NPR 2010-03-30

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President Obama is joining other world leaders in condemning¹ today’s suicide bomb attacks on the Moscow subway system, attacks that killed at least 38 people and injured dozens of others. Mr. Obama is calling the bombings “heinous terrorist acts”. He spoke² by phone with his Russian counterpart to express condolences. France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy speaking through an interpreter also made reference to the attacks.

“When New York was attacked, it was the world’s democracies who were under attack. And when Moscow is attacked, it is all of us who are attacked. When faced with terrorism and terrorists, we cannot stand divided.”

Sarkozy speaking in New York today, one of several US cities that have stepped up security on their transit³ systems following this morning’s attacks which Peter Van Dyk in Moscow reports were carried out by two female suicide bombers⁴.

Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has vowed⁵ that the terrorists behind the bombings will be destroyed. The apparently⁶ coordinated⁷ attacks at two Moscow metro⁸ stations during this morning’s rush hour forced Putin to cut short a trip to Siberia. President Dmitry Medvedev said the country’s fight against terrorism would be pursued without hesitation⁹, and he ordered increased security across the country. Terrorist violence has been mostly confined to the largely Muslim North Caucasus region since a series of attacks in 2004, including one on the Moscow subway that killed 39 people. But more than two dozen passengers died last November in a bombing on a Moscow-St. Petersburg express train sparking fears of a widening of militants’ activities. For NPR News, I’m Peter Van Dyk in Moscow.

Nine members of an anti-government militia¹⁰ group based in Michigan are facing conspiracy¹¹ and weapons charges. Most of the suspects were arraigned¹² today in Detroit. NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston reports the indictment¹³ says group members regard law enforcement agencies as their enemy.

The group’s name is Hutaree, and it is an anti-government extremist militia. Prosecutors¹⁴ say they wanted to kill an unidentified law enforcement officer and then boost the body count by attacking his funeral. They allegedly were prepared to plant roadside bombs along the funeral route to kill more law enforcement officials. FBI agents say this latest plot is not connected to threats that follow passage of health care legislation. Officials have been watching the Hutaree members for several years, as they allegedly stockpiled weapons, ammunition¹⁵ and explosives. Officials said the group was rounded up over the weekend in order to short-circuit operation they had planned for next month. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

The Treasury¹⁶ Department says it’s set to begin selling the government’s stake in Citigroup, a move that could net the Treasury more than seven billion dollars in profit. The government got Citigroup’s stock in exchange for 25 billion at loan to bank to keep it afloat during the credit crisis. The Commerce Department says consumer spending has increased for a fifth straight month. Analysts¹⁷ say those numbers were favorable enough to boost stock prices today; the Dow up 44 points just before the close.

This is NPR News from Washington.

The Justice Department says it has reached a settlement with the school district in Upstate New York in a case involving harassment¹⁸ of a gay teenager. As NPR’s Ari Shapiro reports, federal prosecutors used a novel interpretation¹⁹ of the law known as Title IX to intervene in this case.

The high school student in this case was only identified by his first name, Jacob. He was bullied²⁰ for acting²¹ effeminate. His lawyers say school officials knew about the problem and refused to intervene. One teacher allegedly told Jacob to hate himself every day until he changed. In January, the Justice Department stepped in. They argued that Title IX does not only protect students from gender²² discrimination. They said the law also covers discrimination based on gender expression. That is to say, boys who act like girls. It’s a legal argument the government had not made since the Clinton administration. Now the school district has agreed to pay Jacob $50,000, legal fees, and the cost of therapy. The district will also put staff through anti-harassment training. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Washington.

Prosecutors in Massachusetts have charged nine teenagers in connection with the bullying²³ of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince. Investigators²⁴ say the girl was raped²⁵ and then tormented²⁶ for months before she finally killed herself. District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel.

“The investigation²⁷ revealed relentless²⁸ activity directed toward Phoebe, designed to humiliate²⁹ her and to make it impossible for her to remain at school. The bullying for her became intolerable.”

Scheibel says the bullying occurred both in person and on line. The case helped prompt Massachusetts lawmakers to pass anti-bullying legislation earlier this month.

I’m Craig Windham, NPR News in Washington.