The National Guard and the FBI are supporting the city of St. Paul in responding to a cyberattack. We talk to a cybersecurity expert about the information that could be at risk and the work being done to secure city systems.

The White House is criticizing Minnesota Star Tribune immigration coverage and dedicated a press release to call out their stories. We talk about what this signals for press freedom.

Earthquakes, tsunamis and wildfire smoke: we talk about it all with Paul Huttner.

Plus, you have likely seen his face on hundreds of billboards across the state. We go beyond the billboard with real estate CEO Kris Lindahl in our latest Out to Lunch series.

You are likely seeing or smelling wildfire smoke on Wednesday. The entire state is under an extended air quality alert that will last through Saturday. At the same time, we are beginning to see pleasant temperatures across the state. MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner joins Minnesota Now with details.

St. Paul has declared a state of emergency over what appears to be a massive cyberattack. The city is working with the Minnesota National Guard, the FBI and two private cybersecurity firms to respond to the cyberattack, which is disrupting city services including payment systems, libraries, recreation centers and city hall.

For more on how cyberattacks like this one occur and the issues they can cause, Minnesota Now guest host Chris Farrell talks with Faisel Kaleem, director of cybersecurity and cyber operations programs at Metro State University.

In a 12-part series for our sister station Marketplace called “Buy Now, Pay Later,” we look at the trend of people entering retirement with a lot of debt. On Minnesota Now for the next two weeks, we’ll be sharing some stories from this series.

This time, we take a look at the high cost of easy credit.

This series was produced in partnership with Next Avenue, a non-profit news platform for older adults with Twin Cities PBS.

The Trump administration has singled out Minnesota’s largest newspaper for its coverage of immigration enforcement. A press release Tuesday accused the Minnesota Star Tribune of covering for people the White House called “criminal illegal immigrants.” The statement linked to social media posts from federal agencies that criticized Star Tribune immigration stories as well as an opinion column.

For its part, the newspaper told MPR News, “we stand by our reporting and don’t have any additional comment.”

Jane Kirtley, director of the Silha Center for Media Ethics and Law and the University of Minnesota, joins Minnesota Now guest host Chris Farrell to talk about the White House statement and its press freedom implications.

Starting this Thursday, local theaters across the Twin Cities will be filled with unique projects, plays and performances as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. In all, there will be hundreds of performances over 11 days.

“Manasu” is a play featuring a South Asian queer love story, with an all South Asian cast. Divya Maiya is the playwright and director of the show and the co-founder of the South Asian Arts and Theater House in the Twin Cities. She joined Minnesota Now to talk about the show and the Fringe Festival.

New data is out about gun deaths in Minnesota. They creeped up in 2024, despite new laws to keep weapons out of the hands of potentially violent people. We got the details on how advocates are taking action.

If you've tried to buy gold or silver recently, you know those prices are remarkably high. It's driven by uncertainty around federal tariff policies. We'll hear from a jeweler about how her business is impacted.

We learned more about how uncertainty for immigrant workers under the Trump administration is playing out in rural Minnesota.

A new play with the Minnesota Fringe Festival this weekend highlights queer relationships in the South Asian community. We talked to the playwright.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Broken Wing” by Good Night Gold Dust and our Song of the Day was “Sleight of Hand (feat. Aby Wolf & Omaur Bliss)” by Joey Van Phillips.

The price of gold and silver has been surging. This year has seen international gold prices rising nearly 30 percent, driven by increased demand for secure investments amidst the ongoing economic uncertainty surrounding President Trump’s tariff policies and global political tensions. Last month, silver hit its highest price in more than 13 years.

Cheryl Lais has run Heirloom Jewelry out of the Hopkins Antique Mall since 2002. She sells one-of-a-kind, vintage jewelry pieces. She joined Minnesota Guest host Chris Farrell to talk about how rising gold and silver prices have impacted her business.

Foreign-born workers play a major role in Minnesota’s agricultural and hospitality sectors. Many of these workers have come to the United States on temporary visas or have some other legal status, while many others are undocumented.

President Donald Trump’s efforts to restrict immigration and step up enforcement have caused uncertainty for some workers with and without legal status. Ma Elena Gutierrez, the founder of the immigration advocacy organization Fe y Justica, and Fernando Quijano, a University of Minnesota extension educator for community economics based in Moorhead, joined Minnesota Now to discuss how this uncertainty is carrying over into the rural economy.

A new report that looks at gun violence in Minnesota found that gun deaths increased year-over-year in 2024. The analysis by Protect Minnesota found 564 Minnesotans lost their lives to gun violence in 2024. That’s slightly up from 530 people in 2023.  

It’s in contrast to what’s happening in the United States. CDC data shows a 5 percent decrease in gun deaths in 2024. More than 44,000 people died of gunshot wounds last year, compared to 46,000 in 2023.

Joining Minnesota Now to help us dig deeper into this report is Maggiy Emery, the executive director of Protect Minnesota.