NPR 2008-11-13

Democratic leaders want Congress to focus on a bailout for the U.S. auto 1 industry during next week's lame-duck session of Congress. But Treasury 2 Secretary Henry Paulson says it should not be tied to the 700-billion-dollar rescue package for troubled financial firms. NPR’s Giles Snyder reports.

Paulson says the auto industry is critical to the economy, but that the financial industry bailout plan was not designed for it.” I've said it very clearly. I think that the administration said that, you know, we need a solution but the solution has got to be one that leads to viability 3. You know, and again, the intent of the TARP was to deal with the financial industry.” Democrats 4 are pushing for an emergency measure to help the auto industry. Paulson says Democrats could make more money available to auto makers 5 as part of a 25-billion-dollar loan program approved in September aimed at developing more fuel-efficient vehicles. But supporters of the industry say it will not be sufficient. Giles Snyder NPR News, Washington.

Iran says it has test-fired a new generation of its longest range surface-to-surface missile. The country's defense 6 minister says it's for defense and deterrence 7, Roxana Saberi reports from Teheran.

Iran state television showed the missile being fired from a launching pad in a desert region. Iran says the Sajjil is a high speed missile with a range of about 1,200 miles. At that range it could easily strike Iran's arch foe 8 Israel and go as far as southeastern Europe. Iran's defense minister said the missile has what he called an extraordinarily 9 high capability 10. Mostafa Mohammad Najjar did not say whether it was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. In recent years Iran has stepped up its domestic missile development, raising concerns of the U.S. and its allies at a time when they accused Teheran of trying to produce nuclear weapons. Teheran says its nuclear program is purely 11 peaceful. For NPR News, I'm Roxana Saberi in Teheran.

News of the Iranian missile firing comes as the officials of the military are expressing concerns about whether the new administration might decide to halt plans to put a U.S. anti-missile battery in Poland. Air force General Henry Obering, director of the nation's Missile Defense Agency told reporters today he's awaiting word whether officials of President-elect Obama’s transition team are interested in a briefing.

A group of electronics makers including LG and Sharp have agreed to pay 585 million dollars in fines to settle charges that they conspired 12 to fix the price of liquid crystal displays. The plea agreement was a part of the Justice Department probe, Thomas Barnett as the assistant Attorney General says the case has had a major effect on prices paid by consumers and companies.” The crimes committed by LG Display, Sharp and Chunghwa and their coconspirators are among the largest and most far-reaching price-fixing conspiracies 13 the Antitrust Division has ever detected.” These liquid crystal displays are popular because they weigh less and use less power than older TV and computer screens.

On Wall Street, the Dow fell 411 points today. The NASDAQ lost 81 points.

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Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has authorized 14 former Republican Representative Jim Leach 15 and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to represent him at a gathering 16 of world leaders in Washington this weekend. The President-elect has already indicated he will not attend the meeting which will involve delegations 17 from 20 countries and focus on the global economic crisis. Members of Senator Obama’s transition team say he does not want to appear to be trying to represent the US prior to his official sworn-in in January. He expected both Leach and Albright will have more of a listening role.

U.S. military officials are confirming that two American soldiers were killed today and six were wounded in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. While the military was holding initial details, Iraqi police sources say the Americans were shot by an Iraqi army soldier. NPR’s Corey Flintoff reports from Baghdad.

The U.S. military says the Americans were killed in a firefight. But officials didn't specify 18 what the action was or how it started. They say the incident and the identity of the shooter are under investigation 19. Iraqi police in Mosul say there was some sort of dispute at an Iraqi army compound and an Iraqi soldier opened fire on the Americans. They say a morgue in the area received the dead body of one Iraqi soldier. The shooting comes amid a spate 20 of attacks against security forces and civilians 21 in Mosul and Baghdad in which Iraqi police reports of casualties tend to be far higher than those reported by American forces. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Baghdad.

Oil prices fell to their lowest level since January of last year. The near-month contract for benchmark crude was down $3. 50 a barrel to settle at $56. 16 a barrel in New York.