Minnesota Now

The federal government has indicted 15 Minnesotans on charges of conspiracy, among others, for efforts to allegedly “violently oppose immigration law enforcement” during the immigration surge this winter.

To take a closer look at the case being made against these individuals, MPR News spoke to Richard Painter, a professor of law at the University of Minnesota, about what conspiracy means under the law.

For 30 years, Rose McGee has celebrated Juneteenth by sharing her stage performance of “Kumbayah: The Juneteenth Story” across Minnesota.

To mark this special anniversary, the performance will include special guest appearances from cast members from previous years who grew up as a part of this important story about the emancipation of African Americans.

McGee joined Minnesota Now to talk more about the play and memorable moments from the last three decades.

An international human rights watchdog released a report Thursday on the surge of federal agents to the state this winter. Human Rights Watch interviewed 136 Minnesotans and analyzed visuals and court documents surrounding arrests and detentions.

The report alleges federal agents used racial profiling and excessive force, and detained people unlawfully in facilities with poor conditions and insufficient access to lawyers. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson denied the report’s findings in an email to MPR News.

Ida Sawyer leads a team of Human Rights Watch researchers as the director of the group’s Crisis, Conflict and Arms Division. She joined Minnesota Now to share more about the findings.

Read more: Report authors say feds violated Minnesotans' human rights during ICE surge

Fifteen people have been charged by the federal government for anti-ICE actions this winter. Prosecutors allege they are part of antifa, a left-wing political movement. A history professor explained what antifa is and how it fits into this moment.

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon rule on how law enforcement can track people's locations through their cell phones. We talked to a legal expert.

Plus, for the first time in 20 years a new ingredient can go into sunscreen. Doctors say it's better than current options.

There wasn’t much sunshine Wednesday. We took a look at the rainy forecast with Chief Meteorologist Ben Cathey.

This weekend is the 50th annual Grandma's Marathon in Duluth. One runner is preparing to have run all 50.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Everything At Once” by Hippo Campus and “Cherry Picking” by Jumpsuit was the Song of the Day.

A grand jury indicted 15 people Tuesday in connection to anti-ICE protests this winter.

The charges include “conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers” and stalking.

Federal prosecutors say these individuals are members of Direct Action Minnesota, which has ties to antifa — or anti-fascist — groups.

To help us better understand what antifa is and what these charges mean, Minnesota Now spoke to Mark Bray. He’s a history professor at Rutgers University and leading expert on antifa.

Americans will soon have a new option for sun protection. The FDA gave the green light to bemotrizinol, the first new ingredient approved for sunscreen in the U.S. in over 20 years. Minnesota has the nation’s second-highest rate of skin cancer. University of Minnesota dermatologist Dr. Ingrid Polcari considers this development to be a win for local public health. She talked to MPR News host Nina Moini about it.

When thousands of runners line up in Two Harbors on Saturday for the 50th annual Grandma’s Marathon, only one will be running his 50th Grandma’s too.

John Naslund, 76, was one of about 150 runners when he ran the very first Grandma’s in 1977. Now it’s grown to more than 9,000 participants and come Saturday Naslund hopes to be the sole person who can say he’s ran all 50.

He spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about his streak.

The U.S. Supreme Court is nearing the end of its current term. By late June or early July, the justices will announce decisions in a handful of high-profile cases. One of those has to do with how law enforcement uses location data collected by tech companies. Minnesota’s Supreme Court decided a similar case back in April.

Investigators have used a tool called geofencing to draw a virtual boundary around an area where a crime was committed and find out from tech companies which phones were nearby. Law enforcement needs a warrant to access this data, but critics say the tactic violates privacy rights. University of St. Thomas law professor Julie Jonas joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain the main questions before the Supreme Court, and what its decision could mean for Minnesotans.

On Tuesday morning, federal prosecutors announced charges against 15 anti-ICE protestors. Reporter Matt Sepic joined us with details.

A new report finds progress is stalling on the Minneapolis Police Department's court-ordered reforms.

Federal loan programs for higher education are going through some major changes starting July 1. We heard what this means for students, especially those going into nursing and other healthcare professions.

A dispute over a big solar project in southwestern Minnesota is closer to resolution. We found out how the case fits into the state's energy landscape.

Saturday Nigh Live cast member Tommy Brennan is coming back home to Minnesota to help open a new venue in Shakopee.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Here Comes the Sun” by Motion City Soundtrack, and our Song of the Day was "Luna" by Thomas and the Rain and Studio Z.

Shakopee’s new outdoor summer concert venue is the Mystic Lake Amphitheater. It’s opening season has a stacked lineup, including Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Mumford and Sons and Guns N' Roses

The new venue will open with an event called “Setting the Stage: An Evening of Minnesota Music, Comedy & Community,” on Saturday, June 20. St. Paul native, comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member Tommy Brennan will host the event.

Brennan joined The Current’s Jill Riley to talk about his Minnesota ties, his work in comedy and the upcoming event at Mystic Lake Amphitheater.