Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Researchers excited about possible stem cell reversal
  President-Barack Obama is expected to lift the ban on the use of government funds to study new embryonic stem cell lines when he takes office.6:20 a.m.
• Xcel using bus-sized batteries to store wind energy
  Wind turbines can generate electricity when the wind is blowing, but they don't when it's calm. That's one of the biggest problems with the alternative energy source. But now, Xcel Energy is experimenting with gigantic batteries as a way to solve one of wind power's most vexing problems.6:50 a.m.
• Commentator ponders a Minnesota ritual
  It's cold across the region this morning. And the frosty weather has commentator Peter Smith thinking about a certain winter ritual in Minnesota.6:55 a.m.
• Canvassing Board to make decision on rejected absentee ballots
  The State Canvassing Board is expected to order a recount in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race when it meets today Tuesday in St. Paul. Democrat Al Franken's campaign will also make a last ditch plea that the board examine rejected absentee ballots before certifying the race results.7:20 a.m.
• Professor's pre-recount analysis is that Franken to get more votes
  When the recount in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race gets going, one of the people watching closely will be Dartmouth Professor of Government Michael Herron. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Herron, who's an expert on voting patterns and ballot abnormalities. He and two other researchers examined the votes cast in Minnesota this year and analyzed how a recount might turn out.7:25 a.m.
• Future Tense with Jon Gordon
  One possible solution to e-mail overload8:20 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Annie Leibovitz: The View From Behind The Lens
  Whoopi Goldberg in a milk bath? Meryl Streep in a white mime face? After training her lens on some of the most notable faces of our day, the photographer reveals the stories behind some of her famous portraits.
• Brothers Honored For 'Chitty Chitty,' Other Ditties
  Songwriting brothers Richard and Robert Sherman were honored at the White House Monday for all the songs they've written for family movies, including the theme for the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The brothers, who also wrote "It's a Small World (After All)," received the National Medal of Arts from President Bush.
• Demand From Emerging Markets Helps Automakers
  There's a huge demand for cars in developing countries. The Economist magazine describes Brazil, Russia, India and China as "the car industry's big hope." Matthew Symonds, the lead author of the report, tells Steve Inskeep that such countries represent growth opportunities for Detroit's Big Three automakers.
• Chinese Warship In Vietnam On Friendly Port Call
  Vietnam hosted what it described as the first official port visit by a Chinese warship. The frigate docked Tuesday in the central Vietnamese city of Danang, which is where the first U.S. soldiers went ashore in 1965. Vietnam and China are working on improving their sometimes strained relations, but many Vietnamese distrust China.
• Foreclosure Sales: Light At The End Of The Tunnel?
  Housing areas that saw a lot of foreclosures are starting to see more sales. In Sacramento and Riverside counties in California, sales have been up for the past six months. The same is true in Prince William County in Virginia. Some people wonder whether these pockets of recovery signal a bottom to the housing downturn.
• GM's Opel Wants German Loan Guarantees
  Executives from General Motor's European unit, Opel, met Monday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They want more than $1 billion in loan guarantees from the German government. Opel is seeking the guarantees because the company expects difficult credit conditions on the open market due to the world financial crisis.
• Business Conference Hears From Treasury Experts
  Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson shared a stage Monday night in Washington, D.C., with two of his predecessors. The former secretaries — Robert Rubin and Larry Summers — both served under President Clinton. They all spoke at a business conference hosted by The Wall Street Journal.
• Fires Spew Hazardous Smoke In Southern Calif.
  The massive wildfires in Southern California have filled the air with smoke containing hazardous chemicals. Public events have been canceled, and schoolkids have been kept off playgrounds.
• Galveston Suffering From 1-2 Punch: Ike, Economy
  It's been more than two months since Hurricane Ike smashed the upper coast of Texas. Galveston was ground zero. The city has asked Congress for more than $2 billion in assistance. But that was before a new cyclone of bad economic news blew in last week.
• SEC Charges NBA's Mark Cuban With Insider Trading
  Federal regulators charged Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban with insider trading Monday for allegedly using confidential information on a stock sale. The Securities and Exchange Commission says by selling when he did, Cuban avoided losses of more than $750,000. Cuban says he'll fight the charges.
• TiVo To Help Couch Potatoes Get Pizza
  Domino's Pizza is offering a new service thanks to TiVo. Now you can order a pizza with a click of the remote. If you're fast-forwarding through a Domino's commercial, you'll get a prompt asking if you want to order a pizza. The technology is a boon for companies that worry that people aren't watching their ads anymore. And for consumers, it could be a bit faster than text-messaging for a pizza, which Papa John's offers, or ordering from Pizza Hut's Facebook page.
• Saudi Supertanker Hijacked By Somali Pirates
  Somali pirates seized a supertanker carrying $100 million worth of Saudi oil Saturday. The ship — which is three times the size of an aircraft carrier — was nearly 500 miles off Africa's coast when it was hijacked in waters patrolled by foreign navies. Its 25 crew members are being held hostage.
• As Election Spotlight Dims, Ayers The Author Speaks
  During the presidential election campaign, the Republican ticket tried to make an issue out of Barack Obama's association with William Ayers, a 1960s-era radical who later served on a charitable board with Obama. Ayers wasn't heard from much during the campaign. Now the nationally known scholar on urban education is on a book tour.
• Yahoo Founder Jerry Yang To Step Down As CEO
  Internet search engine Yahoo is looking for a new CEO. The current chief executive, Jerry Yang, is stepping down. Yang co-founded the company but he's only been CEO for a year and a half. During his short tenure, he infuriated shareholders by stopping a deal with Microsoft, which offered to buy Yahoo for $31 a share. Yahoo's stock price is now trading at a third of that. With Yang leaving the corner office, some say a deal with Microsoft is inevitable. Yang will have a seat on the board.
• Cobbler's Business Steps Up During Thrifty Times
  As Americans trim their budgets, some businesses are ready for thrifty activity. In St. Louis, a shoe repair shop has seen business skyrocket as the economy prompts more customers to have shoes fixed instead of buying new ones. Jeff Lipson of Cobblestone Shoe Repair is a third-generation cobbler, and he's seeing a new type of customer.

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