Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• How much 'change' can we expect from the candidates?
  This year, every presidential candidate wants to be an agent of "change," but whoever wins could have a hard time fulfilling that promise. Cecily Sommers studies how societies change and says government rarely leads the way.4:50 p.m.
• Candidates promise change, but governments slow to react
  MPR's Tom Crann talks to futurist Cecily Sommers about how capable governments really are of creating change.5:19 p.m.
• Legislature aims for higher bonding for higher education
  A new Bell Museum, building renovations at Minnesota State University Mankato, and a long list of college campus repairs await word of state bonding money.5:23 p.m.
• House proposes farm bill changes
  The debate over the next farm bill ramped up today when Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson proposed cutting $8 billion from the legislation passed by the House.5:50 p.m.
• Wood pellets heat up forest products industry
  Wood pellet producers are popping up in Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin as the price of conventional heating fuels rises.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Uno the Beagle's Groundbreaking Westminster Win
  Tuesday night, for the first time ever, a beagle won "Best in Show" at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Uno, a 15-inch beagle, brought the crowd to its feet at the sold-out show at Madison Square Garden.
• Joan Rivers: Outrageous and Outspoken as Ever
  For comedienne Joan Rivers, almost everything is fair game: race, sex, death and, of course, her life. That's the subject on her new autobiographical play, Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress.
• Hezbollah Militant Accused of Plotting Attacks Killed
  Imad Mughniyeh, believed to have masterminded some of the deadliest attacks on Americans in Lebanon in the 1980s, died Tuesday night in a car bombing in Damascus, Syria. No single figure is believed to be responsible for more American deaths in attacks overseas.
• Clemens Drug-Use Hearing Yields Conflicting Stories
  Former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens and his former trainer, Brian McNamee, face off on Capitol Hill. Clemens has disputed claims in the Mitchell Report on drug use in baseball that he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs, while McNamee says he injected the pitcher with those drugs.
• It's Clemens' Word Against Trainer, Teammate
  Baseball superstar Roger Clemens fought for his reputation Wednesday in dramatic testimony on Capitol Hill. Under oath, he denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs. But his former trainer, Brian McNamee, continued to insist that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone.
• McCain Adviser: Strategy Was Simply Stay In Game
  Sen. John McCain swept the so-called Potomac Primary Tuesday night, winning Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. It's a striking contrast to last summer, when McCain's presidential campaign was on life support. Among the few advisers who stayed — and helped orchestrate the senator's resurgence — is senior adviser Mark McKinnon.
• Imagining a Letter from McCain to Bush
  NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr imagines a letter from presidential candidate Republican Sen. John McCain to President Bush, in response to the president's backing of McCain's conservative credentials.
• Mukasey Aims to Leave Justice 'Unscathed'
  Attorney General Michael Mukasey is in Baghdad, visiting employees of the Justice Department and observing their work on helping the Iraqis keep their justice system operating. On the flight to Baghdad, Mukasey talks about his first three months in office.
• Gates Misses Pentagon Testimony with Broken Bone
  Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled his planned testimony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning after slipping on the ice overnight and fracturing his shoulder. He returned to work later in the day with his arm in a sling.
• Iraqi Parliament OKs Part of Benchmark Legislation
  After much debate and threats of parliamentary dissolution, the Iraqi parliament has finally passed several laws that were part of the benchmark legislation demanded by the U.S. a year ago, when the military "surge" was ordered to give Iraqi politicians time and space to act.

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