MPR News Update
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Good morning and happy Friday, Jr. — or Thursday. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
There’s a chance of snow and freezing drizzle Thursday afternoon. Otherwise, Twin Cities highs in the upper 20s and statewide highs in the lower 20s to lower 30s. At night, a chance of more snow with cooler temps down to 10 in the north. More on Updraft. | Forecast

Minnesota’s presidential primary has a glaring privacy issue. People hoping to cast a ballot for their choice for president will have to trust the state’s major political parties — all four of them — with their name and party allegiance. That means if you vote in the Republican primary, the DFL will have your name and GOP affiliation. So will the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party and the Legal Marijuana Now Party. The parties can do whatever they like with that information. How did it get to be this way? MinnPost’s Peter Callaghan has the story.


Speaking of marijuana, a top DFL lawmaker wants it legalized. House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler makes the case for legal weed in a Minnesota Reformer commentary: “Can anyone provide a solid argument for maintaining the current regime of criminalizing cannabis? I have been all over the state looking for one, and have not yet found it.”


Amy Klobuchar is under more pressure for an old murder case. An Associated Press investigation found new evidence and inconsistencies in the case that led Myon Burrell to be sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Tyesha Edwards, a case that Klobuchar prosecuted. Now, Edwards’ stepfather is questioning the conviction — and whether Klobuchar and others used the girl’s death for political capital.


In Iowa, many farmers remain pro-Trump. MPR News reporter Mark Zdechlik chatted with attendees at a major farm show in Des Moines and found that many farmers support the president’s efforts on trade and would never support whoever the Democrats run against him.


Minneapolis’ public housing agency has a new leader. Abdi Warsame, a former City Council member, will now lead public housing in the state’s largest city . About a third of public housing tenants are Somali, and so is Warsame. He grew up in London public housing, too. “Affordable housing played a fundamental role in my family’s ability to forge a path out of poverty,” he wrote. “It provided us with financial freedom, independence, stability and security that far too many families simply cannot achieve without assistance. Simply stated, our public housing was our refuge.”

Cody Nelson, MPR News
Science helps Minneapolis school turn the page on reading skills
An elementary school in Minneapolis is changing the way it teaches reading, and staff members say they're getting exciting results. | Most MN teachers prep programs expose educators to science of reading
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Federal Trade Commission helps some Minnesota phone scam victims collect
The Federal Trade Commission has mailed about $17 million in checks to 78,000 Minnesotans since July 2018. About half the payments involved a company called AMG Services, which ran a payday lending scheme.
In sermon, Minnesota pastor calls Muslims a 'threat'
A Minnesota priest is apologizing for a recent homily that called Islam a threat to the United States. “I realize now that my comments were not fully reflective of the Catholic Church’s teaching on Islam," said the Rev. Nick VanDenBroeke. 
Worried about catching the new coronavirus? In the U.S., flu is a bigger threat
If you live in the U.S, your risk of contracting the new strain of coronavirus identified in China is exceedingly low. | China counts 170 virus deaths, new countries find infections
Life expectancy rose slightly in 2018, as drug overdose deaths fell
For the first time since 2014, death rates in the U.S. declined and life expectancy showed a modest uptick, according to new data released in two reports Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A $41,212 surgery bill compounded a patient's appendicitis pain
A young man averted disaster after a friend took him to the nearest hospital just before his appendix burst. But more than a year later, he's still facing a huge bill for his out-of-network surgery.
Art Hounds: Wednesdays with My Grandma's Cardigan
The Art Hounds recommend checking out new music by both My Grandma's Cardigan and James Rone, as well as an exhibition about women's voting rights. 
What's on the radio today?
9 a.m. — MPR News with Kerri Miller
Kerri Miller talks with singer/songwriter Allison Moorer about her new memoir "Blood," which details her childhood in Alabama and the emotional scars that linger after her parent's murder-suicide that made her an orphan at age 14.

10 a.m. —  1A
Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashed out at NPR's Mary Louise Kelly after she pressed him on tough questions about Iran and Ukraine. Pompeo abruptly ended the interview and, according to Kelly's account, profanely confronted her. President Trump praised Pompeo's behavior. But many say the encounter reveals turmoil in the State Department and with U.S. diplomacy at large. What's the state of American diplomacy under Pompeo's leadership?

11 a.m. — MPR News with Angela Davis
Angela Davis speaks with three people who work at newspapers in Greater Minnesota about the role they play in their communities:
  • Marshall Helmberger, publisher of The Timberjay, a weekly newspaper located in Tower, Minn.
  • Reed Anfinson, publisher of the Swift County Monitor-News, a weekly newspaper in west-central Minnesota, and a past president of the National Newspaper Association.
  • Jana Peterson, editor and co-owner of the Pine Knot News, a weekly newspaper in Cloquet.

12 p.m. — MPR News Presents
Live NPR coverage of the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump.





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