NPR News 2012-12-20 加文本

NPR News 2012-12-20

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

President Obama says he and House Speaker John Boehner are pretty close to a deal to keep the country from going over a fiscal cliff, but addressing the press for just under a minute this afternoon. Boehner says House Republicans will pass tax relief for nearly everyone in the US.

Then the President will have a decision to make. He can call on Senate Democrats to pass that bill or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history.

The President is urging lawmakers to, in his words, peel off the partisan war paint and strike a deal.

Up until a couple of days ago if you looked at it. The Republicans in the House and Speaker Boehner, I think we were in a position to say we've gotten a fair deal. The fact that they haven't taken it yet is puzzling.

Talks have come to a standstill just days before broad tax increases and steep spending cuts are scheduled to take effect.

The Federal Trade Commission is clamping down on websites and mobile apps that collect information from children. As NPR's Martin Kaste reports the FTC is updating a 1990s era law called the Children Online Privacy Protection Act.

COPPA was passed in 1998 to stop websites from asking kids under 13 for their names and addresses, unless their parents gave consent. But these days, online services don't need to ask for the information, they can offer an IDU just based on the digital fingerprint of your device. Now the FTC says that requires parental consent, too. If the device ID is used to build a profile on the child or target him with behavior advertising. For instance, offering him a deal on a happy meal just because his phone is close to McDonald's. Privacy groups have hailed the announcement and some hope for similar limits on the use of personal information of adults, too. Martin Kaste, NPR News.

The daughter of a cold-war era military ruler has won presidential elections in South Korea to become the nation's first female leader. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Seoul that the candidate has repositioned the conservative ruling party from the right wing towards the center.

The boisterous crowds celebrating Park Geun-hye's victory appeared to be predominantly middle-aged and older, people who would remember her father, the late President  Park Chung-hee, who left legacy of rapid economic growth and authoritarian politics. The 60-year-old Ms. Park vanquished opposition candidate Moon Jae-in, in a close race that produced a 76% voter turnout, the highest in a decade. Ms. Park said her victory represented Koreans' hopes for economic recovery.  She's promised to increase welfare spending and to negotiate with her north Korean counterpart Kim Jung-un. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.

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The panel that reviewed the deadly September 11th attacks in Benghazi Libya is blaming the tragedy on insufficient security staffing. Speaking to Congress today,  Admiral Mike Mullen says State Department bureaus hadn't assumed shared responsibility for security and that Libyan teams assigned to back up US personnel hadn't performed well. He says the mission's security fell through the cracks because buildings hadn't been categorized as temporary residential facilities.

Defense Secretary Leon Penetta has ordered a worldwide review of the hiring practices at US military day care centers after two workers at a Washington area center, were charged with assaulting children and others were found to have criminal pasts. NPR's Tom Bowman has more.

The Pentagon review will examine the hiring practices at hundreds of military child centers around the world, following assaults against children at Fort Myer Virginia outside Washington. Two child care workers will face multiple assault charges today in federal court in Virginia, following their arrests in September. They accused of striking and dropping toddlers. The arrests spurred an investigation and a Pentagon official said that some of the 30 child care workers at the center were found to have criminal records. The center has since closed and the children were placed at another child care center at Fort Myer. Tom Bowman, NPR News, Washington.

An international investment bank has been ordered to pay more than $1.5 billion in penalties in three nations. The Justice Department says UBS Securities Japan, will plead guilty to felony wire fraud and attempting to manipulate the interest rate.

I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.