Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Wave of Minnesota National Guard troops coming home
  A total of 2,600 troops from the Minnesota National Guard's First Brigade Combat Team are coming home after 16 months in Iraq, the longest combat deployment by a Minnesota unit since World War II. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer talked with MPR's Mark Zdechlik, who has been covering the story.7:20 a.m.
• Experts predict more tick-borne illnesses
  This could be another near-record summer for diseases carried by tiny deer ticks. Reported cases of Lyme disease in Minnesota have increased tenfold since the early 90s. Experts say the trend will likely continue.7:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• New Hampshire Couple in Showdown Over Taxes
  New Hampshire couple Ed and Elaine Brown has holed up in their hilltop home since April in defiance of a federal court that sentenced them to a five-year prison term for income tax evasion. The Browns say the IRS lacks the authority to require such a levy and say they won't be taken alive.
• Chicago Focuses on Homeland Security
  Chicago recently installed thousands of surveillance cameras in public places. It has gone further than most cities in using surveillance to fight terrorism and crime. Cortez Trotter, Chicago's former chief of emergency management, talks about local homeland security with Linda Wertheimer.
• State Department Funds World Museum Exhibits
  The museum community is asking whether museums should be used to promote foreign policy in response to a new initiative funded by the State Department. The program lets U.S. and non-U.S. museums apply for grants for exhibitions that would strengthen international connections.
• Starbucks Closes Coffeehouse in Forbidden City
  Starbucks closes a coffeehouse in China's former imperial palace, ending a presence that sparked protests by Chinese critics who say it damaged a key historical site. The controversy over Starbucks at Beijing's 587-year-old Forbidden City highlights Chinese sensitivity about cultural symbols and unease over an influx of foreign pop culture.
• Children's Health Insurance Faces Touchy Debate
  The Senate is set to move on a bill to renew the program that provides health insurance to more than 6 million children. Children in working-class families earning too much to qualify for Medicaid are covered. But lately the program has gotten caught up in the broader politics of health reform.
• Murdoch May Seal 'Wall Street Journal' Deal
  Dow Jones & Co., owner of The Wall Street Journal, agreed in principle to accept Rupert Murdoch's $5 billion offer first proposed in mid-April. The board of directors will vote on the deal. But the paper is majority-owned by the Bancroft family, which still has to agree to the deal.
• Congress to Grapple With Chinese Food Safety
  Problems with Chinese products from seafood to pet food have heightened concerns about world food safety. A House committee holds a hearing on the topic while the Senate prepares to hear testimony on the safety of Chinese imports. Pat Verduin, chief science officer with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, talks about the safety of food imported from China with Linda Wertheimer.
• France, Germany Try to Smooth Airbus Problems
  German Chancellor Angela Merkl and French President Nicholas Sarkozy met to discuss a big problem besetting Franco-German relations: the future of Airbus and its parent company. Both sides agree on a massive restructuring, and want to avoid factory closings and staff cuts.
• Taxing Private Equity: The Battle on Capitol Hill
  Private-equity and hedge fund managers, who can make millions of dollars, pay taxes on most of their earnings at the low capital-gains tax rate. But some in Congress want to make them pay a higher rate, like most corporations pay. And that has the industry gearing up for a major fight with Congress.
• President Bush Plans Mideast Peace Summit
  President Bush plans to call Israel, the Palestinians and others in the Middle East to a peace conference aimed at restarting stalled talks and moving faster toward a Palestinian state. The conference is open to those supportive of a two-state solution to the long Israeli-Palestinian standoff.
• Importing Sand, Glass May Help Restore Beaches
  Coastal engineers in Florida rebuild the beaches after hurricanes but their job is getting harder. Options to restore sand range from sand bypassing, which involves scooping up sand and carrying it past obstacles like ports, to grinding glass from bottles to the same size as a grain of sand.
• Groups Call for Release of Marwan Barghouti
  Marwan Barghouti's name evokes strong reactions on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since the Islamist group Hamas forcibly took control of the Gaza Strip in June, there are new calls in Israel and the Palestinian territories to release the 48-year-old jailed Fatah leader.
• U.S. Intelligence Report to Say Al-Qaida Regroups
  The National Intelligence Estimate, a survey of threats to the U.S. compiled from intelligence gathered by CIA, FBI, State Department and military intelligence agencies, is expected to report a persistent and evolving terrorist threat to the U.S. in the next three years from al-Qaida.
• Florida Man Surrounded by Cops Calls 911
  Dana Farrell Shelton called 911 in Largo, Fla., looking for help after reporting that he was surrounded by men with guns. Police called to investigate a disturbance at a bar told Shelton to move along. Instead, he pulled out his phone and called the emergency number. That's a misdemeanor.
• U.K. General Says Quitting Iraq a 'Strategic' Problem
  Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb, the U.K.'s top army officer in Iraq, cites a "huge strategic problem" if Western powers leave. Lamb, whose yearlong tour of duty is coming to an end, spoke with Steve Inskeep.

Resources

• Future Tense®
• Marketplace Morning Report®
• Mark Seeley's WeatherTalk

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories

Become a Sponsor