NPR News 2013-03-21 加文本

NPR News 2013-03-21

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

President Obama is on a fence-mending mission to Israel, his first official visit since taking office. He and his host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appear to publicly thaw their sometimes frosty relations by affirming a close friendship and alliance against shared security threats. At the forefront was Iran's nuclear program. Obama maintains there is still time to resolve the matter diplomatically. Netanyahu is leaning toward tougher action. On the matter of Syria, Obama responded to the Assad regime's claims that rebels were behind the chemical attack on a village in northern Syria.

I am deeply skeptical of any claim that in fact it was the opposition that used chemical weapons.

Syria was the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill today. The U.S. ambassador to Syria says the U.S. has no evidence yet the chemical weapons have been used in the conflict. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports the U.S. calls that a red line.

A day after the Syrian government and rebels traded accusations of chemical weapons use.  Ambassador Robert Ford said the U.S. viewed such reports very seriously.

So far, we have no evidence to substantiate the reports that chemical weapons were used yesterday. But I want to underline that we are looking very carefully at these reports.

He says the U.S. is worried that Bashar al-Assad regime could be tempted to use chemical weapons as it loses ground on the battle field. If that happens, Ford warns there will be consequences. He wouldn't spell those out in the hearing at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

The Federal Reserve is going to keep up its bond buying program to help hold down interest rates and boost growth, despite more signs that the economy is improving. NPR's Craig Windham reports the Fed's policy-making Open Market Committee made that announcement after completing its monthly meeting in Washington.

The Fed says it will keep buying $85 billion a month in treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities until the nation's employment picture improves substantially. Feds Chairman Ben Bernanke notes the labor market is steadily getting better.

However, at 7.7% , the unemployment rate remains elevated.

And Bernanke says other factors are being watched as well.

The committee also remains concerned that restrictive fiscal policies may slow economic growth and job creation in coming months.

Bernanke also made reference to what he called the recent sharp increase in global financial stresses that could affect the U.S. economy. Craig Windham, NPR News, Washington.

Banks in Cyprus will now remain close through Friday as the Mediterranean island nation tries to find a way to avoid a financial meltdown. Confronted with public anger, the parliament voted down a measure that would impose a significant levy on bank deposits.

Before the close, Dow was up 56 points.

This is NPR.

A former mayor and four ex-city council members from Bell, California, have been convicted of corruption charges. One person has been acquitted. The defendants were accused of misappropriating public funds and paying themselves hefty salaries with tax payer dollars.

A new survey finds more than 1/4 of those who now support same-sex marriage say they used to oppose it. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports that young people are also behind a major shift in attitudes.

Support has risen steadily among all generations, but Michael Dimock of the Pew Research Center says none more so than millennials those age 18 to 32.

Seventy percent say they favor gay marriage that's much higher than any other group and they now represent a much bigger share of the adult population today than they did ten years ago.

The Pew study also finds many former opponents of gay marriage changed their mind, often citing a friend or family member who's homosexual. Overall, Pew finds support for same-sex marriage closely divided but when asked if gay and lesbian couples should have the same legal rights as others. Two thirds of Americans say yes. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.

Colorado has passed tighter gun laws that expand background checks and ban ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.

Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper signed the bill today, eight months after the shooting rampage at an Aurora movie theater. This's been an especially somber day though for the governor this morning, he addressed questions about the recent shooting death of the man he appointed as head of the state's corrections department. Tom Clements was killed at his home. So far, there have been no arrests.

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