NPR 2011-06-14

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

The first primary state in the country hosts a much-anticipated presidential debate tonight. NPR's Ari Shapiro has this look at the Republicans and the issues that will be on stage in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Republicans overwhelmingly say the economy is the most important issue to them. That could be one reason: Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt 1 Romney with his background in business leads the polls right now. While Romney attacks President Obama, other Republicans are attacking Romney. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty coined the term "Obamneycare" over the weekend to conflate President Obama's national health plan with Romney's Massachusetts one. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's task tonight is to show that he remains 2 relevant after his campaign staff quit en masse last week. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota will be the only woman in the debate. The only person of color is former Godfather CEO Herman Cain. Both are Tea Party favorites. Also on stage will be Congressman 3 Ron Paul of Texas and former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Manchester.

President Obama is out with his counter message on the economy defending his policies as the only viable 4 options to driving recovery. In [口误] North Carolina, addressing a group of business leaders involved in a jobs council that he created, Mr. Obama talked about increasing spending in clean-energy technologies such as energy-efficient lighting 5 created at a Durham plant he toured today.

"The small business that a group of N.C. State engineering students founded almost 25 years ago is a global company. It's got 5,000 employees. Next month, your new production line will begin running 24/7. And soon you'll add another 400,000 square feet of space on a new site next door."

The President in North Carolina also announcing details of a program to train 10,000 new engineers every year.

A federal grand jury in Virginia is weighing war crimes and torture charges in the death of a detainee at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2003. A federal prosecutor 6 has been looking at detainee mistreatment by the CIA for nearly two years. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports that the investigation 7 is nearing an end.

In August, 2009, the attorney general asked John Durham, a prosecutor from Connecticut, to explore whether CIA operatives or contractors 8 went outside the bounds of the law when they interrogated 9 terrorism suspects. Recently, Durham narrowed his focus and started issuing subpoenas 10 through a grand jury. Time magazine reports they're asking questions about Manadel al-Jamadi, who died after harsh treatment in Iraq eight years ago. Al-Jamadi's case became notorious because his dead body was put on ice, and US employees took pictures with his corpse 11. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up slightly at 11,954.

This is NPR News.

A suicide bomb blast in Iraq is responsible for five deaths in the southern city of Basra. Authorities say the bomber 12 detonated the explosives after being blocked from entering a police compound. Islamist extremists are behind yet another attack on a busy market in Pakistan, just days after a similar strike in Basra that killed 35 people and wounded many more. NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that today the bomber blew himself up at the gate of a bank in an outlying section of Islamabad.

Deputy Inspector 13 of Police Binyamin said the bomber believed to be between 20 and 25 tried to enter the bank, but when stopped by a security guard detonated his explosives, killing 14 the guard and wounding four others. The blast ripped through the ground floor of the bank, leaving onlookers 15 dazed. Police worked to keep a crowd from gathering 16 for fear of a second attack, a tactic 17 deployed 18 by militants 19 in Saturday night's double bombing in an area of Basra popular with students and journalists who were among the victims. Suicide attacks have been rare in Islamabad, but there have been two high-profile assassinations 20 this year: the governor of Punjab shot by his own bodyguard 21 in January; and a minister for minority affairs was gunned down outside his home in March. Julie McCarthy, NPR News, Islamabad.

Syrians are flooding across the border into Turkey, try[ing] to escape the military crackdown underway in a northern Syrian town. Troops loyal to the country's President Bashar al-Assad have regained 22 control of the town with the help of helicopter gunships and tanks, but anti-government protesters have vowed 23 to continue pressuring Assad to relinquish 24 power.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up two points at 11,954, and Nasdaq was down five at 2,638.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.