Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Bob Woodward and the war within
  The transition from the Bush administration to the Obama administration will be unique for a number of reasons. Author and journalist Bob Woodward talks to MPR's Tom Crann about President George Bush, Iraq and what happens in the transition to the Obama presidency.4:50 p.m.
• NTSB hearing: Design errors, weight factor in bridge collapse
  During a Thursday hearing of the National Transportation Safety Board, investigators say 289 tons of construction equipment and materials were stored on the 35W bridge on the day it collapsed. Investigators say an under-designed gusset plate was the primary cause of the disaster5:20 p.m.
• Franken seeks access to rejected absentees
  Democrat Al Franken, locked in a tight Senate race headed to a statewide recount, is suing for access to data on voters who had their absentee ballots rejected.5:25 p.m.
• Sheriff, police department clashed over RNC security
  Minnesota Public Radio News has learned that top officials in the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office and the St. Paul Police Department clashed over how to secure the streets in the months leading up to the Republican National Convention.5:50 p.m.
• Minn. congressional delegates question changes to bailout
  Members of Minnesota's congressional delegation say the new federal bailout package being proposed in Washington is very different than the one they passed earlier this year.6:14 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Expert: Establish A Vision Before Envisioning Pullout
  The first mission for President-elect Obama should be to establish a new American framework for peace and security in the world, says Shibley Telhami. Then he can evaluate his options for withdrawing from Iraq.
• Age Of American Consumerism May Be Over
  The current hard times for the economy also mean hard times for the great American value of consumerism. Nowhere is the blow to consumption more evident than in the auto industry.
• Palin, Other GOP Governors Vie For 2012 Limelight
  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is no longer the defeated Republican candidate for vice president in 2008. She is now a potential Republican candidate for president in 2012. But so are many other GOP governors who are attending the Republican Governors Association Annual Conference in Miami.
• Job Seekers In Administration Face Tough Questions
  The vetting process for job candidates in the Barack Obama administration is long, extensive, and, some may say, invasive. Jackie Calmes, a reporter for The New York Times, got a copy of the 63-question background check and talks about what information candidates must share.
• Religious Right Weighs Next Political Steps
  Leaders of the religious right have tied their fortunes to the Republican Party for a generation. Now, with the Democrats in power, some conservative Christians are gearing up to fight the suddenly resurrected culture wars.
• In Alaska Senate Race, Challenger Takes Lead
  Democrat Mark Begich took an 814-vote lead over incumbent Ted Stevens in the race for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat. The approximately 30,000 votes that remain will be counted on Friday and next week. Kyle Hopkins, a reporter with the Anchorage Daily News, offers his insight.
• Letters: Milk, Belly Fat, Acronyms
  Listeners responded to the story on Harvey Milk's legacy, belly fat and alternative acronyms for the Treasury Department's TARP program.
• Markets Weigh U.S. Plan To Expand Bailout
  The financial markets are digesting a shift in the U.S. government's $700 billion bailout plan. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says he wants to expand the plan to include companies involved in offering credit to people through car loans, student loans and credit cards.
• Credit-Card Debt May Be Next Problem
  Some economists are concerned that the next hit to the economy may come from credit card defaults. USA Today economic reporter Kathy Chu talks about parallels between the housing bubble and the market for credit card debt.
• Oregon Judge Clears Nude Cyclist
  A judge has cleared a Portland, Ore., man of indecent exposure after his June arrest for riding his bicycle naked at nighttime through his neighborhood. The judge ruled that 21-year-old Bobby Hammond's nude cycling was protected expression. LaBarre talks about why he cycles in the nude.
• McGovern Backs Obama's Iraq Withdrawal Plans
  The former senator and Democratic presidential nominee says he hopes the president-elect sticks to his timetable to withdraw from Iraq in 16 months. McGovern co-authored a book, Out of Iraq: A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now, in the fall of 2006.
• Obama Brother-In-Law Balances Coaching, Politics
  Craig Robinson campaigned for his brother-in-law, Barack Obama, during the presidential race. Now Robinson hopes for success in another campaign: to turn the men's basketball team at Oregon State University into a winner.
• Obama Resigns Senate Seat
  President-elect Barack Obama has announced he is resigning his Senate seat, effective Sunday. Obama was the Illinois junior senator for four years. It is now up to the state's Democratic governor to fill the seat.
• Saudis To Try Al-Qaida Suspects
  Nearly a thousand Saudi men are set to stand trial on charges of belonging to al-Qaida. The men are accused of involvement in a string of terrorist attacks in the kingdom earlier this decade.
• Treasury Secretary Defends Shift In Bailout Tactics
  Henry Paulson tells NPR the government is focused on getting "lending going again." He says the new strategy of infusing money directly into banks is a "more powerful and quicker way to deal with the problem" than buying toxic mortgage-backed securities.

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