Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Metro sales tax increase proposal aimed at transportation
  Two DFL legislators and a group representing dozens of Twin Cities mayors are backing a sales tax increase to pay for transportation projects in the seven-county metropolitan area. Gov. Pawlenty says he doesn't like the plan.5:20 p.m.
• No death knell just yet for DM&E expansion plan
  Now that the federal government has denied a huge loan for the DM&E railroad expansion, is the project dead? DM&E still has federal approval to expand its lines, but no financing. People along the rail line in southern Minnesota and South Dakota are wondering what's yet to come.5:23 p.m.
• Which Minnesota college can cut energy use the most?
  More than a dozen Minnesota college campuses have spent this month locked in competition. But we're not talking about sports here. It's a battle over which campus can cut its energy use the most.5:50 p.m.
• The price we pay to stay plugged in
  Many electronic devices keep using power even when they're not being used. TVs, DVD players, cell phone chargers and garage door openers can add up to 10% of a home's energy use.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Congress May Put Tobacco Under FDA Control
  In the 1990s, the Food and Drug Administration tried to regulate tobacco. But the Supreme Court decided it wasn't in the agency's charter. Now, some legislators on Capitol Hill want to put it there. A bill with a chance of passing has been introduced, and today a Senate committee takes up the issue.
• Iraq's New Oil Law May Affect World Markets
  The new oil law that Iraq's Cabinet approved Monday declares that oil revenue will be shared among the provinces or regions based on population, a key concern for Sunnis. But the legislation would also have big implications for oil companies around the world.
• Israeli Military Operation Leaves Destruction, Anger
  Israeli troops and armored vehicles pull out of the West Bank city of Nablus after a two-day security operation, leaving behind a trail of smashed cars, broken windows and angry Palestinians. It was the largest military sweep in the West Bank in months. Israeli officials say Nablus has become the center of planned attacks on Israel.
• U.S. Downplays Attack on Base Where Cheney Slept
  White House spokesman Tony Snow downplays news of an attack on a U.S. military base at Bagram, Afghanistan, where Vice President Dick Cheney had just spent the night. Estimates of the death toll have gone as high as 23; the Taliban calls the attack an attempted assassination.
• Sadr City Poses Unique Challenge in Security Push
  The U.S. military says troops arrested 16 militiamen it describes as rogue elements of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. The raid took place in Sadr City, the sprawling Baghdad slum likely to present the most sensitive challenge for U.S. and Iraqi troops.
• U.S. Spy Chief: Iraq Living Up to Promises, So Far
  U.S. spy chief Mike McConnell says that so far, Iraq's government is living up to its commitment to try to turn around the security situation there. But, McConnell added, there's still a long way to go before Iraqi security forces will be able to control the country. McConnell testified before the Senate Armed Services committee.
• U.S. Will Talk with Iran, Syria About Iraqi Stability
  The Iraqi government is inviting ambassadors from Iran and Syria to discuss security in Iraq, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The surprise announcement came as Rice spoke on Capitol Hill with Defense Secretary Robert Gates about new funds for U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• 1997 Redux? Markets Slip After a Slide in Asia
  Today's dramatic tumble in the stock market began with Chinese stock market, which fell almost 9 percent after it had doubled in the past year, says Michael Farr, president of the investment firm Farr, Miller and Washington.
• U.S. Stocks Dive After Chinese Market Rattles
  U.S. stock markets suffer huge losses, in a day that will be remembered for its tremendous volatility. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down about 300 points at mid-afternoon — then it lost another 200 points in mere minutes. The index closed down 416 points, a slump tied to a nearly 9-percent plunge in the Chinese market.
• International Prosecutor Names Names in Darfur Crisis
  The lead prosecutor of the International Criminal Court accuses a Sudanese government official and a militia leader of working together to attack civilians in Darfur. Sudan immediately rejected the allegations. Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo singled out two men as "some of the most responsible."
• Women's Pro Soccer Returns to America
  Owners representing six major U.S. women's soccer teams have signed letters of intent to become charter members of a new professional women's soccer league.
• The Scene on the Ground in Afghanistan
  Some see the attack outside Bagram airbase as evidence of a substantive return of Taliban fighters to Afghanistan. Michele Norris talks with Carlotta Gall of The New York Times from Islamabad about the possibility of a resurgence by the Taliban, as well as who supports them.
• Coal Trains Won't Run Past Mayo Clinic
  The Federal Railroad Administration has denied a more than $2 billion loan for a controversial proposal for a train to run from the coal mines of Wyoming through South Dakota and Minnesota. The chief opponent was Rochester, Minn.'s Mayo Clinic - which the train would have run right by.
• Training Police to Subdue Suspects
  Jason Williams, Defensive Tactics Training Coordinator with the Michigan State Police Department training division, explains how police officers are trained to deal with people in a state of excited delirium.
• Expert Calls for U.S. Military Mission in Sudan
  Despite U.N. hopes to stem Sudan's humanitarian crisis, the United States must intervene militarily, says Susan Rice, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President Clinton. Melissa Block talks with Rice, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

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