The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago are suing to stop the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to the Chicago area. The Trump administration says it needs the National Guard troops to protect federal agents who are carrying out immigration enforcement orders.

A bipartisan group of former governors is asking to get involved in the case in support of Illinois and Chicago leaders. Among them are two former Minnesota governors, Democrat Mark Dayton and Arne Carlson, who served as a Republican but has since moved away from the party. Carlson joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share more.

Federal judges are deciding whether the National Guard can continue to deploy in Chicago. Two of Minnesota's former governors are signing their support to sue the Trump administration over it. Former Republican Gov. Arne Carlson will weigh in.

The University of Minnesota's regents faced some tough decisions over their budget and the historic Eastcliff Mansion Thursday. We get an update on that.

Plus, MPR News senior reporter Hannah Yang lets us in on her process covering flooding and water quality in southwestern Minnesota.

And one of Minnesota's favorite musicians Dessa brings us her brand new music.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Just Another Sucker feat. Prince” by 94 East.

Within a week, there was vandalism at a Minneapolis synagogue and a fire and break-in at a Minneapolis mosque. We talk to faith leaders from both houses of worship about their concerns around targeting religious institutions.

After ICE agents arrested a construction crew while they were working on a roof in St. Paul, concerns are growing within the immigrant community. We check in with an advocacy group about what they are hearing from immigrant workers.

Plus, the Crown Prince of Norway is in the Twin Cities. We talk to the Norway House about the significance of his visit and Minnesota's deep ties to the country.

The first group of Norwegian immigrants arrived in the U.S. on a ship from Norway 200 years ago. And this week, Norway's Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the Norwegian throne, is in Minnesota to recognize the unique ties the state has had to the country since 1825.

On Tuesday, Haakon visited Norway House in Minneapolis. He was greeted by hundreds of community members waving Norwegian flags and he cut the ribbon for a library connecting Minnesotans with Norway.

Sandy Ulsaker Wiese is board chair of the Norway House. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain the significance of the Crown Prince’s visit and how Norwegians have shaped Minnesota.

A recent raid on a construction site in St. Paul has alarmed neighbors and immigrant advocates.

ICE confirmed agents arrested four people who were working on a roof project on Thursday. A spokesperson for the agency said three of the four had criminal convictions but did not provide names or further information. MPR News has not independently verified those details.

At a vigil, immigrant advocates said arrests like these are creating a climate of fear. MPR News host Nina Moini talked to Merle Payne about how this moment is impacting people working in the Twin Cities who could be subject to immigration arrests. Payne is executive director of the worker advocacy group, CTUL.

Wednesday morning, security guards at Temple Israel in Minneapolis discovered the synagogue had been vandalized with what synagogue leaders are calling antisemitic rhetoric.

The vandalism at Temple Israel comes on the heels of a break-in at Alhikmah Islamic Center in Minneapolis on Tuesday. The week prior, there was a fire at the same mosque. Police are investigating whether the two mosque incidents are connected.

For more, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Temple Israel Senior Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman and Jaylani Hussein, executive director of Minnesota’s Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Correction (Oct. 8, 2025): A previous version of this story misstated the day of the mosque break-in. The above version has been updated.

Tuesday marks two years since the beginning of the war in Gaza. Currently, there is a new round of peace talks between Israel and Hamas over a plan drafted by the U.S.  

The war began when Hamas militants stormed across the border, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. 48 hostages remain in captivity. Israel responded by launching an attack in Gaza, which has killed 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.  

College campuses have been a flashpoint for the war. On Tuesday, the University of Minnesota is both a place of protest and place for support for Jewish students.  

Rabbi Jill Avrin is the director of campus affairs for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas. She spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini about working with Jewish students across the spectrum of political beliefs.

Soybean farmers are getting hit by the U.S. trade war with China. They could catch a break if the federal government moves forward with plans to send out billions of dollars in aid. We talked with an agricultural economist about what a bailout would mean for Minnesota growers.

It's been two years since the Hamas attack on Israel and the onset of war in Gaza. In the U.S., college campuses have been central to clashes in public opinion. We talked to a rabbi who is working for the University of Minnesota to support Jewish students who hold a wide range of views of the conflict.

We met a Minneapolis writer with roots in St. Paul. As a child in the 1960s, she watched Interstate 94 tear through her family’s historically Black neighborhood. Now, she's out with a new novel about a little girl having that same experience. It's called “The House on Rondo.”

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “No Water” by Libianca and our Song of the Day was “Never be the Same” by Sarah Morris.

It's been more than 60 years since the construction of Interstate 94 destroyed much of the historically Black St. Paul neighborhood known as Rondo. Minneapolis writer Debra J. Stone remembers visiting her grandparents as a child in Rondo every Sunday without fail. She even remembers playing in an enormous dirt pit from I-94 construction growing near their house. It was only when her grandparents' house was demolished that she realized the effect the interstate would have.

Debra wrote a novel about a little girl, not unlike herself at the time, grappling with the destruction of the Rondo neighborhood in 1963. The book is called “The House on Rondo,” and it is out Tuesday.

She spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini about her experience growing up visiting Rondo and her new book.

Debra will read from her new book at Black Garnet Books in St. Paul for a book launch event on Oct. 11.

As soon as Tuesday, the Trump administration is expected to announce a significant bailout package to help soybean producers and other farmers. President Donald Trump’s trade policies have had an outsized impact on farmers. China, the biggest buyer of U.S. soybean exports, isn’t buying any beans. It’s leaving Minnesota’s soybean farmers in a lurch.

Ed Usset is a grain market economist for University of Minnesota Extension. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain why soybean farmers need government assistance and the potential impact of that federal aid.