NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2015-10-29

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A bipartisan two-year budget deal reached by Congress and the White House will keep the government funded and raise the nation’s debt limit until after the presidential election. NPR’s Susan Davis reports despite early grumblings from ultra-conservatives, party leaders say a bipartisan budget deal has the support it needs to become law.

The agreement, negotiated by outgoing house speaker John Boehner, is a parting gift to his likely successor, Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan.

I made it clear a month ago when I announced I was leaving that I wanted to do my best to clean the barn. I didn’t want him to walk into a dirty barn full of you-know-what. So I've done my best to try to clean it up.

Ryan did not take part in the negotiation¹, which Boehner says will allow him to start with a clean legislative² slate³. House leaders want to vote on the budget agreement Wednesday, the same day House Republicans will nominate Paul Ryan to serve as the next Speaker. Susan Davis, NPR News, the Capitol.

There may be more US action on the ground to combat the Islamic State’s expansion in Iraq and Syria. As NPR’s Tom Bowman explains Defense⁴ Secretary Ash Carter told members of a Senate panel today that the administration will not hold back its support of allies when they launch their missions against ISIS militants⁵. By that, he is clearly referring to the 50 tons of ammunition⁶ and arms that were sent to Syrian Arab Coalition⁷ in northern Syria. They’ve provided a lot more equipment to both the Syrian Arabs and also to the Kurds to take on Islamic State. And the effort is to push on the headquarters of the Islamic State in Raqqah.

NPR’s Tom Bowman.

Secretary Carter confirms the US Navy warship⁸ sailed near a Chinese artificial island despite warnings from Beijing that any such move will hurt US-Chinese relations. Under questioning from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carter reviewed that US Navy guided missile destroyer had come within 12 nautical⁹ miles of the island in the South China Sea.

We have said, and we are acting¹⁰ on the basis of saying, that we will fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits.

Beijing has summoned the US ambassador in China over the incident.

The challenges confronting police department are center stage at the conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Chicago. President Obama noted¹¹ an upbeat change in statistics.

Over the past few years, the number of police officer shot and killed in line of duty has fallen to the lowest levels in decades. In fact,2013 saw the fewest cops shot and killed in line of duty since 1887.

But Obama has also noted a need to repair relations between police departments and predominantly minority communities in the wake of deadly confrontations¹³ between officers and people of color.

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The Department of Justice and the FBI are launching an investigation¹⁴ into a confrontation¹² between a white South Carolina deputy and a black teenager at Spring Valley High School in Columbia. Witnesses say it all began when the student refused her math teacher’s request to put her cell phone away. The school’s resource officer Ben Fields responded to complaint on video of that incident. Fields is seen asking the girl to stand up and the student is refusing. He then flips¹⁵ the chair backwards¹⁶ to the floor, drags her from it and then handcuffs her. Fields is now reported to be on unpaid¹⁷ leave.

Lower oil prices had a big effect on BP’s third quarter profits this year. They fell 96%. NPR’s reports the oil giant will cut spending and new investments as it prepares for an extended period of relatively¹⁸ low crude prices.

A year ago, oil on the world market sold for about $86 a barrel. Today it’s down to almost half of that, which translates to lower gasoline prices. BP’s chief executive Bob Dudley says projections¹⁹ show the lower prices may last through 2020 and beyond.

This is driven mainly by the expectation that supply will continue to be strong and there's a more cautious outlook on Chinese demand growth.

As part of its third quarter earnings²⁰ report, BP also updated how much the company will spend for its 2010 Gulf²¹ of Mexico oil spill.Total charges so far are 55 billion dollars. That includes the deal reached this summer with federal and state government to settle environmental damage claims. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

Before the close, the Dow was down 42 points to 17,581.

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