NPR 2012-03-16

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has long complained about civilian⁴ casualties at the hands of the US military, wants his troops to assume the lead for security across the country in 2013, a year ahead of schedule. He spoke⁵ after hosting US Defense⁶ Secretary Leon Panetta, who said that despite the latest problems in Afghanistan, the US mission in Afghanistan will not change.

 

“Make no mistake about it, it is important that we continue these operations that have been extremely important to our ability to go after the terrorist leadership that tried to destabilize this country.”

 

This as the Afghan people say they are outraged⁷ that an American soldier accused of shooting 16 Afghan villagers in cold blood has been flown to Kuwait. Local politicians say if the US is serious about justice, it will ensure the soldier is tried publicly in Afghanistan.

 

Rod Blagojevich says he enters a federal prison today with a clear conscience and high hopes for the future. NPR's David Schaper reports the former Illinois governor is now in Colorado beginning to serve a 14-year prison sentence for corruption⁸.

 

Blagojevich left his Chicago home before dawn but still stopped for the cameras and talked with reporters. Then he glad headed his way through O’Hare Airport, shaking hands and signing autographs before boarding a plane for Denver. All of these after a bizarre news conference outside of his home yesterday, in which he made a campaign-like speech and proclaimed his innocence⁹.

 

“I mean he just needs to tone it down.”

 

Former Chicago city clerk James Laski went to prison for bribery¹⁰, and he advises Blagojevich to check his ego¹¹ at the door.

 

“Because, you know, he can't walk around, glad-handing and talking about. He’s not gonna be able to hold press conferences there obviously. So, you know, the days of showboating are over.”

 

Blagojevich is convicted of trying to sell President Obama's former Senate seat among other corruption charges. David Schaper, NPR News, Chicago.

 

Fewer people putting in for new jobless claims. Here is the latest from NPR's Dave Mattingly.

 

Chief economist¹³ Brian Wesbury at First Trust says the drop in weekly jobless claims is more evidence that the nation's economy is recovering as companies continue adding workers.

 

“We are at the lowest levels of initial claims that we’ve seen in four years. And four years ago, we were beginning the major financial meltdown that we experienced in 2008. So I would say this is a very good sign.”

 

The nation's jobless rate held steady last month at 8.3%. Employers have added more than 700,000 jobs since December. Dave Mattingly, NPR News, Washington.

 

This is NPR.

 

Drivers are still paying more at the gas pump which sent wholesale¹⁴ prices rising last month in the US. Labor¹⁵ Department says the producer price index climbed 0.4%, the most since September. Now exclude the volatile¹⁶ categories of gas and food prices in the core index marks an increase of 0.2%.

 

Investigators¹⁷ say two prosecutors¹⁹ committed misconduct when they failed to turn over evidence that would have helped the defense team for the late Senator Ted¹² Stevens. A special prosecutor¹⁸ finds a material would have helped Stevens undermine the credibility of the Justice Department's corruption case. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports on new details in the long-awaited investigation²⁰ report.

 

The findings by Special Prosecutor Henry Schuelke paint a dark picture of one of the federal government's biggest political corruption cases in decades. Schuelke says the Justice Department team hid evidence that would have backed up the Alaska senator's defense. But he thought he had paid for all of the renovations on his Alaska chalet. The report says prosecutors also failed to turnover²¹ allegations that the lead witness against Ted Stevens, an Alaska oil company president, had engaged in sexual misconduct and tried to get a 15-year-old girl to lie about it. The report singles out conduct by two Alaska prosecutors, Joseph Bottini and James Goeke. But it also paints some of the blame on higher-ups at the Bush Justice Department for failing to supervise the case. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

 

US stocks are making gains today, with the Dow up 42 points at 13,236; NASDAQ gaining 60; it's at 3,056; and the S&P 500 up seven at 1,402.

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