NPR 2009-10-27

The makers 1 of the vaccine 2 for swine flu are being taken to task for giving an overly rosy 3 assessment 4 of their ability to produce enough vaccine for everyone who wants it. Making the rounds of the network morning news programs, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said officials now have about 16.5 million doses of vaccine, well below what's needed, but she said it is being produced as quickly as possible. Appearing on NBC Today, she called on people to get vaccinated 5 once adequate supplies of vaccine are on hand.

"We're hoping that, with an effective vaccine, getting information out to people, we're gonna minimize that harm and that impact on the American public. And that's why the president wanted us to act quickly."

Swine flu has spread rapidly. So far, roughly 1,000 people have died while tens of thousands of others have contracted the virus.

A 19-year-old Jordanian accused of trying to blow up a Dallas skyscraper 6 with what he thought was a car bomb pleaded not guilty in a Texas federal court today. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports.

A grand jury indicted 8 Hosam Smadi for allegedly attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against a US target and planning to bomb a public place. Smadi was arrested last month after he allegedly drove what he thought was a car bomb into the basement parking garage of a skyscraper in Dallas. Smadi allegedly thought he was working with some low-ranking al-Qaeda operatives, when in actual fact, they were undercover FBI agents. The FBI says agents found Smadi in an internet chat room where he was allegedly looking for people to help him launch a violent attack against the US. The FBI agents provided the young Jordanian with both the car and what he thought were explosives. When he dialed the cell phone number he thought would detonate the device, he was actually calling a local FBI office. He was arrested a short time later. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

Jury selection is underway in the first trial of 12 men from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 38-year-old Raymond Jessop faces up to 20 years if convicted with sexual assault of a child. From Dallas, NPR's Wade 10 Goodwyn has more.

The sexual assault charges involve a 16-year-old girl who became pregnant and struggled giving birth for several days in 2005. After days of fruitless labor 11, the girl's alleged 9 husband Raymond Jessop approached Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, seeking his advice. Jeffs wrote in his journal if she went to the hospital, they could put Raymond Jessop in jeopardy 12 of prosecution 13 as the government is looking for any reason to come against us here. Jeffs is in prison after being convicted as an accomplice 14 to rape 7 in another case in Utah. Wade Goodwyn, NPR News, Dallas.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 104 points to close at 9,867. That was a decline of more than 1%. The NASDAQ lost 12 points. The S&P 500 also fell 12 points today.

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Hospital officials announced that 24 children were among the dead in that massive suicide bombing in Baghdad over the weekend. An official at the hospital where the children's bodies were taken says they were on a bus leaving a daycare center next to the Justice Ministry 15 when the attack took place. The bus driver was also killed. So far, there has been no claim of responsibility in the attacks which are believed to have involved a minivan and a water tanker 16 loaded with explosives. Totally at least 155 people died in the attacks.

Preparations are underway at Florida's Kennedy Space Center for the first test of the rocket NASA wants to use to send astronauts back to the moon. Weather is the biggest concern for Tuesday's unmanned launch, but the long-term future of NASA's human space flight program is much more uncertain. From member station WMFE, Judith Smelser reports.

NASA says there's a 60% chance the Ares I-X test flight could be delayed because of clouds in the forecast for Kennedy Space Center. Weather officer Kathy Winter says the agency has stricter rules for this flight than for space shuttle missions.

"High clouds would normally not be an issue for a shuttle launch, but for Ares I-X launch, we will not be allowed to punch through those high clouds. The discharging could cause static and communication issues with the vehicle."

In other words, the rocket might not be able to exchange data with technicians on the ground. NASA managers say they'll put protective coatings on the final version of the rocket. That should eliminate that concern. But there are questions about whether that rocket will ever be built. Last week, a presidential commission submitted a report to the White House that was highly critical of the Ares plan. For NPR News, I'm Judith Smelser in Orlando.

Crude oil futures 17 ended the session lower. The near-month contract for benchmark crude was down $1.82 a barrel to end the session at $78.68 a barrel in New York.