NPR 2008-10-27

Democratic presidential nominee 2 Barack Obama is stepping up his effort to link his GOP opponent with President Bush's policies. Obama drew a crowd of tens of thousands of people to a rally this afternoon in downtown Denver, as NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Colorado was one of those Republican states that went twice for President Bush, but it's one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the country this year. Polls give Obama a lead here. His speech at Civic 3 Center Park near the State Capitol Building touched on usual topics, that John McCain would be a third term for President Bush, that fixing the economy also means helping 4 out the middle class and not just Wall Street, and he's pushing for people to vote now under early voting rolls. "How many people have early voted? That's what I'm talking about. That's what I'm talking about. No point to wait in lines if you don't have to. You know who you are gonna vote for. Go to the polls! " Monday it's off to two more battleground states, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Don Gonyea, NPR News, Denver.

GOP presidential nominee John McCain insists the race is tighter than many polls indicate. McCain says he expects to win on November 4th. NPR's Allison Keyes has more.

McCain says his campaign is doing fine despite polls like the one yesterday that showed him trailing Democrat 1 Barack Obama by 13 points nationwide. McCain told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he has closed the gap with the Illinois Senator over the past couple of weeks, and he says he's going to win this very close race. "Those polls have consistently shown me much further behind than we actually are, it all depends on the voter turnout. " McCain has been casting Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal who’ll push for bigger government. McCain and his surrogates are hitting swing states today like Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, while Obama tackles Colorado, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Democrat released a new TV ad today describing McCain as out of touch and running out of time. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

Syria is blaming the US for an attack in Syrian territory near the border with Iraq that killed eight people. Syrian officials are calling that attack serious aggression 6, claiming the victims included civilians 7. But US military official told the Associated Press the raid by special forces targeted a network of foreign fighters who entered Iraq from Syria.

Gasoline prices have dropped sharply again, down nearly 53 cents a gallon over the past two weeks to a national average of $2. 78 for a gallon of regular. Industry analyst 8 Trilby Lundberg. "On the 24th, the lowest average in our survey was Wichita, Kansas. Regular there is $2. 26, the highest was in Anchorage, $3. 50, Honolulu right behind it, $3. 48. " Lundberg says with the US economy slumping 9, Americans are driving less and putting downward pressure on crude oil prices. This is NPR News from Washington.

Federal Reserve policymakers meet in Washington this week and they're expected to cut a key interest rate, perhaps by half a percent down to the lowest level in more than four years. The Fed is hoping that lower rates will encourage people and businesses to step up their spending, which will help shore up the shaky US economy.

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he's suffering from exhaustion 10 but he dismisses reports that he might have more serious illness. Ahmadinejad has not yet said whether he plans to run for a second term in next summer's presidential election in Iran. Roxana Saberi reports from Teheran.

A member of Iran's parliament close to the President said Ahmadinejad is feeling under the weather because of the strain of his position. Mohammad Esmail Kowsari said the President will eventually get well and continue his job. Kowsari called rumors 11 that Ahmadinejad is seriously ill "psychological warfare 12" aimed at dividing fundamentalists who make up Ahmadinejad's political base. In recent weeks, some of Ahmadinejad’s supporters have been discussing potential candidates for the next presidential election, implying that the sitting president is not their automatic choice. Ahmadinejad has been facing many challenges recently, including rising inflation and unemployment and falling oil prices. For NPR News, I'm Roxana Saberi in Teheran.

A federal judge has dismissed one of the jurors from the trial of GOP Senator Ted 5 Stevens of Alaska who’s facing corruption 13 charges. The judge dismissed the woman because she has not been in contact with the court since Friday after she left for California following the death of her father. Jury deliberations resume tomorrow morning. Stevens is charged with lying on Senate financial disclosure documents to conceal 14 about 250, 000 dollars in home renovations and other gifts.