Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Two pleasant people made the film "Intolerable"
  David Rakoff is best known as a writer and a performer on "This American Life." This weekend filmgoers at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis can see him in a very different light. Rakoff plays a manipulative casting director auditioning actors in a short film called "Intolerable."4:50 p.m.
• Lawmakers grill Minneapolis Vets Home leaders over problems
  The facility has been under extra state and federal scrutiny since state inspectors found problems with care that were linked to the deaths of three residents.5:20 p.m.
• Pawlenty's treks to war zone have pundits talking politics
  Pawlenty says the trips are a way for him to visit with the 2,600 Minnesota National Guard troops stationed in Iraq and Minnesota soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. But others speculate that he's burnishing his foreign policy credentials with an eye on higher office.5:24 p.m.
• Defending Montevideo from the flood waters
  Residents of Montevideo are accustomed to springtime flooding. The most recent flood forecast predicts only minor trouble, but there's still a major flood issue to worry about. The federal government may decertify Montevideo's protective levees and force major flood insurance costs on homeowners and businesses.5:44 p.m.
• Tessie's treasures
  The Gluek mansion at 2447 Bryant Avenue South in Minneapolis has been a source of mystery and speculation in that neighborhood for years. This weekend, the doors to this fabled house are open to the public for an estate sale.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• FBI Investigations Faulted in Scathing Report
  The Department of Justice Inspector General says the FBI has repeatedly broken the law in its efforts to gets private information about people in the United States. The revelations came in the first annual report to Congress on secret administrative subpoenas for wiretaps and searches related to national security.
• Week in Analysis: Libby, Iraq and Justice
  The week in Washington politics ranged from the conviction of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to the testimony of fired U.S. attorneys and Democrats' proposal for pulling out of Iraq. Our commentators are E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and David Brooks of The New York Times.
• U.S. Warily Eyes Thorny Relationship with Russia
  Recent anti-U.S. comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin highlight how low relations between the two countries have sunk. Now, Washington is reassessing its policy toward a newly assertive Russia — and its role on the world stage.
• Orange Juice Diplomacy
  This weekend, U.S. diplomats go to Baghdad for a regional conference to discuss Iraq. In attendance will also be Iran and Syria, countries that the U.S. has previously refused to talk with directly. Michele Norris and Melissa Block describe one unexpected detail in the weekend's events, and what role it might play: orange juice.
• Large Subprime Lender Stops Issuing Loans
  New Century, one of the nation's biggest subprime mortgage lenders, may be headed for bankruptcy. Wall Street investment banks have forced the California-based company to stop issuing new mortgages as it comes under pressure from its own lenders.
• Multi-Million-Dollar Coupon Scam Uncovered
  In Milwaukee, a federal indictment unsealed yesterday charges that a company called International Outsourcing Services has for years been running a multi-million-dollar fraud involving coupons. IOS is a coupon clearinghouse that processes coupons for retailers.
• Michigan Revokes Approval of Sulfide Mine
  Kennecott Minerals Co. wants to construct a sulfide mine on land it owns on the Yellow Dog Plains in Marquette County, Mich. The method includes excavating nickel and copper from sulfide ore, which, when exposed to air and water, creates sulfuric acid. Environmental groups fear the acid will pollute the river for years.
• Men Face Ban From Women's Practice Squads
  A committee of the NCAA has proposed banning the use of male practice squads for women's collegiate sports teams. But many coaches say the squads help female players raise their game.
• Video Games Get Dash of Indie-Bred Maturity
  This week, 13,000 video game designers are gathering for the industry's biggest annual conference. The hot topic this year: independent games. These are games developed outside of the big corporations and exploring themes beyond medieval fantasy and futuristic shooter games.
• Bush, da Silva Announce Ethanol Plans in Brazil
  President Bush meets with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Sao Paolo, where the two leaders promoted a new partnership to push for more production of ethanol. But they also acknowledged they've hit some rough spots in talks over trade.

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