The presidential nomination race is shifting ahead to New Hampshire after former President Donald Trump’s convincing win in Iowa Monday night. The Republican field continues to shrink. Minnesota voters will soon have their turn but there could be very few candidates still standing by the time Minnesota ballots get counted. MPR News reporter Clay Masters has his eyes on the race and was in Iowa as the results rolled in Monday night. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer live from Des Moines.

Twin Cities Uber and Lyft drivers are going on strike in the next hour. We’ll learn about the demands of the metro area’s diverse rideshare driver population.

Plus, MPR has a new senior politics reporter. We'll get to know him better.

After a merger deal between healthcare providers Sanford and Fairview fell apart last year, a state taskforce is pushing for a new deal. We'll hear the latest from the taskforce chair.

The University of Minnesota is also working on returning artifacts taken from Native American gravesites. We’ll hear about how the process is going.

And let’s just say the Vikings didn’t have their best season, luckily we've got The Timberwolves and the undefeated PWHL to root for. More on that from our sports contributors.

That’s a wrap on the Vikings season and the team is looking ahead — to London. The NFL announced Thursday morning that Minnesota is one of four teams set to play internationally next season.

Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the Vikings' prospects in 2024, the continued success of Minnesota's new women's hockey team, and other sports news.

Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and co-host of the sports talk show Ten Thousand Takes. Eric is the other host of that show and Vikings reporter for CBS Sports radio's Eye on the NFL.

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A group of Uber and Lyft drivers will begin a one-day strike on Thursday. Drivers will shut off their rideshare apps and won’t take riders to or from the airport and the Twin Cities. Up to 2,000 independent drivers across the state are expected to go offline from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., ending the day with a rally.

Sahan Journal reporter Alfonzo Galvan has been covering this story and joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer with more perspective on what’s happening today and what’s at stake.

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  From Sahan Journal Ahead of planned strike, Lyft announces it will give Twin Cities drivers a minimum fare
  
  

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Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google 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.

New regulations will go in place Friday as part of the Native American Grave Protection Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA. 33 years ago congress passed NAGPRA to prevent grave looting and push museums to return human remains and items excavated from Native American gravesites back to tribes. But there have been loopholes preventing this. And the new regulations hope to close that loophole.

According to a Pro-Publica database, The University of Minnesota’s Weisman Art Museum, The Minnesota Historical Society and the Goodhue County Historical Society are among some of the institutions in Minnesota that have Native remains from across the country.

To explain more about the process and the impact of these new rules is University of Minnesota professor of Anthropology Kat Hayes, who specializes in Archaeological ethics and repatriation.

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We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

We have a new face on the MPR News politics team. The talented Clay Masters is joining as a senior politics reporter. Clay was previously at Iowa Public Radio as the host of Morning Edition. And this week is his first week with Minnesota Public Radio. And he’s hitting the ground running with covering the Iowa Caucuses.

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Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google 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.

So many firsts are being celebrated in St. Paul today as the all-female city council meets this afternoon for the first time. Much attention has been given to the all-female council, but it’s members are also young. All seven members are under the age of 40. Six are women of color. Leading the council, in her first meeting as that body’s president, is Mitra Jalali. She represents Ward 4.

Newly elected Council President Jalali joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer from a busy day at city hall.

The long-running band the Mubbla Buggs will join a host of other Minneapolis favorites Friday to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the iconic Cedar Cultural Center. Since it opened in the city’s Cedar Riverside neighborhood in 1989, the Cedar has hosted musicians from hundreds of countries.

Eric Hohn has been a sound tech at the Cedar for the past 27 years and he is a founding member of the Mubbla Buggs, who are headlining the anniversary show. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to tell some stories of the band and the venue.

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Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google 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.

St. Paul is celebrating its first ever all-women city council meeting this afternoon. The newly elected council president is here to talk about it.

Multiple salmonella outbreaks have made Minnesotans sick. Experts say foodborne illness has increased over the past few years. We get more on why.

It’s finally starting to feel like January. We take a look at the upcoming weather report.

We hear from an entrepreneur who has some good ideas about coffee and camping.

Plus, an international music venue celebrates 35 years.

The federal government is looking into three salmonella outbreaks that have made several Minnesotans and many other people across the country sick. Three people in the state died and more than 20 became ill after eating tainted cantaloupe late last year.

Just last week a brand of charcuterie meats was recalled after two dozen people got sick, including in Minnesota. And back in November there was an outbreak in dog food, affecting pet owners who touched the food or their dog’s saliva.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that cases of foodborne illness declined during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. But by 2022, the latest year for which data is available, they had increased to levels seen before the pandemic.

Lisa Robinson, Vice President of Global Food Safety and Public Health at Minnesota-based EcoLab, is well-versed in health and safety issues in the complicated system that churns out much of our food. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain.