When people think about lifting weights, they often picture building a lot of muscle or see it as a way to “bulk up.”

But weight training can be a powerful tool for long-term health — helping strengthen your bones and improve your balance and mental well-being.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about how weight training can boost your health — physically and mentally — at any age.

Guests:

• Angela Nguyen is a certified mobility, strength and nutrition coach for American Strength Training Center in Maplewood, Minn. She is also a three-time bodybuilding “posing and presentation” winner.
• Hegel Brandes is the manager of outpatient occupational therapy and physical therapy rehabilitation services for Hennepin Healthcare. He oversees physical therapists who create exercise treatment plans to help people recover from injuries.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

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

Donald Trump’s presidency has been a busy time for Democratic attorneys general across the country.

President Trump started his term with a flurry of executive orders. In response, many state attorneys general, often working together, filed their own barrage of federal lawsuits to put the brakes on what the president is trying to do.

In January, 22 states and the District of Columbia challenged an executive order to freeze federal funding. In February, attorneys general from three states, including Minnesota, sued to stop a presidential order that would have restricted health care for transgender youth. In April, a dozen states sued to halt many of the tariffs that President Trump imposed without approval from Congress.

And on Tuesday, California state officials continued to push back on President Trump’s decision to deploy Marines and state National Guard troops to immigration protests in Los Angeles.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison about why he thinks President Trump is stepping over the legal limits of the constitution. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin joins them later in the hour.

Guests:

• Keith Ellison has served as Minnesota’s attorney general since January 2019. Before that, he spent 12 years representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Matthew Platkin was appointed as New Jersey’s attorney general in 2022. He has also worked in private practice and served as chief counsel to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

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

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her guests about how smoke from Canadian wildfires could continue to affect our air quality this summer and what we can do to stay healthy when skies are smoky.

Guests:

• Jessie Carr is the supervisor of environmental epidemiology in the environmental health division of the Minnesota Department of Health.
• Matt Taraldsen is a meteorologist and supervisor of the team that issues air quality conditions, alerts and forecasts at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
• Dr. Dylan Wyatt is an emergency medicine physician with Aspirus St. Luke’s health care system in Duluth.

AirNow.gov allows you to check current air quality conditions. You can also download the AirNow mobile app and sign up to receive air quality alerts and forecasts via email.

MPCA current air quality conditions: Current air quality conditions | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (state.mn.us)

MDH air quality and health website: Air Quality, Climate and Health

MDH Wildfire Smoke web page: Wildfire Smoke - MN Dept. of Health (state.mn.us)

Minnesota Outdoor Air Quality Guidance for Schools and Child Care

DIY Air Cleaner to Reduce Wildfire Smoke Indoors