Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Lawmakers turn up heat on MnDOT's financial problems
  DFL lawmakers continue their scrutiny of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. MnDOT's finances and decisionmaking were the focus of two more legislative hearings Thursday.4:44 p.m.
• Craig vows to stay in office even after judge denies his motion to withdraw guilty plea
  A Hennepin County judge has denied Sen. Larry Craig's bid to withdraw a guilty plea, in a Minneapolis-St. Paul airport sting operation to catch men soliciting sex in public bathrooms.5:20 p.m.
• Brave New Worlds of art
  The Walker Art Center's latest exhibition celebrates a world filled with unique points of view.5:50 p.m.
• Ian McKellen portrays King Lear, the crowning of a stage career
  Ian McKellen, one of the most acclaimed Shakespearean actors, says for most of his career, the role of King Lear was almost unapproachable. But now McKellen earns raves for his portrayal of the tormented king. He performed the role at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis in October.5:54 p.m.
• Sputnik and the beginning of the space age
  On the 50th anniversary of the Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite, Midday examines its historical and political role in starting the global space race.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Did Sputnik Have a Fiery or Fractured End?
  Some think the Soviet satellite disintegrated upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, while others speculate a man in California has chunks of the probe.
• New Report Fuels Confusion About Women, Fish
  A new report out Thursday further confuses the advice to women about how much fish they should consume, particularly during pregnancy. The group's advice to eat more fish puts it at odds with current government recommendations.
• Memos Reportedly Authorized Harsh Interrogation
  The New York Times reported Thursday on two secret memos in which the Justice Department approved of "harsh" interrogation tactics for terrorism suspects — authorization that came as the Bush Administration was publicly denouncing torture.
• White House Reacts to Interrogation Claims
  The Bush Administration is trying to damp down Congressional reaction to Thursday's New York Times report that the Justice Department approved violent torture techniques for detainees held by the United States.
• Myanmar Monks Retreat Amid Crackdown
  As the crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators continues in Myanmar, the monks who led last month's protests are now keeping a low profile. Many are fleeing to Myanmar's border with Thailand.
• Montana Town Awaits Asbestos Trial
  Federal prosecutors allege that W.R. Grace knew its mine in Libby, Mont., exposed people to asbestos, blamed in at least 200 deaths. An appeals court recently restored criminal indictments against company executives — a decision cheered by town residents.
• Movie Boosts Traffic to 'Into the Wild' Shrine
  Christopher McCandless, the subject of the book Into the Wild, lived — and died — in a bus outside Denali National Park in Alaska. The bus became a shrine to him — but now, as a movie version of the book is released, a piece of that bus has been auctioned on eBay.
• Scars of War Run Deep for Many Female Vets
  A record number of women are serving in the U.S. military — but not without a cost. Some are returning from Iraq with what psychologists call the "double whammy" of combat trauma and military sexual trauma — a recipe for post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Reported Cases of Sexual Assault in Military Rise
  Since 2002, a nonprofit group has received 976 reports of sexual assault from military women serving in the area that includes Iraq and Afghanistan. That number is growing. Meanwhile, little punitive action has been taken against assailants.
• Letters: School Shooting, Female Troops, Aphorisms
  Michele Norris and Robert Siegel read from listeners' letters and e-mails. We hear feedback on our coverage of the shooting at a Nickel Mines, Pa., schoolhouse, women in combat, and aphorisms.

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