Obama and his advisers met last night.
Good morning.
There will be considerable action at the White House today, where reporters will be trying to get more details about the rapidly approaching announcement on how many more U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan and where President Barack Obama is welcoming Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the new administration's first State Dinner.
On Morning Edition, NPR's Don Gonyea talked with co-host Renee Montagne about the decision on troops, which is expected to be made public next Tuesday:
McClatchy Newspapers' Washington bureau is reporting the president is likely to announce that 34,000 more U.S. troops will be sent to the effort in Afghanistan.
The current schedule for events at the White House (much of which will be webcast here):
— 9:15 a.m. ET: Singh arrives for meetings.
— 11:35 a.m. ET: Singh and Obama hold a joint news conference (we'll live-blog during it; there are almost sure to be questions about the president's decision on troops for Afghanistan).
— 7 p.m. ET: Guests arrive for the State Dinner.
— 8:15 p.m. ET: The two leaders offer their toasts.
On Morning Edition, NPR's Michele Kelemen reported about India's role in global affairs, and how it's a nation that the U.S. needs on its side on issues such as climate change, trade and countering terrorism:
Other news to watch for this morning:
— At 8:30 a.m. ET, the Commerce Department releases its latest estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product growth. Last month, in its first look at third-quarter GDP, Commerce said the economy grew at a 3.5% annual rate — a rebound after four straight quarters of GDP declines.
— At 9 a.m. ET, the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices are due. They're widely watched measures of the housing sector's health.
As for other stories making headlines, they include:
— Reuters — "Philippines Imposes Emergency; Massacre Toll Reaches 46": "The Philippines placed two southern provinces and a city under emergency rule on Tuesday after gunmen killed 46 people in a brutal election-related massacre that has shocked the country. Many of the victims in the killings in Maguindanao province were women from the powerful Mangudadatu clan. About a dozen journalists were also among the dead."
— Morning Edition — "FBI Charges Eight In Missing Somalis Probe": NPR's Dina Temple-Raston talks with co-host Steve Inskeep:
— The New York Times — "Iran Expanding Effort To Stifle The Opposition": Iran's government "appears to be starting a far more ambitious effort to discredit its opponents and re-educate Iran's mostly young and restive population. In recent weeks, the government has announced a variety of new ideological offensives. It is implanting 6,000 Basij militia centers in elementary schools across Iran to promote the ideals of the Islamic Revolution, and it has created a new police unit to sweep the Internet for dissident voices."
Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.
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