Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minneapolis Somalis react to U.S. bombing
  Reporter Toni Randolph talked with Somali's at a Minneapolis market about their reactions to the U.S. bombing of two southern Somali areas.4:40 p.m.
• Mental health parity movement moving ahead
  Should insurance companies treat mental health issues the same way they treat physical health issues?5:20 p.m.
• The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe creates new retirement account for elders
  Leaders with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe have a new idea to help their elders. The band is setting up a pension for retirees and the first payments are expected to go out soon.5:26 p.m.
• Homicide problem awaits Minneapolis' new police chief
  Chief Tim Dolan takes over a Minneapolis police department that saw a sharp rise in violent crime last year, and three murders already this year.5:48 p.m.
• Sexual assaults rock St. Paul's East Side
  St. Paul police are marshalling "unprecedented resources" to catch the suspect accused in the violent rape and beating of a 13-year-old girl.5:52 p.m.
• Statistics offer little reassurance in Twin Cities neighborhoods
  While the murders in Minneapolis and the attacks in St. Paul have residents on edge, statistics show crime has declined steadily in Minnesota and across the country over the last decade.5:55 p.m.
• A new life for an old brewery
  The Schmidt Brewery, on West 7th Street near downtown St. Paul, has a new owner. The 150-year-old building has been the home to two breweries, and most recently, a controversial ethanol plant.6:20 p.m.
• Apple unveils new gadgets
  Apple Computer company announced it is changing it's name to Apple Inc. to emphasize it's movement into the consumer electronics market. It also announced two new examples of such electronics: the IPhone and Apple TV. MPR's Tom Crann talks with Future Tense Host Jon Gordon about the IPhone.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Pelosi: Bush's Iraq Policy a 'Desperate Cause'
  The new Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California discusses the Democrats' agenda in the first 100 hours and beyond; and how Democrats will move forward with their opposition to President Bush's expected plan to raise troop levels in Iraq.
• Sadr's Militia Prepares for Possible U.S. Strikes
  The Mahdi Army, the militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is preparing for war in Sadr City, the vast Baghdad slum. Announcements on Iraqi TV last night said that the cleric will force every man in Sadr City between 15 and 45 to join his militia. Sadr supporters believe they will be targeted by U.S. and Iraqi government troops.
• Rendition Trial Opens in Milan; U.S. Agents Absent
  The trial of a group of Americans and Italians accused of kidnapping an Egyptian cleric begins in Milan, Italy. Twenty-six Americans, most believed to be members of the CIA, and six Italian secret service agents are charged with involvement in the so-called "rendition" of Abu Omar, who was seized in 2003 and then sent to Egypt, where he says he was tortured.
• Rick Wagoner on the future of General Motors
  General Motors has made an unexpectedly strong showing at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The company made headlines with its electric concept car. And the show's top awards went to the Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Silverado.
• Apple's CEO Shows Off Its Long-Awaited iPhone
  Fans of Apple computers got word that their favorite company is going into the phone business. Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced its new iPhone, which combines a mobile phone — including a camera — with a music player. At the Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco, Jobs also introduced the Apple TV device.
• Las Vegas Show Highlights Gadgets and Gear
  The 40th Consumer Electronics Show is under way in Las Vegas, with every conceivable kind of gadget and device on display, from the tiny to the enormous. Flat-screen high definition TVs dominated parts of the 1.7-million square feet of exhibition space at CES. There were also plenty of mobile phones that play music and video, along with cameras and laptop computers.
• Sirius Hits a Target, and Pays Stern $83 Million
  Sirius Satellite Radio announces that it will pay Howard Stern an $83 million bonus. The bonus, part of Stern's 2004 contract with Sirius, was triggered by the company's rise in subscribers for 2006. But in spite of Stern's help in growing Sirius' subscriber base from 600,000 to 6 million, the company continues to lose money. Its stock lost 40 percent of its value last year.
• Suing for a Punchline: Leno, NBC Target Joke Books
  Jay Leno and NBC Studios are among those suing the author of a series of joke books. "We think there's a very important principle at stake: protecting intellectual property of the comedians," says the plaintiff's attorney, "These jokes are products of a very careful choice of words."
• House Votes to Implement Anti-Terrorism Law
  House Democrats pass the first bill of their planned legislative push, approving a measure aimed at implementing most of the remaining anti-terrorism recommendations from the 9/11 Commission.
• Sen. Jon Tester Starts His Newest Job
  Freshman Sen. Jon Tester, who left his Montana farm for Capitol Hill, begins his new life as a senator. Tester was elected as a straight-talking, tractor-riding prairie populist, who pledged to make the U.S. Senate look a little more like his home state.

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