NPR News 2010-04-30 加文本

NPR News 2010-04-30

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

The Gulf Coast is bracing for the shoreline impact of the worst oil spill the region has ever faced. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports the growing oil slick threatens wildlife, fisheries and beaches from Louisiana to Florida.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency with the massive oil slick now within 20 miles off the state's fragile coastal ecosystem. The Obama administration has designated the spill of national significance and is mobilizing federal resources to protect the coast and help with the clean-up. But Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the oil company BP is ultimately responsible.

"We will continue to push BP to engage in the strongest response possible. We will continue to oversee their efforts."

Officials now say more than 200,000 gallons of oil a day are gushing from the site of an offshore oil platform explosion that left 11 workers presumed dead. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Orange Beach, Alabama.

A nation bids farewell to a civil rights leader today. Dr.Dorothy Height died last week at the age of 98. President Obama, delivering the eulogy at her memorial service in the Washington National Cathedral this morning, said Height deserves a place of honor in America's memory for a lifetime of work toward justice and equality.

In a few hours, Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist is expected to announce he will run as an independent for an open US Senate seat. From member station WUSF in Tampa, Bobbie O'Brien tells us Crist's fellow Republicans are warning their colleagues against strain.

Bill Bunting is on the state GOP executive board. He's reminding Florida Republicans of a loyalty oath they signed. And he says Republicans who back Charlie Crist as an independent candidate will get a call from the party asking them to resign.

"We no longer want guys like that in the Republican Party. And we know that many of the donors will be coming in to ask for their money back. You can be sure of that."

Crist reportedly has more than seven million dollars in campaign contributions. Bunting says what Republicans want is an apology from Governor Crist for him to step aside and get behind Marco Rubio, another GOP candidate for US Senate. For NPR News, I'm Bobbie O'Brien in Tampa.

One miner is dead, another is still missing after a roof caved in at a coal mine in western Kentucky late yesterday. Recovery crews are slowed down by unstable conditions at the Dotiki Mine in Providence which is about 150 miles west of Louisville.

Moving on positive economic news today, US stocks gaining ground, last check, Dow was up more than 120 points.

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In eastern Afghanistan, NATO forces are said to have killed the brother-in-law of an Afghan lawmaker. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson has this from Kabul.

The fatal shooting occurred late Wednesday night during a raid on the home of lawmaker Safiya Sidiqi. Sidiqi who was not there says her family told her about 100 troops stormed her house near the city of Jalalabad. The lawmaker says they broke windows and pulled more than a dozen of her relatives outside who were photographed and fingerprinted. She says the troops opened fire on her brother-in-law, Amanullah. His body, wrapped in a white sheet, was the focal point for hundreds of protesters this morning who shouted anti-American slogans. NATO is saying little about the incident. Other than that, a joint NATO-Afghan operation against the Taliban facilitator led to one armed person being killed. The military says that person ignored demands he lower his weapon. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR News, Kabul.

The Chinese government is pledging to make administrative changes to ensure it does not violate Olympic rules again. This after a panel learned that a gymnast at the 2000 Sydney Games was technically too young to compete. She was 14 years old. The minimum age is 16. The International Olympic Committee is stripping China's women's team off its bronze medal and giving it to the US team.

More teams will be playing in the NCAA basketball tournament starting next season. The Board of Directors has decided to expand from 65 to 68 teams. It recommended the expansion last week when it also announced it had reached a new 11-billion-dollar TV package with CBS and Turner Broadcasting to broadcast the tournament.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.