Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Senate candidates spar over national security
  The war in Iraq and homeland security are likely to be the biggest issues in this year's U.S. Senate race. The major party candidates have been airing their differences on those topics this week.5:19 p.m.
• Northwest appeals decision allowing flight attendants to strike
  Northwest Airlines says it has appealed a bankruptcy court decision allowing flight attendants to go on strike. Bankruptcy experts say Northwest has an uphill battle in its appeal, and the most likely way out of a strike will be intense negotiations.5:23 p.m.
• Tobacco companies must keep turning over documents to Minnesota
  A federal judge ruled Thursday that tobacco companies conspired to mislead the public about the dangers of smoking. Tucked into the 1,600-page decision, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ordered tobacco companies to continue to provide documents to a vast information depository located in Minnesota.5:44 p.m.
• Responding to the news
  In an earlier era, there weren't many ways to respond to the news. For the papers, you could write a letter to the editor. On TV in years gone by, you could write in, and if you were one of the lucky few, you might be chosen to reply to the station's editorial on the air. Both options were pretty limited. In the Web age, there are many more ways to comment on the news we consume. Some are more effective than others. Media analyst David Brauer has been looking at some of the ways we can respond to to the media today.5:52 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Israeli Director Deconstructs a Troubled House
  House, the first significant film by Israeli director Amos Gitai, told the story of a Jerusalem home in Jewish hands that had once been owned by Palestinians. His latest movie, Free Zone,, stars Natalie Portman as an American caught up in Israeli-Palestinian quarrels. Gitai is Israel's most well-known movie director, but his movies are controversial because of the difficult questions he raises.
• San Francisco Threat: Big Oysters Invade Bay
  Mammoth mystery oysters -- 9 inches long! - invade the San Francisco Bay, normally a habitat for oysters no longer than 2.5 inches. Andrew Cohen, director of the Biological Invasions Program at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, says the new species is not native. No one knows how the supersized shellfish got to this bay, and there are fears they could steal the best habitat.
• Struggling Ford Puts the Brakes on Production
  As part of its "Way Forward" restructuring campaign, the Ford Motor Company says it will reduce its fourth-quarter vehicle production by 168,000 in North America, compared with a year ago. That's down more than 20 percent. The company hopes to reduce bulging dealer inventories by temporarily shutting down ten plants. Analysts say the production cuts could pay off if Ford's new models prove popular.
• Debating the Fate of Domestic Wiretapping
  Although a federal judge ruled this week that the NSA's warrantless wiretapping is unconstitutional, President Bush vigorously defends the program, saying he strongly believes it is constitutional. The case raises questions of presidential authority, government secrecy, and the privacy of people whose commnunications are intercepted. Jeffrey Rosen, law professor at George Washington University and legal affairs editor at the New Republic, and Doug Kmiec, law professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., offer their perspectives.
• Lebanese Recover Bodies, Dig Graves
  There are burials across southern Lebanon, as Lebanese are finally able to recover the bodies of those hastily buried in mass graves during the fighting. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah killed more than 1,200 Lebanese. In all, about 250 bodies are retrieved and reburied Friday, many of them in the southern port city of Tyre.
• The Call for Routine HIV Testing Grows in the U.S.
  To stop the spread of HIV among populations where the infection is on the rise, federal health experts are proposing HIV testing as a routine part of medical care. The hope is that people who know they are infected would seek care and would not infect others. But there is a risk that without proper counseling and resources, people who test positive may be afraid to come forward for treatment.
• Resistant TB Strikes South Africans with HIV
  A disturbing form of tuberculosis has shown up among people infected with HIV in South Africa. It's resistant to all known TB drugs and is usually fatal. Health experts are concerned it will spread. But they also say new forms of this superstrain can be prevented by distributing TB drugs along with anti-HIV drugs.
• Budget Cuts Trigger NASA Resignations
  Three top NASA science advisers have resigned. Two were asked to step down by NASA's administrator. All three had concerns that the space agency's science programs were losing out in the push to return humans to the moon, with large cuts to earth science and astronomy programs.
• Mideast Press Tries to Name the War
  What should the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah be called? Nearly a dozen labels are emerging in the Arab and Israeli press, from "The 6th War" to "The Hezbollah War" to "The Latest Israeli Aggression." Some war watchers think the simple and neutral "The 2nd Lebanon War" will stick. But one Lebanese journalist points out that this name ignores his country's other conflicts.
• Lebanon Begins Post-War Recovery Effort
  Hezbollah is at the center of recovery efforts -- and controversy -- in southern Lebanon. With the countrty facing $3.6 billion in direct economic damage from the war, Hezbollah is promising housing and furniture to the tens of thousands who lost a home. Hezbollah spokesmen also say that "the resistance" will remain in southern Lebanon, much as it did before the war.
• Classic Cars Cruise into Pebble Beach Competition
  The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, a show and competition for classic automobiles, shows off 175 of the most extraordinary vintage cars on earth -- many of them worth millions of dollars. Richard Adatto, an expert on pre-World War II French cars, talks about the artistic appeal of vintage vehicles and what he looks for as a judge at the prestigious Pebble Beach event.
• Israel Hopes U.N. Peacekeepers Will Do Their Job
  Israel is hopeful that the U.N. peacekeeping force will achieve its goals of disarming Hezbollah and pushing it north of the Litani River, says government spokesman Mark Regev. Israel is eager for the U.N. peacekeepers to come in, he says, but believes its members should come from countries that have good relations with both Israel and Lebanon.
• Tutsi Still Seen as Outsiders in Congo
  A new government's challenges include what to do about 200,000 people living in refugee camps. Many are Tutsis who have lived in eastern Congo for generations, but face continued difficulty blending into the society.
• No Coffee, Tea or Wine in Your Carry-On
  California winemakers worry about the new airline regulations that prohibit liquids in carry-on luggage. No more jamming the vino into an overhead could put a big dent in California's multi-billion dollar wine industry. Shipping wine as an alternative is still difficult because of conflicting state laws.
• Disaster Response Redux: We Are Still Not Ready
  NPR Senior News Analyst Koppel reflects on the need for an American preparedness campaign that is national in scope but local in focus. Citizens and officials are pouring lots of hard work into anticipating the next national crisis. Still, says Koppel, we are not ready.

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories

Become a Sponsor