NPR 2008-05-02

There’s been an explosion near an American military patrol in Baghdad today. Eight Iraqis have been killed. American officials have not confirmed an Iraqi government report that one US soldier was killed.

 Islamist rebels in Somalia say a US air strike has apparently 1 killed a rebel thought to be the top al-Qaeda leader in Somalia. Witnesses say at least eight other people were also killed in the attack. The BBC’s Adam Mynott reports from Nairobi, Kenya.

 The bombing raid happened in the middle of the night. It’s reported that four loud explosions ripped apart the home of Aden Hashi Ayro in the town of Dusamareeb in central Somalia, killing 2 him and eight other people including another militia 3 commander. Aden Ayro commanded al-Shabab, the military wing of a group of Islamic Courts, which has been carrying out a sustained campaign of attacks on Ethiopian forces, which are in the country to back up the weak interim 4 Somali government. Earlier this year, the US government declared al-Shabab “a terrorist organization” and the killing of Aden Ayro is one of a number of attacks they’ve launched against targets in Somalia in the past 16 months. That’s the BBC’s Adam Mynott in Nairobi, Kanya.

 Rivers around Fort Kent, Maine are over their banks and officials say the community near the Canadian border may suffer its worst flooding in many decades. Robey Ploder is a Fort Kent police dispatcher. “The Fish River actually came over on its peak level, and now we have (completely) the East Main Street completely covered with water.” Rain and melting snow have brought the St. John River up to about five feet above flood stage. An emergency management official said early this morning he thinks the waters have crested 5.

 Wall Street’s stock futures 6 are up this morning, but stocks fell yesterday after the Federal Reserve lowered the benchmark federal funds interest rate and indications that it may be the last cut for a while. Many analysts 7 believe the Federal Reserve will take a break from cuts at its next meeting. NPR’s John Ydstie has this report.

 After balancing concerns about a recession against worries about inflation, Fed policy makers 8 decided 9 to cut their key rate by a quarter of a percentage point. It was the seventh rate cut in the fight to boost an economy damaged by the bursting of the housing bubble. Former Federal Reserve Governor Lyle Gramley says policy makers do have concerns that the rate cuts might spark broader inflation. “But there is even more concern about the possibility that economy could stay weak longer than they would like, so they bought an insurance policy.” In their statement, though, Fed officials said the substantial easing of monetary 10 policy today should promote growth, that was missing from their previous statement. Gramley says it’s a sign this may be the final Fed rate cut of this cycle. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

 Oil has been trading at around $114 per barrel in Asia today. This is NPR News.

 Another super delegate is reported ready to switch his support from Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton to rival Barack Obama who’s been steadily 11 narrowing Clinton’s super delegate lead. Joe Andrew is to hold a news conference in his home town of Indianapolis today. President Bill Clinton appointed Andrew chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1999. But the Associated Press says that Andrew told the news agency he’s now convinced the continuing fight for the Democratic nomination 12 has become a liability for the party. Andrew says that it’s doing Republican rival John McCain’s work for him.

 Barack Obama says the tone of his campaign has, at times, been more combative 13 than it would have liked. He acknowledged that while campaigning in Indiana yesterday. From member station WFIU in Bloomington, Indiana, Adam Ragusea reports.

 In his speech, Obama only briefly 14 alluded 15 to the aggressive tone the Democratic contest has acquired in recent weeks. The senator said he set out to run a campaign that would transcend 16 the political tit for tat. And he admitted that he has occasionally fallen short of that goal. “Sometimes we slipped. You know, over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed, you know, we, we keep, kept on getting whacked 17, and sometimes we started whacking 18 back and...” Obama didn’t mention his opponent Senator Hillary Clinton at all in his speech except by oblique 19 reference. He said voters should consider his consistent opposition 20 to the Iraq war as they determine whom they want answering the phone in the White House at 3 a.m. For NPR News, I’m Adam Ragusea in Bloomington, Indiana.