Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Art Hounds
  Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.4:44 p.m.
• After Moua's departure, a crowded DFL primary emerges in St. Paul
  A state Senate primary on St. Paul's East Side is shaping up to be a political battle royale.4:50 p.m.
• Justice: 14 charged for supporting Somalia group
  Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday that 14 people are being charged with providing support for the Somalian terrorist group al-Shabab.5:06 p.m.
• Target apologizes for donation to MN Forward
  Target Corp. is apologizing for a political donation to a conservative group that angered some employees and sparked talk of a customer boycott.5:50 p.m.
• Koua Fong Lee, convicted in Toyota crash, free after judge grants new trial
  A judge granted a new trial on today to Koua Fong Lee, the St. Paul man convicted of criminal vehicular homicide for a 2006 crash that killed three people, but Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner says she won't pursue a new trial.5:54 p.m.
• Marc Cohn looks back -- and forward -- with album of 1970 covers
  Marc Cohn's new album "Listening Booth 1970" presents new arrangements of songs from when he was 11. He says these are many of the tunes which launched his journey as a musician.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Songs Of 'Leaving Africa' And Finding Home
  A new compilation of contemporary African music, mostly hip-hop, focuses largely on immigration. The songs describe the allure of life abroad in Europe or America, but also touch on many of the pitfalls.
• 14 Charged With Supporting Somali Terrorist Group
  The Justice Department announced the arrests of more than a dozen Somali-Americans on Thursday. The action is part of a lengthy investigation into the recruitment of young Somali-American men by a terrorist group. Over the past two years, more than two dozen people have disappeared from their homes and turned up in Somalia with a group called al-Shabab. Melissa Block talks to NPR's Dina Temple-Raston.
• U.S. Pushes Palestinians On Direct Talks With Israelis
  The Obama administration is trying to revive direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. But Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is resisting entering into talks until there is a clearer sense of Israel's end game on issues such as borders, refugees and security.
• Republicans Push To Revise 14th Amendment
  The immigration debate sparked by Arizona's controversial new law has revived the debate over the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to almost any child born in the U.S. Critics say the 140-year-old amendment is an irresistible lure to illegal immigrants, while others say repealing the clause would be too drastic.
• Senate Confirms Elena Kagan To Supreme Court
  Solicitor General Elena Kagan was confirmed Thursday to the Supreme Court, with support from Democrats and a handful of Republicans. The vote was 63-37. During debate, Republicans took the opportunity to question Kagan's lack of judicial experience and commitment to judicial restraint. Democrats questioned the direction of the Roberts court and observed that it seemed devoted to protecting "powerful interests."
• Obama Administration Accentuates The Positive
  The White House has been on a good news streak, accentuating the positive every day in areas ranging from Iraq to the BP oil well to the auto industry. On all of these fronts, serious challenges remain. The White House insists it is not hanging a "Mission Accomplished" banner too soon.
• In Cairo, An End To The Cacophony Of Calls To Prayer
  In Egypt's sprawling capital, no longer will the call to prayer be delivered locally by each mosque. Instead, the government's Ministry of Religious Endowment has announced it will broadcast a single call from a downtown studio. Many Egyptians are unhappy with the change set to commence next week.
• Naomi Campbell Testifies In War Crimes Trial
  British model Naomi Campbell appeared Thursday at the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. She testified that she had received a pouch of uncut diamonds after meeting Taylor at a charity dinner in 1997 in South Africa. But, she said, she did not know if the gift came from Taylor. Prosecutors are trying to link Taylor to the so-called blood diamonds, which have been used to finance a civil war in Sierra Leone. Melissa Block talks to BBC reporter Peter Biles about what happened in the courtroom.
• Radioactive Boars On The Loose In Germany
  Melissa Block talks to Charles Hawley, editor of Spiegel Online International, about Germany's radioactive wild boars, which were contaminated by the meltdown at Chernobyl.
• Confronting Homophobia In 'La Mission'
  Straight Latino siblings confront homophobia and violence in their new film, La Mission. The film stars Benjamin Bratt and is directed by his younger brother, Peter. Benjamin plays an ex-gangbanger who discovers his son is gay. After generations of avoiding a taboo topic, the men say, it's time for the Latino community to redefine masculinity and bring conversations about sexuality out of the closet.

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