Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Rural hospital reaches tipping point
  Health care is one of the fastest-growing costs for Minnesota government. Gov. Tim Pawlenty says it's critical to slow the growth in healthcare spending.4:44 p.m.
• U of M discovery offers potential breakthrough in preventing HIV transmission
  An FDA approved substance appears to prevent HIV transmissions in primates, offering hope of preventing transmissions in humans.5:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Vetting Process Out Of Control
  The vetting system for presidential nominees is out of control and can deprive the nation of qualified public servants. Dozens of Obama's nominees have been left in limbo by an intensified vetting process. The issue should be not past mistakes, but transparency.
• Rove, Miers To Testify On Attorney Firings
  The House Judiciary committee says former officials of the Bush administration have agreed to testify about the controversial U.S. attorney firings. The deal involves access for members of Congress to documents the Bush administration wanted withheld, and testimony from former aides Karl Rove and Harriet Miers.
• Letters: Air Traffic Controller, Public Radio Tuner
  Listeners responded to the interview with air traffic controller John Charlton and the Public Radio Tuner app for the iPhone. Melissa Block and Robert Siegel read from listeners' e-mails.
• In Fla., Scientists Use Magnets To Disorient Crocs
  In Florida, wildlife officials are experimenting with a way to keep crocodiles away from their capture sites. The crocodiles use an internal-navigation system to return to the locations. Florida officials are now attaching magnets to the heads of crocodiles to jam the signal. Lindsey Hord, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, discusses the results.
• Some Common Ground Ahead Of Health Care Forum
  President Obama is hosting what he calls a health care forum at the White House on Thursday. It's part of his ambitious goal of getting Congress to overhaul the nation's health care system this year. How that will happen remains politically complicated — but there's at least one area of bipartisan agreement.
• President Eyes Changes To Medicare-Run Plans
  President Barack Obama says the U.S. can save $177 billion over the next 10 years by revamping the Medicare Advantage plan.
• U.K. Awards Sen. Kennedy Honorary Knighthood
  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told Congress Wednesday that Sen. Edward Kennedy has been awarded an honorary knighthood. Kennedy (D-MA), who is battling brain cancer, did not attend Brown's address.
• Calif. Court To Review Gay-Marriage Ban
  California's voter-approved ban on same sex marriage is about to face an important legal test. The state's supreme court holds hearings Thursday to determine if Proposition 8 is constitutional. Last year, the same court legalized same-sex marriage in California.
• Clinton Wraps Up Mideast Tour
  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton labeled as unhelpful Israel's decision to destroy 55 houses in East Jerusalem. En route to Brussels, Clinton also said she will work to get restart talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
• Bill Would Give Judges Power To Shrink Mortgages
  The House is about to vote on a measure that could give bankruptcy judges the power to rewrite the terms of mortgages. Proponents of the provision say it would help solve the nation's foreclosure crisis. But lenders say the "cramdown" measure will do more harm than good.
• After 66 Years, Veteran Reunited With Dog Tag
  In 1943, Joseph Farish was based at Camp Kilmer, N.J. Before leaving to fight in World War II, he traveled to New York City and lost his dog tags. Last week, Sydney Rector, 19, and her boyfriend, Stevin Tyska, spotted one of the tags in a tunnel in Manhattan and tracked down its long-lost owner.
• Calls Fade For Burris' Resignation From Senate
  Democratic leaders in Illinois and Washington seem to now accept that Roland Burris won't resign. Although Burris is still under investigation for possible perjury and ethics violations, many leaders in Chicago's African-American community have rallied to his defense.
• A Spat Over Teeth-Whitening Businesses
  Tennessee's Board of Dentistry recently banned teeth-whitening businesses following a debate over whether teeth-whitening is a dental procedure that should only be administered by licensed dental professionals. Joyce Osborn, president of the Council for Cosmetic Teeth Whitening, and Nashville dentist John Douglass offer their differing viewpoints.
• Condoleezza Rice Returns To Stanford
  Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice returns to work at Stanford University's Hoover Institution this week. She is going back to same office she left and to some deep roots in the Bay Area academic community.
• World Court Issues Warrant For Sudan's President
  The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Edmund Sanders, an Africa correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, offers his insight. ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo also weighs in.

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