Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• State budget outlook expected to go from bad to worse
  Almost everybody at the Capitol is expecting that the state's projected budget deficit will grow.7:20 a.m.
• Met Council approves Central Corridor plan
  The Metropolitan Council Wednesday approved a Central Corridor light rail plan.7:40 a.m.
• A new fight over cochlear ear implants
  Insurance companies who cover one cochlear implant are balking at covering a second, in spite of evidence that two work better than one.7:45 a.m.
• A strange trip for 'The Band's Visit'
  Director Eran Kolirin's film, "The Band's Visit," which opens in the Twin Cities this weekend, is a bittersweet comedy from Israel. It's been a hit with critics, but simply by being an Israeli film, it's run into controversy too.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• 'Rolling Stone' Hits Newsstands in India
  A new edition of the music magazine Rolling Stone hit the newsstands in India this week. The magazine will focus on international stars like Radiohead, but also Bollywood soundtracks, which make up 70 percent of music sales in the country.
• Houston Voters Split on Candidates
  The tight race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has put the pressure on voters in Texas, which holds its Democratic primary on Tuesday.
• Bush Presses Lawmakers to Pass Spy Bill
  President Bush urged House lawmakers on Thursday to adopt an intelligence bill that would ease the way for wiretapping suspected terrorists and grant retroactive immunity to telecommunication companies that help the government.
• Ousted Thai Leader Returns to Face Charges
  Deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has returned to Thailand from 17 months in exile to face corruption charges. He says the allegations are empty.
• Kenyan Rivals Reach Power-Sharing Deal
  Politicians in Kenya have reached an agreement aimed at ending the country's political crisis. Kenya was thrown into turmoil after a disputed election late last year sparked widespread violence that left more than 1,000 people dead.
• Weak GDP Growth Matches Initial Estimate
  The U.S. economy grew at a rate of six-tenths of a percentage point in the fourth quarter of 2007. The number released Thursday by the Commerce Department was the same as its initial estimate a month ago.
• Father of Conservative Movement Dies
  William F. Buckley, a pioneer in the modern conservative movement, died Wednesday at the age of 82. He was a CIA operative who founded the conservative magazine the National Review.
• Government to Release Revised Growth Report
  The government is releasing a revised figure for fourth-quarter growth Thursday. The initial estimate was a very weak 0.6 percent. The new figure will finally determine if the U.S. economy is headed into recession.
• House Votes to Tax Big Oil, Fund Renewable Energy
  House lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday to take away $18 billion in tax breaks for U.S. oil companies and use that money to promote renewable energies. Republicans say taking away the tax breaks could make it harder for U.S. companies to compete globally.
• Musharraf's Defeat Presents Challenge to U.S.
  Pakistanis delivered a crushing blow to President Pervez Musharraf in parliamentary elections last week, raising questions about the future of the U.S. ally in the war on terror. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher talks to Renee Montagne about how U.S. policy might change.
• DOJ Asked to Launch Perjury Probe of Clemens
  Congress is asking the Justice Department to investigate whether pitcher Roger Clemens lied under oath when he testified about performance-enhancing drugs before a House committee two weeks ago.
• Scots Take the Cake in Lard Contest
  The hospitality industry hosted a trade fair last week in London called Hotelympia. Students from Adam Smith College in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, swept the "Works in Fat" contest, in which participants had to carve detailed sculptures out of pastry lard.
• Police Pups Get Extra Paw Protection
  Police dogs in Duesseldorf, Germany, are getting blue rubber shoes to protect their paws while they're walking the beat.
• McCain, Obama Scold Each Other on Iraq
  Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Democratic candidate Barack Obama are trading barbs over the war in Iraq. On Thursday, McCain mocked an answer Obama gave the night before in a debate with Hillary Clinton. A little later, Obama fired back at McCain.
• Clinton Targets Poor Voters in Appalachia
  Sen. Hillary Clinton is visiting Appalachian communities in Ohio, which holds its Democratic primary on Tuesday. Voters there tend to be poor and less educated — a voting block that has delivered for her in previous states.

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