Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Artist fights cancer, with cartoons
  Cartoons and life-threatening cancer may seem an unlikely mix, but artist Chris Ayers' new book is a compendium of the 365 cartoon drawings he created during his year-long recovery from leukemia.4:54 p.m.
• Pawlenty: Cut spending, taxes in 'challenged' era
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty says he wants significant reductions in government spending, including a two-year wage freeze for state employees, to help solve a projected $4.8 billion budget deficit.5:20 p.m.
• UnitedHealth pays to resolve claims disputes
  Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group agreed to pay $350 million to settle class action lawsuits concerning Ingenix and its database of physician fees, which the suit claimed hurt patients and physicians.5:25 p.m.
• Nami Mun revisits being homeless
  Writer Nami Mun's new novel "Miles from Nowhere," tells the heart rending tale of Joon, a Korean girl who runs away from her family to live on the streets of New York.5:50 p.m.
• Minn. regulators approve power lines for SD plant
  The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has approved transmission lines for South Dakota's proposed $1.6 billion Big Stone II plant, with conditions.6:20 p.m.
• NewsCut: College Tour stop #1 is Century College
  Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Collins is taking his NewsCut blog to a different Minnesota college every Wednesday for the next couple months to find out what students make of the new American economy. Today he brings back some remarkable stories from Century College in White Bear Lake.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Cheney: A VP With Unprecedented Power
  Dick Cheney is about to leave office having spent the past eight years wielding more power than vice presidents throughout U.S. history. In the first term, he drove policy on issues he cared about. In the end, President Bush became more wary, and Cheney's influence waned but hardly ceased.
• Army Chief Of Staff Casey Defends Iraq Decisions
  In a rare interview, Gen. George Casey, chief of staff of the Army, spoke with NPR on a wide range of topics, from policy to troop status and readiness. Casey has been widely criticized for his handling of the Iraq war, and he is now tasked with rebuilding the battered forces.
• 'Mortal Men' Creators Craft A Song For Obama
  Before Barack Obama's election, a group of musicians recorded and released a collection of 43 original songs, one for each U.S. president. Titled Of Great and Mortal Men, the three-CD set ended with the presidency of George W. Bush. Now, just in time for the inauguration, the creators are making their 44th song available for download here.
• US Airways Flight Crashes Into Hudson River
  A US Airways plane has crashed into the Hudson River. It is not clear if there are any injuries. More than 100 people were on board flight 1549 that had taken off from LaGuardia Airport on its way to Charlotte, N.C.
• Holder Calls Waterboarding Torture
  Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder has labeled as torture the practice of waterboarding terrorism suspects. Speaking at his confirmation hearing, Holder also said he had learned from the experience surrounding the controversial Clinton-era pardon of financier Marc Rich.
• Expert Urges U.S. Trials For Guantanamo Suspects
  It is unclear what will happen to the detainees at Guantanamo Bay once the detention facility is closed. Sarah Mendelson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies says the U.S. criminal justice system, with all its flaws, offers a better and more valued way in which to deal with the situation than do military commissions.
• Rep. Cantor Weighs In On Stimulus Plan
  Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia talks about President-elect Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan. Cantor held a hearing with the House Republican leadership and economic experts on ways to jump-start the economy.
• Biden, Clinton, Salazar Bid Adieu To Senate
  The Senate has said goodbye to three of its members: Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Ken Salazar. All three are joining the Obama administration — Biden as vice president, Clinton as secretary of State, and Salazar as secretary of the Interior. The Senate also welcomed its newest member: Roland Burris of Illinois, selected to replace Obama.
• Ferry Boats Used In US Airways Rescue
  US Airways Flight 1549 went down in a relatively shallow portion of the Hudson River. The crash site was right next to the ferry boat terminal, and the vessels could be used in the rescue efforts. A witness said everyone got off the plane alive.
• U.N. Protests Israeli Fire On Gaza Facility
  The U.N. protested Israeli fire on its warehouse in Gaza. Israel said Hamas militants were launching rockets from the U.N. compound. Israel also killed a top Hamas leader in its operations in the Gaza Strip. And there was speculation that Israel and Hamas are close to an agreement on a cease-fire.

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