NPR 2008-12-21

Much of the northern half of the nation is in the grip of an arctic air mass and is bracing 1 for another wave of snow and ice. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

People in western Washington State are gearing up for a "Mega-storm", that description is from a local official who warned that near hurricane force winds could soon start gusting 2 off the Cascade 3 Mountain Range. Meanwhile, Iowans are digging out from a storm that dumped a foot of snow across the northern part of the state and a sheet of ice across the south. Temperatures in Oklahoma are dropping sharply thanks to an arctic blast pushing into the state. Residents in southern Minnesota are being asked to stay off the roads where heavy snowfall and low visibility have affected 4 25 counties. And the National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings and watches for parts of Vermont, Massachusetts, New York State and Northern Illinois. Heavy gusts 5 of wind there will make it feel like 20 degrees below zero. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

The Chairman of the Joint 6 Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, says the Pentagon may nearly double the number of US troops in Afghanistan by next summer. The reinforcements will help the 31, 000 American troops already there combat a resurgent Taliban.

A lawyer for a group that supports California's ban on same-sex marriage is criticizing the State Attorney General, calling his new legal stance on the issue "totally unprecedented 7". That issue is Proposition 8, the ballot 8 measure banning same-sex marriage that was approved by voters this fall. NPR's Alison Keys has more.

The State Attorney General Jerry Brown has decided 9 to urge California's highest court to void Proposition 8, he says he changed his mind after probing the state constitution. Brown says the constitution guarantees people the right to marry, and the Proposition 8 deprives them of that right. But Anthony Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage. com, says it is disappointing that Brown "has refused to defend the vote of the people". Supporters of the measure filed legal papers, saying Proposition 8 simply restores the definition of marriage to what it had been. They also said it shouldn't validate 10 any same-sex marriage that had been performed in the state. Alison Keys, NPR News, Washington.

President-elect Barack Obama says he is determined 11 to restore America's place as the world leader in science and technology. "The highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States, and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work." Mr. Obama in his weekly radio address said he has chosen Harvard physicist 12 John Holdren to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, and marine 13 biologist Jane Lubchenco to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 14 Administration. Both are experts on climate change. This selection is seen as an indication that the new administration will be aggressive in combating global warming.

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President-elect Obama's transition team is zeroing in on spending at NASA, the Space Agency is being asked to account for some cost overruns. Pat Duggins of member station WMFE has the story.
Mr. Obama's transition team rolled up about 70 questions for NASA, more than half of them dealt with how the space program spent its money. One example was the tool bag that drifted away during last month's mission to the International Space Station, the lost equipment cost NASA 100, 000 dollars. When asked why the tools were so expensive, NASA had no immediate 15 answer. Doctor Julian Chambliss is a presidential historian at Rollins College in Orlando. He says these questions reflect the challenge the Obama administration faces with the space shuttle program winding 16 down. "I think he's probably gonna try to maintain the vision, that Bush has talked about, but he really has this initial economic crisis to deal with. I think in the first two year, his administration's gonna be very much concerned by that". The Bush White House ordered the space shuttle program to end in the year 2010 in favor of a new space capsule. For NPR News, I'm Pat Duggins, in Orlando.

For a third straight weekend, student demonstrators have clashed with police in Athens, the latest rioting began after a candlelight memorial gathering 17 for the teenager boy whose killing 18 by police triggered the unrest. Protestors firebombed a credit reporting agency and attacked the city's Christmas tree today.

A federal jury in New Jersey 19 has completed its fourth day of deliberations in the case of five men accused of plotting to attack soldiers at the army's Fort Dix base. The five foreign-born Muslim, are facing charges that include conspiracy 20 to kill military personnel and attempted murder. All five insisted that they are innocent. The judge says he received a note from the jurors today, indicating they are making progress toward a verdict.