Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Two northwest Wis. VA clinics close over funding problems
  Two recently opened Minneapolis VA clinics in western Wisconsin were abruptly shut down this week by the company under contract to run them. Kentucky-based Corporate Health and Wellness says it lost hundreds of thousands of dollars opening the clinics.5:19 p.m.
• Feds grant $156.8M for Northstar rail line
  State and federal officials signed documents Tuesday that bring nearly half of the funding for the $320 million Northstar commuter rail line between Minneapolis and Big Lake.5:23 p.m.
• Sen. Coleman offers plan to combat foreclosures
  Since President George Bush outlined his plan to freeze interest rates on some risky mortgages last week, more than 45,000 people have called the subprime hotline set up to assist those looking for advice and trying to avoid foreclosure.5:51 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Guantanamo Translator Wins Rhodes Scholarship
  Yale University law student Isra Bhatty recently won a prestigious Rhodes scholarship. When she's not hitting the books, Bhatty works as an English-Urdu translator for detainees at Guantanamo Bay. She's also a hip-hop artist and can be seen intercepting passes on a woman's football team — wearing her tye-dyed hijab.
• Senate Panel Presses Officials on Waterboarding
  A Judiciary panel on Tuesday pressed military brass and Justice Department lawyers about the interrogation technique of waterboarding, and about what goes on at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay. The officials refused to say whether waterboarding violates the Geneva Conventions, and they refused to call it torture.
• Bali Delegates Turn Focus to Greenhouse Gases
  Delegates to the Bali climate conference are debating what to do about refrigerants, which are being put in millions of refrigerators and air conditioners and are more powerful than carbon dioxide. Some delegates are pushing for an agreement to phase these chemicals out.
• New York Philharmonic Plans Concert in N. Korea
  The New York Philharmonic on Tuesday disclosed the details of a February visit to North Korea. The orchestra's visit comes at a time of hints of thawing relations between Washington and Pyongyang. But at Tuesday's news conference, both American and North Korean spokesmen kept politics at a distance.
• Refugees Returning to Iraq Find Homes Occupied
  As Iraqi refugees begin to return to Baghdad and other cities, some are finding their homes occupied. The Iraqi government has not yet devised a plan to resolve the disputes. That means local community leaders and U.S. troops end up trying to find solutions themselves.
• Love Letters and More from La Divina Up for Auction
  It's been 30 years since the passing of opera legend Maria Callas, the voice the world came to know as La Divina. This week, a stash of her personal effects goes on auction in Milan, Italy.
• Edwards Pushes Book Clubs on Campaign Trail
  He may not have the star power of Oprah Winfrey on his side, but John Edwards is campaigning in Iowa with some similar interests in mind. The Democratic presidential candidate is encouraging voters to host "John Edwards Book Clubs," where they can gather to read his 80-page policy guide.
• Deadly Ice, Power Outages Persist in Midwest
  A cone of ice has coated the Midwest from Oklahoma to Wisconsin and is being blamed for at least 23 deaths. Massive power outages may last for a week or more.
• Death Toll Climbs in Algerian Bombings
  Car bombs exploded minutes apart Tuesday in central Algiers, heavily damaging a United Nations building and ripping the facade off the wing of a government office. Dozens were killed, including some U.N. employees, and the death toll is still climbing.
• Cardboard Boxes Among Many Indicators for Fed
  The Federal Reserve took a cautious path Tuesday, lowering interest rates by a quarter-point. The move may indicate that the economy is not as soft as some thought. One indicator that Fed economists look at is the demand for cardboard boxes — which seems to be holding up just fine.
• Fed Issues Third Key Rate Cut in Three Months
  The Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate by one-quarter of a percentage point to 4.25 percent Tuesday, and Wall Street plunged after the announcement. It's the third cut in three months, and it comes amid a worsening mortgage crisis, a housing slump and a credit crunch.
• Rep. Boehner Explains GOP Strategy on CIA Tapes
  House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) talks with Robert Siegel about the CIA's decision to destroy videos of interrogation suspects, and about Republican strategy as a Congressional recess and deadlines for a variety of spending bills loom.
• Senators Grill CIA Director Behind Closed Doors
  On Capitol Hill, Senators grilled the head of the CIA about interrogation techniques and the destruction of interrogation videotapes. Michael Hayden announced last week that two tapes showing tough interrogations were destroyed in 2005.
• Wish Lists for Santa, Politicians in Milford, N.H.
  All Things Considered has been visiting Milford, N.H., periodically to talk with residents about their presidential options before the nation's first primary Jan. 8.
• Candidates' Money Trails Through Primary States
  As the presidential candidates trample through the early primary states, they're leaving behind a trail of dollars. For example, Mitt Romney's political action committee contributed to local candidates in early primary states. Such contributions are useful to building connections.

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