Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• New media a major factor in the 2008 campaign
  The advent of YouTube and other Internet video sites fueled a new breed of citizen journalists during the 2006 midterm elections, and the trend is expected to grow this year. Already there are signs in Minnesota that the candidates are paying attention.6:50 a.m.
• Coroner or medical examiner; who should tend the dead?
  When a person dies, the kind of investigation that's done varies from state to state. The trend appears to encourage the use of medical examiners rather than coroners. While the field of forensic pathology may seem popular on television, it's not so in real life.6:55 a.m.
• St. Olaf students have front-seat view of South Carolina campaign
  Students in a St. Olaf College political science class have gotten an up-close look at the presidential campaign. This month, they've been volunteering for presidential candidates -- first in New Hampshire, and now in South Carolina. MPR's Cathy Wurzer talked with two students.7:20 a.m.
• Unions prep for possible NWA merger
  Speculation is mounting about Eagan-based Northwest Airlines merging with Delta Air Lines. Such pairings are nothing new in the airline business, but history shows that it is critical to get airline unions on board to avoid possibly extreme turbulence.7:50 a.m.
• Walker Art Center's Frida Kahlo exhibit to close this weekend
  The Walker Art Center's exhibition of works by Mexican painter Frida Kahlo closes this weekend. It's been one of the most popular exhibitions since the Minneapolis contemporary art museum opened its new wing in the spring of 2005. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer talked with arts commentator and St. Paul Pioneer Press Theater Critic Dominic Papatola about the exhibit's popularity and what it means for the museum.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Rove Addresses GOP Leadership Meeting
  The Republican National Committee convenes its winter meeting under the theme "Leadership We Can Trust." But the GOP is still struggling to decide which presidential candidate to trust as its next leader. Karl Rove, President Bush's former top adviser, dispenses some advice.
• Merrill Lynch Reports $8.6 Billion Quarterly Loss
  Merrill Lynch says it lost $8.6 billion in 2007. It's the largest loss in the company's history. The loss is due to the brokerage giant's decision to lower the value of its mortgage investments by more than $14 billion. Merrill's chief executive called his company's performance "clearly unacceptable."
• Medical Journals More Likely to Print Favorable Info
  Physicians rely on published studies in medical journals to help decide on the best prescriptions for their patients. But a new report shows that studies of drugs that didn't work well were less likely to get published than positive studies.
• Letters: Race and Gender in Politics, Pulp Fiction
  Listeners comment on Morning Edition coverage. Many judge coverage of the spat between Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. They also react to a report on the pulp fiction genre.
• Jury Probed for Racial Bias in Cape Cod Case
  A year after jurors convict a black man of raping and murdering a white woman on Cape Cod, they are called back into court — to the witness stand. In a rare move, the judge in the high-profile, racially charged case is holding hearings on whether racial bias tainted the jurors' guilty verdict.
• New Jersey Company Pays No-Show Worker
  Apparently the saying "finders keepers" did not apply to a man from Illinois. Years ago, he accepted a job in New Jersey. Then he changed his mind. But the company accidentally put him on the payroll. Though he never worked there, it deposited paychecks in his account.
• Clinton Pokes Fun at Campaign Reporters
  Hillary Clinton welcomed reporters onboard her campaign plane with a faux flight attendant speech. She began: FAA regulations prohibit the use of any cell phones or wireless devices that may be used to transmit a negative story about me.
• 'Muslim Girl' Magazine Marks One Year in Print
  Muslim Girl, a bimonthly magazine for Muslim teens in the United States and Canada, celebrates a year in circulation. It promotes focus on character, ideas and accomplishments. Some groups think the magazine is too Westernized.
• EMI Artists Flee Amid Plans to Alter Business
  EMI's artists, who include the Beastie Boys and Norah Jones, aren't happy with the label's plans to slash one-third of the work force and shake up the way the firm sells music. Paul McCartney and Radiohead have already bolted. Coldplay and Robbie Williams are checking out the exits.
• Airline Prices Depend on Airport
  There's a disparity in airline ticket prices depending on which airport you fly out of, according to a recent study. The biggest determinant of prices is the operation of a discount airline, which forces other carriers to lower prices.
• Airbus Bids for Pentagon Contract
  European plane maker Airbus sweetens a bid to win a lucrative Pentagon contract over arch rival Boeing. Airbus says if it wins an Air Force contract for refueling tankers, it will assemble those tankers — plus the freight version of one of its best-selling aircraft — in the U.S.
• Florida Bars Allstate from Selling Auto Insurance
  Florida's top insurance regulator tells Allstate it cannot sell new auto insurance policies in the state. It's punishment for Allstate's refusal to comply with an investigation into its property insurance business. Allstate has more than 1 million auto policies in the state.
• Lighting Steals Your Sleep
  It's not surprising that people went to sleep earlier in the days before electric light. The use of modern lighting has made people "chronically sleep deprived," one doctor says. There's also evidence that people slept much differently than today — in shifts, as most animals do.
• Iran NIE Reopens Intelligence Debate
  Analysts who prepared the NIE on Iran knew they would cause a stir by reversing earlier judgments on Iran's nuclear weapons program. Some NIE critics say the drafters should have written it differently, while others may have not wanted to be accused of enabling another march to war.
• Europe Poses Terrorism Threat, Chertoff Says
  Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says some of the biggest threats to U.S. security may now come from Europe. In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp., Chertoff says U.S. authorities are becoming increasingly concerned that Europe could become a platform for terrorists.

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