All Things Considered for September 9, 2011 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Friday, September 9, 2011

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Author Thomas Friedman discusses latest effort
Thomas Friedman speaks with MPR about his latest book,"That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back."3:54 p.m.
Bachmann abandons New Hampshire in shifting campaign environment
Rep. Michele Bachmann announced her presidential campaign at a GOP debate in June in Manchester. But since then, she has only returned to the state once.4:45 p.m.
Cowles Center is Twin Cities' new 'world-class' home for dance
Hopes are high that the new dance center downtown Minneapolis will have the same impact on dance that the Guthrie Theater had on regional theater when it was built in the early 1960s.4:50 p.m.
Police urge patience in fatal hit-and-run involving Senser vehicle
Authorities around the Twin Cities say investigating and prosecuting such cases takes time, and it is not unusual to go weeks or more before a formal criminal case is charged.5:20 p.m.
Air National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing pilots recall eerie days after 9/11
Soon after two airplanes slammed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2011, a Minnesota Air National Guard unit launched into action.5:24 p.m.
Friday festivals: Defeat of Jesse James days
Wayne Eddy, an organizer of Northfield's Defeat of Jesse James Days festival, spoke with MPR's Steven John about the event this weekend.5:50 p.m.
The Dinner Party Download featuring Gus Van Sant
On this week's Dinner Party Download, filmmaker Gus Van Sant, and The Real Uncle Sam.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

The Day Before America Was Interrupted: Nine People Recall Sept. 10, 2001
When Americans are asked what Sept. 10, 2001, was like, many call that Monday "normal" or "ordinary." That all changed on Sept. 11. Nine individuals share their serendipitous experiences, near misses or devastating turn of events from the day before America was interrupted.
Obama's Jobs Plan Versus GOP Rivals' Plans
President Obama and two GOP presidential hopefuls have laid out their ideas to turn the economy around. NPR's Scott Horsley joins Robert Siegel to compare and contrast the plans.
Week In Politics: Obama's Jobs Speech
Melissa Block speaks with our regular political commentators E.J. Dionne, of the Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks, of the New York Times. They discuss President Obama's jobs speech, and how the jobs issue is playing on and off the campaign trail.
D.C., N.Y. On Heightened Alert
Washington, D.C., and New York are on heightened alert Friday. That's because of a new terrorism warning that comes just ahead of the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston has been looking into the details of the new threat — and tells Melissa Block the latest.
Susquehanna River Drenches Small Pa. Towns
Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River is spilling over its banks, leaving serious flooding in its wake. The city of Wilkes-Barre's levies have held up, sparing it from a worst-case scenario flood. But small towns throughout south-central Pennsylvania are covered in water.
MLB Teams Sew Up Division Titles, Wild Card Slots
Summer is just about over. That usually means Major League Baseball fans are feverishly checking the standings as the playoff races tighten up in the last weeks of the season. But this year, virtually every division title and wild card slot have been sewn up. Could an unexciting September lead to a dramatic October? Robert Siegel talks to sportswriter Stefan Fatsis.
Battles For Survival, Small-Scale And Huge
Critic Bob Mondello looks at two new films — the domestic drama Warriors, and the viral-epidemic thriller Contagion — that get the fall moviegoing season off to a pleasantly substantial start.
Earlier Stimulus Offers Lessons For A Second Round
As President Obama proposes more infrastructure spending to create jobs, the earlier stimulus offers lessons of what worked, and what didn't, for temporary construction jobs. In some cases, the 2009 stimulus didn't create new jobs, an expert says.
HUD Secretary Discusses Refinancing Plans
While President Obama's speech Thursday night focused on jobs, the president also touched on homeownership. The president talked about helping people refinance mortgages, in turn putting more money in families' pockets. Robert Siegel speaks with Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan about what the president has in mind.
Australian Wins Surfing Competition
Australian Owen Wright won the first ASP World Tour surfing competition held in New York. Wright beat out Kelly Slater, a ten-time world champion surfer, for the $300,000 prize.