What’s on MPR News today? 2/23/18

Friday February 23, 2018
(Subject to change as events dictate)

Until 9 a.m. – Morning Edition
Alzheimer’s and the immune system; a GOP donor on gun control; how steel consumers get hurt; and a StoryCorps episode from abused schoolgirls.

9 a.m.- 1A with Joshua Johnson
Friday news roundup. The debate over how to bring an end to mass shootings in America dominated the national conversation this week. Youth and survivors of gun violence raised their voices to the forefront of the discussion. And, after a lot of listening, the president weighed in, too.

Guests: Byron York, chief political correspondent, The Washington Examiner;
Amy Walter, national editor, Cook Political Report; Fernando Pizarro, Washington correspondent, Univision.

10 a.m. – MPR News with Kerri Miller
Friday roundtable.

Guests: Jorge Saavedra, founder of the Saavedra Law Firm; John Phelen, economist at the Center of the American Experiment; Ruben Rivera, chief diversity officer at Bethel University.

11 a.m. – MPR News with Tom Weber
The movie Black Panther broke box office records and has won the hearts of critics and moviegoers alike. The Counter Stories crew saw the movie, and they share their thoughts.

Guests: Hlee Lee, a media artist; Don Eubanks, assistant professor at Metropolitan State University; Anthony Galloway, owner, Umoja Consulting; Luz Maria Frias, President & CEO of YWCA Minneapolis.

12 p.m. – MPR News Presents
Thread Book Hour: Kerri Miller interviewed author Tayari Jones, whose novel “An American Marriage” is a love story that explores pride, betrayal and one’s ability to forgive. Euan Kerr spoke with Minnesota writer Kaethe Schwehn about her new book, “The Rending and The Nest,” which is set in a post-apocalyptic Twin Cities.

1 p.m. – Science Friday
The physics of the world’s most immense towers, bridges, and even sewer systems. Plus, do Florida’s flamingos really belong there?

Guests: Roma Agrawal, structural engineer and author of “Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures”; Steven Whitfield, conservation biologist, Zoo Miami.

Pre-empted for presidential news conference.

2 p.m. – BBC NewsHour
The UN Security Council poised to vote on the besieged Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta.

3 p.m. – All Things Considered
The rash of school threats in Minnesota; What parents can learn from the Larry Nassar case; Guns and mental health; Why are gun sales declining? A preview of the curling gold medal game at the Olympics; and Ten Thousand Things presents a new play about the staff at a car wash and a mysterious octopus.

7 p.m. – The World
This flu season has been deadly. So, how do we prepare for the next one? Also, Venezuela has launched the petro, the world’s first government-backed cryptocurrency. It’s supposed to help fix the country’s dire financial situation. But there are still a lot of questions surrounding the petro.

Host Marco Werman checks in with reporter Jason Strother in South Korea, as the Winter Olympics there enter the final weekend.

And we hear how Joe Kye, a violinist from Seattle with roots in South Korea, uses looping to blend different parts of his identity and musical traditions from different parts of the globe.

8 p.m. – Fresh Air
Co-directors and co-writers Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina of the Disney Pixar film Coco. The film has been nominated for two Oscars: for best animated feature, and best original song. Coco is set in Mexico, on the Day of the Dead, a holiday on which the living remember their deceased loved ones. (Rebroadcast)