Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Disclosure forms offer little information about lawmakers' outside jobs
  An MPR News analysis of the disclosures by current and incoming lawmakers finds that the forms do not provide meaningful information that could alert the public to potential conflicts of interest.3:48 p.m.
• Lagging recycle rates concern Minnesota lawmakers
  Recycling is not only better for the environment, it's an integral part of a growing economic engine in the state. Experts say people are throwing away resources that those businesses need.3:53 p.m.
• Penumbra Theatre set to reopen after donors step up
  Last August, the St. Paul theater company, facing a financial crisis, cut staff and suspended all programming indefinitely. Today, Penumbra announced it will resume production in the spring.5:25 p.m.
• Lagging recycle rates concern Minnesota lawmakers
  Recycling is not only better for the environment, it's an integral part of a growing economic engine in the state. Experts say people are throwing away resources that those businesses need.5:52 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Aurora Shooting Suspect Looked Like A Fellow Officer, Police Say
  Moments after a deadly attack that turned an Aurora, Colo., movie theater into a scene of panic and tragedy, the police officer who found suspect James Holmes at first took him for a fellow police officer, due to the body armor Holmes was wearing.
• Districts Train Teachers For School Shootings
  Since the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn., some teachers have been giving more thought to personal safety in the classroom. Over the holiday break, school staff in several cities attended training sessions designed to better prepare them to respond during a school shooting.
• Berlusconi Plots His Comeback: 'You Italians Need Me'
  Polls for next month's election show leftist parties with a comfortable lead. But attention has focused on the attempted comeback of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the man who took over when he was ousted, Mario Monti.
• Hagel Critic: 'He Seems To Have Some Kind Of Problem With Jews'
  Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, tapped by President Obama to serve as the next Secretary of Defense, is coming under fire from conservatives for his past positions on Israel, Iran and Iraq. Elliott Abrams is one of the critics. Abrams served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush and is now a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He speaks with Melissa Block about his concerns.
• Bank Of America To Pay Fannie Mae $11.6 Billion To Buy Back Troubled Loans
  Bank of America and Fannie Mae have agreed to settle legal issues stemming from the subprime mortgage crisis. The bank will pay Fannie Mae $3.6 billion in cash and will also spend $6.7 billion to repurchase certain mortgages sold to Fannie Mae.
• What Lance Armstrong, And The USADA, Might Gain From A Confession
  The news that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong might be willing to confess to the doping charges he spent years denying has reopened interest in his case — and opens the question of whether his lifetime ban from competitive sports could be eased in exchange for Armstrong's cooperation.
• As Karzai Visits U.S., What Are The Prospects For Afghan Peace?
  France recently hosted discussions between Afghan and Taliban officials. The meetings again raised the possibility of negotiations to end the fighting in Afghanistan, though many analysts remain deeply skeptical.
• Online 'Shaming' A New Level Of Cyberbullying For Girls
  Many teenagers are living half their lives on social media sites, and they're writing the rules as they go. One online trend 16-year-old Temitayo Fagbenle finds disturbing is something she calls "slut shaming" — using photos and videos to turn a girl's private life inside out.
• Hagel Nomination Could Face Resistance From GOP Over Israel, Iran
  President Obama rounded out his second term national security team on Monday. He nominated former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense and chose counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the CIA. Already, Hagel has encountered opposition from some in the GOP who question his commitment to Israel, and Brennan is sure to face questions about his tenure at the CIA under President George W. Bush.
• CIA Nominee Brennan Has Obama's 'Complete Trust'
  President Obama has nominated his counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, to lead the CIA. Brennan's work with the agency under George W. Bush has been controversial, and he's also drawn criticism for his lead role in the Obama administration's use of unmanned drones.

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