Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• TPT banks on Alexander Hamilton documentary
  A documentary about Alexander Hamilton premieres May 14 on PBS stations around the country. Twin Cities Public Television produced the two-hour film in the style of its award-winning "Benjamin Franklin" documentary from 2002.4:49 p.m.
• Despite declining popularity, Coleman comfortable in Senate re-election bid
  The Mason-Dixon Research poll says Sen. Norm Coleman presently enjoys more than a 20-percent spread between him and either Al Franken or Mike Ciresi. But his approval rating has slipped below 50 percent.5:19 p.m.
• Minn. Legislature challenges Pawlenty by backing higher gas tax
  The Minnesota Legislature voted Monday to raise the state gas tax by a nickel as lawmakers prepared to confront Gov. Tim Pawlenty over spending on roads.5:23 p.m.
• Irvine Welsh writes about hatred
  Scottish writer Irvine Welsh catapulted onto the international literary scene with "Trainspotting," his disturbing story about heroin addicts in Edinburgh. His latest novel is called "The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs" -- although there's little about food or bedroom secrets in the story. It's really a story about hate.5:54 p.m.
• All not lost on Gunflint Trail
  Rain showers helped the Ham Lake fire settle down on Monday. Officials say the fire made little new progress. Meanwhile, residents said they're now worrying more about the future.6:19 p.m.
• New Ordway president calls the job a homecoming
  The new president of the Ordway Center for Performing Arts is in St. Paul this week to meet city officials and get an idea of the challenges that lie ahead for her. Patricia Mitchell starts her new job Aug. 1.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Can Sweet Sounds Come from Common Wood?
  The Pernambuco tree grows in Brazil and is the exotic wood of choice for making first-class violin bows. Brazil is proposing to closely regulate any trade in this endangered tree. But its proposed regulation, which will be considered by an international body in The Hague in June, may make it difficult for symphony orchestras to travel internationally with their instruments.
• Potential GOP Candidate Weighs Presidential Race
  The Republican and Democratic presidential candidate fields are crowded – and getting more so. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says it's a "great possibility" that he'll join the GOP field, but won't decide for sure until September. With eight major Democrats in the race — the airwaves are getting crowded, too.
• Deputy U.S. Attorney General McNulty Resigns
  Deputy U.S. Attorney General Paul McNulty has announced he is stepping down. McNulty is the highest-ranking Bush administration casualty in the furor over the firing of U.S. attorneys. McNulty sent a letter of resignation to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose own job has been put in jeopardy by the firings and their aftermath.
• Bush Announces Plan to Cut Gas Use, Emissions
  President Bush said Monday that he has directed the federal government to write new regulations to cut gasoline use and greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and trucks. His goal is to reduce gas use by 20 percent within 10 years.
• Lebanon Unsettled by U.S. Overtures to Iran, Syria
  The U.S.-backed government in Lebanon is alarmed by the Bush administration's move to have more contact with the governments of Syria and Iran. The Lebanon government is locked in a 6-month-old confrontation with Hezbollah, which is leading an opposition alliance backed by Iran and Syria.
• Wounded Iraqi Forces Get Little or No Aid
  Tens of thousands of Iraqi security personnel have been wounded in the past four years. The Iraqi government does not have accurate figures, but the U.S. Congressional Research Service estimates that by a year ago, more than 33,000 had been wounded. There are few military medics and no military hospitals.
• Auto Workers Union Adjusts to Going Private
  The president of the United Auto Workers is hailing the sale of Chrysler to the private equity firm Cereberus. Ron Gettelfinger had originally opposed any acquisition of Chrysler by a private group. Now, he may be making the best of a bad situation.
• Private Equity Group in $7.4 Billion Deal for Chrysler
  German automaker DaimlerChrysler has announced that it is selling 80 percent of its struggling Chrysler division to Cerberus Capital, a private equity firm. Cerberus will pay $7.4 billion for the U.S.-based entity, but little of that money will go to Daimler. In the transaction announced this morning, Daimler will actually end up paying to get out from under Chrysler's crushing liabilities.
• Navy Lawyer's Guantanamo Leak Trial Begins
  The military trial has begun for U.S. Navy lawyer Matt Diaz, who is accused of leaking classified information to a civilian human rights lawyer. Diaz gave the names of 550 Guantanamo detainees to an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights.
• Behind the Music: Rap, Broadway, Life and Art
  Two documentaries — one about big-budget Broadway musicals and one about a Brooklyn program aimed at high-school rappers — make it clear that art isn't easy.
• Hey! We're From Transylvania, Too!
  Commentator Andrei Codrescu drives through Mississippi and marvels at the sadness of the post-Katrina landscape. He comes to a town called Transylvania, but doesn't bother telling the people there that he is from the Transylvania in Romania —anticipating they won't care.
• Making a Case in the U.S. for Iraqi Progress
  Michele Norris talks with Barham Salih, the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq. Salih talks about his talks here in the U.S. with Congress, about the effectiveness of the troop surge in Iraq, and about how the Iraqis and their parliament have to find a new political will to sustain their country.
• T.D. Jakes Seeks Leadership, Not Faith, in President
  The black vote is key in presidential elections, and candidates turn to black ministers for support. But one of the most powerful black preachers in the country says that, for him, the pulpit is not the place for endorsements. Bishop T.D. Jakes talks to Michele Norris about religion and politics.
• U.S. Military Hunts for Soldiers and Abductors
  Andrea Seabrook talks with retired Army Gen. Robert Scales. Three U.S. soldiers disappeared Saturday. On Sunday, an al-Qaida-affiliated group claimed responsibility for their capture. Gen. Scales explains how the military is responding to find the soldiers.
• Congressman Rick Renzi Inquiry Continues
  Congressman Rick Renzi is under federal investigation in connection with his alleged involvement in a questionable land-swap deal. The Arizona Republican stepped down from the House Intelligence Committee after FBI agents descended on his family business. He says he has no intention of resigning from Congress.

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