NPR 2008-04-06

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From NPR News in Washington, I'm Craig Windham.

 President Bush has opened the final summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Russia's Black Sea coast at a tense time in relations between the two countries. But there was no sign of trouble as the two leaders met at an opening dinner. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from Sochi, Russia.

 A casually¹ dressed Vladimir Putin showed President Bush around his vacation compound right on the Black Sea. At dinner they even got up on stage and danced with the Russian folk troupe² according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. She said the two men are comfortable with each other in less formal settings, and she said President Bush had a lively chat with Putin's successor Dmitry Medvedev, who takes over in May. But there are few signs this cozy⁴ relationship will lead to any breakthroughs on a growing list of tense topics from Kosovo to NATO expansion and missile defense⁵. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Sochi.

 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is campaigning in Oregon today. She told a crowd of thousands of people in the town of Hillsboro that it would make no sense to halt her fierce primary battle with Barack Obama early. "It is neck and neck. It would be, like saying, we've got two minutes to go on the clock, let's quit." Clinton outlined her proposals for renewable energy and tax relief for middle-income Americans. Obama was focusing his attention today on GOP candidate John McCain. "John McCain is a great American hero. He's earned his honor and respect. But he's basically running for a third Bush term. He wants to continue this war in Iraq ,maybe for another 100 years." Obama was speaking at a rally in Missoula, Montana.

 Former Georgia Congressman⁶ Bob Barr says he's formed an exploratory committee for a possible presidential bid and may seek the Libertarian Party's nomination⁷. Barr spoke³ to a conference in Kansas City today and said the country faces a grave moral crisis. Barr left the GOP in 2006 over what he called intrusions on civil liberties and bloated spending by the Bush administration.

 Zimbabwe's opposition⁸ is calling on the country's President Robert Mugabe to step down and accusing him of attempting to reverse the results of last weekend's presidential election which the opposition is claiming to have won. Reporter Brian Hungwe in Harare says people in Zimbabwe want to know why the election results have not been released a week after the voting.

 "People are going about their business as usual, but they are really anxious, they are curious, they want to know the presidential election results. They are saying they waited in long queues, cast their votes, but it's taking seven days for the Zimbabwean election commission to announce the result. The same situation applies countrywide, particularly in the rural area . They really don't know what's happening, it's very unusual for the election commission to wait this long, they are also curious out there. But people also say that the police continue to maintain a heavy presence." The BBC's Brian Hungwe.

 This is NPR News from Washington.

 A leading Democratic Senator is declaring last year's troop build-up in Iraq a failure. Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware says the purpose was to bring violence down so that Iraq's leaders could come together politically. But he says US troops remain committed there in large numbers and political reconciliation⁹ has not happened. Speaking in the Democratic radio address today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman said President Bush's plan is, in his words, to muddle¹⁰ through, and hand the problem off to his successor. Biden's remarks come ahead of next week's testimony¹¹ by General David Petraeus, the top US military commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador there.

 A retired¹² Canadian Rear Admiral will head an inquiry¹³ into the deaths of 3 seal hunters who drowned in the Gulf¹⁴ of St. Lawrence last weekend when their boat capsized. Dan Karpenchuk reports.

 There are many questions surrounding the death of the 3 seal hunters. The search continues for a fourth presumed dead in icy waters. Only two crew members survived. Retired Rear Admiral Roger Girouard will begin his investigation¹⁵ immediately with a report expected by the fall. The sealing boat L'Acadien II was having steering¹⁶ problems and was taken in tow by the Coast Guard vessel¹⁷. There are conflicting reports about whether anyone was watching from the deck of the Coast Guard ship. Girouard will try to determine the sequence of events and whether proper procedures were followed. Meanwhile, funeral services take place today in Iles-de-la-Madeleine for the 3 sealers. The tight-knit community depends on the sea for its livelihood¹⁸, but many say this accident could have been avoided. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

 Microsoft decided¹⁹ a 3-week deadline on its 41-billion-dollar buyout offer for Yahoo. If the offer is not accepted, the software giant says it will launch a hostile takeover bid at a lower price.