NPR 2008-03-13

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

 Amid calls for his resignation, New York State's Governor Eliot Spitzer has not given any word on his future. After being identified as an alleged 1 customer of a prostitution ring, the governor remains 2 surrounded by family and advisers 3 in his New York City apartment. Mike Pesca reports.

 The state waits. This much is known. Democrat 4 Eliot Spitzer has been listed as client No. 9 in a federal indictment 5 of an alleged prostitution service, known as the Emperor’s Club. Spitzer's Democratic Lieutenant 6 governor says he has little insight as to the governor’s thinking, but many members of Spitzer's own party like Assemblyman Mike Spano of Yonkers say if the allegations are true, Spitzer should step down. "Certainly client No.9 isn't somebody I want to see in the governor’s office." The top Republican in the state assembly has said he will bring impeachment 7 charges if Spitzer does not resign. Mike Pesca, NPR news, Albany, New York.

 With the Mississippi primary behind them, Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are looking ahead to the Pennsylvania primaries next month. Obama was the winner yesterday, with 99 percent of the vote counted, Obama has 61 percent to Clinton's 37 percent of the vote. Obama secured at least 17 of the state’s 33 delegates. He plans to be in his hometown of Chicago today, saying he is confident the Democratic Party will be unified 8 once a candidate is chosen. The Clinton campaign has congratulated Obama, and says it is looking forward to campaigning around the country. Clinton is in Washington today attending a presidential forum 9.

 The president’s veto of an intelligence bill that would have banned harsh interrogation techniques will stand. House Democrats 10 failed yesterday to muster 11 enough votes to override 12 the veto. NPR’s Debbie Elliott reports.

 House leaders were 51 votes, short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the president’s veto of the Intelligence Authorization 13 Bill. It would have required agents to adhere to the interrogation standards contained in the US Army Field Manual which explicitly 14 prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman 15 and degrading treatment, including water boarding. The White House said an override would have diminished the intelligence community’s ability to protect the nation by eliminating, quote, the legal alternative procedures in place in the CIA program to question the world’s most dangerous and violent terrorists. Democrats argued that military and intelligence officials can keep the country safe without resorting to torture. Debbie Elliot, NPR news, the Capitol.

 Japanese stock prices closed higher today. The Nikkei Average was up by 1.6 percent. Oil prices held steady in Asian trading after hitting a record near 110 dollars a barrel overnight. US light crude for April delivery fell 10 cents to 108 dollars and 65 cents a barrel. This is NPR News.

 Thailand's ousted 16 Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who returned to the country late last month has pleaded not guilty to corruption 17 charges. NPR’s Michael Sullivan reports.

 Thaksin’s not guilty plea came as hundreds of his supporters gathered outside the Supreme 18 Court to cheer him on. The case involves his wife's purchase of a prime piece of Bangkok real estate from a state agency while Thaksin was still Prime Minister. Anti-corruption laws prohibited politicians and their spouses 19 from doing business with government agencies. Thaksin and his wife faced up to ten years in jail if convicted. But few observers expected the couple to do time now that a Thaksin-friendly party leads Thailand’s coalition 20 government. Thaksin insists he is innocent and insists he is through with politics forever. He remains hugely popular with many rural and urban poor but was banned from politics for five years by the military-led government that overthrew 21 him. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for late April. Michael Sullivan NPR News, Hanoi.

 A new report from the Pentagon says Iran and Syria continued to pose problems for Iraq. The quarterly report says as many as 90 percent of the foreign fighters in Iraq cross over from Syria. The report also says Iran's continued support for Shiite militants 22 is hurting Iraqi security and stability efforts. The Pentagon report also looks at Iraq's progress. It says death tolls 23 are down sharply from the last report in June. However, it says corruption continues to plague the Baghdad government. In Washington, a report from the comptroller general says that Iraq is not spending enough of its own money, even though soaring oil revenues have created a massive budget surplus.

 I’m Carl Kasell, NPR news, in Washington.