NPR News 2012-09-23 加文本

NPR News 2012-09-23

From NPR News in Washington, I’m Korva Coleman.

The presidential and vice presidential candidates are campaigning this weekend and they lost no time in criticizing each other. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney continues to mention comments President Obama made in 1998 discussing some wealth redistribution. In an exclusive interview with Craig Carper of member station WCBE, Mr. Obama explained his comments.

Governor Romney has attacked these remarks, saying he believes in wealth creation and not redistribution. The president says the comments made during his time as a state senator were largely taken out of context, and that he will continue to promote the broader message of his 14-year-old remarks.

“That the notion that we are in this together, and you know we don’t just think about ourselves. But we think about the overall direction of our country. And those of us who’ve been successful, we don’t close the door of opportunity behind us. We try to make sure it’s open for the next generation.”

The Obama campaign says Governor Romney is attempting to change the subject following the release of a video in which he states that 47% of the country see themselves as victims. For NPR News, I’m Craig Carper in Richmond.

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is in California today, but he’ll travel to Colorado tomorrow to campaign. Meanwhile, his vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan spoke to voters in Miami, Florida today. He turned up the heat on President Obama’s remarks that he needs public support for his goals and cannot change Washington from the inside.

“We send presidents to change and fix the mess in Washington, and if this president has admitted that he can’t change Washington, then you know what, we need to change presidents.” GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan in Miami.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it’s known, is the subject of dozens of protests around the world today. NPR’s Jeff Brady reports activists want lawmakers to block the controversial process used in drilling for natural gas.

Organizers are calling the protest a global frack down. They are concerned fracking pollutes water, something the industry and its supporters dispute. On New York’s Long Island, protesters like Victor Pareas gathered outside state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’s office.

“We want to create legislation to ban the fracking in New York and six alternative energy.”

New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation is reviewing potential effects from fracking. Majority leader Scalos has said the results of that will have to be considered along with the number of jobs that drilling could bring to parts of the state. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

Many people were hurt in Bangladesh today during protests against a film produced in the United States denigrating Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Police broke up the demonstrations. There have been anti-film protests in several countries including Pakistan yesterday, where 20 people died. Now a Pakistani cabinet minister is offering a large reward for anyone who locates and kills the filmmaker.

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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg kicked off a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Barclays arena

in downtown Brooklyn, where the borough’s new basketball team, formerly the New Jersey Nets, will play this year. From member station WNYC, Jim O'Grady reports Brooklyn has not had a major sports team since 1957.

The Brooklyn Nets will open the NBA season with a home game against the Knicks on November 1st. Before that, the arena will host several big-time concerts including a nine-day run by Jay-Z. The hip-hop mogul is a public face of the Nets. Although his one-million-dollar investment gives him less than 1% ownership of the team, Jay-Z designed the team’s black and white logo, a letter B in an old-school funk to cross the basketball. The logo will appear on the uniforms of team stars Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, at the center of the team’s herringbone pattern court, and on T-shirts and caps that already seem ubiquitous in Brooklyn. For NPR News, I’m Jim O'Grady in New York.

Firefighters in Washington State are working to stop two big fires from emerging southwest of Wenatchee. This is east of Seattle. Forecasters warned the region is going to get dry lightning storm this weekend. That will increase the chances of new lightning-sparked fires, and there won’t be any rain to tamp down the blazes. The fires have produced smoke so thick and heavy that one school district canceled classes.

The parent company of California theme park Knott's Berry Farm is shutting down one of its rides. Several people got stuck on the Windseeker ride this week and had to wait more than three hours for rescue. No one was hurt. The company has five other parks. The Windseeker ride will be closed at each of them.

I’m Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.