NPR 2009-5-24

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From NPR News in Washington, I'm Craig Windham.

President Obama says he is looking to nominate someone to the Supreme¹ Court who has common sense and who understands the practical day-to-day impact of the court's rulings. Mr. Obama is expected to announce a nominee² soon to succeed retiring Justice David Souter. NPR's Neda Ulaby has more.

The president told C-SPAN he hopes that hearings for a new Supreme Court Justice can be held in July before Congress breaks for the summer. He said he preferred not to see confirmation³ hearings drag on. "Somebody has to hit the ground running and take their seat in October without having the time to wrap their mind around the fact they are going to be a Supreme Court justice. I'd like to give them a little bit of lead time so that they can get prepared. The president said the empathy and common touch are two of the qualities he would most value in the next Supreme Court justice. In response to a question, Mr. Obama acknowledged that he has spoken with former president George W. Bush since taking office, but he declined to discuss the details. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

Pakistan's military forces are engaged in street fighting with militants⁵ in the main town in the Swat Valley, a Taliban stronghold. The BBC's Syed Hasan has this report from Islamabad.

After weeks of aerial bombardment, Pakistan's military is finally going toe to toe with the Taliban in what many here see as a climactic struggle. A military spokesman said security forces had forced their way into Swat's main town Mingora. He added the soldiers were engaged in hand-to-hand combat on the city streets. The BBC's Syed Hasan reporting.

President Obama has chosen former astronaut Charles Bolden to be the new head of NASA. The nomination⁶ comes as the White House has ordered a thorough outside review of the country's manned space program. NPR's Allison Keyes has more.

The retired⁷ marine⁸ general will, if confirmed, be the first black leader in NASA's history. Bolden is a native of Columbia, South Carolina who flew more than 100 sorties in Vietnam. He flew two shuttle missions as pilot and two as commander after being selected as an astronaut in 1980. A decade later, the same year he was pilot for the shuttle mission that launched the Hubble telescope into orbit. Bolden spoke⁴ to children at Edwards Air Force Base in California. "Work real hard, study the best you can, set some kind of goals for yourself and then go for it. " For NASA's deputy administrator⁹, the president has nominated 48-year-old Lori Garver who was also a veteran of the agency. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

Republican lawmakers say Congressional Democrats¹⁰ will increase the nation's energy cost and make the US more dependent on foreign oil if they focus only on alternative energy. GOP Senator John Barrasso, Wyoming. "There are billions of barrels of oil in the outer continental¹¹ shelf. There is even more in Alaska. There is enough oil shale¹² in the rocky Mountain West alone to power America for the next hundred years. " Barrasso gave the Republicans radio and Internet address today.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Three Northern California men have been arrested and charged with operating a so-called Ponzi scheme that allegedly bilked thousands of investors¹³ out of $200 million. Bob Hensley of Capital Public Radio has the story.

A Ponzi scheme is an investment scam in which earlier investors are paid with money put up by participants who follow. And announcing the arrest, California Attorney General Jerry Brown said the three suspects swindled thousands of individuals including many retirees who have lost their life savings¹⁴. Brown went on to say that over a ten-year period, the defendants¹⁵ siphoned off money to support what he called extravagant¹⁶ lifestyles. The Attorney General says a Lear jet, expensive cars and an 80-acre castle real estate were purchased with investors' money. Brown says the Ponzi scheme collapsed¹⁷ under its own weight. If convicted of all charges, the suspects could receive life in prison terms. Each is being held on a five-million-dollar bond. The three men are scheduled for an arraignment¹⁸ hearing this coming Tuesday. For NPR News, I'm Bob Hensley in Modesto, California.

Defense¹⁹ Secretary Robert Gates spoke to the graduating class at the US Military Academy at West Point today. He praised the cadets for their courage, commitment and patriotism²⁰ in joining the military at such a challenging time. Nearly all of the graduates were commissioned as second lieutenants²¹ in the army. Most will eventually be deployed²² for service in Afghanistan or Iraq.

At the University of New Hampshire's commencement ceremony today, the loudspeakers were powered by methane²³ gas from a nearby landfill. That gas is also used to generate most of the heat and electricity used on campus. Left-over food from the eco-themed commencement ceremony will be turned into compost.

I'm Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.