Good morning! Get ready for a temperature roller coaster today. Thursday starts off with sunny skies and highs will be around 20 in northern Minnesota and around 30 in south. It'll get much colder later tonight, as subzero lows are expected across the state. Get the latest on the Updraft. President Joe Biden had a busy first day in the Oval Office, targeting Donald Trump's legacy with his executive orders. Just hours after taking the oath of office, Biden signed 15 executive actions and two directives, many of which reverses Trump's policies on immigration, environment and the pandemic. Those orders include: halting on the U.S.-Mexico border construction, declaring the intent of the U.S. rejoining the Paris Climate Accord and World Health Organization and revoking a key approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. In another effort to signal a return to pre-Trump times, the new White House press secretary held a news briefing late Wednesday — a practice the Trump White House had all but abandoned in the final two months of the presidency. Read more about Biden's first day as the 46th president, and highlights of the actions he took Wednesday here. To many Minnesota women of color, the inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris was a moment of triumph. Harris is the first woman elected vice president in U.S. history and also the first Black woman and the first person of south Asian descent to achieve the office. “It was fun to see other people’s reactions on the screen and a couple of times when I was like ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ I looked at the screen, and everybody was looking the same way," says Mary Dedeaux-Swinton, president of the Twin Cities graduate of Alpha Kappa Alpha, which Harris joined as a Howard University student in 1986. Read the full story here. Minnesota now has the lowest number of active confirmed COVID-19 cases in three months. The 1,237 COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday put Minnesota at 449,492 in the pandemic. Of those, about 96 percent have recovered to the point they no longer need to be isolated. While the recent trends look hopeful, public health leaders still caution that another surge, originating from year-end holiday gatherings, is likely in the coming weeks. Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:5,979 deaths (34 more) 449,492 positive cases (1,237 new), 432,738 off isolation (96 percent)6.2 million tests, 3.2 million people tested (about 56 percent of the population)4.6 percent seven-day positive test rate (officials find 5 percent or more concerning)At 11 a.m.: What were you thinking and how were you feeling during the yesterday's inauguration? A new administration takes charge amid economic troubles, a deadly virus and deep divisions. At 11 a.m., host Angela Davis will host a conversation about what a fresh start means for all of us. Join by calling during the live show at 651-227-6000 or tweeting @AngelaDavisMPR. 🎧 Tune in to stay informed and connected. Here's what's coming up on MPR News today. — Jiwon Choi, MPR News MPRNews.org. |