Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Two guys make art on their bikes
  They ride their bikes around the world, and they tell people about it. Two performance artists who call themselves Lone Twin have visited cities around the world -- riding their bikes for hours at a time in those cities, and then turning their experiences into performances.4:50 p.m.
• Military turns to high schools for recruits
  The defense department intends to increase new recruitment goals by 92,000 troops a year as part of President Bush's plan to boost troop strength in Iraq.5:20 p.m.
• Democrats tap Walz for radio address
  Rep. Tim Walz will deliver the Democrats' weekly radio address this weekend. He's a veteran opposed to President Bush's plan to increase the number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq.5:24 p.m.
• Pawlenty pledges more school aid, but with strings attached
  Gov. Pawlenty outlined his general proposals for education funding during a speech Friday, acknowledging that school boards need more state money to keep up with rising costs. He also sought to dampen expectations for funding all-day kindergarten statewide.5:50 p.m.
• Neighborhood newspapers have struggles of their own
  Media Commentator David Brauer tells Tom Crann that even as the Twin Cities major papers struggle under new management, some neighborhood newspapers are stronger than others.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Rice Set to Make a Swing Through Middle East
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice makes another trip to the Middle East. She is scheduled to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, in addition to visiting Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
• Cingular No More: AT&T Swallows a Brand
  Next week, AT&T will begin changing all of its Cingular Wireless branding material to adopt the AT&T brand. The move reflects the strength of the AT&T brand and a company's push to "bundle" its services.
• David Beckham, the New Star in L.A.'s Galaxy
  British soccer superstar David Beckham has signed a five-year deal to play with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
• Oh, to Dance with Beyonce on Tour
  More than 1,000 scantily clad dancers line up in the cold in New York City for the chance to go on tour as backup dancers for the pop diva Beyonce. The multi-city auditions will results in only a lucky 40 dancers chosen.
• It's January, and that Means Newbies in the Gym
  Commentator Aaron Freeman knows that this month, just like every January, his gym is going to fill up with new people, most of them working on their New Year's resolutions to get more exercise. Like all of the other gym regulars, he knows that most of them won't be around by the end of February. But a few of them will become regulars.
• Bush Prods Maliki to Let Baathists Back In
  As part of his new Iraq strategy, President Bush is asking the Iraqi government to review and amend the de-Baathification law that ousted thousands of members of Saddam Hussein's political party from jobs in the government, the army, state corporations, universities and hospitals.
• At Fort Benning, News of Possible Third Tours in Iraq
  Soldiers react to the new Iraq strategy. President Bush visited Fort Benning, Ga., on Thursday to rally the troops. Many of the soldiers based at Fort Benning have been to Iraq before and are going back for their second or third tours.
• Indian Police Use 'Truth Serum' in Child Murders
  Police in India have been conducting tests on two men accused in one of the most gruesome cases of serial rape and child murder in the country's history. The tests include administering so-called "narco-analysis" drugs — or, as some put it, "truth serum."
• Prosecutor in Duke Case Asks to Be Removed
  Mike Nifong, the Durham, N.C., district attorney in the case of three Duke University lacrosse players accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a party, is asking to be dropped from the case, and replaced with a special prosecutor.
• White House Blames Tepid Response on Details
  Polls taken since President Bush's address to the nation this week show strong resistance to his plan to increase U.S. troop levels in Iraq, fueling opposition to the plan on Capitol Hill. The White House insists that Congress will like the plan better when it sees the details.
• Week in Review: Bush, Iraq and Congress
  Robert Siegel talks with E.J. Dionne, a columnist for The Washington Post, and David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times. This week's issues: The White House defends its Iraq policy...and the first 100 hours of the Democrats' legislation on Capitol Hill.
• Go Tough. Go Dance. Go 'Stomp the Yard'
  The new movie Stomp the Yard is about a young man who leaves Los Angeles to go to a historically black college — and gets caught up in its step-dancing rivalries. Step has been a tradition in black fraternities and sororities for decades.
• Senators Debate Troop Boost with Gates and Pace
  Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace go before the Senate Armed Services Committee to answer lawmakers' questions about President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq.
• Kids and the King Holiday
  Monday is Martin Luther King Day, but celebrations have already begun in Washington, D.C. A group of fourth-graders from Watkins Elementary School stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to recite his "I Have a Dream" speech.
• Foreign Relations Panel Hears from Rice on Iran
  Robert Siegel talks with Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), who chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Thursday, Lantos presided over two hearings: one on Iraq, and the other on Iran. The latter hearing was attended by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

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