Minnesota Now

Leaders of major artificial intelligence companies are calling for more regulation of AI. President Donald Trump is dismissing those concerns and says more regulations would put the U.S. behind China. A local AI ethics expert weighs in. Minnesota is ending the use of hotels for people facing mental health crises. Hennepin County had already stopped turning to hotels before this change. We'll hear more about what they've learned. A new MPR report shows how removing aquatic plants from our beloved lakes could have negative impacts. The Vikings beat the Packers in a thrilling comeback game, but their quarterback is now sidelined with a concussion. Our sports contributors have more on that, plus news about the Twins and the Gophers. Our Minnesota Music Minute is "Flight Simulation" by Absolutely Yours and our Song of the Day is "See You in September" by The Happenings.

For the Minnesota Vikings, the very beginning of the new NFL season was rough. Starting quarterback Kyler Murray left the field with a concussion early in Sunday’s home opener against the Green Bay Packers. But Carson Wentz came in as backup and helped the Vikings win 39-22. Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined the program with those sports headlines plus other Minnesota sports news, including the latest on the Minnesota Twins and the University of Minnesota Gophers.

Starting this week, Minnesota will no longer allow the use of hotel rooms to provide what’s called “crisis respite.” It’s a Medicaid-funded program aimed at providing care and supervision to people experiencing mental health crises. Case workers have turned to hotels for help in some cases since 2020, but after concerns about oversight and safety, the state stopped allowing new hotel placements in June. Starting Tuesday, all existing hotel placements must end. Hennepin County had already stopped using hotels for crisis respite before this change. Debbie Ackerman, the area manager for Hennepin County Human Services, joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about why they made the change and what they have learned.

The CEOs of the country's top AI companies are unifying in their call for a global slowdown on AI development, after two former researchers at Anthropic shared concerns that AI is becoming too powerful too quickly and could ultimately threaten humanity's survival. Manjeet Rege is the director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence at the University of St. Thomas and also author of the book "Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence: Frameworks, Risks and Society." He spoked to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about AI technology, its risks and regulation.

It’s been 25 years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 unfolded and left nearly 3,000 people dead. We reflected on how that day forever changed our lives. We heard stories about Minnesotans who were on hijacked planes, inside the Twin Towers, and watching with horror from home. We also spoke to a Minnesota social studies teacher and his former student, who belongs to a generation born after 9/11, about the impact of that day. Plus, fires that burned through northern Minnesota this summer are now contained. We got an update from Ely’s mayor ahead of the town’s fall festival. And a preview of the 25th annual Selby Ave. JazzFest! The Song of the Day was “Piano Concerto in G Major” by Maurice Ravel.

This weekend will be the 25th annual Selby Ave. JazzFest in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood. What started as a way to bring people together post-9/11 has now grown into a community celebration. We got a preview this year’s big festival from Ernest Bisong, festival director and the artistic director at Walker West Music Academy, which hosts the festival.

The wildfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are officially fully contained after nearly two months. That doesn’t mean all the fires are fully extinguished. There are likely some hot spots smoldering, deep in the soil that won’t be out until the first snowfall. However, it’s good news ahead of the fall tourism season for the region. This weekend, the city of Ely is celebrating fall with their 32nd annual Harvest Moon Festival. The festival will hopefully be a business boost as the region continues to recover from wildfires. Ely Mayor Heidi Omerza joined Minnesota Now to share an update.

As the tragic events of 9/11 began to unfold 25 years ago, millions of teachers and students were just starting their school day. Among them was Waseca High School social studies teacher John Hanson and his students. They were in the midst of class when a colleague came knocking on the door. She told him something had happened and that he needed to turn on the TV. That was when Hanson and his students saw what was going on — and what began as just another Tuesday quickly became a day unlike any other. Twenty five years later, Hanson is again beginning a new school year. He’s still teaching the same subject, at the same school. But now, he’s teaching a generation of students born after 9/11 without any living memory of that day. This included Jack Conway, who was born two years after the tragedy and was a student of Hanson’s. Conway is studying to become a social studies teacher himself. As we mark 25 years since 9/11, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with both Hanson and Conway to ask them how they grapple with the legacy of this historical moment from two very different perspectives.

A Somali man who had been living legally in the Twin Cities is now in ICE detention in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Adam Abdullah was arrested in St. Paul in December and has no criminal record. MPR News reporter Matt Sepic talked with him from detention. Dunwoody College of Technology is launching a new program to help high school students learn trade skills. Plus, the pastor of a rural Lutheran church is trying to reduce mental health stigma by talking with his congregation and producing a podcast. The state has had some pleasant fall-like weather. MPR Chief Meteorologist Ben Cathey joined Minnesota Now with a detailed forecast. For the first time, the national Hispanic Heritage Awards will be held outside Washington, D.C. The ceremony in Minneapolis Thursday will honor the people of Minnesota alongside famous Latino artists and leaders. The Minnesota Music Minute was “Stone” by Prince and “Summer Child” by Karate Chop, Silence was the Song of the Day.

Hispanic Heritage Month officially begins next Tuesday. Congress established the month in 1988 to celebrate Latino history, identity and culture in the U.S. Since then, it’s kicked off with an award ceremony in Washington, D.C. This year, the Hispanic Heritage Awards are leaving D.C. for the first time and coming to Minneapolis. During Thursday’s ceremony at Orchestra Hall, the people of Minnesota will receive a humanitarian award for resistance to Operation Metro Surge. Other honorees include singer-songwriters Mon Laferte and Ximena Sariñana, musician Oscar D’León, rapper Eladio Carrión and Democratic U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas. Past award winners Los Tigres del Norte, a regional Mexican band, will perform at the event, which will be hosted by comedian Anjela Johnson Reyes. Hispanic Heritage Foundation President and CEO Jose Antonio Tijerno joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the honorees and the significance of this year’s awards.

September is National Recovery Month. It’s observed nationally to raise awareness about addiction and mental health and celebrate people in recovery. Pastor Seth Perry of Elim Lutheran Church in Scandia has spent the past few years trying to reduce mental health stigma in his community. He told MPR News in 2024 that opening up about his own struggles with mental health changed the way he approached his work as a pastor. Since then, his congregation has created a mental wellness outreach committee, and he’s launched a podcast about mental health and recovery. He joined Minnesota Now to share what he’s doing for recovery month.

There’s growing demand for workers in fields like construction, manufacturing, robotics and other skilled trades, but sometimes getting students interested in those careers can be a challenge. Dunwoody College of Technology is trying a new approach by launching a program that brings college-level technical courses into high school classrooms. Students will receive college credit. The pilot begins this fall in six Minnesota school districts. Dunwoody College President Scott Stallman joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain how the program works and what the college hopes it will accomplish.

The man who allegedly killed two people and injured several others in Minneapolis had a permit to carry a gun and had been accused of violence in the past. MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty about what legal steps could prevent other shootings. Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador expires Wednesday. A legal expert joined the show to talk about what this means for Salvadoran immigrants who have lived in Minnesota for decades under that program. A documentary about Operation Metro Surge premiered at the Venice Film Festival this weekend. Two of the people who made it joined the program from Italy. We met the mother-daughter duo behind a new art exhibition at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Back at School” by The Bazillions, and our Song of the Day was “Teacher Teacher” by 38 Special.

A mass shooting at an apartment building in Minneapolis is raising fresh concerns about gun violence and accountability. Three people died, including the alleged shooter, on Wednesday in what started as a domestic violence incident. The shooting began during a custody exchange between the alleged shooter, Carlton Johnson II, and the mother of their child. Johnson, who had a permit to carry a gun, was facing eviction after alleged gun threats against a neighbor in the building earlier this summer. He also had a history of domestic-related cases. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the case. Following this live interview, MPR News reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department for comment on filing an Extreme Risk Protection Order in this case. If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with a partner, there is a 24-hour statewide domestic and sexual violence hotline. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.

A new film that documents Operation Metro Surge premiered at the prestigious Venice Film Festival in Italy over the weekend. The 25-minute documentary, called "They're Here," captures scenes in the Twin Cities during the height of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge over the winter. The film is directed by Laura Poitras and Minnesota native Rachel Lauren Mueller. Mueller, along with Adam Mellion, the film’s co-producer and researcher. joined MPR News host Nina Moini for a conversation about the film from Venice.

The careers of a Twin Cities mother-daughter artist duo have intersected in a new way — through a multimedia exhibition at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Peggy Thompson is a painter whose work often explores nature and our relationship with the environment. Her daughter, Maggie Thompson, is a multimedia artist known for her textile and beadwork. Together, they've created an exhibition that brings those practices together, called " Inherited Ground ." It is on view at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum through September 30. They joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about their work together.

Salvadorans who have lived in Minnesota for more than 25 years under Temporary Protected Status could soon lose their legal status in the U.S. TPS for El Salvador is set to expire Wednesday. It would be the latest group to lose those protections as the Trump administration moves to end TPS designations. Ana Pottratz Acosta, a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain what this means and what happens next.

Minnesota Now broadcast live from the MPR Stage at the corner of Judson and Nelson with a full hour of political news, fair food, farming and live, local music. It's a midterm election year, and candidates and their campaigns are all over the fairgrounds looking for votes. We surveyed the scene with political journalists Peter Cox and Laura McCallum. For 50 years, a State Fair coffee shop has used the fair to advocate for farmers. We met a lifelong farmer with the Minnesota Farmer's Union. Plus, we tried two new fair foods and get to know the people behind them. And we heard a couple tunes from Twin Cities folk duo the Cactus Blossoms.

Brothers Page Burkum and Jack Torrey are no strangers to the Minnesota State Fair, or the MPR stage. But their name – and their music – brings to mind a different scene, the desert. The Cactus Blossoms are known for rich vocal harmonies and twangy guitars that create a rich, old country sound. They’ve been playing together for more than a decade now and have six albums to their name, most recently, the 2024 release, Every Time I Think About You. Next month, they’ll be touring with some other Twin Cities favorites, the Jayhawks. And after that, they’re taking their music across the American West. The Cactus Blossoms joined MPR News host Nina Moini live at the State Fair to share music and stories, ahead of a show Thursday night on the Preyes Stage at the fair’s Schilling Amphitheater.

The Great Minnesota Get Together brings people from all across the state, so it's a go-to spot for candidates running for office. Every major candidate has their own booth, and most candidates are here for multiple days, speaking to voters and visiting vendors. It is a big election year in Minnesota. Voters will choose a new governor and a new U.S. Senator. And every single seat in the state legislature will be on the ballot. Joining Minnesota Now at the State Fair booth are two members of the MPR politics team, Reporter Peter Cox and longtime political reporter and editor now back at MPR News Laura McCallum.