Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Pawlenty makes surprise trip to Iraq
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty has made a surprise trip to Iraq to visit National Guard members and other Minnesota soldiers serving there. Pawlenty requested the trip after 2,600 Minnesota Guard members had their tour of duty extended into the summer.5:20 p.m.
• Forecasting floods is complex equation
  The National Weather Service is working on a prediction for springtime flooding. Heavy snowfalls and drought conditions in parts of the region are just two of the many factors that go into making that prediction.5:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Russian Rights Activists Seek Washington's Aid
  The Russian government's new restrictions on the activities of human rights and pro-democracy organizations has led some agencies to close, and their founders to flee the country. One of the new dissidents has come to Washington to seek help.
• Tips to Navigate the Maze of American Plastic
  As the number of credit cards rise in the United States, it is still possible to be a savvy credit-card consumer. Curtis Arnold is the founder of cardratings.com, a consumer advocacy site focusing on the credit card industry.
• Congress Takes Up Complaints on Credit Cards
  Executives from major U.S. banks were on the hot seat in Congress Wednesday over credit-card fees and penalties. One bank executive apologized to an aggrieved customer at the hearing. He said that in his case, the bank had simply blown it. The statements came as lawmakers in Washington heard complaints from consumers about credit-card industry practices.
• New Plan Calls for Buying Aid Foods Outside U.S.
  The Bush administration wants to start buying some of the more than $1 billion in food commodities for its Food for Peace program in foreign countries, closer to where it's needed. The proposal threatens an alliance between agri-business and humanitarian organizations.
• White House Dismisses Rumors of Pardon for Libby
  Almost as soon as an obstruction-of-justice conviction was read for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, conservatives began calling on President Bush to pardon the former White House aide. Libby was convicted of lying to obstruct an investigation into who leaked CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity.
• U.S. States Work for 'Safe Surrender' of Babies
  In the past decade, 47 U.S. states have enacted so-called "safe haven," or "safe surrender" laws. The measures vary in their specifics, but essentially allow a parent to turn over a child to designated authorities, without facing abandonment charges, as long as there is no evidence of child abuse.
• Ernest Gallo's Dream of a Wine Business
  With a loan from a relative and a recipe he found in the basement of the local public library, Ernest Gallo founded what would become, at one point, the world's largest winery. The legendary winemaker, 97, died Tuesday at his home in Modesto.
• L.A. Opera Celebrates Nazi-Repressed Composers
  The Los Angeles Opera is launching a multi-year project to perform the music of composers whose work was suppressed by the Nazis. The inaugural concerts this March include a fully staged performance of Alexander Zemlinksy's A Florentine Tragedy. Visual art also suppressed in Nazi Germany will be projected on the stage during the concert.
• Election Case Came Up in Judgeship Interview
  During a September 2006 job interview, the White House counsel's office asked a U.S. attorney why he had "mishandled" an investigation of the close Washington governor's race. The interview with John McKay, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, was for a federal judgeship — a post McKay did not receive.
• Investigating the CIA Leak, Libby and Armitage
  Mike Isikoff, investigative correspondent for Newsweek magazine, co-wrote Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal and the Selling of the Iraq War, which implicated Richard Armitage in the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity.
• Irish Immigrants Visit Congress to Ask for Rights
  Several thousand Irish immigrants fan out across Capitol Hill, shaking up the stereotype of the illegal immigrant and lobbying for legalization. The demonstrators say they've come to America for opportunity and adventure — the same reasons as their ancestors.
• Iraqi Shiite Pilgrims Persist, Despite Attacks
  There were more attacks against Shiite pilgrims in Iraq, including a bombing followed by gunfire. Bombings Tuesday left more than 120 dead. Despite the grave risk, pilgrims continue to flow toward Kerbala for weekend rites marking the end of a 40-day mourning period for the death of Imam Hussein, who died in the 7th century.
• As Wine Market Grows, So Does Counterfeiting
  Melissa Block talks with Nikos Antonakeas about wine counterfeiting. Nikos is the Managing Director of the Wine Auction Division at Morell and Company in New York City.
• Jean Baudrillard, the Mind Behind 'The Matrix'
  Jean Baudrillard, a French philosopher and sociologist, wrote dozens of books. But his ideas may have found their biggest platform in the movie The Matrix. Baudrillard died Tuesday at the age of 77.
• More States Dropping Motorcyle Helmet Laws
  Nearly every state once required motorcycle riders to wear helmets. But today, fewer than half do — and many are considering weakening their laws. Advocates for riding without a helmet have successfully lobbied for legislative change. Safety advocates say that's one reason deaths from motorcycle crashes have more than doubled in the past decade.

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