NPR 2012-01-31

 The leading Republican presidential candidates, Mitt 1 Romney and Newt Gingrich, are keeping up their verbal attacks as Floridians prepare to vote in tomorrow's potentially game-changing primary. Meanwhile, a new report shows that unregulated Super PACs are outspending the candidates on TV ads in the Republican race. NPR's Peter Overby says the findings come from the Wesleyan Media Project at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

 
The media project says the Super PACs fueled by unregulated contributions spent 15 million dollars this month alone. Political scientist Erika Franklin Fowler's in charge of the project. She says the Mitt Romney campaign and the pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future are dominating the airwaves.
 
"Let's talk about campus. Romney had over 2,000 spots in that media market alone, compared to 51 for Gingrich."
 
The Super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich got a five-million-dollar contribution last week, but that money is just now showing up on TV. Peter Overby, NPR News, Washington.
 
Several Americans are sheltering in the US embassy in Cairo, waiting for permission to leave the country in the wake of a growing dispute between the US and Egypt. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland explains the embassy's unusual decision.
 
"They’re in the embassy because they feel that they are more comfortable there in this circumstance where they had sought to leave the country and they are unable to do so."
 
Concern's rising after Egypt's military rulers began to crackdown on non-governmental organizations, and several of the groups are US-funded.
 
Belgium's biggest trade unions are on strike across the country. They’re demanding that European Union leaders meeting today in Brussels scale back austerity measures. The strike has caused some disruption to travel. Brussels International Airport reported flight delays and cancellations. 
 
European leaders gathering 2 for today's summit are expected to sign off on a new treaty that has been under discussion for nearly a year. John Psaropoulos reports from Athens the treaty aims to impose stricter economic governance in the eurozone by preventing excessive deficits 3.
 
The treaty would bind 4 eurozone member states to almost zero deficits, just half a point of GDP, a far cry from the three points allowed until now. According to a draft of the treaty, they will also have to lower their overall national debt by about 5% a year. Sanctions for deviance include loss of European subsidies 5 and penalties. In theory, this fiscal 6 discipline is preventive medicine to stop other eurozone members from falling into Greece's debt trap. Greece now faces debt of more than 160% of GDP, considered on sustainable. It has reached a tentative agreement with private sector 7 bondholders to write off almost three quarters of that debt. But critics of the new fiscal rules doubt they are enforceable. For NPR News, I'm John Psaropoulos in Athens.
 
At last check on Wall Street, Dow was down 39 points at 12,622.
 
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The East Haven 8, Connecticut police chief reportedly is retiring after four officers were accused of systematically 9 mistreating Latino residents. Chief Leonard Gallo's attorney says the retirement 10 takes effect February 10th.
 
The Associated Press is reporting more than 100 people were hurt in a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Peru. However, the injuries are said to be minor 11. The quake hit along the county's central coast about 170 miles south of Lima.
 
Florida authorities are still trying to determine what caused the pile-ups south of Gainesville on Interstate 75 that led to the deaths of at least ten people. As Florida Public Radio's Trimmel Gomes reports, even up until this morning, highway patrol had to order the lane closures of the highway due to fog and smoke.
 
The highway on Sunday had been closed for a time before the accidents because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire that may have been intentionally 12 set. Lieutenant 13 Pat Riordan with the Florida Highway Patrol says road closures could continue tonight if there is limited visibility.
 
"Expect delays, and if you can take a different route by all moves, you know, there are some other main roads that are, you know, leading through or for. You got our 95 on the East Coast. Yet, you had 19 on the West Coast."
 
At least a dozen cars and 16 tractor-trailers were involved in the deadly crashes. Investigators 14 are still trying to find out who may have caused the brush fire since there were no prescribed burns or lightening in the area. For NPR News, I'm Trimmel Gomes. 
 
Big tech companies banding together to block email phishing scams in which legitimate-looking emails are sent to users to trick them into giving away personal information. The companies are proposing a system known as DMARC.