Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Coleman, Franken turn up the heat in latest campaign ads
  Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's re-election campaign has put out a new television ad that's sharply critical of DFL challenger AL Franken. With the election less than four months away, new ads from both campaigns signal the gloves are coming off.7:20 a.m.
• Building a better motorbike
  Students at St. Thomas Academy built an electric motorcycle from scratch. Getting it on the road is proving harder.7:24 a.m.
• Ford plant to stay open 2 years longer than planned
  Workers at the Ford Plant in St. Paul will keep making the Ranger small pick-up truck through 2011.7:45 a.m.
• Economic lookouts examine trends in housing market
  Later this morning the National Association of Realtors will report sales of existing homes in June. The report is expected to show another decline in home sales.7:50 a.m.
• Future Tense with Jon Gordon
  Privacy is an antiquated notion, according to Steven Rambam, a New York private investigator.8:20 a.m.
• Rybak's water fountain plan draws some questions
  Earlier this week, the city of Minneapolis unveiled designs for ten artist designed water fountains to be placed throughout the city.8:24 a.m.
• Ranger to be manufactured at St. Paul plant 2 years longer than planned
  Ford Motor Company said today it will keep its St. Paul plant open another two years. The plant, which makes the Ranger pickup truck, was slated to close in 2009.8:44 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• MS Patient Falls Into American Insurance Gap
  After he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Jeff Rubin of Philadelphia went bankrupt paying for his medical bills. Would that happen in England? Both the U.S. and the U.K. ration health care. A look at patient experiences on either side of the Atlantic.
• Sporting Fame Comes With Limits In China
  With sporting fame comes corporate sponsorship, television appearances, and fat paychecks. But in China, athletes are expected to let the government manage their image and to hand over a substantial cut of their earnings.
• The Hold Steady: Rewards And Redemption
  The Hold Steady's Craig Finn and Tad Kubler were both over 30 when they made the recordings that finally brought success. But with 2006's Boys and Girls in America and the new Stay Positive, the band has found its place as one of the country's best straight-up rock groups. The band discusses the influences behind its new album.
• U.S. Approach To 'Axis Of Evil' Shifts
  The Bush administration is now talking to governments it once shunned. The secretary of state met with the North Korean foreign minister this week; the undersecretary participated in talks with Iran's nuclear negotiator last weekend. The new approach has angered critics, but it doesn't extend to all "problem countries."
• Jury Sees Video Of Al-Qaida Suspect's Interrogation
  The first Guantanamo Bay war crimes trial has started. A military jury viewed a video of the defendant Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's former driver, kneeling before a masked U.S. soldier, denying that he worked for al-Qaida. The videotape was recorded in Afghanistan shortly after Hamdan's capture in November 2001.
• Poll: Most Chinese Satisfied With Nation's Progress
  As the Olympics approach, a poll finds the vast majority of Chinese are satisfied with their country's direction. The Pew Research Center conducted face-to-face interviews with more than 3,000 Chinese. But China's stunning economic growth is also raising concerns about rising prices and the income gap.
• Sensational Matadors Revive Bullfighting In Spain
  Just a few years ago in Spain, bullfighting appeared to be on its way out. Many people, especially younger Spaniards, were telling pollsters that they just weren't interested. But the sport is regaining cachet — largely thanks to a new breed of bullfighters.
• Oil Prices Drop, Gasoline Reserves Rise
  Deborah Amos has this morning's business news.
• Gates Joins Bloomberg's Anti-Tobacco Initiative
  Microsoft founder Bill Gates has joined forces with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to fight tobacco use in developing countries. Gates donated $125 million to a tobacco-control initiative that Bloomberg launched in 2002.
• French Winery To Buy Napa's Chateau Montelena
  A legendary French winery is purchasing a famous winemaker in California. The deal comes decades after the same California winery beat French wines in a blind taste test. Vic Motto, a wine industry investment banker, says it's "a very important merger of two great wine estates."

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