Minnesota News

? This week in Minnesota

Catch up on what happened in Minnesota this week

Judge Peter Cahill said Friday he will not delay or move the Derek Chauvin trial. He also said he would allow limited evidence from a 2019 arrest of George Floyd. MPR News’ Nina Moini recaps this week’s developments in the trial. Subscribe to Minnesota Today

Week 2 of Chauvin trial: A special edition of Minnesota Today

State public health leaders offered some upbeat news Wednesday in the race to vaccinate Minnesotans quickly enough to avoid another statewide COVID-19 surge: Minnesota’s supply of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected to jump in the coming weeks.

Federal projections indicate the state may start receiving 100,000 doses a week of the J&J vaccine in April. Because it requires only one dose, it could speed up the pace of vaccinations, which has flattened recently.

Minnesota expects J&J vaccine doses to jump

During the pandemic, Indigenous people and people of color died at a greater rate than their white counterparts — and now, as vaccines roll out, they are having a harder time getting immunized. MPR News host Kerri Miller discusses how systemic inequality in health care hurts communities of color. Subscribe to MPR News with Kerri Miller

Racial disparities during COVID point to underlying problems

Some Minnesotans feel traumatized all over again as coverage of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin picks up. On Wednesday, host Angela Davis spoke with guests who are supporting friends and neighbors looking for ways to heal as they confront their feelings of grief, anger, anxiety and fear during the trial. Subscribe to MPR News with Angela Davis

MPR News with Angela Davis - How community members are supporting each other during the Chauvin trial

Minnesota is over a thousand miles away from the site of the hate-fueled shooting rampage in Georgia. But it sent shockwaves through Asian American communities here and across this country. They saw the killing of people that looked like them after a year of rising hate.


Minnesota’s food processing workers are now on the priority list for COVID-19 vaccination. One group is trying to find out why people may hesitate.

Eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, food plant workers have mixed feelings about them

The coronavirus has dominated headlines for more than a year now. Accompanying those headlines? Suspicion and harassment of Asians and Asian Americans.

Gene Demby, co-host of NPR's Code Switch podcast, explains that this is part of a longer history in the United States of camouflaging xenophobia and racism as public health and hygiene concerns. We hear from historian Erika Lee, author of "America For Americans: A History Of Xenophobia In The United States."

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