Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Walking with dinosaurs
  A new touring show featuring life-size dinosaur models is on display this week in St. Paul. MPR's Tom Crann attends the Walking With Dinosaurs show, and does some fact-checking with a real-life paleontologist.4:49 p.m.
• Three weeks after the storm: A day in the life of Jane Deppert
  Three weeks after the Hugo tornado, Jane Deppert and her two sons are trying to get back to normal.5:19 p.m.
• New play explores the intersection of online, news and media
  New production at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis is trying to bring the experience of being online to the stage.5:23 p.m.
• Zeitgeist turns 30
  Zeitgeist, Minnesota's premier contemporary music ensemble, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Tim Russert, 'Meet the Press' Host, Dead at 58
  NBC newsman Tim Russert died suddenly today of an apparent heart attack. Russert, who was 58, had hosted Meet the Press since 1991. He was known as a dogged interviewer and a well-sourced Washington insider. Under his leadership, the show became an essential stop for politicians and officials at the highest levels.
• Lesbian Couple Hopes Third 'I Do' Proves Charm
  Starting June 16, gay marriages will be legal in California, thanks to a state Supreme Court ruling last month. For Leanne Waldal and Moya Watson, the ceremony will be their third exchange of vows — but the first recognized by their hometown.
• Candidates Strongly Differ on How to Tax the Rich
  Although the two presidential candidates may seem similar on certain issues such as immigration, their tax policies are widely divergent. Obama would tax the wealthiest and give breaks to the poorest, while McCain would offer tax breaks to everyone and huge ones to the rich.
• Swollen Cedar River Floods Iowa Cities
  In Iowa, much of the state is under a disaster declaration. Flooding, approaching and topping historic levels in some areas, sweeps through the state. More than 400 city blocks are under water in Cedar Rapids. And as the swollen Cedar River continues to overflow its banks, more than 3,000 homes and a downtown hospital have been evacuated.
• Corn Crops Damaged by Midwestern Rain
  Rains drenching the upper Midwest for the past two months are driving up the price of a commodity used in everything from cold cereal to soft drinks, livestock feed and gasoline. Unless the region dries up quickly, nearly everyone is going to pay the price.
• Guantanamo Detainees and the High Court's Ruling
  The fate of roughly 270 men being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may change after Thursday's Supreme Court ruling against the Bush administration's plan for handling enemy combatants.
• Protests, Counter-Protests Spread in South Korea
  Today in Seoul, right-wing veterans of the Korean War staged a counter-demonstration, claiming that the tens of thousands of Koreans who have been protesting plans to import U.S. beef are being used by North Korea's communists. Meanwhile, protesters observed the sixth anniversary today of the deaths of two South Korean girls who were run over by a U.S. military vehicle.
• Europe and the U.S. to Sweeten Offer to Iran
  The U.S. and Europe, with the support of Russia and China, will offer a sweetened package of economic incentives to Iran this weekend in the latest attempt to persuade Tehran to stop enriching uranium. But Iranian leaders seem in no mood to stop any of their nuclear activities. The nations are also threatening new economic sanctions.
• In France, Bush Says Rift Is Not Permanent
  In Paris today, President Bush delivered what amounted to a valedictory speech, looking back at U.S. and European relations over his time in the White House. He laid out the challenges ahead, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush is on what he says will be his final trip to Europe as president; earlier Friday, he met with Pope Benedict XVI.
• Apology to American Indians Moves Forward
  A resolution making its way through Congress offers an apology to all Native peoples on behalf of the United States. It passed the Senate as an amendment to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. The legislation comes after Australian and Canadian governments have both apologized to their native populations in recent years. Melissa Block talks to the measure's sponsor, Sen. Sam Brownback.

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