NPR 2012-01-17

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Huntsman made the announcement at the Convention Center where the remaining candidates will debate tonight. Flanked by his wife and daughters, the man who was seen as the most moderate candidate in the GOP field offered a strong criticism of the nature of the campaigns.

 

"This race has degenerated³ into an onslaught of negative and personal attacks not worthy⁴ of the American people, and not worthy of this critical time in our nation's history."

 

Huntsman staked everything on a strong finish in New Hampshire last week. He came in third, which was not good enough. Low poll numbers in South Carolina which votes Saturday convinced him to get out. He says Mitt Romney is the best candidate to unite the party and beat President Obama. Don Gonyea, NPR News, Myrtle Beach.

 

A couple from Minnesota reportedly are among the 16 people still missing since a cruise ship with thousands of people on board ran aground and capsized off the west coast of Italy Friday. The Associated Press identifies the passengers as Barbara and Jerry Heil of White Bear Lake. With at least six people confirmed dead, rescuers are racing⁵ to find possible survivors⁶, but that operation was temporarily suspended today because, as the BBC's Bethany Bell tells us, the ship wreck⁷ poses a significant environmental threat to the region.

 

There's a lot of concern about the fuel that's still aboard the vessel⁸. There are worries that there might be some sort of fuel spill in this area which is an area of outstanding natural beauty on the Tuscan coast. And there's a great deal of concern about that, particularly after the ship appeared to slip further earlier today.

 

That's the BBC's Bethany Bell reporting.

 

The Board of Pardons in Delaware has voted four to one to recommend commuting⁹ a death sentence for convicted killer¹⁰ Robert Gattis. As NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports, it is now up to the state's Democratic governor to decide whether to spare the 49-year-old inmate's life.

 

Gattis is convicted of murdering his girlfriend Shirley Slay¹¹ in 1990. He had a violent history and shot the 27-year-old woman between the eyes, something he claimed was accidental. The Board of Pardons arrived at its recommendation based on new facts that emerged in Gattis' clemency¹² petition, that as a child, he was violently and sexually abused by members of his family. In the year before the crime, he had also warned doctors of his violent impulses. The board said his family history made for sufficient grounds for clemency and recommended reducing Gattis' sentence to life in prison with no chance of parole. Gattis is scheduled to die by lethal¹³ injection early Friday. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

 

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OPEC is projecting world demand for oil will grow this year. The Organization of Petroleum¹⁴ Exporting Countries is forecasting a more-than-one-million-barrel-a-day increase. OPEC's monthly report also says demand will likely drop in major industrialized nations while it increases elsewhere.

 

President Obama says there's no better way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. than to do something on behalf of others. The president, Mrs. Obama, and daughter Malia took part in a volunteer project at a Washington D.C. school today in honor of this holiday.

 

The Artist and The Descendents are big winners at the Golden Globes with top film and acting¹⁵ awards. NPR's Trina Williams has a look at some of the standouts.

 

The Artist gets the most Golden Globes, winning three awards, best squad¹⁶ along with the acting honors. While excited about the multiple wins for The Descendants, winner George Clooney acknowledges his friend and fellow nominee¹⁷ for Best Actor Brad Pitt.

 

"We don't wager¹⁸, we don't bet, we just, you know, look at each other and slap each other on the back and wish each other well."

 

Meryl Streep wins Best Actress on the drama side while it was all about being a good mommy for Musical/Comedy Best Actress winner Michelle Williams.

 

"I want to say thank you for sending me off to this job every day with a hug and a kiss. I couldn't have done it otherwise."

 

Other winners include Homeland, Modern Family, Claire Danes, Kelsey Grammer, Matt Leblanc, Octavia Spencer, Christopher Plummer, Woody Allen, Martin Scorcese, Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Trina Williams, NPR News.

 

Still no sign of that Russian Mars moon probe which fell to earth yesterday after being stuck in orbit for two months. Speculation¹⁹ was that fragments of that craft had fallen in the Pacific Ocean off Chile's coast.

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