NPR 2012-01-11

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The crowds steadily¹ build at this polling site in Manchester, with a number of voters readily admitting that even though they've chosen a Republican candidate, the decision is tabbed at best.

 

Roy Rose, a registered Republican, says this primary he's just not exited about any of the choices.

 

“I think there's enough candidates, but there's just not enough good candidates.”

 

“Okay, so you weren't feeling too crazy about any of 'em?

 

“No. No.”

 

“But you ended up picking one?”

 

“Yes. Huntsman, ’cause I think of the group he's electable.”

 

Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor, has had a modest rise in the polls, and he's hoping his campaign builds traction² in the run-up to South Carolina's contest. Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Manchester, New Hampshire.

 

At least ten people are dead in an explosion in a marketplace in Pakistan this morning. Officials say they’re not sure of the motive³. It happened in the northwestern part of Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.

 

The Supreme⁴ Court hears arguments today on whether the airwaves can still be policed for indecent words or images. This comes at a time when cable TV and the Internet routinely carry such things. This case centers on the use of curse words and fines against broadcasters who showed a woman's naked backside in an episode of ABC's “NYPD Blue” back in 2003.

 

Sales at the wholesale⁵ level are up again. That's according to the Commerce Department. NPR's Dave Mattingly reports the data suggests businesses are seeing stronger economic signals.

 

Sales at the wholesale level were up more than 0.5% in November. They jumped more than 0.75% in October. Some analysts⁶ believe it may signal businesses are seeing a pickup⁷ in consumer demand. But Britt Beemer with the America's Research Group isn't ready to endorse⁸ that idea.

 

“For the consumers' side, I don't see that things have been healthier. I, I've never talked of all consumers out there that are worried.”

 

Another economist⁹ says wholesalers simply remain cautious and aren't willing to boost their stockpiles just yet. They barely budged¹⁰ in November. Dave Mattingly, NPR News, Washington.

 

And another bright spot on the economy, although fewer jobs were advertised in November. That's the second month that's happened. In the end, employers ended up hiring more people. The Labor¹¹ Department says employers hired people for more than 4.1 million jobs, nearly matching the number of jobs listed in September. And in September, that was the highest since May of 2010.

 

It's a bit of good news for Wall Street. Right now, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is ahead by 64 points at 12,456, the NASDAQ is up 23 points at 2,700 and the S&P 500 is up ten points.

 

This is NPR News.

 

After ultra-Orthodox Jews dressed up young boys as holocaust¹² prisoners, draft legislation is making its way through the Israeli government that would make that illegal. The bill would impose prison time for calling somebody a Nazi¹³ or using holocaust symbols for anything other than research or education.

 

Thailand's government will pay out millions of dollars in compensation to victims of recent political conflicts. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Kuala Lumpur that the compensation will extend back to protests leading to the 2006 military coup¹⁴.

 

Thailand's cabinet approved the payments which were recommended last year by the Truth for Reconciliation¹⁵ Commission. That body was set up after the military suppression of protests in 2010 that killed 91 people. The government has earmarked nearly 63 million dollars, including almost 142,000 dollars for each family of victims who were killed. Citizens detained for months without trial will also be compensated¹⁶. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has put reconciliation high on her agenda. But she's held off on granting amnesty to her brother Thaksin, the former prime minister ousted¹⁷ in the 2006 coup. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Kuala Lumpur.

 

Only three of the 12 states that won billions of dollars in the US Department of Education's Race to the Top competition are on schedule to implement¹⁸ their proposals. Officials say delays range from trouble implementing¹⁹ reforms to finalizing²⁰ the contracts. It could cost states millions of dollars. The department says New York, Florida and Hawaii are the ones with most significant delays.

 

For the first time, an outspoken²¹ Chinese artist is getting a showing in the United States at the Smithsonian. Ai Weiwei's contemporary sculptures will be displayed at the Smithsonian, starting this spring. He's detained for three months in China last year for speaking out against the government.

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