Minnesota Now

We are just under three weeks away from the primary. Leading up to August 13th, we’re taking a look at some races that our politics team will be keeping and eye on. We start with congressional district seven.

Two-term U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach carved out a solidly conservative reputation at the state capitol before winning a western Minnesota congressional seat four years ago. Yet some in her party don't think Fischbach is conservative enough, and they're backing challenger Steve Boyd in the primary. The winner will be heavily favored to secure the seat in November. MPR senior politics reporter Clay Masters joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to break down the race.

One of the nation’s strictest abortion laws is now in effect in Iowa and Minnesota clinics are preparing for an increase in patients from across the border. Twenty percent of patients in Minnesota abortion clinics were from out of state last year, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Now that Iowa prohibits most abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, that number will likely increase.

Professor Laura Harrison is the director of Gender and Women’s Studies at Minnesota State University Mankato, she joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the impact to Minnesota.

Vice President Kamala Harris is considering Gov. Tim Walz as a running mate in her presidential campaign. We hear about his chances.

If you’re on the internet a lot, you’ve probably seen the Charli XCX Brat memes circulating on social media. Our Gen Z voter panel is back with their thoughts.

It’s been one year since marijuana legalization and expungement efforts are still underway ... we hear from one attorney on how that work is changing the course of people’s lives.

There are less than 24 hours to go until the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. More than two dozen athletes with ties to Minnesota will be competing in the summer games, we hear who they are.

It’s been a whirlwind of a week in politics. And it’s carried Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz onto the national stage, with appearances on PBS News Hour, MSNBC and Fox News and a number of other news outlets. It could be part of an audition of sorts. He’s one of the people being considered as a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris.

We wanted to get some perspective from someone closer to Washington, but who knows Minnesota. Aaron Blake is a senior political reporter for the Washington Post, where he writes for The Fix and co-hosts the podcast The Campaign Moment. He’s also a University of Minnesota graduate who covered politics for the Star Tribune. Blake joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain where Walz is positioned in the Vice President landscape.

There are just under 24 hours to go until the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics. And more than two dozen athletes with ties to Minnesota will be competing in the summer games.

Plus, football season is here, with training camp underway for the Minnesota Vikings.

Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric Nelson is the other host of that show and Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS' Eye on Football and Sirius XM. They joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share what they’re watching in Minnesota sports.

We all need a little help to get through life sometimes. From everyday questions to more complex problems, we’re asking the experts to lend us a hand.

Throughout the series Professional Help, we’ll hear some direct advice, for us not-so-direct Minnesotans.

Our ask: Help me drink more water.

Our professional:  Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Mayo Clinic.

It’s pretty clear that water bottles have become much more than containers. They’re fun accessories that can bring us joy and convey something about our personal style. And companies are well aware of this.

In the age of Stanley, Hydro Flask, Owala, Yeti, Swell and Nalgene, how much water do we actually need? How much is too much? And what about for people like me, who struggle to drink enough water even knowing it’s critical to keeping our bodies running and feeling healthy throughout the day — how can we do better?

We’re approaching the one year anniversary of the legalization of recreational marijuana. On top of businesses readying themselves to sell marijuana, the state cannabis review board has been hard at work looking at who is eligible to have marijuana-related criminal incidents expunged from their record. It’s a process that will change the lives of hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans with criminal records.

Jon Geffen has been working to expunge marijuana charges from Minnesotan’s records. He is director of the Legal Revolution Law Firm in Minneapolis. Geffen joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain the efforts still underway to expunge records.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ first election ad came out Thursday, but it’s internet-made videos that are taking social media by storm. Harris’ sudden rise as a favorite for the Democratic nomination came just in time for the explosion of Charli XCX’s summer album, “brat.” And at least for now, the memes have allowed the Harris campaign to capture the attention of young, online voters.

We’ve been curious to hear what our Gen-Z voter panel is thinking about all of this. So for the series, State of Democra-Z, we called up Cori Stockard and Maddie Christensen. Cori is an incoming senior at the University of Minnesota and president of the College Democrats. And Maddie Christensen recently graduated from Hamline University, where she had also been a leader with the College Dems.

You may remember the show in 2001 on ABC called “The Mole.” Or maybe you’re watching its reprise on Netflix, hosted by NPR’s own Ari Shapiro.

If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a reality competition where contestants work as a group to add money to a pot that only one of them will eventually win. Among the contestants is one person who has secretly been designated “the mole,” tasked with sabotaging the group’s money-making efforts.

Season two is currently airing on Netflix, and it features a Minnesotan. Contestant Muna Abdulahi joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about her experience on the show — with no spoilers!

Minnesota Now is continuing our summer festival spotlight series by heading south of the Twin Cities to the town of Montgomery in Le Sueur County.

This week marks the 90th anniversary of the town’s weeklong festival, Kolacky Days. Montgomery has a strong Czech background and Kolackys are a Czech pastry that is served at the festival. Looking at the list of events, it seems like they have combined five festivals into one.

Organizer Maureen Frankek joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain.