NPR 2012-06-21

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“Unemployment is still too high, but it has come down. It was about 10% at the peak, and it's now closer to 8%. It's going down too slowly, but it is going down. If we don't see continued improvement in the labor³ market. We'll be prepared to take additional steps if appropriate.”

 

Well, the Fed has decided⁴ to extend a program nicknamed “Operation Twist” that is designed to drive down long-term interest rates and encourage more borrowing and spending.

 

At last glance on Wall Street, the Dow was down 60 points, nearly 0.5%, at 12,778, NASDAQ off eight points, and the S&P 500 down seven at 1,351.

 

A House committee is deciding whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder⁵ in contempt for failing to turn over additional documents on a botched gun-smuggling investigation⁶ known as Operation Fast and Furious. Yesterday, Holder and Republican Congressman⁷ Darrell Issa of California were unable to reach an agreement. Holder says he wants another congressional briefing on the Justice Department documents, in Issa's word that a records transfer would satisfy a subpoena⁸ by [the] House committee that Issa chairs.

 

The jury in a Philadelphia clergy⁹ sex abuse trial has resumed deliberations. NPR's Jeff Brady reports earlier today the jury told the judge they couldn't reach a decision on all but one of the charges.

 

There are no details on which charge the jury has reached a verdict on. The Rev¹⁰. James Brennan faces two counts for allegedly raping¹¹ a 14-year-old boy. Monsignor William Lynn faces child endangerment and conspiracy¹² charges. Judge Teresa Sarmina told jurors that if they didn't reach a verdict, the case may have to be retried. The judge asked jurors of reconsidering an earlier request that she denied to rehear testimony¹³ would help. No word on that yet from the jury, which began deliberations on June 1st. Jeff Brady, NPR News, Philadelphia.

 

A lot of residents of northeastern Minnesota are facing extensive flood cleanup from torrential rains overnight. More from Matt Sepic of Minnesota Public Radio. 

 

Emergency officials say they responded to numerous calls from people trapped in cars and homes. Sinkholes have formed on streets around Duluth, and there are mudslides on the city's many hills. Two seals escaped from the Lake Superior Zoo, but spokeswoman Susan Wolniakowski says they were found quickly nearby.

 

“They were relatively¹⁴ easily corralled, and they’re secure, and they’re safe, and they’re in the holding again.”

 

Wolniakowski says some animals in the barnyard exhibit died in the flood. More rain is in the forecast, and northeastern Minnesota remains¹⁵ under a flash flood warning. today. For NPR News, I'm Matt Sepic in St. Paul.

 

Dow Jones Industrial Average down 63 points.

 

This is NPR.

 

The Afghan and US governments are condemning¹⁶ a suicide bombing in Afghanistan that killed three American service members and at least 17 Afghan civilians¹⁷. NPR's Sean Carberry reports that an Afghan interpreter was also killed in the attack that targeted a NATO convey.

 

Afghan officials say a man drove a motorcycle into the NATO convoy¹⁸ and set off the explosion. The blast ripped through a busy section of Khost City in eastern Afghanistan. The number of reported fatalities¹⁹ has slowly grown since the attack, and dozens of Afghan civilians were also wounded. In Logar province, a vehicle struck a roadside bomb, killing²⁰ eight civilians. The Taliban have launched a number of brazen²¹ attacks this week, including several where the assailants were wearing Afghan police or army uniforms. Afghan and US forces have also conducted a series of operations in the south and east, and have captured or killed a number of Taliban commanders. Sean Carberry, NPR News, Kabul.

 

Reuters news service reporting a Yemeni man working for the International Committee of the Red Cross has been killed by an air strike in Abyan province, while carrying out humanitarian²² work. Yemeni troops last week retook several towns in the southern province of Abyan that Islamist militants²³ allied²⁴ to al-Qaeda reportedly had seized last year. 

 

British police are raiding to arrest Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder²⁵ responsible for publishing massive amounts of classified information without authorization²⁶. Assange is now holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He is trying to avoid extradition²⁷ to Sweden, where he faces questioning in sexual assault allegations.

 

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.

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