Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Gov. will tour state, explain the shutdown
  Gov. Mark Dayton will hit the road this week to speak directly to Minnesotans about the stakes of the state government shutdown, now 11 days in.5:20 p.m.
• Prisoner visits, religious services, eliminated in shutdown
  Services to inmates are being curtailed by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, prompted by the state government shutdown.5:24 p.m.
• Meg Cabot moves from princesses to vampires
  Best known for her Princess Diaries series of novels, Meg Cabot is also author of least 50 books, mainly for young adults. Her recent best-selling foray into the burgeoning vampire genre now has a follow up in "Overbite."5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• In Iraq, Panetta Has Tough Words On Troop Deadline
  During a visit to Baghdad, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta urged the Iraqis to make a decision about whether they want U.S. troops to stay beyond the end of this year. He also said the U.S. is concerned "about Iran and weapons they're providing to extremists here in Iraq."
• Dispute Over Key Jobs Stalls Iraq's Government
  Even though it's been nearly eight months since political rivals in Iraq came together to form a coalition government, key positions in that government have yet to be filled. One member of Parliament says most Iraqis — and many American policymakers — now regret pushing for a power-sharing arrangement.
• Ali Krieger Discusses U.S. Women's Soccer Win
  The U.S. women's national team's win against Brazil Sunday was one for the ages. The game went into overtime and was ultimately decided by penalty kicks. Michele Norris talks to defender Ali Krieger about the emotional World Cup quarterfinal and Krieger's shot at the end of the game that sealed the U.S. victory.
• Woman Invokes 5th Amendment To Avoid Disclosing Laptop Password
  Robert Siegel talks with Declan McCullagh, chief political correspondent for CNET, about a federal case in which Ramona Fricosu, a Colorado woman, is refusing to disclose a laptop password to authorities — arguing it would violate her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Fricosu is facing several charges related to a mortgage scam. The encrypted laptop was seized from her bedroom during a police raid. McCullagh tells us more about the case — and what legal implications it may have.
• Microsoft Makes Hacking Kinect Easier
  The Kinect has been a big success for Microsoft's Xbox. It's a motion sensor that lets you play video games by moving your body — no controller of any kind necessary. Computer engineers and hobbyists have hacked it to do all sorts of amazing things: They're using the motion sensor to browse the Web without touching anything, navigate Google Earth with slight bodily movements, and even aid with physical rehabilitation. Perhaps soon, these innovations will let you wave a finger and bring up the Internet on your kitchen wall. Microsoft has just released a software development kit to make it easier for programmers to use the Kinect to control Windows computers, not just the Xbox. Many technologies surrounding bodily motion capture existed well before the Kinect. What is it about this game that has led to such a flowering of worldwide creativity?
• Polls: Americans Don't Connect With Budget Crisis
  Polling shows that despite Washington's focus on getting a budget deal and keeping the country out of default, most Americans aren't connecting with the crisis. We asked people in Chicago, Ohio and the Bay Area what default means to them.
• When Did The U.S. Last Default On Treasury Bonds?
  A potential default on U.S. treasury bonds isn't as unprecedented as politicians would have you think. In 1979, the U.S. failed to make timely payments to its bondholders — and the results weren't pretty. Robert Siegel speaks with Ball State University finance professor Terry Zivney, who co-authored a journal article called "The Day the United States Defaulted on Treasury Bills," about the results of that last default.
• End Of Shuttle Program Leaves Thousands Jobless
  Nearly 8,000 people who worked on the space shuttle were laid off, which is a blow to an area where unemployment is well above the national average. But even as the era ends, many on the Space Coast remain optimistic about the region's future.
• Summer Sounds: Farm Work
  Amy Dickinson describes the incident that makes her think of the sound of shovels penetrating hard dirt as part of our series Summer Sounds. Her dad once forced Amy, her sisters and a cousin to dig in the hot summer sun in the fruitless pursuit of saving a crop.
• New York City Anticipates Gay-Wedding Boom
  Some estimate that same-sex weddings will add hundreds of millions of dollars to the city's $31 billion tourism industry.

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