Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Wolves to be delisted
  Federal officials have a new plan to take wolves off the endangered species list. Unlike previous proposals, the plan today only affects wolf management in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and parts of bordering states.4:38 p.m.
• Off to Iraq
  This afternoon at a military post in southern Mississippi, the Minnesota Army National Guard 1st Brigade combat team formally concluded its training before deployment to Iraq. The 4,000 soldiers -- 2,600 of them Minnesotans -- took part in a departure ceremony at Camp Shelby, where they heard from military officials and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. MPR's Stephen John talked with Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik at Camp Shelby.4:53 p.m.
• Johnson comments ignite smoldering marriage amendment debate
  Several organizations are criticizing Sen. Dean Johnson for saying members of the Minnesota Supreme Court told him the court would not overturn a state law banning gay marriage.5:19 p.m.
• Mother of slain soldier is only vote against funeral anti-protest bill
  The Minnesota Senate has voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill to make it a crime to willfully disrupt funeral services. The legislation is in response to a Kansas group's use of military funerals to gain attention for its anti-gay views.5:23 p.m.
• Growing Up Indian
  American Indian children are at the bottom of nearly every national indicator of well being -- suicide rates, dropout rates, poverty rates, death rates. Alcohol and drugs have ripped apart Native families. Often, the kids suffer most.5:36 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Omaha Keeps Corned Beef Fundraiser, Despite Lent
  A Catholic organization will serve corned beef to about 1,500 people in Omaha on Friday. Catholics normally abstain from eating meat on a Friday during Lent, but the Archbishop of Omaha has granted a dispensation for the fundraiser. Brian Harr of the Hibernians of Omaha, talks with Michele Norris.
• UC Will Cut Investment Ties With Sudan-Linked Firms
  Regents of the University of California have voted to cut investment ties with companies doing business with Sudan. More than 100,000 people have died in and around the Darfur region since civil war began in 2003. Gerald Parsky, chairman of the Board of Regents, called the vote a principled stand.
• Plan to Legalize Undocumented Immigrants Progresses
  Senators trying to craft an immigration-reform bill say they are moving toward a plan to give undocumented immigrants a chance to legally stay in the United States. The senators are hoping to have a plan to vote on by Monday, which would also include a guest-worker program.
• Economist Claims to Have Evidence of Point Shaving
  Justin Wolfers, an economist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has analyzed 44,000 college basketball games and says he has found statistical evidence of point shaving among teams which are prohibitively favored by Las Vegas bookmakers.
• Senate Backs Raising Federal Debt Limit to $9 Trillion
  The Senate votes in favor of raising the national-debt ceiling to nearly $9 trillion. The bill now goes to the president. Without such a move, the U.S. government would have to shut down because it has nearly reached its credit limit and would not be able to borrow any more money.
• Iraqi Forces Kidnapped, Killed Security Employees
  Iraqi forces loyal to the Shiite-led government were responsible for the recent abduction of about 50 employees from a security company; almost 20 of those abducted have been killed. Sunni political leaders have repeatedly accused the Shiite-led Ministry of the Interior of kidnapping and killing Sunni Arabs.
• Ambitious U.S.-Iraqi Air Assault Targets Insurgents
  U.S. and Iraqi forces launch what the military describes as the largest air assault since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The U.S. military says Operation Swarmer is aimed at clearing "a suspected insurgent operating area" northeast of Samarra.
• White House Updates National Security Strategy
  The Bush administration unveils an updated version of its National Security Strategy, a document originally issued in 2002 to lay out the White House vision for the war on terrorism. The new version restates the doctrine of pre-emptive war and says Iran may pose an increased threat to the United States.
• In Support of Pre-Emptive War Doctrine
  President Bush is scheduled to make speeches reaffirming his administration's belief in the practice of pre-emptive war. In 2002, Father Richard John Neuhaus, president of the Institute on Religion and Public Life, talked with NPR about the doctrine. He revisits the topic with Michele Norris.
• Dangers of Pre-Emptive War Doctrine
  Ivo Daalder, senior fellow of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, talks with Michele Norris about the doctrine of pre-emptive war. Daalder is in Princeton, N.J., where he is attending a conference on the pre-emption doctrine.
• Firefighters Making Progress in Texas Wildfires
  Firefighters in the Texas panhandle continue their efforts to contain grass fires that have burned almost one million acres. However, Wednesday's strong winds that sent flames marching 40 miles to the northeast have died down.
• Movie Introduces Would-Be Immigrants to The Netherlands
  A new test for people wanting to immigrate to The Netherlands includes watching a film meant to explain the liberal society. But some say the footage may discourage would-be immigrants from developing countries from wanting to immigrate. Perro De Jong, a reporter for Radio Netherlands, talks with Robert Siegel.
• Robert C. Baker, Inventor of the Chicken Nugget, Dies
  Robert C. Baker, who founded Cornell University's Institute of Food Science and Marketing, died Monday. Baker was responsible for many innovations including chicken nuggets, chicken hot dogs and chicken steak. Joseph Hotchkiss, chairman of Cornell's food-science department, remembers Baker.
• Scientists Find How Bird-Flu Virus 'Humanizes'
  Researchers have found that by putting one or two mutations into the H5N1 bird-flu virus, they were able to give it greater ability to slip into human cells. The new information will give virus-trackers something to watch for as H5N1 expands to new territory.
• Archaic Tracking System Limits Mad-Cow Investigation
  Agriculture officials are working to track down herdmates of the Alabama cow that is the nation's third case of mad-cow disease. But unlike Japan, Canada and Europe, the United States still does not have a coordinated system for tracking livestock.

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