All Things Considered for November 13, 2006 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Monday, November 13, 2006

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Bachmann heads to Washington
Incoming members of the U.S. Congress are in Washington for orientation sessions for their new jobs. Michele Bachmann, one of Minnesota's three new congressional representatives, is the only newly-elected Republican of the group.5:20 p.m.
Priests and health department tackle fetal and infant deaths among Latino families
African Americans and Native Americans have the highest fetal and infant mortality rates in Minnesota and the United States. But now the focus is turning to Minnesota's growing Latino population.5:23 p.m.
A birthday that calls for cake
November 15th is the first-annual National Bundt Day. The people at Minneapolis-based Nordic Ware will be celebrating the company's 60th anniversary of the iconic cake that's round with a hole in the middle of it.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

Bush Gets Preview of Iraq Group's Message
President Bush welcomes the 10 members of the Iraq Study Group to the Roosevelt Room in the White House, where he received a preview of the recommendations they will offer for U.S. policy in rebuilding Iraq.
Iraq Study Group Reflects Bipartisan Approach
Members of the Iraq Study Group met with President Bush today at the White House. The group is headed by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Democratic congressman Lee Hamilton. Michele Norris talks about the group and its mission with Thomas Ricks, military reporter for The Washington Post.
Multiple Challenges Face Advisers to Iraqi Troops
Undisciplined behavior among Iraqi forces, and mistakes by the U.S. commanders training them, are hindering the development of the Iraqi army, says U.S. Army Lt. Col. Carl Grunow. In the journal Military Review, Grunow details the year he spent training Iraq's tank brigade.
Bush Urges Isolation of Iran for Nuclear Aspirations
President Bush calls for the world to isolate Iran until it quits developing its controversial nuclear program. The president's comments came today after discussing Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the White House.
Lebanon Approves U.N. Report on Hariri Murder
The Lebanese government approves the U.N. tribunal on the Hariri assassination, despite the resignations of six ministers who are either affiliated with or members of the radical Islamic movement Hezbollah.
'The Ground We Lived On': A Father's Last Days
In January 2003, Adrian Leon LeBlanc was 85 years old and in the end stage of lung cancer. With his blessing, his daughter, the writer Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, documented the final months of his life in an intimate audio essay.
Gay Marriage Issue Resurfaces in N.J. Legislature
The focus of the gay-marriage debate shifts to Trenton, N.J., where a state Supreme Court ruling declared that gay couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples. It is now up to state legislators to decide what form those rights will take. They could opt for Vermont-style civil unions or approve gay marriage.
Democrats, Republicans Angle for Top House Spots
The House of Representatives will be under new management in 2007, but leadership posts within each party are undecided. Maryland's Steny Hoyer wants to be Majority Leader, but Nancy Pelosi backing Rep. John Murtha. Republican Speaker, Dennis Hastert, says he won't run for a leadership post, creating room at the top for the new minority party.
Sen.-Elect Jon Tester, 'Regular Montanan'
Sen.-elect Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, says he can work with Republicans because he is a fiscal conservative. His priority, however, is to develop a plan for Iraq. The former butcher and music teacher, who now runs his family's organic farm, says he defeated Conrad Burns by running as a "regular Montanan."
Florida House Race Comes Down to Recount
In Florida, election officials begin a recount in a close election for the House seat vacated by Katherine Harris. The count involves allegations that more than 18,000 ballots cast may not have been recorded by touch-screen voting machines. The race is between Republican Vern Buchanan and Democrat Christine Jennings.