Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Anti-war groups step up pressure on Coleman
  A Minnesota anti-war group unveiled a television ad on Monday aimed at convincing Sen. Norm Coleman to join other key Republicans who've broken with the administration on the war.5:20 p.m.
• Guard returning to Midwest under secrecy
  The 1st Brigade has been in Iraq for about 16 months. Guard officials say all the troops, including 2,600 Minnesotans, will be back in the U.S. by the end of the month with most arriving within the next several days.5:24 p.m.
• Klobuchar says too few U.S. inspectors examine foreign toys
  Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar raised concerns Monday over the potency of U.S. consumer product regulators, saying a federal commission is ill-equipped to keep dangerous Chinese-made toys from hitting store shelves in this country.5:45 p.m.
• Weekend rain helped some - but not all - farmers
  The USDA's latest weekly crop report says for the most part Minnesota farm fields are doing well. But in some parts of the region a lack of rain is starting to hurt crop development. Fifty-six percent of the state's soil is rated short or very short of moisture.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Pakistani Forces Attack After Mosque Talks Fail
  In Islamabad, Pakistan, a military operation is under way at the compound of the Red Mosque, which has been controlled by Islamist militants for a week. Talks for a peaceful end broke down, and sounds of gunfire were heard soon after.
• Bush Denies Congress Testimony from Aides
  President Bush said Monday that executive privilege allows him to stop Congress from forcing two former White House staffers to testify. The House and Senate Judiciary committees want to take testimony from former political aide Sara Taylor and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers on the firings of U.S. attorneys.
• Dentist Chronicles All-Star Game for Web Junkies
  With a camera attached to his San Francisco Giants cap, California dentist Doug Yarris carries a live Webcam as he walks around the Major League Baseball All-Star game this week, "livecasting" his experience at www.sportsjunkie.tv.
• Should Metal Baseball Bats Be Banned?
  The "ping" of aluminum bats has long bothered baseball purists, who prefer the satisfying "crack" of real wood. A Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to ban aluminum bats from Little League, but Little League Baseball and bat makers say metal bats are safe.
• Hurricane Center Director Temporarily Reassigned
  Bill Proenza, the director of the National Hurricane Center, has been temporarily reassigned after half of his employees last week called for his ouster.
• Soldier Recounts Year Spent Training Iraqi Police
  Lt. Col. Robbie Robbins recently returned from Iraq after spending a year assisting in the training of Iraqi National Police Brigades at a camp south of Baghdad. He says most Americans don't understand how much patience the situation in Iraq requires.
• White House: War Decision Will Wait Till September
  As talk about an Iraq pullback intensifies, the White House denies that it is debating a troop withdrawal to ease political pressure, and it maintains that no decisions will be made until top Pentagon advisers report on the effectiveness of the troop buildup.
• Senate Aims to Steer New Course on Iraq War
  Senate Democrats begin a new offensive against the Iraq war. They'll offer Iraq-related amendments to the defense policy bill in hopes that Republicans will join them in steering a new course for the war. The bill is expected to be on the floor for two weeks.
• Heat Throws Off Gas Pumps, and Motorists Pay
  Some consumer advocates say oil companies are overcharging customers by $2 billion a year because they don't adjust their pumps when gasoline expands during the higher summer temperatures.
• Pa. Leaders Work to Resolve Government Shutdown
  Pennsylvania has been operating without a budget for eight days, and 24,000 workers are on unpaid leave. Gov. Ed Rendell ordered a partial shutdown of state government but says he's optimistic that he and the legislature can break a budget stalemate.
• Bush Invokes Constitution as Political Clout Sputters
  NPR Senior News Analyst Dan Schorr says President Bush has spent his political capital, and all he has left is his constitutional power.
• Hollywood Takes On Japan's 1937 Invasion of China
  Last weekend, as many Chinese marked the 70th anniversary of the start of Japan's full-scale invasion of their country in 1937, Hollywood staged its Chinese opening of a film about Japan's wartime atrocities during the invasion.
• Four Men Convicted in 2005 U.K. Terrorism Plot
  Four men have been convicted in London of trying to bomb the city's transport system in July 2005. The attempted bombings came just two weeks after Islamist suicide bombers killed 52 people on a bus and three trains on the underground rail system.
• White House Hopeful Dodd, Paul Simon Tour Iowa
  Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), one of many presidential hopefuls who toured Iowa last week, trails in money and in the polls. But he had one thing in Iowa that other prospective candidates did not have: singer-songwriter Paul Simon.
• Ancient Culture Prompts Worry for Arid Southwest
  A 1,000-year-old ghost town in the Southwestern United States tells the story of a once-powerful civilization that vanished in the face of drought. Some fear that climate in this region is possibly heading back into those parched conditions.

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