NPR 2011-05-10

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

A familiar sound in the most vulnerable communities along the burgeoning 1 Mississippi River. All eyes are on Tennessee this hour, where the river at Memphis is expected to crest 2 at or near 48 feet tonight hours earlier than forecasters had predicted. Authorities have been going door-to-door in the most flood-prone areas, urging more than 1,000 people in Memphis to get out, but Eleanor Boudreau of member station WKNO says after years of living along the river, many residents appear to be taking it all in stride.

I've talked to people who have lost their homes, their mobile homes, and it's devastating 3 as, that is, there is a sense of. This is what it means to live along the Mississippi. This is nature. This is water. And you can't fight it. There's nothing you can do about it. You just have to wait out floods like this.

Eleanor Boudreau reporting.

The White House says it wants to keep Pakistan as a partner in the fight against terrorism despite questions about whether Pakistan knew that al-Qaeda chief Osama bin 4 Laden 5 was living not far from the capital. Spokesman Jay Carney:

"We think our relationships are important, cooperations are important. We've had differences in the past and overcome them, and we think we can overcome them now."

Now, relations between the CIA and Pakistan's intelligence service CISI have hit another roadblock. At least one media organization in Pakistan reportedly has named the CIA station chief in Islamabad. NPR's Rachel Martin says the leak comes a week after the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil.

The CIA declined to comment on the possible leak, but a US official said there are "no plans to bring the station chief home as a result of these media reports." Less than six months ago, the identity of the previous station chief was intentionally 6 leaked by the Pakistani intelligence agency, according to US officials, and the man was forced to leave Pakistan. This latest episode comes as some in Pakistan have railed against the United States for carrying out an operation against Osama bin Laden without first alerting Pakistani officials. Rachel Martin, NPR News, Washington.

The UN's investigating reports of overcrowding of a ship carrying Libyan refugees that witnesses say sank just outside the port of Tripoli. The BBC's Duncan Kennedy reports from Rome those who left the Libyan capital on another boat shortly afterward 7 on Friday reported seeing remnants of the sunken ship.

Witness accounts are only emerging now. It says the ship broke apart not far from the shore. One Somali woman said she'd swum to safety, but her four-month-old baby drowned. The UN says as many as 600 people could have been on board, with other witnesses speaking of seeing bodies in the water. The Italian Coast Guard, which carries out numerous patrols of the Mediterranean 8, says it has no knowledge of the accident.

The BBC's Duncan Kennedy.

The Dow's up 46 at 12,685.

This is NPR.

The high-speed rail money Florida's governor rejected is going to Amtrak and other rail projects in 15 states. NPR's Paul Brown reports applications for the federal funds far outstripped 9 the two billion dollars available.

States have jumped for the high-speed rail money Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott rejected after the previous governor had accepted it. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood tells reporters the rush for the funds shows most Americans see rail as an alternative to high gas prices and crowded roads. LaHood says the largest share of the money will help improve high-speed service in the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor and in the Greater Midwest. He says he wants to work with state leaders who understand the possibilities.

"The strongest partners we know of in America, who are ready to get into high-speed rail."

Left out, Wisconsin and Ohio, whose governors like Florida's Scott, turned down the rail money accepted by their predecessors 10. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

A jury selection is under way in a Florida murder trial that has captured national attention. Casey Anthony, who faces the death penalty if convicted of killing 11 her young daughter, will be tried in Orlando. However, the jurors are being chosen about 100 miles away because of massive media scrutiny 12 over this case. Authorities have received more than 600 requests for media credentials 13 to cover Anthony's trial, which is expected to start next week.

Here's the latest from Wall Street before the close. The Dow was up nearly 50 points at 12,685 in trading of four billion shares, and the NASDAQ had gained 16 points, more than 0.5% rise; it's at 2,843.