Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Should Minnesota stop electing judges?
  Minnesota Chief Justice Russell Anderson created the Citizens Commission for the Preservation of Impartial Judiciary in the wake of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings.6:53 a.m.
• Senate candidates spar on senior issues, clash on style in debate
  The two leading U.S. Senate hopefuls used an AARP debate Tuesday night to draw distinctions, not just in differences of policy but in honesty and effectiveness.7:24 a.m.
• Gasification may turn coal into 'clean' fuel
  Some energy experts say America should turn to coal as its main source of energy. But coal produces pollution. How to overcome that dilemma? The answer might be found in a new power plant planned for northern Minnesota.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Iran, U.S. Talk Past Each Other at U.N.
  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended his country's nuclear activities as "transparent" and "peaceful" during a Tuesday address to the United Nations General Assembly. Speaking to the same body, President Bush warned that Iran must abandon its uranium enrichment program, or face sanctions.
• Pentagon Iran Office Mimics Former Iraq Office
  The Pentagon has created a new desk to work on Iran policy. That worries some at the CIA, who point out that many of the new Iran-desk staffers are the same people who staffed the now-notorious Office of Special Plans in the run-up to the Iraq war.
• U.S. Judiciary Agrees to Greater Transparency
  Federal judges decide to require faster and fuller disclosure of their expense-paid trips. They will also start using computer software designed to help them avoid cases in which they have a financial conflict. Those were some of the changes announced by the Judicial Conference of the United States on Tuesday.
• The CW Network Remixes Two Old Channels
  The "new" broadcast network The CW debuts with some very familiar shows. That's because it's actually a combination of the old UPN and WB networks. It's aimed squarely at young people.
• Six Months Later, Dubai Firm Still Owns U.S. Ports
  Six months ago, Dubai Ports World reached an agreement with Congress to sell its North American operations to a U.S.-based firm within four to six months. Six months later, the company still owns those ports, but says it will sell soon. Democrats say they will make it a campaign issue if a sale isn’t completed before the November elections.
• Charles Darwin and the Racing Asparagus
  Some of science's great ideas were created in homespun ways. To test his ideas on evolution, Charles Darwin and his butler dropped asparagus into a tub. Darwin's oldest son studied dead pigeons by letting them float upside down in a bowl.
• Canadian Oil Draws World-Wide Mix of Workers
  Oil sands jobs have drawn people from all over the world to the remote city of Fort McMurray in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Workers have come from as far away as Nigeria, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, spicing up the cultural life of a sub-arctic city of 70,000.
• Russia Revokes Permit for Sakhalin Oil Project
  The Russian government has revoked its ecological approval for Royal Dutch/Shell's giant oilfield project off Sakhalin Island. Ecologists have complained about development of the oil field. But most industry analysts see the move as a way to put more pressure on Shell to give Russian oil companies a share in the $20 billion investment.
• U.S. Oil Consumption Continues to Rise
  According to the Energy Information Agency, a division of the Department of Energy, U.S. consumption of oil will grow nearly 2 percent in 2007. That's another 400,000 barrels per day.
• Flag Symbolizes Divisive Issue of Kurdish Autonomy
  Saddam Hussein's trial in Baghdad was disrupted when a witness wore a lapel pin with the image of the Kurdish flag instead of Iraq's banner. The flag issue has taken on greater importance in Iraq since Sept. 1. That's when Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's Kurdish region, banned the flying of the Iraqi flag at government buildings.

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