Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minnesota's old house needs some work
  Cass Gilbert designed the Capitol more than 100 years ago. While many of the publicly-viewed spaces appear to have aged well, there are some areas that are continually exposed to moisture, mold and the effects of time.4:49 p.m.
• No tax increases in DFL budget plan
  The proposal disappoints several committee chairs who were hoping for more money to follow through on some of the campaign promises they made last year.5:18 p.m.
• Duluth looks for a new airbase tenant
  Duluth officials expect Northwest Airlines to soon drop its lease of the massive heavy jet maintenance facility in the city. But if Northwest officially pulls out of the building, state law makes it almost impossible for Duluth to find another tenant.5:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• U.S. Troops Enter Sadr City for 'Soft Knock' Op
  U.S. forces push into volatile Sadr City as the Baghdad "surge" expands. U.S. forces are busy setting up a checkpoint and going on what they call a "soft knock" house-by-house search of one neighborhood.
• Senators Spar Over Restoring Habeas Corpus
  Sen. Arlen Specter and others seek to restore the right of habeas corpus to Guantanamo detainees, despite strong opposition from the Bush administration. Prisoners' rights to challenge their detention were stripped by last year's law on military commissions. On Friday, the United States will hold closed hearings on the status of 14 prisoners.
• Los Angeles Suburb Flashes Anti-Gang Sign: GPS
  San Bernardino, Calif., has long had to deal with spillover from L.A.'s gang problems. It has meant coping with transplanted gang members who bring ruthless crime to the suburbs. Now, San Bernardino authorities are using a high-tech approach to keep an eye on known offenders in the area.
• Acceptance of Mixtapes Changes as Profits Grow
  Aspiring hip-hop artists often get attention through mix tapes, collections of music that are put together by a DJ and sold on CDs. DJs generally don't buy the rights to the music — a fact often outweighed by a mixtape's promotional value. But recently, a DJ was arrested for violating copyright laws.
• What Happened to Russian Democracy?
  President Vladimir Putin often is praised for creating stability and ending the lawlessness and corruption under his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin. But not everyone agrees: Some say Putin has stymied political progress in the process.
• Tennessee Town Backs GI in Iraqi Murder Case
  When Staff Sgt. Raymond Girouard faces court martial next week for charges of murdering three Iraqi detainees, he'll have the support of Sweetwater, Tenn. Girouard says he was following orders, and folks in his hometown believe him. They've raised more than $20,000 to hire a civilian attorney for him.
• N.J. Communities Debate Use of the N-Word
  City councils of New York and other towns have recently passed resolutions that ask citizens to voluntarily stop using the N-word. While these actions are merely symbolic, they've become a hot topic in many of the majority-black communities in New Jersey.
• The Reasoning Behind Changing Daylight-Saving
  The upcoming shift in the daylight-saving time change is designed to help retailers — and is a substitute for a genuine energy policy, says author Michael Downing. Congress moved the time shift up this year. Melissa Block talks with Michael Downing, author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time.
• GOP Eyes the Democrats' New Plan on Iraq
  Melissa Block talks with Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL), the chairman of the Republican Conference. They discuss how Republicans will respond to the Democrats' proposal on withdrawing troops from Iraq in 2008.
• Daylight-Saving Change Is Latest Tech Worry
  The daylight-saving change has created a busy time for technical support departments. All over the country, tech gurus are scrambling to recalibrate computers, PDAs, machinery and all kinds of electronic equipment — especially items with internal clocks. Michele Norris talks with Mark Schleifer, vice president of network engineering for Cogent Communications.
• House Democrats Call for 2008 Pullout from Iraq
  After a contentious intra-party debate, Democrats in the House of Representatives outline a plan requiring U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by August of 2008. The provision is attached to a bill providing more funding for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Chairman Mao's Victims Prod China to Confront Past
  A half-century ago, Chairman Mao called on Chinese to offer constructive criticism of the Communist Party's work. But when they did, at least 50,000 were branded "rightists." Many lost their careers; some lost their lives. Now some victims are asking leaders to revisit a chapter they've tried to forget.
• The History of the Shiite Pilgrimage
  A Shiite pilgrimage to Karbala is taking place in Iraq. Michele Norris talks with David Patel, Cornell University professor and fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University.
• Letters: Walter Reed, the VA and Russia
  Michele Norris and Melissa Block read from listeners' e-mails. We hear responses to NPR's coverage of the furor over troubles at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the VA health care system, as well as reaction to our series examining Russia's resurgence.
• Pollution Found to Inhibit Rainfall in China
  Pollution in central China has caused a steady decrease of rain in the mountains, according to new research. As an example, scientists say small particles from air pollution in the city of Xi'an are causing clouds to hold on to their moisture rather than dropping it on nearby Mt. Hua. On the haziest days, rainfall can be reduced by half.

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