Minnesota Now

If you’re staying up really late Monday, or getting up really early Tuesday, don’t forget to look up. An eerie red ‘blood moon’ lunar eclipse is expected, and it might be a while before we’ll get to see one like it again.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked to Jill Jensen, president of the Minnesota Science Teachers Association, and a 7th grade life science teacher at Scott Highlands Middle School in Apple Valley.

Sometimes, you just need to ask a science teacher.

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As voters gear up for election day, the 30,000 Minnesotans who will volunteer to work the polls are preparing too. They’re officially called election judges, and they’re the temporary employees who process voter registrations, hand out ballots and report vote totals at the end of the night. But some are planning to do more than that. Conservative groups that have cast doubt on America’s elections are training poll workers to gather evidence of supposed irregularities this year. And the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office says in some cases, the groups may be training poll workers to break the law. Curtis Gilbert is with APM Reports, the investigative reporting group based at American Public Media. He has been looking into these groups, and he joined Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.

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In a 3rd Congressional District debate, incumbent Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) debates his Republican challenger, Tom Weiler. Mike Mulcahy moderates a debate about what Congress can do about abortion, inflation, public safety, social security and more.

Later in the hour, Mike talks to Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) and Sen. Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) about next week’s election.

The politics of Minnesota’s Iron Range has a big impact on what happens statewide. But newspapers in the area have consolidated or reduced staff or just closed up shop - there aren't a lot of stories getting out about what's really going on locally on the Range. Jerry Burnes is doing something about that. He used to be the editor of the Mesabi Tribune newspaper but just this week he launched a brand new, free, online news site called Iron Range Today. He joined guest host Melissa Townsend to talk about it.

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It’s been an eventful week in Minnesota sports, and there’s more to look forward to this weekend. To help us unpack everything that’s been going on, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News guest host Melissa Townsend for an update.

Langfellow is the publisher of the Minnesota Score sports magazine and co-host of Minnesota Score Radio's “10,000 Takes.”

Nelson is a longtime Twin Cities sports broadcaster. He co-hosts "10,000 Takes" with Langfellow and is the Minnesota Vikings reporter for CBS Sports Radio’s “Eye on Football.”

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The number of kids in Minnesota with RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, tripled during the month of October. Most of the time it causes mild cold-like symptoms. Currently, more than 100 people are hospitalized in the state from RSV.

KARE 11 journalist Jana Shortal needed to call in sick this week after her son Zeke came down with RSV. Similar to COVID-19, RSV is putting a strain on the health care system.

Shortal said the waiting room was full when she got to Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis. As she waited, she said at least 200 people came through, many trying to get appointments.

“I just hit a wall, part of it is sadness for my kid, making sure he is OK, and then trying to protect our health care workers because I know they are overwhelmed,” she said.

Shortal shared that Zeke, who is 10 1/2 months, developed a wet cough and a loss of appetite. She said it was difficult to know when to go to the hospital and how to treat it. With much of the health care world focused on COVID, RSV wasn’t a focal point until cases continued to rise.

In a recent interview with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer, state epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield said that children are more susceptible to the virus because pandemic precautions have led them to not develop the same immunity exposure that was common before the pandemic.

Shortal looked at Twitter for advice, trying everything from turning the shower on to steam out his cough and going on long walks for fresh air. She said the best advice she received was to prepare for RSV to last longer than you think.

“Just really pay attention to your kid. It’ll get better, it just takes a while.”

While RSV primarily targets children, anyone can get infected or spread the virus. There is no vaccine. Handwashing, keeping hands away from the face and disinfecting surfaces can help prevent RSV.

Shortal said Zeke is on day six of his illness. He’s feeling better but is still sick.

Correction (Nov. 3, 2022): An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the hospital location. The story has been updated.

The political race between Angie Craig and challenger Tyler Kistner in Minnesota's Second Congressional District is one of the most competitive in the nation. Outside spending has reached nearly $15 million.

We wanted to ask who's giving that money and how it might impact what the winner does when they are in office. So, we got Sarah Bryner on the line. She’s the director of research and strategy for OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization based in Washington D.C. that tracks money in politics.

Bryner shared some key takeaways from the race:

That includes $15 million spent by political action committees (PACs), national party committees and other outside groups, as well as close to $10 million spent by the candidates themselves.

Outside, here, doesn’t necessarily mean out of state or out of country. It’s referring to corporations and individual people, who can donate to PACs, which can raise unlimited amounts of money.

By comparison, political campaigns themselves have to follow strict rules around how much money they can accept from a given person or organization.

Two political action committees — Congressional Leadership Fund and House Majority PAC — are generally seen as arms for the two major political parties. Super PACs are required, by law, to disclose their donors. And the megadonors for this race include entrepreneur Peter Thiel, philanthropist Fred Eychaner and hedge fund manager Ken Griffin.

That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily interested in Minnesota politics. Instead, they want to tip the scale nationally in favor of their party.

“All races are becoming more nationalized, so any race could be the one that takes it for the party,” Bryner said. “These donors are party-lined ideological champions.”

Craig has raised over $7.2 million; Kistner has raised about $3 million. Bryner said Craig’s campaign has received more money from Minnesotans, both as a percentage of the total and in real dollars. That isn’t typical — incumbents tend to rely on the “party establishment,” Bryner said.

That’s where most of Craig’s funding is going. Kistner, on the other hand, is spending more money on direct mail and flyers.

Fundraising also goes toward day-to-day expenses, like staffer salaries. But mass media advertising on radio and television is still top of mind.

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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.

MPR News senior producer Melissa Townsend opened the show by looking into Minnesota’s congressional race between Congresswoman Angie Craig and challenger Tyler Kistner — who is responsible for all of the outside money that’s connected to the 2nd district?

Melissa asked that question to Sarah Bryner, the director of research and strategy for Open Secrets which is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization based in Washington D.C. that tracks money in politics.

RSV is everywhere right now — even your favorite local television station. KARE11 anchor Jana Shortal missed work this week because of her son’s own battle with the illness.

While climate change isn’t registering on a lot of major polls right now, it is leading a lot of Minnesota voters to vote in next week’s midterm elections. Heidi Roop, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s department of soil, water, and climate, shared her insights on what’s behind the recent push.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will induct Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis this weekend. Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream looked back at the career of the musical duo that got it start at a Minneapolis high school in 1959.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 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. 

For a look back at the careers of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis — a music duo that got their start in high school in Minneapolis — MPR News senior producer Melissa Townsend reached out to Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream. Bream has not only covered the duo for years, he’s also one of the voters in charge of deciding who is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 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. 

Polling suggests inflation and abortion are the top issues in the midterm election but for many Minnesotans, climate change is always on the ballot. MPR News senior producer Melissa Townsend spoke to climate change communications expert Heidi Roop, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s department of soil, water, and climate. 

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 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.