NPR 2011-05-14

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

More neighborhoods are taking on water in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where Governor Haley Barbour is sounding this warning.

"You need to go on and get out now while you can."

With the Mississippi River still rising, thousands have already fled as Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Daniel Cherry noticed while touring the port of Vicksburg.

One thing, especially here in the port, that has struck me is how there is just hardly any activity at all, and normally, the port of Vicksburg, employees about 4,000 people, and they're shut down basically until the water recedes 1.

Daniel Cherry reporting. The river is expected to crest 2 north of Vicksburg by Monday. People in parts of Louisiana are on edge. Governor Bobby Jindal says a massive spillway on the swollen 3 Mississippi River north of Baton 4 Rouge 5 will probably open this weekend. Eileen Fleming of member station WWNO reports thousands of people are being advised to evacuate 6.

Governor Jindal says he expects the Army Corps 7 of Engineers will act quickly once it determines the Morganza Spillway needs to open. He says water will be released gradually into the Atchafalaya River basin, west of the Mississippi.

"We've already notified the sheriffs. Then they should go on to proceed with their door-to-door notification plans. National Guard is supporting them in their mission. "

Jindal says even after the spillway opens to spare flooding in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, high water levels will remain throughout the summer. For NPR News, I'm Eileen Fleming in New Orleans.

Italy's foreign minister believes Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has probably left Tripoli and may have been wounded. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports the information comes from the top Catholic official in Libya.

Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Monday he has received the information from the Archbishop of Tripoli Giovanni Martinelli claiming that Gaddafi is probably outside of Tripoli and believed to be wounded. "I lean toward the solution of an escape from Tripoli, not an escape from Libya," Frattini said, adding "Libya is a big country with desert areas." The archbishop has been a vocal 8 critic of the NATO bombing campaign, which has frequently targeted Gaddafi's compound in the capital. Libyan state TV showed Gaddafi meeting tribal 9 leaders allegedly Wednesday in a Tripoli hotel, but Frattini voiced strong doubts that the footage was shot that day and in Tripoli. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

Two NATO service members in Afghanistan are dead, gunned down today by an Afghan policeman. The military alliance says the attack took place inside a police compound in southern Helmand province. The troops were serving as mentors 10 for a local National Civil Order brigade. Their names and nationalities have not been disclosed.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 0.5% at 12,596, and the NASDAQ had fallen 35 points or more than 1% at 2,828.

This is NPR News.

Texas Congressman 11 Ron Paul is back in the race for president. He says he's seeking the Republican nomination 12 in 2012. NPR's Giles Snyder explains why Paul is running again.

Paul says he's entering the race because his issues have strong public support right now.

"Time has come around to the point where the people are agreeing with much of what I have been saying for 30 years. So, I think the time is right."

Paul was speaking to ABC's "Good Morning America" from New Hampshire. He is a Tea Party favorite to his long championed calls to reduce the federal debt and government spending. His failed candidacy for the GOP nomination three years ago was an Internet sensation. He also ran as a Libertarian in 1998. Giles Snyder, NPR News, Washington.

Egyptian authorities are detaining Susan Mubarak, the 70-year-old wife of former President Hosni Mubarak. More from NPR's Peter Kenyon.

Susan Mubarak has joined her husband and sons in official custody 14, pending 13 investigations 15, according to Egyptian officials and the official news agency. Hosni Mubarak was detained last month and has been in a Sharm el-Sheikh hospital since while his sons are in prison. The official MENA news agency reported that the latest round of questioning of the ex-president and his wife focused on the extent and sources of the family's wealth. The questioning involved luxury villas 16 and various bank accounts allegedly controlled by the Mubaraks. Eighty-three-year-old Hosni Mubarak also faces investigations about the deaths of hundreds of Egyptians during the uprising that ended his 30-year rule. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Cairo.

President Obama says he's accepting the resignation of his Middle East envoy 17 George Mitchell. The former senator announced today he would leave May 20th.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.