Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Comic novelist combines design with infamous experiments
  Graphic designer Chip Kidd is one of the most sought-after book cover designers in the country. He's also a novelist, and his latest book, "The Learners," deals with the infamous Milgram experiments.4:48 p.m.
• Mankato looks for answers to binge drinking
  A citywide meeting in Mankato Wednesday aims to combat problem drinking, especially for college age students and other young people. The summit on high-risk drinking comes four months after a young Mankato woman died after drinking excessively on her 21st birthday.5:19 p.m.
• State budget outlook expected to go from bad to worse
  Almost everybody at the Capitol is expecting that the state's projected budget deficit will grow.5:48 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• William F. Buckley, Conservative Bulwark, Dies
  William F. Buckley Jr., the peerless and exuberant voice of the conservative movement, died Wednesday morning at the age of 82. The founder of the National Review and witty host of TV's Firing Line is credited with validating conservative ideas after post-World War II liberal dominance.
• Non-College Kids Outsiders to Rising 'Youth Vote'
  Since the 2000 elections, the number of young Americans going to the polls has increased steadily. But another trend is also emerging: the widening voting gap between youth enrolled in college and their non-student peers.
• Eroded Oregon Coast Yields Once-Sunken Surprises
  Storms that struck the Pacific Northwest this winter have uncovered quite a few unusual items, including red towers and ancient forests. Tiffany Boothe of the Seaside Aquarium in Seaside, Ore., talks about these once-submerged treasures.
• Bernanke Sees No Recession, but Big Challenge
  Visiting Congress to provide an update on the struggling U.S. economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said he expects very slow growth in 2008, but no recession. Bernanke is trying to avoid a recession while keeping a lid on inflation. But so far, he's not getting much help. Inflation is up sharply, and housing prices keep falling.
• Putting a Stopper in All the 'Stagflation' Talk
  Robert Siegel talks with Robert Samuelson, a contributing editor to Newsweek magazine, about the term "stagflation," which is being tossed around a lot by economic commentators these days. Samuelson says it's being misused. The term stagflation has historically meant not only a mixture of high inflation and high unemployment, but "the persistence of this poisonous combination over long periods of time."
• Yes, We Take Euros: Riding a Currency Shift
  As the value of the dollar plunges against the euro, some merchants in New York City are accepting the foreign currency instead — especially in areas rich with tourists and European visitors.
• Bombing Probe Leads to Iraqi Psychiatric Hospital
  U.S. officials are investigating whether the director of a psychiatric hospital in Baghdad was involved with two suicide bombers who killed nearly 100 people in February. Fear that insurgents are using mentally ill Iraqis has swept the hospital.
• Iraqi Shiite Women Share Sorrow, Joy at Arbaeen
  Shiite Muslims across the Middle East and Asia are marking the "Arbaeen" — the end of the annual mourning period for the death of Imam Hussein, the revered Shiite saint. While millions make the pilgrimage to Karbala, Iraq, a group of women in Baghdad gather for a smaller ceremony.
• Gates Urges Turkey to Get Out of Iraq
  Defense Secretary Robert Gates is calling on Turkey to end its incursion into Northern Iraq. Thousands of Turkish troops entered Iraq last Thursday to target Kurdish separatist guerrillas who operate along Iraq's mountainous border with Turkey.
• McCain, Obama Trade Barbs, in Possible Preview
  Those watching the 2008 electoral process could be forgiven for thinking the general election for president has already begun. In strong and mocking tones, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama criticized each other's positions on Iraq. Their statements could be a preview of what's to come if they become the nominees of their respective parties.

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