NPR 2011-02-07

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expressing US support for the Cairo government's plan for a democratic transition in Egypt. NPR's Michele Kelemen talked to the secretary in Munich today.

Secretary Clinton says she's keeping tabs on the Egyptian government's efforts to negotiate with the opposition 1 including now the Muslim Brotherhood 2 to start an orderly transition in a country that has been a key US ally.

"We are putting a lot of effort into making sure that the dialog process that has begun is meaningful and transparent 3 and leads to concrete actions."

The US seems to be resigned to the fact that President Hosni Mubarak isn't leaving the scene anytime soon. But Secretary Clinton refused to say in our interview whether the US is giving him such advice. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Munich.

Former Vice 4 President Dick Cheney has advised for the Obama administration in handling the turmoil 5 in Egypt. Don't push President Mubarak too hard in public. At an event commemorating 6 Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday, Cheney said there's a reason why diplomacy 7 is conducted in secret and he called Mubarak a good friend and US ally.

Police have one suspect in a shooting at a house just north of the Youngstown State University campus. One student was killed and six wounded. Five other people were also wounded. Police Lieutenant 8 Franklin Palmer says the violence erupted early this morning.

"There's a party and that shooting occurred during the party."

University President Cynthia Anderson met students and their relatives at the hospital, calling it a sad day for the YSU family. No arrests have been made yet.

New York City health officials confirmed three cases of cholera 9 in the city. NPR's Robert Smith reports this is the first known outbreak in New York since the problem surfaced in Haiti.

Three New Yorkers were attending a wedding in the Dominican Republic a couple of weeks ago. When they returned, they reported the classic symptoms of cholera, diarrhea and dehydration 10. They were hospitalized and they since recovered. But New York epidemiologists confirmed that it was indeed cholera. The city's working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to trace the origin of the strain. They are especially worried that the disease is linked to the cholera epidemic 11 in Haiti that has killed thousands. Usually New York has about one cholera case per year connected to travel. The disease spreads through contaminated food and water. But the risk of its spreading in New York City is considerably 12 low. With proper treatment, most people can get better quickly. Robert Smith, NPR News, New York.

The American hikers detained by Iran 18 months ago have pleaded not guilty to espionage 13 charges. Iran has barred observers at the start of court proceedings 14. The Americans say they were hiking in Iraq's Kurdistan area and if they crossed into Iran, it was inadvertent. One of the three, Sarah Shourd, was released on bail 15 last fall. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal remain in custody 16.

This is NPR.

A meeting between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan today failed to produce a date for resuming peace talks between the hostile neighbors. The diplomats 17 met in the capital of Bhutan in an effort to revive discussions that stalled after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. New Delhi blames the attacks on Pakistan-based insurgents 18.

Americans are cooking chicken chili 19, making brownies, and cleaning up the family room in preparation for tonight's Super Bowl between the Packers and the Steelers in Dallas. NPR's Tom Goldman reports the two teams have won nine of the 44 previous NFL championships.

The Super Bowl is America's annual spectacle of access. But one element of that will be missing today at the palatial 20 billion-dollar-plus Cowboys Stadium. Green Bay and Pittsburgh are two of a handful of NFL teams without cheer leaders, meaning football fans will have to direct their attention to other things, like the estimated 11 minutes of actual football in a game that will stretch on for nearly four hours. But it should be a simulating 11 minutes, two great defenses, two great quarterbacks. Green Bay's Arron Rodgers in particular has been dazzling in the post-season. He's completed nearly 3/4 of his passes. Steeler's quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn't have the lofty stats, but his size, his 6'5'', 240 pounds and his ability to scramble 22 and create plays on the run present a huge challenge to the Packer's defense 21. Tom Goldman, NPR News.

Zsa Zsa Gabor was expected to be released from a Los Angeles hospital this afternoon in time to celebrate her 94th birthday at home. The 50s and 60s sex symbol was recovering from pneumonia 23. Her publicist says Gabor's husband is getting a cake and will have friends over to celebrate.