NPR 2008-12-01

The names have already been leaked, but President-elect Barack Obama is set to announce formally his choices for more than a third of the cabinet as well as his national security team. Senator Hilary Clinton is expected to be nominated as secretary of state tomorrow. A key Republican senator says the activities of former President Bill Clinton are likely to face close scrutiny 1 during his wife's confirmation 2 process. NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.

Former President Clinton has reportedly agreed to restrict his activities at the Clinton Foundation and his Clinton Global Initiative, so his wife can get the top job at the State Department. That will include disclosing all contributors and refusing donations from foreign governments. Richard Luger of Indiana is the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Speaking on ABC's This Week, Luger said he will vote to confirm Senator Hilary Clinton, but "I suspect, however, that I'm not alone in suggesting that there will be questions raised and they're probably legitimate 3." Luger says he sees nothing keeping Mrs. Clinton from the top job of the state, and he can even see Mr. Clinton serving as special emissary between India and Pakistan. Sonari Glinton, NPR News, Washington.

India's top security official has resigned amid criticism of the government's handling of the siege in Mumbai, in particular there have been charges that the government had prior warning of the attacks but failed to act quickly to prevent the bloodshed which left at least 174 people dead. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced the establishment of a new anti-terrorism agency and he called for the country to remain united. "We should work together, to the interest of the country. We should build a consensus 4 on what needs to be done to strengthen the ability of our system to meet these threats."

There are growing calls in Canada for the government there to assist Canadians who are stranded 5 in Thailand. Dan Karpenchuk reports.

The calls are coming from relatives of those trapped in Bangkok, and now from opposition 6 members of parliament. A liberal member Dan McTeague says it's absolutely paramount 7 that the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper come to the rescue of those stranded. There are about 2, 000 Canadians in Bangkok, some of them seniors with their medications and traveling insurance running out, and with the tense situation threatening to worsen, there are fears for their safety. McTeague says normally the Department of Foreign Affairs has a contingency 8 plan ready. And he hopes the government is developing some kind of access strategy. But there doesn't seem to be any discussions taking place. And he says it's time the foreign affairs minister gets through the program and takes the necessary actions. The minister says he is monitoring the situation closely and Canadian Council officials in Thailand are working with local officials to explore ways of helping 9 the Canadians to leave Bangkok safely. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

The first snowstorm of the season in Illinois is causing travel problems at Chicago's busy O'Hare International Airport. More than four dozen flights have been cancelled so far and low visibility is causing flight delays of up to an hour.

This is NPR News from Washington.

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends today. As NPR's Jon Hamilton reports, it's been a busy year.

Since the beginning of June, 16 named storms have formed in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Eight of these became hurricanes and three struck the US. The most dangerous hurricane was Ike which caused major damage in Haiti and Cuba before making landfall near Galveston, Texas. The storm killed more than 80 people in the US and caused damage estimated at more than 25 billion dollars. Hurricane Gustav also brought massive destruction to Haiti and Cuba before reaching US waters. It caused officials to evacuate 10 New Orleans and many feared another Katrina. But Gustav ultimately weakened and landed west of New Orleans. Earlier in the year, Hurricane Dolly struck the Texas coast near the Mexican border. Government hurricane forecasters say it's likely that 2009 will also see more than the average number of storms. Jon Hamilton, NPR News.

Top executives from the US auto 11-industry are set to return to Capitol Hill this week with the financial information demanded by lawmakers who are considering the request for 25 billion dollars in federal loans for the firms. But GOP Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina says he will vote against making those loans. "I don't know how to run a car company, but I do know that the model they've created will not sustain itself in a global economy and that model needs to change. And I shouldn't be the one having to figure out how to do it." Graham was interviewed on Fox News Sunday. The head of the United Auto Workers union urged Congress today to approve the loans, saying the nation can not afford to see the auto-makers fail.