NPR 2009-02-23

The nation's Republican governors are expressing sharply different views about whether to accept federal funding from the administration's stimulus 1 plan and about how best to respond to the nation’s economic crisis. The National Governors Association is meeting in Washington. NPR's Kate Davidson has more.

The Republican governors of Louisiana and Mississippi say they won't take stimulus funds designed to expand state unemployment insurance. Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina told Fox News Sunday he may not either, and he disparaged 2 the overall plan. "All this money is going to be borrowed from the future, from future generations, from social security. So in essence, we're digging yet another hole for ourselves with regard to unsustainable spending." But moderate Republicans started to push back on a television circuit. California's Arnold Schwarzenegger was questioned about Sanford's opposition 3 during an appearance on ABC. "A lot of my colleagues look at this differently. I look at it in a more optimistic way, and I feel very strongly that I think that President Obama right now needs team players."  He also said he'd be more than happy to take any money the others won't. Kate Davidson, NPR News, Washington.

Heads of government and finance ministers from European Union countries were meeting in Berlin today to work out a coordinated 4 approach to dealing 5 with the global economic downturn. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso: "We have to achieve a higher level of coordination 6 and implement 7 our own decisions based on our agreed frameworks from Stability and Growth Pact 8 to the internal market to all the principles that are so important for our union." The leaders called for getting tough with tax savings 9 and for imposing 10 strict oversight 11 on all financial markets. The meeting was a prelude 12 to an economic conference in April of the so-called Group of 20 nations, which includes the US, China and Japan as well as developing nations such as India and Brazil.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is headed back to the US after wrapping up her Asian trip by attending a church service in Beijing and meeting with Chinese women's leaders. She also suggested that by buying more US treasury 13 bonds China would be helping 14 its own economy. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Beijing.

In an interview with local media, Secretary Clinton said that buying more US government debt would help the US fiscal 15 stimulus package, which would in turn create more demand for Chinese exports. Clinton also joined in an online chat in which she urged China to adopt greener technologies as it develops its economy. "I mean, the people in China deserve to have a rising standard of living. We just don't want you to make the same mistakes we made." Clinton also met with women's leaders, including 82-year-old AIDS activist 16 Dr. Gao Yaojie and other NGO workers whom she'd met on previous visits to China. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.

US and Iraqi forces have begun a new offensive in northern Iraq that's aimed at rooting out al-Qaeda militants 17 and other insurgents 18. An Iraqi general says already more than 80 suspected militants have been rounded up.

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A grenade, that witnesses say was thrown by someone riding a motorbike, exploded in a crowded square in Cairo that's popular with tourists today. A French woman was killed and 20 other people were injured. Most of the victims were foreign tourists. After the blast, police found another grenade and managed to detonate it safely.

Democratic Senator Roland Burris of Illinois has been trying to keep a low profile this weekend amid calls for his resignation and a report that he was questioned yesterday in connection with the federal investigation 20 of the state's ousted 21 governor Rod Blagojevich. NPR's Allison Keyes has the story.

Burris was reportedly interviewed at his attorney's Chicago office Saturday for several hours. It's part of an ongoing 22 federal corruption 23 investigation into whether Blagojevich tried to sell the Senate seat formerly 24 held by President Barack Obama and now occupied by Burris. Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune both report Burris is not a target of that probe. But Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and others have called for Burris to resign amid apparent inconsistencies in the senator's descriptions of his contacts with Blagojevich's office before being appointed to the seat. But Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, a fellow Democrat 19, is trying to minimize the controversy 25. "Give him an opportunity to be able to explain himself." A spokeswoman for Burris declined to comment. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

Crowds of movie fans are already gathering 26 outside the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, the site of tonight's Academy Awards ceremony. Bleacher seats along a red carpet were allocated 27 by a lottery 28 system. The film Slumdog Millionaire is nominated for 10 awards including Best Picture. Its competitors in that category are the films Frost/Nixon, Milk, the Reader, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.