From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Well, Washington rescued Detroit's Big Three.

Hello again, I'm Oran Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Senate Republicans today turned a cold eye

on the $14 billion auto industry aid package

passed last night by the House.

Some accused the Bush White House

of making a bad deal with the Democrats,

including a so-called car czar,

they said would have too little power.

Adamant against helping Midwestern companies

were senators from southern states, which

have subsidized non-union factories run by foreign carmakers.

Are regional interests playing a role in preventing what Democrats, including Barack Obama,

call a disaster of national proportions?

On reporter's notebook later on, should the United Nations take on Somalia's

pirates. First, here's the news. Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica

and from the Public Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation

and the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation. Hello again, Warren Alney, back with To the Point. As debate began in the Senate today, Republicans still opposed the big three bailout passed last night in the House. Are southerners unwilling to prevent an economic disaster in the Midwest? Is more nationalization really a bad idea? On reporter's notebook, the U.S. wants to the U.N. to track down Somali pirates on land as well as by sea.

First, this news update. Barack Obama said today he's appalled and disappointed with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and hopes he'll resign.

Obama said he had no contact with the governor about filling his vacant seat in the U.S. Senate.

...