NPR 2012-12-06

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　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

 

　　In Egypt, supporters of President Mohamed Morsi are clashing with opposition¹ protesters who have set up camp outside the presidential palace in Cairo. At least one protester was killed. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports from Cairo that the Egyptian vice² president is demanding that opponents work on reaching a consensus³ with the government to help end the violence.

 

　　Vice President Mahmoud Mekky told reporters at a televised news conference that his government is eager to respond to public demands. But he urged opponents to put their concerns in writing rather than taking them to the streets. President Morsi's critics accuse him of rushing through a draft constitution that doesn't do enough to protect political and religious freedoms. Outside the presidential palace, Morsi's supporters clashed with his opponents, throwing stones and dismantling⁴ their tents as captured in this YouTube video. They also shouted words of encouragement for their president. The clashes were among the worst since Morsi gave himself near absolute powers in late November. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR News, Cairo.

 

　　President Obama talked to a group of corporate⁵ CEOs today about the debt ceiling. NPR's Mara Liasson has more.

 

　　President Obama wants the issue of authorizing⁶ the US to borrow more money, raising the debt ceiling, to be separated from the "fiscal⁷ cliff" negotiations⁹ over the budget.

 

　　"If Congress in any way suggests that they're going to tie negotiations to debt ceiling votes and take us to the brink¹⁰ of default once again as part of a budget negotiation⁸, which, by the way, we have never done it in our history until we did it last year. I will not play that again."

 

　　The US almost defaulted last year when Republicans refused to raise the debt ceiling unless the president cut spending. Mara Liasson, NPR News, the White House.

 

　　In the effort to avoid next month's tax hikes and automatic spending cuts, Republican leaders say the White House hasn't offered a kind of balanced approach that has the chance of clearing either the House or the Senate. House Speaker John Boehner says cooperation is needed on both sides in order to reach an agreement.

 

　　"We can't sit here and negotiate with ourselves. Our targets and framework are things that we can all agree on, and it's exactly how we approached our discussions in the Biden group, my discussions at the White House a year and a half ago and, for that matter, in the Joint-Select Committee."

 

　　President Obama says Republican opposition to any increase in tax rates has slowed progress in negotiations. And that's partly the reason for him not meeting more often with House Speaker Boehner.

 

　　At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 112 points at 13,064.

 

　　This is NPR News.

 

　　Residents in Northern California are still enduring torrential rains. Forecasters say another storm system has moved in off the Pacific just days after three other storms dumped as much as 20 inches of rain in some parts of the region. The latest storm is not expected to be as severe as the others. But it could bring another six inches of rain in the coastal¹¹ mountains.

 

　　The death toll¹² from a powerful typhoon in the Philippines now tops 280. And officials fear more bodies will be found as rescuers reach hard-hit areas isolated¹³ by landslides¹⁴ and floods. NPR's Anthony Kuhn has more.

 

　　Typhoon Bopha triggered landslides and flash floods as it cut a swath of devastation¹⁵ east to west across the large southern island of Mindanao. The worst hit was Mindanao's Compostela Valley, where the typhoon leveled farming villages and left many villagers missing. Philippines soldiers struggled to reach villages cut off by the storm which destroyed military bases as well, hampering¹⁶ rescue operations. The storm is expected to cross over the island of Palua before blowing out of the South China Sea. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News Jakarta.

 

　　Dave Brubeck, a jazz musician who attained¹⁷ pop-star acclaim¹⁸ with recordings¹⁹ such as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk," has died a day short of his 92nd birthday. His longtime manager says he passed away from heart failure en route to regular treatment with his cardiologist. During his career, Brubeck was at the forefront of integration²⁰, playing at black jazz clubs through the Deep South in the 1950s.

 

　　I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.

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