Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Public defenders moonlight to pay off school debt
  Many public defenders work side jobs because their salaries aren't high enough to pay off law school debt.6:55 a.m.
• Black churches celebrate Obama win
  Over the weekend, black churches across the Twin Cities celebrated last week's historic election of Barack Obama as the nation's first African-American president.7:20 a.m.
• Farrell on the financial markets and the economy
  Minnesota Public Radio's Chief Economic Correspondent Chris Farrell discusses the financial markets and the economy with Morning Edition's Cathy Wurzer.7:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Statins May Help Already Low Cholesterol Levels
  A large research study released Sunday at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans is rocking the cardiology world. It suggests that even people with normal or low cholesterol levels can benefit from a cholesterol-lowering drug known as a statin.
• Justice Leader's Job: Renew A Battered Agency
  The Justice Department is emerging from what many have called its most tumultuous period in decades. A new attorney general will have to restore the department's credibility and work to counter perceptions that law enforcement decisions have become politicized.
• Obama Expected To Appoint A Technology Czar
  President-elect Barack Obama is expected to create a position of chief technology officer. Technology commentator Mario Armstrong says the position is important because some agencies already have chief information officers, and the effort needs to be centralized to make sure everybody is using the latest technology.
• Violence Up As Mexico Battles Drug Cartels
  Mexico has been fighting a war against organized crime. As the Mexican government fights the drug cartels, the cartels in turn fight for turf. Thousands of people have been killed this year alone.
• Massive Marine Life Census Being Updated
  More than 2,000 scientists in 82 countries are working on a census of marine life. The study will document all sea creatures. While the census won't be ready until 2010, preliminary figures were released ahead of a conference in Spain this week.
• Election Victory Helps Obama, The Author
  Barack Obama's presidential win has already jump-started one small sector of the economy: his books. Over the weekend, The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father were the hottest sellers at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Amazon actually ran out of hardcover and paperback editions of Audacity of Hope. While you wait, the online retailer lists more than two dozen other books about the president-elect.
• Nurse From WWII Victory Day Photo To Be Honored
  Remember that iconic World War II photo of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square on Victory Day? The nurse returns to the spotlight Tuesday. Edith Shain, now 90, will be honored at New York's Veteran's Day parade. She's pretty sure she's the nurse in the photo. The image doesn't show their faces. And the photographer never got their names. Shain says she didn't know the sailor's name, either. He just grabbed her and kissed her.
• College Basketball Season Opens Monday
  Men's college basketball play begins Monday with several tournaments tipping off across the country. Kansas is the defending national champion, but North Carolina is this year's favorite. One of the reasons North Carolina is favored is because all of the team's starters from last year have returned for this season.
• Look For First Lady To Champion Working Women
  When Barack Obama officially takes office in January, his wife, Michelle, will make history as well, as she becomes the country's first African-American first lady. During the campaign, she championed the cause of working women, which she'll likely continue in the White House.
• Hamas Boycotts Reconciliation Talks With Fatah
  The two main Palestinian factions have been bitterly divided since fighting in the streets of the Gaza Strip more than a year ago. Hamas and Fatah were supposed to meet in Egypt this week for reconciliation talks, but Hamas is boycotting them. The breakdown points to the entrenched divisions between Hamas and Fatah.
• Will Obama Sign Off On New Afghan Strategy?
  President-elect Barack Obama will have to grapple with conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He will have to decide whether to negotiate with members of the Taliban as a way of stemming the violence in Afghanistan. The idea is supported by the new chief of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus, who used a similar tactic as part of a broader strategy in Iraq.
• Black Churches Celebrate Obama's Historic Win
  Many African Americans who gathered in churches across the country Sunday to worship also gave thanks for the election of Barack Obama.
• China Unveils $586 Billion Stimulus Package
  Asian stock markets rose sharply after China announced a $586 billion economic stimulus package aimed at countering the effects of the global slowdown on China's booming economy.
• South African Singer Miriam Makeba Dies
  Grammy award-winning South African singer Miriam Makeba has died. The singer known as "Mama Africa" was a symbol for the anti-apartheid movement. She reportedly suffered a heart attack after performing at an anti-mafia concert Sunday in southern Italy. She was 76.
• KFC Christmas Chicken Dinners A Big Hit In Japan
  Many Japanese like to celebrate Christmas, and they've given it their own twist. They mark the occasion with a chicken dinner. Kentucky Fried Chicken is now gearing up for one of its most lucrative months. The fast food chain sells a special holiday meal for about $5. For a more upscale holiday meal, one Tokyo department store is taking orders for capons flown in from France stuffed with black truffles, foie gras, white sausage and chestnuts. That'll cost you $850 dollars.

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