Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Pilots flying missions in Iraq and Afghanistan - from Fargo
  This year, U.S. Air Force trained more unmanned aerial vehicle pilots than traditional pilots, and some of those pilots are flying missions in Iraq and Afghanistan from halfway across the world in Fargo.7:20 a.m.
• Male fish showing female characteristics
  A new study finds that one ot of five male black bass in American river basins have egg cells growing inside their sexual organs. The study by the U.S. Geological Survey shows that in parts of the Mississippi River in Minnesota 70 percent of the smallmouth bass had female characteristics.8:25 a.m.
• Peter Smith: Alumni long to be back to school
  It's mid-September, and students at liberal arts colleges around our region have settled into their new routines on campus. Commentator Peter Smith says that means, across the region, thousands of alumni are secretly wishing they could return too.8:35 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Money, Power Serve Up Alphabet Soup Of Regulators
  When AIG stunned the global economy by nearly collapsing last year, the insurance giant was being regulated by dozens of agencies in the U.S. Lawmakers eyeing an overhaul of the financial system say that's far too many, but politics makes reducing the number almost impossible.
• Training A 'Flip-Flop Army'
  Army National Guard Capt. Benjamin Tupper's new book, Welcome to Afghanistan: Send More Ammo, recounts his life as an embedded trainer with the Afghan National Army.
• Are Ex-Bush Officials Liable For Post-Sept. 11 Acts?
  The legal justifications used by Bush administration officials to detain people after the Sept. 11 attacks remain controversial and legally murky. Some former detainees are seeking to hold former officials personally accountable through civil lawsuits, with mixed results.
• Poll: Doctors Among Public Option's Biggest Fans
  A new poll shows that doctors are among the biggest supporters in the United States of a public option in the health care overhaul. One reason: Many say they've had largely good experiences with Medicare.
• San Francisco's Universal Health Care Model
  The Healthy San Francisco Plan, the city's public health plan for the uninsured, has many of the elements currently under consideration in Washington, D.C. It was proposed as a stopgap measure until Congress moved ahead with universal coverage. Now, it's being heralded as a public option that works and a model for reform. Sarah Varney reports for member station KQED.
• Checking In With Three States In Budget Limbo
  Despite a requirement that states balance their budgets each year, it's not unusual for a few to miss the deadline. This year, deficits caused by the recession made eight states late. Two states — Michigan and Pennsylvania — still don't have budgets, and Arizona only has funding for part of the year. Rick Pluta reports for Michigan Public Radio, Susan Phillips weighs in from Philadelphia, and NPR's Ted Robbins reports from Tucson.
• Is Race A Factor In Protests Of Obama Initiatives?
  How much of a role does race play in the ferocious resistance to President Obama in some quarters this spring and summer? Many African Americans sense a lack of respect in some of the president's critics.
• Long Recovery In Store For Scorched Calif. Hillsides
  The biggest wildfire in Los Angeles County history is under control but still burning. And it's left behind thousands of acres of scorched forestland in an area long regarded as one of the jewels of the Southern California wilderness.
• Swayze's Dancing Brought Characters To Life
  Actor Patrick Swayze died yesterday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. Swayze played some real characters, from a surfer-dude bank robber to a road-tripping drag queen — and, of course, a dirty dancer. He said he always knew he was going to be a performer.
• France Mulls 'Three Strikes' Internet Piracy Bill
  Trying to crack down on piracy, French lawmakers have spent the summer arguing over legislation dubbed "three strikes and you're out of Internet service." Under the bill, authorities will be able to cut off service to suspected Internet pirates — after two warnings. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and entertainers like it, but privacy advocates see is as a threat to civil liberties.

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