NPR 2009-11-02

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From NPR News in Washington, I'm Carol Van Dam.

President Obama is in New Jersey¹ today. He is stumping² for Jon Corzine, the only governor seeking re-election this fall. The President called on Democrats³ to head to the polls on Tuesday.

"You've had a leader who's fought for what matters most. That's the kind of governor Jon Corzine has been and that's the kind of  governor that he will be for another four years if everybody here does their job."

The President is appearing at rallies for Corzine in Camden and Newark. NPR's Mara Liasson has more.

Of the two governors' races at stake next week, the White House believes New Jersey is the one that is possible to win. Unlike Virginia where the Republican candidate has a double-digit lead, a Monmouth University poll released today in New Jersey shows the race there between Corzine and his Republican opponent Chris Christie a dead heat. There is a third party candidate in the race, Chris Daggett and he appears to be pulling voters away from Christie. The danger for Corzine is that if Daggett’s support fades in the end as it has for independent candidates in the past, those voters could go back to the Republican column. President Obama is very popular in New Jersey and the Democrats have a strong base in the state and a good get-out-to-vote operation, but Corzine himself has high disapproval⁴ ratings and he's been hurt by the bad economy and New Jersey's high property taxes. Mara Liasson, NPR News.

Treasury⁵ Secretary Timothy Geithner says it's going to take some time for the economic recovery to have a sustained effect, but he says the President's committed to dealing⁷ with the enormous deficit⁸ without increasing taxes on people earning less than 250,000 dollars a year. "A lot of damage was caused by this crisis. It's gonna take some time for us to grow out of this, it could be a little choppy, it could be uneven⁹. It's gonna take a while." Geither told NBC's “Meet the Press” that the focus now is on getting growth back on track and creating jobs.

Ford¹⁰’s unionized workers are voting overwhelmingly against proposed contract changes. Jerome Vaughn of member station WDET has more.

Ford says it needs its workers to make some of the same concessions¹¹ that UAW members at General Motors and Chrysler agreed to. Without the givebacks, Ford officials say they will be at a cost disadvantage. The tentative deal includes a wage freeze for all new hires until 2015 and limitations on strikes. The Union is set to officially release the vote tallies¹² on Monday, but so far workers at only four UAW locals have approved the proposed deal. Union members at a dozen locals have reportedly rejected the contract changes. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said on Friday that there would be no reason to resume negotiations¹³, if the rank-and-file failed to ratify¹⁴ the tentative agreement. Ford has 41,000 UAW members. For NPR News, I’m Jerome Vaughn in Detroit.

Cleveland police are asking for help from the public in identifying six decomposed¹⁵ bodies found at the home of a convicted rapist. The coroner’s office has concluded that the females were all homicide victims. The bodies were found when police went to the home of ex-convict Anthony Sowell to arrest him on a new rape¹⁶ charge.

This is NPR News.

A senior advisor¹⁷ says President Obama will make a decision within weeks on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. David Axelrod said on CBS's “Face the Nation” today that the President is going through a rigorous decision making process because he wants to be certain it's the right strategy. Some lawmakers including House Republican leader John Boehner are urging Mr. Obama to act quickly in sending more troops. The decision may be complicated by the latest presidential election saga¹⁸ in Afghanistan where President Hamid Karzai's opponent withdrew from the runoff today.

Some of the bunker fuel oil that spilt from a tanker¹⁹ on Friday in the San Francisco Bay is washing onto shore, polluting local beaches and killing²⁰ birds along the way. From Capital Public Radio, Bob Hensley sends this report.

Officials estimate that between 400 and 800 gallons of oil has spilled into the water from the Panamanian tanker Debi Star. Large tar⁶ balls have washed up along a beach. Dozens of oil coated birds have been found and US Coast Guard spokesman Levi Read says the count is mounting. "We don't have an exact number right now. Those numbers are still coming in as people return from their searches." Commercial fishing in the Bay area has been suspended. A number of state and federal agencies are involved in the cleanup. Investigators²¹ haven't determined²² what caused the spill. Officials have indicated a mechanic problem on the vessel²³ could be a factor. For NPR News, I'm Bob Hensley.

The search for nine missing people after the collision of a US Coast Guard plane and a Marine²⁴ Corps²⁵ helicopter off the coast of California has turned into a recovery mission today. Officials say there is little chance of finding survivors²⁶. The two aircraft collided Thursday evening while the Coast Guard was searching for a missing boater.

 I'm Carol Van Dam, NPR News in Washington.