NPR 2009-09-22

The top US military commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, says that unless more troops are sent to the country, the war there will fail. McChrystal's assessment 1 is detailed 2 in a classified report obtained by the Washington Post. The General has completed a second report which has not yet reached Washington outlining how many more troops are needed. NPR's Tom Bowman reports.

 General McChrystal says that despite considerable effort and sacrifice during eight years of war, the overall situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating 3, and the need McChrystal says goes beyond just sending more troops, the US and its allies need to work more closely with the Afghan people, helping 4 rebuild the country and taking extra care, not to cause civilian 5 causalities. Moreover, he says the US must better organize its efforts with its NATO allies. McChrystal says unless the US and its allies gain the initiative over the next year, they risk an outcome where defeating the insurgency 6 is no longer possible. Tom Bowman, NPR News, Washington.

The post Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has returned to Honduras and taken refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa. NPR's Jason Beaubien has more.

Speaking by phone to a Spanish language service of CNN, Zelaya said he and his wife are inside the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital. Brazilian officials also confirmed that Zelaya has taken refuge at their compound. De facto President Roberto Micheletti earlier in the day denied that Zelaya had returned but said he would be immediately arrested if he is on Honduran soil. Zelaya was ousted 8 three months ago in a coup 9 and forcefully deported 10 to Costa Rica. Thousands of Zelaya's supporters poured into the streets of the central American capital when news of his return filtered out. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a strong backer of Zelaya, says the ousted president traveled overland for two days to reach Tegucigalpa. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

Heavy rains in the southeastern US are now being blamed for at least three deaths, and authority say others are missing as flood waters continue to rise there, among those missing is a toddler whose family's mobile home was split apart by a rain swollen 11 creek 12.

Private business research groups says a key gauge 13 of economic activity rose in August for a fifth straight month. The NEW YORK based Conference Board says it's index of leading economic indicators 14 designed to predict the direction of the economy 3 to 6 month down the road was up 0.6%. However Conference Board economist 15 Ken 7 Goldstein noted 16 it is still a little early to begin celebrating.

"It still feels like a recession out there, and the question about how long before it's start even feeling like a recession was still month away yet from that point, partly because they had to remember just how steep a hole we dug ourselves into." Last month’s rise follows a 0.9 % gain in July.

On Wall Street today the Dow Joes Industrial Average closed down 41 points to end the session at 9778. The NASDAQ was up 5 points. The S&P 500 dropped 3 points today.

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Heavily armed police are patrolling some airports and train stations in Germany today following a warning from Al-Qaeda that if Germans do not push the country's political parties to withdraw forces from Afghanistan, the country can expect a terror attack. The threat which has led to heighten German security comes ahead of national elections on Sunday, and it comes on the heels of the airstrike that was ordered by Germany in northern Afghanistan, in which dozens of people died. German Chancellor 17 Angela Merkel has assured German citizens all safety precautions are being taken.

The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission delivered a speech today outlining a new direction for regulating the Internet. NPR's Neda Ulaby has more.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the Internet today is quite different from the one of forty or even five years ago. It has cracks and fissures 18, he said, that some companies have exploited for financial gain. For example, they've blocked users from accessing legal material in the public domain 19 and even political content.

“Saying nothing and doing nothing would impose its own form about acceptable cost. It would deprive innovators, investors 20 and the public of confidence that a free and open Internet we depend upon today will still be here tomorrow.”

Julius Genachowski's intention is to preserve the Internet. His proposal includes open access to any legal material and letting computers and mobile phones begin to sharing content and software in new waves. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

Funeral services will be held this weekend for the 24-year-old Yale university graduate student found dead in a lab building on campus. Annie Le vanished from a research building where she was working September 8th. Her body was found five days later in a recessed 21 wall of that building.

I’m Jack 22 Speer, NPR News in Washington.