Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Gov. Pawlenty announces re-election bid
  It was a busy day for gubernatorial politics Wednesday. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty formally announced his re-election campaign. Democrats launched a campaign against Pawlenty and other Republicans. And DFL gubernatorial candidate Becky Lourey announced her running mate.5:19 p.m.
• Poor and overweight: A connection?
  While it may seem counterintuitive, more poor people are overweight. The problem is that healthier food is much more expensive than it used to be.5:23 p.m.
• Minneapolis considers limiting alley access
  A Minneapolis City Council member wants to limit use of the city's alleyways in order to fight crime. A proposed ordinance would prohibit anyone but residents and their guests to from walking in alleys throughout the city.5:46 p.m.
• The Minnesota Orchestra in session with Beethoven
  The second CD in the Minnesota Orchestra's Beethoven symphony cycle is out. Like the first installment, the latest recording is receiving favorable reviews.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• In Policy Shift, U.S. May Meet with Iranians
  The Bush administration is shifting gears on its policy with Iran. The United States now says it will hold face-to-face talks with Iranian and European officials if Iran suspends nuclear activities suspected of being part of a weapons program. President Bush says he wants to take a leadership role in resolving the issue.
• Suffering Persists After Zimbabwe Razing Campaign
  As Zimbabwe's economy collapses under 1,000 percent inflation, many of the people uprooted by a slum-clearance campaign last year remain homeless and unemployed. Human-rights activists in the Southern African nation say the country is on the verge of social upheaval.
• Happy Birthday, Mr. President, from Art Fans
  President Bush turns 60 years old on July 6. Whether or not you get invited to his party, you can send him a greeting. A New York City performance artist is traveling the country, collecting people's thoughts so they can share them with the president.
• Taliban Making a Comeback in Afghanistan
  Taliban militants launched new attacks on police posts in southern Afghanistan today. More than four years after the movement's overthrow, the U.S. military acknowledges that the rebels have grown in strength and influence.
• American Soldiers Explain Decision to Re-Up
  Soldiers who re-enlist, returning for tours of duty in Iraq, often cite patriotism, duty, and the need to protect their homeland from terrorism when asked why they've re-upped. They also describe being part of a "committed brotherhood to defend the constitution and the people who cannot defend themselves." Producer Eric Whitney of member station KRCC offers a sound montage from a visit to a re-enlistment ceremony at Ft. Carson, Colo., in early May.
• Al Gore Sounds Global Warming Alert
  The new documentary An Inconvenient Truth is an important counterbalance to the misinformation about global warming, say Al Gore and film producer Laurie David. The movie is based on the former vice president's slideshow presentation on climate change.
• If Deported, Accused Smuggler May Face Death in China
  Lai Changxing is an accused smuggler who faces extradition from Canada back to his native China for trial. Lai, who fled China in 1999, is accused of overseeing a massive o smuggling operation. But Canadian courts could refuse to return Lai to China; Canada has no death penalty, while China does.
• Dissident Stories: Ma Jian's 'Stick Out Your Tongue'
  Chinese dissident author Ma Jian's story collection Stick Out Your Tongue bends time and reality. The collection, of stories inspired by a trip to Tibet in the mid-1980s, was published in China in 1997; since then, Ma Jian's work has been banned there.
• A 75-Foot Challenge: Making a Tornado
  If you thought stopping a tornado was next to impossible, imagine trying to create one. Ned Kahn tried to make a 75-foot twister for an exposition in Hanover, Germany. The problems he encountered reveal how the subtlest changes in the atmosphere can determine whether a tornado forms.
• Answering Yuri, Questioning Oneself
  Psychiatrist and commentator Elissa Ely encounters a resistant patient who leads her to question the efficacy of her profession

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