Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Drug testing is big business in Fargo
  Pharmaceutical companies are outsourcing more of their research, and a Fargo company is taking advantage of the trend.6:40 a.m.
• Ciresi quits U.S. Senate race
  With attorney Mike Ciresi out of the US Senate race, some political analysts say comedian and author Al Franken can focus more attention on the general election.7:20 a.m.
• New hotel welcomes four-legged guests
  A new hotel of sorts will open adjacent to the Twin Cites airport this October. Suites will go for only about $25 a night, but you have to be four-legged, fur-bearing or feathered to stay there.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• 'Windy City,' Simon's Deep Dish on Chicago Politics
  Scott Simon, author of the new political novel Windy City, calls politics "a local specialty" in Chicago, in the tradition of blues and improvisational comedy. His new book chronicles the chaos that ensues after the city's mayor is poisoned while eating pizza.
• Community Organizer Fights for Immigrants
  There's not much middle ground when it comes to opinions on Salvador Reza, who says that all immigrants who want to work should have full labor rights. He's been called everything from a defender of the people to a traitor.
• Does Grease Taste Nicer at Feng Shui McDonald's?
  One of the franchise's locations in L.A. has recently been redone to reflect the principals of feng shui. There are waterfalls, wooden ceilings and a special door. The "grand masters" behind the remodeling say that serenity can counteract toxicity.
• Iraq Violence Surges Again
  A day after the U.S. military announced that overall violence was down in Iraq, eight American soldiers were killed in a pair of attacks. That's the highest single-day toll in months, and it's not the only recent incident of violence.
• Iraqi Women Face Risks Behind the Wheel
  When Saddam Hussein was in power, the Iraqi streets were full of female drivers. But the U.S. invasion changed that. The threat of bad traffic, aggressive convoys and insurgents have led many to decide that getting behind the wheel isn't worth the risk.
• China Says Olympics Terrorism Plots Foiled
  China has warned that terrorists pose the biggest risk to this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. Officials say they foiled two plots, one to bring down an airliner, and another to disrupt the summer games. Some critics are skeptical of Beijing's claims, charging that they are a cover for repression of China's Muslim minorities.
• Beijing Air Quality to Challenge Olympic Athletes
  Athletes competing in the Olympic Games this summer in Beijing have to overcome the city's poor air quality. Marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia has pulled out of the event. To find out what ways athletes may be affected by China s environmental conditions, Steve Inskeep talks to Christine Brennan, a sports columnist for USA Today.
• Study: Drug Can Curb Breast Cancer Recurrence
  A new study finds that two-thirds of women with breast cancer have a heightened risk that the cancer will recur even many years after the initial diagnosis. But the study, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, shows the risk of cancer recurrence can be dramatically reduced by taking letrozole.
• Gov. Spitzer Apologizes After Prostitution Report
  New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer apologizes following reports that he was caught up in a high-end prostitution ring. Renee Montange talks with Brooke Masters, a senior business reporter with the Financial Times, about the crime-fighting politcian once known as "Mr. Clean." Masters is the author of Spoiling For A Fight: The Rise of Eliot Spitzer.
• Venezuelans Assess Calm After Colombia Tensions
  Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador have ended their diplomatic standoff after Colombian troops crossed into Ecuador to hunt down anti-Colombian rebels. Now Venezuelans are taking stock of the dispute that produced the worst tension in the region in years. Many of them say the latest calm is just a brief interlude before tensions rise again.

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