NPR 2010-11-22

We are fast approaching the busiest travel day of the year, and it could really be a madhouse of the nation's airports if an Internet-organized boycott 1 of full-body scans takes place. NPR's Carol Van Dam reports some people will refuse to be scanned.

Those travelers must undergo a full pat-down which takes a lot longer than a ten-second body scan, and that could mean much longer lines at major airports for security checks. President Obama feeling the pain of travelers, waded 2 in on the topic while at a NATO summit in Lisbon, saying he's asked security officials whether they can come up with an alternative that's less intrusive 3 to passengers. He says for now, the answer he's been given is no. US Transportation Security Administration officials and counter-terrorism experts say the only way to protect the American people from threats like last year's so-called "underwear bomber 4" on Christmas Day is to keep on doing what they are doing. Carol Van Dam, NPR News, Washington.

TSA chief John Pistole appears to be changing his tune 5 on the intrusive screening procedures after declaring there would be no changes. He now says they should be as minimally 6 invasive as possible.

The top uniformed officer in the military wants Congress to move quickly to end the ban on openly gay service members. Joint 7 Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen told ABC's "This Week" lawmakers should act in the lame-duck session if that's what it takes to end "don't ask, don't tell".

"My concern is that at some point in time the courts could change this law and in that not give us the right amount of time to implement 8 it. I think it's much better done -- if it's gonna get done, it's much better done through legislature than it is out of the courts."Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen.

Utah authorities continue to search for a man accused of shooting a park ranger 9. Conrad Wilson from member station KDNK in Carbondale, Colorado.

Three helicopters took to the sky at daybreak to aid in the search. Meanwhile, nearly 170 officers, including federal agents and dogs, are combing a remote and rugged 10 canyon 11 near Moab, Utah for the alleged 12 shooter. Over the weekend, a backpack, rifle and bloody 13 shirt were found. Authorities hope dogs can pick up a scent 14 and track down the suspect. Police are also using heat-seeking equipment to search over nearly 15 square miles in the canyon. The victim is Utah State Park Ranger Brody Young, married and a father of three. Young was shot three times on Friday night after he pulled over the suspect's vehicle. Young had surgery following the shooting and is in critical but stable condition. For NPR News, I'm Conrad Wilson in Carbondale, Colorado.

Which city is the most dangerous in the US? A new study gives the dubious 15 honor to St. Louis, knocking Camden, New Jersey 16 out of the top spot. St. Louis had more than 2,000 violent crimes per 100,000 residents last year.

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A special US envoy 17 has arrived in South Korea for discussions on North Korea, following the disclosure that Pyongyang has constructed a new highly sophisticated uranium enrichment facility. Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen said it confirms US fears about North Korea's nuclear activities.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was wrapping up the NATO summit in Lisbon with some tough talk on Afghanistan. Dan Karpenchuk reports the Canadian leader says the Afghan government doesn't deserve aid money unless it can stop corruption 18.

Harper's comments came after the Afghan President Hamid Karzai had asked NATO leaders to step up the flow of the aid to his country instead of filtering it through international organizations. But Prime Minister Harper said Canadian aid won't come without conditions. Harper's already said Canada's combat mission would end next year, replaced by a force of just under 1,000 to help train the Afghan army. Ottawa has reached a major turning point in its disengagement from Afghanistan. Civilian 19 aid officials are pulling out next year, and it's making deep cuts to Afghan aid. It will provide about 100 million dollars a year for the next three years, less than half of the 205 million it spent last year. Now, in his toughest criticism yet, Harper said Ottawa will not send a dime 20 to the Afghan government unless it's convinced that money is spent in the way it's intended. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

There's a dire 21 warning from a "tiger summit" in St. Petersburg, Russia. Wildlife experts say tigers could become extinct in the wild in just 12 years if countries don't act quickly to protect their habitats and fight poaching. The World Wildlife Fund says only about 3,200 tigers remain in the wild, down from almost 100,000 a century ago.