Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Cleanup begins in flooded town
  Residents of Browns Valley are beginning to clean up after sections of their town flooded Tuesday night. The town sits on the Minnesota side of the border with South Dakota. Ice jams apparently caused the Little Minnesota River to burst its banks.7:20 a.m.
• Pawlenty rides along in McCain's "Straight Talk Express"
  Cathy Wurzer talks with Minnesota Public Radio Capitol reporter Tom Scheck to find out what Pawlenty brings to McCain's campaign.7:50 a.m.
• Bill George on leadership
  Mr. George left Medtronic in 2002, and now teaches at the Harvard Business School. His new book on leadership is called "True North," and George says some of the problem can be traced to a wrong-headed notion of what leadership is.8:35 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Would More Biofuel Use Threaten Food Supplies?
  President Bush promoted the benefits of ethanol during a recent Latin American tour. But the fuel has drawbacks, including the possibility that significant use of corn-based ethanol could mean higher costs for a food staple in many poor nations. Rob Routs, an executive director at Shell Oil, talks with Steve Inskeep.
• Somali Prime Minister Pushes Unity Government
  Somalia's interim prime minister hopes to form a unity government, with participation from the nation's many competing clans. Ali Muhammad Ghedi says a first step will be a National Reconciliation Congress, modeled on previous "truth and reconciliation" commissions in Africa.
• Ides of March After-Party: Roman Drinking Songs?
  On March 15, 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was murdered by a posse of Roman senators. On the 2050th anniversary of the killing, we imagine a raucous "Apres Slaying Party" hosted by Brutus. Perhaps the senators broke into "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"… in Roman numerals?
• White House Hopefuls Court Firefighters
  As about 1,000 firefighters held an annual legislative meeting in Washington, D.C., no fewer than 10 presidential candidates appealed for their endorsement.
• Pentagon Report Acknowledges 'Civil War' in Iraq
  The Pentagon's quarterly update to Congress on the Iraq war is out, and the assessment is grim. For the first time, it uses the term "civil war" to describe the violence in Iraq.
• Voter Fraud: A Tough Crime to Prove
  The Bush administration says it has received complaints that some U.S. attorneys are not pursuing voter fraud aggressively enough. But collecting enough evidence to prosecute such claims is rarely easy.
• Mohammed Confession Leaves Room for Skepticism
  Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, seen as the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, is said to claim responsibility for more than 30 major crimes and plots. A transcript of a secret military hearing details his confession. Is he over-inflating his role?
• Republican Senator Urges Gonzales to Resign
  Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire has called on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign. Sununu is the first Republican to join a chorus of Democrats in Congress who say the attorney general had an improper role in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.
• Analyzing an Al-Qaida Suspect's Confession
  A transcript of a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, details a thorough confession from al-Qaida suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. But can the confession be taken at face value? Jack Cloonan, a former FBI agent who spent time on a joint-terrorism task force, offers his insights.
• Soldier Accused of Detainee Killings to Testify
  A U.S. soldier accused of killing three Iraqi detainees last spring is expected to testify Thursday at his court martial. Raymond Girouard is accused of planning not just the shootings, but an alleged cover-up attempt.
• Court Rules Against Ill Woman in Medical Marijuana Case
  A chronically ill woman in California has lost a legal round in her effort to use medical marijuana. A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that even though medical marijuana use is legal in California, the woman is not immune from prosecution under federal drug laws.
• Report: Federal Spending on Children Dropping
  An Urban Institute report indicates that the share of the federal domestic budget devoted to children is falling. Researchers say the number could drop even more in coming years.
• Chiquita Concedes Colombia Protection Payments
  Chiquita Brands International will plead guilty to doing business with gunmen in Colombia. Prosecutors said the banana company made $1.7 million in "protection payments" to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a right-wing paramilitary group linked to some of Colombia's worst massacres. The company will pay $25 million to settle the charges.
• Charges Dropped Against Dunn in HP Spy Case
  A California judge dismisses felony charges against Patricia Dunn, former chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard. Her case spotlighted corporate spy tactics. She was accused of ordering what turned out to be an overzealous hunt for boardroom news leaks.
• Campaigners Seek to Connect Via the Web
  Presidential campaigns have expanded beyond whistle-stop tours and rope lines and moved right into cyberspace. Candidates and their surrogates are using social networking sites on the Web in search of financial support and votes.

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