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Top Stories: Attack In Kabul, Jobs Plan Debate, Poverty Figures

Good morning.

The news we've already posted about this morning:

-- American Hikers Held By Iran To Be Freed 'In Two Days,' Ahmadinejad Says.

-- RPGs, Gunfire 'Raining Down' On Diplomatic District In Kabul.

-- 'Sparks Flew' At Republican Debate; Perry Took Most Of The Fire.

Other stories making headlines include:

-- "GOP Balks At Taxes To Finance Jobs Plan": "The prospects for President Barack Obama's $447 billion jobs plan grew dimmer Monday as he unveiled the fine print of how it would be paid for — primarily through tax increases that Republicans said would destroy jobs, not create them. Mr. Obama proposed limiting itemized deductions for families with taxable income of $250,000 or more a year, ending tax breaks for oil companies and corporate jet owners, and cutting out a tax break for investment-fund managers." (The Wall Street Journal)

-- "Search Ends For Victims Of Nairobi Pipeline Explosion": "Work to recover bodies from the scene of a pipeline explosion in a densely populated Nairobi slum has ended, Kenya Red Cross said Tuesday. Red Cross officials said 82 bodies had been recovered. Police pegged the number at 76. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy." (CNN)

-- Poverty Rate Likely Rose Again Last Year: The nation's official poverty rate in 2009 was 14.3 percent — the most in 15 years. When the Census Bureau reports later this morning on poverty in 2010, it's expected to say the rate increased further. Stubbornly high unemployment is a major cause. (NPR's Pam Fessler)

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.