NPR 2010-11-15

Taxation 1 is topic A as Congress returns to Washington for a lame-duck session. At issue, should the tax cuts adopted during the Bush administration extend beyond their year's end expiration 2 date? On NBC's "Meet the Press", Senator John McCain of Arizona expressed support for an across-the-board extension and a reevaluation.

"I think they should be extended until we're out of this recession. At such time then we could look at other tax hikes, but when we're in a serious recession, I cannot believe that raising taxes is a good thing on anybody."President Obama favors extending them for couples earning less than 250,000 a year. Congress also needs to tie up critical spending bills.

More personnel changes are slated 3 at the White House. Top presidential advisor 4 David Axelrod says he'll be leaving to begin work on the president's reelection campaign. He spoke 5 on Fox News Sunday.

"Late winter, early spring I'll be going back - coming back here - to Chicago and beginning to work on that, on that project."The 55-year-old Axelrod is a longtime friend of President Obama and served as his chief strategist for the 2008 campaign.

In Myanmar today, thousands gathered at the party headquarters of newly freed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. We get more from NPR's Anthony Kuhn.

Aung San Suu Kyi offered to help unite Myanmar's fractious opposition 6 parties and work to end the foreign sanctions against her country if that's what Burmese people wanted. She also said that a one-woman show was no democracy and that she wouldn't be free unless her fellow countrymen were also free. In talks with diplomats 7, supporters and opposition party members, she stressed that she intended to continue fighting for freedom of speech and she urged her followers 8 to do the same. Opposition parties welcomed her message of unity 9. Her own party, the National League for Democracy, was banned last year after it decided 10 to boycott 11 the elections. Some NLD leaders who opposed the boycott broke away to form a new party. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Bangkok.

The California Highway Patrol says a man who allegedly ran head-on into a pack of motorcyclists on a desert road, beginning a fatal chain reaction, has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Five people died. The incident is believed to have been triggered by the driver of a Honda, who attempted to maneuver 12 around the caravan 13 of motorcyclists. Here's officer DeeAnn Goudie of the California Highway Patrol.

"None of them are, you know, 100% sure on the year but they're 100% sure that it's a Honda Civic 14 with a California plate."Several people were injured. The incident occurred Saturday.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today encouraged his cabinet to accept a package of security and diplomatic incentives 15 the US has proposed in hopes of reviving Middle East peace talks. Part of the proposal calls for a 90-day moratorium 16 on West Bank settlement construction.

A British couple kidnapped by Somali pirates and held for 388 days has been freed. Larry Miller 17 reports from London that the UK government refused to pay a ransom 18, but family, friends, Somali exiles and even Somali villagers chipped in to meet the demand.

Paul and Rachel Chandler had cruised the world for three years when they were abducted 19 from their sailboat off the Seychelles. They were taken to Somalia by pirates, who demanded six million dollars but settled for a million. The British government said it doesn't pay ransoms 20. It's taken more than a year for the money to be collected privately 21. During their captivity 22, the Chandlers, who've been married for 30 years, were separated for long periods of time. They were taken from place to place. They suffered health problems and said they were poorly treated by the pirates. They are now reported to be in reasonably good health. They were handed over early this morning and phoned relatives. The Chandlers say they are just happy to be alive, adding "We're with the good guys now." For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

The annual Global Language Monitor survey is out, declaring "spillcam" and "vuvuzela" the top words of 2010. "Spillcam" from the underwater camera, reflecting the months-long oil spill in the Gulf 23 of Mexico; and "vuvuzela", the noisy South African horns at the World Cup soccer tournament.

I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington.