NPR 2010-01-08

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Jack 1 Speer.

Releasing a preliminary review of the events leading up to the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt against a US-bound jetliner, President Obama today called for additional steps to thwart 2 terror efforts. Among other things, the president cited the need for wider dissemination 3 of intelligence information. That was followed by a briefing by John Brennan, his top counter-terrorism official, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Napolitano said there will also be tighter security put in place for people coming from certain countries.

"Every individual flying into the United States from anywhere in the world who has an itinerary 4 or passport from nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or countries of interest is required to go through enhanced screening."

Napolitano says the US plans to deploy 5 additional 300 advanced imaging scanners at US airports this year. The administration says its reports showed there was enough information to have kept the alleged 6 bomber 7 off the plane but that officials "failed to connect the dots."

Four people are dead and five others were wounded after an early morning shooting at a factory in St. Louis. Richard Leapman with St. Louis Public Radio reports.

St. Louis police say the gunman is among those who were killed in the early morning rampage at ABB Inc. The company makes electrical transformers. Police are not confirming the shooter's identity but he’s been widely named as 51-year-old Timothy Herndon, an employee of the factory. St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom says law enforcement remains 9 on the scene to make sure Herndon did not leave behind any explosives or other weapons.

"But we are, we are confident that we, we have the identity of the shooter and we believe that we have no more victims inside the building."

Isom says police recovered an assault rifle, a shotgun and a handgun at the scene. He could not confirm reports that other employees may have shot Herndon. For NPR News, I'm Richard Leapman in St. Louis.

Portions of the Deep South are seeing snow today. That comes on top of days of sub-freezing temperatures across the region. From member station WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, Andrew Yeager reports.

Schools across Alabama and Mississippi closed in anticipation 10 of snow and ice. The cold has been blamed for the deaths of an Alzheimer’s patient in Tennessee who wandered outside and a homeless man found sleeping in a tent in South Carolina. A city-backed warming center in Birmingham has hosted around 100 people the last two nights. Jefferson County, Alabama Emergency Management spokesman Mark Kelly says the area isn't in the clear yet.

"We are going to have problems with low-lying areas, roads and bridges that may ice. You also get concerns about, about power outages"

Power is a concern to some Alabamians given tonight's BCS Championship Game between Alabama and Texas. Utilities have been assuring the public the snowfall shouldn't cause problems with power lines and fans should be able to watch the game uninterrupted. For NPR News, I am Andrew Yeager in Birmingham.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 33 points to close at 10,606 today.

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Two ex-contractors with the security firm formally known as Blackwater have been arrested on murder charges in connection with the killings 11 of two Afghans last year. According to an indictment 12 obtained by the Associate Press, the pair have been charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons charges. Both men are in custody 13 but now they maintain they were justified 14 when they opened fire on a threatening vehicle last year. Blackwater which has since changed its name to Xe fired both men after that shooting.

Department of Justice says it will review Comcast Corporation's $30-billion deal to take control of NBC Universal. More from Joe Rose.

The proposed deal would give Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, control of a major broadcast network, 26 TV stations, a handful of cable channels and a movie studio. Both Comcast and NBC also deliver video content online. Public interest groups have expressed concern about concentrating so many media outlets 15 in a single company and that the new entity 8 would control creation of content and distribution. Some of those critics welcomed the announcement that the Justice Department would be scrutinizing 16 the deal. Federal Communications Commission is conducting its own review and members of Congress will get their shot too. The heads of Comcast and NBC Universal are expected to testify before a Senate subcommittee in the coming weeks. For NPR News, I’m Joe Rose in Philadelphia.

A government's main unemployment report for December isn't due out until tomorrow. However, a possible hint of what may be to come. Labor 17 Department today released its weekly unemployment figures, shows the pace of layoffs 18 may be slowing. The government says the number of first-time jobless claims rose only modestly last week, more reliable four-week moving average fell for an 18th straight week.

I’m Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.