NPR 2011-03-06

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nancy Lyons.

The Libyan port city of Zawiya, just 30 miles from the capital, is the scene of fierce fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces. The Washington Post quotes eyewitnesses 1 who described a massacre 2 with dozens dead and hundreds more wounded.

Rebels farther eastern Ras Lanuf are continuing their push to conquer cities in the oil-rich region. NPR's Peter Kenyon is monitoring developments from Benghazi.

The next major city is Sirte, which is a pro-Gaddafi stronghold. It's Gaddafi's hometown. His tribe is there, presumably still loyal to him. And one of his sons' army units is believed to be there, and it is believed to be well-fortified. That is down the road further to the west, and it remains 3 to be seen if the confidence of the rebel forces is enough to have them launch an attack on that stronghold. For the moment, they're in control of Ras Lanuf, and we're waiting to see if that remains the case throughout the day.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reporting.

Egyptian protesters are taking action to save official documents that they believe are being destroyed to hide evidence of human rights abuses. More than three weeks after the fall of leader Hosni Mubarak, the protesters stormed the state security agency's offices. It's the second straight day they forced their way inside.

A man believed to have raped 4 and attacked 17 women in four states has been arrested in Connecticut. As Diane Orson of member station WNPR reports, DNA 5 linked the suspect to the crimes.

The so-called East Coast Rapist is suspected of sexually assaulting women in Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island and Virginia from 1997 to 2009. Authorities recently posted electronic billboards 6 with the sketch 7 of the suspect along highways. They also set up a website about the case. After a tip from authorities in Virginia, investigators 8 began following 39-year-old New Haven 9 truck driver Aaron Thomas. They were able to collect a DNA sample, and Connecticut's Forensic 10 Science Lab matched it to 12 of the sexual assaults. Thomas was arrested in New Haven and is being held on $1 million bond. For NPR News, I'm Diane Orson in New Haven.

President Obama is calling on lawmakers to find common ground on a budget deal to keep the government running. In his weekly address, he says he's willing to agree to steeper cuts in order to get there, but he did not offer any specifics. Republicans say their proposed reductions are essential. In their weekly address, Congresswomen Diane Black of Tennessee said the status quo in the lack of a White House plan to tackle out-of-control spending adds to economic uncertainty 11.

The two crews on the International Space Station are readying for Monday's undocking. Today, they are checking in air system and loading trash.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Italy's leader Silvio Berlusconi will apparently 12 defend himself in court. He faces trial next month for allegedly paying for sex with an underage Moroccan teenager. His lawyer says Berlusconi will handle his case as long as he doesn't have to show up more than once a week. He's also defending himself in separate trials involving dealings stemming from his business empire.

Utah could soon begin to issue permits to undocumented workers, and at the same time require that police check the immigration status of anyone suspected of committing a crime. Utah legislators have approved both provisions. And as NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports, it's drawing all kinds of criticism.

The legislators behind the Utah's efforts to deal with undocumented immigrants say their approach is totally different from Arizona's, which drew widespread condemnation 13 last year for requiring police to question a person's immigration status if they suspected that person was in the US illegally. Critics said it pretty much boiled down to profiling, targeting anyone who look Latino. Those same critics are wary 14 of what Utah wants to do. It would allow police to check a person's immigration status but only after that person has been stopped for a felony or misdemeanor. Utah's gas worker proposal, on the other hand, would guarantee a permanent pool of workers that sponsors say would benefit the state's economy and allow undocumented workers and their families to settle in Utah legally. Critics say this would attract more illegal immigrants. Claudio Sanchez, NPR News.

The risk to rescuers is apparently too great, so officials in Nevada have given up trying to save a man who fell into an abandoned shaft 15 on Wednesday. Video footage shows he is still breathing.

I'm Nancy Lyons, NPR News in Washington.