June flew by and July has brought some seriously summery weather so far. MPR News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard joins Minnesota Now with the forecast for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

There’s a special kind of dread that comes from driving a car that is about to run out of gas or power. That may be why electric vehicle advocates say highways need to have more EV charging stations for people who make the switch to electric. Those advocates had a recent win. A federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to unfreeze funding for EV infrastructure. But Minnesota's funding is still in limbo.

Minnesota was one of 16 states plus the District of Columbia that sued over the funding freeze. But the court order only applied to 14 states, not including Minnesota.

Great Plains Institute Senior EV Policy Specialist Moaz Uddin Mian joins MPR News host Nina Moini to explain.

Public safety measures are ramping up in Minneapolis ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Law enforcement leaders from the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and the state of Minnesota held a press conference Wednesday morning at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis to talk about additional safety measures that will be in place this weekend.

MPR News reporter Matt Sepic attended the press conference joins Minnesota Now with details.

A new 15 percent tax on recreational marijuana products goes into effect July 1. It’s one of the highest taxes on such products in the US. We heard from a business owner and a lawyer on how this could impact the budding industry.

The state’s newest budget lowers funding for Minnesota’s disability waivers system. We learned more about the program and how the measure could impact people with disabilities.

A new Supreme Court ruling allows parents to pull their children from a classroom when public schools use LGBTQ+ plus themed books in lessons. An advocate joined the show to explain.

We heard a conversation with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver on his partnership with the Minnesota Lynx to promote gender equity.

The state Legislature voted to cut funding for nursing homes and the state’s disability waivers system to help balance the budget.

The disability waivers system is linked to Minnesota’s Medicaid program and provides home and community-based services to those with disabilities, helping them live in a community rather than an institution. In 2023, around 70,000 Minnesotans used disability waivers.

Lawmakers say the cuts will “slow the growth” of the program. Linda Wolford, the government relations director for the Minnesota Council on Disability, joined Minnesota Now to explain.

The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with parents who want to pull their children out of the classroom when public schools use LGBTQ+ themed books in lessons.

In recent years, there’s been an uptick in parents asking school boards to ban books, especially ones that feature marginalized sexualities and genders.

Imam Hassan is the advocacy director at Gender Justice in St. Paul. The organization is holding a panel on the results of the decision Tuesday evening.

Hassan joined Minnesota Now to explain how the ruling could play out in Minnesota.

July 1 marks the first day several new laws go into effect. That includes raising the tax on retail marijuana sales. Tax on recreational marijuana products is now 15 percent plus sales tax, jumping from 10 percent prior.

That makes it one of the highest cannabis taxes in the country, according to data compiled by the Tax Foundation.

This increase is coming as the state is starting to hand out its first licenses to business owners.

Jen Randolph Reise is the founder of North Star Cannabis Consulting. Erin Walloch is the CEO of CannaJoyMN, a south Minneapolis store that sells marijuana seeds and hemp-derived products and is in the process of obtaining a micro-business dispensary license.

Both Reise and Walloch joined Minnesota Now to talk about their perspectives on the tax increase.

U.S. Senators are voting Monday on President Donald Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act." The bill proposes major cuts to Medicaid, tax breaks and new money for national defense and immigration enforcement. We'll hear from U.S. Senator Tina Smith in Washington D.C.

General Mills and other major food producers are moving away from the use of artificial dyes in their products. We'll break this trend down with an expert.

Plus, a Minnesotan has a new memoir out about her experience with epilepsy.

And a photographer is turning her passion project into action to protect the state's most iconic bird.

The Timberwolves have re-signed some fan favorites and the Xcel Energy Center has a new name. We'll get the latest sports news from Wally and Eric.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Hand in the Air” by The Gated Community and our Song of the Day was “Villain” by Betty and the Rubble.

You likely know it as “the X” or the Xcel Energy Center. The home of the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Frost now has a new name: Grand Casino Arena. The 14-year naming rights contract begins Sept. 3.

The partnership brings together sports and gambling. Sports betting legislation has failed to pass for two consecutive years at the State Capitol.

Sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined Minnesota Now to talk about the new name, along with the latest players to ink a deal with the Timberwolves and the Lynx dominating performance.

Minnesota-based General Mills is among three major food producers that say they will be pulling artificial dyes from their U.S. products starting in 2027.

The shift comes nearly two months after U.S. health officials said they would encourage food producers to phase out petroleum-based artificial food coloring.

Joanne Slavin, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota joined Minnesota Now to break down this shift.