Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Somali refugee students struggle through school
  Teenage Somali refugees in Rochester often have a hard road ahead of them if they hope to graduate from high school.4:50 p.m.
• In ugly finish, lawmakers hustle budget through
  The Minnesota Legislature concluded its 2007 session with a chaotic last minute push to meet a midnight deadline for adjournment.5:20 p.m.
• K-12 bill falls short of lofty goals
  The bill would boost education spending by nearly $800 million. But it falls short of the hopes for education this session, and it doesn't include all of the governor's key education goals.5:24 p.m.
• 80th anniversary of Lindbergh's trans-Atlantic flight
  Charles Lindbergh's flight not only made him one of the most famous celebrities of all time, but it also changed the way we travel.5:50 p.m.
• Foreign operating corporation taxes at heart of tax bill agreement
  Foreign operating corporation taxes were at the heart of an agreement at the Capitol between DFL legislators and Gov. Pawlenty.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Louisiana Oil Road to Be Lifted Above Sea Level
  The U.S. government has just released its first assessment of how global warming could affect roads, rail lines, ports and airports along the nation's coasts. But along the Gulf Coast, rising sea levels aren't the only worry: The land is sinking, too. And that could lead to troubles in the region's oil industry.
• Common Diabetes Drug Found to Have Heart Risks
  A drug that is commonly prescribed to patients who have Type II diabetes may markedly increase their risk of heart attacks and even death, according to a new review study published in the online edition of this week's New England Journal of Medicine.
• China's Blackstone Buy Shows a New Angle
  China has agreed to invest $3 billion in a U.S. private equity firm as it prepares for its initial public offering. The deal comes just before the beginning of high-level economic talks between the United States and China in Washington this week. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is expected to press China to let its currency adjust higher.
• Congress May Intervene on Web Music Copyrights
  The Copyright Royalty Board, which sets rates for the royalties Webcasters must pay for streaming music, has rejected calls from outraged Webcasters to reconsider what they say are onerously high rates. Webcasters have until July 15 to make the new payments, which are retroactive to 2006.
• Brief Pause in Lebanese Violence Allows Aid
  In Lebanon's Nahr Bared refugee camp outside of Tripoli, there was enough of a pause in the battle between the Lebanese Army and members of the Fatah Islam militant group to allow the transfer of the wounded to hospitals outside the camp, and transfer of humanitarian supplies in.
• Bush: Vote on Gonzales Would Be 'Political Theater'
  President Bush is restating his support for embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who may face a vote of no-confidence in the Senate as soon as this week. President Bush says any vote by Congress to express its lack of confidence in Gonzales would be "pure political theater."
• Democrats and the Legacy of Activist Saul Alinsky
  Robert Siegel talks to author Sanford Horwitt, who wrote a biography of Saul Alinsky called Let Them Call Me 'Rebel'. The book traces Alinsky's early activism in Chicago's meatpacking neighborhood. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — can trace their political character to teachings handed down indirectly from Alinsky.
• Senate Immigration Compromise Passes Test Vote
  The Senate has begun debating a complex and controversial immigration bill, which passed a test vote this evening by a margin of 69-23, allowing senators to formally begin consideration of the measure.
• Survey: Poor Customer Service Common, Expensive
  A recent survey suggests that one out of two customers experience problems with service when they shop. Long lines and uninformed sales staff are among the main customer service complaints. When customers are unhappy, they blab about their experiences to others.
• Historic Clipper Ship Damaged by Fire
  The Cutty Sark, the historic British ship that once represented the peak of development of sailing cargo vessels, has been badly damaged by fire in London. Police are investigating reports that the fire might have been an act of arson.
• Court: Parents Don't Need Lawyer to Sue School
  Parents of disabled children won a major victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, as the justices ruled unanimously that parents do not have to hire a lawyer to sue a school district over providing an appropriate education for a child with special needs.
• Richardson Makes His Bid Official, in Spanish
  New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has announced his candidacy for the presidential vote in 2008. Part of Richardson's announcement was in Spanish, as he said, "With pride, I hope to be the first Latino president of the United States." Richardson was born in California, where he made his announcement.
• The Difficulty of Tracking Drugs on the Market
  Commentator Philip Hilts, the author of Protecting America's Health: The FDA, Business, and One Hundred Years of Regulation, explains how hard it is for researchers to find out how well a drug is doing after it goes to market.
• Sino-American Relations Are in a Pronounced Dip
  A high-level delegation from China is in Washington for two days of talks on trade and economic issues. The discussions are expected to cover everything from environmental matters to financial services to China's cheap currency. While cooperation and mutual benefit will be the watchwords, things will be tense.
• Wrath of Grapes: Yelling for a Good Reason?
  On a recent airline trip, commentator Andrei Codrescu found himself subjected to a loud-mouthed fellow passenger, who kept trying to offer grapes to the people next to her. He concocted a mental picture of this annoying person — only to find out that while she is cursed with a bad voice, the passenger is speaking loud because her elderly parents she's traveling with are hard of hearing. Codrescu feels shame.

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