Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• House approves measure criticizing Bush's Iraq policy
  The Democratic-controlled House issued a symbolic rejection of President Bush's plan to deploy more troops to Iraq on Friday, approving the nonbinding resolution by a vote of 246-182.3:51 p.m.
• Weekend warriors create a world of songs
  The Twin Cities indie rock band Army Defense has hundreds of songs in its recording vault. But chances are you won't hear any of them. That's because the only fans Army Defense members truly want to please are each other.7:15 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Smart Street: The Madcap 'Avenue Montaigne'
  Avenue Montaigne is a "boulevard comedy" — a breezy romp with sophisticated characters — that's actually about a boulevard. The locale is an elegant block in Paris populated with culture mavens.
• Illinois Says Farewell to Chief Illiniwek Mascot
  The University of Illinois has decided to retire its mascot, Chief Illiniwek, after 80 years. Michele Norris talks with Steve Raquel, an alumnus who portrayed the character in 1992 and 1993.
• Not All Women Are Laughing at 'Norbit'
  Eddie Murphy's new movie Norbit raked in the big bucks at the box office last weekend, when it claimed the top money-making spot. But the portrayal of an overweight, bossy, mean black woman has many African-African women angry.
• Nationalism Has Turkey's Intellectuals on Edge
  A climate of fear has settled over leading dissident intellectuals in Turkey, in the wake of the assassination last month of a prominent Turkish-Armenian writer. Ultra-nationalists have stoned churches, attempted hijackings of ferryboats, and chanted the name of the writer's killer at soccer games.
• Tammy Duckworth's Husband Faces New Tour
  Michele Norris talks with Iraq war veteran and director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, Tammy Duckworth, and her husband, Maj. Bryan Bowlsbey, a fellow National Guardsman who learned last month that he is being called up for deployment. Bowlsbey leaves for training next month; he is going to be part of a transportation unit based in Kuwait.
• Italians Protest Planned U.S. Base Expansion
  Thousands of people are expected to protest in the northern Italian city of Vicenza Saturday against plans to expand a U.S. military base there. The protest comes as relations between Italy and the United States are under some strain. Friday, a judge indicted 26 Americans tied to the CIA's "extraordinary renditions."
• Guinea Under Martial Law as Protests, Riots Mount
  Soldiers with orders to shoot rioters and looters are patrolling the West African nation of Guinea, where President Lansana Conte has declared martial law. The crackdown is meant to crush a general strike that mushroomed into an open rebellion against Conte's 23-year rule.
• Palestinians Cautiously Optimistic on Unity Pact
  Rival Palestinian factions are struggling to turn the "unity government" deal, signed with great pomp and glitz in Mecca late last week, into a reality in Gaza and the West Bank. The international community's muted reaction to the deal has prompted cautious optimism among Palestinians.
• Week in Politics: Congress, Iraq and North Korea
  Robert Siegel talks with our regular political commentators, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and David Brooks of The New York Times. They'll talk about the House debate on Iraq, presidential politics, Iran's posturing and the agreement with North Korea.
• Albarn's The Good, The Bad, and The Queen
  Damon Albarn is an increasingly busy British musician whose past projects include the rock band Blur, the pop/hip-hop mutation Gorillaz, and a West African ensemble called Mali Music. His latest group, which has just released their eponymous debut, is The Good, The Bad, and The Queen.
• Marine Base Honors Those Killed in Iraq
  A memorial service was held at Camp Pendleton in Southern California for the Fifth Regimental Combat Team to pay tribute to the 100 Marines and sailors who were killed in Iraq during the past year's deployment.
• Tribe that Saw Pilgrims Land Gets Recognition
  After a decades-long struggle, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Cape Cod, Mass., has won official recognition as a sovereign Native American nation. The Indians' ancestors were on shore when the Pilgrims arrived in the 1620s. The recognition brings land rights, access to federal grants — and perhaps a push for casino gambling in Massachusetts.
• Gilbert Arenas: The NBA's Colt Seavers?
  Gilbert Arenas has come into his own as an NBA superstar this season. After overcoming a difficult upbringing, he has succeeded beyond all expectations. And throughout it all, he has maintained a quirky sense of humor.
• Gay Discussion Dominates Runup to NBA All-Star
  Robert Siegel talks with Wall Street Journal sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about gay athletes in American sports.
• Ride to Remember: The 20-Hour Traffic Jam
  Motorists sat stranded on Interstate 78 Thursday, between Harrisburg and Allentown, Pa. Snow and ice and stuck tractor-trailers caused a 50-mile logjam. Some people sat in their cars without moving for 20 hours. Robert Siegel talks with Gay Elwell, a Magisterial District Judge in Easton, Pa.

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