Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Bob Woodward and the war within
  The transition from the Bush administration to the Obama administration will be unique for a number of reasons. Author and journalist Bob Woodward talks to MPR's Tom Crann about President George Bush, Iraq and what happens in the transition to the Obama presidency.4:50 p.m.
• NTSB hearing: Design errors, weight factor in bridge collapse
  During a Thursday hearing of the National Transportation Safety Board, investigators say 289 tons of construction equipment and materials were stored on the 35W bridge on the day it collapsed. Investigators say an under-designed gusset plate was the primary cause of the disaster5:20 p.m.
• Franken seeks access to rejected absentees
  Democrat Al Franken, locked in a tight Senate race headed to a statewide recount, is suing for access to data on voters who had their absentee ballots rejected.5:25 p.m.
• Sheriff, police department clashed over RNC security
  Minnesota Public Radio News has learned that top officials in the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office and the St. Paul Police Department clashed over how to secure the streets in the months leading up to the Republican National Convention.5:50 p.m.
• Minn. congressional delegates question changes to bailout
  Members of Minnesota's congressional delegation say the new federal bailout package being proposed in Washington is very different than the one they passed earlier this year.6:14 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Treasury Secretary Defends Shift In Bailout Tactics
  Henry Paulson tells NPR the government is focused on getting "lending going again." He says the new strategy of infusing money directly into banks is a "more powerful and quicker way to deal with the problem" than buying toxic mortgage-backed securities.
• Texas Canyon Escapes Suburban Sprawl
  Last year, the owner of a large ranch that abuts the Palo Duro Canyon decided to sell his 3,000 acres. Six miles of rim overlooking the canyon's heart would have been transformed into high-end suburbs. That's when conservationists set out to save the canyon.
• 'Billy Elliot' Makes The Leap To Broadway
  The big-ticket Broadway musical, based on the surprise-hit British film, has its opening night Thursday. Jeff Lunden explains what's new and what's different — and how the story's focus expanded for the stage.
• Markets Weigh U.S. Plan To Expand Bailout
  The financial markets are digesting a shift in the U.S. government's $700 billion bailout plan. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says he wants to expand the plan to include companies involved in offering credit to people through car loans, student loans and credit cards.
• Credit-Card Debt May Be Next Problem
  Some economists are concerned that the next hit to the economy may come from credit card defaults. USA Today economic reporter Kathy Chu talks about parallels between the housing bubble and the market for credit card debt.
• Obama Resigns Senate Seat
  President-elect Barack Obama has announced he is resigning his Senate seat, effective Sunday. Obama was the Illinois junior senator for four years. It is now up to the state's Democratic governor to fill the seat.
• Letters: Milk, Belly Fat, Acronyms
  Listeners responded to the story on Harvey Milk's legacy, belly fat and alternative acronyms for the Treasury Department's TARP program.
• Palin, Other GOP Governors Vie For 2012 Limelight
  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is no longer the defeated Republican candidate for vice president in 2008. She is now a potential Republican candidate for president in 2012. But so are many other GOP governors who are attending the Republican Governors Association Annual Conference in Miami.
• In Alaska Senate Race, Challenger Takes Lead
  Democrat Mark Begich took an 814-vote lead over incumbent Ted Stevens in the race for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat. The approximately 30,000 votes that remain will be counted on Friday and next week. Kyle Hopkins, a reporter with the Anchorage Daily News, offers his insight.
• Religious Right Weighs Next Political Steps
  Leaders of the religious right have tied their fortunes to the Republican Party for a generation. Now, with the Democrats in power, some conservative Christians are gearing up to fight the suddenly resurrected culture wars.

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