NPR News 2013-08-03 加文本

NPR News 2013-08-03

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

The State Department has issued an alert to all US citizens traveling overseas, and it’s closing some embassies in the Middle East and North Africa this Sunday. NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston reports some unusual al-Qaeda activity has officials worried.

The State Department was vague. It said that al-Qaeda and its affiliates may try to conduct attacks against US targets between now and the end of August. Officials tell NPR that there’s been some al-Qaeda activity that has raised concern. Last week, for example, it appears Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the head of al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen and a bin Laden’s confidant, was named deputy emir of a core terrorist group. The US is also noticing operatives moving around, and some of the chatter the US is picking up indicates al-Qaeda’s arm in Iraq may be feeling empowered. The group was behind two recent jailbreaks in Iraq, and the concern is that it could start to focus on international targets. Dina Temple-Raston, NPR News.

Meanwhile in Egypt, there’s word that riot police have fired tear gas at protesters loyal to their deposed president. Thousands continue to stage sit-ins.

The big monthly jobs report is coming under analysis or analysts’ expectations that is. The unemployment rate is down to 7.4%. But that’s partly because people stop looking for jobs in July, so they were not counted in the latest tally. Economist Huge Johnson says the greater disappointment came in job creation.

“Most of us were now looking for a number around 185,000. We only saw 162,000 jobs.”

While Republicans are using the latest numbers as proof of an administration’s failure to put a serious dent in unemployment, NPR’s Ari Shapiro says White House is counting 41 straight months of job creation. These July numbers came on Alan Krueger’s last day as chair of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers.

“I think what we see today it’s what we’ve seen frankly for the two years I’d been sitting here. The economy is continuing to heal. It’s moving in the right direction. It’s not moving fast enough.”

He blames the slow pace on Congress’s refusal to implement President Obama’s job proposals. Republicans in Congress blame the president’s health care law for the jump in part-time instead of full-time hiring. They say employers are trying to avoid the requirement to ensure full-time workers. But Krueger says many of the part-time jobs come from the sequester. Those across-the-board cuts have forced some workers to cut their hours. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, the White House.

The rules that once prevented gays and lesbians from applying to live in the US with their spouses are no more. Secretary of State John Kerry made the uNPRecedented announcement during his trip to London today.

“When same-sex spouses apply for a visa, the Department of State will consider that application in the same manner, that it would consider the application of opposite-sex spouses.”

All US agencies are being urged to review their policies following a Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down a key part of a federal law defining marriage is just between a woman and man.

Before the close, Dow was up 30. This is NPR.

Congressman Darrell Issa, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has issued a subpoena for documents related to the IRS’s targeting of groups for scrutiny due to potential political activity. NPR’s Tamara Keith reports the acting director of the IRS says the agency’s already fully cooperating.

Things got heated as the Acting Director of the IRS Daniel Werfel appeared before the House Oversight Committee. Chairman Darrell Issa presented a large stack of IRS documents he said were so heavily redacted they were useless and accused Werfel and the IRS of slow-walking the investigation. Werfel attempted to explain.

“I think this is an important fact for me to get out and hopefully I can get...”

“Yes, there’re important facts to get out, and you are obstructing them.”

“I’m not.”

“For now.”

“That is not true.”

“So now.”

“And not support it.”

Werfel insisted the IRS is moving as far as it can. Issa wasn’t persuaded. Each document has to be screened to make sure it doesn’t contain sensitive taxpayer information. Tamara Keith, NPR News, the Capitol.

Reputed Boston mobster “Whitey” Bulger won’t be testified in his racketeering trial after all. He called the whole legal process today a “sham” and told the judge to do ever she wanted with him. Bulger claims he had previously received immunity from a federal prosecutor.

The Cleveland man ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping and raping three women for a decade reportedly will begin his term isolated from other inmates. A spokeswoman for Ohio’s prisons department says Ariel Castro will be kept apart from the general population for a while for his own protection. Castro was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years following his conviction on hundreds of charges.

US stocks were up before the close with the Dow gaining 30; it’s at 15,658.

I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.