NPR 2012-01-05

 President Obama is sidestepping the GOP opposition 1 in Congress to appoint the head of a new consumer protection bureau.

 
 
 
"Today I'm appointing Richard as America's consumer watchdog."
 
 
 
The President speaking about Richard Cordray in Ohio, where the nominee 2 once served as attorney general. The president accusses congressional Republicans of holding Cordray’s nomination 3 hostage. The decision touched off abiding 4 criticism from the GOP leadership, which has warned that the recess 5 appointment to allow Cordray to serve at least two years undermines the confirmation 6 process and will be challenged in the courts.
 
 
 
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is out of the presidential race. She announced her decision earlier today after poor showing in Iowa caucuses 7. Her supporters are up for grabs among the remaining GOP contenders including Rick Santorum, who, as New Hampshire Public Radio's Jon Greenberg recabs, came in a close second behind Mitt 8 Romney in Iowa's contest and hopes to make a strong showing next week in New Hampshire.
 
 
 
Less than four weeks ago, the former Pennsylvania senator was stuck in single digits 9 in the Iowa polls. That's about where he stands today in New Hampshire and his backers are hoping for a similar surge in next week’s primary. State campaign co-chair Bill Cahill says Santorum aims to consolidate 10 the social conservative vote in the Granite 11 State.
 
 
 
“Our guy is gonna be campaigning full-time 12 for the next week throughout the state in Hampshire with a very ambitious schedule, a huge media contention 13 in toll 14.”
 
 
 
Wining the support of evangelical voters is key to Santorum’s strategy, but New Hampshire has relatively 15 fewer such voters, compared to Iowa. For NPR News, I’m Jon Greenberg in Concord 16, New Hampshire.
 
 
 
In a boost heading into New Hampshire, Mitt Romney has picked up Arizona Senator John McCain’s endorsement 17.
 
 
 
“No one will ever say that Mitt Romney will lead from behind. He will lead in front the way Ronald Reagan did and not lead from behind, which is what this president is doing.”
 
 
 
McCain was the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.
 
 
 
The Greek prime minister is meeting with labor 18 union and trade leaders today to try to win support for painful financial reforms. Financial inspectors 19 are due to arrive later this month. And as Joanna Kakissis reports from Athens, crucial bailout loans hang in the balance.
 
 
 
The government led by former central banker Lucas Papademos is trying to secure about 170 billion dollars in new bailout loans. In exchange for the aid, the government has imposed austerity measures such as wage and pension cuts and also high taxes. Unions have called numerous strikes against austerity. Papademos must convince them to back cuts of labor costs to satisfy international lenders.
 
 
 
That’s Joanna Kakissis in Athens.
 
 
 
Dow was up 13 points.
 
 
 
You’re listening to NPR News.
 
 
 
Train passengers are facing significant delays in the Easternern US. As NPR’s Tovia Smith tells us, Amtrak service between Philadelphia and New York is temporarily suspended because of downed wires.
 
 
 
Officials say crews are making the needed repairs just east of Philadelphia, but thousands of passengers will experience significant delays on Amtrak's busiest route. The wires came down before 8:00 this morning. They hung over one track, blocking trains there, and repair workers were blocking others. But spokesman Cliff Cole says two of four tracks are now clear for travel, and service should be back to normal by late afternoon.
 
 
 
“It’s rare that the wires come down. I mean the overhead wire system. You know, it’s fairly complex. Its electricity powers our trains, so that when the wires come down, it does cause a big issue for our travel.”
 
 
 
Cole says Amtrak is still investigating how the wire came down. Tovia Smith, NPR News.
 
 
 
Mexican drug cartel kingpin Benjamin Arellano Felix reportedly will plead guilty to unspecified charges. According to the Associated Press, the US attorney office in San Diego has announced that Arellano Felix is expected in federal court this afternoon. The defendant 20 ran a cartel that rose to power Tijuana in the late 1980s. He was extradited from Mexico last April.
 
 
 
Argentina’s president is said to be awake and recovering from a 3.5-hours surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid gland 21. Fifty-eight year old Cristina Fernandez was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma last month shortly after she began her second term as president.
 
 
 
US stocks mixed this hour with the Dow up 13 points at 12,410; NASDAQ down slightly at 2,649.