NPR 2009-05-19

The nation's top military officer says his goal is to turn things around in Afghanistan within the next 12 to 24 months, though Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint 1 Chiefs of Staff, says he expects violence will increase in the short term. NPR's Mary Louis Kelly has more.

Admiral Mullen says violence is already up this year that the Taliban is much better organized than in the past. But speaking at the Brooklyn Institution in Washington, Mullen said it’s "absolutely critical" that elections slated 2 for this August go well. And he said the 10,000 US marines now headed to southern Afghanistan will have a big impact on security. "I'm hopeful that we can in the next 12 to 24 months really stem the trends which have been going very badly in Afghanistan the last three years. It is going to be a more violent year in 2009 and 2010." That's because more troops are joining the fight and because of where in Afghanistan they're headed. Mullen says an awful lot of the bad guys are in the south. Mary Louise Kelly, NPR News, Washington.

Pakistan today denied US assertions the country is expanding its nuclear arsenal 3. At a Congressional hearing last week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said there is evidence that Pakistan is adding to its nuclear weapon system. However Pakistan's Information Minister today said the country does not need to expand its current arsenal and will maintain what he calls "a minimum nuclear deterrence 4". Growing insurgency 5 in Pakistan tied to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban has raised fear the militants 6 might get a hold of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

North Carolina-based home improvement retailer 7 Lowe's beat analysts 8' expectations in its latest earnings 9 reports. From member station WFAE in Charlotte, Scott Graf reports.

For the three-month period that ended on May 1st, Lowe's says it earned 476 million dollars on sales that totaled $11.8 billion. Sales were down 1. 5%, earnings were off 22%. Per share earnings were 32 cents, down from 41 a year ago. Analysts polled by Thomson－Reuters had predicted profits of 25 cents a share. The company says sales of big ticket items remain slow as consumers take a wait-and-see attitude with the economy. But officials add they have seen consumer confidence improved in recent weeks. Lowe's says when spring arrived, its sales were strengthened by smaller outdoor projects. Lowe's is the second largest home improvement retailer in the US behind Home Depot 10. That company is scheduled to report earnings tomorrow. For NPR News, I am Scott Graf in Charlotte.

Treasury 11 Secretary Timothy Geithner said today he thinks the US economy is showing signs of stabilizing 12. The Treasury Secretary made his remarks at a lunch hosted by Newsweek magazine. He said even with some signs the economy is righting itself, however, unemployment would likely continue to rise as the country recovers from recession.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 235 points to close at 8,504.

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Heavy equipment maker 13 Caterpillar 14 is announcing more reductions. The bulldozer and earthmover company said it plans to cut the hours of almost a thousand of its workers at a plant in Lafayette, Indiana by half. It's the second major work reduction of the plant this month as the company deals with slowing sales. Officials with Caterpillar say the entire plant will not close, but the company needs to reduce worker hours to remain competitive in the global market place.

Toyota unveiled a new generation of its Prius gasoline-electric hybrid 15 car in Japan today. Toyota hopes the new model will give it an edge in its competition with rival automaker Honda. NPR Anthony Kuhn reports from Beijing.

The new Prius was introduced to reporters by none other than executive vice 16 president Akio Toyota, who next month will take the helm of the company his grandfather founded. Toyota said that his company had received more than 80,000 pre-orders in Japan and that Toyota aims to sell 10, 000 units a month of the third generation Prius. The company says the new model has been 90% redesigned. It now boasts a solar powered ventilation system and mileage 17 has been upped to 50 miles per gallon. Toyota is selling the new Prius for 3,000 dollars less than the previous generation in order to better compete with Honda's popular Hybrid the Insight. The new Prius goes on sale in North America later this month. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.

US postal 18 service continues to face tough times. The Post Office has already cut 25, 000 jobs this year as it works to deal with the huge pool of red ink. Thousands of carrier routes have also been eliminated however it still faces roughly 6.5-billion-dollar deficits 19 this year. Stamps recently went up to 44 cents for first-class stamp.

I am Jack 20 Speer, NPR News in Washington.