Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minnesota, U.S. puts financial burdens on students who want higher education
  A new, annual report on how well individual states and the U.S. provides higher education to its citizens shows Minnesota with a mostly positive record. This year's report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education shows that the biggest issue for Minnesota is making higher education more affordable. Cathy Wurzer spoke with Joni Finney, Vice President of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a non-profit, non-partisan organization.2:53 a.m.
• Jurors resume deliberations in Rodriguez trial today
  Jurors in the trial of Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. will resume deliberating at 9:00 this morning over whether he is eligible for the death penalty. The federal jury has already found Rodriguez guilty for the kidnapping resulting in the death of college student Dru Sjodin. This the first federal death penalty case in North Dakota history.3:27 a.m.
• Spanish is becoming important police tool
  The Hispanic population is on the rise across the United States. And now, some organizations are making concerted efforts to try to communicate better with Spanish-speaking communities, including local police departments.3:49 a.m.
• Survey asks what white people think about being white
  Researchers at the University of Minnesota are shedding new light on race and racial identity. In a new survey, instead of questioning people in minority groups, researchers focused on what white people think about being white. Researchers say it is the first survey of its kind. Cathy Wurzer spoke with Doug Hartman, associate professor of sociology at the U of M and a co-author of the survey's report.3:53 a.m.
• Fall fine arts preview
  Cathy Wurzer spoke with Minnesota Public Radio arts commentator Dominic Papatola about this fall's theater, dance, and concert schedule.4:24 a.m.
• Registration continues today for American Idol contestants, auditions Friday
  Singers can still go to the Target Center today to register for a chance to sing in front of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson tomorrow. Auditions for the sixth season of American Idol has drawn people from around the region to Minneapolis. Cathy Wurzer spoke with Neal Justin, TV Critic for the Star Tribune.4:54 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• New Treatments (and Old Advice) Can Aid Diabetics
  The latest treatment advances -- inhalable insulin, a drug derived from lizard saliva -- hold great promise for the 21 million Americans with diabetes. And so does the familiar doctor's order: Exercise!
• An Intern Learns That Saving Lives Isn't So Simple
  An intern thought she had made a smart diagnosis and saved a patient's life. But medicine isn't always that straightforward.
• Bush Seeks Approval of Guantanamo Commissions
  President Bush is asking Congress to approve his rules for military commissions to try detainees accused of war crimes. He says court-martial rules are not appropriate for what he terms "illegal combatants." Some legal analysts are concerned that the president's rules leave defendants without enough rights.
• Can a Naked Spouse Hamper Justice?
  Some residents of Snyder, Okla., want their police chief fired after they found out his wife posed nude on an adult Web site. The chief says what his wife does doesn't affect his job. And the city council agrees. They say his wife has a constitutional right to be a nude model, if she wants. If that's true, the chief's political opponents also have a right to distribute the pictures. Something the chief says they've already started doing.
• Congress, White House Clash over Prosecutions
  In June, the Supreme Court struck down the military tribunals used by the Bush administration for trying suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo. Now, the president is calling on Congress to approve his proposal for a new system of military commissions. But authors of the Senate bill are clashing with the White House over whether to allow terrorism suspects access to the evidence against them.
• President Provides Details on Secret Detainees
  The 14 men being transferred from secret CIA custody to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are described as senior al-Qaida operatives. President Bush provided surprising and significant detail on the capture of the men, and the information they have provided.
• New Pentagon Interrogation Manual Limits Methods
  The Pentagon has issued a new interrogation manual on how to deal with detainees. It strictly limits how interrogators can question military prisoners, including those the Bush administration calls "unlawful combatants." Administration officials had previously said that those prisoners -- who don't wear uniforms or fight under a recognized military -- were not entitled to the Geneva Convention's protections for prisoners of war.
• U.S. Troops' Baghdad Shift Leaves Security Holes
  In the Iraqi city of Mosul, U.S. soldiers arrived last month to take over security duties. However, half of that group has quietly headed south to help stem the violence in Baghdad. The shift shows the importance of bringing the capital under control. But it also highlights the problems that can occur when other areas are left unmanned.
• Congress Investigates Alaska BP Pipeline Leak
  The House Energy and Commerce Committee holds a hearing on BP's corrosion problems in Alaska. A leak forced the shutdown of half the Prudhoe Bay oil field. Committee Chairman Joe Barton says evidence indicates the problem was caused by BP's poor maintenance of the pipeline.
• Sprinter Marion Jones Cleared of Doping
  Track and field champion Marion Jones was cleared of doping charges Wednesday after results of a second drug test came back negative. The B-sample test result saved Jones from a possible career-ending suspension. The former Olympic champion's A-sample had tested positive in June for the banned oxygen-boosting substance known as EPO.
• U.S. Acknowledges Existence of Secret CIA Prisons
  President Bush announces that more than a dozen high-value terrorism suspects have been transferred to the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The president says the men had been held at secret CIA prisons around the world.
• U.N. Powers Discuss Iran Sanctions in Berlin
  Members from the U.N. Security Council are meeting in Berlin to discuss Iran's nuclear program. Although military action against Iran is not on the table at this point, other punishments are being considered.
• Some Charges Dropped Against Former AIG Executives
  New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has decided to drop some of the charges against two former executives of the insurance company AIG. Hank Greenberg and Howard Smith, the company's former chairman and chief financial officer, are accused of misleading investors about the size of the company's reserves.
• Pakistan and Afghan Presidents meet to Discuss Security
  Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, is in Kabul to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The two presidents are expected to discuss cooperation on fighting terrorism and controlling their long, shared border. Renee Montagne talks with Kim Barker, South Asia correspondent for the Chicago Tribune.
• Rocky Returns to Place of Honor
  Visitors to the Philadelphia Museum of Art can see Renoirs and Monets. And now, once again, they can view a giant statue of Rocky Balboa. The city arts commission voted 6-2 Wednesday to return the 2,000-pound bronze to the steps in front of the museum. That was where Sylvester Stallone's Rocky famously pumped his fists in the air in anticipation of winning a boxing match. The statue was removed after some art commissioners complained it was kitsch, not art.

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