NPR News 2012-08-11 加文本

NPR News 2012-08-11

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

Thousands of mourners, many of them Indian Americans from across North America, are in Wisconsin to pay tribute to the victims of last Sunday's attack at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek.

Some people silently sobbed as the crowd slowly filed into a school gym past a group of musicians to pay final respects to the six people killed when a suspected white supremacist stormed in and opened fire before he later took his own life. Attorney General Eric Holder was there, says that victims were members of the American Family. Appearing at the memorial in Oak Creek on behalf of the administration, Holder said that the American Family should never fall victim to these kinds of attacks. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports Holder promised to seek answers and justice.

The attorney general says Sikhs have born a brunt of attacks too often in the years since 9/11.

“Too many Sikhs have been targeted and victimized simply because of who they are, how they look and what they believe.”

Eric Holder says his Justice Department is working to prevent violence and discrimination. He called the shooting by gunman Wade Michael Page "an act of terrorism" and "a crime motivated by hatred," and he says the memory of the six people who died will motivate law enforcement in the days and months ahead. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

Priests were expected to later read the Sikh Holy Book [from] cover to cover in a traditional rite honoring the dead, a process that last 48 hours. The Sikh temple was cleansed yesterday of all signs of a massacre except for one. A bullet hole has been left in the doorjamb that leads to the main prayer hall, a reminder of the lives forever changed that day.

The Obama administration is imposing new sanctions on Hezbollah, accusing a Lebanese militant group of providing support to the Syrian regime. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports the US already considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

The Treasury Department's point man on sanctions, David Cohen, says for year Bashar al-Assad regime provided Hezbollah with safe haven, weapons and money.

“Hezbollah is now repaying its debt to Assad by providing training, advice and extensive logistical support to the government of Syria.”

He says Hezbollah has also helped facilitate training of Syrian forces by Iran’s Kutz Force. Though the new sanctions are mainly symbolic, the State Department's top counter-terrorism official says the US hopes other countries will take similar steps because he says Hezbollah is not only active in Syria, but also plotting attacks in other parts of the world. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

Before the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up 43 points at 13,208.

This is NPR News.

The federal budget deficit is on track to surpassing a trillion dollars for a fourth straight year. Today the Treasury Department announced that so far the deficit has reached 974 billion, but that's still lower than where the federal deficit stood same time last year.

The economy has weakened in recent months as you know, and Steve Beckner of Market News International reports that 48 prominent economists don't expect a lot of improvement in the gross domestic product.

Forecasters surveyed by Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank have become gloomier about the outlook. They look for 1.6% GDP growth this quarter, a bit more than in the second quarter, but nearly a full percent less than forecast three months ago. 2.2% growth is seen in the fourth quarter, but that's also lower than previously projected. The pattern continues next year and beyond. A slowdown to 1.8% is expected in the first quarter, much worse than in the prior survey. Growth is seen picking up in 2014 and 2015, but not as much as once hoped. The forecasters also look for fewer job gains. For NPR News, I'm Steve Beckner.

The latest gang raids in Southern California have netted 35 more arrests in addition to the more than two dozen people already in custody for drug distribution and murder. Federal, state and local law enforcement conducted the raids against the violent East Side Anaheim gang today in which they seized 11 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and huge amounts of guns.

Before the close, Dow was up 43 at 13,208, NASDAQ gaining two at 3,021, S&P 500 up three at 1,406.

This is NPR.