Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Ira Glass' "This American Life" hits the Twin Cities
  Ira Glass talks about taking a public radio program to Showtime.4:50 p.m.
• Budget forecast puts squeeze on spending plans
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty and state lawmakers got a budget forecast that prompted both relief and disappointment on Wednesday. The state's fiscal outlook looks much the same as it did last November and so do the battles over spending that lie ahead.5:18 p.m.
• Whither 3M?
  George Buckley took the CEO job at Maplewood-based 3M a little more than a year ago. At the time there was speculation Buckley would put more of a priority on the science and engineering that has been at the company's core. The jury is still out on whether Buckley will provide the business leadership 3M needs.5:22 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Democrats Seek Consensus on War Funding
  Most, if not all, of the Democrats in the Senate want the war in Iraq to be over. Some want U.S. troops to be withdrawn immediately, if not yesterday. Yet, when pressed, many of them also plan to vote to continue funding the war. That makes a consensus — and a strategy — hard to find.
• The Case of the Tri-Tone Tea Kettle
  We hear from listener Navah Langmeyer of Baltimore who submits the sound of her tea kettle — which plays three distinct notes.
• Group Faults Al Gore on Environmental Claims
  Melissa Block talks with Mark Trexler, President of Trexler Climate and Energy Services in Portland, Ore. Trexler will talk about carbon offsets — what they are, and how a small consumer can reduce carbon emissions.
• Church Hosts Conference on 'Ex-Gay' Therapy
  The controversial idea that counseling and therapy can overcome homosexual tendencies is at the heart of what's called the "ex-gay movement." Proponents of ways that gays and lesbians can be "cured" recently held a conference in Phoenix.
• Jesuit College Fights for Public Money in Missouri
  A fight over using public money for a Catholic university is now before the Missouri Supreme Court. The case involves Saint Louis University, which wants $8 million in public money for a basketball arena.
• Khmer Rouge War Crime Trials May Not Continue
  There is uncertainty surrounding the Khmer Rouge trial now that the United Nations and Cambodia are having trouble agreeing on a number of things that should have been resolved a while ago. Some agencies say this is another case of political manipulation and foot-dragging by the government.
• Arkansans Quibble Over the Possessive 'S'
  Melissa Block talks with Rep. Steve Harrelson, a Democrat in the Arkansas legislature. On Tuesday, Harrelson introduced a resolution to declare the correct way to write the possessive form of the state's name. That would be, he says, "Arkansas's." Not everyone agrees, however, including the largest newspaper in Little Rock.
• Soldier Serves in Arizona's State Legislature
  Weeks before last fall's election, Jonathan Paton shipped off to Iraq, to serve in an Army Intelligence Unit. He was re-elected as an Arizona state representative in absentia. He found out he won while in the middle of a mortar attack. He finished his tour and just came back home, safe and sound. Yesterday, he was sworn into office on the floor of the House of Representatives, even though the session is almost two months old.
• Somalian Refugee Finds Connections in Seattle
  Koshin Mohamed, a Somali refugee, works as a shopkeeper in southern Seattle. He says he has been tapped by the new transitional government in Somalia to be the new Somalian Ambassador to the United States. But the 28-year-old has found some powerful allies in the world of conservative U.S. politics.
• Bush Critic Back in Baghdad to Lead Reconstruction
  In 2003, Timothy Carney went to Baghdad to run the Ministry of Industry and Minerals. He left after just two months on the job, returning highly critical of the Bush administration's tactics in Iraq. Earlier this year, he was called to return and oversee reconstruction efforts as Coordinator for Economic Transition in Iraq.
• Senate Panel Begins Immigration Debate Anew
  The Senate Judiciary Committee discusses how to sell the idea of a mass legalization to a skeptical American public, many of whom oppose "amnesty." The panel is picking up the immigration issue pretty much where it left off last year.
• AirTran Makes a Play for Midwest Airlines
  The low-cost airline AirTran is attempting a hostile takeover of the venerable Midwest Airlines, which is based in Milwaukee, Wis. Opponents of the takeover say that Midwest, famous for its fresh-baked cookies and wide leather seats, might lose its individual merits.
• Stocks Bounce Back after Tuesday's Steep Fall
  Wall Street leapt out to early gains the morning after a 416-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and held on for a rally that eased fears of a deeper slump. Investors had been anxious following a sell-off in China.
• Computer Glitch Worsened a Bad Day for Stocks
  Part of the sharp plunge in the Dow Jones index Tuesday was triggered by a computer glitch. When the malfunction was discovered shortly before 2 p.m., the switch to backup computers caused the bellwether average to drop 200 points just before 3 p.m.
• Bush Talks Foreign; States Want Domestic Care
  When President Bush addressed a meeting of the National Governors Association on Monday, he spoke at length about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But he failed to address a bigger concern for many governors: a shortfall in the states' health-care funding for low-income children.

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