Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Flood turns Minn. prairie town into temporary island
  All roads leading into Oslo are flooded, isolating the tiny town 25 miles north of Grand Forks. City officials say three consecutive years of major floods have been inconvenient and tough on businesses.4:49 p.m.
• Hearing on Dayton's tax plan loud, but short
  When the House Tax Committee got a chance to discuss the particulars of DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's tax plan Wednesday, some of the panel's Republican lawmakers spent more time criticizing Dayton's plan than listening to the 40 people who came to talk about it.4:54 p.m.
• Kline: Obama has right idea, wrong approach
  He would cut too much from defense, tax job creators too much, and was too vague on savings from domestic programs.5:20 p.m.
• Peterson: 'Everything' has to be on the table
  For true, long-lasting fiscal security, there can be no sacred cows in the budget process.5:24 p.m.
• Somali-Americans hail Owatonna school settlement
  Parents and Muslim civil rights leaders say a settlement between federal officials and the Owatonna Public School District after a federal civil rights investigation of alleged harassment against Somali students is a victory for all minority students.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Budget Compromise May Be A Tough Sell In Congress
  Despite all the excitement over the $38 billion budget deal that averted a government shutdown last week, lawmakers really just reset the clock. Once again, they have until midnight on Friday to wrap up work on the compromise. While it's expected to pass, there's still a lot of grumbling in the GOP caucus.
• Obama Criticizes House GOP's Deficit Plan
  Melissa Block and Robert Siegel report on President Obama's deficit reduction proposal.
• Obama Lays Out Deficit Reduction Plan
  President Obama Wednesday unveiled a deficit reduction plan that he hopes will start reducing the critical "debt to GDP ratio" by 2014. If it doesn't, the president proposes a "debt fail-safe trigger" that will force additional reductions. Medicare, however, is not on the table. Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Jim Zarroli.
• Health Care Plays Big Role In Debt Reduction
  One of the biggest drivers of the federal deficit and debt problems is health care spending. Now the president says the health law passed last year already addresses this problem, to the tune of a more than $200 billion over the next decade. But on Wednesday, he added even more proposed savings on top of that. Melissa Block talks with NPR health policy correspondent Julie Rovner about the competing Republican and Democratic proposals.
• Autistic Kids Learn To Survive, And Thrive, In College
  For students living with Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, the everyday social interactions of college life can be awkward. So as more kids with autism head off to college, there's a growing demand for college services to help students fit in, graduate and ultimately find jobs.
• 'The Bippolo Seed': The 'Lost' Dr. Seuss Stories
  This fall, Random House will publish a collection of Dr. Seuss stories that were previously known only to Seuss scholars and collectors. Lynn Neary reports on the origins of The Bippolo Seed.
• In Debt Limit Debate, No Big Push From Big Business
  The U.S. Treasury officially hits its credit limit on May 16. If House Republicans prolong the fight over raising the debt ceiling past that date, government officials and Wall Street investors agree that it would cause financial chaos. But among corporate lobbyists, there's been little sense of urgency.
• Howard Dean Discusses Obama's Budget Proposal
  While the Republicans on Capitol Hill crow over budget cuts, some liberals say deep cuts will upset voters and spell Democratic success in the next elections. Robert Siegel talks with Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont and former chair of the Democratic National Committee. He is the founder of the liberal political action committee, DemocracyforAmerica.
• Texas Lawmakers Vote To Raise Speed Limit
  Texas already has the highest speed limit in the nation: 80 mph. And now, the state House of Representatives has voted to increase the limit to 85 mph.
• British, French Leaders Discuss Operations In Libya
  French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron are meeting in Paris Wednesday with the NATO operation in Libya at the top of their agenda. Both countries have expressed concern in recent days that NATO members are not doing enough to protect Libyan civilians from attacks — and that most of the missions are being performed by French and British pilots.

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