NPR 2008-03-12

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

 The space shuttle Endeavour is closing in on the International Space Station. The seven astronauts blasted off early this morning in a rare nighttime shuttle launch. Pat Duggins of member station WMFE reports.

 NASA admits it's going to be crowded around the International Space Station. Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to dock with the outpost late tomorrow. While the astronauts perform five space walks, another spacecraft will be in a holding pattern nearby. That's the new European robot cargo 1 craft called Jules Verne launched on a rocket of its own. NASA's Bill Gerstenmaier says Jules Verne plus the two payloads onboard Endeavour mean three deliveries for the space station. ''When we see two of those arrive with the docking that'll be a nice sigh of relief. And then when we with get those installed on the station that will also be a very good sigh of relief.'' Endeavour's cargoes 2 were a Japanese science lab and a Canadian-built robot arm for the space station. Endeavour's set to return to Earth after sixteen days in space. For NPR news, I’m Pat Duggins at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

 Mississippi is the only state holding a primary today. The state has an open primary system which means anyone can declare their party affiliation 3 today and vote. NPR’s Audie Cornish reports.

 The presidential party nominations 5 are usually decided 6 by the time Mississippi votes. But thanks to the competitive race on the Demoncratic side, the state is enjoying a rare bit of attention. Both senators, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, campaigned in the state this past week. The Democrats 7' delegates are awarded per congressional district and 33 pledged delegates are at stake. Outside of the presidential nomination 4 race, Mississippi has two of its key congressional seats up for grabs and both Senate seats are contested. Audie Cornish, NPR news, Jackson, Mississippi.

 New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was allegedly caught on a federal wiretap arranging a meeting with a high-class prostitute. He apologized publicly to his family and to the public but did not say whether he would resign. NPR’s Libby Lewis reports.

 Spitzer apparently 9 got swept up in a federal investigation 10 into an international online prostitution ring called the Emperor's Club. In court documents, prosecutors 11 say the ring had a website that ranked its prostitutes using a system of one to seven diamonds. And it priced their services from $1000 an hour to more than $5000 an hour. According to published reports, Spitzer is identified as client No. 9 in a federal indictment 12 of the ring's alleged 8 operators. Spitzer built his public images as a fighter of corruption 13 and a promoter of ethical 14 conduct, both as New York's governor and before that as attorney general. Libby Lewis, NPR news.

 Oil prices held steady above $107 a barrel in Asian trading today after rising to a record in yesterday's trading. US light crude fell by 21 cents to $107.69  a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. This is NPR news.

 An approved drug reduces the chance that the most common type of breast cancer will recur 15 even if a woman starts taking it years after her diagnosis 16. NPR’s Richard Knox reports.

 The drug is called Letrozole. It blocks the production of oestrogen. A new study finds that women who took Letrozole after finishing a five-year course of tamoxifen had almost 70 percent lower risk of recurrence 17. The drug works for women with breast cancers that are sensitive to oestrogen. That's about two thirds of all breast cancers. An earlier study showed that taking Letrozole after tamoxifen reduces breast cancer recurrence. The new study shows that it works even if women don't start taking Letrozole for years after they finish the first round of treatment. That's important because 30 percent of women with oestrogen sensitive breast cancer can get a recurence 15 years or more after the diagnosis. The new study is in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Richard Knox NPR news.

 Former Attorney General John Ashcroft this morning goes before a congressional panel examining lucrative 18 agreements with private law firms. New guidelines require the Justice Department's No.2 official to approve contracts with outside firms hired to monitor corporations that are accused of wrongdoing. The Justice Department says the guidelines are designed to provide more transparency in how the monitors are picked. But congressional Democrats say those guidelines are too weak. One congressman 19 wants federal judges to approve contracts. Ashcroft's testimony 20 comes a day after the Justice Department issued the new guidelines. According to an SEC filing his firm stands to make as much as $52 million from one such contract.

 I'm Carl Kasell in Washington.