Minnesota Now

Tuesday is Election Day, and while Minnesota has seen record early voting turnout, many voters will cast their ballots Tuesday. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. We'll visit two polling places in Minnesota, with help from reporters who've been talking to voters outside.

All 201 seats in the state capital are up for election. We'll hear how that could influence what happens during the legislative session in January, plus we'll hear about how public schools show up on the ballot.

Groups that trained people to observe federal agents this winter have pivoted to what they call “democracy protection.” We’ll talk to one of their leaders.

Minnesota is just one part of a larger midterm puzzle. A political scientist will share about the national political landscape.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “I Choose Me” by Mayyadda, and our Song of the Day was “Your Love is King” by Sade.

Election Day is Minnesota voters’ final chance to cast ballots in the midterms. More than 900,000 Minnesotans voted early by mail or in person, and many others are voting Tuesday.

MPR News reporters Cari Spencer and Harshawn Ratanpal were outside polling stations Tuesday morning, at times in the rain, to hear from Election Day voters. They talked to MPR News host Nina Moini about what they saw and heard in Minneapolis and Moorhead.

On Election Day, all 435 seats in the U.S. House are up for grabs, along with 35 Senate seats and dozens of governor's races. Republicans are trying to hold on to their majorities in Congress, while Democrats are hoping to take control of at least one chamber and put a check on President Donald Trump.

University of Minnesota political scientist Larry Jacobs joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the biggest races, what we're seeing from voters and what the day’s results could mean for the country.

On the corner of East Lake Street and 27th Avenue South in Minneapolis, democracy protection volunteers have gathered every day for a week before Election Day to provide the public support and information around voting. They’re volunteering for the Immigrant Defense Network.

The Lake Street location is one of 19 sites that volunteers gather at across the state – from the Twin Cities metro to Mankato and St. Cloud. The effort grew out the Immigrant Defense Network's effort to train constitutional observers.

Rico Durán is the Organizing Director of COPAL, which started the Immigrant Defense Network. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his work leading up to Election Day.

Nearly 900,000 Minnesotans have already cast their ballot, breaking the state record for a midterm election. Plus, we'll have more with an expert on why some people are turning to AI chatbots to help them research candidates and issues.

Leaders of some mosques around the state say they're upping security measures as political rhetoric targeting Somali Minnesotans has ramped up in the lead up to the midterms.

And if you're at the polls Tuesday, you may see people volunteering as "poll chaplains".

Plus, the spooky season isn't over just yet. We'll talk to someone who's been looking into the paranormal history of Minnesota.

And we’ll catch up on the Vikings and the Gophers after their losses over the weekend.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Ditch the Chemicals” by Asuka Kakitani and Mark Urness and our Song of the Day was “Leaves” by the Mahon Brothers.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray says the team won't be haunted by Sunday’s loss in Detroit, which ended their undefeated record this season. The Lions won 19-15.

“The confidence in the group is not going to waver,” said Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Gophers had heartbreaking loss in Indiana. Minnesota kicker Luke Drzewiecki hit a 60-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in regulation to give the Gophers a 16–13 lead. But Indiana answered with their own 60-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime. Indiana took home the win, 23-16.

Joining Minnesota Now with the latest on local sports headlines are Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

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

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We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

Halloween may be over but our next guest says there's always something spooky and mysterious lurking around the corner.

Chad Lewis has spent decades researching the weird and unusual across Minnesota. He does public presentations on Minnesota's lesser known paranormal history.

Lewis joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about his favorite haunts.

On Tuesday, at dozens of polling locations across the Twin Cities, you may see people in reflective vests labeled "poll chaplains." They're nonpartisan, clergy and lay people, who are trained to bring a calm presence to Election Day.

One of those people is Kelly Sherman-Conroy, a pastor at All Nations Indian Church in Minneapolis and founder and director of the Interfaith Movement Chaplains Network. She's also a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

Sherman-Conroy joined Minnesota Now to talk about her work as a poll chaplain.

For some voters this midterm election, the process of deciding who to vote for has changed.

Instead of just searching the internet or talking to friends, some are turning to AI chatbots to research candidates, political issues and fact-check what they've seen online.

The Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan think tank, has been testing how AI chatbots respond to election questions and misinformation.

Abdiaziz Ahmed is a technology policy strategist for the center's Elections and Government Program. He joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to share what he learned.

New statewide data shows a decrease in opioid overdose deaths but that comes along with a rise in overall drug deaths. That’s attributed partially to stimulant drugs, like meth and cocaine. We talked to a doctor who treats patients who have overdosed.

St. Paul’s largest current homeless encampment sits on a site with toxic chemicals in the soil. We spoke to the reporter behind the story.

We also looked back at an MPR documentary about teens looking for adoptive parents and got more on the organization trying to help 18 years later.

And with Halloween coming up, we learned all about Minnesota’s mysterious and helpful animals — bats — ahead of a festival honoring them this weekend.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Down the Highway” by Bob Dylan. The Song of the Day was “The Man Who Forgot to Die” by The Walking Beat String Band.

Halloween is this weekend and that means ghosts, goblins … and maybe a few bats.

Bats have a spooky reputation but they’re very important to Minnesota’s ecosystems. If you want to learn all about these intriguing animals, the Minnesota Bat Festival is Saturday at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington.

Mammal ecologist Melissa Boman with the Minnesota Biological Survey helped put on the annual festival and shared more about it on Minnesota Now.

In 2007, an MPR documentary called “Wanted: Parents” shared the story of two Minnesota teenagers who were looking for adoptive parents. It also followed an adoption recruiter, Jen Braun, who was trying to help them.

Shortly after the documentary, Braun co-founded an adoption agency called Ampersand Families. She worked on a pilot program called the Homecoming Project. It aimed to prove it was possible to find people who were willing to adopt teens, rather than leaving them to age out of foster care and begin adult life on their own.

Ampersand Families turned 18 this month and executive director Christina Zeise spoke with MPR News host Nina Moini about the milestone.

At least 300 people now live at what has become St. Paul’s largest encampment. The site sits near the intersection of Randolph Avenue and Shepard Road. It grew in size after the city cleared another encampment in August.

As local leaders continue to grapple with what to do, residents there say they’re dealing with mounting health issues from the toxic chemicals found in the soil.

Maddie Robinson reported on the situation for MinnPost. She told us more about what she found on Minnesota Now.

New statewide health data shows a slight decrease in opioid overdose deaths in Minnesota for the third year in a row — but an increase among all drug overdose deaths.

Dr. Charles Reznikoff, who works in addiction medicine at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis and at Northfield Hospital, joined Minnesota Now to talk about the numbers and what’s happening on the ground.

Two conservative online influencers have been charged with voter fraud in Minnesota. They posed as Muslim Minnesotans during the August primary in an effort to make a viral video questioning voter integrity in the state. We had the latest on the case.

Several major health systems in Minnesota are looking to merge. An expert shared what drives consolidation and how it impacts your healthcare.

Plus, from the potential start of driverless taxis like Waymo, to the end of the car share service Evie, we looked at the future of transportation in the Twin Cities.

Chief Meteorologist Ben Cathey shared details on potential severe weather.

And a St. Paul movie theater is celebrating spooky season with Hmonglloween, a series of horror movies by Hmong filmmakers.

If scary movies are a must for you this Halloween, TriLingua Cinema in St. Paul may have what you need.

On Friday, the brand new microcinema will host a Hmonglloween. The event will showcase horror films by local Hmong filmmakers.

Filmmaker Lucky Cha made a movie for the event and Kang Vang curated the lineup. They joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share all the gory details.

The options for getting around the Twin Cities without your own car are shifting. A car-sharing service that gave people an alternative to owning a vehicle shut down this month.

Meanwhile, Minneapolis and St. Paul are wrestling with whether to allow driverless taxis. And the long-awaited Green Line extension is expected to open next summer after years-long delays.

Bill Lindeke is an urban studies lecturer at the University of Minnesota and a longtime observer of transportation in the Twin Cities. He joined MPR News to explain what the changes mean for the future of transportation in the metro.

Minnesota is quickly becoming the land of healthcare mergers.

Just last week, central Minnesota's largest healthcare provider CentraCare announced it will acquire Stellis Health. The news followed an announcement last month from HealthPartners and Essentia Health saying they will combine their operations in the Upper Midwest.

California-based Sutter Health plans to acquire Allina Health, which is headquartered in Minneapolis and operates in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Sanford Health and North Memorial Health completed their merger in early September.

For a closer look at consolidation in healthcare, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Yale University professor Zack Cooper.

The Hennepin County Attorney has charged a prominent right-wing activist and another man for misrepresenting their identities at polling places during Minnesota’s primary election in August.

James O’Keefe and Cameron Higby face felony charges for unlawful voting and identity theft.

Jon Collins joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain.

The second annual STEM Book Fest took place over the weekend at the Bakken Center in Minneapolis. The festival brings together authors to talk about science, technology, engineering and math.

One of the speakers was Valerie Tiberius, a philosophy professor at the University of Minnesota. She talked about the rise of people forming friendships with artificial intelligence.

Her book, called "Artificially Yours," explores what happens when people turn to AI chatbots for companionship. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.