NPR News 2011-05-25 加文本

NPR News 2011-05-25

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

In Joplin, Missouri, it's a race against time to find tornado survivors. Local authorities aren't exactly sure how many people are unaccounted for. The numbers vary. They're holding out hope though that the death toll won't rise. At least 117 people are now confirmed dead as a result of Sunday's storm. One of the most intense searches for victims is happening at a big-box store. Missy Shelton of member station KSMU takes us there.

The Urban Search and Rescue Team, known as Missouri Task Force 1, is moving heavy steel and concrete to find survivors and retreat bodies at a Home Depot. Doug Westhoff, the Task Force leader, says it appears people saw the tornado coming, ran inside the store from the parking lot and hunkered against the front wall, which collapsed after the tornado ripped off the roof.

"In this scenario, the void space between the concrete floor and these walls that came down, in most cases, are not survivable. So what's occurring—we'll poke a small hole in there, put a camera in, allow the dog to search and try to get a whiff of human smell."

This is still a search and rescue effort as workers are methodically moving through the swath of the city that was impacted by the twister. For NPR News, I'm Missy Shelton in Joplin, Missouri.

People who managed to get back to what's left of their homes and businesses are combing through the debris. Among them is Becky Bartash. She lost her hair salon business in the twister. Now, she's going through the wreckage, hoping to salvage whatever she can before more severe weather strikes Joplin.

"We've got a little bit of sunshine today, and so everybody's trying to get what they can get before the tornadoes are supposed to hit again tonight."

President Obama says he plans to visit Joplin on Sunday.

President Obama's in Britain, where he and the first lady were receiving a very royal welcome, sound of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards welcoming President Obama to Buckingham Palace today. The trip to England is part of a four-nation tour through Europe this week.

In Washington, a much-anticipated speech today on Capitol Hill from the Prime Minister of Israel. NPR's Audie Cornish reports the leader outlined his conditions for peace.

Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his stance that Israel refuses to negotiate peace with Palestinians based on pre-1967 lines. The prime minister also called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to back away from an alliance with the Islamist group Hamas.

"Israel is prepared to sit down today and negotiate peace with the Palestinian Authority. I believe we can fashion a brilliant future for our children. But Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of al-Qaeda. That we will not do."

Prime Minister Netanyahu also criticized the Palestinian plan to seek UN statehood status, saying a peace settlement must be negotiated, not imposed. Audie Cornish, NPR News, the Capitol.

Before the close, the Dow was down 25 points.

This is NPR.

Huguette Clark, the 104-year-old heiress to a copper fortune, has died in a Manhattan hospital after a long undisclosed illness. NPR's Margot Adler reports that investigations continue into how Clark's millions were handled.

Huguette Clark spent years as a recluse at least two decades living in New York City hospitals under assumed names, although some say she was in good health during some of that time. Her financial decisions were all made by her lawyer. She was born in 1906, the daughter of a Montana senator, who was known as one of the copper kings. She had a huge Manhattan apartment and several country estates, but she did not live in them. Her fortune is estimated at 500 million dollars. This all brings to mind the Astor case, and the same prosecutor is investigating this one. Her family says she may not have understood certain financial decisions. Clark's lawyer Wallace Bock said in a statement that she died with dignity and privacy. The statement was issued by Robert Anello, Bock's lawyer who represents him in the investigation into Clark's finances. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

The Obama administration is praising Chrysler for paying back the bulk of a bailout it received from the US and Canada in order to stay afloat during the recession. The automaker says it has repaid 7.6 billion dollars in loans. The US government still owns about 8.5% of the company.

Here's the latest from Wall Street before the close. The Dow Jones Industrials down 25 points at 12,356 in trading of just over three billion shares; NASDAQ Composite Index also down 13 points, nearly 0.5%, at 2,746; S&P 500 down one at 1,316.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.