Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Food stamp spending debate divides public health, hunger advocates
  Currently, it's legal to buy pop, chips, and cookies using food stamps, as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But increasingly, public health experts concerned about obesity are raising questions about that policy.6:50 a.m.
• New MNDOT commissioner Zelle talks priorities
  The CEO of a Minneapolis-based bus company will become the next commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation in January. He talked with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer about his transportation priorities.7:20 a.m.
• New Census poverty data show rates leveling off
  New information about poverty from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the economic recovery in Minnesota might be ahead of the rest of the nation. While poverty rates in the state have increased significantly since 2007, the most recent Minnesota data show poverty rates have leveled off.7:25 a.m.
• Making Connections: New approaches to crossing cultural divides
  Jennifer Vogel has been reporting in these cities for a project we're calling "Making Connections" and talks with MPR's Cathy Wurzer about some of her findings.7:45 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• New York Planners Prep For A 'New Normal' Of Powerful Storms
  In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, New Yorkers, local politicians and scientists face a tough decision: How to spend limited funds to defend themselves in a world where climate change is making flooding from coastal storms ever more likely.
• Archaeologists Find Ancient Evidence Of Cheese-Making
  Scientists have detected milk fat on 7,000-year-old pottery vessels from archaeological sites in Northern Europe. They think it's the earliest evidence of cheese-making, and they argue dairy products gave early farmers an evolutionary edge.
• A Rare Visit Inside A Chinese Courtroom
  Politically sensitive trials in China are often held in courtrooms sealed off by police, and foreign reporters are barred. But in recent years some Shanghai courts have been holding open houses and live-streaming select cases.
• 'The Hobbit' Is 'Solid' But Not 'Exceptional'
  Director Peter Jackson takes his audience back to Middle-earth in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, set in a time before the Lord of the Rings films.
• From Gang Member To Hip-Hop Church Leader
  Across the country, so-called hip-hop churches fuse religion, music and dance to lure gang members off the streets. Troy Evans, a former gang member, leads Edge Urban Fellowship in Grand Rapids, Mich. He says that leading church congregants isn't that much different from leading gang members.
• Egypt Heads For Showdown Over New Constitution
  Critics say Egypt's draft constitution, which was drawn up and approved mostly by Islamists, doesn't represent all Egyptians. They say the draft gives key Islamic scholars too much power on a broad range of legislative issues.
• Constitution Vote Won't End Egypt's Crisis
  Issandr El Amrani, who runs "The Arabist" blog, talks to Renee Montagne about the latest twists and turns in Egypt's constitutional struggle.
• E.U. Banking Supervision Would Ease Crisis
  European Leaders have been working to figure out a way to supervise banks spread across the different countries that use the Euro currency. The German finance minister said a new system would be up and running by the spring of 2014.
• Fed To Keep Short-Term Interest Rates Low
  Federal Reserve policymakers met in Washington and decided to leave interest rates where they are. Other changes were announced, though. For the first time, the Fed identified an exact unemployment rate, 6.5 percent, at which it would begin to raise interest rates.
• Examining Health Savings Account Deduction
  We continue with our series: The 12 Days of Tax Deductions. It's Morning Edition's way of making sense of the jungle of tax deductions, credits and breaks that political leaders are sorting through as they try to wrestle more revenue out of the tax code.

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