NPR 2008-03-06

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Carl Kasell.

 Senator Barack Obama remains 1 ahead in the overall delegate count in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination 2, but his rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, narrowed the lead with primary wins yesterday in Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas. Clinton was pleased with the outcome. "This nation's coming back and so is this campaign." The win put an end to a month of losses for Clinton. Obama added to his win column with the victory in Vermont, he is downplaying the impact of yesterday's results in Ohio and Texas. Still in doubt is the overall Texas winner, as the results for the caucuses 4 the state also holds are still pending 5. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

 The Obama campaign was braced 6 for bad news yesterday after a string of successes going back a month in which the senator won 12 straight contests including Vermont last night. But then came Clinton's victories in Rhode Island and Ohio. That's when Obama spoke 7 to supporters in San Antonio, he congratulated Clinton on her wins but he also added, "No matter what happens tonight, we have nearly the same delegate lead as we did this morning, and we are on our way to winning this nomination." More contests are coming. This week Wyoming holds a caucus 3. The next big battle comes in Pennsylvania. That's on April 22nd. Don Gonyea, NPR News, with the Obama campaign in San Antonio.

 Arizona Senator John McCain will carry the Republican banner in this year's presidential race. McCain won enough delegates in yesterday's four Republican primaries to secure the GOP nomination. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

 John McCain is promising 8 to travel across the country over the next eight months, making the case that he should be president instead of Democrats 9 Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. McCain says he'll concentrate on the challenges that face America including the war in Iraq. Although he has been critical of the early handling of the war, last night McCain defended the decision to topple Saddam Hussein. "Americans know that the next president doesn't get to remake that decision. We're in Iraq, and our most vital security interests are clearly involved there." McCain says it's now up to the candidates to explain how they would conclude the war without worsening sectarian conflict, emboldening 10 terrorist or destabilizing the Middle East. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Dallas.

 Japanese stock prices close lower today, falling by 2/10 of 1%. Oil prices are higher in Asian trading today, after dropping sharply in yesterday's session on the possibility that OPEC will raise production and on expectations that U.S. crude supplies continue to rise. U.S. light crude for April delivery rose by 30 cents to $99.82 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

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 Taking hormone 11 therapy to relieve menopausal symptoms may put women at risk of cancer several years after they stop the treatment. NPR's Patti Neighmond reports on the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

 Researchers stopped a study of hormone replacement 12 therapy when it became clear women's risk of heart disease and certain cancers increased on the therapy especially breast cancer. Although that increased risk was small, many women stopped taking the medication. Now researchers wanted to know if the risk of heart disease and cancer continued even after stopping treatment. This study looked at women' health status up to 3 years later. It found heart disease risk leveled off but cancer risk especially for breast cancer stayed about the same. Researchers planned to analyze 13 data for another few years and see if cancer risk continues even up to 5 or 6 years after stopping hormone treatment. Patti Neighmond, NPR News.

 A South Korea aid group is reporting that 15 people who tried to escape North Korea or help others to flee have been publicly executed. It says that 2 men and 13 women were executed by firing squad 14 February 20th, on a bridge in a northeastern town on the border with China and Russia. The Good Friends group says the public execution is a warning aimed at stemming the growing flow of refugees from North Korea into China. A growing number of North Koreans have been crossing into China in search of food and to avoid political oppression. Activists 15 claimed that tens of thousands of North Koreans live in hiding in China where they face deportation 16 if they're caught.

 I'm Carl Kasell, NPR News, in Washington.