Last week, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a multitrillion dollar bill that advances President Donald Trump’s agenda for his second term.

One issue that will be debated as it moves to the Senate is the bill’s significant changes to Medicaid.  

Medicaid is the public insurance program that covers most health care and long-term care for 83 million low-income and disabled people in the U.S. 

In Minnesota, about a quarter of the population is on the state’s Medicaid program, which is known as Medical Assistance. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a physician and a health policy researcher about what the proposed changes to Medicaid could mean for Minnesotans.  

 Guests:

• Lynn Blewett is a professor of health policy in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. She is also the director of the State Health Access Data Assistance Center, a health policy research center with a focus on state policy. 

• Dr. Tyler Winkelman is a primary care physician and researcher who directs the division of general internal medicine at Hennepin Healthcare. He is also the co-director of the Health, Homelessness, and Criminal Justice Lab. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

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

This month we’ve seen many special events marking five years since the murder of George Floyd.  

He died on Memorial Day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than 9 minutes during an arrest.  

What followed was chaos and many uncomfortable conversations about race. 

In 2021, MPR launched a podcast called Early Risers to help parents talk to kids about race.

It was created in partnership with Little Moments Count, which is a collaborative of organizations working to improve interactions between parents and their children. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the original host of the Early Risers podcast, Dianne Haulcy, and the current host, Andre Dukes.  

She asked them how it’s going, and if we have made progress in engaging children in conversations about race.

Guests:

• Dianne Haulcy hosted Early Risers until 2024. She is now the assistant commissioner of early childhood at the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. 
• Andre Dukes is the current host of Early Risers. He has spent the last decade of his career focused on child development and academic success in north Minneapolis. He is also the vice president of Family and Community Impact at Northside Achievement Zone, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS. 

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

It was Memorial Day weekend, five years ago, when George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Bystanders recorded the nine-plus minutes that Chauvin calmly kneeled on Floyd’s neck, as the Black man pleaded for help and air. That video rocketed from phone to phone, from media to media and sparked worldwide protests against police brutality.

But for the Black community in Minneapolis, Floyd’s murder was just a chapter in a much longer story.

Long before 2020, people had been organizing, creating and demanding change.

Certainly, in the immediate aftermath of Floyd’s death and Chauvin’s 2021 conviction, progress was made. Businesses and institutions promised to invest in racial equity, to develop new community practices, to reckon with systems of harm.

But in the neighborhood where Floyd lived and died, has that change taken root?

That was the question at the center of a North Star Journey Live event hosted by MPR News host Angela Davis earlier this month. On May 6, a cross section of Black community leaders came together at Pillsbury House Theatre to talk about real change, deep healing and defiant hope. The conversation was candid, often surprising and ultimately inspiring.

Panelists:

• Angela Harrelson, George Floyd’s aunt and registered nurse
• Anthony Taylor, community development lead for the Cultural Wellness Center and outdoor educator-activist
• Jeanelle Austin, founder of the Racial Agency Initiative and a board member for the George Floyd Global Memorial
• Jerome Richardson, cofounder of the youth-led Minnesota Teen Activists
• Signe Harriday, artistic producing director at Pillsbury House + Theatre and lead local organizer for the Million Artist Movement
• Tabitha Montgomery, executive director of the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association

Special guests:

• Junauda Petrus, creative activist and current poet laureate for Minneapolis
• Elder Atum Azzahir, founder and executive director of the Cultural Wellness Center

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS. 

Mental illness is the leading cause of hospitalization for America’s military service members.  Anxiety conditions and post-traumatic stress disorders lead the list of diagnoses. This special explores the mental health needs of veterans and people serving in the military

We hear about how combat and non-combat military duty can impact mental health. And we explore the unique resources and support available to service members and veterans.   

Join Call to Mind host Kimberly Adams for “Silent Battles: Mental Health and Military Service,” a one-hour broadcast special.

The phrase “if only” is often used concerning a person’s mental health. If only we'd known they were hurting.

If only they’d been diagnosed sooner. Roughly one in seven children between the ages of 3 to 17 has a diagnosed mental or behavioral health condition. This special looks at how critical early intervention can be in caring for children’s mental health and how they are treated.

We’ll hear from experts about the safety of medicating kids and new advances in therapy. We also explore how school often plays an enormous role in a child’s development and safety. 

Join Call to Mind host Kimberly Adams for “Treating the Young Mind,” a one-hour broadcast special. 

Technology is ever-present in modern life, from remote work to communities on social media, from dating apps to telemedicine. We live with an ever-expanding array of online options and an ever-growing list of new questions about how healthy it is to spend so much time online with our devices. 

This broadcast special explores the influence of technology on our mental health.  

We'll hear from experts about how online communities, AI, influencers, and social media compromise one’s mental health. We also meet people whose wellbeing has been improved by new technologies.  

Join Call to Mind host Kimberly Adams for “Promise and Peril: Technology and mental health,” a one-hour broadcast special. 

Studies show that 1 in 4 older adults live with a mental illness such as depression, anxiety and substance use disorders. But many older people don’t get the help they need. And America’s aging population is expected to double by 2050. 

This program explores the unique mental health challenges of older adults and the models in place to care for them. We’ll hear from mental health providers, direct care workers and older Americans living with mental health issues. The program explores therapeutic solutions and improved treatment systems to help older adults and their wellbeing. 

Join Call to Mind host Kimberly Adams for “The Aging Mind,” a one-hour broadcast special.

An estimated 29 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetime. These mental illnesses can be profoundly disruptive to a person’s life and psychological wellbeing. And eating disorders can be deadly. Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric condition. Eating disorders strike a wide range of people, but deep-rooted assumptions about who suffers from these diseases often complicate the road to recovery.  

This special looks at eating disorders and the challenges of treatment. We’ll hear firsthand from people who have experienced these illnesses and experts who treat them.  

Join Call to Mind host Kimberly Adams for “Beyond the Mirror: The Challenge of Eating Disorders,” a one-hour broadcast special. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her producers about what happens behind the scenes of her 9 a.m. show.

They’ll tell you all about how they pitch, research and select topics and guests and screen phone calls. 

Guests:

• Maja Beckstrom is a producer for MPR News with Angela Davis. She was a reporter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press for over 20 years before joining the 9 a.m. team almost five years ago. She was also a reporter for a newspaper in Southern California and for MPR stations in Rochester and Collegeville.
• Cari Dwyer is the senior producer for MPR News with Angela Davis. Before joining the 9 a.m. team, she helped create exhibits for the Science Museum of Minnesota and was a producer and newscaster at Wisconsin Public Radio.
• Nikhil Kumaran is the associate producer for MPR News with Angela Davis. He has also worked for The Current and was the music director at Radio K, the award-winning student-run radio station of the University of Minnesota. He is also a concert photographer and music videographer.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.    

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

MPR News host Angela Davis revisits expert advice from recent Wellness Wednesday shows.

High blood pressure is one of the most common health risks in the U.S. and it is becoming more common among young people. It affects about fourteen percent of children and teens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Angela talks with two cardiologists about the dangers of untreated high blood pressure and the medications and lifestyle changes that can protect your heart.

Plus, a sleep researcher talks about the link between poor sleep and dementia, and two runners share tips on starting a running habit.

Guests:

• Dr. Jamie Lohr is a pediatric cardiologist for M Health Fairview and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
• Dr. Bhavadharini Ramu is an advanced heart failure cardiologist with M Health Fairview and an associate professor in the Cardiovascular Division at the University of Minnesota Medical School. 
• Dr. Michael Howell is a professor of neurology and a sleep researcher at the University of Minnesota.  For more information about volunteering for one of Dr. Howell’s research studies, go to the Pre-screening Survey or call 763-913-8367.  
• Dr.  Kenneth Poole is an internal medicine physician and founder and captain of the Twin Cities chapter of Black Men Run.
• Andrea Haus is the community and marketing manager at Mill City Running, a Twin Cities running shop that hosts running events throughout the Twin Cities. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.    

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