Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Nesting dolls reveal layers of Russian history
  An exhibit of Matryoshka is bringing many visitors to the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis. The dozens of sets displayed there include some of the earliest examples of the form, the mass-produced products of the Soviet era and striking examples of the creativity of artists in the post-Soviet era.4:20 p.m.
• New head of Mayo Clinic steps into spotlight
  John Noseworthy has led the Mayo Clinic for just a month, but he has already stepped into the national spotlight.5:17 p.m.
• GM to discontinue Saab after deal talks collapse
  General Motors Co. will wind down Saab after talks to sell the brand to Dutch carmaker Spyker Cars collapsed.5:23 p.m.
• Vets mark 65th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge
  This week marks the 65th anniversary of the start of Battle of the Bulge. It was the huge offensive mounted by the German High Command in the waning days of World War II. Some 19,000 U.S. troops died in the battle which was fought in the depths of one of the worst winters in years in Europe.5:43 p.m.
• Nesting dolls reveal layers of Russian history
  An exhibit of Matryoshka is bringing many visitors to the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis. The dozens of sets displayed there include some of the earliest examples of the form, the mass-produced products of the Soviet era and striking examples of the creativity of artists in the post-Soviet era.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Breakthrough Announced In Climate Talks
  In Coppenhagen on Friday, President Obama said he had reached an agreement on global warming with many of the world's leaders. The announcement caps two tense weeks of negotiations. The deal has not been formally approved by the 193 nations at the conference, and the details of the plan aren't yet public.
• Week In Politics: Health Care Legislation
  NPR's Robert Siegel talks with regular political observers, columnists David Brooks of The New York Times and E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Georgetown University about the wrangling over health care on Capitol Hill.
• General Motors Gives Up On Selling Saab
  General Motors Vice President John Smith says GM will wind down operations at Saab and there will be no more attempts to sell the unit after talks with possible buyers failed. He did not explain what problems arose during discussions with Spyker Cars of the Netherlands that made the sale impossible. Negotiations with Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg collapsed in November.
• Revisiting An Expedition Across The Arctic
  Melissa Block checks in on a story about an ambitious expedition NPR reported earlier this year. Pascal Lee was leading a team to drive a Humvee 1,000 miles across the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic.
• Young Earthquake Victim Adjusts To New Life
  Melissa Block has an update on 12-year-old Huang Meihua, who had both her legs amputated after her school collapsed on her in the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, China. Meihua is now at a new school, where's she's made a lot of friends and is studying hard. Since we met her, she's gotten some physical therapy and practices walking during the lunch hour every day.
• Furniture Work Shifts From N.C. To South China
  Some of the thousands of jobs that were lost in Lenoir and other North Carolina towns went to Dalingshan, a South China industrial city with factories as far as the eye can see. One of the biggest operations was owned by Lacquer Craft, an Asian furniture giant.
• Texas High School Football Titans Ready For Clash
  The two best high school football teams in Texas play Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Abilene, which hasn't been to the state championship since 1956, is taking on the two-time defending state champion, Katy. Attendance is expected to reach as high as 40,000.
• James Cameron, A King With A Soft Touch?
  The Avatar director says you shouldn't believe those stories about what a tyrant he is on set. And although he created his very own alien world for his first film since the megahit Titanic, Cameron insists that finding emotional honesty in an FX extravaganza isn't as challenging as you might think.
• Former Warlord On List Of Karzai Picks For Cabinet
  Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is announcing his new Cabinet on Sunday. Karzai's plan is to retain nearly half of his ministers, including a handful of those favored by the West. But some of his choices are controversial, including a former warlord.
• In Afghanistan, Fighting The Battle Of Logistics
  The harsh realities of logistics in Afghanistan will slow the pace into next fall of deploying an additional 30,000 U.S. troops. Many supplies must travel overland from ports in Pakistan and the Baltic states, and through narrow mountain passes and down dirt roads in Afghanistan.

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