Running a restaurant might seem like a dream come true — good food, great vibes, and the chance to serve up joy on a plate.

But what’s cooking behind the scenes? It’s a never-ending dance of balancing budgets, managing people, and surviving the pressure of every customer, every order, and every shift.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about what it takes to start and manage a restaurant — and keep it open.

Guests:

• Stephanie Shimp is the president and founder of Blue Plate Restaurant Company, which owns nine restaurants including Highland Grill, The Lowry and The Blue Barn at the Minnesota State Fair.
• Joy Summers is a food and drink reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune.
• Chris Farrell is a senior economics contributor for MPR News and Marketplace.

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In 1979, President Jimmy Carter officially recognized June as Black Music Month to honor the influence of Black musicians and artists in shaping American music.

It's a reminder that Black music has been at the heart of almost every sound we know and love, including jazz, blues, rock, R&B, gospel, hip hop and even country.

And in Minnesota, we’ve felt the impact — from the legacy of Prince to the Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Gary Hines, the founder of Sounds of Blackness, about the history and influence of Black artists across all musical genres.

Guests:

• Gary Hines is the founder, music director and producer of Sounds of Blackness, a Grammy Award-winning vocal and instrumental group from Minnesota that blends gospel, R&B, soul and jazz music.

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

Most Americans are eating and drinking far more sugar than is good for us. It’s easy to do.

Sugar is added to everything from breakfast cereals and flavored coffee creamers to salad dressings and pasta sauces.

And all of that sugar can add up. Americans consume an average of 17 teaspoons of sugar a day with some estimates as high as 34 teaspoons a day. That's about three times the daily limit recommended by the American Heart Association.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently said, “Sugar is poison,” and recommends that Americans consume “zero” added sugar.

So how much is too much? MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a doctor and a dietitian about what sugar does to our bodies and ways to cut back to improve our health.

Guests:

• Dr. Allison Estrada is an endocrinologist at Hennepin HealthCare.
• Alex Larson is a registered dietitian nutritionist based near Duluth.

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.    

After the U.S. attacked three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Tehran and Iran fired missiles at the largest American military installation in the Middle East. And according to President Donald Trump, Israel and Iran have agreed to a cease-fire.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the latest developments in the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States.

Guests:

• Shaherzad Ahmadi is an associate professor of history at the University of St. Thomas. Her research has focused on the history of the Iran-Iraq War that began in 1980. She is also the author of “Bordering on War.”
• Eric Schwartz is a professor and chair of the global policy area and former dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He is a former president of Refugees International and served as assistant secretary of state under President Barack Obama.

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. 

President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has sparked recent protests across the country.

MPR News host Angela Davis will talk with two immigration attorneys about how Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are trying to fulfill President Trump’s pledge of mass deportations.

Guests:

• Alexis Dutt is a senior attorney at Karam Law, a Twin Cities law firm that focuses on immigration law.
• Hanne Sandison is the director of immigration legal services for Advocates for Human Rights, a nonprofit based in Minneapolis dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights.
• Chris Farrell is a senior economics contributor for MPR News and Marketplace.

Resources shared during the conversation:

U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services

Self-help materials: LawHelpMN.org

Find a free or low-cost lawyer: ImmigrationLawHelp.org

The Advocates for Human Rights: Get Help or Become a Client

Juneteenth has long been celebrated in Black communities to remember June 19, 1865, the day that enslaved African Americans in Texas learned they were free.

After becoming a federal holiday in 2021, broader community celebrations began in cities around the country, including the Minnesota Orchestra’s annual Juneteenth concert tonight at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis.

MPR News host Angela Davis talked with the guest conductor of the Juneteenth concert and one of its organizers about the contributions of Black American composers and how classical music is being shaped by Black American music traditions, including gospel, jazz and the blues.

Tickets to the 7 p.m. concert were still available as of Thursday morning. The concert will also stream live on YourClassical MPR with host Melissa Ousley.

Guests:

• Jonathan Taylor Rush returns to guest conduct this year’s Juneteenth concert with the Minnesota Orchestra after conducting the concert in 2024. Now based in North Carolina, Taylor Rush was associate conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 2020 to 2023 and is in demand as a guest conductor around the world.

• Grant Meachum is director of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Live at Orchestra Hall season, which includes the Juneteenth concert and more than twenty other special programs every year featuring film presentations, holiday celebrations and collaborations with popular artists.

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

The last few days have been heavy in Minnesota. Many people are experiencing a collective sense of grief in the wake of the targeted fatal shootings of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband. MPR News host Kelly Gordon talks with her guests about the shared sadness, anger and anxiety — and how people can heal, together.

Guests:

• Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman is the senior rabbi at Temple Israel in Minneapolis.
• Fiyyaz Karim is co-director of graduate studies and a senior lecturer who teaches addiction counseling and integrated behavioral health at the University of Minnesota.

Federal authorities posted murder and stalking charges against Vance Boelter Monday, saying he went to the homes of two other state lawmakers early Saturday morning between shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, and killing DFL House leader Melissa Hortman and her husband.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said more than 45 Minnesota state and federal officials were on Boelter’s target list — all of them Democrats.

The shootings are part of a string of high-profile political violence across the country in recent years.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the rise in sharp polarization in the U.S. and the threat of political violence.

Guests: 

• Lilliana Mason is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of “Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity.” And she is the co-author of “Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy.”
• Kathryn Pearson is a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. She is also the associate dean of undergraduate education and the director of the University Honors Program.

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