NPR NEWS 2008-02-01

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Republican presidential hopefuls debated at the Reagan Library in California yesterday and sparks flew between Mitt¹ Romney and John McCain. Romney said McCain's positions on taxes and campaign finance show he is not a true Conservative. 'He voted twice against the Bush tax cuts only two Republicans did that. He is the co-author of McCain-Feingold which I think took a whack² at the First Amendment³ and I do believe as well hurt our party pretty significantly and I think it has made money haven⁴ even greater influence in politics today, not lessened⁵ influence. 'McCain said he voted against the President's tax cuts not because he doesn't believe in low taxes but because that they were tilted⁶ towards the rich. 'I'm proud of my Conservative record. It's one of reaching across the aisle⁷ to get things done for Americans obviously. ' Mike Huckabee said that he is the only true Conservative in the race and Ron Paul attacked McCain and Romney for disputing who said what regarding the Iraq war. Paul said the nation should be debating issues. He called the war unconstitutional and said Iraq was not connected to 9/11 and represented no threat to U.S. security. Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the race and endorsed⁸ McCain.

The landscape is slightly different in the Democratic race today. John Edwards who has not won a single primary or caucus¹⁰ after his populous¹¹ message failed to resonate with large numbers of voters dropped out of the contest. He didn't endorse⁹ Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama the two major candidates left among the Democrats¹². Clinton and Obama both spoke¹³ to Baptists' meeting at Atlanta yesterday and they traded verbal barbs¹⁴. In Denver Obama said a Clinton presidency¹⁵ would mark a return to the past. Clinton reiterated¹⁶ her claim that she has the experience needed to lead and she said Obama's comments reflected a move away from his core campaign message of hope.

The Senate has begun debate on an economic stimulus¹⁷ plan. The proposal differs from one passed by the House earlier this week. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

The Senate bill gives all who qualify tax rebates¹⁸ of 500 dollars has opposed to the 600 dollars checks approved by the House. But the Senate bill provides money to low income seniors and disabled veterans who do not qualify for rebates under the House plan. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus. 'We should do the right thing toward our seniors. We should include them as part of our stimulus package.' The rebate¹⁹ checks would phase out for those earning over 150, 000 dollars a year twice the income caps set by the House. Senate leaders hoped to approve the measure by the end of the week so that negotiations²⁰ on a final bill can begin with the House and the Bush administration. Brian Naylor, NPR News, the Capitol.

European markets opened flat today. Banking²¹ stocks were big losers as worries continued about losses in the U.S. financial system due to the subprime mortgage meltdown. Markets in Asia ended one of the worst months ever with a slight upturn²² today.

From Washington, this is NPR News.

In Afghanistan two suicide attackers killed 7 people and wounded more than three dozen. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson has more from Kabul.

Afghan police officials say one bomber²³ detonated his explosives during noon time prayers inside the main mosque²⁴ in the southern provincial²⁵ capital of Lashkar Gah. The blast killed the deputy governor of Helmand province who was praying next to the bomber as well as five other people in the mosque. Earlier in Kabul a suicide bomber detonated before reaching his intended target, an Afghan national army bus. The blast shattered the windows on the bus. But no one aboard was killed. Militants²⁶ have increasingly targeted Afghan army and police buses in the capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for both attacks although spokesmen insisted the attack on the mosque occurred outside, not inside as police claimed. Meanwhile in eastern Nuristan province officials say militants beheaded four road workers and dumped their bodies on the side of the road. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR News, Kabul.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey has once again refused to say whether the interrogation practice of waterboarding is torture. He told the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday that it would be inappropriate for him to pass definitive²⁷ judgment²⁸ on the technique's legality because it isn't currently authorized²⁹ as a CIA interrogation technique and may never be. Mukasey said under questioning that waterboarding would feel like torture to him but that doesn't necessarily make it illegal. He drew rebukes³⁰ and even jeers³¹ from some Senate Democrats. It was Mukasey's first oversight³² hearing since taking over the Justice Department more than 2 months ago after Alberto Gonzales resigned.

Oil prices fell to the 91-dollar level in Asian trading today.

I'm Paul Brown in Washington.