Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Aging out of foster care
  Each year 24,000 American teenagers in foster care leave their foster families or group homes and try to make it on their own, because when they turn 18, they're too old to qualify for state services anymore. A new study shows that foster teens do better if they stay in care until they're 21.4:49 p.m.
• Minn. judges often ignore drug sentencing guidelines
  A case before the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1991 foreshadowed the national discussion over sentencing disparities in drug crimes. But the state's response to the issue created a new set of problems. Bob Collins, author of MPR's News Cut, looks into how well Minnesota's drug sentencing guidelines are working.5:18 p.m.
• Sen. Johnson holds first news conference since stroke
  U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) held his first news conference since suffering from a stroke a year ago.5:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Senate Considers Major Changes to Farm Policy
  The farm bill is back on the move, with the Senate considering major changes to the nation's farm policy. One plan, defeated Tuesday, would have ended the current program of commodity crop subsidies that critics say unfairly benefits the few and replaced it with a new crop-insurance program to help all farmers when they need it.
• Gambler Pardoned in White House Tradition
  William Charles Jordan Jr. ran into trouble 10 years ago for his connections to a pro-football gambling ring. On Tuesday, he was among 29 convicts pardoned by President Bush in an annual White House tradition.
• Sunday Football Pits Jets, Patriots in Grudge Match
  This Sunday, the undefeated New England Patriots take on the New York Jets. It was the Jets' head coach who, earlier this year, exposed the Patriots' secret program to videotape their rivals' defensive signals, and that makes this a grudge match for the Patriots.
• Car Bombings Kill Dozens of People in Amara
  Coordinated car bombings in the southern Iraqi city left at least 40 dead and more than 100 wounded. Earlier this year, British forces handed over security duties in the province to Iraqi government troops. A similar handover in neighboring Basra is set for next week, raising fears of more violence in the largely Shiite region.
• Doping Has Long-Term Health Consequences
  Long-term side-effects of anabolic steroids include heart and liver problems, problems with sex organs, and psychiatric and behavioral problems.
• Business Schools Groom Foreign Students for Jobs
  At business schools across the United States, many recruiters have refused to interview foreigners, citing problems with their English or difficulties with their work visas. Some campuses are working to change that trend and improve prospects for these students.
• Fed Offers $40 Billion to Bolster Global Economy
  The Federal Reserve Bank moved Wednesday morning to ease a global credit crisis, announcing a plans to offer $40 billion in emergency funds to banks through an auction process. The move was coordinated with other major central banks and is designed to increase liquidity around the globe.
• Panel Makes Reduced Drug Sentencing Retroactive
  The U.S. Sentencing Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to make retroactive its November decision to reduce the sentences of people convicted of crack cocaine offenses. The commission estimates that 2,500 inmates may win reduced sentences over the next year.
• Ike Turner, a Rock 'N' Roll Pioneer, Dies at 76
  One of the fathers of rock 'n' roll, Ike Turner, died Wednesday at age 76. Turner cut what is arguably one of the first rock 'n' roll records — Rocket 88 — with his band, The Kings of Rhythm. But he may be best known as the abusive ex-husband of Tina Turner, with whom he performed for many years.
• U.S. Signs On to International Adoption Conventions
  On Wednesday, the U.S. signed on to the Hague International Adoption Conventions, a move that's more than a decade in coming. That means the U.S. will begin regulating an industry that has long gone unchecked.
• Ex-CIA Officer Speaks Out Against Waterboarding
  A former CIA officer who questioned a key al-Qaida operative in 2002 says he now condemns the harsh interrogation techniques which he once saw as "desperate measures" called for by "desperate times."
• Doping Report a Key Test of Mitchell's Fixer Skills
  Former Sen. George Mitchell's diplomatic experience seems to make him the ideal candidate to lead an investigation into doping in Major League Baseball. But some question whether he's too much of a baseball insider to hold the sport accountable.
• Will Lott Make Leap from Senate to Lobby?
  NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr notes a story in The Hill newspaper that suggests Trent Lott is likely to join former Louisiana Sen. John Breaux to form a powerhouse lobbying firm after he departs the Senate.
• Top Lebanese Army Officer Killed in Bombing
  A car bombing near the presidential palace in Beirut on Wednesday killed a top Lebanese army officer. The victim was widely expected to succeed army Chief of Staff Michel Suleiman, who has emerged as the consensus candidate for president after months of political deadlock.
• Without Writers, TV Junkies Confront New Realities
  As the writers' strike drags on, broadcast networks are looking to reality shows and other unscripted programming — from an early Survivor to a revived American Gladiators.

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