NPR 2010-10-25

The death toll 1 in Haiti's cholera 2 epidemic 3 is increasing. More than 250 people have died. Health experts say 3,000 people are infected, but the BBC's Laura Trevelyan says fewer diagnoses were reported today.

Outside the main gate of the St. Nicholas hospital in Saint Marc, the epicenter of the outbreak, the crowds are waiting anxiously, some people desperate to be admitted, others clamoring fornews of their relatives inside. Only those with the most severe cases of diarrhea are being admitted. As the outbreak moves south from here, Haiti's health minister has claimed it appears to be being contained to a limited geographical 4 area. Doctors say cholera outbreaks in other parts of the world taking up to six months to be brought firmly under control.

The BBC's Laura Trevelyan in Haiti.

Alerts are posted in coastal 5 communities in Honduras, which has been pummeled by heavy rain from Hurricane Richard. The storm has raised fears about possible mudslides and flooding. Richard is now on a path toward Belize and Mexico's southeast coast.

The battle over control of Congress is going down to the wire. GOP Chair Michael Steele believes Republicans will take the House and possibly the Senate. But on ABC's "This Week", Democratic Party head Tim Kaine said voters will respond to Democratic accomplishments 7.

"We saved the auto 8 industry. We saved the financial sector 9. We've passed a bill enabling women to get equal pay for equal work, and done historic health care reform among many other bills."

Democrats 10 have labeled the GOP as the "Party of No", but Steele told NBC's "Meet the Press" all of their suggestions have fallen on deaf ears.

"The ideas that were put on the table, a lot of them propounded 11 by folks like Mr. Boehner and Eric Cantor and, and Paul Ryan were summarily rejected."

President Obama's spending the day at the White House with a little golf mixed tennis, taking a brief rest from the campaign trail. He heads back out tomorrow to visit Rhode Island and four more states on the final weekend before the election.

Former President Bill Clinton is also on the stump 12 for fellow Democrats. He started his day in Detroit, hoping to boost the chances of Democrats in the gubernatorial in US House races. He was also scheduled to visit Minnesota.

The Obama administration wants big trucks and buses to be more fuel-efficient. The EPA and the Transportation Department are poised 13 to release a proposal to set first-ever fuel efficiency standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks. The rules would begin to take effect in the 2014 model year.

Pope Benedict addressed the issue of peace in the Middle East during Mass at St. Peter's today. He said peace is possible and urgently needed. He also called for greater freedom of religion throughout the region.

From Washington, this is NPR.

The government is warning about a possible health risk from a child's teething product. The Food and Drug Administration says Hyland's teething tablets contain belladonna, which can be dangerous taken in large doses. The FDA says it's received some reports of serious side effects. The manufacturer claims the tablets are safe, but it's recalling the product.

The man who created Rocky and Bullwinkle has died. NPR's Allison Keyes says Alexander Anderson had battled Alzheimer's for five years.

"We are going to have a lot of bucks 14. Come on and join us."

"There's always room for one more."

Beginning in 1959, the exploits of Rocky, the flying squirrel, and Bullwinkle, the moose captivated TV audiences with cute talking cartoon characters and slight humor aimed at adults. Alexander Anderson's wife Patricia says the Bullwinkle character came to him in a dream about playing poker 15 with his friends.

"He and brother Ward 6, a friend and the friend happened to a moose, and the moose was playing with him, and Alex was so embarrassed because the moose kept doing silly things."

Bullwinkle's name came from a card dealership 16 with a slightly different spelling. Anderson was born in September of 1920 in Berkeley, California. He started working in animation 17 in 1938. Alexander Anderson died Friday. He was 90 years old. Allison Keyes, NPR News.

Some Americans were picking out their costumes and putting up Halloween decorations this weekend. Others decided 18 to go to a scary movie. Paranormal Activity 2 came in No.1 at the weekend box office with $41 million in earnings 19. Jackass 3D slipped to second place.