NPR 2008-11-20

NPR has confirmed that President-elect Obama has selected former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota to head the Department of Health and Human Services. NPR's Julie Rovner has more.

 Daschle has been one of Obama's closest confidants since his name cropped up early to head up the effort to overhaul 3 the nation's health care system, a top priority for the new administration. Since losing his Senate seat in 2004, Daschle has made health care a particular focus of his work, even writing a book on the subject. Former Senate colleagues including Utah Republican Orrin Hatch welcome the news. Tom is a person we all respect. He understands both sides of the Hill. He’ll come in here with a lot of respect. A formal announcement is expected soon. Julie Rovner NPR News, Washington.

 The heads of the big three domestic car companies were on Capitol Hill for a second day today pleading their cases, though lawmakers for the most part appeared unmoved. Top Senate Democrats 4 said the appeal to build the rescue to Detroit automakers is stalled and they urged the Bush administration to move to help prop 6 up the industry if  congressional efforts failed. Senate Majority Leader Harry 7 Reid said while he hopes the deal can be reached on an additional 25 billion in aid for the automakers, he said that may not happen. GM CEO Rick Wagoner repeated his claims that collapse 8 of the US auto 5 industry could lead to the loss of three million jobs.

 US Senate Budget Committee today discussed what another stimulus 9 package might look like. NPR's Jeff Brady has that story.

 Democrats and most of the panel of economists 11 invited to speak seem in favor of a new package, perhaps in the 400-billion-dollar range. Committee Chair Kent Conrad from North Dakota said part of the money should go to local infrastructure 12 projects. Just in his state he says there are 300 million dollars of such projects ready to go. “Engineering is completed, design is completed, the land is acquired, they are ready to let contracts if they have the money.” The one conservative economist 10 invited to speak said Congress should focus on rebates 13 and spending cuts instead. Jeff Brady NPR News, Washington.

 Federal Reserve officials have predicted the US economy will slow next year at a much faster rate than previously 14 thought. They also said the unemployment rate will climb. NPR's Jim Zarroli has more.

 The Fed released the minutes of its last meeting on Oct. 29th. At that meeting policymakers decided 15 to cut interest rates to levels seen only once since 1958. The minutes provided an indication of what Fed officials were thinking at the meeting. They spoke 16 of significant weakness in the economy. They said growth will be no higher than 0.3% this quarter. And the economy could shrink next year. Officials suggested at the meeting that additional policy action may be needed, which means the already low interest rates could come down even more. Jim Zarroli, NPR News, New York.

 Another difficult day on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 427 points. This is NPR.

 Al-Qaeda has released an eleven-minute tape where its second-ranking leader attacks President-elect Barack Obama, referring to him as the direct opposite of honorable black American such as Malcolm X. Ayman al Zawahiri also used the derogatory term “house Negros” to refer to President-elect along with  former and current Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. The al-Qaeda leader said Mr. Obama's election would not change US policies of repressing Muslims and others. And he said plans by the President-elect to shift troops to Afghanistan are “doomed to fail”.

 Plans to open a gay-friendly public high school in Chicago have been dropped at least for now. The Chicago school board was scheduled to vote on that plan today. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports.

 The proposal for a gay-friendly high school is on hold, but organizers like Bill Greeves, the city's liaison 17 to the gay community says it's needed since statistics showed that many gay, lesbian and bisexual students are often at risk. “For many different things, for violent suicide, dropping out and we decided that there should be another option.” But critics including ministers, the mayor and even some gay activists 18 voiced concern about segregating 19 gay student. So the designed team changed the name of the school, dropped language in the plan specifically focusing on gay student and reiterated 20 that any student who have been bullied 21 or harassed 22 could attend. Now the organizers say they will wait a year before presenting the proposal to the school board. Some felt it happened to water down. Cheryl Corley NPR News, Chicago.

 Alaska Senator Ted 1 Stevens has conceded defeat in his reelection bid against Democrat 2 Mark Begich. Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history said in a statement today there are not enough still uncounted ballots 23 for him to catch up with his rival.