NPR 2009-11-12

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The nation is paying tribute to its war veterans today in suburban¹ Washington, President Obama spoke² at the annual ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery³. "To our veterans, to the fallen and to their families, there is no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice. " Mr. Obama placed a wreath at the Tomb of Unknowns and joined visitors at the grave sites of loved ones killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Obama has been meeting with his national security team today to chart a new course for the war in Afghanistan. The White House says Mr. Obama has yet to make up his mind and He's unlikely to announce the decision for several weeks. But before heading into the meeting, General David Petraeus told CNN that the decision on sending more American troops to Afghanistan is near. The President is leaving Thursday for a trip to Asia.

At Fort Hood⁴ Texas, people are still trying to make sense of last week shootings that left 13 people dead. Post spokesman Colonel John Rossi said today that officials are looking closely at security measures and taking steps toward the wellbeing of the soldiers station there. "We expect leaders to be invasive. This is a 24/7 business. You need to know your soldiers. So it's OK to ask them how they are doing and encourage them to seek help if they need it. We want leadership doing that right now from the command level, down to your sergeant⁵ who might be in charge of two or three soldiers. " Rossi said 15 people who were wounded in the shootings are still in local hospitals. He said they are all in stable condition.

The Mormon Church has endorsed⁶ a pair of gay rights measures in Salt Lake City, despite that state-passed opposition⁷ to gay marriage. The measures banning job and housing discrimination against gays past unanimously. From Salt Lake City, NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

The anti-discrimination ordinances⁸ are the first in Utah and are consistent with earlier statement by Mormon leaders rejecting job and housing bias⁹ aimed at gays. But the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not act on their statements until Tuesday night. When a spokesman told the Salt Lake City Council the ordinances are fair and reasonable and do not do violence to the institution of marriage. Extensive Mormon support for California's ballot¹⁰ measure banning gay marriage made the faith a target of gay rights groups. Gay rights activists¹¹ and Mormon leaders met in secret in the days proceeding¹² the Salt Lake City vote. They agreed to language exempting¹³ religious groups from some elements of the ordinances. Now attention turns to the Utah legislature with a vast majority of lawmakers are Mormon. Howard Berkes, NPR News, Salt Lake City.

On Wall Street, stocks were up at the close. Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 46 points to 10, 293. The NASDAQ composite index's up 14 points. And the S&P 500 has gained five. You are listening to NPR News.

A new study warns that nine states are head for the same financial crisis that plagues California. The list from the Pew Center on the states includes Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey¹⁴, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. The study says big budget gaps, rising unemployment and high home foreclosure rates are among the key reasons.

Members of the development community are welcoming the naming of the nominee¹⁵, the head of the United States Agency for International Development. The post has been vacant for months and the acting¹⁶ director's temporary appointment was about to expire. NPR's Brenda Wilson reports.

President Obama has reportedly had a tough time trying to find someone willing to take over the USAID, because of strenuous¹⁷ vetting¹⁸ process and internal administration politics. The President's choice, Doctor Rajiv Shah has already undergone that process to serve as an undersecretary in the US Department of Agriculture, in the area of food security. A physician, Shah is relatively¹⁹ unknown to people in the world of development, they note that he hasn't run a large organization like USAID or spent much time in the field working in development. Before coming into the administration, he worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's global development programs. And that capacity, analysts²⁰ say, he was strongly supportive of the use of new technologies, including genetically²¹ modified crops to address food shortages in developing countries. Brenda Wilson, NPR News.

A husband of retire Supreme²² Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor has died. John O'Connor died today in Phoenix²³ of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 79. Justice O'Connor cited her husband's deteriorating²⁴ condition when she retired²⁵ in 2005.

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