Today's Question Blog

June 19, 2014 2:16 AM

Should everyone learn to code?

The U.S. will add 1.2 million new computer-science-related jobs by 2022, the The Department of Labor estimates. Yet, “we’re graduating proportionately fewer computer science majors than we did in the 1980s, and the number of students signing up for Advanced Placement computer science has flatlined,” writes Tasneem Raja in Mother Jones. “There’s a whole host…

by Michael Olson

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June 17, 2014 5:31 PM

Should phone apps be regulated like text messaging for drivers?

You can’t drive and text in Minnesota. But what about other cell phone distractions like using your navigation app or other apps that require you to provide information, or look at the screen? “It’s a murky gray area, to say the least,” writes Fast Company’s Chris Gayomali. “Driver safety advocates have been calling for more…

by Michael Olson

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June 16, 2014 9:22 AM

How should the U.S. respond to militants in Iraq?

Militant group advances in Iraq, taking another northern town By Eyder Peralta – NPR A militant Sunni group continues its offensive in Iraq, taking the northern town of Tal Afar in the early morning hours. The Associated Press reports Tal Afar is a city of about 200,000 people and with an ethnic mix of Shiite…

by MPR News Staff

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June 12, 2014 3:38 AM

Should the U.S. fight wars differently?

Tom Engelhardt argues that the U.S. approach to war is pointless. “The United States has been at war — major boots-on-the-ground conflicts and minor interventions, firefights, air strikes, drone assassination campaigns, occupations, special ops raids, proxy conflicts, and covert actions — nearly nonstop since the Vietnam War began. That’s more than half a century of…

by Michael Olson

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June 11, 2014 1:42 AM

Does Eric Cantor’s loss mean anything outside of Virginia and DC?

6 ways Eric Cantor's stunning defeat changes Washington: http://t.co/YflgLMYuSV pic.twitter.com/pFMCa04ILB — Talking Points Memo (@TPM) June 11, 2014 “In an upset for the ages, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, the second-most powerful man in the House, was dethroned Tuesday by a little-known, tea party-backed Republican primary challenger carried to victory on a wave of…

by Michael Olson

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June 6, 2014 12:54 AM

Should there be a subsidy for popular music?

Heavy metal band Savage Messiah is getting $25,000 from the British taxpayers to go on tour. “In Britain, government subsidies for the arts have traditionally been focused on ballet, opera and theater. But now, they are giving a boost to a rather less exalted area of creativity: thrash metal bands, acid punk and nu-grunge groups,”…

by Michael Olson

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June 5, 2014 2:06 AM

Should Target take action to keep rifles out of their stores?

In the wake of gun rights advocates bringing rifles into Target stores in Texas and several other states, the retailer suddenly finds itself in the middle of an apparent battle between them and people who want it to prohibit guns in stores. Read MPR News reporter Martin Moylan’s full story here. Don't let #GunGrabbers like…

by Michael Olson

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June 3, 2014 7:38 AM

Did President Obama make the right call in the Bowe Bergdahl release?

President Obama today [Tuesday] defended the deal under which Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was freed in exchange for high-level Taliban prisoners, saying his administration had consulted with Congress over a possible trade. And, he dismissed questions about how Bergdahl was captured by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan in June 2009. “Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those…

by Michael Olson

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June 2, 2014 2:03 AM

U.S. Senate: Who are you likely to support?

Over the weekend in Rochester, Republicans gathered to select a candidate they hope will unseat Al Franken. They settled on businessman Mike McFadden. MPR News reporter Tom Scheck writes the McFadden selection suggests the GOP, having lost every statewide race since 2006, is willing to trade conservative credentials for electability. And even though McFadden may…

by Michael Olson

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May 28, 2014 5:56 AM

Should Tucson serve as a water use blueprint for Minnesota?

You may have heard or read some of our coverage Tuesday on lessons Tucson, Ariz., may have for water use in Minnesota. That’s a city that has grown substantially yet kept water consumption flat through a variety of conservation and reuse measures. The city encourages greywater use and rainwater capture; it recycles treated wastewater through…

by Michael Olson

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