NPR News 2012-09-05 加文本

NPR News 2012-09-05

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

Thousands of delegates are preparing for tonight's big event in North Carolina, where the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte will be called to order in about an hour. But there was some tension near the site between police and protestors, two of whom were arrested today. A vote will be held on the party's platform, which includes a call for an end to certain Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, supports women's right to an abortion and backs same sex marriage. The document says the party also supports the freedom of religious institutions to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.

President Obama says he expects to get misty when his wife speaks tonight on the opening night of the convention. NPR's Scott Horsley reports Mr. Obama plans to watch the first lady's speech from the White House along with the couple's two daughters.

Campaign ads say they expect Michelle Obama's speech will be both personal and passionate from the woman who knows the president best. Speaking to supporters in Virginia today, Mr. Obama called the first lady the star of the Obama family and he promised she will get the convention off to a speedy start.

You know, this is just like a relay, and you start off with the fastest person.

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro joins the first lady in prime time tonight. Castro is a rising star in the Democratic party, who is dubbed as the keynote speaker. Scott Horsley, NPR News.

While the Obama campaign works to convince voters, the economy though still sluggish, is better off now than it was four years ago. The Republicans are attacking the incumbent hard on that front. The GOP's vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan.

They can't look at the suffering families, or the jobs lost, or the debt crisis that's hanging over our economy and honestly say that we were better off than we were four years ago.  

Ryan campaigned today in Ohio while presidential candidate Mitt Romney keeps a low profile this week in preparation for a debate.

A just released book about American special operations raid to kill Osama Bin Laden contains classified information, but officials have not decided whether to take legal action against the book's author, a former Navy SEAL who took part in that raid. Details now from NPR's Tom Bowman.

The book is called 'No Easy Day', and it's written by a former SEAL under the pen name Mark Owen. Some 400,000 copies are heading to bookstores. Pentagon spokesman George Little says officials are still reviewing the book, but they are already concerned that the book will reveal government secrets.

Sensitive and classified information is contained in the book.

Little would not say what if any action might be taken against Owen or the publishers,  Penguin Putnam. The Pentagon says that Owen failed to abide by a non-disclosure agreement. They requires him to submit any materials for review. His lawyer says he was not required to do so, in nature, the book did not include classified information. John Bowman, NPR News, Washington.

Before the close, Dow was down 55.

This is NPR.

Sales of organic food have been growing quickly pushing pass $29 billion in annual sales. But as NPR's Allison Aubrey reports a new analysis by researchers at Stanford University finds a little evidence of health benefits from eating organic.  

One reason that consumers are willing to pay a premium for organic foods is that they are grown without the synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. But whether this translates into healthier or more nutritious food is unclear. Researchers at Stanford reviewed more than 200 studies, in general, they found that eating organic may reduce exposure to pesticide residues. But they conclude that there is not clear or consistent evidence that organically grown foods contain more nutritions, such as vitamins or minerals. As yet, there are no long-term studies comparing the health of people eating organic to those eating congenitally grown food. This means it's not yet possible to say what the effects or potential health benefits may be over a lifetime. Allison Aubrey, NPR News.

Home prices in the US still climbing. CoreLogic reporting today, prices rose 3.8% in July, the most in six years. But it says home prices are still far below where they were before the recession.

Manufacturing activity down for the third straight month. The Institute for Supply Management reporting today its rating fell slightly to 49.6 in August. The trade group also found the pace of hiring at factories take down.

Before the close, US stocks mixed, with the Dow off 55 points at 13,036; NASDAQ up eight points at 3,075; and the S&P 500 off two points at 1,405.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.