NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-07-31

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The latest sanctions announced by the United States and the European Union targeted Russia's energy, banking², and weapons industries. The White House official says they leave Russia more isolated³ than any times since the end of the Cold War. The coordinated⁴ sanctions followed a video conference Monday between President Obama, and his counterparts in Britain, France, Italy and Germany. Obama told reporters Russia's already paying an economic price for arming and supporting the separatist rebels in Ukraine.

Today is a reminder⁵ that the United States means what it says, and we will rally the international community in standing⁶ up for the rights and the freedom of people around the world.

The sanctions do not affect the Russia's natural gas industry, which is a major supplier to Europe. Scott Horsley, NPR news, the White House.

 

The National Security Agency's bulk collection of America's phone data revealed last year by former NSA contractor⁷ Edward Snowden would be sharply curtailed⁸ under a legislation introduced today in the Senate. NPR's David Welna reports the Senate will go further than legislation passed earlier this year in the House. 

As he introduced the bi-partisan bill rein⁹ in NSA's surveillance, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy questioned the value of such spying. 

To what extent does this massive collects of data program national security? What cost our privacy and free expression? If we pick up everything, do we actually have anything? Leahy's bill will prevent the NSA from using broad terms for searching data. Utah Republican Mike Lee is a co-sponsor. This legislation which has a broad base bi-partisan support is absolutely necessary. No action on the bill is expected before Congress dispense¹⁰ from a long summer break later this week. David Welna, NPR news, the Capital.

 

The nation's top doctor is out with a warning to Americans: give up your love affairs with being tanned or face what it is likely to be a continued rise, the number of cases of potentially deadly Melanoma. The report out today acting¹¹ US Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak says since 1973, there has been a 200% jump of the number of reported cases of Melanoma, some of which has liked indoor tanning bench. It has been estimated that indoor tanning is linked to more than 400,000 cases of skin cancer in United States each year, including 6,000 Melanomas. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer with an estimated 9,000 people a year dying from what is largely a preventable disease. 

 

Home prices continued to rise in May * a fire week of pays, some of the double digits¹² run-ups last year. According to the S&P/Case-Shiller house price index, home prices in twenty cities grew up 9.3% in May. 

 

On Wall Street, the Dow was down 70 points, the NASDAQ closed down two points.

 

This is NPR.

 

The US judge who is overseeing a criminal prosecution¹³ against package shipper FedEx would accuse the company of knowingly shipping¹⁴ drugs for illegal online pharmacies¹⁵. It says a core issue will be what company's executives knew. In the hearing in San Francisco today, the judge overseeing the case said he'd like to see proceedings¹⁶ move quickly. The company was indited¹⁷ earlier this month on 15 criminal counting, including conspiracy¹⁸ to distribute controlled substances. FedEx has said it is innocent of the charges.

 

Federal Appeals Court has ruled a Mississippi law that would have close the state's only clinic that provides abortions¹⁹ is unconstitutional. Evelina Burnett, with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, has more. 

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans found the law would place an undue²⁰ burden on women seeking abortions. The judges ruled in effect the law would close the State's only clinic that provides abortions: the Jackson Women's Health Organization, because the local hospitals wouldn't grant admitting privileges to the clinic's doctors. Michelle Cologne is the security manager at the Jackson Clinic.

We are extremely *extetics, not only for ourselves, and for the staff, but also for the women of Mississippi and the surrounding areas, and for our clinics and doctors *that provided everywhere... 

Supporters of the law says that it goes to protect the health of women seeking abortions. The Senator for reproductive right brought the case on behalf of Jackson clinic. For NPR news, I am Evelina Burnett.

 

The last surviving member of the crew that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, hastening the end of World War II, has died. Theodore Van Kirk, also known as Dutch, died today at the retirement²¹ home where he lived in Stone Mountain, Georgia, according to his son. Van Kirk was the navigator of the Enola Gay, the B29 superfortress that dropped the world's first atomic bomb over the Japanese city in 1945. He was 93.

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