NPR 2010-10-21

The economy's growing, though some regions are seeing a lot sooner than others. The Federal Reserve released a survey today that finds seven of the central bank's 12 regions reported moderate gains in business activity. They include mixed or steady improvements in Cleveland, Philadelphia and Richmond. The economy's front and center in the run-up to midterm elections. President Obama is making his closing arguments to voters this week. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports from the president's campaign swing to the West Coast.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out for rallies on this trip, as they recently deferred 1 campaign events featuring Mr. Obama in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Presidential adviser 2 David Axelrod told reporters at the White House he believes a live appearance by the president can tip a close race in the Democrats 3' favor.

“And it dominates the news. It gives people a sense that there isn't election going on, and they ought to get involved and nobody has a megaphone as large as the president in that regards.”

The trip begins in the Pacific Northwest with stops in Portland and Seattle. These cities are friendly to Mr. Obama, but Democrats in Oregon and Washington are in tight races for governor and Senate. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Portland, Oregon.

A scandal that nearly cost Clarence Thomas’s confirmation 4 at the Supreme 5 Court 19 years ago is reignited with a phone call. Justice Thomas's wife Virginia left a phone message over the weekend for Anita Hill, asking her to apologize to Justice Thomas for accusing him of sexual harassment 6 nearly two decades ago. Hill's former attorney Charles Ogletree told NPR's "Tell Me More" that Hill's already been through too much.

“She has turned her life around, written a couple of books, teaching here at Brandeis, minding her own business, and to get this sort of call out of the blue is just beyond imagination.”

Anita Hill, who is a professor of Brandeis University, says she has no intention of apologizing.

The Obama administration is selling up to $60 billion in fighter planes and helicopters to Saudi Arabia. The military package is part of the US effort to build up allies in the region to counter Iran, as NPR's Michele Kelemen explains.

Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro says the proposed arms sales to Saudi Arabia include 84 F-15s, 70 Apache helicopters and 72 Black Hawks 7. He says he doesn't expect any objections from Israel to the sale, nor does he expect much opposition 8 in Congress.

“There may be different opinions about the sale. But we feel comfortable that we’ve done adequate pre-consultations with members of Congress that there will not be a barrier to completing this sale.”

Shapiro says the package is not just aimed at keeping Iran in check, but he pointed 9 out several times that Saudi Arabia isn't a dangerous neighborhood. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

On Wall Street, the Dow was up 129 points at 11,108. This is NPR.

The British government is preparing to make the deepest cuts in public spending since World War II. As many as half a million public sector 10 jobs may be eliminated. Benefits are also affected 11. The plan announced by Treasury 12 chief George Osborne today amounts to $130 billion in cuts through 2015 for Britain.

Pope Benedict has named a group of new cardinals 13. The move allows him to put his stamp on the Vatican for years to come. As NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports, the new cardinals are mostly European and conservative.

The Pope named 24 new cardinals, the men who are the Pope's closest advisers 14. Twenty of them are under the age of 80, meaning that they are eligible 15 to vote on the Pope's successor. With today's announcement, Pope Benedict has selected 50 of the 120 so-called electors. While previous popes have chosen men from the developing world, Pope Benedict favors Europeans. Of the 20 electors, eleven are from Europe and eight of those are from Italy. As expected, he elevated the archbishop in Washington DC, Donald Wuerl, who is a conservative. Analysts 16 say most of the new cardinals are conservative, suggesting that after Benedict dies, the cardinals will be inclined to elect someone with similar abuse and geographical 17 perspective as the current pope. Barbara Bradley Hagerty, NPR News.

Space Shuttle Discovery will need a few more repairs before it is launched into space for the very last time. NASA said today it was still working to shore up fuel tanks and prevent leaks. Discovery's scheduled to blast off from Florida's Cape 18 Canaveral November 1st for a final mission to the International Space Station.