Morning Edition on WRVO-1: NPR News

Transcript

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, Im David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

And Im Steve Inskeep.

Just a few months ago, many Republicans seemed to assume that their candidate for president would be a long shot in 2012.

GREENE: But now President Obama is looking more vulnerable, so Republican candidates attended a debate last night, knowing that one of them could have a real chance to win.

INSKEEP: First, of course, they battle each other. Former front-runner Mitt Romney faced with the current front runner, Rick Perry.

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, host:

And let's turn now to Libya, where the capital Tripoli is rapidly rebounding from the fighting that ousted Moammar Gadhafi from power. Less than three weeks after the rebels launched their assault on the city, shops are re-opening, the water and electricity are back on, and garbage is being picked up. Tripoli's new city officials are also working to re-establish security. NPR's Jason Beaubien is in the city and sent us this report.

President Obama, in a joint session of Congress Thursday night, will announce his plan to get more Americans working. David Greene speaks to David Wessel of The Wall Street Journal about the challenges Obama faces promoting a jobs program and reviving the economy.

Kansas is one of several states trying to increase licensing requirements and regulations for clinics that perform abortions. The state has enacted a new set of rules but a lawsuit has prevented them from taking effect. On Wednesday, Kansas officials held a public hearing to consider changes to the rules.

It's been 20 years since Hisham Matar's father disappeared. He was a vocal opponent of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and was kidnapped while living in exile in Egypt in 1990. Just as Gadhafi's regime was collapsing this summer, Matar published Anatomy of a Disappearance, a novel about an exile who is kidnapped, as told from the perspective of his teenage son.

New Mexico wants to make itself a home for new technology. And so it's welcoming a tech company that's building an entire new city — with no residents. The model metropolis would be designed to test everything from renewable energy to intelligent traffic systems.

Take 800 pounds of chicken, 500 pounds of onions and add carrots, bok choy and peanuts. And you've got the world's largest stir fry. Yes, the people at Guinness World Records keep track of this. The frying pan at the University of Massachusetts was 14 feet across.