Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Coleman, Franken turn up the heat in latest campaign ads
  Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's re-election campaign has put out a new television ad that's sharply critical of DFL challenger AL Franken. With the election less than four months away, new ads from both campaigns signal the gloves are coming off.7:20 a.m.
• Building a better motorbike
  Students at St. Thomas Academy built an electric motorcycle from scratch. Getting it on the road is proving harder.7:24 a.m.
• Ford plant to stay open 2 years longer than planned
  Workers at the Ford Plant in St. Paul will keep making the Ranger small pick-up truck through 2011.7:45 a.m.
• Economic lookouts examine trends in housing market
  Later this morning the National Association of Realtors will report sales of existing homes in June. The report is expected to show another decline in home sales.7:50 a.m.
• Future Tense with Jon Gordon
  Privacy is an antiquated notion, according to Steven Rambam, a New York private investigator.8:20 a.m.
• Rybak's water fountain plan draws some questions
  Earlier this week, the city of Minneapolis unveiled designs for ten artist designed water fountains to be placed throughout the city.8:24 a.m.
• Ranger to be manufactured at St. Paul plant 2 years longer than planned
  Ford Motor Company said today it will keep its St. Paul plant open another two years. The plant, which makes the Ranger pickup truck, was slated to close in 2009.8:44 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Sporting Fame Comes With Limits In China
  With sporting fame comes corporate sponsorship, television appearances, and fat paychecks. But in China, athletes are expected to let the government manage their image and to hand over a substantial cut of their earnings.
• Scotland Election A Key Test For British PM Brown
  A special election Thursday in Scotland will be a crucial test for U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The parliamentary seat of Glasgow East is in a traditional stronghold of the ruling Labour Party. But polls are forecasting a defeat for Labour, which could force the unpopular Brown to step down.
• Obama Moves From Mideast To Europe
  Barack Obama is in Germany, where he will meet German leader Angela Merkel. The likely Democratic presidential nominee will also give the only public speech of his weeklong foreign tour, at a Berlin park. On Friday, he'll visit France. Journalists Stefan Kornelius in Germany and Jean Lesieur in France talk about Obama's expected reception in Europe.
• Mortgage Market Working For Many Americans
  Even in the midst of the worst housing slump in decades, some people are out there getting mortgages and buying homes. But they're paying more for mortgages these days, and borrowers with shaky credit won't find it easy to get a loan.
• Congress Fast-Tracks Housing Rescue Bill
  Congress has put the far-reaching housing bill on a fast track to the president. The House passed the measure Wednesday, and it goes to the Senate this week. It would help homeowners facing foreclosure, and put in place a rescue plan for troubled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• French Winery To Buy Napa's Chateau Montelena
  A legendary French winery is purchasing a famous winemaker in California. The deal comes decades after the same California winery beat French wines in a blind taste test. Vic Motto, a wine industry investment banker, says it's "a very important merger of two great wine estates."
• Gates Joins Bloomberg's Anti-Tobacco Initiative
  Microsoft founder Bill Gates has joined forces with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to fight tobacco use in developing countries. Gates donated $125 million to a tobacco-control initiative that Bloomberg launched in 2002.
• Sensational Matadors Revive Bullfighting In Spain
  Just a few years ago in Spain, bullfighting appeared to be on its way out. Many people, especially younger Spaniards, were telling pollsters that they just weren't interested. But the sport is regaining cachet — largely thanks to a new breed of bullfighters.
• Poll: Most Chinese Satisfied With Nation's Progress
  As the Olympics approach, a poll finds the vast majority of Chinese are satisfied with their country's direction. The Pew Research Center conducted face-to-face interviews with more than 3,000 Chinese. But China's stunning economic growth is also raising concerns about rising prices and the income gap.
• Jury Sees Video Of Al-Qaida Suspect's Interrogation
  The first Guantanamo Bay war crimes trial has started. A military jury viewed a video of the defendant Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's former driver, kneeling before a masked U.S. soldier, denying that he worked for al-Qaida. The videotape was recorded in Afghanistan shortly after Hamdan's capture in November 2001.
• U.S. Approach To 'Axis Of Evil' Shifts
  The Bush administration is now talking to governments it once shunned. The secretary of state met with the North Korean foreign minister this week; the undersecretary participated in talks with Iran's nuclear negotiator last weekend. The new approach has angered critics, but it doesn't extend to all "problem countries."
• Congress Revisits Military's Policy On Gays
  After 15 years, Congress is reconsidering its "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the military. Figures show about 12,000 service members have been discharged because of their sexual orientation. And recent polls show 75 percent of Americans think people who are openly gay should be allowed to serve.
• Immigrant Rights Groups Challenge ID Theft Arrests
  For years, the chief punishment for immigrants caught working illegally in the United States was deportation. Now they can face criminal charges such as identity theft, which can bring a hefty prison sentence. Immigrant rights groups and some members of Congress are challenging the practice.
• Letters: Farms, Indiana 'Knuckleheads,' St. Joseph
  Hosts Deborah Amos and Steve Inskeep read your letters.
• Oil Prices Drop, Gasoline Reserves Rise
  Deborah Amos has this morning's business news.

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