NPR 2008-04-02

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From NPR News in Washington, I am Jack¹ Speer.

 Top leaders in the Senate under increasing pressure to do something about the rising number of foreclosures in the housing market opted² to put aside some of their differences today and get moving on a plan. Under terms of an agreement between Democratic majority leader Harry³ Reid and minority Republican leader Mitch McConnell, lawmakers agreed to end weeks of bipartisan bickering⁴. Reid said Senators have set an arbitrary deadline of tomorrow to try bringing the measure to the Senate floor. “I am confident, and very very hopeful that it's going to be a breakthrough not only for this piece of legislation, but what we can accomplish in this very difficult political year". Helping⁵ to break the logjam was an agreement to drop a controversial Democratic provision that would have allowed bankruptcy⁶ court judges to cut interest rates and reduce the principal on troubled mortgages. There have been estimats that as many as 2 million homeowners could face foreclosure by the end of next year.

 All across the country today, independent truckers are slowing down or bringing their rigs to a standstill to protest the high-cost fuel. From member station WBGO in Newark New Jersey⁷ Andrew Meyer reports.

 At one rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike, truckers gathered to stage a vocal⁸ protest against the high price of diesel⁹. A spokesman for the Turnpike Authority said truckers were moving at about 20 miles per hour for as far as the eye could see. It's all part of a loosely organized national protest by independent drivers hoping to put pressure on the Bush administration to stabilize¹⁰ fuel prices by dipping into the country's oil reserves. Police outside of Chicago ticketed a trio of truckers for impeding¹¹ traffic on one interstate. Near the Port of Tampa, about 50 drivers idled their rigs, saying they simply couldn't afford to haul their loads for what contractors¹² were paying them. The protests are scattered¹³ because the national trucking companies refrained from getting involved as did the Teamsters Union. From NPR News, I'm Andrew Meyer, in New York.

 Senator Hillary Clinton said she is not giving up the race. Speaking to about eight hundred delegates at the Pennsylvania Convention of the AFL-CIO, Clinton likened herself to Philadelphia cinematic icon¹⁴ "Rocky Balboa". From member station WHYY, Susan Philips reports.

Senator Clinton positioned herself as the underdog, drawing parallels to the south Philadelphia boxer¹⁵ portrayed¹⁶ by Sylvester Stallone in the 1976 film "Rocky".

 "Senator Obama says he is getting tired of the campaign. His supporters say they want it to end. Well, could you imagine, if Rocky Balboa had gotten halfway¹⁷ up those art museum stairs and said 'Well, I guess, that is about far enough". That is not the way it works." Clinton is responding to calls from some Obama supporters "to get out of the race". Clinton told the labor¹⁸ crowd that she would create 3 million new jobs by investing in infrastructure¹⁹. Senator Obama is scheduled to address the conference Wednesday.  For NPR News, I'm Susan Philips, in Philadelphia.

 On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 391 points today, a gain of more than 3%. The S&P was up 47 points. This is NPR.

 The recent upsurge in violence in Iraq has put on hold plans by Britain to begin withdrawing forces from the region. Britain's defense²⁰ minister today told members of the House of Commons that with the current situation in Iraq ,in his words, "unfolding", troop withdrawals²¹ are being stopped for now. Prime Minister Gordon Brown last year announced plans to reduce British troop strength in Iraq from the current 4,000 to around 2,500. The latest upsurge in violence in Iraq comes on the heels of a crackdown against Shiite militias²² being carried out by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

 New York's proposal for congestion²³ pricing took a big step forward yesterday when city council voted 30 to 20 in favor of a first of its kind of plan. If approved by the state legislature, drivers would have to pay to enter a central business district during peak hours. From member station of WNYC Matthew Schuerman has more.

 The City Council vote came after a dramatic 2-hour floor debate during which opponents from the city's farthest reaches argued that the 8-dollar-fee was elitist. But it's not just Manhattanites who support the plan. Council members representing the Bronx and Harlem say that the congestion fee would actually be good for the city's poor since they overwhelmingly take the subways. The fee is supposed to raise half a billion dollars a year for New York's public transportation system as well as reduce traffic and improve air quality. The vote is a major victory for Mayor Michael Bloomberg who modeled the plan on London's five-year-old system. But the bill faces stiff opposition²⁴ in the state legislature which must vote in the next 6 days before it can become law. For NPR News, I'm Matthew Schuerman in New York.

 Nation's industrial sector²⁵ continued to show signs of contraction²⁶ last month. Institute for Supply Management, a national purchasing managers group, said today its manufacturing index was at 48.6 in March.

 I am Jack Speer, NPR News in Washington.