NPR News 2010-01-30 加文本

NPR News 2010-01-30

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

There is no sign that the political gridlock between the White House and Congressional Republicans were clear after today's meeting in Baltimore. That's where President Obama addressed a conference of GOP House members on a number of politically divisive issues including health care.

"If anyone here truly believes our health insurance system is working well for people, I respect your right to say so, but I just don't agree."

He also fielded questions on increased federal spending in job growth  - the No.1 domestic issue for the Obama administration.

The president says the economy is growing and points to the latest report on the Gross Domestic Product as proof. According to the Commerce Department today, the US economy grew at the fastest pace in six years late last year at an annual rate of 5.7%. Daniel Carson has details.

About 2/3 of the growth came from businesses restocking their inventories. Foreign exports which jumped 28% also gave a big push to the GDP. Consumer spending grew a modest 2%. Stuart Hoffman, Chief Economist with PNC Financial Services Group, says for a change, government initiatives like the 'Cash for Clunkers' program to boost car sales didn't power this growth.

"This wasn't a story of just government spending. This was a story of initial government spending, finally what are called handing off to the private sector which is absolutely necessary if we're gonna sustain this economic re-growth in 2010."

But economists don't expect the pace of this cycle to last. They predict the GDP will level off around 3% in 2010. For NPR News, I'm Daniel Carson in Washington.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is testifying before a panel in London investigating Britain's involvement in the Iraq War. Blair has insisted that he was right to take the United Kingdom into the conflict and that he is convinced it was worth the price. Larry Miller has more on this from London.

A self-assured Tony Blair delivered a robust defense of his decision to go to war with Iraq. He said he believed without a doubt Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Blair said Saddam was game-playing and never had any intention of cooperating. He pointed out that chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix understood Saddam would kill any Iraqi who spoke to his inspectors.

"My own view, I always, I have seen no doubt about this, is that if you backed away, when he is, was playing around with the inspectors in precisely the way he'd done before, then you were gonna send a very, very bad signal out to the world."

The former prime minister denied that to boost the case for war, his Downing Street office deliberately relied on unverifiable claims that Saddam could deliver WMDs within 45 minutes. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.

Dow Industrials have turned lower. At last check it's down 30 points. This is NPR News.

Pakistani forces fighting militants along the Afghan border are reporting losses on both sides. Officials say at least two dozen militants have been killed in the Bajaur region and several insurgent hideouts reportedly have been destroyed. The military also says that several of its own soldiers have been injured in the conflict. Pakistan is under heavier ally pressure to crack down on the Taliban and al-Qaeda along the border where the insurgents' influence has been growing.

A Kansas jury has found Scott Roeder guilty of the murder of abortion provider doctor George Tiller. Jurors deliberated for 37 minutes today. Tiller was killed eight months ago at a church in Wichita. Yesterday, Roeder testified that he believed abortion amounted to murder and that it was God's decision, not man's, to take life.

A new study finds laws that ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones apparently aren't doing as much to reduce accidents as some states had hoped. NPR's Brian Naylor has more details.

The Highway Loss Data Institute and insurance industry group looked at accident records in three states and the District of Columbia where hand-held cell phone use is banned. It found accident rates unchanged by the prohibition. Adrian Lund is president of the institute.

"This study shouldn't be seen as saying that talking on your cell phone is not distracting or that it doesn't increase your crash risk, it does."

But Lund says in-car warning systems may be a better solution than legislation for the problem. Brian Naylor, NPR News.

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial was down 23 points at 10,098 after earlier gains. NASDAQ was down 29 at 2,150.