPR News is also following reports that the White House is sending federal agents to the Twin Cities to arrest Somali immigrants who have final deportation orders.

All of this has spread fear among Somali Minnesotans, most of whom are U.S. citizens or green card holders.

Salman Fiqy, who is Somali, threw his energy into campaigning for Republican candidates in his Somali community in the south Twin Cities metro during the 2024 election. This was after he had ended an unsuccessful campaign for a Republican house seat.

Results from the 2024 presidential election showed Democrats lost support in Minneapolis neighborhoods with high numbers of Somali voters. A survey from that time also showed growing support for the Republican party.

Since President Donald Trump’s recent xenophobic comments, Fiqy has shared that he can no longer support the party. Salman Fiqy spoke with host Nina Moini more about his decision.

The University of Minnesota Men’s Gymnastics Club has a new 14,000 square foot facility in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood.

The program was dropped by the University back in 2020, meaning they were out of the NCAA and had no monetary support from the school. Then in 2024, they got kicked out of their campus facility and were forced to commute up to 40 minutes to different gyms around the metro.

Now, for the first time, they have their own home gym. Minnesota Now got the chance to tour it and learn how the team has been able to vault to new heights.

The Somali community is at the center of a reported ICE operation in the Twin Cities, bringing fear to a community of 80,000 people. We spoke to state senator Omar Fateh, who represents many Somali Minnesotans and is Somali himself. Plus, we checked in with a Minneapolis Imam and a Somali Minneapolis police sergeant about how community leaders are responding.

MPR News reporter Jon Collins was also out in the Somali community, asking what they've seen in the last 24 hours.

Plus, temperatures are plummeting due to arctic air in our region. MPR meteorologist Brandon Weatherz gave us the details on how long these cold temperatures will last.

And, a local author is bringing together the first refugee writing cohort. We learned more about the project ahead of their first event Wednesday.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Lullaby” by Low and our Song of the Day was “Cerulean” by Ocean Blue.

Over the past six months, a group of seven writers have been working together under the mentorship of local author Kao Kalia Yang. But these aren’t just any writers, they are all refugees.

The cohort will share their work for the first time at the East Side Freedom Library in St. Paul on Wednesday night.

Kao Kalia Yang and Pa Zao Vang, one of the writers from the workshop, joined host Nina Moini to share more about the project.

Fear has rippled through the state's East African community following reports of an immigration enforcement push in the Twin Cities targeting Somali immigrants who have final deportation orders.

The New York Times and the Associated Press reported Tuesday morning that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will send 100 federal agents to the Twin Cities this week and that the operation could sweep up legal residents including U.S. citizens.

Most of Minnesota’s 80,000 Somali residents are U.S. citizens or legal residents. A much smaller number in the hundreds have temporary protected status, a designation President Donald Trump has said he will end for Somali immigrants in Minnesota.

For perspective, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with three leaders of the Minneapolis Somali community, State Senator Omar Fateh, Imam Hassan Jama and police sergeant Mukhtar Abdulkadir.

Read the full reporting at MPRNews.org.

The Trump administration is pointing negative rhetoric and government action at Somali Minnesotans. The White House is citing the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal to cast suspicion on Somali immigrants. We got some perspective from a Twin Cities professor who is a leading expert on Somali studies.

St. Paul police and federal agents have used chemical irritants to control crowds at two sites of federal immigration arrests recently. We talked to a doctor who has studied the impact of products like tear gas and pepper spray on human health.

We learned how Minnesota fruit growers are trying to adapt to a changing climate.

A Minnesota horror writer has a special delivery. It’s a novel in the form of a newspaper, delivered over 12 months.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “4th” by FPA and our Song of the Day was “Radio” by Laura Hugo.