The chant "four more years" erupts throughout President Obama's speech in Detroit today. He touted the success of a 2009 federal bailout for the largest automakers that he says helps save millions of jobs. And three days before Mr. Obama's due to outline a plan to grow jobs and revive the economy, he's challenging his Republican rivals to sign on.

 

"Labor is on board. Business is on board. We just need Congress to get on board. Let's put American back to work."

 

But recent polls show the president losing public support with the unemployment rate stuck at 9.1%, and GOP presidential candidates are all over it. Several are gathered for a forum in Columbia, South Carolina, where Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota was asked how she thinks her jobs program would be different from the president's.

 

"I would change the corporate tax rate, which is currently about the highest in the world, down to about 20% level."

 

Among those noticeably absent from the forum was Texas Governor Rick Perry. He cut short his trip to South Carolina to return home, where dozens of wildfires are burning across the state. Perry is expected to speak soon from the Bastrop Convention Center, where nearby dark smoke billows high above. NPR's John Burnett is there where he says fire fueling conditions are right.

 

Texas is a tinderbox. I mean this entire state is just, just as dry as kindling. You could not pick worst conditions. It hasn't rained. You've got this wind picking up. There's no humidity. It's just been the perfect conditions for a wildfire.

 

NPR's John Burnett.

 

The International Committee of the Red Cross says its workers are being granted at least some access to Syrian prisons which are housing anti-government activists arrested since the uprising began several months ago. NPR's Peter Kenyon is tracking developments from Beirut.

 

As ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger finished a two-day visit to Syria, the Red Cross issued a statement saying that Red Cross personnel have been allowed into Syrian prisons for the first time. The statement said initial access is to detention centers run by the Syrian Interior Ministry, but the Red Cross hopes to see all detainees. The statement said the most immediate concern is to see that the wounded and sick get medical care. During the Red Cross visit, opposition activists said Syrian forces continued a violent sweep across the northwest, causing more civilians to flee into Turkey, where thousands are already sheltered in camps. Activists also said a manhunt is underway for the attorney general of Hama, who said he defected in protest over military attacks on civilians. Peter Kenyon, NPR News.

 

In Libya, thousands of rebels are gathered just outside one of Muammar Gaddafi's last strongholds, Bani Walid. The opposition says it's urging Gaddafi loyalists to surrender to avoid a bloodbath .Wall Street was closed for the holiday.This is NPR.

 

Children who live with a smoker in a house miss more days of school than kids from non-smoking households. NPR's Allison Aubrey explains the exposure to second-hand smoke leads to more respiratory illnesses. About half of all smokers who live with children say they do not smoke in the house, according to a national survey. But that leaves 50% who do, and the children of these smokers, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, are missing more days of school. They're absent about one to 1.5 more days per year, compared to kids who live in non-smoking households. The educational impact of these absences isn't clear, but the financial toll is significant. Researchers say that when these 2.6 million children get sick, parents have to stay home from work, and this adds up to a lot of lost wages about 227 million dollars a year. Experts say eliminating second-hand smoke exposure would cut the risk of illnesses such as ear infections and chest colds and likely reduce the number of school days the kids miss. Allison Aubrey, NPR News.

 

A powerful earthquake jolted the western Indonesian island of Sumatra, reportedly killing a 12-year-old boy and sending people streaming from their homes and hotels in panic. Hundreds of patients from at least one hospital had to be evacuated. The US Geological Survey says the quake measured a magnitude of 6.6.

 

Pakistan's intelligence agency is reporting the arrest of three leading members of al-Qaeda, the most senior of whom is identified as Younis al-Mauritani. Authorities say he targeted Western economic interests worldwide. Pakistan says it arrested the men near the Afghan border with help from the US.

 

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.