Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minnesota's Congressional delegation shows deep divide on Iraq
  The Iraq war has lost lots of support among Americans. What do the members of the Minnesota delegation think we should do now?4:45 p.m.
• Report shows school choice program helps students
  A new report shows disadvantaged Minneapolis students who are bused to suburban schools are testing significantly higher than comparable students who stay in city schools.4:54 p.m.
• Mercury emissions controls face uncertain fate at Capitol
  Minnesota may be on the verge of dramatically beefing up its mercury emissions rules for large coal-fired power plants. But passage of the plan is by no means certain.5:14 p.m.
• New deal will reduce phosphorus levels in St. Croix River
  Policy makers in Minnesota and Wisconsin are trying to reduce another pollutant in the area's lakes and rivers -- phosphorus. State officials from the two states will sign an agreement Thursday to reduce the amount of phosphorous in the St. Croix River.5:21 p.m.
• Governor, Minneapolis play blame game over crime
  Two recent high-profile killings in Minneapolis have prompted a round of finger-pointing between state and local officials, over whether the city is spending is money wisely on public safety.5:45 p.m.
• Minnesota bridges falling down?
  Bridges across Minnesota are aging, but county engineers say transportation funding is so small they can't possibly keep up with replacement needs.5:49 p.m.
• Iowa health officials baffled by outbreak of mumps
  Iowa health officials admit they're puzzled by an outbreak of the mumps in the state, the worst in the country since 1987. So far there have been over 200 cases in the Iowa, and the disease has spread to a wider geographic area than originally seen. Neighboring states are on the alert, with at least one case now reported in Nebraska. Iowa officials are less worried about the effects of the disease, which they characterize as more of an inconvenience, rather than deadly.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Thanking Immigrants for the Myriad Jobs They Do
  In the noisy argument over what to do with illegal immigrants, says commentator Richard Rodriguez, the common assumption is that America has done a great deal for them already. But Rodriquez argues that no one speaks of the multitude of things these workers have done for Americans. And he think it's time to say two relevant words: thank you.
• Merck Ordered to Pay $4.5 Million in Vioxx Trial
  A New Jersey state court jury has awarded $4.5 million in a lawsuit filed by a man who suffered a heart attack while taking Vioxx, made by Merck & Co. The award of $4.5 million to John McDarby, 77, is for compensatory damages. On Thursday, the jury will decide whether Merck should face punitive damages as well.
• With Intel Inside, Mac Welcomes Windows, Too
  Apple Computers announces a new feature many thought would never happen: the ability to use Windows on a Macintosh. Apple, which now uses chips from Intel, a top provider for Windows-based machines, says its Boot Camp software allows users to install Microsoft Windows XP.
• Saddam in Court: Defiant and Remorseless
  On trial for ordering the deaths of 148 Shiite men and boys, Saddam Hussein was defiant and boisterous under cross-examination Tuesday. Melissa Block talks with Edward Wong of the New York Times.
• Skilling Set to Testify in Enron Trial
  The trial of former Enron executives Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay enters a critical phase Thursday, when Skilling is expected to testify. Accused of conspiring to deceive investors, analysts and the public about Enron's financial condition, Skilling faces decades in prison if convicted.
• Fossil Suggests Missing Link From Fish to Land
  Paleontologists announce finding an animal skeleton that may bridge the gap between fish and the first four-legged land animals. The 375-million-year-old creature, with a head like a crocodile's, has a body built for swimming. But its front legs are a compromise between fins and feet.
• Saddam Grilled About Shiite Executions of 1982
  Saddam Hussein is cross-examined for the first time about his alleged role in the killing of more than 140 Shiite villagers after a failed assassination attempt. When prosecutors presented documents they said proved that some of those executed were minors, the former Iraqi leader said they were likely forged.
• Nintendo Offers Video Games to Boost Brain Power
  In Japan, Nintendo has offered a series of unorthodox video games that, the company says, makes your mind sharper. This month, Nintendo is releasing an American version called "Brain Age." NPR's Robert Holt says that playing it makes him feel smarter -- but he's not sure if it actually makes him smarter.
• Lacking a Tie to Jihadist Camp, Prosecution Rests
  Prosecutors in the federal trial of Hamid Hayat, accused of having ties to al-Qaida, rest their case without offering direct evidence that Hayat attended a Jihadist training camp in Pakistan. Hayat, 23, is on trial in Sacramento, Calif. His father is charged with lying about Hayat's activities.
• Syrian Dissidents Targeted in Crackdown
  The Syrian government launches a new crackdown on dissidents, prompting sharp criticism from human-rights groups.
• Fearing Bloating, House Cuts Some Spy Funds
  The House Intelligence committee votes to withhold some funding from the new intelligence chief. Lawmakers say they created the post, held by John Negroponte, to streamline spying efforts. But instead, they say, a bloated bureaucracy has emerged. The move is a sharp rebuke to Negroponte, who has hired more than 700 positions, including "Principal Assistant Deputy Director for Customer Outcomes."
• Putting Off the Problem of Immigration
  NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says the immigration reform bill of 1986, which granted amnesty to some illegal immigrants, has not solved the problem of illegal immigration. Twenty years later, Congress and the country are still deeply split over the specifics of immigration reform.
• Bush Finds Congress Deaf on Immigration
  Despite President Bush's public push for a guest-worker program, the White House has had no success in getting Congress to follow its preferred path. What is the administration doing, or not doing, to further its agenda?
• Probing the Long-Term Effects of Vaccines
  A vaccine provokes the body to prepare a defense against a particular microbe. But do vaccines inadvertently promote the growth of other microbes?
• Democrats Defend Opposition-Party Role
  Democrats are often made the butt of jokes when it comes to an alleged "lack of ideas." But some in the party say that the truth is, they take their role as the opposition party very seriously.

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