Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Dayton boycotts Iraqi leader's speech
  Minnesota U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton refused to attend the Iraqi prime minister's address to Congress Wednesday. Dayton was one of a handful of Democrats to boycott Nouri al-Maliki's speech, because of al-Maliki's comments blaming Israel for the current conflict with Hezbollah.4:19 p.m.
• Commentator stops paying attention to Iraq news
  Guest commentator Gordon Stewart says he's ready to stop listening to news about the Iraq war, because it seems to get more surreal by the day. Stewart is pastor of Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, Minnesota.4:23 p.m.
• After the fire
  From a distance, much of the land affected by the Cavity Lake wildfire looks like it's burned to a crisp. But even in the blackened areas, life is not only surviving, but thriving.4:42 p.m.
• Fighting fire with a drop of the bucket
  Mike Rynerson has spent the past 12 days dropping water on the Cavity Lake fire. He uses a UH 60 Black Hawk helicopter to scoop water from nearby lakes and drop it on the fire.4:50 p.m.
• Kline, Rowley provide clear choice on Iraq
  Polls suggest the war in Iraq will be a major issue for voters in the November election. The two leading candidates in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District are on opposite sides of the war.5:28 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• In Rome, Ministers Call for Lebanon Cease-Fire
  A group of foreign ministers makes urgent calls for a sustainable cease-fire along the Israel-Lebanon border -- and the deployment of an international force under a United Nations mandate. Many of the ministers said they wanted an immediate end to the fighting -- but they could not agree on a way to achieve that.
• Israel Investigates Strike on U.N. Observers
  An Israeli air strike Tuesday struck a U.N. post in Lebanon, killing at least three U.N. observers.
• Israeli Soldiers in Stiff Fight for Village
  Israeli commanders say their campaign against Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon could last for several more weeks. In heavy ground fighting Wednesday, the Israeli military said eight more of its soldiers were killed in the ongoing battle for the village of Bint Jbail.
• Bamboo's Rise Puts China's Tradition at Risk
  For millennia, the Chinese have used bamboo to make houses, books, hats, carts and every imaginable tool. But bamboo prices have jumped in recent years, as Western consumers have discovered that it makes durable and attractive flooring and furniture.
• Ancient Psalms Found Preserved in Irish Bog
  Robert Siegel talks with Dr. Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland, about the recent discovery of an ancient book of psalms in the midlands of Ireland. The text, which survived in a peat bog, is thought to have been written more than 1,000 years ago.
• At Pelican Bay Prison, a Life in Solitary
  The isolation units at California's Pelican Bay prison hold more than 1,200 inmates. They live in small, windowless cells, often for years, with virtually no human contact. The system was designed to break up gangs, but some say the problem is worse than ever.
• Solitary Confinement at Pelican Bay, Part II
  There are a number of people inside the prison system who are started to rethink the Pelican Bay solitary confinement model. After seeing the impact on the prisoners - making them worse, more violent or mentally unstable - they are trying to find new approaches to isolation - limiting the number of years a prisoner can be kept in solitary, having therapists on hand to work with the inmates, created graduated systems of isolation and privileges. We hear from a number of prison officials about how they are trying a new kind of solitary.
• Maliki: Don't Withdraw U.S. Troops Too Quickly
  The war in Iraq is a key part of the war on terrorism, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told a joint session of Congress Wednesday. Maliki thanked the United States for removing Saddam Hussein -- and urged that U.S. troops not leave before Iraq is stable.
• Iraq's Maliki Hits High Notes, Avoids Low Ones
  Nearly every member of Congress turned out today to hear the Iraqi prime minister report on progress in his country. But many noted Nouri al-Maliki's failure to note the sectarian warfare that has forced U.S. troops to fortify Baghdad -- or to mention his support for Hezbollah, Israel's adversary in southern Lebanon.
• The Arab World Watches Maliki's U.S. Visit
  How is Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's trip to Washington playing back home in Iraq and in other Arab nations? To find out, Robert Siegel talks with Nadia Bilbassy, senior correspondent for the Al-Arabiya television, who has been covering his visit to Washington.

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