In the wake of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, questions about political violence in America are once again front and center. MPR News guest host Chris Farrell and his guests ask: Why is political violence on the rise and how do we respond?

Guests:

• John Hinderaker is the president of the Center for the American Experiment, a conservative policy advocacy group based in Minnesota.
• David Schultz is a professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University.
• Shannon Watson is the executive director of Majority in the Middle, a Minnesota nonprofit that promotes civility in public life.

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The latest vaccines for COVID-19 have reached Minnesota. But should you get one? Can you find one? And will your insurance pay for it?

These are just some of the questions flying around following turmoil at federal health agencies.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, laid off workers, overseen changes in COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and replaced the committee that sets broad vaccine guidance for the nation.

Former leaders of the CDC under both Republican and Democratic administrations recently warned that the nation's public health system is a “raging fire” under Kennedy’s leadership.

MPR News guest host Chris Farrell talks with a pediatrician and a professor of public health about what this means for public health in Minnesota and for people just trying to get their fall shots.

Guests:

• Dr. Rebecca Wurtz is a professor in the division of Health Policy & Management at the University of Minnesota. She is also a board-certified infectious disease physician and has worked in public health roles in government and private sector settings.
• Dr. Gigi Chawla is a pediatrician and the chief of general pediatrics at Children's Minnesota.

Parenting can feel like a rollercoaster — equal parts joy and chaos.

We often second-guess ourselves: Am I doing this right? Am I messing my kid up forever?

Trust us, you are not alone.

And maybe you’ve heard the term “attachment” thrown around in parenting circles — the deep emotional bond that can form between a child and their primary caregivers.

But what does it really mean? And how does it shape a child’s development?

MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon and early childhood education reporter Kyra Miles talk with a developmental psychologist about how to create parent-child attachment and how to know if we’re getting it right.