Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Smarting from election losses, state Republicans discuss strategy to regroup
  The Minnesota Republican Party's central committee meets Saturday following big defeats at the polls last month.3:20 p.m.
• PoliGraph: Parsing claims over the state budget
  PoliGraph took a look at several statements from both sides of the aisle about the latest Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) forecast.3:24 p.m.
• The Cube Critics: 'Holy Motors,' 'Playing for Keeps'
  This week's movie chit-chat between arts reporter Euan Kerr and Movie Maven Stephanie Curtis centered on an inexplicable, freaky French film, and a romantic comedy involving a dreamy former soccer player.3:54 p.m.
• A walk through Union Depot's history
  Union Depot's $243 million renovation is finally done and on Saturday officials in downtown St. Paul will reopen it to the public. John Diers, author of a forthcoming book on the history of Union Depot, spoke with The Daily Circuit during a walk-through of the building.4:50 p.m.
• Dispatch recording reveals some detail of police response on night of Decker's shooting
  Officers who responded to the shooting of Cold Spring police officer Thomas Decker outside a bar last week were confused about whether to allow bar patrons to leave and where to set up a perimeter, according to an audio recording of the dispatch.5:20 p.m.
• Smarting from election losses, state Republicans discuss strategy to regroup
  The Minnesota Republican Party's central committee meets Saturday following big defeats at the polls last month.5:24 p.m.
• PoliGraph: Parsing claims over the state budget
  PoliGraph took a look at several statements from both sides of the aisle about the latest Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) forecast.5:50 p.m.
• The Cube Critics: 'Holy Motors,' 'Playing for Keeps'
  This week's movie chit-chat between arts reporter Euan Kerr and Movie Maven Stephanie Curtis centered on an inexplicable, freaky French film, and a romantic comedy involving a dreamy former soccer player.6:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Unemployment Falls To Lowest Rate In Four Years
  The stock market moved higher Friday on a jobs report that came in stronger than expected. Employers added 146,000 jobs to payrolls in November and the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent.
• Week In Politics: Fiscal Cliff, Jim DeMint Resigns
  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 the approaching fiscal cliff and the resignation of Republican Senator Jim DeMint.
• Conflicts, Errors Revealed In Positive Fracking Study
  A report that shed favorable light on fracking is at the center of a controversy at the University of Texas. The head of the school's Energy Institute has stepped down and another professor has retired after an investigation found numerous errors and flaws in the report — and undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Nurse Who Took Prank Call At U.K. Hospital Is Dead
  A nurse at a London hospital who took a hoax call about Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge was found dead on Friday. Jacintha Saldhana let through a call from an Australian radio station purporting to be the Queen calling about the ailing Duchess.
• At Doha Climate Talks, Modest Results At Best
  Diplomats in Doha, Qatar, are working late into the night to hammer out a deal in the 18th round of U.N. climate talks. Expectations are low as the talks are part of a multiyear process to make a transition from the fading Kyoto climate treaty to something that engages all nations of the world.
• School District Owes $1 Billion On $100 Million Loan
  The Poway Unified School District in California is facing a whopping $1 billion repayment on a loan of just $105 million. It borrowed the money using bonds that the state treasurer has compared to payday loans — and more than 200 other California districts are in the same boat.
• More Teachers 'Flipping' The School Day Upside Down
  With "classroom flipping," teachers record their classroom lectures online for students to watch at home. Classroom time is then used for problem solving and homework.
• Company Auctions Off Letters From Freud, Van Gogh
  Audie Cornish talks to Joe Maddalena, who runs Profiles in History. The company is auctioning off a huge collection of historic letters and documents on Dec. 18. Among them are letters by George Washington, John Lennon, Vincent Van Gogh, Lou Gehrig, Louis Pasteur, Sigmund Freud, and Napoleon.
• What Do You Eat On Christmas Day?
  Melissa Block and Audie Cornish ask listeners to share stories about what they eat on Christmas Day, even if they don't celebrate the holiday. We'll pick a few and share them on the holiday. You can submit your favorites here, just put "Christmas food" in the subject line.
• All Heisman Finalists Were Surprise Contenders
  On Saturday night the Heisman Trophy will be awarded to the top individual player in college football. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis talks with Audie Cornish about who is up for the award. They also talk about bowl games, coaching woes, and collegiate realignment.

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