Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• A grittier 'True Grit'
  St. Louis Park natives Joel and Ethan Coen said they wanted to remake the classic western "True Grit" in part to rectify an injustice to the novel on which it's based. Their film, which opens tomorrow, appears to do just that.4:45 p.m.
• Freshman Rep.-elect Kurt Daudt on budget, same-sex marriage and new Legislature
  MPR News checks in with the District 17A Rep.-elect Kurt Daudt for a first-hand perspective of what's happening at the State Capitol.4:50 p.m.
• New mayor brings back interest in contested immigration program in Willmar
  Several months after a proposed immigration enforcement program sparked an uproar in Willmar, some residents of the west central Minnesota town worry that officials plan to revisit the issue.5:20 p.m.
• Dayton taps former lawmaker for top Minn. farm job
  For the first time in 15 years, Minnesota farmers will see a new face at the helm of the state Department of Agriculture.5:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Pakistan's Military Shapes Relationship With U.S.
  Classified U.S. cables released by WikiLeaks reveal the contempt Pakistan's military has for the country's civilian leaders, and the power the military wields. A cable from the U.S. envoy laments that Pakistan's military can "break bread with the Americans during the day and sleep with the Taliban at night."
• Big-Box Retailers Move To Smaller Stores In Cities
  Big-box retailers, including Target and Wal-Mart, started by building their discount businesses out where land was cheap and space was plentiful. But now they have big-city plans for smaller stores in places like Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
• Wild Chimps, Stick Dolls: What's At Play Here?
  In an unexpected twist in the nature vs. nurture debate, young female chimpanzees in a forest in Uganda may be playing with sticks and logs as if they were infants. The females played with their stick dolls twice as much as young male chimps.
• 'Bird Songs Bible' Tweets, The Old-Fashioned Way
  The 10-pound tome comes with a built-in audio player featuring crisp recordings of hundreds of bird songs. The 500-plus-page volume, produced with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is billed as "The Complete, Illustrated Reference for North American Birds."
• Census Shows South, West Lead Population Growth
  New figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show the total population of the nation has risen to more than 308 million. The population increased by 9.7 percent from 2000 to 2010, the slowest rate of growth since the 1930s. The big winners were the South and West, and some Northern and Midwestern states will lose representation.
• Census Figures Could Launch Redistricting Wars
  The figures out Tuesday from the Census Bureau are just the first batch of numbers to come from the 2010 count. More detailed information about race and neighborhood populations isn't due out for another few months. That's the data state lawmakers will use to redraw their congressional districts. And that redistricting process is sure to cause partisan battles. For more, NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Tim Storey, a senior fellow and elections analyst at the National Conference of State Legislatures.
• British Journal Debunks Some Medical Oddities
  NPR's Robert Siegel speaks to Tony Delamothe, associate editor of the British medical journal BMJ, and the editor of the BMJ's annual Christmas issue. This year's issue has studies debunking the idea that soaking feet in alcohol can get you drunk; the effects of alcohol on digesting a rich meal; and that redheads bleed more profusely, have a reduced pain threshold and tend to get hernias.
• Iraqi Parliament Approves New Government
  The Iraqi parliament has approved the new government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. But Maliki is still negotiating to fill some key posts, including the Defense and Interior ministries.
• START Appears On Path To Ratification
  Senate Democrats are on the verge of scoring yet another legislative win for President Obama. In this case, it's ratification of the nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, known as New START. A key vote on Tuesday has put the treaty on track to be ratified, and Democrats have a pack of breakaway Republicans to thank for it.
• Obama Closes Year With Legislative Wins
  President Obama will sign legislation repealing "don't ask, don't tell" on Wednesday. That follows another major signing last week, when he inked into law the tax cut and unemployment benefits bill.  It's been a not-so-lame lame-duck session of Congress for the president.

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