NPR 2010-12-22

New rules for Internet service providers today from the Federal Communications Commission. They are designed to keep broadband landline companies from interfering 1 with information flow to their customers. NPR's Paul Brown reports the plan largely exempts 2 wireless 3 Internet providers.

The FCC Chairman, Democrat 4 Julius Genachowski, characterizes the so-called "net neutrality" rules as a workable compromise, denying wire-line Internet service providers the power to slow or block the flow of content to their subscribers. The two other Democrats 5 voting yes say the protections are too weak, especially for people who depend primarily on wireless Internet service the rules largely don't affect. And the FCC's two Republicans say the commission should stay out of the issue. They say it doesn't have legal standing 6 to regulate the Internet, and claim the chairman, with President Obama's blessing 7, is inventing a problem that doesn't need to fix. The rules may face heavy scrutiny 8 from the incoming House of Representatives with its GOP majority and legal challenges. Paul Brown, NPR News, Washington.

A new arms treaty with Russia seems to have enough Republican support to pass the Senate. A handful of GOP lawmakers announced their support today. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

Two-thirds of the Senate must vote to ratify 9 the so-called "New START" treaty. The White House is lobbying fiercely for the agreement. President Obama has called many senators, as have Republican former secretaries of state and military leaders who endorsed 10 the treaty. Now it seems to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs that those efforts have paid off.

"We remain extremely confident that this is a treaty that the Senate will believe is in the best interest of our national security."

Passage of this treaty will be the latest in a series of legislative 11 victories for President Obama during a lame 12 duck session that also included a tax-cut deal with Republicans and the repeal 13 of "don't ask, don't tell". Ari Shapiro, NPR News, the White House.

Iraqi lawmakers have taken a critical step forward toward forming a new government after a nine-month power struggle. NPR's Kelly McEvers reports second-term Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has nominated most of his top cabinet posts.

Maliki's nominations 14 to key cabinet posts were unanimously approved by the Iraqi parliament. The move ended a long political stalemate after parliamentary elections in March here were too close to call. Maliki, a Shia, has ceded 15 some power to his political rivals in Sunni and Kurdish parties. But he has yet to name the top security posts. This in a country just a few years beyond a civil war where insurgents 16 still attack officials and civilians 17. Kelly McEvers, NPR News, Baghdad.

2010 census 18 findings are out today. They show population growth in the South and West, and that will reshape the political landscape as some states pick up seats in Congress and others will lose some.

On Wall Street at this hour, the Dow is up 50 points at 11,528; the NASDAQ is up 17.

This is NPR News.

Six straight days of heavy rains have taken their toll 19 on southern California. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates reports residents in some parts of the region are digging and even sawing their way through the damage.

Parts of greater Los Angeles and Orange Counties have received so much rain so quickly from a series of winter storms that tree damages become a problem. Reports from the region say large trees were ripped loose from supersaturated earth and toppled onto cars, homes and into streets. Luckily, no injuries have been reported. Several areas of the region have suffered power outages in the last two days. And flash flooding has prompted rescues. One woman in San Bernardino County was pulled from her truck after water rose to her dashboard. And emergency personnel retrieved 20 four hikers from an Orange County canyon 21 when they couldn't return to their vehicle. The forecast for Wednesday, more rain. Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR News.

Colorado is also getting slammed by a winter storm creating blizzard 22 conditions.  Stacey Stegman of Colorado's Transportation Department says many drivers aren't taking precautions.

"The biggest problem we've seen is, either semis that aren't chained up and they've been sliding off the road, or just general vehicles taking people going a little bit too fast for conditions, and then when you see one person start to lose control, it kind of spirals."

Parts of the state could see eight feet of snow by Friday.

European airports are still struggling to get flights off the ground days after a major snowfall. Only one runway is operating at London's Heathrow, Europe's busiest. Prime Minister David Cameron is offering troops to help. The EU's top transportation official says the failure to respond to severe whether conditions by Europe's airports is unacceptable and is threatening tighter regulation.