MPR News AM Update
 
Many will have a dry Monday, but parts of eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin could see a passing shower or an isolated afternoon or evening thunderstorm. Highs will be in the upper 70s. Get the latest weather news on Updraft.

🎙️Coming up on Morning Edition: Learn how wildlife researchers are using artificial intelligence to identify red-headed woodpecker calls and learn more about the habitats the birds use across the state.

🎧 Coming up at 9 a.m., a special hour-long edition of Witness History from the BBC World Service. Remarkable stories of LGBTQ+ rights, told by the people who were there. We meet the first openly gay political candidate in the U.S., revisit the first Pride March in the U.K., and hear about the diaries of the woman commonly referred to as “the first modern lesbian.”
 
Researchers use AI to help save a woodpecker species in decline

Minnesota researchers are using small audio recording devices to better understand the range and population of red-headed woodpeckers. The bird has seen a precipitous population decline over several decades. 

“Red-headed woodpeckers in Minnesota have declined by about 95 percent over the last 50 to 60 years, probably due to habitat loss and conversion to agriculture and development,” University of Minnesota researcher Elena West said.

Scientists want to learn where the bird is doing well, so important habitats can be preserved.
 
Two-spirit powwow celebrates Indigenous spiritual and gender identity

New Native Theater, a company in Minneapolis, hosts the annual social dance. This was the second year that organizers welcomed people to the gathering.

 
Forget the cardigan at home, Swifties get bejeweled for second Minnesota show

Plaid shirt days were over as thousands of fans flocked to U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday night in their best dress. MPR News freelance photographer Nicole Neri interviewed several Swifties about the homemade outfits they created for the big day.

 
What else we're watching:

State funding brings planned National Loon Center closer to construction. A planned education and research facility for National Loon Center is $2.5 million closer to reality, thanks to an allocation from the Minnesota Legislature . The total project will cost an estimated $18 million.

The mutiny in Russia may be over. But it still damages Putin. A mutiny by Russia's Wagner Group of mercenaries appears to have ended with the leader recalling his troops, but the uprising may have done irreparable damage to the image of President Vladimir Putin at home and abroad, analysts say.

ChangeMakers: Leigh Finke helped make Minnesota a 'trans refuge' state. Finke, 41, made history last November when she won her election for the Minnesota House of Representatives, becoming the first openly transgender person to ever serve in the Minnesota Legislature. Check out the latest profile here.

A train carrying hazardous materials plunges into Yellowstone River after bridge fails.
A bridge that crosses the Yellowstone River in Montana collapsed early Saturday, plunging portions of a freight train carrying hot asphalt and molten sulfur into the rushing water below.

10 easy ways to spend summer outside without big crowds, athletic skill or gear. Summer is officially here and with it is sunny, hot, sweaty weather. There are folks who just want to use a teaspoon of a sunray and don’t want to put up with athletic gear or big crowds. What do fellow Minnesotans like this do? Here are some ideas!

— Matt Mikus, MPR News
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