By Mark Memmott

A judge in Italy has convicted 23 Americans who were tried in absentia for the 2003 kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric from a Milan street during a CIA extraordinary rendition, the Associated Press reports. Three Americans were acquitted.

Earlier, NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reported that all but one of the defendants had been identified as CIA agents.

She also reported that seven Italian spy agents were on trial. The AP says five of the Italians were acquitted "because Italy withheld evidence, contending it was classified information." The trial has been going on for three years.

The cleric, reports Sylvia, is known as Abu Omar. He says he was blindfolded, taken to Egypt and tortured.

According to the AP, "22 of the convicted Americans were immediately sentenced to five years in jail. ... The other convicted American, Milan CIA station chief Robert Seldon Lady, was given the stiffest sentence, eight years in prison."

By Mark Memmott

Thanks to the independent Tehran Bureau and PBS-TV's Frontline there are videos of the anti-government protests that broke out today in Tehran. Here's one, which Tehran Bureau says was taken at Tehran University:

The Wall Street Journal reports that "Iranian authorities battled with opposition protesters in Tehran Wednesday, after demonstrators used the 30th anniversary of the storming of the U.S. Embassy as cover for their first significant protest in weeks."

The Guardian says these appear to be the largest protests since the demonstrations in the immediate aftermath of Iran's presidential election in June, which opponents say was rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On Morning Edition, Borzou Daragahi of the Los Angeles Times talked with host Steve Inskeep about this 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, and the remarkably different (anti-government) kind of protests that occurred today:

By Mark Memmott

The morning-after punditry is in full-swing now that the smattering of elections across the nation are over. As we wrote, Republicans had a good day -- winning the governors' mansions in New Jersey and Virginia. But Democrats managed to take advantage of a split with the GOP to take a New York congressional seat that had been in Republican hands since before the Civil War.

NPR's Political Junkie blog will have much more about the election results as the day continues.

Among the other stories making headlines:

-- The Guardian -- "British Soldiers Killed In Attack By Afghan Policeman": "Five British soldiers have been killed and several others injured in a gun attack by a 'rogue' Afghan policeman in Helmand province, the Ministry of Defense said today. The soldiers -- three from the Grenadier Guards and two from the Royal Military police -- were killed by gunshot wounds suffered in the attack, which happened in the Nad-e'Ali district yesterday."

NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports from Kabul: The Afghan police officer ran from the scene, and "the feeling is that he's crossed over and joined the Taliban."

-- BBC News -- "Iran Police Clash With Protesters": "Police have clashed with opposition supporters in the Iranian capital, Tehran, witnesses and state media say. Police used tear gas and batons, said witnesses. Unconfirmed reports said the authorities had also opened fire."

Related conversation on Morning Edition -- Protests Were Widespread Despite Government's Warning: Borzou Daragahi of the Los Angeles Times talks with host Steve Inskeep about this 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, and the remarkably different (anti-government) kind of protests that occurred today:

-- Morning Edition -- Secretary Clinton Says Her Comments About Israeli Settlements Did Not Create A "Long-Term Problem". The secretary of State spoke with NPR's Jackie Northam:

-- CNN International -- "Israel Detains Ship Loaded With Weapons": "The Israeli Navy detained a ship loaded with weapons that was traveling about 100 miles west of the country's coast and headed to Syria, Israeli officials said Wednesday. The ship was detained on Tuesday and was escorted to an Israeli port to be searched, an Israel Defense Forces statement said."

-- The Wall Street Journal -- "Fears Of A New Bubble As Cash Pours In": "Concerns are mounting that efforts by governments and central banks to stoke a recovery will create a nasty side effect: asset bubbles in real-estate, stock and currency markets, especially in Asia."

Related news to watch for today: Federal Reserve policymakers end two-days of meetings. They're expected to say this afternoon that they aren't going to adjust short-term interest rates, which it how is holding between zero and 0.25%.

-- The Times of London -- "German Government Blasts 'Unacceptable' GM U-Turn": "Germany's Economic Minister today branded a decision by America's General Motors to scrap the sale of its European business as 'totally unacceptable.' ... British unions were delighted with the decision, which was announced late yesterday after a GM board meeting in Detroit."

Related story by The Detroit News -- "GM Calls Off Sale, Keeps Opel": "General Motors Co.'s board of directors Tuesday voted to keep its German carmaker, Adam Opel GmbH, instead of selling it to Canada's Magna International Inc. and its Russian partner, Sberbank. The board based its decision, in part, on an improved business environment in Europe and GM's overall financial health and stability since emerging from bankruptcy court after receiving about $50 billion in federal aid."

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

One of the nation's largest cities, as we just reported, is having some mixed emotions today.

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Yankees 8-6 last night to extend the World Series to a game six on Wednesday. The Yankees lead three-games-to-two in the best-of-seven championship.

But at 3 a.m. ET, transit workers in the city went on strike -- bringing a system that averages nearly 930,000 trips a day to a halt.

There's much more than that going on today, of course.

NPR's Dave Mattingly and Isaac-Davy Aronson of NPR member station WNYC report on the voting today in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and elsewhere:

The contests are being closely watched to see what, if anything, they may reveal about voters' attitudes toward President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats.

Looking ahead to next year, by the way, Politico says that "in what could be a nightmare scenario for Republican Party officials, conservative activists are gearing up to challenge leading GOP candidates in more than a dozen key House and Senate races in 2010." They're looking at today's special election in New York's 23rd Congressional district, where Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman pressured the GOP nominee to drop out, as something of a template for 2010.

We'll be combining forces with Ken Rudin of the Political Junkie tonight to "live-blog" election results. So check both The Two-Way and Political Junkie for updates.

Other stories making headlines include:

-- BBC News -- "Karzai Vows To Battle Corruption": "Afghan President Hamid Karzai has vowed to remove the 'stigma' of corruption, a day after winning a new five-year term.
In his first remarks since being declared winner on Monday of August's fraud-marred poll, he also pledged to lead an inclusive government."

Related conversation on Morning Edition "Karzai's Team Needs To Establish Strong Government." Former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad tells host Renee Montagne that he has no doubt Karzai will try to reach out to his critics, but that putting together an effective government will be difficult:

Related story by NPR.org -- "Karzai 'Victory' Puts Spotlight On U.S. Troop Decision": "Afghan President Hamid Karzai's victory by default in the contested election may resolve the country's immediate political crisis, but it could complicate the outcome of the Obama administration's much-anticipated decision on sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan."

-- The New York Times -- "Gore's Dual Role In Spotlight: Advocate And Investor": "Critics, mostly on the political right and among global warming skeptics, say (former vice president Al) Gore is poised to become the world's first 'carbon billionaire,' profiteering from government policies he supports that would direct billions of dollars to the business ventures he has invested in. ... Mr. Gore says that he is simply putting his money where his mouth is. 'Do you think there is something wrong with being active in business in this country?' Mr. Gore said. 'I am proud of it. I am proud of it.' "

-- Morning Edition -- "Clinton Clarifies Statement On Jewish Settlements": NPR's Jackie Northam reports:

By Mark Memmott

Afghanistan, and today's declaration that President Hamid Karzai has been re-elected despite the massive fraud during the August election, was topic No. 1 at today's White House briefing.

Spokesman Robert Gibbs said that Karzai is "obviously ... the legitimate leader of the country" now that he has been "declared the winner of the Afghan election." The U.S. will continue to discuss with Karzai and his ministers, Gibbs added, "governance, civil society and corruption ... to ensure that we have a credible partner in our efforts to help secure the country":

As for whether this means President Barack Obama can now come to a decision about how many, if any, additional U.S. troops to send to Afghanistan, Gibbs said that "the decision is still -- will be made in the coming weeks":

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

As we just reported, President Hamid Karzai has been declared the winner in Afghanistan's presidential election -- without having to go through the runoff that had been scheduled for this coming Saturday.

His challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out of the runoff yesterday. Abdullah said he did not think the process would be transparent enough. Already, the results of the country's August election had been set aside because of widespread corruption.

This morning's news comes as President Barack Obama continues to review U.S. policy in Afghanistan and considers whether or not to send tens of thousands of more American troops there. Earlier, the Los Angeles Times reported that:

U.S. and other Western officials, who leaned heavily on Karzai to accept a runoff after the tainted election in August, are now pressing him and electoral officials to find a legally acceptable way to cancel the poll and declare Karzai the winner. Neither the U.S. nor the United Nations is prepared to risk more lives for an election with only one candidate, said a Western official familiar with the talks.

There will surely be lots of reaction and analysis about the news from Afghanistan as the day goes on. We'll pass them along as the story develops.

We also just reported the news that Ford Motor earned $997 million in the third quarter -- a huge turnaround for the automaker.

Meanwhile, other stories making headlines include:

The aftermath in Rawalpindi. (Aamir Qureshi/Getty Images)

-- The Associated Press -- "Bomb Outside Bank Kills 30 Near Pakistani Capital": "A suicide bomber killed 30 people outside a bank near Pakistan's capital Monday, as the U.N. said spreading violence had forced it to pull out some expatriate staff and suspend long-term development work in areas along the Afghan border. Islamist insurgents have carried out numerous attacks in Pakistan in recent weeks, killing some 250 people in retaliation for an army offensive in the Pakistani Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan, also along the frontier shared with neighboring Afghanistan."

Related report from NPR's Julie McCarthy in Islamabad: Today's attack in Rawalpindi appeared to target both military personnel and civlians. Both groups were in line at the bank at the time of the explosion.

Update at 9:30 a.m. ET: Both Reuters and the Associated Press are now reporting that the death toll from the bombing stands at 35. We've also updated this post's headline, which earlier put the death toll at 30.

-- The Wall Street Journal -- "CIT Files Its Bankruptcy Plan": "CIT Group Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday, in a final attempt to restructure and keep the doors open at the century-old commercial lender."

Related report from the Associated Press: "The bankruptcy of a key lender that helps retailers stock their shelves is adding to the industry's worries ahead of the critical holiday shopping season."

Related report on Morning Edition: " The government lent CIT more than $2 billion a year ago. Taxpayers will probably lose that money as a result of the bankruptcy."

-- Boston Globe -- "Billions In Aid To Banks Not Reaching Many Seeking Loans": "Many small businesses are having a difficult time getting SBA loans from lenders that took government handouts. In addition to frustrating owners who say they need the money to survive, the banks' reluctance to lend undermines a goal of the federal stimulus program: Ease the credit crunch so companies can grow and hire again."

-- San Francisco Chronicle -- "Bay Bridge Stays Closed": "Pushing traffic turmoil into a second week, Caltrans said late Sunday that the workhorse Bay Bridge will probably remain closed through the morning commute after a fix meant to shore up a cracked beam failed a critical stress test. When the region's busiest span will reopen remains unknown. Caltrans officials refused to speculate."

-- Morning Edition -- Yankees Are One Win Away From 27th World Series Title: As NPR's Mike Pesca reports, a key at-bat by Johnny Damon led to the Bronx Bombers' 7-4 win last night in Philadelphia:

The Yankees lead the series three games to one. Game five is tonight, in Philadelphia, at 7:57 p.m. ET.

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

If you've been wondering how many jobs the White House thinks have been created or saved by this year's $787 billion stimulus program, keep an eye on Recovery.gov. The administration plans to release its latest numbers on just that subject today.

NPR's Scott Horsley and Politico's Mike Allen say that administration officials have sent reporters an e-mail to say that they anticipate reports from state and local governments, businesses and organizations "will credit the Recovery Act with directly creating or saving about 650,000 jobs." The e-mail says that number stems from about half of the stimulus spending so far, meaning the program has likely "created or saved at least 1 million jobs."

CNN is also already reporting the news will be that 650,000 jobs were saved or created by about $150 billion in the funding so far. That's the number The Wall Street Journal is citing as well.

We'll pass along more news as it comes in -- as well as the inevitable second-guessing and analysis from various quarters.

Update at 1:25 p.m. ET. The White House has now posted some of the details behind the job estimates.

It states that:

Today's release by the independent Recovery, Accountability, and Transparency Board shows that recipients of a subset of Recovery Act funds have reported creating or saving 640,329 jobs so far. Since this reporting is based on only a portion of the Act's funds -- about $160 billion, which represents less than half of the money put to work so far -- it represents a subset of the jobs created or saved. This number also leaves out indirect jobs: employment created as a result of ARRA funds money spent by direct recipients. ...

Since, as noted above, the recipient reporting represents less than half of the obligations plus tax cuts so far, we can get a rough sense of its comparability to the more comprehensive estimates above by doubling the recipient-reported job creation of 640,329, yielding a jobs number -- almost 1.3 million. ...

Given that more than half of Recovery Act funds have yet to be obligated, the fact that many funded projects have a lot more hiring to do, and the fact that these reports account for around 640,000 jobs through the end of September despite all the omissions just noted, we are solidly on track to meet our goal of 3.5 million jobs saved or created by the end of next year.

Update at 12:45 p.m. ET: At the White House a moment ago, Vice President Joe Biden just remarked that "I can say without fear of being contradicted by any responsible source that so far" the stimulus has saved or created more than 1 million jobs.

Here's audio of the vice president:

Update at 8:05 a.m. ET. More from CNN:

"We're solidly on track to create or save 3.5 million jobs by the time this program winds down," administration economist Jared Bernstein told CNN on Friday. "There's a lot more ammunition in that Recovery Act. The stimulus package is absolutely working, both in GDP terms and in terms of saving or creating jobs."

Among the other stories making headlines this morning, as we just reported it looks like there's a deal in place to end the political crisis in Honduras and return ousted president Manuel Zelaya to office.

Other news:

-- Morning Edition -- "Afghan Decision Will Come With A Price Tag". NPR's David Welna reports that the high financial cost of any surge in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is putting some Democrats in a tight spot:

-- The Washington Post -- "Dozens In Congress Under Ethics Inquiry": "House ethics investigators have been scrutinizing the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several aides in inquiries about issues including defense lobbying and corporate influence peddling, according to a confidential House ethics committee report prepared in July."

Related story by The Associated Press -- Ethics Committee Says No Inferences Should Be Drawn: "The House ethics committee announced Thursday it is investigating two California Democratic lawmakers (representatives Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson), but its embarrassed leaders then had to explain that other members -- named in a confidential memo that leaked out -- may have committed no wrongdoing."

Update at 8:25 a.m. ET: A statement from the committee.

-- The Associated Press -- "Search Is On For Mid-Air Collision Survivors In California": "The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy were searching early Friday for as many as nine people off the Southern California coast following a collision between a Coast Guard plane and a Marine Corps helicopter, officials said. The crash was reported at 7:10 p.m. Thursday, about 50 miles off the San Diego County coast and 15 miles east of San Clemente Island, Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Allyson Conroy said."

-- The New York Times -- "Iran Rejects Deal To Ship Out Uranium, Officials Report": " Iran told the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Thursday that it would not accept a plan its negotiators agreed to last week to send its stockpile of uranium out of the country, according to diplomats in Europe and American officials briefed on Iran's response."

-- The Associated Press -- "France's Jacques Chirac Ordered To Stand Trial": "Former French President Jacques Chirac has been ordered to stand trial in an alleged corruption scandal dating back to his tenure as Paris mayor, a judicial official said Friday. A magistrate has ordered Chirac to stand trial on charges of 'embezzlement' and 'breach of trust,' the official said."

Frank Browning reports on the story for NPR from Paris:

-- World Series -- Yankees Win Game 2 By 3-1 Score; Series Tied At 1-1; Resumes Saturday.

They'll play in Philadelphia on Saturday. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

By Mark Memmott

Honduras' four-month-old political crisis may be about to end.

"Representatives of ousted President Manuel Zelaya finally reached an agreement with the interim government that could ... possibly pave the way for Zelaya's reinstatement," the Associated Press reports.

According to The New York Times:

The government of Roberto Micheletti, which had refused to let Mr. Zelaya return, signed an agreement with Mr. Zelaya's negotiators late Thursday that would pave the way for Congress to restore the ousted president and allow him to serve out the remaining three months of his term.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton confirmed on Friday that Mr. Zelaya and Mr. Micheletti had approved what she called "an historic agreement."

As NPR's Jason Beaubien reported earlier this month for All Things Considered, the June coup highlighted " deep divisions in the country's society, which is split between a powerful yet tiny elite and the vast majority of poor, ordinary citizens":

Update at 10:25 a.m. ET. From Mexico City, Jason files this report about the new deal:

Matthew Hoh. (John Poole/NPR)

By Mark Memmott

Saying that "we just keep going into more valleys and finding more enemies because we're going into their valleys," former U.S. foreign service officer Matthew Hoh just spoke with NPR about the decision he made to leave the State Department because he disagrees with U.S. policy in Afghanistan.

Hoh's resignation, as we predicted, brought him national attention after it became front-page news in The Washington Post on Tuesday. It came, of course, as President Barack Obama continues to consider whether to send more troops to Afghanistan.

In an interview, much of which will be broadcast later today on All Things Considered, Hoh told host Melissa Block that he's convinced the U.S. is losing "soldiers and Marines in combat to people who are fighting us, really only because we're occupying them":

Hoh believes most Afghans just want to be left alone in their villages and valleys. "They're concerned with the events in their local area, in their village and valley and that's what they fight for":

American policy has been misdirected, Hoh thinks, because "we only talk to Afghans who come into our headquarters and talk to us. We don't get out and talk to the people who live in the villages and valleys. And you realize that they want is to be left alone":

The U.S. had to go after the Taliban and al-Qaida after the 9/11 attacks, Hoh believes, but now is in danger of making al-Qaida stronger, not weaker:

And, he does not think leaving Afghanistan would turn that country into a "safe haven" for al-Qaida again. He maintains that al-Qaida no longer needs that country. Al-Qaida, he maintains, is an "ideological cloud" that spreads via the Web:

Your opinion?

Click here to find an NPR station that broadcasts ATC.

By Mark Memmott

Iranian poet Simin Behbahani, who back in June wrote two poems about the post-election turmoil in her country -- and read them for NPR's Davar Iran Ardalan, who sent us the audio for this post -- is the 2009 mtvU Poet Laureate.

The 82-year-old Behbahani is being recognized by the music TV network's college division because her work "has made a significant impact on the world's cultural landscape."

Here's a video that Weekend Edition's Thomas Pierce produced of Davar's late June conversation with Behbahani:

By Mark Memmott

It is "hard to believe" that no one in Pakistan's government knows where al-Qaida's leaders are hiding, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said today in Lahore, Pakistan.

Her remarks are being reported by NPR's Jackie Northam, Reuters, the Associated Press and other correspondents who are with the former first lady on her trip through central Asia and the Middle East.

According to the AP, Clinton's comments came during an interview with Pakistani journalists. The wire service adds that:

Clinton said al-Qaida has used Pakistan as a haven since 2002. She said she finds it hard to believe that nobody in Pakistan's government knows where the leaders of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network are hiding.

She also said she finds it hard to believe that Pakistani authorities couldn't "get them" if they wanted to.

Bin Laden and others -- as well as Taliban leaders -- have long been thought to be hiding on the Pakistani side of the border with Afghanistan.

Update at 12:45 p.m. ET. While in Lahore, Clinton visited the tomb of Pakistan's national poet, Allama Mohammad Iqbal:

(STR/AFP/Getty Images)

By Mark Memmott

It's been another deadly day in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In Peshawar, Pakistan, a car bomb devastated a crowded market. At least 80 people were killed and more than 200 others wounded.

According to the Associated Press, the Pakistani government "blamed militants seeking to avenge an army offensive against al-Qaida and Taliban close to the Afghan border."

NPR's Julie McCarthy filed this report from Islamabad:

In Kabul, gunmen attacked a guest house frequented by U.N. aid workers. At least 12 people died during fighting at the scene, including six U.N. staffers and the three attackers. One American is among the dead, according to the U.S. embassy. The attackers did not set off the bombs in the suicide vests they were wearing.

From Kabul, NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports that also today, a rocket was fired at one of Kabul's high-end hotels -- but it did not explode:

A wounded man is carried from the scene in Kabul. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Update at 10:15 a.m. ET. The death toll in Peshawar has topped 90 and photos from the scene clearly show the devastation:

(Mohammad Sajjad/AP)

A South Korean soldier stands guard on Oct 16, 2009 near the demilitarized zone northeast of Seoul, South Korea that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War. (Lee Jin-man / AP Photo)

By Frank James

It seems more than slightly strange that anyone would want to defect to NORTH Korea. The trek to freedom usually runs in the other direction.

But the North Korean news agency is saying a 30-year old South Korean has indeed defected to the north.

As NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from China:

The north's Korean Central News Agency identified the defector as 30-year-old Kang Tong-rim, a former employee of the Samsung company who later became a pig farmer.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency quoted the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying that Kang had apparently cut a hole in a fence on the south side of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas.

KCNA reported that while in the army, Kang had previously failed in two attempts to defect to the North. It said that Kang was "beside himself with joy for having accomplished this heroic deed." It added that he was now "under the warm care of a relevant organ."

Despite the warm relevant organ business, it's unlikely too many more South Koreans will be rushing north to join the former pig farmer.

It's not that it's unheard of for some South Koreans to defect to the north. The English-language Korea Herald reports this:

A 45-year-old South Korean man made it into the communist neighbor through the border between North Korea and China in 2007 but was expelled for reasons yet to be identified.

Continue reading "South Korean Man, In Rare Act, Defects To North " >

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

As the day gets started, Reuters offers this news alert from Tehran. It captures the "maybe, maybe not" nature of that country's relations with the rest of the world:

Iran will accept the framework of a U.N.-drafted nuclear fuel deal, but will also demand changes to it, al Alam state television reported on Tuesday. Al Alam, citing an unnamed official, said Iran would present its response to the proposed agreement within 48 hours.

Also in the news this hour: NASA is hoping to launch its newest rocket -- the Ares I-X. But rain could delay the flight. NASA TV is webcasting here.

Meanwhile, the stories making headlines include:

-- The Associated Press -- Pakistan Claims Progress In Push Against Taliban: " Pakistan's army says 42 militants have been killed in the latest stage of its offensive against the Taliban close to the Afghan border. A statement Tuesday says that troops were making steady progress in the 11-day old campaign in South Waziristan."

-- Morning Edition -- "No. 3 Man Moving Up In Al-Qaida". NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports on the new face of al-Qaida:

-- The Associated Press -- "Obama Putting $3.4 Billion Toward A 'Smart' Power Grid": "President Barack Obama, during a visit to a solar energy facility in Arcadia, Fla., is announcing Tuesday that he is making available $3.4 billion in government support for 100 projects aimed at modernizing the power grid. The projects include installing "smart" electric meters in homes, automating utility substations, and installing thousands of new digital transformers and grid sensors."

Related report from NPR's Scott Horsley:

-- The New York Times -- "Ex A.I.G. Chief Is Back, Luring Talent From Rescued Firm": "Maurice R. Greenberg, who built the American International Group into an insurance behemoth with an impenetrable maze of on- and offshore companies, is at it again. Even as he has been lambasting the government for its handling of A.I.G. after its near collapse, Mr. Greenberg has been quietly building up a family of insurance companies that could compete with A.I.G. To fill the ranks of his venture, C.V. Starr & Company, he has been hiring some people he once employed."

-- Morning Edition -- Clinics Struggle To Keep Up With Swine Flu. Steve Inskeep talks to clinic staffers in Indiana, Ohio, Maryland and Florida:

Getting the shot in L.A. (David McNew/Getty Images)

By Mark Memmott

As the day gets going, details are still coming in about two deadly incidents involving U.S. helicopters in Afghanistan. The Associated Press writes that the crashes killed 14 Americans, most of them military personnel.

From southern Afghanistan, NPR producer Graham Smith reported that one of the helicopters had just left the scene of a firefight -- but that U.S. officials do not believe it was brought down by fire from the ground:

In other news involving Afghanistan:

-- The Washington Post reports that "the Pentagon's top military officer oversaw a secret war game this month to evaluate the two primary military options that have been put forward by the Pentagon and are being weighed by the Obama administration as part of a broad-based review of the faltering Afghanistan war, senior military officials said." One involved the hypothetical addition of 44,000 more troops. The other added 10,000 to 15,000.

-- On Morning Edition, NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reported that some parts of northern Afghanistan have also destabilized in recent months:

As for other stories making headlines, they include:

-- The Wall Street Journal -- "Senate On Verge Of Health Bill": "Top Senate Democrats are close to finalizing their health bill and could unveil a measure as soon as early this week that would include stiffer penalties on employers who fail to provide health coverage. Senate leaders plan to submit the bill to the Congressional Budget Office for a cost estimate as soon as Monday, and make the legislation public as soon as Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the negotiations."

Related story on Morning Edition -- A "Public Option" Is Looking More Likely" NPR's Julie Rovner talked with host Steve Inskeep:

-- The New York Times -- "U.S. Considers Reining In 'Too Big To Fail' Institutions": "A senior administration official said on Sunday that after extensive consultations with Treasury Department officials, Representative Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would introduce legislation as early as this week. The measure would make it easier for the government to seize control of troubled financial institutions, throw out management, wipe out the shareholders and change the terms of existing loans held by the institution."

-- The Associated Press -- "Death Toll Rises To 155 In Dual Baghdad Bombings": "The death toll from Iraq's worst attack in more than two years climbed to 155 Monday as Iraqis buried the dead from the twin suicide bombings that devastated the heart of Baghdad. Funerals were held around the city amid heightened security that snarled traffic during the morning rush hour. The bombings targeted two government buildings, calling into question the state's ability to protect itself as it prepares for January elections and the U.S. military withdrawal."

Related report from NPR's Nishant Dahiya in Baghdad -- Iraqi Leaders Blame Al-Qaida And Neighboring Countries:

-- Morning Edition -- "Karadzic Boycotts Start Of War Crimes Trial". The Bosnian Serb claimed he needs more time to prepare his defense. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli filed this report:

From a related report by BBC News: "Karadzic, 64, was taken to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague last year, after 13 years in hiding. ... He was indicted in 1995 on two counts of genocide and a multitude of other crimes committed against Bosnian Muslim, Bosnian Croat and other non-Serb civilians during the 1992-1995 war, which left more than 100,000 people dead."

By Mark Memmott

State TV in Iran says that nation "wants to buy nuclear fuel it needs for a research reactor rather than accept a U.N.-drafted plan to ship much of its uranium to Russia for further enrichment," the Associated Press reports from Tehran.

The AP says that news will "come as a disappointment to the U.S., Russia and France," which support a draft plan to have Iran send its uranium elsewhere for enrichment -- a plan that in theory would make it less likely Iran would gather enough fuel that would be suitable for a nuclear weapon because it would have less uranium at its disposal and would no longer control the enrichment process.

According to Reuters, France's foreign minister is saying that the news out of Iran today is not positive.

Update at 10:35 a.m. ET. The AP adds that:

While Iran did not reject the plan outright, state TV said that Tehran was waiting for a response to its own proposal to buy nuclear fuel rather than ship low-enriched uranium to Russia for further enrichment. Iran has often used counterproposals as a way to draw out nuclear negotiations with the West.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is waiting for a constructive and confidence building response to the clear proposal of buying fuel for the Tehran research reactor," state TV quoted an unnamed source close to Iran's negotiating team as saying Friday.

By Mark Memmott

The day begins with word of more deaths and violence in Pakistan. The Associated Press reports that:

A suicide bomber killed seven people near a major air force complex in northwest Pakistan on Friday, while an explosion killed 17 on a bus heading to wedding elsewhere in the region, the latest in a surge of militant attacks this month.

There's also word this morning that the U.S. has formally asked Switzerland to extradite film director Roman Polanski to California, which he fled in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

As NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates reported on Morning Edition, the 76-year-old director will likely spend considerable time in prison if he is returned to the U.S. (her report includes some graphic details about his crime):

Soupy Sales in 1966. (AP Photo/File)

And it was reported overnight that comedian Soupy Sales has died. He was 83.

As the Los Angeles Times says, sales was "a comic with a gift for slapstick who attained cult-like popularity in the 1960s with a pie-throwing routine that became his signature."

Other stories making headlines include:

-- The New York Times -- "Senate Leader Takes Risk Pushing Public Insurance Plan": "In pushing to include a government-run health insurance plan in the health care bill, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, is taking a calculated gamble that the 60 members of his caucus could support the plan if it included a way for states to opt out."

-- Politico -- "Pelosi Lacks Votes For Most Sweeping Public Option": "Speaker Nancy Pelosi counted votes Thursday night and determined she could not pass a 'robust public option' -- the most aggressive of the three forms of a public option House Democrats have been considering as part of a national overhaul of health care. Pelosi's decision -- coupled with a significant turn of events yesterday during a private White House meeting -- points to an increasingly likely compromise for a trigger option for a government plan."

-- ESPN.com -- American League Series Goes Back To The Bronx After Angels Beat Yankees: Game six of the AL championship series is set for Saturday night in Yankee Stadium after the Angels win 7-6 Thursday night.

-- Morning Edition -- Protesters Storm BBC Over Interview With Fascist Politician. NPR's Rob Gifford reports from London:

By Mark Memmott

An urgent cry for help from one of the world's poorest nations:

"Ethiopia appealed on Thursday for 159,410 tons of emergency aid to feed 6.2 million people, 25 years after more than a million perished in the country's notorious famine," Reuters writes.

As the BBC says, "hunger stalks Ethiopia once again."

The Associated Press notes that "the crisis stems from a drought that has affected much of the Horn of Africa, including Kenya and Somalia."

Oxfam International says a "radical shake-up" of the aid system is needed to break Ethiopia's "cycle of hunger."

Esfandiari. (Stephanie Kuykendal/Getty Images)

Tajbakhsh. (AFP/Getty Images)

By Mark Memmott

Iranian-American scholar Haleh Esfandiari knows first-hand what it's like inside Tehran's Evin Prison. In 2007, she was held there for more than three months and interrogated, sometimes for eight hours a day, because the Iranian government suspected her of trying to organize opposition to the ruling regime.

This afternoon, she spoke with All Things Considered host Melissa Block about the case of another Iranian-American, Kian Tajbakhsh. This week, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a court in Tehran. Tajbakhsh was caught up in a mass trial of those the government accused of espionage and other crimes after the protests following that country's disputed presidential election in June.

Tajbakhsh was also held in Evin Prison when Esfandiari was there in 2007.

She was stunned to hear he had been arrested again and then convicted, Esfandiari said. She's certain Tajbakhsh was living "a quiet life, translating books and writing books":

Much more from Melissa's conversation with Esfandiari will be on today's edition of ATC. Click here to find an NPR station near you.

In September 2007, Esfandiari spoke with Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep about her time in prison and how she was "disappointed in Iran, [but] I'm not angry at it":

Guinea is just the latest to suffer. (Schalk van Zuydam/AP)

By Mark Memmott

Some stories are hard to hear, read or see -- but important nonetheless.

This report from NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton about the wave of rapes in the West African nation of Guinea during last month's military crackdown on pro-democracy advocates is one of those stories.

As she says, "the soldiers' brutal assaults on women" -- carried out in broad daylight -- have shaken French-speaking Guinea. "The people's refrain is C'est du jamais vu -- never before have we witnessed such acts."

Take note -- Ofeibea's report, done for All Things Considered, includes graphic details of the atrocities:

On today's ATC, NPR's Michele Kelemen will follow the story with a report on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's effort to focus world attention on the ongoing problem of sexual violence against women.

European Commission diplomat Margo Wallstrom tells Michele that one problem is that there aren't enough women in key positions to both document and investigate the crimes:

Alan Doss, who runs the United Nations' office in Eastern Congo, tells Michele that countries haven't answered the U.N.'s call for more women peacekeepers:

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

As we just reported, there's word from Vienna this morning that a draft agreement has been reached for Iran to export most of its enriched uranium to Russia for processing. That's been a critical goal of negotiators from the U.S., France and Russia because it could lessen the chances of Iran obtaining enough fuel for a nuclear weapon.

We'll watch for more news on that as the day continues.

Meanwhile, other stories making headlines include:

-- USA TODAY -- "White House Neglecting Bioterrorism," Bipartisan Commission Warns: " The Obama administration is working hard to curb nuclear threats but failing to address the more urgent and immediate threat of biological terrorism, a bipartisan commission created by Congress is reporting today. The report obtained by USA TODAY cites failures on biosecurity policy by the White House, which the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction says has left the country vulnerable. ... White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said protecting the nation from deadly weapons is among President Obama's 'top national security priorities.' "

-- The Associated Press -- "Watchdog: Bailout Helped But At A Great Cost": "A government watchdog said the $700 billion bailout for the financial industry played a major role in rescuing the economy over the last year but also engendered anger and distrust among Americans because of secrecy and confusion about the way the program was handled. The mixed and blunt assessment by Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general in charge of oversight for the bailout fund, comes just as the administration is taking steps to wind down and refocus the Wall Street rescue effort. Barofsky's conclusions are in a quarterly report scheduled for release Wednesday." (That report is to be posted here.)

From a related story by USA TODAY:

"The American people's belief that the funds went into a black hole, or that there was a transfer of wealth from taxpayers to Wall Street, is one of the worst outcomes of this program, and that is the reputational damage to the government," said Neil Barofsky, special inspector general of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), in an interview.

-- The Washington Post -- "U.S. Deeply Split On Troop Increase For Afghan War": "As President Obama and his war cabinet deliberate a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, Americans are evenly and deeply divided over whether he should send 40,000 more troops there, and public approval of the president's handling of the situation has tumbled, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll."

Related story by the Associated Press -- "Afghan President's Rival Accepts Nov. 7 Runoff": "President Hamid Karzai's chief political rival agreed Wednesday to take part in the Nov. 7 runoff election, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown in the face of Taliban threats and approaching winter snows. Ex-Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah made his comment to reporters one day after Karzai bowed to intense U.S. and international pressure and accepted findings of a U.N.-backed panel that there had been massive fraud on his behalf in the Aug. 20 vote. Those findings showed Karzai failed to win the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff."

Helping the injured after a train crash today near Agra, India. (AP photo)

-- NPR News -- At Least 21 Killed In Train Crash. NPR's Philip Reeves reports from New Delhi:

-- Morning Edition -- Obama To Increase Credit To Small Businesses. As NPR's Scott Horsley reports, some small business owners say they desperately need more help if they're going to stay in business:

-- The New York Times -- Administration Doesn't Always Listen To Volcker: Former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker is a top economic adviser to President Barack Obama, but his advice that the nation's banks "be prohibited from owning and trading risky securities, the very practice that got the biggest ones into deep trouble in 2008," isn't gaining favor within the administration.

-- Morning Edition -- The "Public Option" Is Short On Support In Senate. NPR's David Welna reports:

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

By Mark Memmott

A draft agreement has been reached for Iran to export most of its enriched uranium, NPR's Eric Westervelt and the Associated Press are reporting from Vienna, where negotiators have been meeting.

Diplomats from Iran, the U.S., Russia and France have been discussing Iran's nuclear ambitions and the other nations' concern that it wants to develop weapons of mass destruction.

According to the AP:

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Wednesday that Iran and the U.S., Russia and France have signed off on a draft deal that he hoped would be approved by the nations' capitals by Friday.

He gave no details. But a diplomat inside the closed meeting told the Associated Press that the draft foresees the export most of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium.

Getting Iran to send its enriched uranium elsewhere for processing has been a critical goal of the other nations because that would in theory reduce the chances of the Persian nation obtaining enough of the material to produce a weapon.

Update at 8:30 a.m ET. The AP's latest version of the story adds a bit of uncertainty about Iran's position (we've highlighted key phrases used by AP):

Iranian negotiators on Wednesday agreed to consider a draft deal that -- if accepted by the Tehran leadership -- would delay its ability to make nuclear weapons by sending most of the material it would need to Russia for processing, diplomats said Wednesday.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei confirmed that representatives of Iran and its three interlocutors -- the U.S., Russia and France - had accepted the draft, which still has to be finalized by the four nations' capitals. ElBaradei said he hoped that would occur by Friday.

Update at 7:55 a.m. ET. NPR's Westervelt reports that:

Diplomats say if the deal is finalized, most of the enriched uranium would be sent to Russia for conversion into fuel that could be used for medical research and cancer care.

By Frank James

How's this for a comment on how bad governance is on the African continent? The multi-million dollar prize created by a wealthy African-born telecommunications executive to reward recently retired African leaders who embody enlightened leadership won't be given this year since the Mo Ibrahim Foundation which awards the prize found no one worthy of it.

(iStockphoto.com)

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation made the announcement yesterday. I missed the initial announcement but thought this was such a telling commentary on the state of self-government on the African continent that it should be mentioned in the blog today.

An excerpt from its press release:

"The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is committed to supporting great African leadership that will improve the economic and social prospects of the people of Africa. The Foundation's focus is the promotion of good governance in Africa and the recognition of excellence in African leadership.

The Prize Committee welcomed the progress made on governance in some African countries while noting with concern recent setbacks in other countries.

This year the Prize Committee has considered some credible candidates. However, after in-depth review, the Prize Committee could not select a winner."

By Mark Memmott

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in the case of men who have challenged the U.S. government's right to continue holding them at the Guantanamo Bay detention center even though it's been determined they represent no threat to the USA.

Whether the case will ever really reach the High Court isn't clear, however. All but one of the group -- ethnic Uighurs from western China -- have already been released or will be soon. If none are left at the detention center by the time the case would be heard next year, it might be dismissed instead.

Also today, a new coalition of retired U.S. military officers and the progressive group VoteVets.org released the first of what it says will be a series of national TV ads urging Congress to "close Gitmo now":

Former representative Tom Andrews, D-Maine, is among the group's organizers.

By Mark Memmott

The only American arrested in Iran during the crackdown on protesters following that country's June presidential election has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Kian Tajbakhsh was prosecuted during a mass trial of alleged Iranian opposition members and reportedly faced charges including espionage, contacting foreign agents and acting against Iran's national security, the Associated Press writes.

As Reuters reports:

The verdict looked certain to anger the United States, which is seeking to engage the Islamic Republic in direct talks to resolve a long-running row over Tehran's disputed nuclear ambitions.

Tajbakhsh was among more than 100 people detained after the presidential poll who were in the dock at a series of mass trials that got under way in August on charges of fomenting post-election street unrest.

Tajbakhsh was accused of espionage and acting against national security.

The presidential poll, which was followed by huge opposition protests, plunged Iran into its deepest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The moderate opposition says it was rigged to secure President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. Officials deny it.

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

As we reported just a few minutes ago, it's looking more and more like there will be a election run-off in Afghanistan between incumbent President Hamid Karzai and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah. Also, as we've already noted, firm director Roman Polanski was told today that he must wait in a Swiss prison while he fights against extradition to the United States.

Among the other stories making headlines:

-- The Washington Post -- Poll Shows Most Americans Support "Public Option" In Health Care: "A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that support for a government-run health-care plan to compete with private insurers has rebounded from its summertime lows and wins clear majority support from the public. ... Sizable majorities back two key and controversial provisions: both the so-called public option and a new mandate that would require all Americans to carry health insurance.

-- The Associated Press -- Talks With Iran Bog Down: "Talks meant to persuade Iran to send most of its enriched uranium abroad -- and thus delay its potential to make a nuclear weapon -- bogged down Tuesday over fierce Iranian resistance to French participation, diplomats said. Tuesday was the second day of talks in the Austrian capital between Iran and the United States, Russia and France over Iran's nuclear program. But discussions were delayed at least two hours in an attempt to resolve the impasse over the French."

Related report from NPR's Eric Westervelt in Vienna:

The talks are aimed at hammering out details of a plan Iran agreed to in principle in Geneva earlier this month. The deal would send about 75% of Iran's declared stockpile of low enriched uranium to Russia and France for processing and would be returned to Iran as fuel for use in a medical research reactor in Tehran.

-- Morning Edition -- "Iran, U.S. Wage A Quiet War Over The Economy". NPR's Tom Gjelten reports:

-- BBC News -- Blast Rocks University In Islamabad: "At least four people have been killed and 18 wounded in bomb explosions at a university in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, officials say. Police say the blasts at the International Islamic University were caused by suicide bombers. The attack is the first since the Pakistani army began its offensive against militants in South Waziristan, in the country's north-west. Pakistan was hit by a wave of bombings in the days before the assault began."

-- Los Angeles Times -- AIDS Vaccine Positive Results Might Have Been Just By Chance: "A secondary analysis of data from the Thai AIDS vaccine trial -- announced last month to much acclaim -- suggests that the vaccine might provide some protection against the virus, but that the results are not statistically significant. In short, they could have come about merely by chance."

By Mark Memmott

Those who have followed closely the tragedy in Darfur know that in recent months two of the key players on the Obama administrations policy team -- U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and special envoy J. Scott Gration (a retired Air Force major general) -- have seemed to disagree over how best to approach the government of Sudan, and over whether the killing in Darfur still amounts to genocide.

As this story from August shows, Rice has talked of the "ongoing genocide." Gration has spoke of the "remnants of genocide."

Words are critical to diplomacy, of course. Just a short while ago, All Things Considered host Melissa Block spoke with Gration about today's announcement by the administration of a new policy on Sudan. Melissa noted that while Rice and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton both used the word "genocide" today, Gration did not. Does he think the genocide continues in Darfur?

Continue reading "Gration, Without Using Word, Agrees That 'Genocide' Continues In Darfur" >

By Mark Memmott

As the time for today's announcement of a new U.S. policy toward Sudan and its tragically troubled region of Darfur drew near, there was interest in just what word President Barack Obama would use to describe what's happening there. His statement is now out and the word he used is "genocide".

Here is the president's message, which was just released by the White House:

Continue reading "Obama: Genocide Must End In Darfur" >

The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland during a September session on the Gaza conflict. (Salvatore Di Nolfi / AP Photo)

By Frank James

In an expected move, the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday approved a report that described Israel's actions in Gaza at the end of 2008 and start of 2009 as war crimes. Israel entered the Palestinian-run territory last December to confront the militant group Hamas after rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza.

The council, which generally tilts against Israel, also passed a resolution Friday criticizing the Jewish state while ignoring Hamas' provocations, specifically the launching of those rockets at Israeli cities.

The resolution not only criticized Israel for its actions confronting Hamas in Gaza earlier this year but for other, long-term actions, for example restrictions it places on Palestinians in East Jerusalem and excavation activities around the Al Aqsa Mosque, a site Muslims consider sacred.

That one-sided condemnation came despite the the report, the work of investigators led by South African Richard Goldstone, also describing some Hamas actions as war-crimes, namely the aforementioned indiscriminate rocketing of civilian areas in Israel.

The council's membership includes some nations that have historically been unfriendly to Israel over the decades who also aren't synonymous with human rights, states like Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Cuba.

As Reuters reports:

In a special session proposed by the Palestinians, 25 states including China and Russia endorsed the resolution. Six including the United States voted against, and 11 abstained. Four, including France and Britain, did not vote.

Continue reading "UN Rights Council Condemns Israel, Gives Hamas Pass On Gaza Conflict" >

By Mark Memmott

Some of the news that's broken overnight from overseas:

Pakistan: "A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at a mosque next to a police station in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar on Friday, killing 11 people in the latest bloodshed in an unrelenting wave of terror that has hit the country," the Associated Press writes.

From Islamabad, NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that "militants are thought to be intensifying their campaign of terror to stall or pre-empt an army operation in South Waziristan, their stronghold."

Iraq: Reuters reports that "a suicide bomb killed nine people and wounded 33 on Friday in an attack on a Sunni Muslim mosque in north Iraq's restive province of Nineveh, police said."

Afghanistan: "The U.S. military says four American service members have been killed in a bombing in southern Afghanistan," the AP reports. "A U.S. statement Friday said that two of the service members were killed instantly in the blast and two others suffered fatal injuries in the same explosion. Names of the victims and the precise location of the Thursday attack were not released. The latest deaths bring to 25 the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan this month."

Indonesia: "A strong earthquake has rattled buildings in Indonesia's capital," Jakarata, the AP says. The estimated magnitude: 6.4. There's no word yet on injuries or damages.

By Mark Memmott

There have been more attacks on military sites in Pakistan today, as we just reported, and a loud explosion has been heard in the city of Peshawar. We'll keep an eye on events there as the day continues.

The economy will be in the news again this morning. At 8:30 a.m. ET, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the September consumer price index -- the most-watched measure of inflation at the consumer level. And at 9:30 a.m. ET, stocks resume trading on Wall Street. Will the Dow Jones industrial index move even higher after cracking the 10,000 mark yesterday?

Also today, President Barack Obama visits New Orleans for the first time since taking office last January. At an early afternoon town hall meeting, he'll get a chance to hear directly from residents about how the long, slow recovery from 2005's Hurricane Katrina is going.

The Times-Picayune asked locals about what things they think the president should see. As the newspaper says:

Though most New Orleans-area residents were heartened by the news that Obama would be making his first presidential visit to the region Thursday, nine months into his first term, there also has been carping that his itinerary is on the light side.

From WWNO in New Orleans, Eileen Fleming reports that some local officials wish Obama was spending more than a few hours in their battered region:

Other stories making headlines include:

-- The Associated Press -- "Italy Denies Paying Off Taliban In Afghanistan": "The Italian government denied a newspaper report Thursday that its secret services paid the Taliban thousands of dollars to keep an area in Afghanistan controlled by the Italians safe. Premier Silvio Berlusconi's office called the report in the Times of London 'completely groundless.' The defense minister said the paper published 'rubbish.' "

Times of London -- "Berlusconi Attempts To Duck Afghanistan Bribe Scandal": "Silvio Berlusconi today sought to duck the blame for a series of secret Italian payments to Taliban fighters that left French soldiers exposed in Afghanistan. The Italian prime minister denied any knowledge of money paid to Afghan warlords in an apparent attempt to divert attention over the clandestine deals to his predecessor's administration. The Times has learned that when French soldiers arrived to assume control of the Sarobi area, east of Kabul, in mid-2008, they were not informed that the departing Italians had kept the region relatively peaceful by paying local Taliban fighters to remain inactive.

Update at 9:25 a.m. ET. The Associated Press now reports that:

In Kabul, a U.S. spokesman for NATO forces in Afghanistan denied the allegations. "We don't do bribes," Col. Wayne Shanks said. "We don't pay the insurgents."

-- Morning Edition -- Zazi Allegedly Made Contact With Top Al-Qaida Operative. "The man arrested last month for allegedly plotting to blow up targets in New York contacted one of Osama bin Laden's right-hand men, U.S. intelligence officials say." NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports:

-- The New York Times -- "Public Option Is Next Big Hurdle In Health Debate": "As the White House and Congressional leaders turned in earnest on Wednesday to working out big differences in the five health care bills, perhaps no issue loomed as a greater obstacle than whether to establish a government-run competitor to the insurance industry."

-- NPR News -- Foreclosures Rose 5% From Summer To Fall. NPR's Jack Speer reports:

By Mark Memmott

The "escalating wave of terror" in Pakistan continues today with news that "teams of gunmen attacked law enforcement facilities across the eastern city of Lahore." The Associated Press says at least 38 people were killed and that the attacks appear to be "aimed at scuttling a planned offensive into the militant heartland on the Afghan border (and) highlight the militants' ability to carry out sophisticated strikes on heavily fortified facilities."

And just moments ago, Reuters and the AP reported that a large explosion has been heard in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

On Morning Edition, NPR's Julie McCarthy spoke with host Steve Inskeep from Islamabad. Pakistani officials, she said, say "the hunters are being hunted" as militants go after the government's counterterrorism forces.

By Mark Memmott

"North Korea offered a rare apology Wednesday," the Associated Press writes, when one its officials expressed regret for last month's release of water that caused flooding downstream in South Korea and killed seven people -- six of them in the South.

From Seoul, Doualy Xaykaothao reports for NPR that a North Korean official told his South Korean counterparts, without going into details, that the water was released to avoid some sort of even worse catastrophe in the North:

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

Now that the Senate Finance Committee has passed its version of legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system, work begins on melding that bill with the version passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Meanwhile, as we reported a few minutes ago, there's going to be renewed attention today for the bonuses paid to executives at bailed-out insurance giant AIG. A House committee will hear testimony on the problem that the Treasury Department had trying to understand AIG's compensation plan.

As for other stories making headlines, they include:

-- CBS News -- "Afghan Corruption Could Derail Troop Surge": "Rampant government corruption might derail the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan even if as many as 80,000 additional U.S. troops are sent to the war, the top military commander there has concluded, according to U.S. officials briefed on his recommendations. The conclusion by Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal is part of a still-secret document that requests more troops even as he warns that they ultimately may not prevent terrorists from turning Afghanistan back into a haven."

-- The Guardian -- "Gordon Brown To Send More British Troops To Afghanistan": British Prime Minister Gordon Brown "will announce in parliament today that he has agreed to send 500 more soldiers to Afghanistan, straight after reading out a grim roll call of the 37 troops who were killed in the conflict while MPs were on their summer recess."

-- Morning Edition -- "U.S. Lawmakers Tout Aid Plan That's Heavily Criticized In Pakistan": NPR's Michele Kelemen reports:

-- The Washington Post -- "Health Insurers Emerge As Obama's Top Foe In Reform Effort": "Attacks on the leading Democratic reform plan this week by the insurance lobby left little doubt that two of the most powerful institutions involved in the debate -- the White House and the nation's insurance companies -- have abandoned any real hope of forging a compromise."

Related report on All Things Considered -- "Insurance Lobby Group Says Plan Would Spike Costs":

-- Los Angeles Times -- Southern California Battered By Storm: About 12,000 people in Los Angeles were without power last night as a storm pummeled Southern California. "The storm, which battered the northern part of the state with heavy rain and wind, was losing power but could still dump up to 4 inches of rain in mountain areas ravaged by recent wildfires, according to the National Weather Service. About half an inch of rain was expected in coastal areas."

Related report from NPR News -- Record Rainfall In Many Areas:

-- The Wall Street Journal -- "Drink's iPhone 'App' Gets Anger Flowing": "Energy drinks are meant to be edgy and cool, and drunk by young men. So PepsiCo Inc. decided to release an Apple iPhone application for its Amp Energy drink to appeal to guys out on the prowl. Now the snack and beverage giant is facing a storm of criticism for 'Amp Up Before You Score.' The app, released last Friday, purports to help men pick up any one of 24 types of women, such as the 'sorority girl,' 'cougar,' 'rebound girl' or 'punk rock girl.' "

Related story on Morning Edition -- "Pepsi Apologizes After iPhone App Spurs Complaints". NPR's Laura Sydell reports:

By Mark Memmott

Just hours after Britain's The Guardian published a very unusual story about how it had been "prevented from reporting parliamentary proceedings on legal grounds which appear to call into question privileges guaranteeing free speech established under the 1688 Bill of Rights," the gag has been lifted.

"The existence of a previously secret injunction against the media by oil traders Trafigura can now be revealed," The Guardian now writes.

It appears the legal firm representing a company accused of dumping toxic waste in Ivory Coast has withdrawn its objection to The Guardian reporting that a member of parliament wants an explanation for why information about the dumping case was being suppressed.

As The Guardian notes:

The right to report (on) parliament was the subject of many struggles in the 18th century, with the MP and journalist John Wilkes fighting every authority -- up to the king -- over the right to keep the public informed. After Wilkes's battle, wrote the historian Robert Hargreaves, 'it gradually became accepted that the public had a constitutional right to know what their elected representatives were up to.' "

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

The top story as the day gets going, as we reported a few minutes ago, is the Senate Finance Committee vote on its version of legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system.

The committee meets at 10 a.m. ET. We'll post an update on the news, and the NPR Health Blog will also be following the action.

Among the other stories making headlines:

-- The Washington Post -- "Support Troops Swelling U.S. Force In Afghanistan": "President Obama announced in March that he would be sending 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. But in an unannounced move, the White House has also authorized -- and the Pentagon is deploying -- at least 13,000 troops beyond that number, according to defense officials. The additional troops are primarily support forces, including engineers, medical personnel, intelligence experts and military police. Their deployment has received little mention by officials at the Pentagon and the White House, who have spoken more publicly about the combat troops who have been sent to Afghanistan."

-- BBC News -- Al-Qaida Faces A "Funding Crisis": Al-Qaida "is in its worst financial state for many years while the Taliban's funding is flourishing, according to the US Treasury. Senior Treasury official David Cohen said al-Qaida had made several appeals for funds already this year. The influence of the network -- damaged by U.S. efforts to choke funding -- is waning, he said. The Taliban, meanwhile, are in better financial shape, bolstered by Afghanistan's booming trade in drugs."

-- The Associated Press -- Pakistani Jets Bomb Militants: "Pakistani jets bombed militant targets in the main insurgent stronghold along the Afghan border Tuesday ahead of an expected ground offensive there, while the army killed 26 insurgents elsewhere in the northwest, authorities said."

Related conversation on Morning Edition -- Journalist Rashed Rahman tells NPR's Steve Inskeep that militants may be trying to provoke the Pakistani military into attacking:

-- The New York Times -- "Congress Is Split On Effort To Tax Costly Health Plans": "A proposed tax on high-cost, or 'Cadillac,' health insurance plans has touched off a fierce clash between the Senate and the House as they wrestle over how to pay for legislation that would provide health benefits to millions of uninsured Americans."

-- Morning Edition -- After Saying GOP Health Plan Is To Have Folks "Die Quickly," Rep. Grayson Stirs Debate: NPR's Greg Allen reports:

-- Los Angeles Times -- "Schwarzenegger Pens A New Course For California": "After threatening a mass veto to spur a big water deal, the governor reversed course, revved up his ballpoint pen and signed a surprising slate of legislation. It included bills he had vetoed in the past and a flurry of measures that steered sharply away from the socially conservative Republican base the governor has rarely embraced."

-- Morning Edition -- "Arrest For Wearing Pants Galvanizes Women In Sudan": NPR's Gwen Thompkins reports:

By Mark Memmott

Good morning. It's Columbus Day, so many folks in the U.S. aren't at work, most schools are closed and the mail isn't being delivered.

But The Two-Way is up and running -- and we've already passed along the news that two Americans (and for the first time, a woman) won this year's Nobel Prize in economics. And, there's been word that North Korea has reportedly test-fired two more short-range missiles.

As for other stories making headlines, they include:

-- The New York Times -- "U.S. Can't Trace Foreign Visitors On Expired Visas": "Eight years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and despite repeated mandates from Congress, the United States still has no reliable system for verifying that foreign visitors have left the country. New concern was focused on that security loophole last week, when Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian who had overstayed his tourist visa, was accused in court of plotting to blow up a Dallas skyscraper."

-- The Associated Press -- "New Blast In Pakistan As Taliban Vow More Attacks": "The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility Monday for a weekend siege on army headquarters and vowed to activate militant cells across the country for more attacks as another explosion in a market killed at least 41 people."

Related story on Morning Edition -- "Attack On Pakistani Army Spotlights Punjab Province": The region is a terrorist recruitment and training ground, NPR's Julie McCarthy reports:

-- CBS News -- "Gun Troubles For U.S. Troops In Afghanistan": The problems some U.S. troops have had with misfiring weapons during intense firefights raises a question -- "Eight years into the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, do U.S. armed forces have the best guns money can buy? Despite the military's insistence that they do, a small but vocal number of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq has complained that the standard-issue M4 rifles need too much maintenance and jam at the worst possible times."

-- Morning Edition -- Expert Says Already Strapped U.S. Military Will Be Strained Even Further By Any Ramping Up In Afghanistan. John Nagl, a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and president of the Center for a New American Security, spoke with host Steve Inskeep:

Related story in The New York Times -- "Civilian Goals Largely Unmet In Afghanistan."

-- The Associated Press -- "Insurers Mount Attack Against Health Overhaul": "After working for months behind the scenes to help shape health care legislation, the insurance industry is now sharply attacking the emerging plan with a report that maintains Senate legislation would increase the cost of a typical policy by hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars a year."

On the march. (Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images)

-- The Washington Post -- Gay Rights March Pushes Marital, Military Equality: "Tens of thousands of gay-rights activists marched Sunday in Washington to show President Obama and Congress that they are impatient with what they consider piecemeal progress and are ready to fight at the federal level for across-the-board equality, including for the right to marry and the right to serve in the military."

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

By Mark Memmott

News alert from South Korea's Yonhap News Agency:

North Korea fires two short-range missiles off east coast

As the Associated Press notes:

In the past, such launches have often been seen as routine military exercises by the North. The latest firings come as Pyongyang has said it is ready to return to international talks on its nuclear weapons programme, though insisted it holds talks first with the United States.

Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that the North has declared a "no-sail zone" of its east coast.

Update at 10:22 a.m. ET: Yonhap has added to its story here.

Update at 8:43 a.m. ET. From Beijing, NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports that Yonhap now says the North fired at least five missiles.

By Frank James

It was predictable that conservative heads would explode after they learned that President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

But what's fascinating is that some liberal heads are exploding too.

Peter Beinart, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, writes this on the Daily Beast:

I like Barack Obama as much as the next liberal, but this is a farce. He's done nothing to deserve the prize. Sure, he's given some lovely speeches and launched some initiatives--on Iran, Israeli-Palestinian peace, climate change and nuclear disarmament--that might, if he's really lucky and really good, make the world a more safe, more just, more peaceful world. But there's absolutely no way to know if he'll succeed, and by giving him the Nobel Prize as a kind of "atta boy," the Nobel Committee is actually just highlighting the gap that conservatives have long highlighted: between Obamamania as global hype and Obama's actual accomplishments.

But Obama will survive this award. The damage to the Nobel Committee itself will be greater. They've clearly fallen in love with celebrity, and with the idea of shaping the course of history--in other words, they've fallen in love with an absurdly grandiose conception of their role. The Nobel Prize Committee should be in the business of conferring celebrity on unknown human-rights and peace activists toiling in the most god-forsaken parts of the world; the people who really need the attention (and even the money). It should be in the business of angering powerful tyrants by giving their victims a moment in the sun. Choosing Barack Obama, who practically orbits the sun already, accomplishes the exact opposite of that. Let's hope Obama eventually deserves this award. And let's hope the Nobel Committee's decision meets with such a deafening chorus of chortles and jeers that it never does something this stupid again.

Mohandas Gandhi was just one notable non-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. (AP Photo)

By Frank James

This morning's bracing news from Oslo that President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has led to a lot of head scratching.

And as a Foreign Policy magazine piece reminds us, the bewilderment felt by so many Friday morning at the latest decision by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee isn't unprecedented.

FP has a list of notables who never won the prize but should have.

Leading the list is everyone's favorite non-winner, Mohandas Gandhi, who embodied the ironic idea of non-violence as the most powerful weapon to effect social change. And Gandhi didn't win despite being nominated thrice.

As the piece notes, the Nobel Committee seemed to know it erred:

Although the committee considered awarding Gandhi the prize in 1948, following his assassination, Alfred Nobel's will clearly required that the award be given to a living person. However, the decision to not dispense any award that year because "there was no suitable living candidate" appears to be an implicit admission that the committee missed its opportunity to recognize Gandhi's accomplishments.

Continue reading "Nobel Peace Prize's Notable Omissions " >

By Mark Memmott

President Barack Obama, who has been in office just short of nine months, has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, it was just announced in Oslo.

In what can only be called a huge surprise, the Nobel committee gave the new American president the award because of "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

More as we get it.

Update at 5:45 a.m. ET. We're putting a Cover It Live box into this post so that we can roll in news and reactions to the announcement as they happen. Just click the "play" button below and our updates should flow in automatically. Also, if you have a comment add it in the box at the bottom of the player. We'll publish as many as we can (below the box are our earlier updates and a poll question):

Update at 5:37 a.m. ET: The last time a sitting U.S. president won the Peace Prize was in 1919, when Woodrow Wilson was given the honor.

The only other sitting U.S. president to win was Theodore Roosevelt, in 1906.

Update at 5:32 a.m. ET. Here's the committee's statement:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

Update at 5:25 a.m. ET. A question many will be asking:

By Mark Memmott

With his nation firmly in the center of the news about the fight against terrorism in Central Asia, former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf is out telling Americans that they should be prepared to send more troops to neighboring Afghanistan to assist in that battle.

Musharraf, who faces some legal challenges back home because of accusations that he unlawfully put judges under house arrest during a state of emergency and other issues, was on on NPR's Talk of the Nation this afternoon.

We used this post to live-blog the highlights of Musharraf's conversation with Neal Conan and his exchanges with listeners. Just click the "play" button below and our updates should flow in automatically. Later today, the audio will be posted here.

By Mark Memmott

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who's under quite a bit of suspicion over charges of alleged corruption and personal misbehavior, today lost the immunity from prosecution that his political partners gave him last year.

Italy's Constitutional Court, as the Associated Press writes, overturned a 2008 law "that had caused the suspension of a trial in which Berlusconi was charged with ordering the 1997 payment of at least $600,000 to British lawyer David Mills in exchange for the lawyer's false testimony at two hearings in other corruption cases in to the 1990s."

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli says the ruling cannot be appealed and that there are two other cases against Berlusconi that can now proceed:

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

We already passed along word that this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded to three scientists who did ground-breaking work on ribosomes, which help translate DNA information into life.

But there's plenty of other news as the day gets going. Among the stories making headlines:

-- The New York Times -- "Obama Rules Out Large Reduction In Afghan Force": " President Obama told Congressional leaders on Tuesday that he would not substantially reduce American forces in Afghanistan or shift the mission to just hunting terrorists there, but he indicated that he remained undecided about the major troop buildup proposed by his commanding general."

Related story by the Los Angeles Times -- "Obama Mulls Middle Ground In Afghanistan War Strategy".

Related story by NPR News -- Congressional Leaders Signal They'll Support President's Decision; But Have Differing Views On What Strategy Should Be.

Related story by Politico -- "Tensions Surface In Afghanistan Meeting": "Sen. John McCain drew a direct response from (President Barack) Obama during the meeting Tuesday afternoon when the Arizona Republican told his former opponent that he shouldn't be making a decision on a strategy for the war in such a 'leisurely' fashion, two sources familiar with the meeting said. A little later in the meeting, Obama told McCain that his decision-making won't be 'leisurely,' because no one feels more urgency to get this right than Obama, the sources said."

-- Morning Edition -- "Amid Afghan Debate, What About Pakistan?" Many analysts say Pakistan is more critical than Afghanistan to long-term U.S. plans for Central Asia, as NPR's Jackie Northam reports:

Related conversation on Morning Edition -- Washington Post columnist David Ignatius talks with host Renee Montagne about his recent visit to Pakistan's Swat Valley, which until recently was under Taliban control:

-- Dallas Morning News -- Inquiry On Hold In Flawed Arson Case That Led To Execution: " The Texas Forensic Science Commission's inquiry into a flawed arson investigation that led to a Corsicana man's execution is on hold for now, and it's unclear how or when it will move forward, the commission's new chairman said Tuesday. Gov. Rick Perry appointed Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley last week, two days before a scheduled public hearing with experts critical of the evidence used in Cameron Todd Willingham's murder-arson case. Bradley canceled the hearing, saying he and another new commissioner needed time to prepare."

-- Morning Edition -- Supreme Court Takes Up Case On Legality Of Memorial Cross On Federal Land. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports:

-- The Associated Press -- Obama's Approval Rating Edges Up In AP-GfK Poll: "President Barack Obama's approval ratings are starting to rise after declining ever since his inauguration, new poll figures show as the country's mood begins to brighten. But concerns about the economy, health care and war persist, and support for the war in Afghanistan is falling. An Associated Press-GfK poll says 56% of those surveyed in the past week approve of Obama's job performance, up from 50% in September. It's the first time since he took office in January that his rating has gone up."

Related chart from Pollster.com. Consensus of polls shows president's approval and disapproval ratings converging since Inauguration Day -- but holding steady in recent weeks:

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

By Frank James

One of Africa's most wanted fugitives was arrested Monday for his alleged role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Idelphonse Nizeyimana, who was one of Africa's most-wanted fugitives for his alleged role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, is now in UN custody. (AP Photo/U.S. Department of State)

Idelphonse Nizeyimana was arrested Monday at a hotel in Kampala, Uganda. A senior Rwandan army officer at the time of the massacre, he was accused of ordering the extermination of Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

He's also been charged with having his troops kill the former queen of Rwandan, Rosalie Gicanda, an important figure for Tutsis.

Nizeyimana has also been implicated in the violence in eastern Congo, where former members of the Rwandan military have been responsible for atrocities against civilians.

Under indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Nizeyimana was transferred to the UN detention in Arusha, Tanzania.

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

As we reported a short time ago, the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded today to three scientists who pioneered fiber optics and the transmission of digital data over those lines.

Coming up this afternoon, President Barack Obama will visit the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Va. The Washington Post says he will tell intelligence officials "that their recent successes have proved how effectively multiple agencies can perform when they work in concert." As the Post adds:

The White House has been charting a delicate course as it attempts to turn the page on Bush-era anti-terrorism policies. Even as Obama wages a war in Afghanistan that he has called critical to curbing terrorism, his administration is trying to defend itself from criticism by former vice president Richard B. Cheney and other Republicans for casting aside what they say are critical tools for protecting the United States.

Obama aides pointed to the events leading up to the recent arrest of Najibullah Zazi as a prime example of what they say is the president's deep involvement in anti-terrorism efforts.

As for other stories making headlines, they include:

-- The Independent -- Arab States, China, Russia, Japan And France Are Discussing Not Using Dollar For Oil Trading: "In the most profound financial change in recent Middle East history, Gulf Arabs are planning -- along with China, Russia, Japan and France -- to end dollar dealings for oil, moving instead to a basket of currencies including the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, unified currency planned for nations in the Gulf Co-operation Council, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar. ... The plans, confirmed to The Independent by both Gulf Arab and Chinese banking sources in Hong Kong, may help to explain the sudden rise in gold prices, but it also augurs an extraordinary transition from dollar markets within nine years."

Related story by Bloomberg News -- "Saudi Bank Governor Denies Talks To Replace Dollar": "Saudi Arabia hasn't held talks with China and other countries on dropping the dollar as the currency for pricing oil, Saudi Central Bank Governor Muhammad al-Jasser said, denying a report in the U.K.'s Independent newspaper. The Independent report is 'absolutely incorrect' and there has been 'absolutely nothing' of that nature discussed between Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, and other countries, al-Jasser told reporters in Istanbul, where he's attending an International Monetary Fund summit. The dollar pared losses after his remarks."

-- Morning Edition -- McChrystal In Hot Water Over "Appearance" Of Speaking Out Of Line. NPR's Tom Bowman reports that the comments made by the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan are not all that unusual:

Related story by The Wall Street Journal -- "Afghan War Units Begin 2 New Efforts": "The Pentagon is establishing two new units devoted to the Afghan war, highlighting the military's focus on the conflict even as the White House considers scaling back the overall U.S. mission there. The units -- a so-called Afghan Hands program run out of the Pentagon and a new intelligence center within Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- are designed to help troops deepen their intelligence about the country's complex political and tribal dynamics."

Related story by ABC News -- "Exclusive: Wounded U.S. Soldiers Refused To Leave Taliban Fight".

-- The New York Times -- "U.S. Push To Expand In Pakistan Meets Resistance": "Steps by the United States to vastly expand its aid to Pakistan, as well as the footprint of its embassy and private security contractors here, are aggravating an already volatile anti-American mood as Washington pushes for greater action by the government against the Taliban."

-- Morning Edition -- "Tale Of Exploding Assassin Worries Security Officials": An al-Qaida suicide bomber who had hidden an explosive inside his body managed to have a private meeting with a Saudi prince. The resulting explosion killed the bomber, the prince was only slightly injured -- and security experts are deeply troubled. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports:

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

By Mark Memmott

"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Revealed To Have Jewish Past," The Daily Telegraph reported over the weekend.

Not true, says a Middle East analyst who wrote a biography of the Iranian leader.

Meir Javedanfar writes in The Guardian that the Ahmadinejad family's previous name -- Sabourjian -- is not, as the Daily Telegraph reported, "a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver."

Javedanfar notes that Guardian correspondent previously reported that "sabor" is Farsi for thread painter -- and that the carpet industry was once common in the Iranian leader's native home of Semnan province.

We expect more experts will be weighing in on this.

By Mark Memmott

The man who now claims to be leading the Pakistani Taliban reportedly met with a small group of reporters from his clan on Sunday and vowed to avenge the killing of his brother, who preceded him as head of the militant group.

The BBC and other news media outlets say that Hakimullah Mehsud met with about five journalists at an undisclosed location. There have been rumors in recent weeks that he too is dead. Baitullah Mehsud, Hakimullah's brother and then the head of the Pakistani Taliban, was killed in August by a U.S. missile attack. Another Mehsud brother, Kalimullah, was killed last month in a clash with Pakistani security forces.

Pakistan's Dawn writes that:

Mehsud said his group would avenge the killing of Baitullah Mehsud and strike back at Pakistan and the U.S. for the increasing number of drone attacks in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.

Today in Islamabad, a suicide bomber killed at least five people at the U.N. food agency's headquarters.

On Morning Edition, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told host Renee Montagne that his country "is playing its role" in going after terrorists within its borders. Qureshi also said that if the U.S. knows where key Taliban leaders are in Pakistan, it should share that intelligence so that Pakistani forces can go after them. And, he said the U.S. needs to make a "long-term commitment" to Pakistan and the region:

By Mark Memmott

Good morning. It's the first Monday in October and that means a new Supreme Court session begins today. As NPR's Nina Totenberg reported on Morning Edition, the issues on the court's docket include gun rights, the separation of church and state and the tension between efforts to regulate campaign finance and the First Amendment:

For an interactive look at the major cases in the new term, click here.

Meanwhile, among the stories making headlines are:

-- NPR News -- "Three Americans Share Nobel Medicine Prize": "Three American scientists who made key discoveries about how living cells age have received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The winners are Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco; Carol W. Greider of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; and Jack Szostak of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston." The news of their honor was announced this morning in Stockholm. NPR's Jon Hamilton also filed this audio report:

-- The Associated Press -- Suicide Bomber Kills 5 At U.N. Office In Islamabad: "A suicide bomber disguised as a security officer struck the lobby of the U.N. food agency's Pakistan headquarters Monday, killing five people a day after the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban vowed fresh assaults, authorities and witnesses said."

Related story on Morning Edition -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Says If U.S. Knows Where Taliban Leader Is, His Country Will Catch Him. NPR's Renee Montagne spoke with Shah Mahmood Qureshi:

-- The New York Times -- "Attacks On Remote Posts Highlight Afghan Risks": " Insurgents attacked a pair of remote American military bases in Afghanistan over the weekend in a deadly battle that underscored the vulnerability of the kind of isolated bases that the top American commander there wants to scale back."

Related story on Morning Edition -- Insurgents Are Pouring Across Border From Pakistan, Says Governor Of Afghan Province. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports from Kabul:

Related story by The Washington Post -- Gen. McChrystal "Faulted On Troop Statements": "National security adviser James L. Jones suggested Sunday that the public campaign being conducted by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan on behalf of his war strategy is complicating the internal White House review underway, saying that "it is better for military advice to come up through the chain of command."

-- BBC News -- "Search Ends For Sumatra Survivors": "Officials in the earthquake-hit city of Padang, Indonesia, have called off the search for survivors in the rubble of buildings five days after the disaster. The focus has turned to bringing aid and medical help to survivors in the city and the surrounding areas. At least 1,000 people have died and at least 1,000 remain missing after the earthquake struck last Wednesday."

Related story on Morning Edition -- "Thousands Still Missing In Wake Of Sumatra Quake." Doualy Xaykaothao reports from Padang, Sumatra:

-- Morning Edition -- First Doses Of Swine Flu Vaccine Start Arriving This Week. Have Questions? NPR Will Try To Answer Them:

Click here at noon ET for an online chat, hosted by the NPR Health Blog, with NPR's Richard Knox and Dr. Richard Wenzel, professor and chair of internal medicine at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond.

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

By Mark Memmott

On the one hand, it's been announced that Iran will allow officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its newly revealed uranium enrichment site on Oct. 25 -- a site Iran says is to generate fuel to be used for peaceful purposes.

And the IAEA's chief, Mohamed ElBaradie says this development is a sign that "we are at a critical moment ... we are shifting gears from confrontation into transparency and cooperation."

On the other hand, The New York Times reports this morning that:

Senior staff members of the United Nations nuclear agency have concluded in a confidential analysis that Iran has acquired "sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable" atom bomb.

While preliminary, the Times writes, "the report's conclusions, described by senior European officials, go well beyond the public positions taken by several governments, including the United States."

The international agency mentioned by the Times is the IAEA. The Times says that:

While the analysis represents the judgment of the nuclear agency's senior staff, a struggle has erupted in recent months over whether to make it public. The dispute pits the agency's departing director, Mohamed ElBaradei, against his own staff and against foreign governments eager to intensify pressure on Iran.

Dr. ElBaradei has long been reluctant to adopt a confrontational strategy with Iran, an approach he considers counterproductive. Responding to calls for the report's release, he has raised doubts about its completeness and reliability.

By Mark Memmott

These aren't the kinds of things you hear from many Western executives when their companies are in trouble:

-- Bloomberg News -- "Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest automaker, is 'grasping for salvation' as it predicts a second straight annual loss, President Akio Toyoda said. ...

"The automaker is one step away from 'capitulation to irrelevance or death,' Toyoda said, citing a study of how companies fail. Toyota has forecast a record loss of 450 billion yen ($5 billion) in the year ending March after the worldwide recession pummeled car demand."

-- The New York Times -- "From grief over a fatal crash linked to Toyota floor mats to regrets over the company's forecast for a second consecutive annual loss, the executive offered a litany of apologies to astonished reporters gathered for a briefing Friday at the Japan National Press Club."

-- Kyodo News -- "Toyoda said a 'once-in-a-century shakeup' is necessary to free the battered auto industry from oil dependence and promised to bring the company back to its roots in pursuing a customer-first policy."

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

It's already been a busy morning, there's much more news expected as the day gets going and there are several interesting stories from overnight to pass along. So let's get right to it.

As we just reported, President Barack Obama has made his in-person pitch to the International Olympic Committee on behalf of Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Games. The IOC's decision is due around 12:30 p.m. ET.

While Air Force One was still on the ground in Copenhagen, Obama met with the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. The general has said he needs more troops. Obama is reviewing U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

Coming up at 8:30 a.m. ET, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports on September job losses and that month's unemployment rate. As NPR's John Ydstie told Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep, economists say it's likely the jobless rate inched up from August's 9.7%.

As for other stories making headlines, they include:

-- The Associated Press -- 3,000 May Be Trapped Under Quake Rubble In Indonesia: "Indonesia's Health Ministry says nearly 3,000 people may still be trapped under rubble after a powerful earthquake two days ago. Priyadi Kardono, a spokesman for the ministry's Disaster Management Agency, said Friday 715 people have been confirmed dead and 2,400 hospitalized."

Related story from BBC News -- "Indonesia Awaits World Quake Aid": "International rescue teams are heading to Indonesia in a last-ditch effort to free trapped earthquake survivors. Experts from the U.K., Australia and South Korea were en route to Sumatra, hit by a 7.6-magnitude quake two days ago. Others pledged emergency cash. More than 1,000 people are already known to have died, the U.N. says, with thousands thought to remain trapped. But one survivor was found on Friday: a young woman pulled, barely conscious, from within a collapsed school."

-- The Wall Street Journal -- "Comcast, NBC In Deal Talks": "Talks to merge Comcast Corp.'s cable networks and General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal are the latest sign of a big shift in television, with cable channels becoming more valuable than broadcast networks and companies rethinking their strategies for making and delivering content to consumers in a digital era."

-- Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Reid Says Health Care Legislation Will Have "Public Option": "Any health insurance reform bill that lands on the desk of President Barack Obama will include a so-called 'public option,' Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Thursday. What that public option will be remains unclear. 'We are going to have a public option before this bill goes to the president's desk,' (the Senate majority leader) said during a conference call with Nevada residents."

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

By Mark Memmott

President Barack Obama has made the first direct pitch ever by a U.S. leader to the Internationl Olympic Committee on behalf of an American city's effort to host the Summer Games.

Now all that's left to do is await the IOC's announcement about which city will get the 2016 games. That news is expected at 12:30 p.m. ET.

In Copenhagen, Obama told IOC leaders that "the city of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud":

Earlier today, on Morning Edition, NPR's Cheryl Corley spoke with host Steve Inskeep from Copenhagen. As she says, Chicago's top competition appears to be Rio de Janeiro:

Franco, and thousands of others, lie here. (Paul White/AP)

By Mark Memmott

Spain's government is going to try to identify tens of thousands of victims of the country's 1936-39 Civil War who were buried at a mausoleum where the remains of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco also reside.

There may be as many as 60,000 bodies -- many who were opponents of Franco's government -- interred at the site, in the Valley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caidos) outside Madrid.

According to Agence France Presse:

The mausoleum was built between 1940 and 1958 on General Franco's orders. But lacking enough bodies of his own supporters to fill it, his regime ordered that remains from the mass graves of Republican soldiers and sympathizers (Franco's opponents) should be transferred there.

Franco died on Nov. 20, 1975. A 2007 law banned what had become annual Masses held at his tomb on the anniversary of his death.

Then yesterday, the Associated Press says, the parliament "approved a proposal for the government to try to account for all the bodies within six months, and to help in exhuming them if relatives wish."

In 2005, NPR's Jerome Socolovsky filed this report for Weekend Edition Sunday about the ongoing controversy over what to do with Franco's tomb:

By Mark Memmott

The death toll continues to rise in Indonesia, where it's thought that more than 1,000 people were killed during yesterday's earthquake off West Sumatra. We've rounded up the latest news from there in this post.

There's much more news to pass along this morning, of course, from the multi-nation talks underway in Geneva between Iran, the U.S. and other nations, to the ongoing discussions within the Obama administration over the appropriate strategy to pursue in Afghanistan.

Among the top stories:

-- NPR.org -- "U.S. Allies Open Nuclear Talks With Iran": "While the U.S. and other powers want to press Iran on its nuclear aspirations and uranium-enrichment program, Iranian officials insist that they will not discuss the issue if it veers beyond a general conversation about nuclear technology amid a host of other unrelated topics."

Related story by The Washington Post -- "Iranian Opposition Warns Against Stricter Sanctions": "As the United States and its allies consider further sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fear that such punishment could have unintended consequences, strengthening the government's hand against domestic dissent and triggering an even harsher crackdown on political foes."

Related story on Morning Edition -- U.S. Has Relatively Low Expectations, But Might Hold One-On-One Talks With Iran. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports from Geneva:

-- The Washington Post -- "On War, Obama Could Turn To GOP": "With much of his party largely opposed to expanding military operations in Afghanistan, President Obama could be forced into the awkward political position of turning to congressional Republicans for support if he follows the recommendations of the commanding U.S. general there."

Related story on Morning Edition -- Differing Views On What To Do. NPR's Steve Inskeep, Tom Gjelten and Don Gonyea talk about the options in Afghanistan:

From a related story by the Associated Press -- McChrystal Reiterates That "Neither Success Nor Failure Can Be Taken For Granted": In a speech today in London, Reuters reports, the head of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan said today of the task ahead in Afghanistan that "I discount immediately anyone who simplifies the problem or offers a solution...or says 'this is what you have got to do' because they absolutely have no clue about the complexity of what we are dealing with." Gen. Stanley McChrystal was speaking to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

-- Morning Edition -- Obamas Lead Final Push For Chicago's Olympics Bid. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports from Copenhagen:

Related story from All Things Considered -- Some In Chicago Don't Want The Games:

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

Khajehpour in 2004. (Andy Wong / AP)

By Mark Memmott

Three months after being accused of plotting against the government and one week after his case was called to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's attention by NPR's Steve Inskeep, Iranian businessman Bijan Khajehpour has been released from a prison in Tehran.

Steve heard the news via e-mails from Khajehpour's colleagues, and a spokesman for Ahmadinejad tells NPR's Davar Iran Ardalan that the president did indeed fulfill a promise to "follow through with the judicial system," and that Khajehpour has been set free.

As Steve wrote on Friday, one day after interviewing Ahmadinejad in New York, the Iranian president's efforts to explain his points of view "made me think of another man who tried to explain Iran" -- Khajehpour -- and to cite his case as one of many examples of people who have been imprisoned because they spoke out against the official results of the June president election.

Steve wrote that:

Khajehpour is an Iranian businessman whom I met in Tehran last January. ...

Like many Iranians, Khajehpour left his country and studied abroad after Iran's Islamic revolution. Unlike millions of Iranians who made new lives abroad, he chose to return to his country. He became a business consultant, working with foreign firms who wanted to do business in Iran. He also met journalists like me, and offered us a window into the Iranian point of view.

It was an optimistic view. "I see the Islamic Republic of Iran as a human being that was born in 1979," he said. "And it was very naughty as a child, made a lot of mistakes in its first decade of life. Today, it's 30 years old and settling down. It's getting married and, you know, finding a house."

That was before the election. After the vote, authorities arrested him. He was one of 100 people put on trial en masse on charges of taking part in a foreign-inspired plot against Iran. A number of Iranians, including a former president, called the trial a sham. ...

The enforced silence of men like Khajehpour makes a powerful statement about Iran's government. It's a statement Ahmadinejad must contend with as he defends Iran before the world.

Khajehpour's release, of course, still leaves dozens of others in jail for raising their voices in protest over what they view as a rigged presidential election.

By Mark Memmott

The latest news about today's earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra Island is grim. The Associated Press reports that:

Indonesian officials say at least 75 people have been killed and thousands more trapped under flattened buildings in a powerful earthquake off Sumatra island.

Most of the destruction appears centered on the coastal city of Padang, in West Sumatra province.

Update at 11:45 a.m. ET: Use #padang if you're on Twitter and are looking for news and comments about the disaster.

A USS Blue Ridge arrives in Manila in February 2009.(Bullit Marquez / AP Photo)

By Frank James

It's easy to forget that the dangers to U.S. troops from Islamic extremists aren't limited to Iraq and Afghanistan.

A reminder of the dangers sometimes faced by members of the U.S. military in places where attacks against American troops are infrequent came today with the report that two U.S. sailors were killed on the southern island of Jolo by an improvised explosive device believed planted by Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group linked to Al Qaida.

The U.S. sailors' deaths were the first of American troops in seven years in the Philippines. Killed along with the U.S. service members was a Filipino marine. The sailors were part of a Seabee team helping to build schools and other projects.

Continue reading "Two U.S. Troops Killed By IED In Philippines; 1st Such U.S. Deaths In 7 Years" >

(CIA World Factbook)

By Mark Memmott

The BBC says "at least 128 people were killed when Guinean troops opened fire on opposition protesters on Monday, rights groups and opposition figures claim."

Reuters, meanwhile, puts the death toll at "more than 150."

For now, at least, the Associated Press is reporting that "soldiers patrolling the streets of Guinea's capital fired into the air Tuesday, a day after some shot at pro-democracy demonstrators in the West African country leaving at least 100 dead, a local doctor said."

What's going on in Guinea? Reuters writes that:

Opponents believe military junta leader Captain Moussa Camara is preparing to run as a candidate in a presidential election due to have taken place this year but now postponed to January. While he himself has made no formal declaration, his supporters have in recent weeks said there should be no impediment to him standing. Two days after Camara held a rally for his supporters in the city of Labe, a coalition of rival parties sought on Monday to hold their own event at a stadium in the capital Conakry. It was banned but thousands of people took to the streets and broke into the stadium anyway -- prompting an immediate and massive crackdown by security forces.

There's more background on the situation in this Q&A from the BBC.

As the CIA World Factbook says, "Guinea has had a history of authoritarian rule since gaining its independence from France in 1958."

Voice of America says Camara is trying "to distance himself" from the violence.

Update at 10:25 a.m. ET: The latest AP report says the death toll is now "at least 157" and that "soldiers reeking of alcohol menaced Guinea's capital Tuesday."

By Mark Memmott

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi continues to say and do some of the most inappropriate things.

Yesterday, as the Associated Press and NPR's Silvia Poggioli report, the prime minister's indiscretion was again referring to the United States' first African-American president as being tanned:

The list of Berlusconi's questionable activities is quite long. As the AP says:

The 72-year-old Berlusconi has made no secret for his admiration of attractive women. He has been on the defensive in a sex scandal that erupted last spring after his wife complained he was infatuated with young women and announced she is divorcing him.

Prosecutors in the southern city of Bari are investigating a local businessman, as a suspect in a cocaine investigation, who has said he sent some 30 young women to dinners and parties at Berlusconi's Rome palazzo residence and Sardinian villa. The businessman told investigators he paid the women's expenses and in some cases extra money in case they had sex with the premier. But he stressed Berlusconi was unaware of these arrangements

As Silvia says, it's no wonder that last week first lady Michelle Obama greeted Berlusconi with a handshake rather than a kiss (as she did with some other leaders at the G-20 summit):

A handshake will do just fine. (Jewel Samad AFP/Getty Images)

By Mark Memmott

There's word from Iran as the day begins that it has test-fired a long-range missile capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases elsewhere in the Middle East. NPR's Carl Kasell introduces this report:

Sticking with news about Iran, The New York Times reports that the Obama administration "is scrambling to assemble a package of harsher economic sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program that could include a cutoff of investments to the country's oil-and-gas industry and restrictions on many more Iranian banks than those currently blacklisted, senior administration officials said Sunday."

Also this morning, the death toll continues to climb in the Philippines, where at least 140 people have died after a tropical storm caused massive flooding.

As for other stories making headlines, they include:

-- The Washington Post -- "U.S., Allies Vow Support For Karzai": "The United States and NATO countries fighting in Afghanistan have told President Hamid Karzai's government that they expect him to remain in office for another five-year term and will work with him on an expanded campaign to turn insurgent fighters against the Taliban and other militant groups."

Related story by CBS News' 60 Minutes -- Gen. Stanley McChrystal lays out his case for more troops.

-- USA TODAY -- "Confidence, Optimism Grow In Pockets Of U.S.": In communities such as Paris, Ill., unemployment remains high but some people are heading back to work. And "there is growing confidence as workers who are getting paychecks spend money, spreading optimism to small-business owners and city leaders."

-- Morning Edition "Honduras Restricts Liberties To Prevent Rebellion". NPR's Jason Beaubien reports from Tegucigalpa that the current government is allowing warrantless arrests and has banned "unauthorized" public meetings as ousted president Manuel Zelaya remains holed up in the Brazilian embassy (ME co-host Renee Montagne introduces his report):

-- The Associated Press -- "Merkel Vows Quick Deal On German Coalition": "Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to press ahead quickly with forming a new center-right German government following her election victory. Sunday's election gave the conservative Merkel a second four-year term. It allows her to dump her 'grand coalition' with the center-left Social Democrats and form a new government with the pro-business Free Democrats."

-- The New York Times Safire Was "Oracle Of Language": "William Safire, a speechwriter for President Richard M. Nixon and a Pulitzer Prize-winning political columnist for The New York Times who also wrote novels, books on politics and a Malaprop's treasury of articles on language, died at a hospice in Rockville, Md., on Sunday. He was 79." He was, among many other things, "an unofficial arbiter of usage."

Related story on Morning Edition -- It Was "Hard Not To Love" Safire. NPR's David Folkenflik reports:

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

By Mark Memmott

We tried something earlier and it didn't quite work (don't click here because that would be cheating).

But a good suggestion came in from reader Caitlin Jenkins, so we'll try something else.

Basically, with the so-called Group of 20 in the news today because of the gathering of world leaders in Pittsburgh, the question comes up: Who's in the G-20?

Here's a little test. We've thrown in 30 possibilities. See how you score:

By Frank James

There's new audio from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in which he tells the Europeans to exit Afghanistan.

In a new message, Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden tells European nations to leave Afghanistan. ( AP Photo)

According to a Reuters report, the key part of his message translates from Arabic to:

"We are not demanding anything unjust. It is just for you to end injustice and withdraw your soldiers from (Afghanistan)."

The audio appears to be on a videotape which has German subtitles. Germany holds its parliamentary elections over the weekend.

While Germany's participation in NATO's Afghanistan mission is deeply unpopular, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her center-right party have opposed an immediate pullout.

The latest tape appears to continue a trend by bin Laden that now stretches over years of his issuing messages to citizens in Western nations just before elections in those countries. It appears to be an attempt on al Qaeda's part to sway the results.

By Mark Memmott

Time reports it was interviewing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today as President Barack Obama and his counterparts from France and Great Britain were raising the prospect of slapping sanctions on Iran because of a nuclear enrichment site it had tried to keep secret.

Ahmadinejad, Time says:

Seemed nonplussed by questions about the newly-revealed plant; ... Ahmadinejad's response meandered from the defensive to the aggressive. "This does not mean we must inform Mr. Obama's administration of every facility that we have," he said.

He warned that if Obama brings up the uranium facility, it "simply adds to the list of issues to which the United States owes the Iranian nation an apology over. Rest assured that this will be the case. We do everything transparently."

He added, "I'm not the person who should be giving this advice to Mr. Obama because principally, Mr. Obama's mistakes work in our favor. But still, we do not want to see a president of a country like the United States of America to make blunders of the sort, to make mistakes of the sort."

Ahmadinejad, Time reports, also said that "if I were (President) Obama's adviser, I would definitely advise him to refrain making this statement because it is definitely a mistake."

Update at 11:12 a.m. ET. Time just posted video from the interview. As you'll see, Ahmadinejad insists Iran has fulfilled its international obligations:

NPR's Steve Inskeep interviewed Ahmadinejad yesterday.

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

The U.S., Britain and France will this morning accuse Iran of secretly operating a second facility that produces nuclear fuel, NPR, the Associated Press, The New York Times and other news media are reporting.

President Barack Obama is expected to make the announcement at 8:30 a.m. ET in Pittsburgh, where he and other leaders of the so-called G-20 nations are meeting to talk about global economic issues.

As the Times says:

"The revelation ... appears bound to add urgency to the diplomatic confrontation with Iran over its suspected ambitions to build a nuclear weapons capability."

Iran has long insisted that it is pursuing peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Yesterday, as we reported, Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. For complete coverage of their conversation, click here. And here's what was on ME this morning:

Update at 8:25 a.m. ET: Iran has acknowledged the facility's existence, the International Atomic Energy Agency says.

As for the G-20, NPR's John Ydstie says the leaders have agreed on new compensation rules for executives at financial institutions:

The Wall Street Journal says the leaders will announce today that the G-20 is becoming "the permanent council for international economic cooperation, eclipsing the Group of Eight."

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is following the protests in the Steel City. Yesterday, more than 60 people were arrested.

Later today, by the way, Obama is due to hold a news conference. It's scheduled for 4:40 p.m. ET, after the close of the G-20 summit.

Other stories making headlines this morning include:

-- NPR News -- Zazi Due In Court Again Today; Arrests Made In Separate Plots Involving Alleged Attempts To Bomb Targets In Texas And Illinois: NPR's Dina Temple-Raston and Giles Snyder report:

Related story by The Denver Post -- Feds Say Zazi "Shopped For Bomb Materials At Beauty-Supply Stores": "For nearly a week, Najibullah Zazi told the FBI, reporters and even his own attorney that he had nothing to do with plotting a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. But an FBI affidavit and indictment unsealed Thursday charge that for weeks Zazi had been following bomb-making instructions, collecting chemicals from beauty-supply shops and testing the preparation of a hydrogen peroxide bomb in a metro-area hotel room."

Related story by the Dallas Morning News -- "Man Arrested In Alleged Attempt To Bomb Dallas Skyscraper": "A 19-year-old Jordanian citizen was arrested Thursday in a dramatic FBI sting operation after he parked a vehicle laden with government-supplied fake explosives at an iconic downtown Dallas skyscraper and attempted to detonate it, authorities said."

Related story by The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill. -- "Alleged Downtown Terrorism Plot Defused": "Over the two years that authorities tracked Michael C. Finton, accused Thursday of trying to bomb Springfield's federal courthouse, they gave Finton plenty of chances to drop the idea. According to a 25-page affidavit filed in support of the charges against Finton, however, he would not be deterred. Authorities say Finton tried Wednesday to ignite what he thought was a huge quantity of explosives contained in a van parked near Sixth and Monroe streets."

-- CBS News' 60 Minutes -- "McChrystal: Violence 'Worse' Than Expected": "As the news from Afghanistan moves to the front pages of Americans' newspapers, the general tasked with turning things around there tells 60 Minutes that the spread of the violence in Afghanistan was more than he expected. Gen. Stanley McChrystal's interview with CBS News National Security correspondent David Martin will be broadcast on the 42nd season premiere of 60 Minutes this Sunday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Related report on Morning Edition -- McChrystal Moves To "Reposition" Forces. NPR's Jackie Northam reports:

Related story by USA TODAY -- "Poll: 50% Oppose U.S. Surge In Afghanistan".

-- The New York Times -- "In Poll, Public Wary Of Obama On War And Health": "President Obama is confronting declining support for his handling of the war in Afghanistan and an electorate confused and anxious about a health care overhaul as he prepares for pivotal battles over both issues, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."

-- The Associated Press -- "Justice Ginsburg Hospitalized": "Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the 76-year-old Supreme Court justice who underwent pancreatic cancer surgery earlier this year, fell ill at work after a treatment for anemia and was hospitalized overnight. Ginsburg was taken to Washington Hospital Center at 7:45 p.m. ET Thursday and would remain there for the night as a precaution, a statement from the court said."

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez still has a thing for former President George W. Bush. (Henny Ray Abrams / AP Photo)

By Frank James

Former President George W. Bush may be out of office but that didn't stop Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez from still using his old nemesis as a whipping boy during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly Thursday.

Chavez said of the area around the podium: "It doesn't smell like sulfur. It's gone." Instead he said he smelled "hope."

Those were allusions to Chavez's 2006 UN appearance where he called Bush "the devil" and to President Barack Obama who has made "hope" his stock in trade. The smell of sulfur has of course traditionally been associated in literature and folklore with hell and Satan.

Then there was this Bush-inspired Chavez line: "Please don't throw a shoe at me."

The question now is what will Chavez do for an encore without Bush's presence to offer him more material?

Pakistani villagers are increasingly taking on the Taliban in northwestern Pakistan. (Sherin Zada / AP Photo)

By Frank James

Interesting story out of Pakistan about something that appears to be a growing trend: Pakistani villagers fighting back against the Taliban.

The Associated Press' Riaz Khan is reporting that a convoy of anti-Taliban tribal elders was ambushed in northwestern Pakistan with nine people killed.

The members of the anti-Taliban citizens' group were traveling from the Machikhel area to meet security officials in Bannu district when their three-vehicle convoy was attacked by insurgents, police officer Mohammad Ghani Khan said.

Pakistani authorities have urged tribal elders to speak out against the Taliban, and in turn the militants have killed scores of local leaders. With government backing, some elders have raised militias, known as lashkars, to battle the insurgents. The militias have been compared to Iraq's Awakening Councils, which helped U.S. forces turn the tide against al-Qaida there.

One of the most attention-grabbing parts of this story is what happened after the insurgents ambushed the motorcade. They apparently moved in to kill any survivors.

Armed local residents came out of their homes and fought off the Taliban after the ambush, preventing them from killing the survivors, Khan said. Witness Inayatullah Khan said tribesmen killed two militants in the gunbattle. Security forces later arrived in the Khaisur area and joined the fight.

Continue reading "Pakistani Villagers Fighting Back Against Taliban" >

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his nation's diplomats will boycott Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's UN speech. (Canadian Press)

By Frank James

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has ordered Canadian diplomats to skip Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday.

A snippet from Reuters:

"There's no way I'm going to permit any official of the government of Canada to be present and to give any legitimacy to remarks by a leader like that," Harper told a news conference in Oakville, Ontario.

He referred to flagrant abuse of human rights, detention without charges of a Canadian journalist and especially his "insulting, disgraceful declarations denying the Holocaust."

The Canadian prime minister made his view known at the corporate offices of Tim Hortons, Canada's equivalent of the U.S.' Dunkin' Donuts where he went for a previously scheduled event. He spoke in the company's test facility, with donuts and signage behind him, making for an unusual backdrop for a discussion of great affairs of state.

Continue reading "No Canada! Canadians To Boycott Ahmadinejad At UN" >

By Mark Memmott

Sure, this Associated Press report about masked gunmen raiding a cash depot in Stockholm and then flying off with their loot in a helicopter is a fun read.

But there's something fascinating, we have to say, about listening to Sveriges Television's report about today's robbery:

Authorities, AP says, don't know yet how much money the thieves got.

By Frank James

Nigeria just can't seem to shake the negative place it occupies in minds around the world.

Colin Powell in the 1990s famously called it "nation of scammers." And that was before the so called "419" e-mail scams really took off, a species of Internet chicanery that made the nation the butt of many jokes.

Now, it's the recently released South African movie District 9 in which Nigerians are depicted as cannibals, among other things.

An excerpt from an Associated Press story:

One of the summer's biggest blockbusters -- a sci-fi morality tale about aliens and apartheid -- is not welcome in Nigeria because of its portrayal of Nigerians as gangsters and cannibals, Nigeria's information minister said Saturday.

Information Minister Dora Akunyili has asked movie houses in the capital of Abuja to stop screening "District 9" because the South Africa-based sci-fi movie about aliens and discrimination makes Nigerians look bad.

Continue reading "Nigerians Upset By Depiction As Cannibals In 'District 9' Movie" >

Addressing the delegates. (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

By Mark Memmott

President Barack Obama is this morning delivering his first address to the United Nations General Assembly. As we reported earlier, among the messages he has for other world leaders will be that they can't wait for the USA to solve all of the globe's problems.

You'll have many ways to follow the address. NPR will broadcast it live (click here to find a station near you). NPR.org will be streaming the audio. The cable news networks will have it on the air as well.

And we're live-blogging in this post as the president speaks. Just click "play" below and our updates should flow in automatically. You can also submit comments at the bottom of the player. We'll publish as many as we can while the president's speaking.

Update at 10:50 a.m. ET. The president has finished his address. Now, if you click the "play" button, you can read what he had to say. Or, you can click here for a transcript.:

By Frank James

When I was on the State Department's web site earlier Tuesday looking for information related to the closing of the U.S. embassy and other American-government offices in South Africa because of a credible terrorist threat, I came across a press release on another threat to Americans in South Africa: armed gangs attacking shopping malls.

Here's some advice the U.S. government offers Americans:

Do not enter a store if you observe suspicious activity such as customers lying on the floor or a person brandishing a weapon. If you observe such activity, immediately leave the area and call the police.

Thank you, State Department. What would we ever do without tips like this? Next they'll be telling us to put the shower curtain inside the tub.

By Frank James

You have to give it to the Libyans. They suffer no shortage of chutzpah.

Trying to find a place for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to stay this week when he attends the United Nations General Assembly meeting in Manhattan, they pretended to be Dutch.

An excerpt from a story on the website of The Times newspaper of London:

Libyan officials posed as Dutch diplomats to try to find Colonel Gaddafi a place to stay this week on his first visit to the US.

The envoys, including one calling himself Ronald, approached a property agent on the Upper East Side of New York to inquire about renting the Barclay Mansion, a six-storey townhouse on East 78th Street.

Jason Haber, who has a master's degree from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, realised the ruse and the deal did not go through.

"When someone says they are representing the Dutch, you accept that at face value," Mr Haber told The Times. "After a few conversations, the accents did not match. When the e-mails started it became quite clear. The e-mails had a Libyan Embassy address."

Earlier there was talk that Gadhafi might stay in a tent, first in Central Park, then on Libyan-owned property in Engelwood, NJ. Those ideas didn't pan out.

Gadhafi will instead be at the luxurious Pierre Hotel on Fifth Ave.

Meanwhile, the Libyan-Dutch ruse reminded some of us of those old SNL skits featuring the Coneheads, space aliens who, when questioned by the suspicious, would blurt out "We're from France."

By Frank James

The U.S. Embassy in South Africa and other American facilities there are closed until further notice in response to a "credible" threat, according to State Department spokesman Ian Kelly.

At the State Department daily briefing, Kelly said:

The embassy received information about a possible threat against the embassy. So as a precaution the State Department decided to close U.S. government facilities in South Africa today.

We've notified the American community in South Africa to remain vigilant when they're in the vicinity of U.S. government facilities. The embassy is tracking developments very closely and assessing its security posture and formulating an appropriate course of action.

I think part of that course of action is to consult closely with South African authorities. And the embassy will reopen as soon as we've completed out assessment of the security posture.

Asked by reporters for more information about the threat, Kelly said:

You know how it is with these situations. We don't like to go into too much detail about the nature of the information we've gotten... It was pretty credible information regarding U.S. government facilities in South Africa.

Here's the "warden message" the State Department issued on Monday which now remains effect at least through Wednesday.

Can they come together? (Charles Dharapak / AP)

By Mark Memmott

In April 2004, then-president George W. Bush said he remained "hopeful and determined to find a way forward toward a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute."

Before Bush, then-president Bill Clinton pushed to move the process ahead.

Before Clinton, presidents going back as far as most of us can remember have weighed in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Today, President Barack Obama said he delivered one message to the leaders of Israel and Palestine when they met today:

"Despite all the obstacles, despite all the history, despite all the mistrust, we have to find a way forward."

Here's an audio clip from the president's comments after his meeting in New York with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

And here's the text of the president's complete statement, as transcribed by the White House:

Continue reading "Obama Tells Israelis And Palestinians 'We Have To Find A Way Forward'" >

Many hope Ahmadinejad will see this. (Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images)

By Mark Memmott

Green is the color adopted by Iranian activists who oppose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and come Thursday night in New York City they'll bask in the glow of one very big symbol.

The Empire State Building will be bathed in green lights.

And the display will come at the same time as Iranian activists stage protests around the city over Ahmadinejad's appearance at this week's opening of the U.N. General Assembly.

As The Wall Street Journal explains, the owners of the building are not endorsing the activists' movement. In fact, a request from some activists to have the green lights turned on this week was turned down by Empire State Building Co.

But -- and here's where what the activists believe is a good omen comes into the story -- the owners did approve a request to turn on the green lights this Thursday in honor of the 70th anniversary of film The Wizard of Oz.

Mary Goldwater of an effort called Project Greenlight tells the Journal that the Oz anniversary certainly "works to our advantage."

For NPR.org's coverage of Iran and related issues, click here.

By Mark Memmott

"Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has returned to Honduras almost three months after he was ousted in a coup," Reuters reports, "despite warnings he would be arrested, a senior aide said Monday. Zelaya was in a U.N. building in the capital Tegucigalpa Monday, aide Eduardo Reina told Venezuela's Telesur television network."

Zelaya's forced removal led the U.S. to cut off aid to the Honduran government. As the Associated Press notes:

Zelaya was deposed and exiled on June 28 amid suspicions among his opponents that he wanted to overturn a constitutional provision limiting Honduran presidents to a single term. He has denied that was his goal.

Update at 1:45 p.m. ET: Reuters now adds that "Roberto Micheletti, a bitter rival of Zelaya who has run Honduras since the June 28 coup, denied that the president had returned, saying he was still in exile in neighboring Nicaragua." The Associated Press, though, says that Zelaya told local TV Channel 36, "I cannot give details, but I'm here."

And, AP reports that "Elisabeth Sierra, a spokeswoman for the Honduran Embassy in Nicaragua, where Zelaya had been exiled, said the ousted president returned to his country Monday and was at U.N. offices in Tegucigalpa."

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

The lead headline on the front of The Washington Post is getting quite a bit of attention. "McChrystal: More Forces Or 'Mission Failure' ", it reads, and the story starts this way:

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warns in an urgent, confidential assessment of the war that he needs more forces within the next year and bluntly states that without them, the eight-year conflict "will likely result in failure," according to a copy of the 66-page document obtained by The Washington Post.

The New York Times summarizes the news with this:

The top military commander in Afghanistan warns in a confidential assessment of the war there that he needs additional troops within the next year or else the conflict "will likely result in failure."

The Post has put a copy of McCrystal's assessment online here.

Update at 8:45 a.m. ET: In that copy of the assessment put online by the Post, McChrystal writes that "success is achievable, but it will not be attained simply by trying harder or 'doubling down' on the previous strategy. Additional resources are required, but focusing on force or resource requirements misses the point entirely. The key take away from this assessment is the urgent need for a significant change to our strategy and the way that we think and operate."

McChrystal also says that:

"Our campaign in Afghanistan has been historically under-resourced and remains so today. ... Resources will not win this war, but under-resourcing could lose it. ... Ideally, the (Afghan National Security Force) must lead this fight, but they will not have enough capability in the near-term given the insurgency's growth rate. In the interim, coalition forces must provide a bridge capability to protect critical segments of the population. The status quo will lead to failure if we wait for the ANSF to grow."

On Morning Edition, NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman told host Steve Inskeep that it's no surprise that Gen. Stanley McChrystal wants more troops for the war in Afghanistan -- and notes that there's growing opposition in Congress to the idea of sending more combat forces:

Sticking with news about the war on terror, there's more to report about the arrests of three men over the weekend in connection with a cross-country probe into a possible plot to bomb transportation hubs in New York City. On Morning Edition, NPR's Dina Temple-Raston told guest host Linda Wertheimer that law enforcement officials feared the plotters "actually had the capacity and expertise to launch a credible attack." So far, the men have been charged with lying to authorities:

As The Denver Post reports, "today, 24-year-old Najibullah Zazi and his father, Mohammed, 53, are scheduled to make initial appearances in federal court." The third man facing charges is New York imam Ahmad Wais Afzali.

One more story to pass along, from Sunday's Los Angeles Times: "CIA Expanding Presence In Afghanistan".

As for other stories making headlines this morning, they include:

-- The Hill -- "Obama Frames G-20 Meeting As Debate Over Future Global Economy": The G-20 summit of world leaders in Pittsburgh on Thursday and Friday "is shaping up as a debate over what the world economy of the future should look like." On Sunday, President Barack Obama "made it clear he wants to talk about fostering a new era in global economic affairs."

Related story by Politico -- Highlights From Obama's Sunday TV Marathon.

Related story on Morning Edition -- At U.N., Obama Will Continue Effort To Mend Fences. NPR's Michele Kelemen looks ahead to the president's appearance this week at the United Nations:

-- The Wall Street Journal -- "IRS Extends Deadline To Declare Foreign Accounts": "In an effort to keep its doors open to tax evaders, the Internal Revenue Service will extend until Oct. 15 its limited amnesty program for U.S. taxpayers with undeclared income on foreign accounts, according to government officials. The special voluntary disclosure program was to have ended Wednesday. It began in March after UBS AG in February turned over the names of more than 250 account holders as part of a criminal settlement."

-- BBC News -- Thai King In Hospital; Condition Stable: "The 81-year-old king of Thailand has been admitted to hospital suffering from a fever. Doctors said King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-serving monarch, had shown signs of fatigue and was being treated with antibiotics. ... Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters there was 'nothing to be concerned about.' "

-- NPR News -- "FCC Chief Seen Edging Toward 'Net Neutrality' Rules". "A speech scheduled for Monday by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski is being closely watched by both sides of a debate over 'network neutrality' -- a term describing a world in which Internet service providers can't charge different rates for different levels of service." NPR's Laura Sydell reports:

Finally, if you're looking for a lively minute-by-minute recap of last night's Emmy Awards, check out Planet Money.

Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.

Raising their voices again. (AFP/Getty Images)

By Mark Memmott

"Iranian hardliners attacked opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and security forces clashed
with his supporters during an annual anti-Israeli rally in Tehran on Friday," Reuters is reporting

The wire service adds that:

The state news agency IRNA said Mousavi and reformist cleric Mehdi Karoubi, both defeated candidates in the disputed poll in June, were forced to leave the rally after being attacked by "angry people".

Reformist former president Mohammad Khatami took part in the rally, but was also attacked by hardliners and had to leave after his robe was ripped and his turban fell to the ground, an ally of Khatami who accompanied him told Reuters.

As during the weeks that followed Iran's disputed presidential election in June, Twitter is overflowing with posts about the news from Tehran. Search for #iranelection to see them.

But as always, getting reliable news from inside that tightly controlled country is difficult. The Guardian live-blogged the day here.

Al-Jazeera reports that:

Witnesses reported instances of clashes between the rival demonstrators as well as between opposition supporters and security forces.

It was not immediately possible to independently verify the reports.

In one instance, a group of Iranian protesters attacked Mohammad Khatami, a reformist former president, while he was marching with opposition supporters in Tehran, a reformist website reported.

As we reported earlier, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used the day as another reason to deny the Holocaust and lash out at Israel and the West.

By Mark Memmott

This morning's breaking news includes:

-- Los Angeles Times -- "Pro- And Anti-Government Marchers Face Off In Tehran;" Ahmadinejad Questions Holocaust Again: "Tens of thousands of demonstrators chanting, 'Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I sacrifice my life for Iran,' swarmed the streets of the capital, turning a day in support of the Palestinian cause into a major opposition rally. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose disputed reelection three months ago triggered Iran's worst political domestic crisis in decades, delivered a blistering condemnation of Israel on the occasion of annual Quds Day. In a fiery speech, he questioning the Holocaust and blamed 'Zionists' for ongoing wars in the Middle East."

Related story by the Associated Press -- Reformist Attacked: "Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at Israel and the West saying Friday the Holocaust was a lie and a pretext for occupying Palestinian lands, while hard-liners attacked a reformist cleric who was marching with the opposition at an anti-government rally in Tehran."

Related story from NBC News -- "Ahmadinejad Refuses To Rule Out" Developing Nuclear Weapons: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad refused Thursday to explicitly rule out development of nuclear weapons and said in an interview with NBC News that he would 'never' halt Tehran's work on peaceful nuclear programs to mollify Western skeptics." Asked if he stole Iran's June election, Ahmadinejad said "I don't know what you mean by that. ... We should be courageous enough to accept the vote of the people." And, he said of the death of protester Neda Soltan: "I was saddened as well ... We are treating it as a suspicious death."

-- The Associated Press -- Suicide Bomb Kills 25 In Northwest Pakistan: "A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a hotel in a northwest Pakistan market Friday, killing 25 people in a possible sectarian attack, police and a government official said. The attack in Usterzai village on the outskirts of Kohat town was the second in two days in the area, which is not far from the Afghan border and has witnessed past incidents of violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. A bomb Thursday in Kohat wounded six people."

-- NPR News -- Double Suicide Attack In Somalia Condemned:" NPR's Paul Brown introduces a report from Ofeibia Quist-Arcton on the deadly twin suicide bomb attacks in Mogadishu:

Other stories making headlines include:

-- Morning Edition -- For Some In Europe, "A Sense Of Betrayal" After U.S. Shift In Missile Defense Plan. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports:

Related Morning Edition report from NPR's Mike Shuster -- "New Picture Of Iran's Progress On Missile Development" Led To Change In Plan:

Related story by The Times of London -- "Obama Scraps Star Wars And Gambles On Russia."

-- The New York Times -- "Reasons Unclear For Terrorist Fears": "As they zeroed in on Najibullah Zazi, law enforcement authorities came to view him as a potential terrorist threat. They raided homes connected to him, his relatives and friends in New York and Colorado, but have said very little other than to proclaim that the investigation revealed no imminent danger. The public, then, has been left struggling to make sense of what is known about Mr. Zazi and his acquaintances, his travels and intentions, if any, and how he came to the attention of the federal agents and local police who were intently tracking him."

Related story by the Denver Post -- "Federal Agents Grill Aurora Shuttle Driver For Second Day": "An Aurora (Colo.) man in the cross hairs of a multistate anti-terrorism investigation met with federal agents for a second day of questioning Thursday. Najibullah Zazi, the 24-year-old airport-shuttle driver who has become the focal point in the investigation, arrived with his lawyer at the FBI's Denver offices shortly after 2 p.m. He was questioned until late in the evening and was scheduled to return for more questioning at 9 a.m. today. His attorney, Art Folsom, said earlier in the day he was confident Zazi, who has proclaimed his innocence, would not be arrested."

-- Boston Globe -- "House Backs An Interim Senator": Massachusetts state House lawmakers "approved legislation last night that gives Governor Deval Patrick the power to appoint a temporary successor to the late Edward M. Kennedy in the US Senate, putting Massachusetts on track to have a new senator in place by next week. ... Possible candidates are believed to include former governor Michael Dukakis and former Democratic National Committee chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr., who is chairman of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library."

By Mark Memmott

Good morning.

Several stories have broken since we signed off last night. Among them:

-- The Associated Press -- "Suicide Car Bomber Hits Italian Convoy In Kabul;" At Least 16 Killed: "A suicide car bomber attacked an Italian military convoy on a road in Afghanistan's capital Thursday, killing six Italian soldiers and 10 Afghan civilians, officials said. ... Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility, saying in a text message that they had ordered had carried out the suicide attack against foreign forces."

Also in Afghanistan -- "Karzai Defends Afghan Vote."

-- The Denver Post -- "FBI Searches Two Aurora Residences In Connection With Anti-Terror Probe": "Federal investigators released an Aurora man late Wednesday night after 8 1/2 hours of questioning in connection with a multi-state anti-terrorism investigation. Najibullah Zazi, 24, left the Byron G. Rogers Federal Building after 10:30 p.m. -- but is scheduled to return this afternoon for another round of questioning, according to his attorney, Art Folsom. The move came after a day that saw federal agents raid Zazi's apartment and a house where his aunt and uncle live."

Related report from NPR's Dina Temple-Raston on Morning Edition: "Raids In N.Y., Denver Yield Questions, No Arrests":