Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• International adoptions bring more alcohol-exposed kids to U.S.
  In the U.S. and countries around the world, children are born each day to mothers who drank alcohol while they were pregnant. As more American families adopt children from other countries, doctors say they are seeing more cases of fetal alcohol syndrome.4:50 p.m.
• McCollum, House members grill Blackwater exec
  Blackwater's owner told a Congresisonal panel that allegations of wrongdoing are "baseless." Rep. Betty McCollum doesn't buy it.5:10 p.m.
• Minnesota is swimming in sewage
  At least 50,000 homes and businesses in the state dump raw sewage directly into the state's lakes and rivers.5:20 p.m.
• Smoking ban reignites cessation efforts
  With Minnesota's smoking ban taking effect this week, we're being inundated with messages about how to quit smoking. Here's another one from All Things Considered medical analyst, Dr. Jon Hallberg.5:50 p.m.
• Vikings owner: Time for pols to 'step up' with a stadium
  Two new sports stadiums are in the works in Minneapolis, but perhaps the biggest fish in Minnesota professional sports is still looking for a new home.6:15 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ex-Official Speaks Against Key Bush Strategies
  Jack Goldsmith, a former official of the Bush Justice Department, testified Tuesday that he disagreed with the administration's legal justifications for torture and domestic surveillance.
• Disparity Related to Crime History of Crack
  Douglas Berman, law professor at Ohio State University, talks with Michele Norris about how the disparity in sentencing minimums between crack and powdered cocaine began. Berman says harsher penalties for crack cocaine stem from the high crime rates resulting from the crack epidemic of the mid- to late 1980s.
• Court Mulls Crack-Cocaine Sentencing Disparity
  The Supreme Court hears arguments in two drug-crime cases Tuesday. One is a further test of the new use of the old sentencing rules, which the court has found to be guidelines rather than rigid requirements. The other tests the federal law that requires longer sentences for crack-cocaine violations than for powder cocaine violations.
• Market Stays Strong, Despite Credit Crunch
  The stock market closed Monday at a record high of 14,087. Tuesday, there was some profit taking — pushing stocks down slightly. What has been causing the market to run up, especially in the face of a credit crunch? Robert Siegel talks with Cary Leahey, senior economist with Decision Economics, about Tuesday's market news as well as the overall psychology fueling the numbers.
• U.S. Forces See Opportunity as Sadr Regroups
  It has been a month since radical Shiite cleric Muktada al Sadr called on his militia to cease fire for six months so his Mehdi Army could reorganize and clean up its ranks. There has been a drop in violence since Sadr's announcement, and the U.S. military sees that as a possible opening it can exploit.
• County Apologizes to Emmett Till Family
  In the courthouse where the accused murderers of Emmett Till were tried and acquitted more than 50 years ago, Tallahatchie County, Miss., holds a memorial service for him, apologizes to his family, and unveils a historical marker.
• Obama Marks His Early Opposition to Iraq War
  Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama tries to set himself apart from other presidential contenders with a series of talks marking the fifth anniversary of his speech against the Iraq war. At the time, he was an Illinois state senator. Four of his opponents for the Democratic nomination were in the Senate then, and each supported the invasion.
• Oversight of Blackwater a 'Grey Zone,' Author Says
  Robert Young Pelton, author of Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror, talks with Robert Siegel about how Blackwater USA operates in Iraq and who oversees the private security company.
• Jury Awards $11.6 Million to Ex-Knicks Executive
  A federal jury has found that New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas sexually harassed Anucha Browne Sanders, a former top executive of the Knicks, by subjecting her to unwanted advances and insults. Madison Square Garden and its chairman are ordered to pay $11.6 million in damages.
• Blackwater Chairman Defends Employees
  Erik Prince, the chairman of the private security company, Blackwater USA, has rejected allegations that his employees have acted inappropriately in Iraq and Afghanistan. The FBI is investigating Blackwater personnel for their role in a shooting two weeks ago that left 11 Iraqis dead.
• Sounds from an Impractical Homemade Engine
  Our SoundClip series continues with listener Larry Cottrill, who provides audio of a homemade pulse jet engine. It's very loud and very simple, and it can't be muffled. Therefore, it is impractical despite its efficiency.
• Wal-Mart Takes Ozarks on International Path
  Commentator Andrei Codrescu finds that the growth of Wal-Mart's presence in the Ozarks of Arkansas has turned a rural landscape into a worldly one. A modern airport rises out of farm land and people head off for international destinations.
• Cheap Dollar Puts U.S. Firms in Takeover Danger
  A cheap dollar may be boosting exports, but it's also putting U.S. companies on sale. Foreign firms are snatching up U.S. based companies at the fastest pace in seven years. When the topic is foreign takeovers of U.S. firms it doesn't take much to prompt concerns about loss of jobs and control. But many observers see these transactions as an absolutely normal and inevitable part of globalization.
• On the Ground in Iraq: Three Women's Stories
  Sgt. Griselda Benavides and Lance Cpl. Mary Carnes of the U.S. Marines, and Army Staff Sgt. Laurie Perez Hawkins have all served in Iraq. They share their experiences in a war zone and their thoughts on the service of women in the military.
• Amish Forgive School Shooter, Struggle with Grief
  A tragic school shooting left an Amish community devastated, but not resentful. But the ability to forgive doesn't mean that the families have been able to quickly get over their grief.

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