Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Crisis and Change
  Automakers face a crisis. State budgets across the country are in crisis. The effects of climate change are at a crisis-point. And you've probably also heard about the financial crisis and the mortgage meltdown. President-elect Barack Obama promises to bring change to Washington, but clearly he's going to have his work cut out for him. Cecily Sommers studies change for the PUSH Institute in Minneapolis.4:50 p.m.
• State legislators begin work on deficit solutions
  A list of about $700 million in unspent state money will be a target for lawmakers and Gov. Tim Pawlenty as they search for $426 million in budget cuts. Democratic leaders are pushing for a public process involving legislative hearings before deciding what to cut.5:20 p.m.
• Minnesota cities bracing for state cuts
  The state's budget crisis will hurt cities that depend heavily on local government aid and some cities may feel the pain sooner as well as later.5:25 p.m.
• Recount is done, except for one precinct
  The statewide recount of ballots in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race is one precinct short of being completed. Despite the near completion of hand counting, the winner of the race is far from being resolved.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• For Obama, Support And Skepticism In Middle East
  There is cautious hope in the Middle East that the Obama administration will rejuvenate efforts toward a long-elusive peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. Tony Blair, special envoy to the region, says he believes Obama will bring progress.
• Book Industry Enters Shaky Chapter
  No one thought that publishing would be spared from the current economic turmoil. But recent news of layoffs, reorganizations and salary freezes has stunned the book world, which was already grappling with challenges to its traditional business model.
• Frost And Nixon, Clashing For The Cameras
  In 1977, a dilettante British TV host sat down to grill a disgraced U.S. president. The politico thought it would be a cakewalk. As Ron Howard's film recalls, it turned into a takedown. (Recommended)
• Jobless Rate Rises To 6.7 Percent
  The full weight of the recession has come bearing down on the labor market. Employers shed more than half a million jobs in November. The unemployment rate is now 6.7 percent and economists expect it to go significantly higher. Layoffs are accelerating in just about every industry.
• Family Goes From Foreclosure To Skid Row
  Andy Bale, the director of Skid Row's Union Mission in Los Angeles, has never seen this before: In just the last few weeks, he has admitted a half-dozen two-parent families, many of who have lost their homes to foreclosure. Bale says the face of Skid Row's homeless is changing quickly.
• Remembering Amnesiac Who Shed Light On Memory
  Henry Gustav Molaison, known to neuroscientists as H.M., was one of the world's most memorable amnesiacs. He died Tuesday at the age of 82. Suzanne Corkin, professor of Behavioral Neuroscience in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who worked him, offers her insight.
• In Portland, Ore., A Crackdown On SantaCon
  Each December, thousands pour into the streets of major American cities for SantaCon, a festival of debauchery, in which crowds of drunk people in red suits crawl the local bars. In Portland, Ore., rumors of a crackdown are driving the semi-organized event to look for a new venue.
• Automakers Head To House With Bailout Appeal
  The CEOs of the Big Three automakers are back on Capitol Hill, this time facing skeptics on the House Financial Services Committee. Lawmakers are reaching for solutions as they assert they cannot let the car companies fail, while insisting they aren't writing any blank checks.
• Once Favored, GM's Saturn, Pontiac Struggle
  The future of several GM brands is in doubt as the automaker considers dramatic changes in order to survive. Saturn was once a darling of the company with its reliable vehicles and no-haggle pricing. Pontiac's muscle cars used to have a strong identity and a loyal following. Both brands are now in serious trouble.
• India Names Masterminds Of Mumbai Attacks
  Indian investigators have now named two operatives believed to have masterminded last week's attacks in Mumbai. More details are also emerging about how the attacks were planned and executed. Praveen Swami, associate editor of The Hindu newspaper, sheds light on the latest developments in the case.

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