Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• 'Pianos on Parade' lends music, quirkiness to streets
  Call it random quirkiness or a moment of spontaneous community, but on the streets of St. Paul it's the summer of the upright piano.4:50 p.m.
• Dayton offers new tax plan; Republicans reject it
  DFL Gov. Mark Dayton unveiled a new proposal Wednesday aimed at breaking the budget impasse that has led to the state government shutdown -- and Republicans quickly rejected it.5:20 p.m.
• Counties try to cope with effects of state shutdown
  Minnesota's two most populous counties say nearly all their services are intact on day six of the state government shutdown. However, officials in the two counties say they are worried about timely arrival of state dollars which fund many of their services.5:24 p.m.
• A celebration of Minnesota architecture
  MPR arts blogger Marianne Combs is featuring distinctive structures around the state in a new collection called "Celebrating Minnesota Architecture." Combs spoke to All Things Considered host Tom Crann about some of the buildings that she's written about so far.5:46 p.m.
• Iowa Democrats confident of Obama's re-election chances
  Republican presidential hopefuls have been criss-crossing Iowa lately, campaigning against President Barack Obama and what they call his failed economic policy. The message has been well received by Iowa Republicans. But Democrats in the state have a different view of the rhetoric in their own backyard.5:50 p.m.
• John B. Davis, who led Macalester, school districts, dies
  The former president of Macalester College turned around the school's finances and attracted better teachers. He also led the Minneapolis Public Schools at a time when the system was struggling with desegregation.5:54 p.m.
• The Cube Critics talk movie murder fantasies
  Arts reporter Euan Kerr not only sits next to Stephanie Curtis, the Movie Maven, in the Minnesota Public Radio newsroom, they share a mutual obsession -- movies. Today, workplace murder fantasies and a film favorite from a guest commentator top the agenda on Cube Critics.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Terrorism Case Reignites National Security Debate
  A Somali terrorist suspect's civilian trial has upset Republican leaders, who argue that suspects should be sent to Guantanamo before facing a military tribunal. What the Ahmed Warsame case tells us about Obama and the politics of national security.
• Case Of Terrorism Suspect Raises Legal Questions
  Melissa Block speaks to former deputy national security adviser Juan Zarate about the Somali man flown to New York on Monday and indicted on nine counts of aiding two Islamist militant groups.
• British Lawmakers Angry Over Hacking Scandal
  British Prime Minister David Cameron has promised there will be a public inquiry into allegations that a major newspaper regularly hacked into the telephones of individuals in the news. His announcement came after allegations that the News of the World, a paper owned by Rupert Murdoch's News International media empire, had listened to phone messages on the mobile phones of a murder victim and the relatives of victims of terrorist attacks in London.
• To Prevent False IDs, Police Lineups Get Revamped
  Psychologists have long worried that traditional police procedures for photo lineups land many innocent people in jail. Last month, Texas joined nine other states that have passed measures requiring police departments to review and reform their eyewitness procedures.
• Book Review: 'Randy Lopez Goes Home'
  Rudolfo Anaya is considered the dean of Chicano writers. He has a new novel, called Randy Lopez Goes Home.
• In Mozambique, A Fight To Keep Babies HIV-Free
  In one province of the southeastern African nation, 30 percent of women are HIV-positive. Pregnant women who seek prenatal care are routinely tested for the virus and, if infected, will be given anti-retroviral drugs to help prevent transmission to their babies. But drug shortages are preventing some women from getting the help they need.
• Summer Sounds: Screen Door Slam
  Filmmaker Michael Ivey contributes the sound of a screen door slamming to our series Summer Sounds.
• Obama Discusses Deficit In Twitter Town Hall
  President Obama Wednesday held his first "town hall" meeting via Twitter — taking questions sent in the social media site's 140-character format — but allowing himself a few more characters than that for his replies.
• 'In The Blink Of An Eye,' A Change In Racial Identity
  Michael Sidney Fosberg grew up thinking he was white. His mother is white. His stepfather is white. And while he never met his biological father, the assumption was that he was white too. But well into his adulthood, Fosberg found out that his father was a black man. Michele Norris speaks to him about his story that he's told in his one-man play and his book, both called Incognito.
• Atop A Train, Migrants Begin Dangerous Trek To U.S.
  For many Central American migrants crossing illegally through Mexico to the U.S., the journey starts as they hop a freight train. But the already perilous trip is more risky as they now fear kidnapping by Mexican drug cartels. Last year, hundreds of migrants went missing or were killed in Mexico.

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