Minnesota Today

Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that he's ending his bid for reelection. The Democrat was first elected in 2018 and was running for a third term. Republican candidates for governor and Republican party leaders applauded Walz’s decision not to run again, but quickly criticized any Democrat who might step into his place.

A hotel in the southern Twin Cities suburbs was criticized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for canceling the reservations of federal agents engaged in an immigration crackdown in the state. Protesters have repeatedly targeted area hotels hosting ICE agents. Homeland Security accused the Hilton Hotels chain of siding with criminals and impeding law enforcement.

The Anoka-Hennepin school district and teachers union meets Tuesday in an attempt to settle a contract before a strike date later this week. The teachers union has been in mediation with district leadership since November.

Gov. Tim Walz has dropped out of his race for re-election amid growing federal scrutiny of fraud in Minnesota. Walz announced in the fall that he would seek a third term, but in recent months, fraud in state social service programs has become a national story.

Sources told MPR News that Democratic Sen. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar is considering a run for governor. Former Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty says Klobuchar would be a challenging opponent for GOP candidates — if she runs.

That story and more in today’s evening update. Hosted by Emily Reese.

Gov. Tim Walz has scheduled a news conference for later this morning without a predetermined topic. That’s fanning speculation that the two-term Democratic governor may be reassessing his reelection campaign.

Walz has faced unrelenting pressure over proven and alleged fraud in Minnesota-run social service programs. More than a dozen Republicans have already entered the governor’s race. Walz last appeared before reporters on Dec. 23. Aides to the governor didn’t return messages last night.

MPR News will carry Walz’s 11 a.m. news conference live on the radio and online at MPRNews.org.

Walz is condemning conspiracy theories that President Donald Trump is recirculating about the assassination of state representative Melissa Hortman last summer. Trump reposted a video on TruthSocial with false claims about what led to Hortman's death. The post is the latest in Trump's efforts to politically smear Walz.

Correction (Jan. 5, 2025): An earlier version of this podcast misstated the Timberwolves’ score. The audio has been updated.

St. Paul swore in a new mayor today. Kaohly Her, who has represented part of the city in the Minnesota House since 2019, takes the reins of the capital city.

Her is the first Hmong-American and first woman to be St. Paul's mayor. With her election, all elected city leaders will be women.

And agricultural lenders are hoping that Congress passes a new Farm Bill this year. The latest version, passed in 2018, got extended to September.

Kaohly Her will be sworn in as mayor of St. Paul on Friday. She’s the first woman and first Hmong-American to have the role. Her will make history in the office, but her plans are focused on basics — making it easier to start and run a business in the city of St. Paul. Her also says plans are underway already for addressing some of the empty buildings in downtown St. Paul. She says she plans on restructuring the mayor’s office to make it more collaborative among her cabinet members.

The Anoka-Hennepin teachers union and school board are set to return to mediation Friday. The district and its teachers union have been negotiating a contract since July. Last month the union filed an intent to strike. Union leaders say the current offer would cost some members pay cuts in the hundreds of dollars per paycheck. They say certain school board members are stalling progress at the bargaining table.

Minnesota farmers, cities, businesses and industries will pay higher fees to use the state’s water under a law change that took effect Thursday.

Representatives of a business targeted in a recent viral video are speaking out to defend their child day care operations. A YouTube influencer traveled to Minnesota and is seen on the video knocking on doors and accusing Somali-owned day care centers of fraud.

The latest statewide data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows flu cases nearly tripled between Dec. 7 and Dec. 21. More than 5,000 people in the state have tested positive for the flu.

Go deeper with the latest edition of the Minnesota Today newsletter.

Kaohly Her makes St. Paul mayoral history as she looks toward the future

Anoka-Hennepin teachers union fails to reach agreement with district leadership during mediation

These new laws take effect in Minnesota as 2026 arrives

Somali child care providers report vandalism, threats after viral fraud video

Flu positivity rates and hospitalizations increase in Minnesota

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The U.S. House will hold a hearing on fraud in Minnesota's social service programs in early January and again in February. The Republican-led House Committee on Oversight and Government will hear from three GOP state legislators from Minnesota Jan. 7.

The Initiative Foundation in central Minnesota is providing financial support to Somali American nonprofit organizations facing harassment and threats.

This is an MPR News Evening update, hosted by Emily Reese. Theme music is by Gary Meister.  

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The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it’s freezing child care funds to Minnesota amid accusations of fraud.

Jim O’Neill is Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services. He announced in a social media post that the move is in response to, “blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country.”

Gov. Tim Walz’s office called the move “a transparent attempt to politicize the issue to hurt Minnesotans and defund government programs that help people.”

Minnesota workers gain new benefits around breaks, wages and leave policies starting this week. 

New laws spell out that employees are entitled to a rest break of 15 minutes or enough time to seek out the nearest convenient restroom for every four hours worked. And they’ll have a 30-minute window for a meal break for every six consecutive hours they work. That’s different than the “adequate time” standard currently on the books.

People who make minimum wage will see a slight bump in pay after an adjustment for inflation. Statewide, the hourly wage will tick up to $11.41 per hour. Workers inside Minneapolis and St. Paul city limits have even higher minimum wages because of rules that call for increases in 2026.

More Minnesota workers also qualify for paid family and medical leave starting the first of the year.

And the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has given the green light to additional mineral exploration near Ely, just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Go deeper with the latest edition of the Minnesota Today newsletter.

These new laws take effect in Minnesota as 2026 arrives

Trump administration says it's freezing child care funds to Minnesota after series of fraud schemes

Minnesota DNR approves mining exploration plan just outside the Boundary Waters

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

A federal judge has approved a preliminary order that could pave the way for the government to take cash, property and a luxury vehicle from the ringleader of the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.

The Anoka-Hennepin teachers union says a mediation session with the school district yesterday failed to produce a contract agreement as a planned strike date nears.

And State Senator John Hoffman says he'll pursue another term in 2026. Hoffman and his family survived an assassination attempt in their home over the summer.

A company allegedly used to launder money stolen from the government in the Feeding Our Future fraud case owns five houses where taxpayer-funded group homes operate. Those group homes have collected millions of dollars from the government.

A viral video has been circulating about alleged fraud at some Minnesota day care sites. Minnesota Republicans say they tipped off the independent journalist, YouTube video creator Nick Shirley.

Snow plow operators will be out clearing drifts from highways and roads, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation is asking drivers to take their time and give some space around trucks.

Bemidji State University has received more than $900,000 from the Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network to develop a framework for Ojibwe language teachers working in K-12 classrooms. Ojibwe is spoken by tribal nations in the northern half the state. The need for licensed Ojibwe teachers is growing. Two and a half years ago, state lawmakers passed a bill requiring the state's elementary and secondary schools to offer American Indian culture and language classes.

Correction (Dec. 30, 2025): A previous version of this podcast’s episode title misstated the connection between the houses owned by GAK Properties and the allegation that the company was used to launder money in the Feeding Our Future case. The group homes are operated by separate businesses and have not been accused of money laundering.

MnDOT has lifted no-travel advisories across southern Minnesota in the wake of blizzard conditions yesterday and overnight.

And air traffic is running more smoothly today out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as the weather improved. Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesperson Jeff Lea says ground crews have been clearing runways.

Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.