NPR 2010-02-16

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Craig Windham.

Democratic Senator Evan Bayh says he will not run for a third term in office. Bayh says he loves representing the people of Indiana, but he does not love Congress. “For some time, I’ve had a growing conviction that Congress is not operating as it should. There is much too much partisanship 1 and not enough progress –– too much narrow ideology 2 and not enough practical problem-solving.” Speaking at a news conference in Indianapolis, Bayh said he was confident he could have been reelected. He’d already raised 13 million dollars for his campaign, but he says it’s time for him to contribute to society in a different way, such as by leading a college or university or a charitable group. Bayh’s decision not to run leaves Democrats 3 at risk of losing his Senate seat. Former GOP Senator Dan Coats is running for the position.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Iran’s military is tightening 4 its grip on that country which, she says, is moving toward a dictatorship. As NPR’s Paul Brown reports, Clinton is saying the US wants to work more closely, with other countries worrying about Iran’s ambitions and its actions.

Secretary Clinton is visiting the Middle East. She tells Arab students at Carnegie Mellon University's Doha campus that Iran's elite 5 Revolutionary Guards Corps 6 is effectively supplanting 7 the government. “Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship.” Iran says it won't abandon its nuclear programs and it’s been cracking down further on dissidents. Clinton says Iran still has the option to engage with the US, but she adds the US wants international support for sanctions as needed. “It is important for us to work with like-minded countries here in the Gulf 8, in the broader region and around the world who share our concerns.” She reiterates 9 the US is not planning military action against Iran. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

More information is surfacing today about the University of Alabama Huntsville biology professor who’s accused of killing 10 three colleagues and wounding three others when she opened fire during a faculty 11 meeting there last week. Bobby Milk of member station WRLH reports Amy Bishop 12 has been charged with one count of capital murder and three counts of attempted murder.

Authorities are looking into new information that surfaced over the weekend involving Amy Bishop. In 1993, a pipe bomb was delivered to one of Harvard professors, Dr. Paul Rosenberg. No evidence was found connecting Bishop to the bomb. But according to newspaper reports then, officials said Bishop worried over Rosenberg's evaluation 13 of her doctor at work. This is in addition to earlier news that surfaced that Bishop accidentally shot her brother at their Massachusetts home in 1986. Bishop’s husband denies his wife’s guilt 14 for the shooting death of her brother and continues to deny any connection between his wife and the attempted mail bombing. He says he is mystified by the university shootings last Friday. Bishop is currently being held without bond at the Madison County jail in Huntsville, Alabama. For NPR News, I’m Bobby Milk in Huntsville.

This is NPR News from Washington.

NATO says an air strike has killed five civilians 15 in southern Afghanistan. A joint 16 NATO-Afghan patrol saw people digging along a path in Kandahar province and mistakenly concluded they were burying an explosive device. And NPR’s Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports, two Afghan children were killed and about half dozen civilians were wounded during the ongoing 17 offensive in Helmand province today.

There’s no trading on Wall Street today. The market’s closed for the President’s Day holiday. NPR’s Dave Mattingly reports investors 18 will have more economic data to look at this week when trading resumes.

A couple of economic reports will be getting close attention this week. One on housing stocks in the US for January, the other, industrial production. Analysts 19 are expecting a rise in housing construction but also forecasting an uptick in industrial output for the month when the Federal Reserve reports the numbers. Also this week, the nation’s largest retailer 20 Wal-Mart reports its latest quarterly earnings 21. Quarterly reports are also due from retailers 22 J.C. Penney and Abercrombie & Fitch. Stocks are looking to continue last week’s gains. For the week, the Dow Jones industrials and the S&P 500 added nearly 1%; the NASDAQ gained 2%. Dave Mattingly, NPR News, Washington.

Another blast of wintery weather is causing travel problems in the South. Snow and ice have been coating highways in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama today.

Pope Benedict has begun a series of individual meetings with Irish bishops 23 to discuss the sex abuse scandal involving Roman Catholic clergy 24 in Ireland. The meetings are in response to a report last fall accusing Irish church leaders and police of covering up decades of sexual abuse of children.

I’m Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.