Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• The down economy hits day care providers
  Day care providers worry as the economic downturn hits parents' pocketbooks.6:25 a.m.
• MPR analysis: Many ballot challenges are frivolous
  The number of challenged ballots in Minnesota's contentious Senate recount is approaching 6,000. The Secretary of State's office has released copies of some of those challenged ballots. MPR News reporters have examined more than 1,000 disputed ballots, and found that most of the challenges were frivolous.7:20 a.m.
• Non-political holidays a miracle for commentator
  Despite the continuing recount, the political season is over for many of us, and the holiday season has begun. They say it's a time for miracles. But commentator Peter Smith says because of the recount, getting through the holidays without discussing politics might be the biggest miracle of all.7:25 a.m.
• Future Tense with Jon Gordon
  Three Microsoft research projects8:20 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Mumbai Terrorist Attacks Echo An Indian Novel
  Last week's deadly strikes in Mumbai, India, caught the world by surprise. But some of the details that have emerged might seem familiar to the readers of the 2007 novel Sacred Games. Author Vikram Chandra describes those similarities and the mood in Mumbai after the attacks.
• Deported Immigrants Struggle To Re-Enter U.S.
  Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are deported to Mexico every year, but a majority of them are dropped just across the border in Tijuana or Nogales. Some who have lived their whole lives in America want to return to their families, lives and jobs in the United States.
• Homeland Security: Rethinking What Works
  Obama will be the first new president to take office with a Department of Homeland Security, the agency created after the Sept. 11 attacks. Current DHS observers say he should look at the agency's successes and flaws before reorganizing it.
• Mumbai Attacks Suggest Terrorists Are Evolving
  The attacks in Mumbai, India, last week reflect a new pattern. The terrorists used small arms and grenades, and their tactics were reminiscent of traditional guerrilla warfare. The small group of attackers demonstrated discipline and training, and their actions were clearly well-organized and financed. That raises the question: Is the world dealing with a new era of terrorism?
• Pakistan Perspective On Mumbai Attacks
  India says that "elements from Pakistan" were responsible for the attacks in Mumbai last week. Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid says Pakistanis do not accept that the attackers came from Pakistan. He tells Steve Inskeep that Pakistanis are rallying around the nation's government.
• Governors Want Federal Funds For Infrastructure
  President-elect Barack Obama meets Tuesday in Philadelphia with the National Governors Association. The governors plan to ask Obama for $136 billion in infrastructure funds to stimulate the economy. Pennsylvania has the highest number of structurally deficient bridges in the country.
• New President Faces Powerful Federal Contractors
  President-elect Obama has said he wants public employees to take back some of the work that the Bush administration has given to private contractors — and he wants to crack down on contractors' abuses. But Obama could find it difficult to shake things up.
• Bloody Mary Cocktail Turns 75
  New York City honored the iconic cocktail with a Times Square celebration Monday that included the granddaughter of the bartender who invented it. The Bloody Mary turned 75.
• Foreign Markets Follow Wall Street's Plunge
  Japan's main index fell more than 6 percent. South Korea was down more than 3 percent. Hong Kong's main stock average fell nearly 5 percent, partly on grim economic news out of China. The drop in world markets follows a nearly 8 percent plunge in the Dow, after the National Bureau of Economic Research issued a report declaring that the U.S. officially is in recession.
• Economists: U.S. In Recession For 1 Year Already
  The U.S. economy is in a recession. The National Bureau of Economic Research, which tracks economic cycles, says the downturn began last December. Many economists believe it'll be the most severe since the 1981-82 recession. David Wessel of The Wall Street Journal talks with Steve Inskeep about the economy.

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