NPR 2011-02-06

There's apparently 1 been a change at the top of Egypt's ruling political party. NPR's Corey Flintoff reports some party leaders have stepped down, including Gamal Mubarak, son of the president.

The state-controlled news outlet 2 says embattled President Hosni Mubarak is retaining his post as head of the ruling National Democratic Party, but other top party officials have been replaced. An erroneous report said earlier that the president had left the party. The resignation of his son Gamal Mubarak apparently dashes any final hopes he may have had about inheriting his father's post, because it means he can no longer run as a party candidate. Other key figures who resigned include Safwat el-Sharif, the party secretary-general and a powerful figure in the regime for decades. Analysts 3 say the move indicates that the ruling party is trying to show that it's serious about reform. But protesters in Cairo's central Tahrir Square say that nothing will satisfy them until Hosni Mubarak leaves office. Corey Flintoff, NPR News, Cairo.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says change is a strategic necessity in the Middle East. Speaking at an international security conference in Germany, she said Mideast leaders should support democratic reforms despite possible short-term instability in countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. And she urged Europe to also press for political and economic reform in the Mideast.

Iraq's prime minister is calling it quits. Nouri al-Maliki says he will not run for a third term. And NPR's Kelly McEvers reports he's also taking a 50% pay cut.

Analysts say Maliki's announcement that he won't run again in 2014 is a move to forestall 4 public anger. Small and sporadic 5 protests have broken out around Iraq in recent days, mainly over shortages in electricity, water and food. Religious leaders have warned that if poor people's demands are not addressed, Iraq could see mass protests like those in Egypt. But so far, there've been no big demonstrations 6 here. Maliki says he'll take 15,000 dollars a month in salary rather than 30,000. He's calling on Iraq's president and vice 7 presidents to do the same. Maliki narrowly secured a second term late last year after forming a coalition 8 with his political rivals. He says all of Iraq's prime ministers should be limited to two terms. Kelly McEvers, NPR News, Baghdad.

Football fans are struggling to get to Dallas for tomorrow's Super Bowl after a snowstorm caused a lot of flight cancellations yesterday. National Weather Service forecaster Matt Moshurabore says more unpleasant but not disruptive weather is on the way.

"We do actually see the potential of a light rain/snow mix during the day on Sunday. Doesn't look like there'll be significant accumulations and everybody should be able to get to the game and get home."

Five inches of snow fell in Friday's storm which also caused ice to fall from Cowboys Stadium, injuring six people, not too seriously.

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It's long been used for bank robbers and other criminals, but now the federal government has turned to a most-wanted list to help catch those responsible for about 60 billion dollars in Medicare and Medicaid fraud each year. A new website asks for the public's help in finding more than 170 alleged 9 scammerists, including one woman accused of billing California's Medicaid program for 17 million dollars in nursing care performed by unlicensed staffers.

The new US-Russia arms control treaty formally went into effect today. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Russian counterpart made it official during a conference in Germany.

On the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, Secretary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took the last step to put the new START Treaty into effect. They exchanged ratification 10 papers and Clinton says that set in motion new cutbacks and checks.

"With the exchange of these instruments, we commit ourselves to a course of action that builds trust, lessens 11 risks, and improves predictability, stability, and security."

Sixty days from now, she says, the US and Russia can resume inspections 12 that will allow each side to, as President Reagan once put it, trust but verify. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Munich.

Rachel the Pig is in need of some repairs and it could be a while before the giant piggy bank in Seattle is ready to accept donations again. The 550-pound bank, a feature of Seattle's Pike Place Market, was knocked off its pedestal by a cabby. KING-TV says the taxi driver hit the gas when he was rear-ended this morning. The piggy bank collects a lot of money for social services.